FIVE SMOOTH STONES - The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherds Bag

FIVE SMOOTH STONES — The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherd’s Bag

4 An example of those who believe there are no apostles since the twelve, based upon the requirements for the twelve, is found in THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTARY (New Testament, originally published in 2 volumes) WARREN W. WIERSBE One of the qualifications for an apostle was that - he had seen the risen Christ (Acts 1:22; 1 Corinthians 9:1); and, since nobody can claim that experience today, there are no apostles in the Church. The Apostles and prophets laid the foundation for the Church (Ephesians 2:20), and the pastors, teachers, and evangelists are building on it. If there are no apostles, there can be no "signs of an apostle" as are found in the Book of Acts (2 Corinthians 12:12).” (from The Bible Exposition Commentary. Copyright © 1989 by Chariot Victor Publishing, and imprint of Cook Communication Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.) “The Generosity of the Believers (Acts 4:32 -37) Of course none of the other apostles listed in scripture are known to have seen Christ before his ascension, most notably the apostle Paul, who wrote these verses. The scriptures always hold more weight in interpreting their own meaning than the scholars who contradict the clear meaning found in scripture.

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