Apostle

From SgWiki

Apostle from the Greek word "apostolos" meaning a sent messenger. The Bible uses this designation to describe the messenger(s). Most scholars tried to differentiate the "original" 12 apostles who were eyewitnesses and contemporary of Jesus. However that meaning was obviously significant to Church traditions and history, but it definitely include other so called messengers of the church. Paul and Barnabas were two early messengers (apostles) commissioned by the local Church believers at Antioch to go out to reach the Gentiles.

• Today we have missionaries from churches, who are not the least among those sent out to evangelize the lost just as the apostles of the early churches. See Epistle of Paul to Ephesians (Christ give gifts to the churches: apostles, prophets, pastor-evangelists )and other apostles and such as Andronicus and Junias are said to be of note among the apostles (Rom. 16:7).