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REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “Do we need ‘super-apostles’? Super-apostles is a sarcastic title Paul gave to fake preachers or teachers of the Gospel. Paul called them ‘super-aposltes’ because they held the view that their teaching was superior to that of Paul. We are going to focus on why we do not need ‘super-apostles’ (fake preachers) in the church of Christ.

Beloved in the Lord, we do not need ‘super-apostles’ in the church of Christ because they are deceitful. Paul reminds the church of Corinth, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” ⁶ I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. (2 Corinthians 11:3-6). In the twenty-first century, we still see all manner of preachers and teachers with long ecclesiastical titles with extravagant lifestyles claiming to be super-apostles in the bid to amass followers. Their messages and teachings are not focused on the Scriptures but on their limited human abilities. Some go as far as plotting fake deliverances just to convince the masses that they have the power to deliver them from every kind of problem. Paul again admonishes us in his letter to the Romans, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Romans 16:17-18). It is for this reason that Paul encourages us to expose those who claim to be “super-apostles” “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Dear friend in the Lord, the only way we can expose the fake teachers, prophets or apostles is when we ourselves have knowledge of God’s Word. Paul reminds us that “I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge.” (2 Corinthians 11:6). When we study the Word of God we shall discover that we do not need “super-apostles” in the church of Christ. All we need are men and women who fear God and are faithful to His Word. All we need are women and men who are humble and willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit. We need men and women filled with the passion to preach the unadulterated Gospel and will always say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

In conclusion, we have reflected on the theme “Do we need ‘super-apostles’?” We have discovered that super-apostles are self-made and fake apostles full of deceit, therefore, we do not need them in the church of Christ. We are greatly encouraged to identify or expose them through our knowledge of the Word of God. Shalom.

PRAYER
1. Beloved in the Lord let us pray for the Holy Spirit to endow us with the knowledge of the Word of God even as we are prepared to dedicate our time to studying it. May our knowledge of God’s Word enable us to identify and expose those claiming to be “super-apostles”
2. Let us pray for believers in the twenty-first century to be filled with passion for the Word of God. Many have lost their salvation because they had little or no knowledge of the Word of God and were led astray by fake men and women of God.

Holy Spirit, purge the church of ‘super-apostles’. Strengthen us to be on guard through the study and knowledge of the true and unadulterated Word. Amen.