In the Bible, the apostle is not about being on the top of the pile. Just consider what the term apostle meant in Jesus’ day. Jesus borrowed the concept of the word apostle from the Romans, who borrowed it from the Greeks. This term was the best way to describe what Jesus was building in His Church on the earth—an apostolic movement. The responsibility of these people called ‘apostles’ was to recreate Roman culture in the newly conquered land by introducing Rome’s educational system, language, arts, roads, and countless other values that had worked so well in Rome. The intention of this ‘apostolic team’ was to create in this new land something similar to Rome. This helps us understand why Jesus taught us to pray ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. God is not trying to keep us busy doing stuff until he returns again. He longs for earth to become Heaven, a place where He feels as much at home as we do. Prayer and radical obedience make such places possible.
This is the backbone of our commission. Everything we do—from raising healthy families, to preaching the Gospel and praying for the sick, to leading people to Christ—is all done to complete this very glorious assignment: Pray and obey until this world .
Adapted from ‘The Way of Life’ Ch 9 by Bill Johnson