Every Christian who is up to the standard is an apostle, prophet, evangelist, and shepherd and teacher. An apostle is not a king; he is a sent one. If I send you out to do a specific task, then you are my sent one, my apostle. In John 17:18 the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father, “As You have sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” The “them” in this verse refers not only to the twelve Apostles, but to all the disciples. This indicates that all who believe in Christ should be sent ones. This is confirmed by the Lord’s word to the disciples in John 20:21: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” All disciples of the Lord Jesus, both male and female, are to be sent ones. If you have been a Christian for years without ever having been sent by Him, you are not up to the standard. If we consider our past experience, we shall realize that many of us have been sent—to our husband or wife, to our parents and relatives, and to our friends. Like Paul, we are sent ones, we are apostles.
We are also prophets. According to the Scriptures, a prophet does not primarily predict the future; he is one who speaks for God. For example, when Moses was called by God in Exodus 3 and 4, he told the Lord that he was not eloquent (4:10). The Lord said that He would give Aaron to Moses to be his prophet (4:14-16; 7:1). Aaron did not predict things for Moses; he spoke on his behalf. This indicates that to be a prophet is to be a spokesman. Just as we have functioned as apostles, so we have also been prophets, perhaps to our parents, relatives, and friends. As prophets, we speak on behalf of the Lord, telling others how the Lord loves them and desires to be life and everything to them. The more we speak in such a way, the more we function as prophets.
In speaking for God, we also preach the gospel. This means that we are evangelists. To be an evangelist is simply to preach the gospel.
In the same principle, we are also shepherds and teachers. In caring for the ones saved through our gospel preaching, we shepherd them and teach them. Hence, we are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers.
To have a walk worthy of God’s calling is to be one who is sent by God, who speaks for God, who preaches the gospel, and who shepherds others and teaches them. If we are not such a person, we are not up to God’s standard. Due to the influence of our religious background and environment, we are accustomed to thinking of apostles and prophets as extraordinary people. But an apostle is an ordinary Christian, a Christian who meets God’s standard.
We should not have a false humility and say that we are too small, too insignificant, to be apostles and prophets. It is a fact that we can be sent out by the Lord, at least to our relatives and friends, and that we can speak for Him. It is a fact that we all can be and should be God’s sent ones. We are of the same category as Paul, although, as apostles, we do not have, of course, as great a measure as he had.
Ephesians 3:2 says, “If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.” Do you realize that not only Paul was a steward, but that you are a steward also? Like Paul, you have received the stewardship of the grace of God. A steward is a serving one. For example, a steward or stewardess on an airplane serves the passengers and takes care of them. This indicates that a steward is not some kind of high official, but one who serves others. The service of a steward is called the stewardship. According to 3:2, our stewardship is the stewardship of the grace of God.
We all have received a certain amount of grace. In 4:7 Paul says, “But to each one of us was given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” By receiving grace, we spontaneously have the stewardship of the amount of grace we have received. By grace we have been constituted stewards.
Ephesians 3:2 says that grace has been given to Paul, and 4:7 says that grace has been given to each one of us. In the light of these verses, we should not consider that Paul was something that we are not. In fact, 3:8 reveals that Paul regarded himself as “less than the least of all saints.” This indicates that all the saints can receive the same kind of grace as was given to the Apostle Paul. As to the person of Paul, he was the least among the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9); but as to his ministry, he was not behind the chiefest apostles (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11). Yet, as one who received grace, he was less than the least of all saints. This implies that all the saints can receive the grace which he received. This can be compared to all the members of our physical body which receive the same lifeblood, however large or small they may be. But the ability, or the gift, that comes out of the lifeblood differs with the members. All the members of the Body of Christ can have the same grace of life as Paul, but their gifts are not the same as Paul’s gift was. If grace could be given to Paul, who thought of himself as less than the least of all saints, then it can certainly be given to all of us.
To Paul, it was not a matter of who had received more grace and who had received less. We need to forget all such comparisons. The important thing is that we see that we all can be the same as the Apostle Paul. Since one who was less than the least of all saints could be such a person as described in chapters three and four, then we have no excuse.
However, throughout the centuries, Christians have been under the influence of the natural concept. According to this concept, one of the early apostles was enthroned to be a pope. But we all can be “popes” in a proper sense, for a pope simply means a father. This indicates that we all can be spiritual fathers to those we bring to the Lord.
Our mind needs to be purged from the natural concept that uplifts the apostles above the ordinary believers in Christ. Apostles are simply those sent by God to carry out His purpose for the building of the church. Certainly we all can be such sent ones, and, having been sent, we all can speak for God as His prophets, His spokesmen. Do not be held back by traditional teachings. Instead, believe the fact that the stewardship of the grace of God has been given to every believer.