Marked Out: APOSTOLIC

Traditions New and Old

The year was 2012 and the place a town about thirty miles north of Seoul, South Korea. The event that day? A Wedding; something ordinary that we celebrate all of the time here in the United States and that we also celebrate around the world too. A Wedding is something we all look forward to, isn’t it? (unless we’re paying the bill for the caterer!) And usually, the couple has taken some steps to insure that the day is perfect. They’ve picked out decorations, perhaps written their own vows, and thought about the colors the bridal party will wear.

But this wedding was different. This wedding is South Korea was held in something that reminds you of a sports arena or a concert venue. Tens of thousand of people filled the stadium to watch the event. And something else unusual was happening, too. There just wasn’t one couple being married. Nor even two…or three. No, there were 3,500 couples getting married at the same time. It was a mass wedding!

This however was not a one-off event for this venue—a place that calls itself a church building by the way—no, this was one of countless mass weddings called “blessing ceremonies” held by the Unification Church. The Unification Church was founded in the years before the Korean War in what would become South Korea and the founder Reverend Moon believed and taught that he himself was the second coming of Christ in the flesh.

Sounds odd, doesn’t it? It sounds like no one should believe that, doesn’t it? But what was attractive about Reverend Moon’s message was that he promised world peace. He believed and taught that the world should get together and have peace through interracial and inter-religious weddings among other things. And he did so by taking on certain doctrines and teachings of Christianity.

But there is a difference about what Moon taught about God, Jesus, the Bible and more. About Jesus, Reverend Moon says that Jesus failed the first time by being crucified and so he had to try again in the form of Reverend Moon. The Bible? Well, according to the Unification Church is just a temporary book whose time has past its usefulness.

And this is not the only group of people who use the language of Christianity to their own ends. These sects and cults that are adjacent to Christianity because they share some of the same language have a great number of adherents throughout the world. In addition to the Moonies, I could add groups like the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science to this to name just a few. Each group uses the language of Christianity but changes it and twists it to suit their own ends.

What Does it Mean to be Apostolic?

And I set all of that up today, the cults and sects of Christianity, to introduce you to the final mark of the church, apostolicity. Do you remember the other marks? The church is one because she has one Lord, one baptism, one faith. All who proclaim Jesus as the divine Lord and share the doctrine and teachings of historic Christianity are unified in one body, Protestant or Catholic, Orthodox or Non-Denominational. The church is holy because her Lord, Jesus Christ, is holy. She is set apart for a purpose, God’s mission to save and redeem the world. The church is Catholic or Universal in that she has no borders, no boundaries to her mission. People of every tribe, tongue, and nation are welcome in her midst.

And today we get to add the final mark to our understanding of the church. The Nicene Creed says that the church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Now, I have had to separate these terms to cover each of them in one message, but they really belong together. And particularly this last one, apostolicity, serves as something of the glue that joins them all together.

Notice that I said that the church is one because she has one Lord, one baptism, one faith and that all who proclaim Jesus as the divine Lord and share the doctrine and teachings of historic Christianity are unified in one body? Well part of that, the qualifier that it is precisely those who share in the historic teachings of Christianity, is the very thing we must talk about today.

The word Apostle has many definitions in Christianity. As you can tell from the cover of your bulletin, one of the earliest definitions of an Apostle was one who was chosen by Jesus to accompany him during his early ministry. These twelve men were chosen to symbolically represent the reconstitution of Israel. There were twelve tribes in Israel just as there were twelve Apostles.

Another definition for Apostle is one who witnessed the ministry of Jesus and were witnesses to the resurrection in some way, shape, or form. Famously, Saul of Tarsus, after his conversion and vision of the risen Jesus on the Damascus road, was called an Apostle in just the same way as Peter, James, and John (and the others). But more than that, there were other apostles as well—and not all of them men! Looking at Paul’s letter to the Romans 16:7, we see a married couple, Andronicus and Junia who Paul claims were “outstanding among the apostles” meaning that they were a dynamic duo that were prominent apostles in the church at Rome and it also means that they were witnesses to Jesus’ ministry and resurrection appearances. And notice one big thing—there was a woman apostle! (a topic perhaps for another sermon!)

Inheriting the Tradition: John

One of the things I hope you picked up from Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 that we read a few weeks ago was Jesus’ concern for the unity of the church. Jesus really intended for the church to remain one in spirit and in truth until he came again. It is scandalous that we are so divided today. But if you turn back one chapter, to John chapter 16, part of Jesus’ farewell discourse in John before the events of Good Friday and Easter, you find another key teaching that helps us be certain that what we have in Scripture is trustworthy.

In our passage from John this morning, Jesus tells the disciples, later to be simply called the Apostles, that he has much to teach them, more that they can bear right now. But he promises that the power of the Holy Spirit will allow them to recall all of the things that Jesus wanted them to know—and to pass on. You see, the word “Apostle” in Greek means “one who is sent.” And for Christians, the Apostles were the ones who were sent with a message, the message of the Gospel itself. The message that Jesus Christ is God and Lord, a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Hebrew Bible and the Messiah who will lead the great New Exodus when he comes again to bring heaven and earth together at last.

These twelve Apostles an the others that bore the name by virtue of being witnesses to the resurrection were entrusted with not only preserving the tradition of the Hebrew Bible but creating what is now known as the New Testament. These apostles were also prophets who wrote down, aided by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the words and traditions of Jesus in the Gospels, the letters to the church of Paul, Peter, James, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews, and also the great prophecy that is the Apocalypse of John or simply Revelation.

These books are sacred to Christians the world over precisely because they were written by Apostles or contain the testimony of the Apostles. John was a disciple and Apostle and his Gospel is therefore apostolic. Mark’s Gospel is the reminiscences of Peter’s own testimony and is therefore apostolic. It are these sacred traditions, inspired by the Holy Spirit that we are entrusted with as the church.

Another Gospel?: Galatians

But even early on, it was tempting to take the Gospel message and twist it to the ends of some group or sect. And that is precisely what was happening in the small region of modern-day Turkey called Galatia. Paul writes to the Galatians that he is mad, burnt up, incensed, that they have turned away from the Gospel to embrace teachings that went counter to the truth he handed on.

You see, the Galatians were being bombarded with messages that they must hang on to certain traditions of Judaism as practised in Israel at that time in order to assure their salvation. Men were being led to be circumcised and they were being coerced into keeping Jewish rituals and feasts on top of their regular Christian observance.

But Paul wishes that those who were bewitching the Galatians with this false teaching would be cursed by God. That is some very strong language indeed. But it was necessary because the treasure that we have in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is precious and holy and undefiled. Anytime this sacred trust of teaching gets twisted we make a mockery of God and we preach another Gospel—there can be only one true message.

So it is vital that we stand firm in the historic teachings of the faith, those that have been passed down for centuries. Where do we find them? Primarily in Scripture first of all. And these have been universally agreed to in two statements of faith that find the widest acceptance in the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. To veer from these teachings is to veer from the apostolic faith and to veer from Christianity toward being a sect and a cult. For instance, the Jehovah’s witnesses deny that Jesus is God in the same way that the Father is God. This violates both Scripture and the Creeds and places the witnesses outside the apostolic tradition. Mormons on the other hand deny the sufficiency of the Bible as we have received it and also say that the Book of Mormon is divinely inspired and must be believed (among other holy books, they have several more).

Apostles Sent on Mission: Matthew

But it is not just that the apostles were to be a repository of teaching. The apostles weren’t librarians after all. They were not merely checking for orthodoxy like a network television censor preparing to bleep out heresy. No, the apostles, as their name suggests (remember apostle means “sent one”) were sent out on a mission.

The mission of the Apostles was to spread the Good News of the Gospel in word and deed to all they met. In Jesus’ own day, Jesus took seventy of the disciples and sent them out in thirty-five pairs to go throughout the Holy Land and tell their fellow Jewish believers about Jesus. They were to travel simply, relying on the hospitality of others, and to do good along the way.

After Pentecost, the mission shifted beyond Israel, though Israel was still very important. After Pentecost the way was opened up not just for Jews, but for Gentiles as well to join the one people of God, the church, the ekklesia, those called out of the world to be sent back into the world to spread the good news to other people.

Now, in our era, we, the church, have been given the Great Commission to go into all the world proclaim the Gospel, baptize people in the name of the Triune God, and teach them to obey all Jesus taught. Preaching the Gospel, Baptizing new Christians, and Teaching—these are core missional imperatives of the church.

Apostles Preparing: Acts

But there are more core missional imperatives of the church as well though, and we find them in Acts 2. Acts two tells the story of the very earliest church in Jerusalem. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached and three thousand were added to the number of that fledgling body.

But then, notice what happens in Acts 2:42-47, it’s so important I want to read it again:

Acts 2:42–47 NASB 2020

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

There were four things this apostolic church devoted themselves to: The Apostle’s Teaching—the authorized teaching of the church. Fellowship—being with one another and cultivating relationships Breaking of Bread—regularly sharing the Lord’s Supper and other meals together Prayer—the church that prays together, stays together

Our Mission: Their Tradition

Our mission brothers and sisters, is to keep this tradition alive. We, the church of the twenty-first century are called to be sent out into the world to share the Gospel. We are called to spread the traditional teachings of Christianity found in Scripture, the Creeds, and our Confessions. We are called to baptize, to teach, to shepherd, to devote ourselves to learning, to fellowship, to the Sacraments, and to prayer. It is by doing these acts, all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are the Church. We are one because we share a rich tradition that stretches back thousands of years. We are holy because we have been set apart for this mission. We are Catholic because we welcome all who come through our doors. And we are apostolic because we have been sent just like the apostles to spread the good news an increase our numbers so that all might be saved and come to a knowledge of God in Christ. Amen.