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DO WE STILL HAVE APOSTLES?

30/12/2018 06:31:00 The Editor

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Sir,

For quite some times now, one has been increasingly getting concerned about the way the Gospel of Jesus Christ is increasingly being prostituted by people who should know more and better about its importance and the reasons it must not be prostituted or violated.

Today, I am trying to answer the questions whether we are biblically correct and sound if we call some of our church leaders apostles?
I my attempt to answer these questions, I had to look at the first phase when and where the word appears and how it appears. The first appearance of the word is found in early books of the New Testament. As we begin to study about His coming; His Life, mission, His death as well as His resurrection.

At first, we see Him calling His first disciples to fellow Him. We see this in both Matthew and Mark and later in Luke. But the first time He appoints His 12 Apostles, we see this in Mark 3: 13-15; where it reads: “And He went up on the mountain, and called to Himself those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed 12, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal the sick and cast out demons.”

objectives

So! From this, we immediately notice that it had to be Himself who identifies and appoints the apostles; for three specific objectives: preaching His Gospel, healing the sick with the power He had given to them and finally, to cast out demons.
What is important to note here is that even before we are told of the definition of an apostle, Jesus appoints them and gives them their clear agenda on earth.
I then went on to search other books in the New Testament wherein the apostles are mentioned and their roles. I find a perfect uniform pattern. They are appointed mainly among the most uneducated, but those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. Their main mission being to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, first to the nation of Israel, and to preach His Gospel to the Whole World.

Regarding the issue of talking in ‘tongues’, we see what this meant when we look at Acts 2:5 – 8. Which talks about what happened after the Holy Spirit had poured down upon all those in the room on the Day of Pentecost. They were speaking in their different languages. It was not what we see and hear in our churches today!

lightning

According to the Bible; His last appointed Apostle was Saul, who became Paul. We get this from Acts 9:1-19, when, on his way to persecute the Christians in Damascus, he was struck by lightning and became blind. We hear him asking the question of who was the Lord who struck him with the lightning and what did He want him to do? We further hear him in Acts 20:18-38 as he warns the Church elders at Ephesus, telling them how he had fulfilled his mission as it was given to him by God and how they were to look after His church. We know that from here he was going to find himself in prison in Rome soon from where he wrote the books we read today. Who then has appointed our very rich ‘Apostles’ who run their own churches and not His church? Are these not fake?

I therefore challenge anyone who does not agree with me on this to use the only tool we have - the Holy Bible. But if we want to remain a nation which is always striving to fully know and fully understand God’s will for this nation; then we must begin to point out those faith gimmicks which are likely to mislead the gullible as well as the unlettered by misleading them through saying that there still exist apostles; because the bible says their time has long pass as their mission is now fully covered in the Holy Bible which is being preached by pastors and teachers, making disciples of those who believe their message.

If we see those who still call themselves apostles; then we must immediately know that they are in fact fakes. I am glad to see what the government is trying to do in South Africa - trying to establish effective guidelines for churches to qualify to operate in that country in order to eliminate the fakes who claim to have powers to heal while they actually drug our children and women in order to rape them.

introduce

The Ministry of Home Affairs in Eswatini must introduce similar guidelines for faith based institutions to operate in this country, so long as they shall respect our laws as well as our basic beliefs. I would also wish to thank the Islamic Centre in the country for supplying me with their basic literature in their faith. I look forward to a date when we all can come under one roof in order to learn from one another’s faith or religion, and thereafter, draw a roadmap through which all the religions existing in the country can find recognition in our laws. However, what shall be important for all of us would be the commitment by each religion, not only to respect the others, but that all the religions shall pursue a common goal for this country.
Seeking and supporting every action or calls for Peace with Justice for all in our dear Nation. May you all have a splendid New Year; peaceful and prosperous. Amen!

Musa Hlophe.
KaLanga.
00268 76048988