Yes, There Are Apostles Today

One way to tell that people are teaching a false doctrine is their theory does not line up with the Word. There are a group of false teachers who are spreading misinformation claiming there are no more Apostles in the church today and the only actual Apostles were the original twelve who followed Christ. We will use the scriptures of their claims and the Word of God to refute them.

First, they say there are four qualifications to be an Apostle, which are:

1.    Had to have seen Jesus resurrected
2.    Had to have been appointed by Jesus
3.    Had to be male
4.    Had to have been able to heal, raise people from the dead along with other apostolic gifts.

Had to have seen Jesus resurrected – No where in scripture does it say that to be an Apostle you had to have seen Jesus. The scripture they use to justify this is Acts 1:22, 22, which reads, “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Peter spoke these words after the resurrection to choose a successor to Judas, and Matthias was chosen to replace him, thus fulfilling the scriptures of Psalms 69:25, which reads, “Let their habitation be desolate; And let none dwell in their tents.” The scripture never says there would be no more Apostles, only one of the original twelve would be replaced.

There were many brethren who saw Jesus after His resurrection but were not ordained Apostles. The scripture reads, “after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:6.

Paul writes that Jesus gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the church. Ephesians 4:11. And in 1 Corinthians 12:28, he says, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

There were other Apostles after the original twelve including Paul himself, Silvanus and Timotheus, who Paul clarified as Apostles when he said, “nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 2:6. This claim by Paul included Silvanus and Timotheus as Apostles, as well as Titus, who Paul says, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” Titus 1:5. Only Apostles could ordain Elders.

They say that Apostles had to have actually seen Jesus resurrected but Paul did not see Jesus in the flesh, he seen him in the Spirit well after His resurrection in Acts 9:3, which reads, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

People who claim that Paul actually seen Jesus using the scripture of 1 Corinthians 15:8, which says, “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” And 1 Corinthians 9:1, which says, “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” They do not understand that Jesus had already been resurrected and Paul seen the manifestation of Jesus in the Spirit realm and not the flesh. They lack Spiritual discerning and deny the power of the Holy Ghost because the carnal man cannot see spiritual things. These men are in the flesh and are carnal by nature.

They also argue that the original Apostles were built on a foundation and that no other men could add to that foundation. True, the foundation is the foundation of the church, which was built on the twelve Apostles and the prophets of the Old Testament. The Lord said he would add to the church other Apostles and prophets. Which means there would be more to come for the perfecting of the church. The scripture says prophesy is a gift of God given to men today as well as in the past so the church could grow.

“… and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:” Ephesians 2:20, 21.

They say men today are attempting to rebuild the church with another foundation but that is scripturally untrue; Apostles and prophets of today help the church to grow. Yet these men say that not everything was meant to be a continuation from the original foundation.

Had to have been appointed by Jesus – As stated in the above scripture of 1 Thessalonians by Paul, some Apostles were not ordained by Jesus but by other Apostles such as Paul who ordained Timothy, who was also given charge to ordained elders in the churches. For symbolic reasons, the number twelve was always a sacred number of the Lord as He chose twelve men from each tribe of Israel to lead the nation. Joshua 4:1, 2 reads, “the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man…”

The Lord God did the same as He gave Jesus the twelve Apostles to fulfill His work on earth. Jesus confirmed that with God as He prayed to Him in John 17:1, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” John 17:6.

When Jesus picked the twelve the scripture reads, “And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:” Mark 3:13-15. 

Of the many men that followed Him, they were considered His disciples, whom Jesus named Apostles. He eventually chose the twelve because they were the ones who stuck by Him through His entire ministry on earth. “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Luke 6:13.

Not only did the Lord choose those twelve given to Him, but he ordained many more. “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come… And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” Luke 10:1, 17.

Of all the men Jesus chose, each of them left all to follow him and He dismissed anyone who would not leave all, including family, jobs, or land, Mark 10:28. Thus, the most qualifying aspect of becoming an Apostle is to leave all and follow Christ. If a man did this, he was promised an hundredfold now in this time, “houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Mark 10:30.

Unfortunately, some men turned and left when things got tough. The scripture reads, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? John 6:66, 67.” So as stated, to qualify as an Apostle, the men had to leave all in the world and follow Him.

Had to be male - This is not worth refuting because no women are allowed to teach or usurp authority over a man. 1 Timothy 2:12.

Had to have been able to heal, raise people from the dead along with other Apostolic gifts – As stated again, Jesus gave these powers to many disciples before and after His resurrection, and to all those who received the Holy Ghost after His departure and they also have these powers. Mark 15:16, reads, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

So, the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost are given to those who believe in the resurrection powers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason there are not as many miracles and wonders being done today is because men lack faith and have not totally sanctified themselves from the world. At one point, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cure the man who had a son that was a lunatick in Matthew 17:15, 16; Jesus said, “Because of your unbelief:” Mat. 17:20. Too many preachers today are caught up in the world and the pride of life and lack enough faith to perform signs and wonders.

New Apostolic Movement Today

The men who teach that there are no more Apostles seek to discredit new movements and self-proclaimed prophets, and mainly refer to the New Apostolic Reformation movement (NAR) who have given the gospel a bad name, and who claims to be apostles and prophets of today. They also pin-point other men who claim to be Apostles and prophets and mock their deliverance movements and staged healing signs and wonders. This is true to an extent.

Paul says: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

There are many people who claim the power but never received the Holy Ghost and attempt to fool the people by performing false healings and casting out of devils. This is to be expected in a world of deception and lying wonders. The scriptures teach this throughout the New Testament. Jesus himself proclaimed this in Matthew 24:11, which reads, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

The most obvious of the false teachings and doctrines of those who claim there are no more Apostles are those who do not have the Holy Ghost or the power and depend wholly on scripture. These men are extremely knowledgeable about the scriptures and recite man-made sermons written by theologians of renown seminaries but they lack the one thing needed for the power of God to work. “…having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5.

Many of these men have never received the Holy Ghost so they mock those who practice the gifts and powers of the Spirit. They undermine the powers of God because they do not have the powers and have never experienced the indwelling of the Spirit. They do not speak in tongues, believe in healing (they seek evidence), or have faith enough to understand the hidden mysteries and gifts of the Spirit. They do not understand spiritual warfare and deny the presence of demonic forces. They handle their situations through logic and reason instead of the power of God, believing that the scriptures are the only means of God’s power, not including the Holy Ghost. But you “must worship him in Spirit and in truth,” John 4:24.

Qualifications and Office of an Apostle

The Apostleship is a specific ministry unlike other ministries or offices in the body of Christ. It is a stringent ministry that as stated before, requires men to abandon the world and all that they know and love, and wholly dedicate their lives to the Lord. Not many men today can or are willing to do that. They are bound to something in the world that hinders them from committing their all.

When Paul justified his Apostleship, he says, in 1 Corinthians 4:9-13:

9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 
10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 
11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 
12 and labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 
13 being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

He distinctly separates the ministry of an Apostle from all other ministries in the church and regular believers. The Lord gives a certain measure of faith to some and not to others. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3.

Of the very few Apostles there are today, they are not famous. They are hated in and outside of the church. They are seen many times as weak in the faith, meek, poverty stricken, and severely punished and chastised by the Lord as compared to the more affluent ministries of pastors, Bishops, and the Elders of the church. Once again, not many men want that for themselves. Though their weaknesses are turned to strength in the Spirit, which allows them to be humble enough to operate in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Apostles are compelled (forced) by the Lord to preach the gospel. They cannot quit or run from God. They have a calling and a mission they have to complete. They are prisoners of the Lord as stated by Paul, “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,..” Ephesians 3:1. They cannot waver or be moved from what they are teaching because the Lord has filled their hearts and minds with the Word, revelations and mysteries the gospel.

The men who teach there are no more Apostles do not understand what it takes to be an Apostle today. Paul went through a description of the specific ministry of an Apostle a few times in scripture. The power comes from Jesus and is not from men themselves. Paul says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-10. Further descriptions of the ministry of an Apostle comes from 2 Corinthians 11:21-28, where he talks about the sufferings he endured while walking the earth and preaching.

Of course, these sufferings are not as pronounced today as they were then, but many have gone through trials and tribulations of the current times. The sufferings today are more mental than physical but the men who come though this ministry have a level of faith that most people in the church do not. For instance, many do not have stable jobs and are moved around for certain reasons. They do not own homes or maybe cars or retirement accounts as many in the traditional world do, because of that same reason. 

Many are not married and their families have abandoned them as well as their friends. They are not wealthy but live off the land and what they are given or earned through various strangers and jobs. They are not held back by prestige or shame and are willing to suffer persecution and find joy in doing so. But after a long season of suffering, the Lord will settle them as he did Paul. “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” Acts 28:30, 31.

Basically, those who proclaim that there are no more Apostles and prophets using scriptures that seem to verify their point, their lack of understanding of the power of God gives them away. There are men who have been called as Apostles today yet they are not famous and do not seek fame. They do heal people at the request of the Lord being used as a vessel for the Lord; they do cast out demonic spirits sometimes on the spot, but sometimes through a series of interactions with the person possessed. A lack of faith in those who deny the presence of Apostles is what powers their false doctrine.

Again, the only reason they cannot see these things is because they do not have the Holy Ghost. The scripture says, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-14.