The Church Gathered and the Requirements of Apostleship

The Church Gathered

Introduction: We will be in Acts chapter 1 today if you want to go ahead and open your Bibles. I remember when I first joined the Army in 2004. Raising my hand, swearing in, and surrounded by men and women in uniform. And in the military, wearing your rank is common to show your authority level. So, me being the “go getter” that I am, I already had my sights set on those three stripes, to be a sergeant. But to move up in rank, you must be able to meet certain requirements, like physical exercises and team-leading ability. You also had to go before a board of higher-ranking members and be approved for the rank that you were up for. And believe it or not, this was one of the most stressful things in the Army. You had to have your dress blues on, all of your ribbons and awards had to be straight and in order, basically they had to be perfect because the board was going to examine them. You had to walk up to this closed door, knock three times, and wait for the board to tell you to come in. They would then grill you with questions about your time in the service, your goals, and other military-related questions. They examined your personal record, PT scores, education, and other things like that. It was a very stressful situation that usually took all day, depending on how many people were up for promotion. But this was all a necessary part of the promotion process, and if you wanted to move up, you had to participate in this. Luckily, in the church, we don’t have to do all of this, but there is a process. As a church, we nominate those we believe are faithful to the Lord and deserving of deaconship, eldership, or pastoral roles, and normally, they go through a process of examination and prayer before being installed in those positions. At Redeemer Borger, we have been on this very journey over the last year, and at the end of this month, we will install our first elders. They have been examined, prayed over, and have been meeting weekly to pray together, discuss things, and grow together. And we believe that God has put the process into place for a reason. If not for this process, much like it would happen in the military, everything would become a popular vote, which can lead to a disaster. Today, we see this process taking place as the first church gathers to pray and install a new apostle. So, let’s read our passage.

Acts 1:12–26 (ESV)

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

‘May his camp become desolate,

and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

and

‘Let another take his office.’

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Context: Last week, Pastor Byron preached about the ascension of Christ. Jesus was raised from the grave, and He then appeared to the apostles and others who were with them. Jesus told them all to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, who would come upon them shortly, that they would all be witnesses for His namesake, and then Jesus was taken up into heaven, and two men spoke to the Apostles, telling them that Jesus would one day come back the same way He was just taken up. How awesome is that?!? Could you imagine how the apostles are feeling at that point? And now, in verse 12, we see the men descending from the mountain and returning to Jerusalem, where the others are waiting. This is about a Sabbath day's journey, according to the text. And that means that they are keeping within the travel distance set forth and allowed on the Sabbath day.

A Picture of the Church

Verses 13-14

Then we get to verses 13 and 14. I love these two verses here. Because these two verses give us a glimpse into that first church. That first group of people gathered as a church. You have a huge group of people meeting in what is known as an “upper room.” This is simply a room on the upper level of a house or bigger building where groups could gather, break bread, and do whatever they wanted. It was basically a big meeting room. We see the remaining 11 Apostles gathering with this group of people, who are probably so full of anxiety they don’t know what to do! Remember, these men had just traveled at least a sabbath day's journey with Jesus to the Mount of Olivet, watched Jesus ascend into heaven, traveled another day back to Jerusalem, and are now gathered again with the others. Listen, these people witnessed their Teacher be hung on a cross, murdered, and buried. They were left in total despair; they didn't know what to do, so they just sat for three days until Jesus, resurrected from the grave, appeared to them, giving them hope that everything he said was true. Jesus just spent 40 days with them all, teaching them. Then, these 11 men go off for two or three days, and Jesus is again gone from their sight. And now these people, they don’t whine about it, and they don’t complain about it, they pray about it. The apostles come back, gather with the others, and they pray!

Something I want to note here is in verse 14. The word “homothymadom” in Greek is translated as “with one accord.” Verse 14, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” This word is used only nine other times in the Book of Acts and each time it refers to the unity of a group in their actions. In other words, Luke is painting us a picture of these disciples and apostles, where they come together in unity with one another, and they pray continually. This is a community of believers, praying continually in unity. This is what the early church looked like, and our churches should look no different.

So, we have this beautiful picture of the early church. But what about the church today? What do you do when times are tough? When you’re facing a bunch of unknowns? When anxiety has gone through the roof? Do you sit there, pout a little bit, and blame God, or do you ask for help? When you gather with the church, do you pray for one another? Do you pray for the community and other churches? What about the country and our leaders?

When we pray we must go beyond our own small interests or the concerns of our own limited circle of Christian friends and instead pray for the church of God at large.

James Montgomery Boice

This is exactly what these people did in the upper room when they gathered with the apostles and prayed. Something else to note here. Most theologians agree that the women mentioned here are most likely the apostles' wives, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and some disciples who had been following Jesus. And listen, the fact that the women and Mary were mentioned here is very culturally inappropriate. But Luke doesn't shy away from listing the women in his gospel or here in Acts. And ladies, it is vitally important that you understand that you have just as big of a part in praying for the life of the church as the men do. You are not left out of this, and you should not ignore this. You are vital to the life of the church in praying for it.

And if I could just for a moment, encourage all of you to take just 5 minutes of your mornings in this new year and pray for the life of your church and all the other churches around here. God will do some amazing things, and your church leaders will thank you. Most of you know about Redeemer Borger, how we started as a group of families meeting in a house. We met every Sunday evening to break bread, sing, and pray together for the life and future of Redeemer Borger and the community we are in. We just celebrated our third year of officially meeting as a public church in our building. We were able to buy this old appliance store and have since turned it into a building where we can gather every Sunday morning. Kids have classrooms, we built offices, and God has provided everything for us! We have seen God convert hearts, heal people, and people getting baptized. We are steadily growing! All by God’s great mercy and goodness for his people. But also because we have sat and prayed for these things. And it isn't just a few select men praying; it is everyone in the church. Take 5 minutes in the morning and pray for your church, the leaders, and those who walk through those doors every Sunday. I promise you that God will do some amazing things.

A Prophecy Fulfilled

Verses 15-20

Let us move on to verses 15-20. According to our text, Peter stands up and addresses the room, which has about 120 people. And he explains to them that all these things took place according to the Scriptures found in the OT. Now, this should encourage us. Because nothing has happened outside of the will of God. God told us, through the prophets and authors of the OT, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that all of this was going to happen. And it happened. Peter says that the Scriptures “had to be fulfilled” because the Holy Spirit said so through the mouth of David. I love that! The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is just as authoritative as the Father and the Son because they are all One. This is Scripture attesting to its own faithfulness. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” All of Scripture is “breathed out” or inspired by God himself through the Holy Spirit. It is also showing that the Holy Spirit is active throughout all of Scripture.

What we also see here in these few verses is the story of Judas through the eyes of Luke. Now, in Matthew 27:3-10 we see this story unfold. We all know the story of Judas. Judas gives in to the priests; he accepts money in exchange for the location of Jesus, and then after Jesus is hung on the cross, Judas tries to give the money back. Judas is then burdened by his grief and remorse, so much so that he hangs himself. We do not simply want to read past this part of the details and not think about it. So, the question is raised: how are we like Judas? Not that we are in every way doing what exactly what Judas did, but in what ways are we betraying Jesus? You see, every time we reach for anything less than Jesus, we are betraying Him. This is what Judas did. Judas did not believe in Jesus; in his unbelief, he gave in to the desire for riches on this earth. Something less than Jesus is what Judas wanted. We would do well to think about this and realize that we are, in a sense, doing what Judas did. We are betraying Jesus for those things that are less than Jesus. Perishable things that we will one day lose, just as Judas did. And now that Judas is gone, another must be chosen to take his place.

A New Apostle is Chosen

Verses 21-26

Now we move into an important section of our passage today in verses 21-26. The choosing of a new apostle. First, did there have to be 12 Apostles? By Roman custom, there needed to be only seven witnesses for a judicial committee, but according to Jewish custom, there were always twelve. We also note the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses sent out twelve spies to the land of Canaan, where twelve springs were also discovered. Joshua used twelve stones to erect a memorial before God. And Jesus chose twelve Apostles in the beginning. Some also sees some symbolic correlation in the 12 apostles representing the twelve tribes of Israel and their preaching the gospel to the Jews. So, it makes sense now that there must be twelve Apostles. We also see that this is serious business, and it was done with prayer and dependence on God. It was also done in a very specific way that reveals specific requirements for becoming an apostle. We live in a time when many claim to be an apostle, able to prophecy, heal, and perform miracles. So, I want to clarify these requirements of apostleship. Verses 21 and 22 lay out a very basic requirement, which also disqualifies those claiming to be apostles today. You see, this new apostle needed to be someone who had accompanied the others “from the baptism of John (that is the baptism of Jesus by John) until the day he (Jesus, not John) was taken up from us,” it was someone who could be a physical witness to the death and resurrection of Christ. In other words, to be an apostle, one needed to physically witness the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his Biblical Theology, Sigurd Grindheim says,

The criteria for an apostle of Christ was to have seen the resurrected Lord and to have received a special commission from him. The fundamental distinction between apostles and other ministers is therefore that apostles have been called directly by Christ, whereas other ministers receive their call through the church.

I don’t know about you, but I do not know a single person living today who can truthfully make this claim about themselves. That they have seen the resurrected Christ in all His glory and received a special calling from him. Now, there is a sense in which we can act in the same way the apostles did, in preaching the gospel to the nations, and we should be doing this, but this does not make us an apostle in the same way the 12 were apostles. So, from our text, an apostle is a physical witness of the resurrection of Christ and someone who walked with Christ. But some will say, what about Paul? He wasn't counted among the original apostles, he wasn't a physical witness to the resurrection, and he certainly didn't walk with Jesus during his earthly ministry. He was trying to kill Christians. So, let’s look at Paul’s encounter with Christ for a moment.

Acts 9:1–18 (ESV)

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

You can also read Galatians 1:11-2:10 and see Paul defend his apostleship and explain it in more detail. But Paul directly encountered the living and resurrected Christ on that road. And if you keep on reading in Acts chapter 9 you see that Paul went on to meet with other leaders and eventually some of the apostles themselves and was confirmed to be an apostle alongside them for the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. So, yes, Paul was a bit of a different case, but he also had a different purpose and calling directly from Christ. Either way, unlike anyone today, Paul had a personal, real-life encounter with the resurrected Christ. Let us not be fooled by those who claim to be apostles today. No true apostles are walking this earth. Not in the same sense as those we see in Scripture. Some will argue that if we are doing the work of the apostles, preaching the gospel to people, then we can call ourselves apostles. In that case, every Christian is an apostle because every Christian should preach the gospel to their neighbors! But we are not capital A, apostles, who received a direct calling from God and were a witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who were able to perform miracles, healings, deliverance, etc., all so that people would believe in their apostleship and believe in the God who gave them that power. For that was the whole purpose of their calling and power, so that the people may believe.

Conclusion: I’ll end here and the band can come on up. So, what can we take away from this passage today? 1. Are we considering our lives in light of Jesus’ commission to the apostles? What I mean is, are we living out our calling as gospel witnesses the way the apostles were called to be gospel witnesses? That calling belongs to us just as much as it belongs to them. But when was the last time you witnessed to someone about the life, death, resurrection, and ascension to a neighbor? 2. Are we considering our lives in light of the words of the angels in verse 11 that you heard last week? Do you live as if Jesus could come back any day? When was the last time you thought about this? We may not have a chance tomorrow to do what we ought to be doing today. 3. Are you a praying church? Do you take time to gather with others and pray in unity with one another, for one another, and for others? When was the last time you stopped, grabbed a couple of people, and prayed for someone or something? And listen, I am not trying to cast guilt on anyone, but if we truly believe what the Scriptures say, then we will live our lives in light of these issues. Jesus Christ lived a real life perfectly, was betrayed by the man Judas for some change, and was brutally beaten and hung on a cross. All according to the Scriptures. He was buried in a tomb, rose three days later, and ascended to the Father's right hand, all according to the Scriptures. This was intentional for you and for me. I pray you don’t leave here today without talking to someone about this and responding in repentance and faith. If you're a Christian, then consider the things we have examined here today and live accordingly. Let’s pray.

Prayer: Thanksgiving, be a people of prayer, and unity, living in light of the truths you have revealed to us in your Word. Help us Tobe more faithful and courageous witnesses.