06/07/2026
DOMINION MANDATE DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2026
UNDERSTANDING THE OFFICE OF THE APOSTLE
BIBLE READING: EPHESIANS 2:19-22; 1 THESSALONIANS 2:1-20; 2 PETER 3:1-18
"And His Gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be Apostles (Special Messengers), some Prophets (Inspired Preachers and Expounders), some Evangelists (Preachers of the Gospel, traveling Missionaries), some Pastors (shepherds of His Flock) and Teachers." Ephesians 4:11(AMP)
While writing his Epistle to the Church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul describes the type of leaders the Lord God Almighty has provided for His Church, empowered to enable Her attain Maturity and Christlikeness, in the Process becoming the Spotless Bride of the Lord Jesus Himself. As documented in our Key Scriptural Text, Paul mentions Five Specific Offices that are referred to in Christianity as the Five-fold Ministry: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. There are more than a few Christian leaders who have taken this verse out of context and put these Five Roles beyond the boundaries of their Designated Position. Such people have been quick to emphasize the Importance of these Offices in a Local Church – which is obviously true – but often serve their own selfish interests as well as their hunger for Power and recognition while denying the rest of the Church – the so-called “Laity” – any form of significant involvement in Church Government. Many others dismiss the verse altogether, erroneously assuming that Paul is confined to the Apostolic Age which, according to them, has long passed, therefore his words are not relevant to us at all any more. On this premise, it is absolutely imperative that we get a Comprehensive Biblical Understanding of the Five-fold Ministry so that our Churches would be healthy and function according to the Will and Counsel of God.
While we remain focused on the aforementioned Five, we must endeavour to remember that Paul is not giving us an exhaustive list. He goes on to clarify thus in 1 Corinthians 12:28(NKJV): "And God has appointed these in the Church: first Apostles, second Prophets, third Teachers, after that Miracles, then Gifts of Healings, Helps, Administrations, Varieties of Tongues." Only Three of the initial Five listed in Ephesians are repeated here whereas Paul adds other categories of Ministry Gifts and their functions. It would undoubtedly be demeaning to equate an Apostle with an Administrator, yet both are on the same list with no particular reason to speculate a clear Hierarchy or that one function has a higher value than another. Contrariwise, those Ministers who speak the Word of God through preaching and teaching (Core Components of the Five-fold Ministry) are held to higher levels of accountability. Their Primary Goal is not to serve themselves but the Flock of God so that each member of the Body would attain all the Fullness in Christ (Eph. 4:12-13).
While studying the Five-fold Ministry in the New Testament, we can easily notice that Prophets are mentioned a few times, the Evangelist is specifically mentioned a couple of times, Pastors and Teachers are referred to occasionally while Apostles are mentioned more often. However, the Office of the Apostle is the most misunderstood of them all mainly due to the theological concerns about Apostleship, concerns that are birthed by a lack of distinction between the First Twelve Apostles (or the Apostles of the Lamb) and the Office of an Apostle. Certain so-called teachers who erroneously teach that Apostles have disappeared tend to overlook the many other Apostles diligently documented in the book of Acts as well as in the Epistles. At the other extreme are those in favour of Apostleship who also abuse the office themselves while tending to overlook the fact that Paul frequently calls himself a servant and a father who paid a price none of them would be willing to pay (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:10).
A Genuine Apostle could be defined as “Someone called and sent by Christ Jesus to have the Spiritual Authority, Character, Gifts and Abilities to reach and establish people in Kingdom Truth and Order, especially through founding and overseeing Local Churches.” Simply put, Genuine Apostles govern and always have an inherent burden to build something that never existed before (Rom. 15:20). They establish the Foundation of New Local Churches and ensure that Christian believers there continue to grow into Full Maturity. Paul himself admonished the Church in Corinth: "Even though I may not be an Apostle to others, surely I am to you! FOR YOU ARE THE SEAL OF MY APOSTLESHIP IN THE LORD" (1 Cor. 9:2). In other words, each Authentic Apostle has a Specific and Unique Jurisdiction. Apostles by default have a God given burden to ground the Church in Solid Biblical Teaching, an example of which we can see in Acts 11 when Paul and Barnabas spent two full years at Antioch, teaching and equipping the Church there. Apostles have an inherent passion to train and raise up Church leaders who would come into Full Maturity in the Church, to release them and then move on to plant other Churches.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we magnify Your Holy Name. O Lord, we pray that You open our eyes to fully discern the Role of the Apostle better within the Local Church and help us fully support them in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
