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The apostles hold a unique and unrepeatable place in church history

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

1Corinthians 12:28 lists apostles first among the offices God established in the church, and this order reflects historical sequence as well as importance. The apostles were the twelve men chosen by Jesus, eyewitnesses of his resurrection, with Judas eventually replaced by Matthias. They served as the first preachers of the gospel, and the doctrine they received directly from God became the foundation the early church gathered around and studied.

These twelve, along with the apostle Paul as an additional figure added later, formed a distinct group responsible for writing most of the New Testament and receiving direct revelation from God. Scripture marks them for special honour, including recognition in heaven.

Following the apostles chronologically came prophets, who delivered specific revelation concerning the life of the early church, and then teachers, a role that continues today through pastors and teachers. Ephesians also identifies evangelists, tasked with reaching those outside the faith. The office of apostle itself, however, belonged to a group of thirteen men whose foundational role cannot be repeated in any later generation.

I understand what some today mean when they call themselves an apostle. But I don’t think it’s what the writers of the Bible had in mind.

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,

Ephesians 2:20

Salvation unfolds across past, present and future stages of God’s work

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Philippians 1:6 promises that God, who began a good work in believers, will carry it through to completion by the day of Christ Jesus. I believe that good work refers to salvation.

Our salvation isn’t just a single moment but as an ongoing process carried out by God from beginning to end.

Salvation includes an initial stage in the past, when a person repents and turns to Christ. It marks a sinner’s justification and regeneration. It is their deliverance from the penalty of sin. But it also includes a present stage, carried out continually through the work of the Holy Spirit. And finally, a future stage remains ahead as well. It is often called glorification, when believers will be delivered fully from the very presence of sin.

Together these three stages describe the complete scope of salvation that God commits himself to finishing. It is the reason Jesus died, was buried and resurrected.

Have you accepted his precious gift?

 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 8:30

Careless words reveal the heart

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Jesus warned that people will give an account for every careless word spoken, adding that a person’s words will play a role in both justification and condemnation. This raises a natural question. Can words themselves carry saving or condemning power? The answer lies in understanding words and deeds as evidence rather than causes. Let me put that another way. Salvation and condemnation are not the result of what a person says or does. Words and actions reveal the underlying spiritual condition already present in someone’s life.

This mirrors the broader biblical principle that a person’s fruit reveals their true nature. At the final judgment, a life marked by good works and righteous conduct serves as evidence of genuine salvation, since believers have been created for good works that God prepared in advance for them to walk in. On the other hand, a life consistently marked by evil words and deeds reveals the absence of that salvation.

What do your words reveal about you?

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Knowing the Word isn’t the same as proclaiming it

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DAVID INGRAM

You may have heard someone introduced as a preacher. Or Bible teacher. or both. Are they really different things? Absolutely! Preaching and teaching are not the same, though they overlap.

Preaching comes from a word meaning herald. It means proclamation. A preacher announces the gospel to those who haven’t believed, or calls believers to act.

Teaching, on the other hand, comes from a word meaning instructor. It’s explanation of the scripture and it is directed to people who have already accepted Jesus’ blood for the redemption of sin.

So, why is this important? Consider this. You can be the most learned person, and still not do a thing to spread the Gospel. You can be quite comfortable in church where you will most likely receive complements on your understanding. But have you shared the Gospel with anyone?

Romans 10:14-15

How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Building a marriage on a lasting spiritual foundation

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

A strong home begins with a marriage built on more than affection or convenience. I heard an evangelist put it this way: marriage is not a temporary arrangement but a lifelong commitment established by God himself. Any household hoping to stand firm needs a spiritual foundation to support it.

That foundation comes down to putting God first. No marriage is free of difficulty, but couples are encouraged to bring their struggles directly to God in prayer rather than trying to work through them alone.

Our families cannot be sustained through willpower or good intentions alone. We need to admit our dependence on God and express it through consistent prayer and a shared commitment between husband and wife.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

Ephesians 5:25