Apostolic Calling

I want to thank those of you who commented on last week’s letter, “333”.  All of you were very encouraging and added eye opening comments. It is interesting to see how many times, and in how many ways, threes are mentioned in Scripture, both in a positive and negative way.  It would certainly make for an interesting study. 

Today I want to touch on what may be, for some, a sensitive topic: “the apostolic calling”. Yesterday, during a phone conversation, a friend suggested that the whole body of Messiah could be defined as an apostolic entity.  That gave me food for thought and as I was pondering this idea, a number of scriptures came to mind that just might speak into this concept. 

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).  In other words, we are to express His nature and character wherever we are.  Thus we “are to Elohim the fragrance of Messiah among those who are being saved” (2 Corinthians 2:15).  We, being in Him, and He in us, makes it possible for Him to fulfill His role as an Apostle and High Priest.  “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Messiah Yeshua” (Hebrews 3:1).  “As you have therefore received Messiah Yeshua the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him…” (Colossians 2:6-7).  “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him…” (Colossians 2:9-10). 

If I understand Yeshua’s work as an Apostle, it is to build up and establish His body by overseeing it, and by adding to Himself those who are drawn to Him.  His body is a living organism made up of living stones, a holy entity in this world.  Being that we have this treasure of His life in us, we are one body with Him reconciling those whom He calls.  What is the ingredient that He is using to ‘entice’ the souls that He is calling?  Is it not the love that we have one for another? Would that not be the sweet fragrance that issues from the spiritual fruit, which acts as His agent to fulfill His mandate from the Father to reconcile all men to Himself?  “Now all things are of Elohim, who has reconciled us to Himself through Yeshua the Messiah, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that Elohim was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us [as His body] the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).  Would this not be our corporate apostolic calling?  Just something to think about as we enter the Shabbat.

Blessings and Shabbat Shalom,

Ephraim and Rimona