Misunderstood Nature of the Apostle (Part 2)

Character of Christ>Humility>Submission>Authority

by Apostle Randy Muse | randallmuse@hotmail.com

---

An anonymous critic writes:

> I stand by my original remark -- everyone I have ever met who calls

> themselves an apostle has been self-appointed. Of course, they all

> claim to have been appointed by God. They like to wear their title and

> claim their "superior" authority. They like to argue that this is

> Biblical, but is it really? <

Reply:

It is unfortunate that you judge all men who claim to be apostles by the men you met, since the world is so large and your meeting of all the men whom you know who have claimed to be apostles in the world is so limited.

Critic:

> If anyone deserved to refer to himself as an apostle it was John ...

> The only two apostles who ever referred to themselves as apostles were

> Peter and Paul. <

Reply:

No one can ever "deserve" to refer to themselves as an apostle. Apostles, like any other gift, stand in their offices by the Grace of God and not the merit of their works. No measure of work can merit an office or title for a man who is not called to that office or gift.

To me, it is easier to call myself an Apostle than a Saint. An Apostle is a"sent one", but a Saint is a "holy one". If anything, we should all be refusing the title of a Saint since none of us refer to each other as "your holiness", but that is exactly what we are doing when we call a person a"holy one" or a Saint. You are disgusted when we use the title apostle, but who do you think you are to refer to yourself as a Saint? Are you worthy of such a title as to be called a "holy one"? Don't you know that only God is good? You are worthy to be called a Saint, but we are not worthy to be called a title that means less than that? How do you think it is that we are being self righteous when you can so easily refer to yourself as a Saint? (I am not saying that you should not call yourself a saint. The Bible calls His people saints over one hundred times.)

And what about those who call themselves "Reverend", meaning "someone worthy of reverence"? We tolerate the titles of men that inflate themselves to be worthy of reverence but we scorn those who use titles that only say they have been genuinely sent. What sense does this make????? Maybe I should call myself Worthy of Reverence Muse, or Holy One Muse which is what others are doing when they call themselves Reverend and refer to themselves as Saints. There is only One worthy of Reverence and only One God to fear, and that One God refers to us all as His sons and daughters, and only His justice through His Son's death is able to merit for us the title of Saint. (Neither am I saying that a man can not be called Reverend.) But how can you say that Paul and Peter and perhaps John are the only ones who DESERVE to be called Apostles? Did Christ's blood cleanse them better than it cleanses us???

Critic:

> It seems to me that the Biblical apostles had one trait in common that

> marked them as an apostle -- humility! I am not saying that God can't

> use those that like titles by their names. Fortunately for us all, God

> uses even ignorant fishermen, hated tax collectors, and one who

> persecuted the church. God can even use us, unworthy though we are. <

Reply:

It was their humility that made them Apostles all the more. God took fishermen, hated tax collectors, and one who persecuted the Church and killed them when He died on the Cross and gave them victory over their sinful natures, enabling them to be Apostles. It was not fisherman Peter who was the Rock on the Day of Pentecost, it was the crucified Peter who was resurrected into being an Apostle for God. Matthew may have started as a thieving tax collector, but that's not what he was when he was used by God. And the one who persecuted the Church was not used by God until after he died to himself and his nature was changed from the nature of Saul to the nature of the Loving Apostle Paul.

God doesn't use vile and ignorant fisherman, thieving tax collectors, and persecuting dictators. He accepts them and then crucifies their sinful nature and resurrects them with newness of life, giving them the mind of Christ.

I suppose that if more apostles in the early church wrote as many letters in the Bible as Paul did, we might have heard them refer to themselves as who they are. But the fact remains, most of the Apostles mentioned in the Bible(30+) never wrote anything in the Bible at all.

Every Pastor I know uses the title Pastor to refer to his or her self. What if Jim was a Pastor in a Church but never referred to himself as such, and then started trying to run the service and administrate the affairs of the Church while all the time concealing his gift and calling? A title is used to establish authority for the sake of order not to be puffed up with pride. What if I always had my children refer to me only as Randy all my life and never used the title of father explaining to them who I was? They would grow up knowing my name and associating everything I did for them as a person, but never as their Dad.

In the same way, when we deny men the use of the title of their office as defined by Scripture, we are accepting them as persons, but denying who the Lord has made them. What if you told everyone you know about Jesus, but when they asked you if you refer to yourself as a Christian, you told them, "No, I don't use titles to describe who I am." How could they then associate you with the True Church of Jesus Christ at all?? Humility does not mean to deny who you are or refuse to confess it before others, humility means "strength under control" and "knowing who you are regardless of the opinion of others".

I am not writing to impress others or to tell others what an Apostle I am. Indeed, I am content to write what I write without being an Apostle at all, but by the Grace of God I am what I am. I am writing for the Lord Jesus Christ and to let the world know that the Gift of Apostle is a Gift of Jesus Christ to His Body and to let the world know that this Gift, Office and Title given to men by Jesus Christ is alive!!! It's alive because He's alive!!! The Gift of Apostle is a resurrection ascension Gift that men will never be able to stop or kill!!!

Eph 4:10-11 The same One Who came down is the One Who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that His rule might fill the entire universe. 11 He is the One Who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. (NLT)

Whether you like it or not, He is going to use not only Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers, but APOSTLES AND PROPHETS as well to rule eternally. His will is that His rule might fill the entire universe through all five of the ascension Gifts as the governmental ministry officers that He established, Christ being the Chief Ruler of all. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are all an extension of His Rule, each with their varying degrees of anointing and Grace to lead the Body of Christ. It is His ascension higher than all the heavens that made these Gifts produce maximum results. The more in agreement you get with what I just said, the greater the results you will have in your gifting as well.

What is a title or an office without the resurrection? If we are apostles, but not apostles of the resurrection, then we would be powerless vessels and nothing that could benefit the church, and eventually our gifts and titles would do nothing but produce death for us, and we would die in our empty results. But it is our effectiveness because of the resurrection that the Devil fears the most.

I know that I am writing these things to some men who will never understand what I am saying, but I continue writing for those of you who I know understand the truth and believe. See: Part 3 | Return: Part 1

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Apostle Randy Muse

The Randy Muse I was in the world has died, and now the APOSTLE is alive!!!