Life Walk Bible Lesson 118: Apostleship
Scripture Reading: Romans 1: 1-32
Verse 1:
Apostles are called and set apart for the preaching of the Gospel.
[Note: Acts 28:3 — Paul was also a tent-maker; a business man who could reach many people through his business]
Verse 5:
Apostles receive grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the nations on behalf of Jesus’ name.
Verse 7:
Apostles are sent to bring grace and peace, inner calm and spiritual well-being, to the saints, in the nations, from God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.
Verses 9-10:
Apostles are called to intercede for those to whom they are sent, mentioning them by name to the Father, in prayer.
[Note: 1Thessalonians 2:6-8 — to consider them as a mother does her children]
Verses 11-12:
Apostles impart that which they have been Spiritually gifted with by God to establish others in the faith, and for their mutual encouragement and comfort.
Verse 13:
Apostles can only go where they are sent by God, for they are sent to be productive.
Verse 14:
Apostles are sent to everyone, no matter their level of education; they are sent to the cultured and the uncultured, the wise and the foolish.
Verse 16:
Apostles boldly share the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek [by implication: to all other nations]
Verse 17:
Apostles bring the revelation of God so that, through the preaching of the Gospel, people may grow in righteousness and faith.
Verse 18-20:
Apostles leave people without excuse by revealing God, His attributes, and His divine nature to them, [and the riches of His kindness, patience and restraint so that they may come to a place of repentance, Romans 2:4, and live a godly and righteous life.]
[Note: Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children”]
Verses 21-32:
Apostles identify sin, and its consequences — the ultimate anger of God toward those who knowingly live a wicked life in defiance of God’s will, and suppress and stifle the truth by their wickedness.
[Note: “Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.” 1Thessalonians 5:19]
Sent to the Gentiles — the Nations of the World
[Note: Those who live a righteous and godly life, whether they are a follower of Jesus yet or not — God considers them to be favorable toward the Gospel and God’s children: “For the one who is not against us is for us.” Mark 9:40]
Romans 2:12-14
12 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
16 on the day when, according to my Gospel, God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus.”
Note: Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15 — the consequences of righteousness and wickedness at the Judgment]
God’s Promises to the Jews and all the other Nations
Jeremiah 31:33
“‘For this is the covenant which I will make with the House of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord: ‘I will put My Law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
Joel 2:28
“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Encouragement: This means you!
Every believer has been sent with the commission Jesus gave them, to their sphere of influence, for the salvation of the people, through Baptism into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Who will come and live in them and remind them of everything God has taught them [John 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16-17]
Luke 11:49
“For this reason also, the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles…”
Ephesians 4:11
“And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,”
Jesus Found Himself in the Book — So can You
Luke 4:17-19 [NASB]
18 “And the Book of the Prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And he opened the Book and found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’”
Find yourself in the Book, and be who God called to be — a child of God, who imitates their Father in Heaven, just as Jesus did.
Go where God sends you, and say and do whatever He tells you to say and do.
Paul and Barnabas were already doing the work they were then ordained to continue. [Acts 13:2]
God exalts those to the Kingdom position of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, when He finds them faithfully doing so without the title, for He honors the faithful and equips them with everything they need to accomplish His will in the Earth.
There are natural gifts and talents given to everyone, and King Solomon declares in Proverbs 22:6 [AMP] “Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
The AMPC translation says, “[and in keeping with his individual gift or bent]”.
The Apostle Peter declares in 2Peter 2:14 that some had been “trained in greed”. So, it is important to train a child of God according to the principles of the Kingdom of God — righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. [Romans 14:17]
Even in the natural, those who achieve a level of mastery in their gifting will be appointed to teach others how to accomplish it as they have, and so it is with the Spiritual Gifts.
[Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12]
Find what you are good at in the Book. Look for the Scriptures which pertain to your skill, career or business, or whatever the talent may be and find God’s perspective and grow in grace and knowledge of it. Be discipled, mentored, or trained in your gift or talent, just like an athlete trains to become a champion. God has equipped you already with faith, and will work through you for His purpose and Glory. God then exalts the humble to a position of influence until His Glory covers the Earth.
Praying the Word: “I can do all things through Christ (the Anointed One and His Anointing) Who strengthens me.” [Philippians 4:13 NKJV]
Precedents:
Acts 9:22 [NASB1995]
“But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
1Timothy 1:12
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,”
1Peter 4:11
“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Consider this with all soberness, however, as the Apostle James admonishes us [in James 3:1 AMPC] because to teach others is a calling from God —
“Not many of you should become teachers (self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; this we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].
Ministry Gifts
The Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, is founded on Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd and Apostle of our Faith.
Each Church congregation is ideally founded by the Apostolic and Prophetic gift. An Evangelist evangelizes a particular sphere of influence, the Pastor shepherds the people in that sphere, and the Teacher expounds on, and disciples the people, according to the teachings of Jesus, and the ongoing revelation from God given to each gifted Minister of the Gospel.
Each of these ministry gifts is touched by the Apostle, just as a thumb touches each of the fingers on a hand. A Teacher then is judged more critically because he or she represents all the other ministry gifts in the Kingdom, and passes on the wisdom, and knowledge, and understanding given them to others.
Preach the Gospel, with and Without Words
I have heard it said, “Preach the Gospel — and if you have to —use words.”
The Apostles Peter and Paul made it clear that sometimes we can only preach the Gospel by setting a good example in our sphere of influence. In a household, where there is an unbelieving husband, for example, a wife was to win her husband by her godly lifestyle not her words. [1Corinthians 7:13-16; 1Peter 3:1]
Whatever your skill, gift, talent, career, business, or any other calling in the Kingdom, perfect it through training and consider it a ministry of excellence unto Jesus Christ our King. And if you are privileged to use words to preach the Gospel, walk as Jesus walked. [1John 2:6]
