Are Apostles for Today?
by Apostle Dell Young

G od promised in Acts 3:21 that prior to the second coming of Christ, a restoration would occur. This restoration was to be used to set truths that were lost during the Dark Ages back in order. Over the past four centuries, we have seen the recovery of many important truths that were lost or forsaken during this time. For example, “justification by faith” was restored by Martin Luther, and this truth is readily accepted today without controversy. However, this concept was vehemently opposed by the religious community in Martin Luther’s day. Today we are seeing the restoration of the church back to its original New Testament pattern.

Ephesians 4:11-13 is a passage of scripture of major importance: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” While we have come to accept the ministry gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers, it is much more difficult for some to embrace the ministry gifts of apostles and prophets. To be absolutely consistent and scripturally true as stated in Ephesians 4, if there are no apostles today, then neither are there pastors, evangelists, or teachers. Just because you don’t understand it or like it, you can’t arbitrarily embrace some of the gifts while rejecting others. Jesus did not give three or four ministry gifts. He gave five! Each of these gifts is an extension of the ministry of Christ himself, and today we need the fullness of this entire ministry more than ever.

For what reason did He give us these gifts? What is their purpose? Verse 12 states the purpose: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” These five leadership gifts were not simply given to do the work of the ministry, but to enable God’s people to do the work of the ministry. What is the duration of these ministry gifts? How long will they be needed? Verse 13 indicates the time frame: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” The five-fold ministry did not pass away at the end of the first century, but was to be in effect until the Body matured in unity, knowledge, and expression of Christ’s fullness. Scripture never indicates that the office of the apostle would cease and become a spiritual dinosaur that would become extinct. Not a single verse in the Bible can be found to even hint that apostles were meant to be temporary. The Bible plainly teaches that apostles (as well as evangelists, pastors, teachers, and prophets) will continue to function “until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Surely no one is ignorant enough to believe that the church has arrived at this place of unity, perfection, and maturity.

The reason some Christians assume that the apostolic ministry ceased during the New Testament era is because of the failure to differentiate between the original apostles of Christ and the other apostles mentioned in scripture. The original twelve apostles have a unique and special place in Christian history. There will never again be apostles like them. They will be commemorated forever in the New Jerusalem (see Revelation 21:14), but they were not the only apostles. There were many others called “apostle” in the New Testament, including Andronicus, Apollos, Barnabas, Epaphroditus, James the brother of Jesus, Junia, Matthias, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and others referred to but not specifically named. I Corinthians 15 (see I Corinthians 15:5-7) mentions that after the resurrection Jesus appeared to the twelve and then also to all the apostles, indicating that there were apostles other than the twelve. Also, the warning in scripture against “false apostles” would be nonsense if apostles were limited to the original twelve. If there only were to be twelve, then Jesus should have warned us against all subsequent apostles, not just the false ones. Yes, there are false apostles, but there are also true apostles. There are also false pastors, false teachers, and false evangelists. I Corinthians 11:19 states: “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” God is not afraid of the false. The false only helps to illuminate the true. “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (I Corinthians 12:28). This passage emphatically declares that in the true church, you find the above mentioned spiritual gifts. Is it not hypocritical that we gladly accept teachers, helps, and gifts of administration, but reject the rest?

What is an apostle? Our English word “apostle” comes from the Greek word “apostolos,” which means “to send.” Throughout church history, the title of apostle has been used in various ways. Today some will concede that the term may apply to missionaries; however, our definition is: apostles today are those who are called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts, and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches. Apostles are “ones chosen and sent with a special commission.” They are referred to as “wise master builders” or “spiritual architects” (I Corinthians 3:10).

How do apostles function? How are they used today? Apostles plant new churches (I Corinthians 9:2, I Corinthians 3:6), help establish the church in truth (Colossians 1:25), preserve unity in the Body (I Corinthians 3: 3-5), lay foundations in the church (I Corinthians 3:10), set things in order (Titus 1:5), impart spiritual gifts (Romans 1:11), and father new ministries (II Timothy 1:6, I Corinthians 4:15). These functions produce breakthrough-type ministry of miracles, signs, and wonders (II Corinthians 12:12, Acts 2:43, Acts 5:12), a ministry of warfare (II Corinthians 10:4-5), prayer, and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).

Are apostles really important for today? The functional restoration of New Testament apostles is not only important, but also critical. Apostles are an essential part of the team ministry that God has formed (see Ephesians 4:11-17). Without apostles, a crucial part of the ministry of Christ is missing and the church suffers. One of the most devastating deceptions of the devil against the advancing church has been the lie that the gift of apostles is no longer for today. Why does satan fight so hard against the restoration and establishment of the full five-fold ministry? The reason is because satan knows that once the five-fold ministry is fully functional and the saints are equipped to do the work of the ministry, his kingdom will be destroyed!