Apostles Commissioned by Jesus

Here are the list of the Apostles that the bible mentions by name and were hand-picked by Jesus himself:

1. Simon Peter, son of Jonas (Matt. 4:18; 10:2; Mark 3:16; Lk. 6:14)
2. Andrew, brother of Simon Peter (Matt. 4:18; 10:2; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:14)
3. James Boanerges, son of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21; 10:2; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:14)
4. John Boanerges, brother of James (Matt. 4:21; 10:2; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:14)
5. Matthew, the Publican (Matt. 9:9; 10:3; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:15)
6. Philip (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:14; Jn. 1:43)
7. Bartholomew (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:14)
8. Thomas, called Didymus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:15)
9. James, son of Alpheus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:15)
10. Lebbaeus, surname Thaddeus; also called Jude (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18)
11. Simon Zelotes, the Canaanite (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18; Lk. 6:15)
12. Judas Iscariot, the traitor (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:19; Lk. 6:16)

These apostles were unverifiable to be hand-picked by Jesus Himself.
1. Judas, brother of James (Lk. 6:16; Acts 1:13)
2. Nathanael, of Cana (Jn. 1:45-49; 21:2)
3. Barnabas, called Joses (Acts 14:14)
4. Matthias, surnamed Justus (Acts 1:23,26)
5. Joseph, called Barsabas (Acts 1:23)

Why are there more than the Twelve original apostles?

Strongs Lexicon says that an "apostle" is "a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders. Specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ. In a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers; of Barnabas of Timothy and Silvanus." Its very possible that the apostles other than "the Twelve" are a part of the 72 (or 70) that Jesus sent out to preach the gospel (Luke 10:1-20).

The Living Bible Encyclopedia says that "in the NT (New Testament) the word (apostle) appears in a two-fold sense, as the official name of" the original twelve "disciples whom Jesus chose to be with Him during the course of His ministry on earth, to see Him after His resurrection, and to lay the foundation of His church; and in a broader, non-official sense, to designate Christian messengers commissioned by a community- like Barnabas, who was sent forth as a missionary by the church at Antioch (Acts 13:3)." Of the original 11, including Matthias and the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul of Tarsus, "their office was not, and could not be, passed on to others. It was unique."

After some in-depth research, I have come to the conclusion that a certain few people in the bible have been mistaken for apostles.

Here is a list of the mistaken list of apostles.:
1. Andronicus (Rom 16:7) - Strong’s Lexicon says that Andronicus means "man of victory, a Jewish Christian and a kinsman of Paul.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary says, “man-conquering, a Jewish Christian, the kinsman and fellow prisoner of Paul (Rom. 16:7); "of note among the apostles." Here, when it says that Andronicus was “of note among the apostles,” is mistaken as if Andronicus is an apostle himself, when in fact, he is not. To be “of note” among a group of people means that the person is “distinguished, famous” or “important.” The New Living Translation says that Andronicus and Junia “are highly respected among the apostles” and became followers of Christ before Paul did. The Amplified Bible says that they “are men held in high esteem among the apostles.” The New American Standard Bible says that they “are outstanding among the apostles.” Not one of these translations mention that Andronicus or Junias are apostles, nor do they insinuate, imply, suggest, hint, indicate or allude that they are Apostles. To assume that the two are apostles is exactly that; an assumption. What this simply means is that the Apostles esteemed Andronicus among other believers; this may be because Andronicus was with Paul in prison, remained faithful to him as a partner in his ministry, had been Christians much longer than Paul and is a relative of his. Andronicus is not mentioned in any other Scriptures and there’s no other evidence to suggest that Jesus commissioned him to be an apostle.

2. Junia (Rom 16:7) - Easton’s Bible Dictionary says that Junia is “a Christian at Rome to whom Paul sends salutations along with Andronicus.” Strong’s Lexicon says that Junia means “youthful, a Christian woman at Rome, mentioned by Paul as one of his kinsfolk and fellow prisoners.” The King James Version says that Andronicus and Junias were “in Christ before” Paul. Concerning this passage, the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says, its “very possibly they may have been among the first-fruits of Peter's labors, gained to Christ either on the day of Pentecost or on some of the succeeding days. In that case they may have attracted the special esteem of those apostles who for some time resided chiefly at Jerusalem and its neighborhood; and our apostle, though he came late in contact with the other apostles, if he was aware of this fact, would have pleasure in alluding to it.” As before, in the statement concerning Andronicus, Junias is not mentioned in any other Scriptures and there’s no other evidence to suggest that Jesus commissioned her to be an apostle.

3. Apollos - Easton’s Bible Dictionary says, “a Jew "born at Alexandria," a man well versed in the Scriptures and eloquent (Acts 18:24; R.V., "learned"). He came to Ephesus (about A.D. 49), where he spake "boldly" in the synagogue (18:26), although he did not know as yet that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Aquila and Priscilla instructed him more perfectly in "the way of God", i.e., in the knowledge of Christ. He then proceeded to Corinth, where he met Paul (Acts 18:27;19:1). He was there very useful in watering the good seed Paul had sown (1 Cor. 1:12), and in gaining many to Christ. His disciples were much attached to him (1 Cor. 3:4-7, 22). He was with Paul at Ephesus when he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians; and Paul makes kindly reference to him in his letter to Titus (3:13). Some have supposed, although without sufficient ground, that he was the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Strong’s Lexicon says Apollos means, “given by Apollo, a learned Jew from Alexandria and mighty in the scriptures who became a Christian and a teacher of Christianity.” Concerning Apollos, Acts 18:25 says, “This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John (JKV).” In other words, he didn’t know that Jesus was the Messiah; there’s absolutely no way that Apollos was an Apostle without knowing Christ himself.

4. Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25, 4:18, 23) - Easton’s Bible Dictionary says that Epaphroditus means, “fair, graceful; belonging to Aphrodite or Venus the messenger who came from Phillipi to the apostle when he was a prisoner at Rome (Phil. 2:25-30; 4:10-18). Paul mentions him in words of esteem and affection. On his return to Philippi he was the bearer of Paul's letter to the church there.” Strong’s Lexicon says that Epaphroditus is, “in the sense of devoted to and Aphrodite (Venus), meaning "lovely" an associate with Paul in the ministry.” Therefore, it must be concluded that since Apollos is not mentioned in any other Scriptures, there’s no other evidence to suggest that Jesus commissioned him to be an apostle nor did he witness the resurrection of Christ.

5. Silas, or Silvanus (Act 15:22) - Silas, mentioned as “chief among the brethren” in Acts 15:22. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says that the reason Silas held the title of “chief among the brethren,” is because he was “selected purposely as such, to express the honor in which they held the church at Antioch, and the deputies they had sent to the council, and, as the matter affected all Gentile converts, to give weight to the written decision of this important assembly. They [ Silas and Barsabas] were "prophets," [Ac 15:32; Ac 11:27)], and as such doubtless their eminence in the church at Jerusalem had been obtained.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary says that Silas means “wood; a prominent member of the church at Jerusalem; also called Silvanus. He and Judas, surnamed Barsabas, were chosen by the church there to accompany Paul and Barnabas on their return to Antioch from the council of the apostles and elders (Acts 15:22), as bearers of the decree adopted by the council. He assisted Paul there in his evangelistic labours, and was also chosen by him to be his companion on his second missionary tour (Acts 16:19-24). He is referred to in the epistles under the name of Silvanus (2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:12). There is no record of the time or place of his death.” Silas, was in fact not an apostle, but a prophet (Acts 15:32).

6. Stephen (Acts 6:5)- Stephen was one of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. He was the first Christian martyr. His personal character and history are recorded in Acts 6. "He fell asleep" with a prayer for his persecutors on his lips (7:60). Devout men carried him to his grave (8:2). It was at the feet of the young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, that those who stoned him laid their clothes (comp. Deut. 17:5-7) before they began their cruel work. The scene which Saul then witnessed and the words he heard appear to have made a deep and lasting impression on his mind (Acts 22:19, 20). The speech of Stephen before the Jewish ruler is the first apology for the universalism of the gospel as a message to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. It is the longest speech contained in the Acts, a place of prominence being given to it as a defence (Easton's Bible Dictionary)." Although Stephen was a deacon, he was gifted with the ability to perform signs and wonders among unbelievers.

However, just because certain men do not consider some of these men as apostles, God may. However, it is possible that "in a broader, non-official sense," these people mentioned in the bible were designated to be "Christian messengers commissioned by a community; like Barnabas."

Easton's Bible Dictionary says that an apostle is "a person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is once used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Heb. 3:1; John 20:21). It is, however, generally used as designating the body of disciples to whom he intrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his gospel, "the twelve," as they are called (Matt. 10:1-5; Mark 3:14; 6:7; Luke 6:13; 9:1).

We have four lists of the apostles, one by each of the synoptic evangelists (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark
3:16; Luke 6:14), and one in the Acts (1:13). No two of these lists, however, perfectly coincide.

Our Lord gave them the "keys of the kingdom," and by the gift of his Spirit fitted them to be the founders and governors of his church (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:7-15). To them, as representing his church, he gave the commission to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Matt. 28:18-20). After his ascension he communicated to them, according to his promise, supernatural gifts to qualify them for the discharge of their duties (Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 2:16; 2:7, 10, 13; 2 Cor. 5:20; 1 Cor. 11:2). Judas Iscariot, one of "the twelve," fell by transgression, and Matthias was substituted in his place (Acts 1:21). Saul of Tarsus was afterwards added to their number (Acts 9:3-20; 20:4; 26:15-18; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11).

Luke has given some account of Peter, John, and the two Jameses (Acts 12:2, 17; 15:13; 21:18), but beyond this we know nothing from authentic history of the rest of the original twelve. After the martyrdom of James the Greater (Acts 12:2), James the Less usually resided at Jerusalem, while Paul, "the apostle of the uncircumcision," usually travelled as a missionary among the Gentiles (Gal. 2:8). It was characteristic of the apostles and necessary
(1.) that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21, 22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14, 15).
(2.) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1).
(3.) It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus secured against all error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess.
2:13).
(4.) Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11).

The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders.

In 2 Cor. 8:23 and Phil. 2:25 the word "messenger" is the rendering of the same Greek word, elsewhere rendered "apostle."

The Qualifications of an Apostle

Besides all of the other titles, appellations and names, Jesus was the first and original Apostle (Heb. 3:1). Being the first and original Apostle gives Jesus the right and office to appoint others to follow after Him, as Apostles. In order for a Christian to be a true Apostle of Christ, they must be meet certain qualifying factors.

The first qualification of a true Apostle of Christ is that they must be commissioned by Christ (Luke 6:13; Mark 3:14; Jn. 15:16; Rom. 1:5). Paul was also chosen by Jesus (Acts 9:3-6; 9:13-15; 20:24). In Galatians 1:1, Paul calls himself “an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead).” Every person mentioned in the bible as an Apostle, was commissioned by Jesus Himself. If there is no mention of Christ appointing them, then the apostle was most likely a witness of Christ and His resurrection, as in the case of Matthias; he was appointed by the other eleven.

The second qualification is that an Apostle must “be ordained to be a witness” along with the other Apostles of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:22). Apostles were to bear witness to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead. In order to do this, they had to have seen him after he was resurrected. When looking for someone to replace Judas, the one chosen had to be a witness unto the resurrection; they chose Matthias. Matthias was selected because he traveled with the other twelve disciples who were with Jesus and he was a witness to Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:23,26).

The third qualification of an Apostle is the ability to perform miraculous “signs.” These miracle-working “signs” were given to the apostles to bear witness that they were God’s messengers and that they were speaking the very words of God. However, these “signs” are only available to true apostles and they were given the power to perform them specifically by Jesus, not the Holy Spirit. Jesus “when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (JKV, Matt. 10:1,2).” Even Paul names these miracles as “signs of an apostle” in 2 Corinthians 12:11-12. After the ascension of Christ, Mark 16:20 says that the apostles “went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following (JKV).”

Believe it or not, many Christians are under the false assumption that all Christians in the early church were performing miracles; this is simply false. After a great sermon by Peter in Acts 2:43 it says, “A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders (NLT).” There’s more evidence of the miraculous work of the apostles, in Acts 5:12 it says, “by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people (KJV).“ There’s absolutely not one mention in the New Testament of any ordinary believers performing miracles with signs and wonders. “If every believer had this power, why did Jesus need to give it to the apostles? They would have had it already. There is not one miracle performed in the New Testament by anyone other than Jesus, the apostles, or those who were directly chosen by Jesus or the apostles (Ref.).”

There is one more about being an Apostle that we should know; Paul said that he was the last one. Paul writes that Jesus “was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me [PAUL] also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (KJV, 1 Corinthians 15:7-9).” Since no one since Paul has seen Jesus, no one since Paul can be an apostle.

Are There Apostles Today?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples about Himself and saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it (Matthew 16:13-18, NLT).”

Jesus said that “He” will build “His” church. What will Jesus build His church with? What will he use as mortar and stones? How will he build His church? And, what will He call this church? Where will this church be and on what foundation will His church be built?

The first thing about constructing a building is knowing that solid bedrock is needed. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash (NLT).”

So far, we know that Jesus will build His church and anyone who listens to Him and follows His teachings is considered wise. Jesus suggests that His teachings are the bedrock on which the foundation of the church must be laid. He also proposed that the “rock” upon which the church will be built is the revelation of knowing who Jesus is; this is the mortar. “We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord (Eph. 2:21).” Peter recognized this, not by “flesh and blood,” but by God, the Father in heaven; this is by a proverbial spiritual eye-opening, so to speak which only comes from God Himself. Following Jesus and knowing God are the mortar in which the true church of Christ is bound together. Accordingly, the next question is what will be the foundation that would be laid upon the solid bedrock of Jesus‘ teachings and revelation?

Writing to the members of the church in Ephesus, Paul says, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. “And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself (Eph 2:20).” Remember, “for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).“ Here, we see the church compared to a building and Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone. Peter says that Jesus Christ is “the living cornerstone of God’s temple (1 Pet 2:4).“ We also have Paul declaring that the foundation are the apostles and the prophets. Because of this, we know “for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).” Consequently, the bedrock is Christ’s teachings, the Apostles and Prophets are the foundation (built upon Christ), Jesus Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone. This analogy helps us to see the foundational role of the apostles. So, where is the church?

The church, who are the believers and followers of Christ, are “his house.” Who’s house are we? Paul declares that Christians “are God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9).” Peter says that the church members are “living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple (1 Pet. 2:5).” Paul asks, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor. 3:16)” Thus, since believers are the stones and knowing God is the mortar; together we make up the Temple of God, the House of the living God (2 Cor. 6:16 ).

Upon the bedrock of Christ’s teachings, the foundation of Christ is laid down by the Apostles and the Prophets and upon this foundation is the chief cornerstone of God’s Temple. The Temple of God is built by using the “living stones” of Christians and we are bound together tightly by the mortar of knowing and loving God through a personal relationship with him through Christ. In the beginning construction of the church, we have “James, Peter and John, who were known as pillars of the church (Gal. 2:9). “This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).”

So, here is the question, are there Apostles today in our modern times? The Apostle Paul reminds us, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:10,11).”

“When building a building, the first thing that is laid is the foundation. Everything else is then built upon that one foundation. Do we then go back after building a couple of stories and lay the foundation again? No. It is only done once. The foundation is laid one time in the beginning and then never again. The same is true of the apostles. They served as a foundation for the emerging church. We should not expect to see another group of apostles later on any more than we would expect someone building a building to lay another foundation on the fourth floor. After all, Jesus Christ, being the chief cornerstone, is a part of this foundation as well. We certainly do not expect there to be another Jesus Christ, do we?”

The Gift of "discerning of spirits."

1 Corinthians 12:10 says this gift is the “discerning of spirits,” and 1 John 4:1 expounds on this where it says, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”

John Wesley’s commentary on this topic mentions that this gift allows the Spirit-led man to tell “whether men be of an upright spirit or not; whether they have natural or supernatural gifts for offices in the church; and whether they who profess to speak by inspiration speak from a divine, a natural, or a diabolical spirit.”

Another commentary says this gift is the “discerning between the operation of God's Spirit, and the evil spirit, or unaided human spirit (1Co 14:29; compare 1Ti 4:1; 1 Jo 4:1). Matthew Henry’s commentary mentions that this gift of discerning of spirits is the ability “to explain Scripture by a peculiar gift of the Spirit.”

Since 1 Corinthians 12:10 refers to “spirits,” with a little “s” and not a capital “S,” we should include the text surrounding the word or passage that come before and after that help explain its full meaning surrounding the topic. Because of this, we can safely conclude that 1 Corinthians 12:10 is using the word “spirit” in the general sense. In other words, when we compare 1 Corinthians 12:9 where is says, “to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit,” which in this case “Spirit” is referring to the Holy Spirit because of its grammatical direction. Therefore, the “discerning of spirits” would simply be the identifying nature or quality that makes it what it is; thus, these “spirits” are attitudes, desires, motivations and words that determine or identify the “spirit” of truth or error.

A great way to make an assessment about these “spirits” are mentioned in 1 John 4:4-6 in which John writes to fellow believers saying, “you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception (NLT).” What is the spirit that lives in the world? It is the worldview of the world that is in contrast to Christ. It is the attitude of the world and they way they live, think and act; it is an anti-Christ way of life.

Why should we test the spirits? Why is it important to have members of the church with the gift to judge, distinguish, discern, understand, perceive, detect, be aware of, tell the difference, differentiate, determine, detect, recognize, know by sight and to be able to tell the difference between two or more things?

The answer is found in the second half of 1 John 4:1. The reason we should have people in the body of Christ with this special gift is “because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” This specific gift helped Peter realize how false prophets are known from true prophets in which Peter surpassed Philip in exposing Simon Magus in Act 8:20. It is “the power of reading hearts and determining whether men spoke by the divine spirit, or some other impulse.”