Apostles

[aron]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Igzy is also saying that because this teaching is causing trouble therefore it is better to say, as most Christians do, that the age of the Apostles is over and there are no more apostles.

I don't agree with that reasoning no more than the use of a knife to commit a crime is a valid reason to abolish knives..

But in a subsequent post you say "We should keep knives out of the hands of children."

I have in the past advocated keeping people away from Paul's writings until they have read the 4 Gospels a few times. Like a thousand or two.

Tongue in cheek, of course; but there is a lot of harm done by people who get all fired up over organizing the church and forget to "love your neighbor". They end up with a biblical container and no God. Just a lot of arguing christians with sharp knives.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Igzy also argues that most of Christianity agrees with this view that there are no more apostles. Again, that to me is not a valid reason. I am much more interested in what the Bible says...

My point was that the Bible doesn't say. Paul said God gave some as apostles. Paul didn't indicate that this was to continue, unbroken, in perpetuity until the Lord's return. Nor did he indicate that at some point it would cease.

But history seems to have shown that it ceased, save for "the desposyni" and the RCC and the Mormons and the Living Stream Ministry crowd and others who all seem to share control issues.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Two examples of Apostles that I would propose would be Hudson Taylor and Martin Luther.

Taylor, like Moody and Graham, seems more like and evangelist.

Luther, along with Wesley, formed large religious organizations and so might be seen (in retrospect) as apostolic. Did they or their conemporaries ever claim such? Or are several centuries of history needed for determination?

Another point against 'apostles today'. We lack perspective. Anyone can claim, but the lens of history is not clear to us. So the wanna-be's trumpet.