May 08, 2022

Church in the City II - Apostles and Prophets – 8 May 2022 — Pastor John Custer

Introduction - This lesson continues the teaching concerning God’s will for a geographic area, like a city or region.  We are so accustomed to thinking about our church (our congregation) as being the sole focus of all of our efforts to expand the kingdom, regardless of what happens to other churches around us.  It is evident that God wants us to be interested in the welfare of churches around us as much as our own.  He looks on the church in a region or city as a singular entity with a human head (aggelos in the Greek language).  There is a particular order in which this area-wide church is constructed:

1 Corinthians 12:28. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.  NLT

We see here the unusual mention of some kind of order for the parts of the church: first, apostles, second, prophets, etc.  Apostles and prophets, then, must have had a critical role in the establishment of the early church.  There were obviously more apostles than the original 12 because Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot.  Saul, later called Paul, was selected by the Lord sovereignly to be an apostle, independent of the original 12.  Barnabas, Epaphroditus, Andronicus, Junius, and Timothy are all referred to as apostles in the New Testament.  Roughly 40 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 that Jesus supplied to the church people with special abilities (apostles prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the maturing of the church until it comes into the unity of the faith and is fully grown into the stature of Christ.  

Ephesians 4: 11-13. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  NLT

The church is certainly not unified yet, nor is it fully grown into the stature of Christ, so it is likely that these gifted people, including apostles and prophets, are needed today.  The church today understands what evangelists, pastors, and teachers are, but what is an apostle or a prophet?  

Prophets

The Greek word for prophet, prophetes, simply meant foreteller.  Prophets primarily see things which God reveals to them and then tell those things to the church.  This is called inspiration.  Little is written about prophets in the New Testament, although their mission is critical.  Just as the military relies on intelligence to know what the enemy is doing, we Christians need heavenly intelligence to know how to fight our spiritual enemy successfully.  This type of secret, privileged information comes to prophets today.  

Amos 3:7 Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.  NLT

A prophet will oftentimes repeat known Biblical principles like “God loves you” in fresh, timely ways, making it personal to the listeners.  This present-tense announcing of what the Lord is saying or thinking is called forth-telling.  Prophets teach our congregations to speak this way. This manner of speaking is called prophesying.  

1 Corinthians 14:29-33. And let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others discern.  30 But if a revelation be made to another sitting by, let the first keep silence.  31 For ye all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted;  32 and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;   33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace; as in all the churches of the saints. RV

Matthew 10:41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs.  NLT

Apostles

The Greek word for apostle, apostolos, simply means a delegate, one who is sent.   Apostles are sent by God into the world as his legal representatives to conduct business for him.  He has given them authority to bring about the building of God’s kingdom on earth.  The picture we have of the Apostle Paul (minus the beard, robe and sandals) is not the best picture we have for what a present day apostle might look like and what he would do.  When Paul had his dramatic calling on the road to Damascus, The Lord told him that He would show him what great things he must suffer as he went about doing his ministry.  Paul had many miraculous encounters with governments, demons, and people, which leads us to believe that an  apostle is 10 feet tall and flies with a cape.  The Corinthians said of Paul that his letters were weighty, but that in person he was “not impressive.”   You probably would not recognize one in a crowd.  

Most of the apostles in the Bible were scarcely even heard of.  They were rather boring, non-flamboyant, businesslike people.  They settled questions concerning what the church should believe, delegated tasks like feeding programs to capable people so that the needs of the hungry would be met, and oversaw the money which was brought to the church so that everyone would be cared for.  They are like the general contractors of the kingdom.  They see God’s heavenly blueprint for the church and spend their time getting subcontractors to clear the land, put in foundations and erect the spiritual buildings which make a habitation on the earth for the church.  The apostle takes the prophet’s  inspiration and translates it into action.  In simple terms, prophets see the vision; apostles build the road to get there.  

1 Corinthians 3:10-15. Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.  12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.  14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.  NLT

God intends for the building process conducted upon his foundations to be continuous.  This necessitates the birthing of many sons who will continue the kingdom building process.  Apostles have a very fatherly ministry.  They beget sons and mentor and coach them through to maturity so that the work of God continues.  Churches which rise and then fall into obscurity are churches which never had true apostolic leadership. One of the more measurable signs of a true apostle is the emergence of self-multiplying church planting movements.  An apostle inspires other leaders to start giving birth to churches which keep generating other churches.  

Conclusion - We have a true, present challenge ahead of us: to see our city and region transformed by true apostolic and prophetic ministry.  Pastors, teachers, and Evangelists will not have the ability to do this ministry.  This means we must find apostolic and prophetic people in our midst, identify and commission them, and encourage them to beget other apostles and prophets.  We CAN be the city on a hill, one for which God declares “I will open a door for you which no one can shut.”