How Prophets Work with Apostles

In the final session, David explores how prophets work with apostles by looking at the ways in which they operated in the New Testament, their involvement in foundation laying and how they discern the needs of the moment. 

PRACTICAL APOSTOLIC MINISTRY  |  Session 9 -  How Prophets Work with Apostles

Introduction

Eph 2:19-22, 3:1-6

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.”

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.  In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has been revealed by the Spirit of God’s holy apostles and prophets.  This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus.”

1/ How prophets are to be involved in foundation laying

• • I often teach on apostolic foundations.

• • Often asked “what about the prophetic foundation?”  We can readily teach on apostolic foundation because there is so much biblical data about the foundational truths Paul taught as an apostle.

• • What is meant by foundation of the apostles and prophets?

• • It is clear that these ministries are themselves the foundation; it is not just what they taught and that it is prophets and not just apostles. We easily tend to forget that prophets are foundational too  and work with apostles to lay the foundation.

• •  
    • Revelatory - it is why, having spoken of the foundation, Paul stresses revelation given by the Spirit.  There is no genuine New Testament church without the revelation here in Eph. 3 (Fee).
      • Relational – ministries known to the churches bring the foundation.  They are not offices on which the organisational structure of the church is built but ministries which are necessary for the founding, (therefore “foundational”) of the church as well as for its subsequent growth into a healthy and mature community of faith. Therefore, prophets are to have a relational connection with churches they serve as do apostles – they can then be trusted. Obviously we can benefit from travelling prophetic ministry whom we don’t know but they need to be tested by the foundation that trusted apostles and prophets have brought.The foundation is therefore:

     

    • Dynamic – revelation is by the Spirit in order to develop a community of the Spirit (the temple today) (Eph. 2:22).

     

    •   – in a Semitic building the cornerstone was massive and was genuinely the most important part of the building.

     

    • The foundation laid  by the original New Testament apostles and prophets referred to in this verse needs to be dynamically laid in every church in each generation.

2/ What is the foundation of the prophets?

• • It is the same foundation but both gifts are needed to lay it dynamically in each church. The prophetic role is:
  • Confirmatory – it is primarily the same revelation about the nature of the church as came through apostolic revelation.  There was consistency.  Revelation of mysteries to prophets was a familiar Jewish idea in the Old Testament.  Now not only to prophets but also to apostles has come a clear, fresh revelation from God.  The apostles and prophetic revelation therefore confirm each other – this is consistent with the biblical pattern of two witnesses.  The foundation is based upon this revelation.  These apostles and prophets are “holy” – (“set apart”) and experience revelation “by the Spirit”.  They were two essential ministries set apart by God, majoring on revelation by the Spirit essential to founding true churches.  Hence there is a need for unity in function and understanding of New Testament revelation for both apostles and prophets.    
  • The prophet as a foundation however brings a Holy Spirit emphasis in the foundation in practice as well as doctrine.  There is a strong link in the New Testament between prophecy and the Holy Spirit e.g. 1Cor. 12 – 14, 1 Thess. 5:19.  This aspect is important for the foundation because it is intended to be the foundation of a place where God lives by His Spirit.  The prophet particularly brings the emphasis on the tangible dwelling of God.  It is prophecy that can bring a genuine “wow” factor that causes even unbelievers to say “God is here” and believers to be massively encouraged, and redirected.  The prophet in his equipping role encourages prophecy within the church but also all the other supernatural gifts as well.  It is a bringing forward into the new covenant era of what was anticipated by old covenant events such as the tangible presence of God experienced by the schools of the prophets referred to in 1 Samuel and the life of Elisha.

3/ How do prophets do that as they work with apostles?

• • Ensure the overall weight and direction of our prophesying is consistent with this foundation and look to apostolic ministry for guidance. The foundation is prophetic -refer to Old Testament prophecies – fulfilled in Christ – worked out through those who are in Christ e.g. Promise to Eve – overcome Satan, to Abraham to bless every ethnic group (cross-cultural mission – our mission is to be prophetically led – apostles need that in their leadership), promise to David – Kingdom so not just church, promise of the new temple, promise of combining all ethnicities and social groupings in Christ, a place full of the Holy Spirit. Prophetic ministry should major on these themes rather than obscure, strange ideas, though these truths may be expressed in new creative ways.

4/ How do prophets work with apostles in the New Testament?

• • They confirmed revelation and help to bring the church to understand the overall purposes of God.  This is an aspect that is often neglected today and left to the apostle or even the teacher.  Prophets should stand in the main line of prophetic revelation and not only bring personal or specific revelation for particular situations.

• • Bring vision to a particular local church consistent with God’s overall vision and purposes – one serves the other.  Vision for a local church which is not detached from God’s overall purposes in the earth today.  A clear role to the local church to help it build through vision and encouragement.  The Old Testament parallel of this would be the role played by Haggai and Zechariah to Ezra and Nehemiah.  Ezra 5:1-2. Prophets are to be builders along with apostles.

• • Bring the power of the Holy Spirit and encourage by example and equipping all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  We need to ensure that an Old Testament view of anointing is not imposed because in Eph 4 the purpose is to equip an anointed church – along with apostles.

5/ The need of the moment

• • The prophet as a foundation and with ongoing ministry brings an ability to discern the needs of the moment which the church should respond to.  Agabus when he came to Antioch (Acts 11:27 – 30) brought prophetically a word which both caused them to prepare for the famine by sending money for the poor but also built into them a practice consistent with two apostolic concerns:-

• • • Care for the poor, the Judean church was clearly primarily established amongst the poor.

• • • Demonstrating unity between Gentile and Jew; this became another motivation for Paul later to collect money from his churches for the poor in Jerusalem.

Again, apostle and prophet are acting in harmony.

6/ Sent by apostles

• • Prophets encourage the believers by being able to convey the clear decisions and directions about the way forward.  Great examples of this are Silas and Judas following the Council of Jerusalem.  They brought something that was consistent with the apostolic revelation (Peter, Paul, James).  They carried the decision of the Jerusalem Council with encouragement, with clarification and to show how it seemed good “to the Holy Spirit and to us”.  It is interesting that prophets were chosen here as the ones to carry the decision.  They had their own role within it and were not just communicating what others decided, see Acts 15:31-32.

7/ Some suggest outworking

• • Sometimes prophets are to travel with apostles, sometimes (as when Agabus came to Antioch) in groups of prophets – both represent team!

• • Bring major prophetic words to apostolic teams for them to test and then, if agreed to be from God, to become part of the vision of the team. Apostolic teams should not mainly be about organisation (though that is necessary) but following prophetic direction.

• • Prophets can bring through their sharpness of personal revelation a result that pastoral exhortation does not necessarily bring. Personal prophecy is an important aspect of prophetic ministry in the New Testament (e.g. Agabus and others in Acts 21) and needs to be very much an important aspect of it today.

7/ Conclusion

• Important these two gifts work together.

• There is much more involved – so need to work it out together.

© David Devenish

How Prophets Work with Apostles - Broadcast Series - April 2021