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What Is Apostolic? November 19, 2007 By Martin Schmaltz
Much is being said today about “the apostolic.” There are those who believe a restoration of “the apostolic” is necessary. Various views of what apostolic means include:
Many of these may contain some elements of truth or may be man’s attempt to apply the principles of apostolic, but they often fall far short of God’s original intentions. Allow me to present a view of “apostolic” for us to consider.
To begin with, the word “apostolic” is not contained in the scriptures. This word is a creation of man. In my personal experience, apostolic is used as an adjective to describe the type of ministry first demonstrated by Jesus, as The Apostle, then His apostles. The Greek for “apostle” is apostolos. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, it is “one sent forth.” Holman’s Bible Dictionary says it is “a person sent to accomplish a mission. An apostle represents the one sending and has authority to represent the sender in business, political, or educational situations.”
Scripture shows us that the word “apostle” and “sent” are similar. According to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, “send” or “sent” is apostello; “properly, to send off, send away.” Furthermore, Thayer’s tells us there are four components to being sent:
In the literal sense of the word, anyone who has been given a job to perform, then sent, (apostello) to do this duty for the one sending is an apostle (apostolos). In Matthew 2, those that Herod “sent forth” to slay the children in Bethlehem were apostello. In John 1:19, the Jews “sent” or apostello as their apostolos, priests and Levite's to question the identity of John. If you are part of an organization or business and you delegate someone to go and relay a message, represent you, or conduct business for you, they have been sent (apostello) by you and are your apostle (apostolos).
The major significance of the biblical apostolic is who is doing the sending and what they are being sent to accomplish.
Who’s Your Daddy? Being apostolic means being sent as a representative of Jesus Christ. It is from Him we are to get our orders. Jesus stated that all power had been given to Him. When He sent out His disciples in Mark 6:7-13, they were given specific commands of where, as well as what to say. When they operated as He commanded is when they saw the miraculous happen.
In Acts 19, we see the sons of Sceva attempting to operate under their own initiative. They were attempting to accomplish something of benefit, yet they were not effective. Their problem was they were not sent. I can desire to do good things for the kingdom, yet find frustration and limited results if what I am attempting is not what He has sent me to do.
This is significant for us to grasp because, if we desire to see His kingdom manifest or reach the lost of this world with His miraculous delivering power, we must make sure we are operating as His representatives in the manner that He has determined. We must make sure we are not perpetuating man’s traditions, values, or structure. In my personal life and ministry, I must be sure that I am operating in a manner that He has authorized. Our churches must carefully evaluate and make sure we are performing His mandate and not our programs. The power to impact our world only comes when we are operating in accordance with His commission.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, Martin Schmaltz
--------- Martin Schmaltz has pastored for 10+ years, first in Missouri and currently in Albany, GA. He is the author of Apostolic Authority, Every Believer's Privilege. His most creative times are experienced while working from his Starbucks “office.” |
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