Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Living As An Apostle


And when I was present with you, and in need,
I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren
who came from Macedonia supplied.  And in everything
I kept myself from being burdensome to you,
and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me,
no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why?  Because I do not love you?  God knows!
But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desirean opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves  into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!
For Satan himself transforms into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness,
who's in will be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:9 -- 15

            Apostleship is an office and all who were in this office were equal even though like any other person they did differ from one another and this seen in the way they wrote the various letters and epistles written by them.  We must not allow those differences to allow others who may differ and yet preach a different gospel and hold to a theology that is formed by a worldview in contradiction to the will of God to be called as one who has this apostleship that is only given by God.  The Greek word for apostle: απ̀όστολος, simply means a messenger or an agent one who is the bearer of a commission and must not be construed with: απ̀οστολή, which is a sending or an expedition, and office or duty of one sent as a messenger in other words in this case the office of the apostle, apostleship.  All Christians are apostles for we have all been sent forth with the message but not all Christians hold the office of apostleship that office was given to only a few men at the beginning of the Christianity.  We all have the duty of the responsibility to bring the good news of the Gospel to our world.  If there are some who boast in their being a so called an apostle as though they were its a specially appointed by God Himself.  The Bible is clear that those who hold the office of apostle are those who were specially selected by God, the original 12, minus the one who fell away, Judas, and others who were appointed into that office, Matthias, and Paul who was personally selected by Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus.  No other men are holding that office of apostleship and yet there are those who've been called to be pastors and ministers elders and deacons and other gifts have been given so that the Church of God operates in an orderly manner so that the truth can be disseminated and seen and heard by others.  Don't listen to those who say that they are some spectral apostle and they have some special word of prophecy and if you do hear them check everything they say out to see whether or not it is in line with Scripture.  Remember Paul reminded us that Satan can transform himself and his ministers and to Angels of light.  The onus is on us: test all things (1 Thessalonians 5: 21).  Then we hold on to that which we find to be true according to scripture and not according to someone who says I have this in my mind thoughts that they had had some sort of vision when in fact what they say may sound good but is not true. Too often we are easily misled and generally do because we have not studied the word or we have followed false teachers.  False apostles are charged as deceitful workers in this because they are ministers of Satan.  Oh how they want to be seen as ministers of righteousness and how often we want to follow them because we feel rather then know whether or not they are truly ministers of God and not Satan.  These counterfeit apostles who seemed in many respects like to apostles of Christ and simply pointed that they too had some sort of difference between them and other apostles when in fact what they teach is nothing more than false teachings and his hypocrisy, and even heresy.  Satan can delude men with professions of extra ordinary light, high affections, revelations, deadness to the world, and devotion, and all this does is disgrace the holy religion of Jesus Christ.  This re into extravagance lead men to neglect a plain rule of the written word and make them enthusiasts, antinomians, or superstitious formalist.  Taken knows how to trip you up and this is so often done by setting up good works against the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the salvation by faith and grace.  The end for these satanic apostles and will one day, be judged according to their works and their conduct in the sight of God.  Do not allow these ministers of Satan who claim to be ministers of light mislead you and detract you following the truth of God's Word.  To be a Christian takes real inner strength and that in a strength can come only by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will only work as far as you allow Him to work in you.  There is a partnership there: you and the Holy Spirit; together you can present to the world Jesus Christ.

I will punish the world for its evil.
            Add the wicked for their iniquity;
I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
            and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
                                    Isaiah 13: 11

God chose you to be His messenger 

Richard L. Crumb

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