Part 4 of 5: Defining Apostles and Shepherds
The Apostles
As previously stated, these were a rare breed indeed, and to this day stories are told and books written about the true emissaries of God that have emerged down through time. They were, as Paul said of himself, “men under compulsion” and believed “woe were they if they did not preach this Gospel” (1 Cor. 9)! Men like Jim Elliot, David Brainerd, Dr. Livingston and, more recently, a good friend and mentor to me, Michael Wells were all men whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. They lived truncated lives cut short by martyrdom, disease, and exhaustion because they would not stop “going into all the world” even though they knew their bodies would pay a severe price. But they were not the ones driving the bus, for as Paul said, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2).
Paul says of the troubles they knew they would face, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.” (2 Cor. 4). His own journey, foretold by the Spirit through Ananias in Acts 9, and how that played out in 2 Corinthians 11, would support this truth. Do you know many people like this? In those who have shared my two generations of life, I’ve known one and read of a few others. Like I said, .046%.
The Shepherds
Paul writes, “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” (1 Cor. 12). According to the Greek, “prophet” here means one who has a primary function of proclaiming God’s truth, exposing sin, and revealing His purposes which can include predictions of future events. So, it is reasonable to categorize prophets and teachers together with the exception of the future-telling element. This defines the role of Elder in the church. In Philippians 1 he also includes overseers and deacons in this group, with similar demands for holiness in word and deed.
Shepherds exist to fulfill their Great Commission mandate within the confines of the body as the sheep do and have as their platform Christian community just as the sheep do. They arise from the sheep, not called as apostles, but rather those who have taken seriously “devoting themselves to the apostle’s teachings” and thus risen to these positions. To understand their role, we need only look to the book I now call “the book of shepherds:” Titus.
Paul begins by instructing Titus, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city…” What would Paul mean here by setting in order the things that remain other than to indicate he, as the apostle, had fulfilled his responsibilities under the Great Commission, but had to keep moving on into all the earth proclaiming the truth. What remained was for Titus to continually set in order what he had begun as one who “makes disciples.” To do that he would need to make sure there were overseers in every church planted through Paul’s efforts. He then goes on to talk about who will and will not be qualified for such an honor.
This instruction to disciplers continues: “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Tit. 2)…in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine…These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you…Remind them…” He finishes by telling Titus to “diligently help” traveling apostles so that none of their needs would be lacking. Peter teaches basically the same thing, that shepherds are to “shepherd the flock, exercise oversight, and prove themselves worthy examples” (1 Pet. 5).
These are all instructions from those “going into all the world” converting the sheep to those “making disciples” of them. These men fulfilled the qualifications stated in Titus, requiring no certificates from human institutions that made theologians of formerly Spirit-filled followers. They arose from the flock and were acknowledged by them as displaying, both in spirit and in flesh, worthiness to lead.
You will see the differences between apostles and shepherds on display in Paul’s epistles to Titus and his letters to apostles: the books of Timothy. While his instructions to Titus focused upon tending the flock to Timothy, his hand-picked apprentice and apostle, he “solemnly charges” him to preach the word, being ready in and out of season. The he says, “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4). This is something you never see Paul saying to the sheep or the shepherds.
Finally, in Hebrews 5-6 the writer speaks of babes and the mature, then goes on to identify what would mark the maturity of those who arise from the sheep, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” The work and love of ministering to the saints within the body of Christ!
This raises the question, are sheep then some form of believers whom Jesus loves less, and should be ashamed they somehow fell short of what it took to be apostles or shepherds? Are they lesser beings because they sit in the back rows of churches and don’t have what it takes to be up on stage? By no means! Jesus said concerning His feelings for His sheep, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give eternal life to them, they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10). What will be the most important words we will hear from our fearsome Judge when we will all appear and see the books open? “I knew you.”
Mark 16 tells us the sheep will even perform signs and wonders, heal the sick, and speak in tongues. How did Paul feel about them? In 1st Thessalonians 2 and 3 he says, “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? You are our glory and joy,” and “In all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith, for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” Second class citizens? Hardly. It’s just that they, more than the other two groups, are vulnerable without sound teaching and leadership, and get swallowed up by religion so as to become invisible.
One final point: notice that in all these verses Paul and others overwhelmingly employ the words “we, I” to identify the apostles and “you” to identify the others. This is very apparent in those passages where Paul refers to preaching, among them, “Whether then it was I or they [speaking of other apostles], so we preach and so you believed” (1 Cor. 15), and “But with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel” (2 Cor. 10).
I could cite many more verses, but you get the point. When it comes to the Great Commission there is only one, small, exclusive, trained and anointed of these groups tasked with proactively going into all the world evangelizing. The other two work within the body to present to the world an authentic community that naturally draws those who see it in, where they fulfill their part in spreading the Gospel reactively, but just as powerfully and efficiently, as the apostles.