5 Smooth Stones

are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the fi lth of the world, the o ff scouring of all things until now.” Those same things which are wrongly applied to true New Testament apostles, were likewise wrongly allowed with the kings of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:14 "When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.” The true New Testament apostle is not to be a Lord over God’s people (1 Pet 5:3), not to be led after “the gold, the girls or the glory,” but are to be involved in God’s true kingdom government which includes administering the justice of God with the wisdom of God. Ma tt hew 23:34 “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men….”Luke 11:49 “Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles…” Wisdom in righteous judgment was what the kings were supposed to supply fi rst and foremost for the people of God, and likewise the true New Testament apostle should be known for wisdom in righteous judgment. In the New Testament church there were apostles and prophets working together which brought about God’s wisdom and righteous judgment for his people. This is seen throughout the book of Acts and the epistles. In Acts chapter 6 when the Greek speaking believers were being overlooked and complaints arose, the wisdom of God through the apostles solved that issue by appointing deacons to serve more e ff ectively. Perhaps the greatest example of this is seen in the council in Jerusalem recoded in Acts 15: Acts 15:6 “Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this ma tt er. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts 181