Can pastors nowadays consider themselves apostles?

Hello Jesse-

What is an apostle?

A. Definition
The Greek word we translate the English word apostle from is (apostlos). You can't help but notice both words are spelled almost exactly alike.

The simple definition for the word is "one sent forth".

To get a grip on the practical meaning of the word we need to understand a couple of things. they would be:

• Who sent them
• what is their purpose

Suppose for example you are an observer at a facility for people who are mentally impaired. After a while you notice a group of five people who are facing a sixth man who seems to be their leader. he has a burger king crown on his head and several pieces of paper in his left hand. He is speaking loudly to them.

Quietly you ease your way over. You want to see what is happening. With a flourish he hands one man a piece of paper. Quickly you glance down and see it says "Ambassador to England." He shouts at the man. "I send you forth as ambassador to England" You have my full power and authority."

The person doing the sending had no power. The mission was a mission of fools.

The power of the one being sent is in direct proportian to the one doing the sending

B. Application

The apostles we think of as the eleven plus Paul were sent by GOD for the purpose of establishing the Christian faith and also to produce the Christian Bible, a supernatural book written by the direction of God through men.

C. How do we know the apostles as the ones particularly sent by GOD?

GOD did some very specific things to single out these men to be His representatives (Apostles) to the earth. These "things" had the affect of making it clear to people that they were special. Not anyone else could do what they could do . And what they did verified that they were apostles for GOD Himself. Here is what GOD did. (Mark 16:15-18).

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all Creation And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;they will pick up snakes with their hands;and when they drink deadly poison it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well."

In the early years of their ministry the apostles performed these miracles regularly. Their power was so great that people laid their sick down near streets they where known to walk on because just their shadow touching a person caused them to be healed. (Acts 5:12-16).

The result of this is that people accepted them as speaking for GOD. Now that the Bible has been written these supernatural, validating powers are not any longer necessary.

D. A Question

You may be thinking that since the word apostle means one sent forth then possibly a pastor speaking for GOD as he teaches the scripture could be considered an apostle.

The answer to that is he is not an apostle he is a teacher.

Today who GOD sends forth are servants. (Mark 10:43-46)

43) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44) and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

E. The final answer

The miraculous signs had left the apostles after the book of Acts. Paul for example had people dear to him become gravely ill and he could perform no supernatural healing to help them (Philippians 2:25-30). We see from this that when the authority of the apostles was established the need for "signs" ended.

With the ending of validating signs there can be no more apostles because we could not know if they were sent from GOD with his full authority.

We see then that the work of the apostles was done when the church was established and the New Testament was completed. Therefore no pastor can claim to be an apostle.

I trust this answers your question satisfactorily Jesse.

Don (2 Timothy 3:16-17)