Apostle; James The Great Series

#6~ APOSTLE; JAMES THE GREAT 1-11-14

* JAMES -- name of four men in the New Testament:

1~ James, the son of Zebedee brother of John, both were apostles.

2 ~ James, a son of Mary, half brother of Jesus, he was not a member of the apostolic band, and not a believer in Jesus until after His resurrection.

~ Let's be reminded, that Jesus chose His 12 apostles at the beginning of His 3½ year ministry, Jesus half brothers did not believe on Him at that time, so this rules out James the half brother of Jesus as one of His apostles. -- However this James, Jesus half brother, wrote the epistle of James, after he became a believer of coarse, and let me also say, that Jesus half brother "JUDAS" wrote the epistle of Jude after he became a believer and that was not until the resurrection of Jesus. -- And let me also say, that neither James nor Judas mentions in their epistles that they are Jesus brother, neither desired to magnify themselves, both states that their the "servant of Jesus Christ" -- both were zealous for Jesus.

* The names of His half brothers are found in Matthew 13:55 -- James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas.--He also had at least two sisters, we're not told their names.

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3rd. ~ James, the father of "Judas an apostle" not Judas Iscariot, and not the half brother of Jesus also named Judas. -- Remember, the half brothers of Jesus did not believe on Him until after His resurrection.

4th. ~ James, the son of Alphaeus, also called son of Cleopas.

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~ Last time we talked about "James the son of Alphaeus" -- James the son of Alphaeus; was referred to as "James the less" probably because he was short in stature, or perhaps because he was younger, also to distinguish him from the other apostle James, the brother of the apostle John.

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* LISTEN, there are no apostles today:

~ Remember an apostle is a person that has been SENT by the Lord Jesus such as the 12 apostles, or the 70 in;

>Luke 10:1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

~ We don't call missionaries today "APOSTLES".

~Listen, in the days of Paul there were others that Paul referred to as APOSTLES; these were sent by A LOCAL church, not personally sent by the Lord Jesus as the 12 were.

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~ There are others besides Paul and the Twelve who were called Apostles. --- In Acts 14:4, 14, Barnabus is called an apostle. -- But, the only thing certain here is that Barnabus was an apostle of the Antioch church, not a formal Apostle.

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~Notice the church at Antioch sent out Barnabus, not the Lord.

>Acts 13: 1-3 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. -- The church at Antioch SENT them, not the Lord.

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~ Paul speaks of himself as having been in the company of apostles of Christ at the church in Thessalonica.

>1st. Thess. 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

~ Paul is apparently talking about his co-travelers, Silas and Timothy, because we read in;

>1st. Thess. 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians --- so it seems Paul was talking about Silas and Timothy.

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~LISTEN; here "apostle" is being used in its more common usage, simply as a representative (missionary) authorized by a local church to minister in the Word in other locations.

--- There is no recorded scene in which the Lord or the twelve Apostles appointed Silas as a formal Apostle.

* Paul was both an Apostle of the Lord Jesus and an apostle of the church at Antioch, as both sent Paul.

~ These apostles were like the missionaries of today, but these did not have the position, the authority, and the abilities of the Twelve and of Paul.

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~Today local churches send missionaries. -- it is best to call them missionaries, to keep some folks from being confused, if they were referred to as apostles, some folks might think of them as being like the Twelve Apostles, and the Apostle Paul. There are no Apostles today.