What is Apostolic?

Oh for cryin' out loud! Mrs. McD poses a very good question! Was the article even read!? I guess it is true. Humans shouldn't be followers or characters that label peope -- but it's a fact -- WE DO! "Apostolic" is NOT a 'hard term' or a 'difficult word'. Mrs. McD. treated the word wonderfully! it simply means "like the Apostles." It refers to believing, teaching, practicing, and living as close to the way Jesus and His Disciples did. Why is there argument?

[pastorrick1959]

man yall would fuss if it was partly cloudy -the others side would say ,no it is partly sunny and give a million definitions as to why you are right!I HAVE BEEN CALLED APOSTOLIC ALL MY LIFE .. is it a label// sure it is. i dont get made at a steak sause for putting their label on it ..somebody else may raTher use it for a dip and get mad and say you put the wrong label on it ,,,,its a dipping sause,!its simple as the last poster said, living as close to JESUS and disciples as possible -..as far as me all I WANT TO BE IS A JESUS MAN!

[A_PoMo]

I understand what tv is saying, many people use labels self-righteously to set themselves on a pedestal. The fairly recent trend in "apostolic' circles for older men to have people to refer to them as "bishop" is one example of this trend. I would assert the use of intials in your name goes along that vein as well, i.e. Rev. I.M. Self-Important. We're warned against this sort of thing in the NT.

On the other hand, I agree with Prax, labels are useful in identifying a person's role in a group. I see that in the NT when people are referred to as bishops, apostles, evangelists, etc... I highly doubt, and can't remember seeing in scripture, where they were addressed as Bishop U.R. Somuchmoreimportanthanme or even Pastor So-n-so. I could be wrong about that, but off the top of my head I don't remember reading that.

It's gotta be obvious though that the term "apostolic' means much more in OP circles than what this author states. When OP's use the term "apostolic" it's a code word for those who call themselves OP no matter their denominal association.

The use of this term in that context can often times cause people to revert back to the self-righteousness that tv mentions as too often the term is used in a sense that "We're the only ones who are apostolic so we use the term to distinguish ourselves from all the pretenders". It's a term that is used to mark a distinctive and too often the motive is arrogance. Not always, but I would bet more often than not it's used as an exclusive term based on a elite perspective.