Eph 4:11-13

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

The Lord “gave”.

These individuals, gifted by God for the work of equipping the saints, are given.
They are a “gift”.

What has the Lord given?

Apostles.
Yes, the twelve that spent three years with Jesus were apostles…they are a select group.
But, there are other apostles mentioned in the Word. Several more.
An “apostle” is simply one that is sent with the message of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.

Do apostles exit today?
Yes.
How do I know?
Because all these roles are to be in the Body of Christ until we “attain to the unity of faith…”
That has yet to occur.

Sadly, large portions of the Body reject the role and function of the apostle.
We are thereby weakened and do not function as the Lord desires.

Are there false apostles?
Certainly.
But that should not dissuade us from the truth.
There are also false “pastors’, “teachers”, “preachers”, “deacons” and the like.

Rejoice in the Lord that He has given the apostle.

Has the Lord released this calling/gifting/etc. upon you?