Jake
Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
2000 years after the church began traditions and philosophy's of men have crept into the simplicity of the message for the uplifting of man and not Christ. Yes I have a far different view of things then you have as I have found when one does not pick and pull a verse here and there to teach a thought but sticks with the context of the whole letter written to one group ie Romans or Corinthians and reads it as a whole instead of taking part of the book and fitting it with part of another book to bring forth a point, the message changes dramaticly.
What I am going to say next I hope you don't take too much offense at. But anyone that will not back up what they beleive and will not discuse with others differance of opinions has aready made up in thier mind that what they believe is the only way and are therefore in a grave position of missing a truth that can bring greater light to thier walk with God and relationship with him.
And for the record there is not one passage that gives a discription of an apostle where it tells us the only ones that can be apostles were those that saw Christ. By definition and apostle was simply one that was sent. At what point did the diciples become apostles? When Christ sent them into the world Acts I:8 hence one that is sent. As has been mentioned many others were to become apostles as they were sent to places to take the gospel to other parts of the world.
Every gift that was given to the early church to equip the saint to do thier ministerial work is still in the body of Chirst today.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11 And he
gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the
equiping of the saints, for the work of thier ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
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