Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 3:6-9; Luke 6:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-20
Tue, 1 November 2022

Are There Still Apostles Today?

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about apostles in these
passages?

Deeper Reflection
THE WORD APOSTOLOS OCCURS 80 TIMES IN THE NEW Testament. The word can mean “one who is sent with a message”1 – as in “nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (Jn 13:16); Titus and an unnamed famous evangelist were “our brothers, they are messengers of the churches” (2 Cor 8:18, 23). But the word is mostly used to refer to “one who fulfils the role of being a special messenger (generally restricted to the immediate followers of Jesus Christ, but also extended, as in the case of Paul, to other early Christians active in proclaiming the message of the Gospel)”2 – like Jesus choosing the Twelve among His many disciples and named them “apostles” (Lk 6:13).Apostles like the Twelve and Paul were “special messengers” of Christ in salvation history, who are “the foundation” on which the Church is built (Eph 2:19-20). They were eyewitnesses of the historic risen Jesus (Acts 1:21-22, 25). They had such authority that disobeying their commands was equivalent to disobeying God (vv.6-9). And “their authority is preserved today in the New Testament”3. While there are today no apostles of Christ with an authority comparable to that of these apostles, “it is certainly possible to argue that there are people with apostolic ministries of a different kind, including episcopal jurisdiction, pioneer missionary work, church planting and itinerant leadership”4. So, we have people like William Carey – the “father of modern missions” and Dawson Trotman – the founder of The Navigators, who is considered as an apostle of disciplemaking. Hence, it is not incorrect that some leaders today are considered as apostles.
1 Johannes P. Louw & Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, Second Edition, Volume 1 (UBS, 1988, 1989), 33.194 2 Johannes P. Louw & Eugene A. Nida, 53.74 3 John R. W. Stott, The Message of Ephesians, The Bible Speaks Today (IVP, 1979), 161 4 John R. W. Stott, Ephesians, 161
Application:

What is my understanding and attitude toward those leaders today who are
considered as apostles?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: That God will work mightily through their spiritual gifts in ministry
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 10:11-12, 14-19
Tue, 26 September 2023

A Man of High Esteem

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Daniel being called “man of high esteem” (vv.11, 19)?

Deeper Reflection
One of the heavenly beings called Daniel “man of high esteem” (v.11). This honour was bestowed on Daniel emphatically, in that it was repeated twice (v.19). This “high esteem” did not come from man, but from God Himself. God gave this honour to Daniel toward the end of his life when God called him to “enter into rest” (Dan 12:13). As a youth, Daniel “made up his mind not to defile himself with the king’s choice food” (Dan 1:8), and as an old man, he was faithful to God in spending time with Him in his “three times a day” devotion, even if it means to be thrown into the lions’ den (Dan 6:10). Daniel was finishing well in his life with “humbling yourself before your God” (v.12). When we think of finishing well in terms of successful accomplishments, we must be careful that we are not exalting ourselves.It is not for us to see ourselves in any way as a person of high esteem before God. It is for God to say that to us (2 Cor 10:17-18). Daniel never saw himself as a “man of high esteem”. A key emphasis in Daniel 10 is Daniel being greatly overwhelmed by the holiness and glory of God represented by the heavenly being with an awesome appearance (Dan 10:5-10, 15-18). And it was in this encounter with God when he was called “man of high esteem” that Daniel said, “How can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord?”50 (v.17). The man highly esteemed by God saw his unworthiness before God.
50 I have theologically translated “my lord” to “my Lord”, since the heavenly being is a representation of God.
Application:

What does being highly esteemed by God mean to me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: To be able to see oneself as God sees
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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