Day 154: Who Are The Apostles?
Ephesians 4:11-12
It was He (Jesus Christ) who gave some as Apostles, some as Prophets, some as Evangelists, and some as Shepherds and Teachers, in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ.
This week, we are going to continue to look at Ephesians 4, particularly what it teaches us about the gifted people that Christ has given to equip us. Ephesians 4 is a significant passage that connects Jesus’ discipleship mandate in the Great Commission of Matthew 28 with the mission of the Church. This mission is founded on the ministries of the Apostles and Prophets. All that we do as followers of Christ is catalyzed by Apostolic Vision and Mission and Prophetic Passion and Direction.
Jesus has given 5 types of gifted people to us to equip us for the work and ministry that He calls us to: The Apostles, The Prophets, The Evangelists, The Shepherds and The Teachers. The foundational gifted people given to us are the Apostles and Prophets.
Ephesians 4:11–13
It was Christ who gave some as Apostles, … 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ…
When our Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry, He picked 12 men to whom He would entrust His work after He ascended back to the Father in Heaven. Mark gives us some detail about the purposes for which Jesus selected these men:
Mark 3:13–16
Now Jesus went up the mountain and called for those he wanted, and they came to him. 3:14 He appointed twelve (whom he named Apostles), so that they would be with Him and he could send them to preach 3:15 and to have authority to cast out demons.
The title Apostle implies someone who is a representative or an emissary or a messenger for someone else. These men would be Jesus’ chosen representatives. They would be witnesses to His life and His death and His resurrection. Their testimony would be the foundation of the early church.
When Jesus picks these men, He has three things in mind for them. First, that they would simply be with Him. Their new “career” would be to follow Jesus 24/7. Secondly Jesus would send them to proclaim the Good News of Kingdom as He had been doing. And finally, Jesus would give them authority over the Demonic realm which had not yet been decisively dealt with by Jesus’ death on the Cross.
We are going to use the phrase Apostolic Vision and Mission to describe the way this group of people equips us for the work of ministry. This Apostolic ministry is the life impulse for the Body of Christ—it is the catalyst and motivation for everything else that we do. It is vitally important that we understand this important part of our foundation.
PRESENCE: Seeing the Glory of Christ.
The 12 Apostles simply began by spending time with Jesus, watching Him, learning from Him. This was the way that Rabbis (Teachers) in Judaism would train their students. They would not just spend a few hours a day with their students, the students would devote their lives to walking with and following a Rabbi. Before Jesus would turn these men loose with their Mission, they had to be captivated by a Vision—The Vision of the beauty, glory, splendor of our Lord Jesus. John, who was one of the 12 said this:
John 1:14
Now The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.
Here John talks about the glory of Jesus that he and the others saw while Christ was on earth, walking among them. We have already discussed the concept of glory. Here is a short definition that focuses on Christ:
KEY Definition:
Glory is the incomprehensibly profound, radiant beauty of Christ that is absolutely remarkable.
In all that He is, The One True God is too “big” to get our minds around; He is—in His very essence—incomprehensible. Yet He reveals Himself in the person of our Lord Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in a profound (intensely deep and personal) way. When we “see” Jesus, He displays the splendor, the beauty of God for us. If we allow ourselves to be captivated by this beauty we will want to talk about Him—He is absolutely remarkable. This is what the first Apostles experienced as they kept company with Christ; this is what they pass along to us. This part of the Apostolic Vision that captivated these men and formed the foundation of their Gospel proclamation:
2 Corinthians 4:4–6
… the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. 6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. {HCSB}
Proclamation: The Kingdom Is At Hand and IS Coming.
Captivated by the Vision of Jesus, the Apostles were entrusted with His message, “the Gospel of the Glory of Christ” as Paul calls it in the passage above. Jesus sent them out to preach or to proclaim the reality that Jesus is the long awaited King (Christ) and His Kingdom is “at hand” just as Jesus had been doing (see Mark 1:14-15). These men were sent out to first tell the people of Israel that the fulfillment of the promises was at hand. Later, these men would be sent to all nations proclaiming the death, resurrection, ascension and return of Jesus as The Eternal King. They also taught new believers Jesus’ Way of True Life. Toward the end of His life, we hear that Paul (a special Apostle, hand picked by Jesus) who had spread the Gospel all the way from Antioch to Rome was,
Acts 28:28–31
…welcoming all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Authority: Jesus is Exalted above All.
The first Apostles gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Acts 4:33, 1 Corinthians 15). Jesus our Lord was “appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). After His resurrection, Jesus Himself said, “all authority (power) in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). It is by this authority that Jesus sent The Apostles out to make disciples and the same authority by which all of Jesus’ students follow in the work of service through the gifts He has given us.
In His “High Priestly Prayer” on the night of His betrayal, Jesus prayed for the first Apostles:
John 17:16–19
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 17:18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
We serve Jesus the Messiah (King) who was sent by the Father to redeem us. It is Jesus who sent the Apostles into the World. We serve a King who is both the sent and the sending Savior. It is this Apostolic Vision and Mission that catalyzes and motivates all else that we do.
What caught your attention in today’s reading? Did you learn anything new?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
