(By Joseph Mattera) Through the years there has been much opposition to the restoration of apostolic ministry today. Having been educated in non-charismatic bible institutes and universities, I have a very good understanding of those who misunderstand the global restoration of the fivefold ministry gifts as seen in Ephesians 4:11. The following are 12 of the arguments against it and my responses:
1. There were no apostles after the original Twelve.
The fact of the matter is, in addition to the original Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, there were numerous people either cited as apostles or who were sent as apostles in the New Testament. During the days of the early church, the word “apostle” was a common word used to denote a person sent on official business to represent another person, nation or government. Hence, when Jesus designated the original Twelve disciples as apostles, the connotation was that they were being sent out to represent Jesus and the kingdom of God. CONTINUE
