Die Frage:
Die Antwort:June 2, 2008
from New Apostolic Church, Divine Service Guide, Sunday, 1 June "The Apostle ministry -- a gift from God":
Dear Chief Apostle Leber:* the Apostle ministry
The Lord Jesus expressly stated: "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21). Although this passage does not explicitly use the term "Apostles", but rather "disciples" or "the Twelve", it is our conviction that He was actually referring to the Apostles -- and to them alone.
The incident which is relayed in the scripture that is quoted does not use apostles, nor does it use "the Twelve" to describe who was present during Jesus' commissioning. If you reread the passage, "the Twelve" is used only to clearly identify which Thomas the author is referring to. The "Twelve" is not used in any way in this passage to identify those present. The only term used is the Greek word "mathetes", which is translated into English as "disciple". Nowhere in the scripture that was quoted is the Greek word "apostolos" used (translated as "apostle). It is further supported that more than just the apostles received Jesus' commissioning if you read Luke's reporting of the events of that same day and evening, in Luke 24:13-53.
In those passages, Luke tells of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and how their hearts burned within as they slowly recognized that it had been Jesus that had accompanied them and supped with them. Having experienced this, they immediately ran to Jerusalem that evening and as Luke reports, "they found eleven AND their companions gathered together". The two disciples remained for the rest of the evening, and were present when Jesus arrived.
If you do the math, 11 plus the two disciples plus the companions is MORE than the twelve.
Please forgive my bluntness in all of this, but how does one justify twisting scripture in this manner... saying, "It is our conviction that He was actually referring to the Apostles -- and to them alone"? And now, because of Divine Service Guide, ministers have proceeded to spread these untruths to members in their congregations. Perhaps you have trusted your church theologians to have reviewed these "lessons" prior to release... but it doesn't take a theologian in this case to understand that what was taught was wishful thinking and a poor attempt to find justification for our doctrine where there wasn't any. In studying these verses it becomes clear that Jesus sent MORE than just the apostles into the world... and that He also commissioned MORE than just the apostles to forgive/remit sins -- as John reports occurred on that very same evening... in that very same room.... to those very same disciples.
With love and many, many yet unanswered questions,
Gayle Theilacker
Los Angeles Central Congregation
"Knot Lost" wundert sich daraufhin:June 10, 2008
Dear sister Theilacker
I think there is a misunderstanding. We do not claim that only the eleven Apostles were present when Jesus commissioned them. But the question is whom He addressed when He gave the authority to forgive sins. There are two possibilities that can be described in present terms as follows:
1) Everyone who calls himself a disciple of Christ can forgive sins.
2) The authority to forgive sins is bound to a ministry. The only ministry that existed at the time of Jesus was the Apostle ministry.
Possibility 2) is the official understanding of our Church.
There is an article in preparation that will be published in "Our Family" and that will give additional information.
I share the view with you that there are still many unanswered questions.
Hearty greetings to Los Angeles.
Wilhelm Leber
New Apostolic Church International
Ueberlandstrasse 243
CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland
Fettdruck von mir, GG001.
Glossar: KJV = King James Version, die traditionelle Bibeluebersetzung, heute durch die New International Version ersetzt.I know KBB will agree that prophet was also a ministry. What about evangelist, pastor, and teacher, couldn't they be considered ministries as well? Paul said to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 4:10-12(KJV) 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
V..
Aus dem NACboard
StAp Leber greift erkennbar auf vielfaeltige Elemente der Wahrheit aus seiner Erklaerung bei der Apostelversammlung in Toronto zurueck, die BezAp Brinkmann im Maerz auch an die Amtsbrueder verteilt hat.
