How did the apostles duplicate Jesus ministry?
On various occasions Jesus empowered others to carry out His ministry. He sent out His 12 disciples on a special mission to the Jews and gave them the power to cast out demons and heal diseases (Luke 9:1-6). Later, Jesus appointed 70 others, sending them out two by two to the cities where He was about to go (Luke 10). They were to proclaim that the kingdom of God was near (v.9), they were to heal the sick (v.9), and they were given authority to defeat demons (vv.17-19). The book of Acts records several instances in which the apostles were involved in healing and casting out demons (3:2-16; 5:12-16; 9:36-42; 20:6-12; 28:1-6). These miracles served to give credence to the apostles’ message. Only two non-apostles were said to have performed miracles: the specially commissioned “deacons,” Stephen and Philip (Acts 6:5,8; 8:5-13). The apostles had a unique function in the establishing of the early church. Ephesians 2:20 states that the church was “built on the foundation of the apostles and
