“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Eph 4:11-12 NLT (emphasis mine)
"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" - 1 Cor 12:28-30 (emphasis mine)
"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" - 1 Cor 12:28-30 (emphasis mine)
And unless those attributes and functional signs are there, anybody's titular claim to the office of an apostle is spurious! Some naive or funny people easily take apostolic glory and honor upon themselves with no understanding whatsoever of the responsibilities and job description of the office of an apostle. They take the title but you can never see the character of an apostle in their lives. They keep causing confusion and friction in the body of Christ because they're out of their place.
“But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.” – 1Cor 7:17 NKJV
“Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called” – 1Cor 7:20 NKJV
They know nothing about the sufferings of an apostle. The signs of an apostle are alien to them, yet they are not afraid to lay claim to the dreaded and awesome office of an apostle. Apostles are change agents. These charlatans have not known that you don't need more than one apostle in a nation to cause spiritual, social, and economic revolutions. But we have thousands of self-styled apostles in a region and no revolution at all! I think there is the need to investigate into that. God only needed Brother Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ to cause global and continental revolutions. Think about that! Aside from the finished work of Christ on the cross, the entire gentile world owes their righteousness and spiritual blessings to that true apostle, even Paul! Don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying God cannot bless a nation with more than one apostles. The point I am making is this: true apostles don’t go around with the tag, their works speak for them!
Holy brothers and sisters, let us abide in our callings from God and produce the corresponding fruits of our individual callings. Let us stop breaking ranks!
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Pet 4: 10-11
When you leave your calling, you begin to transgress and infringe on other people’s territory of assignments. And of course the results of that are confusion and frictions in the body. Remember, God will only reward you for what He called you to do that you are doing. And He will judge you based on what He gave you, and not what He did not give you.
If there is the need for it, I may have to write a follow up on the signs of an apostle. This is important so you can receive true apostles and shut your door against charlatans and impostors.
If this has blessed you, please share it with others. God bless you.
