Being Prophetic

The Old Testament clearly reveals God communicating with people through prophets. Without question the Old Testament prophets are accepted as the means by which God communicated to humanity, especially to Israel. (Hebrews 1:1) We also see throughout the Book of Acts the gift, ministry of prophet was an important part of church life. But what about today? Is the gift, ministry of prophet a vital part of the church today or is there no need for it? Was the gift, ministry of prophet terminated by Jesus, the builder of the church? I believe that the gift, ministry of prophet is most likely the most misunderstood gift, ministry for the church today. 

So, let's begin by observing the two main passages of scripture that most sectors of the church refer to, refuting prophets for today. "...But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

In 1 Corinthians 13, "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" is interpreted as the canonization of scripture, that is, the Bible is now complete so there is no longer any use for prophets or I might add, prophecy. In Revelation 22 we see a warning to "anyone who adds or takes away the words of this book of prophecy" as adding to or removing scripture from the Bible. It is the combination of these two passages that has also "denied" most sectors of the church from receiving the entire portion of the ascension gifts that Jesus gave to the church, namely, the apostle and prophet. The thought is that prophets or prophesying adds to the scripture when in fact it supports scripture. If it does not support scripture, then it is false. Keep in mind that there have been false prophets throughout human history, but that does not negate the gift, ministry of the prophet for today. 

Look what the apostle Paul tells us, "...a dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Ephesians 3:2-5) Paul justified his teaching not only with Old Testament Scriptures, but also upon the authority of the "spirit of revelation" and the office anointing of the apostle and prophet. He reveals that apostles as well as prophets now have the ministry of revealing new truth to the Church. This is not saying that prophets and apostles need to write new Scripture, because the Bible is indeed complete and needs no additions. However, the Bible was prophetically inspired (2 Peter 1:20-21) and it requires prophetic illumination and revelation by the Holy Spirit to understand and apply it rightly. Jesus tells us, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13)  Paul also prays "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you (believers; the church) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." (Ephesians 1:17)

For instance, Martin Luther read the scripture "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) and "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) numerous times before the Spirit of revelation made known to him the reality of its meaning. When he received revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning these things, it ushered in the Protestant Reformation. A true revelation always brings a revolutionary change. Martin Luther did not invent or prophecy new scriptures, but received a true revelation about that which had already been written by former apostles and prophets. The same has been true through the various church movements since the Protestant Reformation. The Holy Spirit gives a revelation of God's Word that brings us to a greater reality of the scripture.  Think about this. Did you ever read the same scripture numerous time and then this one particular time you received a greater understanding (a revelation) of that passage? You did not add to the scripture but now you have a greater reality of its meaning. Believe it or not, you received a prophetic word from the Holy Spirit.  

The Bible is God's complete revelation to man. These inspired words were gathered into sixty-six books and canonized into the Scriptures, which we call, the Holy Bible. God's Word is complete, perfect and fully sufficient to bring all the revelation of God that we can comprehend and appropriate. No further communication from God is to be added to it and no words are to be removed from it. Any truly prophetic word given today must therefore be in full agreement with the spirit and context of the Bible. If this is the case, then, many will ask why we need prophecy today? The answer to this question requires first of all that we understand the meaning of two important words from Biblical Greek.

The two Greek words in the New Testament are translated by the English term "word" are Logos and Rhema. Greek scholars and theologians have debated about whether or not these words are synonymous, but many believe that the inspired writers chose each word to express a different meaning. The interpretation presented here is more consistent with those scholars who are walking in present truth. When we use the word "Logos," we refer to the "Word of truth," that is, the Scriptures, the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) The Apostle John also speaks of the "Word" in this way.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) The angel Gabriel tells Mary, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." (Luke 1:31) Jesus was the eternal Word revealed and manifest in mortal flesh. 

Concerning the Word (Logos) the Bible records, "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Mark 13:31) The Logos is the same as God, yesterday, today and forever, because it is God, "The Word was God" the Logos is creative, powerful, true, inerrant, infallible, complete and life giving, it never fails. Any failure or inconsistency in it is due to our failure in understanding, believing, responding, obeying and seeking to fulfill its unfailing nature. The Logos reveals God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan and neither angel, devil, human or any other power in creation can keep the Logos from eternally being and becoming all that it proclaims.

On the other hand "Rhema" is considered "a word from the Word." According to W.E. Vine's, the word Rhema denotes "that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing;" in the singular, "a word." The significance of Rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Ephesians 6:17); here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture."

Rhema is then revelation from the Logos inspired by the Holy Spirit that brings "life", "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63), "power", "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) and "faith", "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) to preform and fulfill the Logos and it must be received through faith by the hearer. The Logos never changes or fails, however, the Holy Spirit give Rhema to individuals which may fail, not due to the Rhema of the LORD, but rather the people who heard it failed to understand, interpret, believe, obey, respond, wait upon, or act upon it.

Therefore, when we use the term "Logos," we mean the Scriptures as a whole. When we use "Rhema," we mean a specific word from the LORD that applies to us individually. No true Rhema spoken by present day prophets will be in conflict with the spirit and context of the Logos. We all must thank God for the Logos, which is the standard of all truth. But we should also be grateful for the Rhema, which provides the precise word needed for the specific situation. All Christians must live by the Logos and receive the Rhema as needed. The Apostle Paul tells us, "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." (1 Corinthians 14:3) Sounds like Logos doesn't it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...   

Gifts For The Church

Christianity is not a mere philosophy, obedience to commandments nor the acceptance of God's promises. It is much more. Christianity is the appearance of God to man in time and space. The significance of Jesus' death, not only His physical death on the cross, but what He accomplished for man in the spiritual realm especially in the regions of death, which is beyond what we could ever comprehend. He took death captive. The reality of His death is this. When death slew Him, death slew itself. "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14) "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Revelation 1:18)  

Jesus liberated those, who in death, waited His coming. Jesus took them from the control of Satan and in His triumphant victory over sin, death and Satan, transferred them to glory. David the king prophesied this very thing one thousand years before it came to pass. "You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there." (Psalm 68:18) The Apostle Paul reiterated the same and then tells us the gifts that Jesus gave to men, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." (Ephesians 4:11)

Jesus is not only the founder of the church, "...I will build My church..." (Matthew 16:18) but He is the foundation of the church, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Bible gives a further revelation that Jesus wanted His followers to understand concerning Himself and the foundation of the church. "...the household of God (the church) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:19-20) 

Most in the Protestant Church, from seminary to the pulpit, have been taught that the apostles and prophets were only given to get the church started and after that, they were no longer needed. That once the New Testament was completed and accepted by the church, the foundational role of the apostles and prophets was completed. Therefore, all biblical references to apostles and prophets should be understood as a historical record rather than a continuing reality for the church. Any teaching today contrary to such is to be considered heretical. But, is this kind of teaching consistent with scripture or is it presumption?

First, there is not one verse of scripture that can support the the departure of either the apostle or prophet from the church because they were only needed to start the church. Think about this from this perspective. When a builder builds a house, the foundation is the first and most important part for the structural integrity of the entire house. Is there any builder that would build the foundation, complete the rest of the construction on the house, and once it has been accepted by the building inspector and the owner as completed, remove parts of the foundation? Absolutely not! If the foundation loses structural integrity then whatever is placed on top is in jeopardy of failure and even collapse. It is the same with everything that is build, even the church. Jesus warns, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (Matthew 7:24-27)

The Apostle Paul tells us, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) In other words, the Lord is not going to revoke, change, undo or alter the gifts that He has given to the church.  Paul also tells us, "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:28) Notice, "God has appointed these in the church" not man. If God appointed, then how can man un-appoint without any scriptural foundation to do so? Also, notice in this verse, the absence of evangelist and pastor and yet today the church has placed a higher premium upon them than the Lord. Also, and equally unfortunate, a greater portion of the church has also un-appointed "...miracles, gifts of healings, and varieties of tongues."

Now, let us look at the following passage of scripture to see the reason why these gifts were given to the church. "And He (the Lord) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Notice, "till we all (the entire church) come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature, complete) man." Very few, if any Christian leaders would dare claim that the Body of Christ has reached the stage of perfection described in this passage. This being true, not only would it be right, but it would also be logical that there is still a need for apostles and prophets in the church until Jesus returns. Could the rejection of the apostle and prophet in most sectors of the church be one of the main reasons why the church is so fragmented with its numerous denominations and doctrinal differences? Could this be why the church is not knitted and working together? Could this be why there is a lack of growth of the Body of Christ? Could this be why the church lacks in loving one another as brethren?  Maybe it is time for those who reject the gift of the apostle and prophet to reconsider their position and let the Lord do what He said He would do, "...I will build my church..." The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you...

Gifts To The Church

Last time, we looked at the real reason as to why 20% of church members actively function in the work of ministry while 80% sit idle. We saw that it is due to the erroneous philosophy accepted in the church that once the last of the apostles, like Peter and Paul died, that the gift/office of apostle and prophet as well as miracles faded away. That we have no need of them because we have the Bible and yet there is not one verse of scripture (unless taken out of context to agree with certain man made philosophies) that says the gift/office of apostle and prophet has faded away and with them the miraculous. So, how do we know that apostles  and prophets (although maybe not recognized) along with miracles are still alive, well and needed in the church today?

The Hebrew usage of the word apostle is to "send away; one who was commissioned and authorized by God." The ancient Greek usage refers to "a personal envoy, emissary or ambassador; a delegate." The Koine Greek usage (Greek language commonly spoken during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry) refers to, "a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders." In other words, the word apostle simply means "a sent one, an ambassador, a delegate, one who is sent forth, one commissioned and authorized by another to represent another and carry out his will and purposes.

To say that Matthias and Paul were the last apostles chosen by the Lord a part from the original twelve and that there is no apostolic secession is not a valid statement. (For the sake of space, I will list others that were apostles after these two men, based on the definition shown above.)

• James, the Lords brother (Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 15:7, Galatians 1:9, 2:9)
• Barnabas (Acts 4:36, 11:22-30, 14:1, 4, 14, 1 Corinthians 9:6)
• Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6-9) 
• Andronicus (Romans 16:7)
• Junia (Romans 16:7)
• Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25)
• Titus (2 Corinthians 8:23)
• Two unnamed brethren (2 Corinthians 8:23)
• Timothy Acts 19:22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:6)
• Judas (Acts 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:6)
• silas/Silvanus (Acts 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:6)
• Erastus (Acts 19:22)
• Tychicus (2 Timothy 4:12)

God has appointed in His church , first apostles (1 Corinthians 12:28) They are gifts from Christ to His body and they have not ceased in God's eyes even though a portion of the church refuses to recognize and receive them.

Along with the gift of apostle, the gift of prophet has also been rejected by many sectors of the church today. Keeping in mind that the church has been in the last days since Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, the prophetic ministry of the prophet is still a much needed gift to the church  today. One of the signs of the last days is the prophetic word coming as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. (Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:14-21) Notice that neither the prophet Joel nor the apostle Peter quoting the prophet Joel say anything about the prophetic fading away or ceasing in operation, on the contrary. The word says, that these things would come to pass in the last days. The last days are those which continue until the return of Jesus.

The misunderstanding of the prophets (prophetic) role in the church is one of the main reasons why it is rejected as a viable ministry to the church. The word prophet is defined as, "to foretell events, to speak under inspiration, to proclaim a divine revelation, and to break forth under sudden impulse into inspired discourse." The nature of prophecy is two fold; forth-telling, which comes in the form of preaching. It is to speak for God to the people, communicating the mind of God. Often the past (prophecy) will be used to deal with the present. This comes in the form of exhortation, reproof, warning, edification and comfort. This is seen in the New Testament prophets. New testament prophets are also considered non-writing prophets because they confirm the Word of God through guidance, words of wisdom and words of knowledge.

The other is fore-telling, which comes in the form of prediction. The prophet speaks for God, communicating His mind for the future. Often both the past and the present will be used to deal with the future.  This is seen in the ministry of the Old Testament prophets. The Old Testament prophets were chosen, inspired by God and their words became scripture. There were Old Testament prophets that wrote historical books, poetical books and prophetical books. It can then be said, that the major difference between the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament prophets is writing scripture (Old Testament prophets) and confirming scripture (New Testament prophets) Unfortunately, many in the church have misunderstood the difference between the two and have rejected prophets/prophecy today believing that it is extra-biblical because it adds to scripture when in fact it is very biblical because it only confirms scripture.

Another aspect of the gift/office/ministry of the apostle and prophet is that they generally work closely together in the Body of Christ. For instance, Gods divine order in the church states, "First apostles, second prophets..." (1 Corinthians 12:28) We also see that the church is "built on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20) We see an example of this as the apostle Paul and the prophet Silas worker together (Acts 15:22-40, 16:6-7) Although there is opposition to these gifts/offices/ministries functioning in the church today, we will see the Lord bring all of the ascension gift/office/ministries together. We the will once again work in unity of heart, mind, spirit and faith for His glory. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen...  

Building Together in Love

When we observe how the local church functions and how many people are functioning in some capacity what do you see? Do we see all the members actively working with other members building up the church? Do we see 75% of the members actively working with other members building up the church? Do we see 50% of the members actively working with other members building up the church? How about 25%? No, statistics reveal that regardless of the size of a local church, less than 20% of the members actively get involved with its function and many of them are heading towards burnout. Why is this happening? Why does it seem to be almost impossible to mobilize the members of the local church? I am sure that there are numerous reason such as, a lack of leadership, a lack of vision, a lack of discipleship, people are to busy, and so on. But I believe the primary reason behind the limited mobilization of the members of a local church comes down to one thing. Swapping the Lords ingenious plan for man's faulty plan(s). Let's look at what the Holy Spirit spoke through the apostle Paul.

"Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:8) "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Many church leaders for centuries have rejected the idea that the ministry gifts of the apostle and prophet have continued beyond those of the early church. Their thinking is that the gift or office of apostle and prophet have faded from the scene when the apostles and prophets of the early church died. This thinking goes even farther by saying that along with the passing of the apostles and prophets miracles, signs and wonders have also passed away. They site 1 Corinthians 15:8 which says, "Then last of all He (Jesus) was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time" to mean that Paul was the last of the apostles appointed by the Lord. They also use Ephesians 4:13-14 (shown above) along with 1 Corinthians 3:10; 13:11 to say that these gifts along with the miraculous only functioned as scaffolding while the church was under initial construction, and were removed or faded away once the structure had been completed because the book we call the Bible is the totality of God’s written revelation to the human race. Consequently, people now have access to everything they need (2 Peter 1:3) to enter into a right relationship with God via Christianity and the church of Christ. Without doubt, the Bible is the totality of God’s written revelation to the human race. However, if we look at Ephesians 4:8 again, some light will shine upon us revealing the truth, "Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

First, notice that it does not say that Jesus gave temporary gifts to men or that He gave gifts to men only for a season or a certain period of time. Paul tells us, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) James tells us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17)  The Lord does revoke the gifts and calling that He gives to His church, because His gifts are good and perfect. Also, notice that James reveals to us something about God that Malachi also reveals, "For I am the LORD, I do not change..." (Malachi 3:6) The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) In other words, from eternity past to eternity future there is no change in Gods character, nature, purposes, plan or his mode of being. What He says is what He means, period. "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)

If we say that the gift/office of apostle and prophet have faded away and have no need for them because we have the Bible, then we also have to conclude that the gift/office of evangelist, pastor and teacher have also faded away for the same reason. If we also say, "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" meaning that the gifts of the Spirit, especially miracles have also faded away, because we have the Bible, then we also have to conclude that knowledge has also vanished. (see 1 Corinthians 13:8-10) The context of what Paul is conveying in 1 Corinthians 13 has nothing whatsoever to do with the fading away of gifts and the miraculous that Christ gave to His church. Paul is telling the church to grow up or come into maturity, especially to mature in love because without love the gifts will not function properly. He is telling the church that when Christ returns, "that which is perfect" there will be no further need for any of the gifts that He gave to the church. So, how do we grow up and mature especially in love until Christ returns? Let's reread Ephesians 4:11-16

Another thing that we must consider is found in Paul's description of the church, "And He (Jesus) put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23, also see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) The church is describe as a body filled with the fullness of Christ the Head. So with this in mind, how would a person operate if two of their fingers, say their thumb and index finger, were missing from both hands? They could function, but they certainly would be limited. What about if a person was missing any two of their five senses? Again, they could function but they would be limited. With that said, how can we logically believe that the Lord would limit His body by removing two important gifts/offices along with the miraculous?
How can we honestly think this especially when he gave all five of these gifts/offices for maturing the church? His would not do such a thing! Do we honestly believe that for the last seventeen hundred years the church has reach or surpassed the maturity that Ephesian 4:1-16 is talking about? Do we suppose that the last seventeen hundred years of the church is more mature than the first three hundred years?

Many proponents of the extinction of the apostle, prophet and miracles will say to those who know that the Lord has not removed from His church apostle, prophet and miracles , beware "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works"  (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) not even considering that it is they that Satan has deceived. Certainly the church must beware that false apostles and prophets can appear, but the context in which this passage appears is Paul defending his apostleship. He is not insinuating or alluding too at all that when he leaves this life there will be no more apostles.

Next, we also see another fact that sheds light on the existence of apostles (maybe not recognized) today. Paul, tells us the all of the ascension gifts were given "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." How can any church leader look at church history for the past 1700 years and honestly believe that the church. has arrived any time, "to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Do we honest believe that what we call the church is unified? That the church operates in the full knowledge of the Son of God? That the church completely functions in the fullness of Christ? Let's be honest. What we call the church today is not even close to just being united, let alone these other important issue that makes the church one in Christ.

So, why do statistics reveal that less than 20% of the members of most local churches do all the work while 80% remain idle? I truly believe it is due to eliminating the gift/office of the apostle and prophet by church Pharisees who have embraced the philosophies of men over the word of God. They have been blinded by the god of the world, Satan, who is still at work against the church to do what he did in the beginning, that is, discredit God and His Word. (Genesis 3:1-5) Jesus gave to the church "some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, to work together,  "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry." Their is not one verse of scripture (other than ones taken out of context) that says that the gift/office of the apostle and prophet have faded away and are of no long any use once the early church apostles and prophets died  We do not seem to understand the harm that we have done to ourselves by eliminating these key gifts/offices for our "better ideas." Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen 

Denied - Part 5

 The ministry of the prophet to Israel was God's way of verbal communication. He did not talk to their king or to the people except through His prophets. David the king was one of the exceptions because he was king, prophet, priest and warrior. A man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22) Almost all of the Old Testament books were written by the prophets and it was the prophets that predicted and prepared the way for the Messiah. God reveals His secrets to His servants, the prophets through the Holy Spirit. The ministry of prophet has been God's voice not only to Israel but also to the church (Luke 7:28; Acts 15:32, 21:10)

John the Baptist was the greatest sign ever given that the Messiah was at hand. His coming was prophesied by the Prophet Malachi, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me..." (Malachi 3:1) "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Malachi 4:5) Jesus considered him to be the greatest prophet born (Luke 7:28), and even confirmed him as Elijah (Matthew 11:14). John  himself also gave witness to the religious leaders of his day. "Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” "Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23) 

We note, that there is no contradiction between what Jesus said about John and what John said to the priests and Levites concerning who he was. The Jews expected that Elijah would appear before the Messiah came, but they supposed that it would be the real Elijah returning from heaven. In this sense John denied that he was Elijah, but he did not deny that he was the Elijah which Malachi prophesied of, for he immediately states that he was sent, as it was predicted that Elijah would be, the one who would prepare the way of the Lord. John corrected their false notions about Elijah, as well as clearly stating to them his true character, that they might understand that he was really the one predicted as Elijah.

However, the religious leaders, the theologians of those days could not discern God's greatest sign of the time. Likewise, the majority of denominational ministers will not recognize the greatest sign of our times, the company of prophets like Elijah and or John the Baptist, that the Holy Spirit is raising up to make the proper preparation for the second coming of King Jesus and His dominion over all the earth. I say company of prophets like Elijah and or John the Baptist simply because of what took place and who prepared the way of His first coming, that is, the power and spirit of Elijah filling a company of people, as it with John the Baptist, to usher in again, the coming of the Lord. Even during the great tribulation we see God raising up prophets who will prepare the way for the second coming of Christ by bringing revelation knowledge of the Scriptures that must be fulfilled before Christ can return. The Church prophets have been commissioned with that anointing and responsibility. "but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7) Nothing will take the church by surprise as long as God's prophets are alive and active in the church. "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals his secret to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)  

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter quotes what the Prophet Joel had prophesied concerning the events that were taking place, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy." (Acts 2:17-18) There are some things that we note. First, "...in the last days..." the day of Pentecost was only the beginning of the last days. Secondly, "...I (God)will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;" God poured out His Spirit and is still pouring out His Spirit on those who repent, confess the Lordship of Christ and receive Him as Savior for a purpose. To live and be motivated by the divine influence of the Holy Spirit. Third, "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy....My menservants and on My maidservants...shall prophesy."   

This is only one of the divine influences of the Holy Spirit upon a believer. Putting this into perspective, we notice that there is no dispensation of time placed upon the Holy Spirit using the church to prophecy, except the last days. Let's be honest, the church is still in the last days, so how can church leaders deny the Word of God concerning this gift, ministry that Jesus gave to the church. (Ephesians 4:8) The fact is, the Holy Spirit, has been and is still using believers in the prophetic. The gift, ministry of prophet has not left the church in the mind of God. It has only left the congregations and denominations whose leaders refuse to accept the reality of this highly important and valuable gift, ministry. 

The apostles and prophets along with the other three ascension gift ministries to the church were given to bring spiritual maturity, the fullness of Christ, to the entire church. (Ephesians 4:11-16) Acts 3:19-25 reveals, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

Jesus cannot return until all that the prophetic scriptures declare are obtained and fulfilled.  This does not only refer to the evangelizing all humanity, which so many in the church have been led to believe, but also the restoration of all the gifts, ministers, ministries and functions that Jesus gave to His church which is all a part of the restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began, to prepare the church for His return. Let us also notice the premium that the Lord places upon the apostle and prophet (as well as other gifts to the church that many have and are denying to function today). "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:28) 

Notice three things here. First, God Himself has appointed these gift and ministries in the church. Second, notice the order of importance, first apostles, second prophets, the two gift, ministries that most deny for today. Third, notice it does not mention evangelist or pastor in this list. Two of the gift, ministries that most of the church will accept as valid for today. (This is not to mention why so many believers are sick and diseased. Once again, most in the church also reject the gift, ministries of miracles and gifts of healings as a viable part of the church). Although religious leaders and the theologians of today deny and reject the things of God and deny them to function or operate in the church, the Lord will restore all things before His return; Praise Him!  

The fact is, the Lord Jesus is not returning to fix a disjointed church, but to receive the church, His bride "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but a holy church without blemish." (Ephesians 5:27) As Paul said, a church where every part has "...come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:13-16)  

I believe that as the Lord restores the church with all of its gifts, ministries and functions, that He has given to her, (especially the gift ministry of apostles and prophets), we who remain to see this, will experience the greatest move of God upon earth that the world has ever seen. The restoration of the church will usher in a great harvest of souls, miracles, signs, wonders and the return to the pureness and power of God's Word. The Father will be glorified, the Name of Jesus will be magnified and the Word of God will prevail mightily as the Holy Spirit once again is given control over the church. Basically, we will see Jesus the Master builder do what He said He would do, "...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) I pray that this series has challenged your faith and that you allow the Word of God to rule and reign in your heart. I also pray that the Lord close your ears to the wisdom of man and poor interpretations of God's Word so that we all may "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)   

Denied - Part 4

The Old Testament clearly reveals God communicating with people through prophets. Without question the Old Testament prophets are accepted as the means by which God communicated to humanity. We also see throughout the Book of Acts the gift, ministry of prophet was an important part of church life. But what about today? Is the gift, ministry of prophet a vital part of the church today or is there no need for it? Was the gift, ministry of prophet terminated by Jesus, the builder of the church? I believe that the gift, ministry of prophet is most likely the most misunderstood gift, ministry for the church today. So, to cover enough information to show the importance of this gift, ministry, that it is a vital part of the church for today, it will take more than one part of this series.

As previously mentioned in this series, we cannot allow our own intellect and prejudices override what God's Word says concerning anything concerning the church and His Kingdom. So, we start by observing the two main passages of scripture that most sectors of the church refer to, refuting prophets for today. "...But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

In 1 Corinthians 13, "But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" is interpreted as the canonization of scripture, that is, the Bible is now complete so there is no longer any use for prophets or I might add, prophecy. In Revelation 22 we see a warning to "anyone who adds or takes away the words of this book of prophecy" as adding to or removing scripture from the Bible. It is the combination of these two passages that has also "denied" most sectors of the church from receiving the entire portion of the ascension gifts that Jesus gave to the church, namely, the apostle and prophet. The thought is that prophets or prophesying adds to the scripture when in fact it supports scripture.  If it does not support scripture, then it is false. Keep in mind that there have been false prophets throughout human history, but that does not negate the gift, ministry of the prophet for today. 

Look what the apostle Paul tells us, "...a dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Ephesians 3:2-5) Paul justified his teaching not only with Old Testament Scriptures, but also upon the authority of the "spirit of revelation" and the office anointing of the apostle and prophet. He reveals that apostles as well as prophets now have the ministry of revealing new truth to the Church. This is not saying that prophets and apostles need to write new Scripture, because the Bible is indeed complete and needs no additions. However, the Bible was prophetically inspired (2 Peter 1:20-21) and it requires prophetic illumination and revelation by the Holy Spirit to understand and apply it rightly. Jesus tells us, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13)  Paul also prays "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you (believers; the church) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." (Ephesians 1:17)

For instance, Martin Luther read the scripture "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) and "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9) numerous times before the Spirit of revelation made known to him the reality of its meaning. When he received revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning these things, it ushered in the Protestant Reformation. A true revelation always brings a revolutionary change. Martin Luther did not invent or prophecy new scriptures, but received a true revelation about that which had already been written by former apostles and prophets. The same has been true through the various church movements since the Protestant Reformation. The Holy Spirit gives a revelation of God's Word that brings us to a greater reality of the scripture.  Think about this. Did you ever read the same scripture numerous time and then this one particular time you received a greater understanding (a revelation) of that passage? You did not add to the scripture but now you have a greater reality of its meaning. Believe it or not, you received a prophetic word from the Holy Spirit.  

The Bible is God's complete revelation to man. These inspired words were gathered into sixty-six books and canonized into the Scriptures, which we call, the Holy Bible. God's Word is complete, perfect and fully sufficient to bring all the revelation of God that we can comprehend and appropriate. No further communication from God is to be added to it and no words are to be removed from it. Any truly prophetic word given today must therefore be in full agreement with the spirit and context of the Bible. If this is the case, then, many will ask why we need prophecy today? The answer to this question requires first of all that we understand the meaning of two important words from Biblical Greek.

The two Greek words in the New Testament are translated by the English term "word" are Logos and Rhema. Greek scholars and theologians have debated about whether or not these words are synonymous, but many believe that the inspired writers chose each word to express a different meaning. The interpretation presented here is more consistent with those scholars who are walking in present truth. When we use the word "Logos," we refer to the "Word of truth," that is, the Scriptures, the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) The Apostle John also speaks of the "Word" in this way.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) The angel Gabriel tells Mary, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." (Luke 1:31) Jesus was the eternal Word revealed and manifest in mortal flesh. 

Concerning the Word (Logos) the Bible records, "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Mark 13:31) The Logos is the same as God, yesterday, today and forever, because it is God, "The Word was God" the Logos is creative, powerful, true, inerrant, infallible, complete and life giving, it never fails. Any failure or inconsistency in it is due to our failure in understanding, believing, responding, obeying and seeking to fulfill its unfailing nature. The Logos reveals God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan and neither angel, devil, human or any other power in creation can keep the Logos from eternally being and becoming all that it proclaims.

On the other hand "Rhema" is considered "a word from the Word." According to W.E. Vine's, the word Rhema denotes "that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing;" in the singular, "a word." The significance of Rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Ephesians 6:17); here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture."

Rhema is then revelation from the Logos inspired by the Holy Spirit that brings "life", "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63), "power", "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) and "faith", "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) to preform and fulfill the Logos and it must be received through faith by the hearer. The Logos never changes or fails, however, the Holy Spirit give Rhema to individuals which may fail, not due to the Rhema of the Lord, but rather the people who heard it failed to understand, interpret, believe, obey, respond, wait upon, or act upon it.

In summary, when we use the term "Logos," we mean the Scriptures as a whole. When we use "Rhema," we mean a specific word from the Lord that applies to us individually. No true Rhema spoken by present day prophets will be in conflict with the spirit and context of the Logos. We all must thank God for the Logos, which is the standard of all truth. But we should also be grateful for the Rhema, which provides the precise word needed for the specific situation. All Christians must live by the Logos and receive the Rhema as needed. The Apostle Paul tells us, "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." (1 Corinthians 14:3) Sounds like Logos doesn't it.

In the next part of this series we will discuss the purpose of the gift, ministry of the prophet and why it is important for the church to receive today. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...
     

Denied - Part 2

As I said in part one through the example of ice hockey when a shot on goal is blocked by the goalie the scoreboard flashes "DENIED." I now want to look at two, gifts, offices, functions that have been "denied" in the Body of Christ by most sector of the church which has prevented the church for centuries from maturing. The Apostle Paul tells us, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:7-16) 

Honestly, volumes have been written on this passage of scripture so I am not going to attempt to discuss the entirety of this passage, only that which will challenge what we believe and why we believe it. The first thing Paul tells us is that upon Christ's ascension He "gave gifts to men." There is no record in the Epistles that tells us that once the Lord gives something to His church that He takes it away for any reason. In fact, Paul is quoting Psalm 68:18 concerning these gifts, but let's look at the next verse in Psalm 68. "Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" Selah (Psalm 68:19) No doubt, David knew the Lord as one "Who daily loads us with benefits." 

The gifts of "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers" are benefits to and for the church. So why would the Lord remove gifts from the church that are for its benefit? Actually, He wouldn't! So what are the benefits of these five wonderful gifts? "...for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Understand, it takes all five of these gifts to accomplish these things. However, most sectors of the church whether Catholic or Protestant have rejected the gifts of the apostle and prophet. There are many reasons for this but we will only look at what seems to be the main three reasons...

Reason one; The gospels reveal that Jesus personally chose the twelve apostles, one of which was chosen for perdition and that the position of the apostles became a permanently fixed number after the resurrection meaning the number twelve then became an eternally established number. Let's think about this. Although the Apostle Judas Iscariot killed himself, the remaining eleven apostles chose Matthias to replace him. Well, maybe the other eleven were acting outside of the Lords will, but if they were, how then did these uneducated and untrained men (Acts 4:13) know Psalm 109:8 "Let another take his office." (Acts 1:20) Also, if twelve apostles was a fixed number after the resurrection and Matthias was not appointed by the Lord through the remaining eleven apostles, but Paul was, (which puts the number back to twelve) then why is Barnabas called an apostle? "But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this..." (Acts 14:14) This would make the number of apostles after the resurrection fourteen with Matthias or at least thirteen with Barnabas if we eliminate Matthias. Of course we see that the Lord appointed more than Twelve apostles after His resurrection. In fact. if we look at Ephesians 4 again, it was after the resurrection that the Lord gave some to be "apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers", all plural and without a specific number or an expiration date.

Reason two: Today there are certain denominations that believe that the phrase “when that which is perfect is come” (1 Corinthians 13:10) is referring to the canonized scripture. As a result of this interpretation many believers have also been taught that not only ministries of the apostle and prophet but also the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12, 14) have been done away with by Christ and are no longer necessary for the Church. Is this true? Well, if it were, then we need to ask ourselves why there is so much division, lack of love and lack of spiritual maturity in the church. The Apostle Paul dealt with this very issue with the church at Corinth and says, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

Again, looking back to Ephesians 4 we see the purpose of these five gifts working together is for the benefit of the church (see above). So, we must conclude, that 1 Corinthians 13:10 does not mean the elimination of the apostle and prophet or spiritual gifts due to the canonization of the scripture, but that it refers to when Christ comes again. It should be obvious that when Christ returns there will be no need for these gifts to function, the gift giver Himself will be on the earth again. To eliminate the gifts of apostle and prophet from the church would be like having an automobile with two cylinders not functioning. No matter if you have a four, six or eight cylinder automobile with two cylinders not functioning the auto will not run properly, if it runs at all, and you will damage the engine.

Reason three: Another reason for the elimination of the gifts of apostle and prophet from many sectors of the church is, Christ only used apostles and prophets in the first century to lay the foundation of the Church, therefore, these two ministries are no longer needed today. Is this true? According to the Apostle Paul,  ^"having been built (the church) on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20) Paul does not specify only certain apostles and prophets or only for a certain dispensation of time, but simply the church is built "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." In fact, even today the foundation of the church continues to be strong because true apostles and prophets are building on Christ the Chief Cornerstone.

I say true apostles and prophets because there are those who say they are apostles and or prophets who do not fulfill the biblical function of the office but only use the title. I am not trying to be critical toward those in the Body of Christ who believe that apostles and prophets are no longer needed in the church today, but only that we need to question ourselves to see if our doctrine is in line with the entirety of God's Word. We need to be cautious of creating doctrine by picking and choosing scripture that "aligns with my thinking" while looking away from scriptures that contradict "my way of thinking." We also cannot read into God's Word things that are not mentioned verbatim with intellectual assumptions. We need to let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit have the final say in all matters of the church.

As we continue in this series we will look at what the Bible reveals as the credential to fulfill these two gifts, offices, functions, that are crucial to the Body of Christ today. In the next part of this series we will look specifically at the five biblical characteristics of the gift of the apostle. So for now, let us think on these thing and remember that Jesus said, "...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) 

Great Gifts From God

Christianity is not a mere philosophy, obedience to commandments nor the acceptance of God's promises. It is much more. Christianity is the appearance of God to man in time and space. The significance of Jesus' death, not only His physical death on the cross, but what He accomplished for man in the spiritual realm especially in the regions of death is beyond what we could ever comprehend. He took death captive. The reality of His death is this. When death slew Him, death slew itself. "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14) "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Revelation 1:18)  

Jesus liberated those, who in death, waited His coming. Jesus took them from the control of Satan and in His triumphant victory over sin, death and Satan, transferred them to glory. David the king prophesied this very thing one thousand years before it came to pass. "You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there." (Psalm 68:18) The Apostle Paul reiterated the same and then tells us the gifts that Jesus gave to men, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." (Ephesians 4:11)

Jesus is not only the founder of the church, "...I will build My church..." (Matthew 16:18) but He is the foundation of the church, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Bible gives a further revelation that Jesus wanted His followers to understand concerning Himself and the foundation of the church. "...the household of God (the church) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:19-20) 

Most in the Protestant Church, from seminary to the pulpit, have been taught that the apostles and prophets were only given to get the church started and after that, they were no longer needed. That once the New Testament was completed and accepted by the church, the foundational role of the apostles and prophets was completed. Therefore, all biblical references to apostles and prophets should be understood as a historical record rather than a continuing reality for the church. Any teaching today contrary to such is to be considered heretical. But, is this kind of teaching consistent with scripture or is it presumption?

First, there is not one verse of scripture that can support the the departure of either the apostle or prophet from the church because they were only needed to start the church. Think about this from this perspective. When a builder builds a house, the foundation is the first and most important part for the structural integrity of the entire house. Is there any builder that would build the foundation, complete the rest of the construction on the house, and once it has been accepted by the building inspector and the owner as completed, remove parts of the foundation? Absolutely not! If the foundation loses structural integrity then whatever is placed on top is in jeopardy of failure and even collapse. It is the same with everything that is build, even the church. Jesus warns, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (Matthew 7:24-27)

The Apostle Paul tells us, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) In other words, the Lord is not going to revoke, change, undo or alter the gifts that He has given to the church.  Paul also tells us, "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:28) Notice, "God has appointed these in the church" not man. If God appointed, then how can man un-appoint without any scriptural foundation to do so? Also, notice in this verse, the absence of evangelist and pastor and yet today the church has placed a higher premium upon them than the Lord. Also, and equally unfortunate, a greater portion of the church has also un-appointed "...miracles, gifts of healings, and varieties of tongues."

Now, let us look at the following passage of scripture to see the reason why these gifts were given to the church. "And He (the Lord) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Notice, "till we all (the entire church) come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature, complete) man." Very few, if any Christian leaders would dare claim that the Body of Christ has reached the stage of perfection described in this passage. This being true, not only would it be right, but it would also be logical that there is still a need for apostles and prophets in the church until Jesus returns. Could the rejection of the apostle and prophet in most sectors of the church be one of the main reasons why the church is so fragmented with its numerous denominations and doctrinal differences? Could this be why the church is not knitted and working together? Could this be why there is a lack of growth of the Body of Christ? Could this be why the church lacks in loving one another as brethren?  Maybe it is time for those who reject the gift of the apostle and prophet to reconsider their position and let the Lord do what He said He would do, "...I will build my church..." The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you...

Where Have They Gone? Part 4

We have been looking at and answering the question, "Are miracles to be a part of the church today or have they faded away once the early church apostles passed from this life to the next?" This time let's begin in Marks gospel.

In the gospel of Mark we see Jesus giving instructions to His disciples before His departure from earth to return to the Father. Mark records, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18) Although Jesus is instructing His disciples, He is not saying, "And these signs will only follow you eleven only or those who believe while you apostles remain alive." No, He is saying "And these signs will follow those who (whoever, anyone, whosoever) believes. Again, the fact remains that miracles are still a part of the church today but a condition must be met to see them manifest, one must believe, that is, one must release faith.

Another very important fact that we must consider is found in 1 Corinthians, "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:27-28) Notice that the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul does not say, "Now you, the early church are the Body of Christ." He is referring to all believers being members of the Body of Christ not just those in the early church. Next, he say GOD has appointed these in the church. There is absolutely no evidence that God has appointed these in the church for a certain period of time or the God has revoked their appointment. Let's recall, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) Notice, the first, second, fourth and fifth (not to mention the eighth) things that God Himself has appointed in the church. Many church leaders today teach that these very things that God has appointed in the church have faded away . There is not one verse of scripture that substantiates such a claim. These things have not been removed from the church by God, but by church leaders who do not operate in faith. Their belief system hinges on what their five senses can understand. This is the limited level of faith that all people have which is based on the five senses. This is the type of faith that the apostle Thomas operated in, "Unless I SEE in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side (TOUCH), I will not believe." (John 20:25).

We see another interesting situation this time in the Book of Acts in the lives of Peter and John. They are used by God to heal a man with infantile paralysis. The crowd of people who witnessed this miraculous event begin to think that it was Peter and John who had the power to perform this miracle. However, we clearly see how the man received this miraculous healing, "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:16) The principle for miracles to happen today has not changed in the eyes of God and it will never change even if His children do not want to believe. It comes down to faith in Jesus Christ. Faith that He is not only the Lord who paid man's sin debt but also the Lord who heals, delivers, rescues, provides and makes whole, which is all part of redemption then and now.

We must remember that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) and that all believers make up the church which is His Body. (Ephesians 1:22-23). If He does not change, then it is only logical to say that His Body also does not change. Think about it from a natural perspective. When a child is born although they are small and dependent upon another, no matter how old they become are they not still the same person? The only real change that takes place is physical and mental growth. They are still the same person from the time they are born until the time they die. If this is true in the natural, then why is it so difficult to believe it in the spiritual? Actually it's not. It only requires the kind of faith that pleases God which is revelation faith. Revelation faith is the kind of faith that stands on the Word of God as the only evidence required to believe. The kind of faith that transcends the senses and believes without any physical or tangible evidence. Jesus said it this way, "Then Jesus said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him,  "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:27) In other words, believe although your senses do not have any evidence whatsoever, but because God says these things are so.

I want to close with one more passage of scripture and ask a final question because it will hopefully shed a great light to dispel the philosophy that the miraculous is not a part of the church today. "Then Jesus went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:1-6) Why could Jesus do no mighty work in Nazareth, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them? "He marveled because of their unbelief."

Unbelief is the great neutralizer of faith. It is the very tactic that Satan has been using from the beginning of man's history. If he can get God's children to rely on their senses and not on what God said, then unbelief will ensue and man will only have a mental assent to God's Word. Jesus tells His disciples several times of His death and resurrection and yet Mark records, "Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe." (Mark 16:9-11) It was not only Thomas who did not believe, but none of the disciples believed His Word. It is so very unfortunate that unbelief has filled the hearts of so many of God's children. Yet unlike the disciples before The Day of Pentecost, today believers have the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus said, "Is the Spirit of Truth who would guide us into all truth." (John 16:13) So, is Satan once again deceiving us to believe him more that God? Do we believe that some how we know more than God? Do we think that we know what is best for the church more the Jesus the Head of the church? Could our problem be the same as what Stephen faced and exposed when he was about to killed, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit..." (Acts 7:51) Either way it can all be dispelled through true Bible faith in Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

My prayer is that everyone who has read this four part series who may have questioned whether apostles, prophets and miracles are for today, have reconciled within themselves that, yes, God does not change. That God does not take away the gifts and callings that He has given and still gives to the church. I also pray that you have a desire to see the ascension gift ministry, the miraculous and all the gifts that the Lord has given to His church once again fill the entire church. As we see these things manifest once again we will also see the Name of Jesus magnified and the Word of God prevail mightily once again. Grace be with you.