The Marks of an Apostle

The Marks of an Apostle
Bryan Hupperts

Hi, SheepTrax!
Recently, I sat in on an excellent, very spirited Bible study where the teacher (our Associate Pastor Bob Wells) debated what the marks of an apostle were. To some, you had to be personally called by Jesus. To others, you had to be a physical eyewitness of the resurrection of Jesus, plant churches, and perform miracles. To others, no matter what your claim, there were only twelve (eleven plus one) and then the office ceased.

Apostles were marked by many common themes: being divinely set apart to serve God and govern the church, they worked healings and miracles, and seemed to be able to function in all of the other four offices in the church.

If you believe the office of the apostle has passed from functionality, consider Revelation 2:2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false." In my opinion, this seems to indicate that there was a test to determine who was, and who wasn't, an apostle - which seems to further indicate that the office continued after the twelve original apostles died. (The New Testament refers to 23 separate Apostles in total).

With so many voices making so many claims, I thought I would put together a job description of a biblical apostle as a kind of litmus test to see what we should expect from the life and ministry of a modern apostle.

I maintain that the marks of a true apostle are on his back. Eleven of the twelve apostles were martyred for their faith. Here are a few words and phrases pulled from the New Testament to describe these holy men of God who were (and are?) "The sent ones:" · Scum of the earth · We were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself · But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. · And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. · So Peter was kept in prison · They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. · They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers… The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison… he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. · A plot was made against him · "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul." · Far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death · He killed James the brother of John with the sword · He was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; for the mob of the people followed, crying, "Away with him! · I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; · For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus · For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake · So death is at work in us · But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger… in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true… as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. · Our bodies had no rest but we were afflicted at every turn--fighting without and fear within. · Or the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong. · For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, and therefore I suffer as I do. · At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. · But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. · For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

While many are claiming to be great in the kingdom of God, and claim to have the authority and miracles to back their claims, I say this: look to their backs and see the scars. If there are none, they do not stand with these New Testament men who laid down their lives for the furtherance of the cause of Christ. And rest assured, if you are called to such a holy undertaking, if the scars aren't there yet, they will be. Such is the price for the ministry of an apostle.

I end this with a simple, sobering prophetic word I feel the Lord gave me for the Western church that is currently wrangling and disputing about who gets to be "honored" as an Apostle.

"The Western church is known more for her stars than her scars. But she will soon be known more for her scars than her stars."

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