Lesson 12
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”
-Eph. 2:19&20
I. The Apostolic
Ministry
The word
“apostle” simply means “one who is sent.” However, when
we embark upon a study of the apostolic ministry, we find far more meaning and
significance attached to this word. For instance, the twelve foundation stones
of the New Jerusalem are engraved with the names of the twelve apostles (Re
21:14). Also, when the Son of Man sits on his throne, the twelve apostles will
sit on thrones enacting judgment (Mt 19:28). Why are these individuals the
objects of such immense recognition? The answer is unmistakable: the apostles
were the foundation of the church. They learned directly from the master and
were commissioned by the master to build his church. These chosen men witnessed
the Lord’s manifold miracles and were made active participants in such
miraculous feats (Mr 16:20; Acts 2:43). Furthermore,
they were promised a divine reminder of Christ’s works and words (Joh 14:26; Joh 16:13) from which
the New Testament was born. Among many other important events, they were
eye-witnesses of the resurrected Christ. With these things in view, these men
paved the way for the existence and continuation of the church. The apostles
were Christ’s gifts to us as a means of laying the foundation for our
present reality.
With this in
mind, we must deal with this question: Are there apostles today? I believe that
the answer to this depends on what we mean by the term “apostle.”
If the term is used as a description of the particular office that the twelve
possessed, then Scripture seems clear that this ministry has a cumulative set
of qualities and requirements that cannot be met today. Note:
Among the
insurmountable difficulties of fulfilling the first five qualities and
requirements, the 6th requirement makes it impossible for there to be an
apostolic office (an office of the caliber of the twelve) in our day and age.
The reason is clear when we couple two verses:
“One of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection" (Acts 1:22).
“And that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” (1 Cor. 15:5-8)
In order to be
an apostle, one needs to see Christ’s resurrection body (not merely a
vision of Christ). Christ ceased from appearing to people after Paul.
Therefore, no one after Paul can be an apostle; the logic is difficult to resist.
In what way can
there be apostles today? The answer to this question is found in what the word
“apostle” means in its elementary sense. As we mentioned, the word
simply means “one who is sent.” In this light, we read of instances
where certain individuals (e.g. Titus; Epharoditus)
are called “apostles.” But we must then ask the clarifying
question, “Who is doing the sending?” It seems clear that these
individuals were sent by the church and not by a direct command of Jesus. We might label present day
“apostles” with a lower case “a,” in contradistinction
to “Apostles” with a capital “A.” So a present day an apostle is one that
is sent by the church, and not directly by Christ.
In light of this
conclusion, how do “apostles” function today? Well, some assert that an apostle today
is the same thing as what we label as “missionary.” Still others suggest that modern day
apostles would display similar oversight over present day churches like the
Apostle Paul did, yet without the degree of authority that Paul could have
implemented. It seems to me that
the latter makes more sense out of the Biblical data than the former.
The conclusion
that is consonant with sacred Scripture is that the particular apostolic office
exercised by the twelve has ceased. However, in all probability there is a
present day apostolic office similar to, but different in kind to the twelve.
II. The Prophetic
Ministry
In addition to
God giving apostles, Scripture attests to him giving prophets to the church. A
prophet is a “proclaimer of a diving
message” (Vines, 493). Within the scope of the primitive New Testament
church, “prophecy is the utterance of charismatic preachers regarding the
divine mysteries (1Cor.13:2), God’s saving will (Eph 3:5-6), future
events (Acts 21:10-11; Rev 22:6-7); and contemporary matters (Acts 13:1ff;
1Tim. 1:18). The prophets admonish, console,
encourage, and censure (cf. 1Cor.14:3, 25)” (Theological Dictionary of
the New Testament, 963).
Prophecy played
a significant element in the primitive New Testament church. Paul beseeches
earnestly, “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but
especially that you may prophesy” (1Cor 14:1). In this chapter he further
voices his desire that all the Corinthians would have the gift of prophecy. In
fact, he elevates prophecy above speaking in tongues. Elsewhere he commands,
“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances”
(1Thess.5:19&20). Paul’s zealous desire for the proliferation of this
gift within the church stems from what this gift accomplishes: edification
(1Cor 14:4). In other words, this gift “edifies” or “builds
up” the
The importance
and relevance of the prophet for an infant church is apparent, but what of its
relevance today? Has this office or gift ceased with the apostolic office?
Though a subject of fervent debate, I tend towards the position that holds to
the continuity of this gift from Pentecost until Christ’s second coming.
In fact, Scripture suggests this view. For example, on Pentecost Peter proclaims,
“'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN UPON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17&18).
Since the
“last days” span to the second coming of Christ (cf. 2 Pet.
3:3-10), it is proper to conclude that this gift will also span that duration.
In another
passage Paul reveals when the “gifts of prophecy...will be done
away.” Prophecy will cease when the “perfect comes,” when we
are “face to face,” and when we “know fully” as we have
fully been known (1 Cor.13:8-12). These descriptions resemble what we know will
transpire at our Lord’s coming.
With these
thoughts in the forefront, there are some important qualifications that need to
be issued about the nature of this gift. First of all, the
“revelation” that flows from the gift of prophecy is non-canonical.
That is to say, it cannot be included within the Holy Writ and is always
subject to it. As such, these “revelations” are limited in
authority. These prophecies appear authoritative only over individual persons
or individual fellowships. They cannot become authoritative over the church
universal without also becoming equal in supremacy with the canon. Also, these
prophecies are generally circumstantial and do not reveal new doctrinal
content. They may reveal God’s “call” on someone’s
life, or may reveal God’s direction for a particular body; in such
examples they might include some insight about future happenings. But rest
assured, prophecy will not disclose the mystery of the Trinity or God’s
vote for the Calvinist over the Arminian.
Moreover, there
are particular warnings that need attending to. Throughout the Old and New
Testament, we find numerous warnings against false prophets and false
prophecies. The warnings should be a sobering prompting for those who believe
they have the gift of prophecy, lest they deceive themselves and others. Here
are some general principles I think highlight the warnings of Scripture:
1) Make sure your
“prophecy” is not a mere contrivance of your mind. Jeremiah and Ezekiel
both warn about uttering the products of your own mind and ascribing them to
the Lord (Jer.14:14; Eze.13:3). To do so is to be lumped within the category of
false prophet. In short, don’t pretend to have something you don’t.
If you’re not sure that God has spoken to you, remain quiet. I’m
convinced that if God speaks, it is clear and unmistakable.
2) Along these lines, I think
it’s essential to evade cryptic language. If what you are stating is so
unclear (e.g. ‘the moon is descending on the ant hill of your
existence’) that it has to be interpreted figuratively and can be
interpreted all sorts of ways, then you have set yourself beyond testing. How
can the church test your ‘revelation’ when the
‘revelation’ means whatever anyone wants it to mean?
3) Avoid clothing generalities in
prophecy. If you want to say something like “God has a
wonderful plan for your life,” don’t label it
“revelatory.” There is no special revelation needed to
communicate this, therefore we should not label it as such. This belongs to a
different, though not totally separate, realm known as exhortation (Rom 12:8).
4) Likewise, avoid drawing
attention to yourself. A prophet is zealously concerned with speaking
God’s word and glorifying him. A prophet is eager to aid in building up
the church, not his or her “ego” or “superior spiritual
status.”
5) If what you say doesn’t
come to pass, you should reevaluate whether you are called to be a
prophet. Remember that in the Old
Covenant, a person who gave a prophecy that did not come to pass would be
labeled a false prophet, and would be stoned under the Mosaic law (Deut 18:22).
6) Make
sure your prophecy is consonant with Scripture. To give a revelation which
conflicts with what is already revealed is tantamount to adding to Scripture,
thus adding to oneself the punitive plagues listed in the book of Revelation.
Possible Discussion Questions
1. What are some dangers that arise
from a belief that apostles exist today? For example, how are serious doctrinal
errors linked with the Roman Catholic Church’s belief in apostolic
succession (which means that the popes have been the apostles for the church
through her history)?
2. Do you believe prophecy is for
today? Have you witnessed a true prophet?
3. What’s one of the main
purposes of prophecy? How does this relate to our study in Ephesians 4?
4. What are some abuses of
prophecy?
5. If prophecy is God’s word,
why can’t it be added to the Bible?
6. Why is the church so reluctant
to operate in this gift? Is the gift sparsely given, or are those gifted not
stepping forward?
Works
Cited
Kittel, Gerhard; Friedrich,
Gerhard (editors) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.
Vine, W.E.; Unger Merril Fredrick; White,Williams
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.