The Office Of Apostle

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 19 October 2025
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#3)
Sermon Text: Acts 1:12-26
Main Points:
Introduction
I. Preparation: Waiting upon the Lord
II. Positioning: Christ’s appointment
III. Partaking: Sharing in Christ’s work
Conclusion

Every story has a beginning. The more engaging that beginning is, the more it draws us in. The best stories often start with an opening that immediately catches our attention and makes us feel part of what’s happening.

In that sense, the book of Acts is outstanding. It opens with the story of Jesus’ ascension – what an incredible scene that must’ve been, filled with the glory of the risen Lord! The eleven disciples must’ve felt as if time itself stopped as they watched the Lord being taken up into heaven. Luke doesn’t give us many details, but that simplicity leaves room for our imagination and draws us in even more. We can almost say, ‘I wish I’d been there – it must’ve been amazing to see the Lord ascending!’

Then, Luke tells us that the disciples went to Jerusalem. There, about 120 believers – including the disciples and Mary, the mother of Jesus – stayed together, praying and waiting. From a storytelling point of view, the excitement of that first scene seems to quieten down rather quickly. It feels as though the story slows and the energy drops a bit.

But, anybody who keeps reading through to the end of Acts will realise how important this quieter moment really is. It’s the point where everything that follows begins to take shape. It’s like the springboard a gymnast uses to launch higher, or like the set position of a sprinter at their starting point, poised and ready to burst forward at the sound of the starter’s gun. The book begins with Jesus’ ascension – like the call, ‘On your marks!’ – followed by the believers gathered in prayer – like the ‘Set!’ moment. And what comes next, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, is the gunfire that sends them racing into God’s mission.

In this crucial part of Acts, I’d like us to look briefly at the believers gathered in prayer, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, we’ll focus on the office of apostles – what it is, why it was given, and what legacy we have from those who were called to that office.

I. Waiting Upon The Lord

Now, let’s follow the apostles as they returned to Jerusalem and joined the other believers. About 120 devoted themselves to prayer. Luke tells us that they did it ‘with one accord,’ in one mind. For ten days, they remained together, praying and waiting.

To put the timing in perspective, Jesus’ resurrection happened on the first day of the week, and He stayed with His disciples for forty days. At the end of that 40-day period, He was taken up into heaven. From that day until Pentecost – which literally means ’50 days’ after the Passover – the disciples prayed and waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Here, their ten-day wait teaches us something crucial about how God works in the lives of His people. God always grows our faith through perseverance. He delayed the outpouring of the Spirit, not out of hesitance or overlooking His timing, but purposefully, giving His followers a time to learn what faith really means in everyday life. After all, as Heb. 11:1 reminds us, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Jesus could’ve sent the Spirit immediately, but instead, He commanded them to wait in Jerusalem. That waiting was itself a training in faith. Each day and each moment, doubts may have arisen in their minds, but they remembered the risen Lord and held on to His promise.

This is not just a story for the disciples of old. The same principle applies to us today. True faith means waiting and praying continually, until the Lord answers. His promises never fail, and they never expire. Believing is a patient waiting, confident that God will bring His word to fulfilment – sometimes in ways we do not yet see, sometimes at times we do not expect. This is, in fact, the true nature of prayer: trusting in the Lord’s promise and faithfulness, not simply reminding God of it.

Notice, too, how Luke emphasises that the 120 believers prayed ‘with one accord.’ In fact, they could not have prayed in any other way. Why? Because the One they trusted was the Lord, Jesus Christ, and together they were waiting for His promise. How could people who are looking in the same direction and anticipating the fulfilment of one promise possibly pray with divided hearts? Their unity made praying with one accord not just possible, but inevitable.

So, the Lord shapes His beloved in faith, teaching them and us to persevere through waiting and prayer.

II. Shaping By The Lord

If our part is to grow in faith by learning to persevere, God’s part is to prepare His people to live out the purpose for which He has called them. Here, in Acts 1, the eleven apostles and the other believers prayed and waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit – that was their part. Meanwhile, the Lord chose Matthias and appointed him to fill the place Judas Iscariot had left vacant. Though the believers cast lots and carried out the process themselves, the final decision was clearly the Lord’s. In v. 24, we hear them pray: “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two You have chosen.” So, the circle of twelve was made complete once again.

The choosing of Matthias reveals God’s wonderfully precise plan for the redemption of His people. In a word, God actively shapes His people, just as He positioned Matthias to complete the apostleship.

The choosing of Matthias was no mere administrative act – it was a divine action unfolding God’s eternal purpose. We remember that it was Jesus Christ who originally chose the twelve and appointed them as apostles for His Church. They are, in a sense, the NT equivalent of the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as the twelve tribes represented the covenant people of God under the OT, the twelve apostles now stand as the foundational witnesses of Christ’s resurrection and the establishment of His kingdom.

When Judas Iscariot fell away, the apostolic band was left incomplete. To leave it at eleven would’ve been to leave God’s symbolic order unfinished. So, before the Spirit was poured out and before the Church’s mission began, that number had to be made whole again. Only then, were the apostles ready to take up their roles once the Spirit empowered them.

Here, we see a vital truth: while God’s people wait upon the Lord for His anointing and empowerment, the Lord Himself is never idle. He is always at work, preparing His people for what lies ahead.

Think of Moses and King David. Before they ever take up their tasks, God was already shaping them for their works. As a young shepherd, tending his sheep in the fields, playing his harp and singing psalms, David might not have realised it – but God was training him for the day when he would lead God’s people in worship through those very songs. The same was true when he learned to use his sling, when he hid in caves, and even when he sought refuge among nations like Moab and Philistia. All those experiences – years of waiting, praying, and struggling – were part of God’s careful preparation for His calling of His people.

Truth is that it’s the same for us. What we go through in life is never accidental or meaningless. God is always at work, preparing us for the roles He has assigned in Christ’s Church. Some might think that suffering can’t possibly be part of that process – but that’s not so. Even through hardship, God continues His refining work in those He loves.

David understood this well. In his psalms, he often reflects that suffering is the very means by which God shapes, disciplines, and draws His servant closer to Himself. As he writes in Ps. 119:71, for example, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn [God’s] statutes.”

So, while we wait upon the Lord, He is at work – actively shaping us for all that lies ahead!

III. Sharing In Christ’s Work

Having looked at waiting and preparation, I feel it’s important to talk about the true nature of the apostle’s office and what it really entails. There are many misunderstandings about this, so, let me explain briefly.

The NT gives us three clear qualifications for apostleship. First, as Peter says in v. 21, an apostle must’ve been a follower of Jesus from the very beginning – from His baptism by John until His ascension. Second, he must be a witness of the resurrection, having seen the risen Lord for himself. And third – this is the most important qualification – the Lord Himself appoints him. This is why, even though Paul had not followed Jesus from the beginning, Christ appeared to him and appointed him as the apostle to the Gentiles.

The authority of apostles was significant. They were commissioned to proclaim the kingdom of God, serving as Christ’s official messengers. They bore witnesses to the risen Lord, and they were entrusted with responsibilities that reflected spiritual and leadership authority, including the judgment of the twelve tribes of Israel. Here, ‘Israel’ is not merely the ethnic nation but the spiritual body of Christ, composing all believers from both the Old and NTs. Apostles, therefore, deserved honour, recognition, and support for their service in the Church.

Notice that I’ve been speaking about their qualifications, authority and what they deserve in the past tense. That’s because the office of apostle has ceased; it ended when the original apostles completed their earthly ministry and returned to the Lord. The Roman Catholics view that the pope succeeds Peter as an apostle is not biblical. Apostleship was not passed on by death. The only case was to fill the vacancy caused by betrayal. Judas Iscariot left a vacancy by apostasy, Matthias was chosen to fill his place. But when the Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, was martyred in Acts 12:2, no one replaced him.

Some Protestant groups, particularly in charismatic or Pentecostal circles, believe the office of apostle continues today through certain leaders. But, like the Roman Catholic claim, this has no scriptural basis at all. None of the modern ‘apostles’ meet the three qualifications laid out in Scripture.

Having said that, I want to highlight a common misunderstanding, even among Reformed and confessional Christians. Many regard the apostle’s authority and esteem them as somehow holier than others – perhaps even the holiest of all. This way of thinking often carries over into how we view church offices like deacon, elder, minister, moderator, and so on. The principle is that the greater the responsibility and authority, the lower the position in terms of humility and service.

This is why Paul, Peter and John all introduce themselves as servants – literally, ‘slaves’ – of Christ. It reflects the teaching and example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. So, the Lord teaches us in Mt. 20, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first must be your slave.”

This was exactly the life Paul describes in his ministry. Apostles were not seated in places of honour but were constantly exposed to suffering, persecution and danger. James was martyred and Peter was arrested and imprisoned, and Paul faced such trials many times. Even when God’s angel rescued Peter from Herod’s prison, he didn’t linger with the other believers; he went away alone, ensuring safety for himself and others. Apostolic ministry was mentally and physically demanding, requiring endurance, courage, humility, and full reliance on God. They endured poverty, insult and hardship. For apostles, trials were not occasional; hardship was part of the journey, inseparable from their service to Christ and His Church.

But, none of the apostles regarded their hardship as hardship; rather, they saw it as partnership with Christ – a sharing in Christ’s work and sufferings. Being ‘servant’ – or even ‘slaves’ – of Christ and serving others in Christ’s Church was their joy and privilege, because they were following the example of their Lord, Jesus Christ. Even facing constant threats from the world was a source of their joy, because they saw evidence of Christ overcoming the world in real time experience. They experienced firsthand that Satan’s power could no longer truly harm them – even the fear of death was conquered through their encounter with the risen Lord!

So, they knew with certainty that a great reward awaited them in heaven, and that their Master and Lord would be with them to the very end of the age. For such witnesses of Christ, serving as His servants and enduring the world’s opposition were pure joy – their sharing in Christ’s work!

This shows us that serving in Christ’s church is both a joy and a privilege, even amid opposition and trials. It is a call for each of us to share in this joy by being servants of Christ in His Church and in the world.

Conclusion

As we close, remember this: our part is to wait patiently and pray; God’s part is to work powerfully and faithfully. If you are waiting on the Lord, don’t lose heart – trust Him. He is never still or silent; He is shaping you for His glory. So, be ready – when He calls, follow and serve.

As we go on, we’ll see how the Lord called His servants, and how the Lord’s faithful ones answered that call and served Him with all their strength and heart. ***