The Disease Of Apostleitis

Have you ever noticed that every time you turn around you meet someone else with the title of an apostle? Since the church discovered that the five-fold ministry is biblical, it’s as if we’ve been inundated with apostles and apostolic networks. Why, there are even apostolic organizations that an apostle can join for only $1000 per year so that he can come together with other apostles and they can all apostle together!

Wow! With the increase in the number of apostles today and the fact that they are so well organized and obviously have no cash flow problems, you would think that they would have the same impact in our world that they did in the early centuries–lives, families, and cities would be turned upside down. But alas that is not the case. In fact, my observations tell me that the church is being turned upside down by the world’s culture.

As I was lamenting this disease of “apostleitis” that has risen to plague level proportions in the church today, a few things occurred to me. First, no one in the New Testament held the title of apostle. It was an office that described a function and a lifestyle. Paul referred to himself as an apostle but never as the Apostle Paul. Peter referred to him as our beloved brother Paul. Peter recognized Paul’s ministry and work but assigned him no title. Second, the calling card of those who functioned as apostles was the stripes on their backs from the beatings they received for the cause of Christ. These were the men who led the way in suffering for the Lord. Third, there were no apostolic networks that were overseen by a single apostle in the New Testament. Fourth, no apostle in the New Testament ever tried to get other churches to come under his apostolic covering or join his network. Fifth, . . . . Oh well, forget it. The misunderstandings and the abuses of the ministry of an apostle are legion. Suffice it to say that the church needs to be healed from this plague.

Don’t get me wrong. The ministry of apostles is a vital part of the five-fold ministry and is desperately needed for today. But we need the true ministry of apostles. In Revelation 2:2, Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for having tried them which say they are apostles, and are not. We need the real deal today more than ever in history.

What is a real apostle? The word means “one who is sent.” The word actually existed before Jesus began his ministry and before he appointed any of his apostles. To the Greeks, an apostle was one who was sent by a king as his representative to establish a colony of his kingdom in a foreign land. The colony that the apostle established lived according to the laws and culture of the kingdom to which they belonged–not the culture of the land where they had established their outpost.

Do you see what this means? Apostles are sent by God to establish colonies of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Wherever they go, heaven’s culture invades earth and overcomes the culture of this world. Now do you see? We really do need apostles like never before in history. We need apostles who bring heaven’s culture to earth.

1. 

   Cammie Novara says:

   August 4, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   “Why, there are even apostolic organizations that an apostle can join for only $1000 per year so that he can come together with other apostles and they can all apostle together!” That statement really caught my attention! Wow.