5 POPULAR MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT APOSTOLIC MINISTRY
by
Eddie L. Hyatt, D.Min., M.Div., M.A.

MISCONCEPTION #1
APOSTLES, ALONG WITH PROPHETS,
ARE THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

This is probably the most serious misconception and is based on a faulty reading of Eph. 2:20 where Paul tells the Ephesian believers that they are being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets . . .. In the Greek, "apostles and prophets" is in the genitive case, the case which shows possession. It is like saying "the car of John Doe." Although the car and John Doe are related, it does not follow that the car is John Doe or that John Doe is the car.

In the same way, it does not follow that the foundation is identical with the apostles and prophets or that the apostles and prophets are identical with the foundation. Paul is actually referring to the foundation which is laid by the apostles and prophets as is borne out in his 1st letter to the Corinthian Church; a church he, as an apostle, had founded.

In 1 Cor. 3:10-11, Paul refers to his-founding of the church at Corinth and says, I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. What foundation did Paul lay for the church in Corinth? He says in vs. 11, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ. The foundation of the apostle Paul in Corinth was Jesus Christ.

This coincides with Jesus' response to Peter's revelation of Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God in Matt. 16:13-18. The Greek word for Peter is petros and, with a play on words, Jesus says to him, You are petros (a small rock or pebble), and on this petra (a large massive stone) I will build my Church. The foundation on which Jesus said he would build His Church was not a little rock like Peter, but the massive foundation stone which is the revelation of who He is, i.e., Himself.

There is an old hymn entitled "The Church's One Foundation." The first stanza begins, "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord . . .." Those who would claim a foundation for the Church other than Jesus Christ are in serious error.

MISCONCEPTION #2
GOD IS RESTORING THE MINISTRY
OF THE APOSTLE TO THE CHURCH.

This misconception wrongly assumes that apostolic ministry has been absent from the Church. I call this belief "charismatic cessationism." Like traditional cessationists, these charismatic cessationists wrongly assume that the gifts of the Holy Spirit and apostolic ministry ceased at some point in the Church's history. But unlike the traditional cessationists, these cessationists claim that these gifts are now being restored.

The truth is that Spiritual gifts and apostolic ministry have been in the Church since the time of Christ. Their prominence and influence have ebbed and flowed, but they have never been absent. This is borne out by the fact that, throughout history, various revival groups have sought to identify and recognize the apostles in their midst. This was true of the 16th century Anabaptists, the 19th century Catholic Apostolic Church (founded by Edward Irving), early Pentecostals (who called their movement "The Apostolic Faith") and the Latter Rain movement of the 1940s-50s.

Most of the true apostles of church history did not claim the title. I recall my first reading of Martin Luther's treatise, "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church," and being amazed at the boldness and succinctness of his message. I remember thinking, "Luther is speaking with apostolic clarity and authority." The same is true of others in church history; the John Wesleys, The Charles Finneys, the Maria Woodworth-Etters and countless others. The claim that apostolic ministry is only now being restored to the Church smacks of pride and arrogance and does not line up with either Scripture or church history.

MISCONCEPTION #3
"APOSTLE" IS A TITLE TO BE WORN
IN FRONT OF THE NAME LIKE MR., MRS., OR DR.

At no place in the New Testament is "apostle" placed in front of someone's name as a title. Although Paul normally identified himself as an apostle in the introductory part of his letters, in nor-mal conversation he was never known as "Apostle Paul." Paul refers to himself numerous times in his letters and al-ways by his name, "Paul." When he refers to other apostles, such as Peter, James or John, he does so by merely mentioning their name, and never with any title in front.

In Acts, Luke mentions Paul by name more than 120 times and not once does he say "apostle Paul," but merely "Paul." In 2 Peter 3:14, Peter refers to our beloved brother Paul. In Rev. 1:9, John the apostle, in his letter to the churches, refers to himself as your brother and companion in tribulation.

This obvious avoidance of titles is understandable in light of the words of Jesus in Matt. 23:6-12 where He warned his disciples about adopting titles that would set themselves apart from other believers. For some, feeling important is obviously more important than following the New Testament pattern.

MISCONCEPTION #4
APOSTLES ARE TO GOVERN THE CHURCH.

Two points that are pertinent here are: (1) Jesus clearly rooted apostolic ministry in the idea of service rather than governing; and (2) apostolic ministry in the New Testament is obviously functional rather than official.

According to Matt. 20:25-26, apostles are not governors or rulers of God's people, but servants of God's people. Jesus presented this new and radical model of leadership to the 12 apostles when they were vying for, what they thought would be, positions of authority in the kingdom. Jesus clearly explained that in His kingdom, leadership would be characterized, not by governing, but by serving. John G. Lake, a modern apostle to South Africa, said, "The modern conception of an apostle is usually that he is a big church boss, but that was not the conception Jesus left. An apostle was not to be a big boss; he was to be like his Lord--a servant of all."

The word "office" with its inherent connotations of permanence and authority, is never used in the New Testament. Al-though 1 Tim. 3:1 uses the word, it is not in the Greek and has been added by the translators. Hans Kung, an expert in New Testament Greek, says, "The entire New Testament carefully avoids using secular terms of office to describe functions in the community (archè, timè, telos), because all of them express a relationship of rulers [governors] and ruled [governed]. Instead, and by direct contrast, the New Testament speaks of service (diakonos)."

The apostle's authority was (is) directly related to his/her commission. For ex-ample, in his letters to the churches he founded, Paul speaks with authority, albeit an authority that appeals rather than commands. But when he writes to churches he has not visited, such as his letter to the church at Rome, there are no such expressions of authority. Paul even admitted, in 1 Cor. 9:2, that there were those to whom he was not an apostle. If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you.

The idea that an apostle has some sort of inherent, boundless authority does not come from the New Testament. The New Testament is about serving, not governing. Those who are preoccupied with governing, rather than serving, are not apostles of Christ.

MISCONCEPTION #5
WOMEN CANNOT BE APOSTLES.

This is based on two faulty assumptions: (1) that apostles govern the church and (2) that women cannot function in governing roles.

This misconception quickly dissipates when we realize that Paul recognized a female apostle in Rom. 16:7. Greet Andronicus and Junia, he says, who are of note among the apostles. Junia is a feminine name and was recognized as a female apostle for the first several centuries of the Church's existence. The famous church father of the 5th century, Chrysostom, exclaimed, "Oh how great is the devotion of this woman, that she should be even counted worthy of the appellation of apostle."

Concerned by the presence of a female apostle, translators in the Middle Ages attempted to change the name to Junias (See S. Hyatt, In the Spirit We're Equal, 32). In fact, the first known commentator to understand Junia as the male name Junias was Aegidius of Rome (1245-1346). However, the male name, Junias, was unknown in antiquity while the female name Junia was quite common. The evidence is overwhelming! Women functioned as apostles in the New Testament Church.