You got it Major!
Now I'm going to stretch you a little more, ...all missionaries sent by the Holy Spirit, like you and me for instance, can be called, and in the sense of the New Testament, are apostles, ...what is the commission of an apostle, to preach the Gospel and to teach from the Word, baptize the new converts and make disciples out of them, isn't that what the Father's Apostle did, isn't that what the apostles of Jesus did, isn't that what you did and I'm doing?
Now, what are the signs that will follow the apostles ordained and sent by the Holy Spirit, exorcisms (fortunately we haven't had to do that, but there are many missionaries that have too), speak in new tongues (glōssa), you didn't have to, but I do, French, take up serpents, or won't be hurt by venomous insects, bugs or the like, were there scorpions where you were, were you stung by any (however I remember you saying you are certain you have been protected from bullets rearranging your lovably mug), we have centipedes, up to 6" long, I've stepped on them with my bare feet at night and have never been bit, ingest poisonous food, I don't know about you, but refrigeration isn't an important thing here, for instance, mayonnaise is never refrigerated, I'm certain I've eaten food filled with salmonella so as to not hurt the feelings of the person giving it to me, and haven't become sick, I have felt the impression in my heart several times to lay hands on someone to heal them, but I reasoned it out of my head, however my bride was healed by the laying on of the hands from a fish poisoning by a visiting Chinese missionary. Most important I did and I'm certain you did too, tarry in Jerusalem (our home churches) until we were indued (clothed) with power from on high.
My tarrying in Jerusalem went like this, during a time of worship, the pastor told us the Holy Spirit would call us up front and he would whisper in our ear what gift/gifts the Holy Spirit was giving us and then we were to go to the assistant pastor, on the other side of the room for a confirmation, yeah right, I'm the world's biggest skeptic (I think by now you know I'm not a pentecostal and neither is my home church), but, the Holy Spirit did call me up and the pastor whispered in my ear the gifts given to me and the assistant pastor said the same things and I'm certain he hadn't heard what the first said, months pasted, we served our brothers and sisters in the church, then when it was time to leave, the elders layed hands on me for the power from the Holy Spirit to empower the gifts He has given me and to do the work He sent me here to do, ...it's been nothing miraculous (no calling fire down from the sky or raising someone from the dead), nothing to draw attention to myself, just following the command of my Lord who said, "I didn't come to be served, but to serve, ...what you have seen Me do you do also," ...and He has worked in my life in supernatural natural ways, unknown to the world, but like those that filled the pots with water, ...they knew where the wine came from.
I'm positive you went through the same preparation as I did (Jesus didn't send His apostles out without preparing them and neither does the Holy Spirit), but with different experiences, so you see my dear brother, we are apostles of the Holy Spirit, we have been sent out and I'm certain if you reflect back on your time as an apostle, you will see some, not all (because it wasn't necessary) of the signs in the ministry the Lord placed you in and how He supernaturally naturally, unknown to those around you, ...empowered you and worked in your life.
And then, like you said, there are false apostles, they are easily identified, there is always a big circus, lots of advance advertisement and they are always found in the center ring with the spotlights shinning on them!
Oh how good it is for us to live in the abundant, unending, fervent love, mercy, grace and Truth of our Heavenly Father, thank you for my brother major and the other true brethren here, bless them all my Lord, may their cups run over like you have blessed me!
Gene
These are my questions.. Are you rightly said, today we have many many self proclaimed apostles.. And in fact most of them claim face to face encounter with Jesus.. They have healing power.. They can cast away demons.. They prophesise.. They give prophesies at the beginning of year.. They bring extra biblical revelations.. They have to be apostles rite 