In His heavenly ministry, the ascended Lord Jesus Christ sent us Gentiles one very special Apostle a few years after Jesus had been crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven, in ~ AD36. Paul later wrote this;

“… I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I [Paul] am The apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify [honor] mine office:” – Romans 11:13

Does that sound strange to you? It shouldn’t. The ‘Apostles’ were men “sent” [Gk. apostolos, sent ones] to preach the message they were given, but there was a difference as follows.

• Both ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and His “Twelve Apostles” were sent with the “gospel of the kingdom” to and for a specific people called “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
• By contrast Paul “the Apostle” was sent with “the gospel of the grace of God” for all men including the Gentiles. Rom. 11:13 (above.) we see that Paul was sent as “The apostle of the Gentiles.”

It’s important to know exactly which gospel message these two sets of Apostles were given and to whom they were sent. Thereby we have the ‘context’ of the words that these Apostles spoke.

If in fact Christ sent us a special apostle, Paul, wouldn’t you want to hear his message to you more than the gospel message of the other Apostles who were sent ONLY to Israel?

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, GO NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: ⁶ But GO RATHER TO the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” - Matthew 10:5-6 (KJV)

Let’s now compare the ministries of these different Apostles in the New Testament.

1. Jesus of Nazareth, the Apostle:

Even nominal Christians repeat the truth that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, but did you know Christ was an Apostle sent to Israel (Heb 3:1)? “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;” Hebrews 3:1 (KJV)

Paul says, “Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Israel]” (Romans 15:8). John wrote, “He came unto his own [Israel]” (John 1:11); not any other race. Jesus said about his ministry, “I am not sent but [except] unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).

When God sent the Son of God, he was not sent to you or me, but to first century Israel.

2. The ‘Twelve Apostles’ Were All Galilean Jewish Apostles (Acts 1:11) Sent to the Israelites:

Most Sunday school graduates know that Jesus chose twelve men to be his apostles, but did you know why he chose twelve? One apostle was needed for each Tribe of Israel (Matt. 19:28).

The twelve apostles were not sent to minister to Gentiles, but were given Apostleship to the circumcision [Israel].

“These twelve [Apostles] Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go NOT into the way of the GENTILES, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But Go Rather to the lost sheep of the house of ISRAEL.” – Matthew 10:5-6

In their Kingdom commission, these Twelve Apostles were to begin at Jerusalem and Israel (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). Have you ever noticed that Jesus said to the twelve in Matt. 10:23; “you shall not have been over the cities of Israel til I come [again].” The twelve will fulfill their ministry to Israel in the Millennial kingdom.

At Pentecost, Spirit filled Peter addressed only the “men of Israel” (Acts 2:22), “men of Judea” (Acts 2:14), and later to the believers scattered by persecution, “none but unto the Jews only” (Acts 11:19).

Even later when Paul as a new Apostle was called and commissioned, Peter, James, and John limited their ministry “none but the circumcision [Israel] (cf. Gal 2:9).

3. The Apostle Paul:

Paul had an apostleship unlike the ministry Christ brought unto Israel (cf. Matt. 15:24), and ‘the Twelve’ Apostles were unto minister only to Twelve Tribes of Israel (Matt. 10:6).

Paul is the Moses of “the body of Christ” as God’s messenger to the Gentiles. Christ sent Paul as the special Apostle of the Gentiles.

When Paul tried to go to Jerusalem to minister to his Jewish kinsmen, the Lord told him to get out and depart they will not hear you (Acts 22:18).

“And saw him [Jesus ‘the just one,’ v14] saying unto me [Paul], Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they [the Israelites at Damascus] will not receive thy testimony concerning me.” - Acts 22:18

“And he [The Lord] said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” – Acts 22:21

The only reason there is the testimony of Christ at all today coming from Gentiles is because the Lord sent Paul as a special Apostle directly to us Gentiles.

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, ² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:” - Ephesians 3:1-2

Why Don’t Christians Listen to Paul as God’s Apostle of this Dispensational Age of Pure Grace? Today, Paul is largely marginalized as ‘just one of the Apostles.’ If this is true, which it is, then why is it that most of the Christendom does not acknowledge Paul’s place in the Bible and in the plan of God or listen to him? Answer: This is due to false non-dispensational teaching from the pulpit and among so many groups. Paul is most often discounted and hedged out by the ministries and teaching of Jesus and Israel’s Twelve Apostles … who Jesus actually were sent to ‘apostate Israel’; they were not sent to us Gentiles. This is largely unknown to most Church attendees, both saved and unsaved. As the fundamentalist moved away toward neo-evangelicalism, so many God-given core Pauline truths have been forsaken. Today the church is largely unintelligized in favor or unbiblical tradition and myths,

• E.g., When it comes to the Faith versus Works controversy, Paul is supposedly corrected by the gospels and the epistles of Peter, James, and John epistle all of which pertain to and written to the Twelve Tribes of Israel. James wrote, “faith without works is dead.” But James was writing to ‘the lost sheep [of Israel] scattered abroad” (read James 1:1). By contrast Paul who makes it clear that;

“ye [the believers] are not under the law [given to Israel] but under grace” - Romans 6:14

“by grace are ye saved through faith [alone]; and that not of yourselves: it is the [free] Gift of God: ⁹ Not of Works, lest any man should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

• “The church,” Paul called “the body of Christ” first began with the fall of Israel was consummated Acts 28:28. Paul, “the Apostle to the Gentiles,” called “the church” of today’s “dispensation of the grace of God” “the body of Christ.” Yet he is largely ignored by most Christians.

“And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, ²³ Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23

Most Christians have regressed, still favoring the prophetic fulfillment of the Holy Spirit who ministered to Israel at a Jewish feast day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Just note who it is that Peter was addressing at Pentecost; “ye men of Israel.” (Acts 2:22). Pentecost is a continuation of Luke toward Israel, not the start of “the body of Christ.” Words and context always mean something when we read the Bible.

Just think, entire denominations name themselves after John the ‘Baptist’ who died years before Paul was saved and sent to the Gentiles with his new “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Do you realize that if “John the Baptist” were alive today he would never attend any of the estimated 211 splintered sects of the Baptist church today, which bear some form of John’s name… called ‘Baptist’?

Why wouldn’t he?

This is because all Christian churches today are filled with ‘Gentiles,’ as it should be, for God today sees both Jews and Gentiles as either lost Gentiles or saved Gentiles. There is no other distinction among humans today.

“Where there is neither Greek [Gentile} nor Jew, circumcision [Israel] nor uncircumcision [Gentile], Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 (KJV)

The fact is that John the Baptist was never sent to the Gentiles. John was sent to Israel. He was a law-observant law-teaching Jew (John 1:31) and John as a Jew was not permitted to be with or speak with a Gentile. “… how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation [Gk. ethnos, ethnic race] …”  Acts 10:28

Today we Gentiles can and should listen to our Apostle, Paul, by reading his thirteen epistles Romans through Philemon, which include his 7 Post-Acts epistles that were written AFTER the ACTS period, written especially to us as members of today’s invisible church, called “the Gentile Body of Christ.”

Since Christ called, saved, and sent us Gentiles our own Apostle, we ought to give his message and ministry priority over any other Apostles in the so-called New Testament that were sent to Israel?

The fact is that unless you are a first century Jewish believer looking for Israel’s kingdom, Paul is your one special Apostle. Wherever true Christianity is found today, it is a result of Christ sending Paul as a special Apostle with “the gospel of the grace of God” for all men alike.

Are you, as a believer today, listening to Paul?

Have you ever noted how that Paul declares at the outset of each of his church epistles that he is an Apostle, sent by Jesus Christ, such as below?

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,” – Rom. 1:1

“For I [Paul] suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest Apostles [to Israel].” – 2 Cor. 11:5

“…our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I [Paul] am appointed a preacher, and an Apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” – 2 Tim 1:10-11

“Unto me [Paul], who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery…” – Ephesians 3:8-9

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 14:37

Paul as the ‘Prototype Christian’ is our Pattern:

The Lord saved and enabled Paul who like us came from a sinful past. Thus, Paul is the ‘pattern’ for all people to be believe, be regenerated, be saved from perdition unto eternal life, and be counted “faithful.”

“And I [Paul] thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; ¹³ Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief [Gk. protos, the PROTOTYPE].

¹⁶ Howbeit for this cause I [Paul] obtained mercy, [so] that IN ME [Paul] FIRST [Grk. protos, as the ‘prototype’] Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering [patience], for a PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” - 1 Timothy 1:14-16