The Mark of an Apostle

The Apostle Paul pointed to the things he had suffered for the Gospel as the evidence of his apostolic calling.

What are the characteristics of a genuine apostle? “Signs and wonder?” Visions and dreams? Eloquent speech and a commanding presence on stage? Such things are wonderful and have their place, but are they criteria by which disciples of Jesus can evaluate someone’s claim to apostolic or prophetic authority?

When the eleven remaining apostles elected the replacement for Judas Iscariot after the Ascension of Jesus, they selected Matthias based on specific criteria:

• “Of the men, therefore, that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection” – (Acts 2:21-22).

[Shipwrecked - Photo by Richard Hedrick (Portland, OR) on Unsplash]

At face value, this passage seems to disqualify all of today’s “apostles,” though it also raises several unanswered questions. For example, was Peter applying these requirements to all apostles or to a specific group, such as “the Twelve”? What about Saul of Tarsus?

Be that as it may, Paul provided insight into this question in his second letter to the Corinthians, though he evaluated his ministry in ways that differed radically from the thinking of his critics. Some voices were challenging his apostolic credentials, and they mocked his physical shortcomings:

• “For his letters, they say, are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech of no account” – (2 Corinthians 10:10).

Unlike Paul, these self-proclaimed apostles had letters of commendation from Jerusalem, and they could point to the abundance of their visions and their Jewish pedigrees as qualifications for apostolic office.

• “For I reckon that I am not one bit behind the super apostles <…> I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet in whatsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I” – (2 Corinthians 11:5-22).

Nevertheless, Paul labeled these men “false apostles,” deceivers who preached “another Jesus” and a “different gospel.”

SUFFERING FOR JESUS

In contrast to his opponents, Paul pointed to the things he had suffered for the Gospel to validate his apostolic authority and calling:

• “Are they ministers of Christ? So am I. In toils, more abundantly. In prisons, more abundantly. In stripes, above measure. In deaths. often. Of the Jews, five times I received forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day have I been in the deep. In journeyings, often. In perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in labor and travail. In watching, often. In hunger and thirst. In fasting, often. In cold and nakedness. <…> Who is weak, and I am not weak? If I must glory, I will glory about the things that concern my weakness” – (2 Corinthians 11:23-30).

Yes, miracles did occur in Paul’s ministry. Yes, he experienced visions and revelations, and once he received a vision of “the third heaven,” though he was reluctant to talk about it. Nevertheless, these supernatural events did not confirm his apostolic authority or define his ministry.

What mattered, and what Paul learned through his sufferings, was that the grace of God was sufficient, especially when manifested despite or even in his weaknesses, trials, and sufferings:

• “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made complete in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore, I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecution, in distresses, for the sake of Jesus, for when I am weak, then am I strong” – (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul’s qualifications for ministry differ radically from today’s apostles and prophets, or at least those things that he valued the most in his ministry, and it appears he was not alone among the Apostles in suffering for the sake of the Gospel and the Church:

• “For I think God has set forth us, the apostles, last of all, as men doomed to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have glory, but we have dishonour. Even to this present hour, we both hunger and thirst, and we are naked and buffeted, and we have no certain dwelling-place; and we toil, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the rubbish of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now” – (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).

Does this mean that a person must suffer as Paul did to be a legitimate apostle, prophet, or pastor? No. But whether God still has prophets or apostles today, they ought to be recognizable for their willingness to suffer and deny their own needs and prosperity for the sake of the ministry. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case.

If any self-declared prophet or apostle claims that God only wants us to prosper, that suffering is never His will, or points to his mighty signs and wonders, visions, and dreams as the irrefutable evidence of his divine appointment and spirituality, grab your Bible and wallet and run!

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SEE ALSO:

• Famine in the Land - (The contemporary church suffers from a famine for hearing the words of God, but it is a self-inflicted wound)

• Antichrists, plural - (The Spirit of the Antichrist works to destroy the Body of Christ from within, especially through deceivers and false teachers – 1 John 2:18-22)

• Howling Imposters - (The New Testament repeatedly warns of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith)

• Le Signe d'un Apôtre - (L'apôtre Paul a souligné les choses qu'il avait souffert pour l'Évangile comme preuve de son office apostolique)