Apostles Keep Moving

An apostle must keep moving on, or they will be quickly be turned into a bishop, CEO, or Big Man, depending on the culture. Paul understood this well. He was an amazingly talented person, but the kept pressing on to new places, so the churches he established could not make him into the “archbishop” of a group of churches.

Peter did not understand this quite as well. He seemed to be reluctant to go out and stayed too long in Jerusalem, so he became a governmental apostle. When he did go out, his behaviour was wrong at Antioch (Gal 2:11-14). He must have stayed to wrong in Rome too. No wonder he became the first pope.

Paul may have been more capable than Peter, but they could not make him into a pope, because he was continuously being sent out to proclaim the gospel and start new churches.