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`And the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven'
(verse 26).
Then came Pentecost.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:5 -8 gives the names of several witnesses to
the resurrection of Christ, viz. Cephas, the twelve, five hundred brethren,
James, all the apostles, and last of all Paul himself. This enumeration
places Paul outside the twelve.
A -- Do you mean then that there is another order of apostleship
outside that of the twelve?
B -- Look at Ephesians 4:8 -11:
`When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men ... And He gave some, apostles'.
The `twelve' were appointed while Christ was on earth, but here is an
order of apostles appointed `When He Ascended'.
A -- What is there distinctive about Paul's apostleship then?
B -- Let the apostle himself tell us:
`I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am The apostle of the Gentiles,
I magnify mine office' (Rom. 11:13).
`He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the
circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles' (Gal.
2:8).
`I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in
Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity' (1
Tim. 2:7).
`I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the
Gentiles' (2 Tim. 1:11).
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. And therefore, while all
Scripture is profitable, yet, before we concern ourselves too much with the
sin of Israel, or the great tribulation and other equally important themes,
it is incumbent upon us to give due place to the message of the risen Christ,
which He has sent to us through Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.
`Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision' (Rom.
15:8).
`I (Paul) ... the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles' (Rom.
15:16).
Remember it is not Paul and Paul's ideas that we want. It is still
Christ Who speaks, the difference being that in the Gospels He speaks on
earth, while in the Epistles He speaks from heaven. The human instruments of
the earthly ministry were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The human
instruments of the heavenly ministry are Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude, and
of these Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles.