Lesson 13 Why Paul? The “Thirteenth Apostle”

I ask that as we go through these lessons, that you get your Bible, read it, pray, study, and ask the Holy Spirit of the Living God, to help guide you into truth.

Since the first lesson we have been comparing scripture with scripture, and comparing spiritual things with spiritual things, so that we can discern truth, from error.

   

“Why Paul”, why was there a need for Jesus to make Paul, the thirteenth apostle, after all he already had 12 apostles, as identified in Acts. chapter 1.

There is, and was, absolutely no need for the Apostle Paul, unless Jesus started a new program! We continue to reinforce the fact, Jesus gave the 12 apostles commandments they were instructed to teach, and preach.

Acts 1: [1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, [2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

In Acts 1: 12-24 the 11 apostles choose Matthias, to replace Judas Iscariot, so the number of Apostles was restored to 12.

Now let us look at a future prophecy yet to be fulfilled, I want you to think about this when you read the following concerning the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21: [12] And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: [14] And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Guess what, I can tell you without any hesitation the names of those twelve apostles, we find them listed in Acts. 1: [13] And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. [26] And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Guess what else, Paul’s name is not going to be listed with those twelve apostles of the Lamb, because once again the Apostle Paul had a different commission, with different instructions, for a different group of believers, than the Nation of Israel.

Don’t you believe that Jesus could have given any one of the 12 Apostles, which were already chosen, and recognized as having apostolic authority, the revelations, and instructions, that were given to the Apostle Paul?

Matt. 19: [27] Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? [28] And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus could have done this, but the fact is the 12 Apostles were part of the Prophetic Kingdom program; they had a different job, or commission, than the commission given to the Apostle Paul.

Let’s look at some interesting facts concerning Paul’s Apostleship.

First we see in Paul was called to be an apostle in 1^st Cor., for this lesson I will spend most of the rest of our time in the Corinthian epistles.

1Cor.1: [1] Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. 

In the next verses, we see Paul tell us what he was not sent to do, as well as what he was sent to do.  

In verse 17, he states that Christ did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel. In the earlier lessons dealing with the instructions Jesus gave to the 12 apostles, it is clear that they were sent to baptize. Again in the future we will look deeper into water baptism.

1Cor.1:  [17] For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  

In verse 18 we see Paul tell us that it is the preaching of the cross of Christ by which we are saved, no one prior to Paul ever spoke of preaching about the cross to be saved, the message prior to Paul’s conversion was the gospel of the kingdom!

1Cor.1:  [18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

We see Paul in Chp. 9 defending and confirming his apostleship to the Corinthians.

1Cor.9  [1] Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?  [2] If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

In three verses, two of which are also in 1^st Corinthians, Paul tells the Corinthians that should be followers of him. I could not find any of the other Apostles telling anyone that they should follow themselves?   If I am correct in my understanding of Paul’s message it makes perfect sense that he would tell people to follow him, because his message was different than the message the other 12 apostles had.

1Cor. 11 [1] Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

1Cor. 4 [16] Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

Phil. 3 [17] Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Now let’s close this lesson out by looking at what I believe our commission is, as members of the Body of Christ, as given to our apostle Paul by the Lord Jesus Christ after he had ascended back into heaven.

Rom.11 [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

The Apostle Paul describes himself, and us believers in the Body of Christ, as ambassadors for Christ.

Eph.6 [20] For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

2^nd Cor. 5: [17] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  [18] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

What I find very interesting is that nowhere else in the New Testament does the word ambassador appear, other than in Paul’s epistles.

The word ambassador means, (This is straight out of an English dictionary.) an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

An ambassador is a person who represents his/her leader and county in a foreign land.

Thus we are representatives of the Lord Jesus, who is not residing here on planet Earth at this current time, but is in Heaven.

So the definition for us believers in Christ as his ambassadors, is a perfect fit!

That is why, when the Lord Jesus, gave Paul the words to write in his epistles, the Lord Jesus declared us to be his ambassadors.

This is Paul’s, and our commission today, to be ambassadors for the Lord for Jesus, while he is heaven awaiting his triumphal return to planet Earth, riding on that white horse!

This is the answer to “Why Paul” because Paul was given a new commission, with new instructions, and a new gospel, 1Cor. 15: 3-4 “...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 

It’s that simple!

Think upon these things, pray about them, and I believe God will reveal to you the importance of getting your instructions from the Pauline epistles for today in the year of our Lord 2015. 

Applying and living by Paul's epistles will help remove the confusion caused by trying to live by doctrine in the Bible that is not for the Body of Christ. 

The words of our Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles!

2Tim.2 [15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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Remember most unsound Bible Doctrine, is sound Bible Doctrine misapplied to the wrong time period, or wrong group of people.

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