Apostles Study Series

#1~ APOSTLES: INTRODUCTION 12-7-13

Today we'll begin a study about the APOSTLES, what were the requirements to be an Apostle?

There are some people today that call them selves apostles, but as we're about to see, no one today meets these requirements.

I have saw people on certain TV programs that call them selves apostles, the other people on the same program address these certain people as apostles, but just because people call them apostles don't mean it's true.

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The 12 Apostles were chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself for a specific reason and purpose.

These 12 men were chosen by the Lord from a great number of disciples after much prayer. -- A disciple is a follower, a learner, you and I today that are believers in Jesus are His disciple's, as disciple's, we'll grow in grace and knowledge as we feed upon His Word, and become more able and equipped to tell others about Him.

~But none today are personally chosen by Christ Himself as the 12 were.

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Let me say before we go any further, there are at least 8 people that are referred to as "apostles" in Acts, but these are sent by various Churches, "they are missionaries," their not called and sent by JESUS CHRIST, their sent by certain churches.

~ The church that I attend supports 11 missionaries, but never have we referred too those as "apostles" although "apostle" mean, "sent one".

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~ The title, "apostle," means, "one sent forth." As it pertains to the twelve, Jesus Himself called them AS apostles, and sent them forth.

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LISTEN; an "apostle" in the Biblical sense is someone sent with delegated authority.

~A representative or ambassador for someone else. LISTEN, Paul was an Apostle of Christ, but he was also an apostle of the church at Antioch.

~In other words, a person of the office of "teaching elder" is the role of "apostle". Not in the same sense as the Holy Apostles ("the twelve"), but in the sense of ambassadors of the church, sent to establish churches, and accountable to the local church they are sent from.

So Paul was a double Apostle (of Christ and the church), Barnabas was a single (of the church only).

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* Other that are called Apostles - church sent, not sent forth from Christ.

Andronicus - Apollos - Barnabas - Epaphroditus - James, the Lord's Brother -

Matthias - The Apostle Chosen by Lot - Silas - Timothy -

We must think of these "often called apostles" like the missionaries of today but who did not have the position, the authority, and the abilities of the Twelve and of Paul.

~Apostleship was a gift given to establish "the church", not a church.

Over and over again in the gospels, the twelve are mentioned -- are named and separated from the others. There can be no question that they had a calling which no others had. - Apostles of Christ is to be a 12 man office, never to be repeated.

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let's be sure and notice that Jesus didn't take applications for the office of His chosen apostles, and they were not consulted beforehand, or interviewed, He didn't go around the neighborhood gathering information as too what kind of individuals these 12 were. -- The choice was of His sovereign will and purpose.

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* The Choice was made after a night of Prayer.

>Luke 6:12-13 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; --

Jesus probably had many disciples, many followers, we're not told how many disciples there were altogether to choose from, but from among these disciples He chose 12. --- And then for about 18 months Jesus watched and taught His chosen 12.

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* The Choice of the 12 was of His Sovereign will and plan, we read in

>Mark 3:13-15 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: -- notice, these 12 would be ordained and SENT by the Lord.

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Matt.10: 1-8 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.