II. THE FOUNDATIONAL POSITIONS
A. Apostles
1. THEIR UNIQUE APOSTLESHIP
The Apostle was the primary gifted man in the history of the church. The Greek word apostolos, from which we get apostle, is the simple, common, everyday word for messenger. Now, there are some people who are confused when they see that word appearing in the New Testament. They want to elevate everyone who is a messenger to someone with an official title. So we have to be careful to make a distinction between the official Apostles and the simple messengers.
a.The Primary Apostles
There were a few men in the New Testament who fall into a very special category of Apostles:
1) Their Identity
a) The Lord Jesus Christ
Hebrews 3:1 says, “…the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” He is the first Messenger — the first Sent One. He is the APOSTLE!
b) The Twelve
The Twelve are called Apostles. There are lists of them in Matthew 10:2-4, Luke 6:13-16. And in Acts 1:25-26 they chose one to take the place of Judas. The lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles. Here the word messenger takes on a technical meaning. Before it had a general meaning. Christ gave it a very special technical meaning; the Twelve gave it a technical meaning as an official title. When someone says, “Who is an Apostle?” the Twelve are referred to.
You say, “Is that the limit of its official use?” No. One other man in the New Testament falls into the category of an official Apostle.
c) Paul
Romans 1:1 says, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Galatians 1:1 says the same thing.
These thirteen are the official Apostles.
Throne, Throne, Who’s Got the Throne?
Some people will say, “Well, how come there are only twelve thrones? Who isn’t going to sit on one of the thrones in the Kingdom?” Of course the argument is: “Matthias shouldn’t have been chosen. The Spirit of God wanted Paul to be the twelfth. They simply were out of line when they chose Matthias.” Well, people only make that conclusion based on sentiment for Paul. Don’t worry about Paul. He is probably going to receive more reward than anyone. He was the most faithful man in recorded history. I don’t know who won’t sit on a throne. But the Bible doesn’t say they were wrong in choosing Matthias.
The point is that the Twelve plus Paul were special Apostles called of Jesus Christ and uniquely set apart.
2) Their Importance
What was their duty? First John 1:1-3 says, “That which was from the beginning [Christ], which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)–That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you….” Who is this collective “we” that John is talking about? It is the Apostles. He is speaking as an Apostle, saying that an Apostle is someone who heard and saw the manifestation of Jesus Christ and declares Him to others.
Beloved, there are no Apostles today because no one sees Jesus Christ today. First Peter 1:8 says, “Whom, having not seen, ye love….” When someone says that they just saw Jesus the other day, remember this verse. The Apostles had to be those who had seen, heard, and had a vital personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They had to see the resurrected Christ. When choosing Matthias, in Acts 1:22 Peter said, “…must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection.” They had to see the resurrected Christ. You say, “What about Paul?” He saw the resurrected Christ (Ac. 9:5; 18:9-10; 22:17-18; 23:11).
b. The Secondary Apostles
You say, “Well, what about the other uses of the term apostle?” The other uses are far more general. It was a very common word.
Laying the Foundation
The Apostles had no successors. Dr. Criswell aptly says, “Like the delegates to a constitutional convention, when their work was done, the office ceased.” In fact, after Acts 1 they are rarely mentioned. If we need Apostles and prophets today, how come they are never mentioned in the epistles to the founding churches (i.e., First and Second Timothy and Titus). In all of the instruction to the church — how it is to be run, governed, and operated, and who is to lead, guide, and serve the church — there is never a word about an Apostle or prophet. After Acts 15, the last time we know they ever met together, they are scattered all over the world and never appear again. Why? When they were gone, they were gone — period.
Ephesians 2:20 says that the church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets. Once the foundation is laid, the building goes up. So I believe Apostles and prophets have ceased, and their ministry has been taken over by evangelists, teaching pastors, and teachers.
To illustrate how quickly the Apostles faded away, by the time the Jerusalem Council met in Acts 15, James, the Lord’s brother who was called a messenger (an apostle in the secondary sense), presided over the council, not one of the official Twelve or Paul. The church had already been founded. The design of God was for the Apostles to lay down the solid doctrine and the pattern for the church’s founding, then turn over to the elders and deacons the actual running of the church while they faded away.
There were others who were called “messengers.” In Romans 16:7 Andronicus and Junias are called messengers. James, the Lord’s brother, is called “a sent one” (Gal. 1:19). Second Corinthians 8:23 says that certain messengers accompanied Titus. Epaphroditus is even called a messenger in Philippians 2:25. But these are more general uses. The official category has passed away. If you want to use apostle in its very general sense, all of us are messengers today because we carry the good news to a needy world.
2. THEIR UNIQUE ABILITIES
a. 2 Corinthians 12:12 — “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds [miracles].”
b. Hebrews 2:3-4 — “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” Who were the ones that heard the Lord? The Apostles. Verse 4 continues: “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit….”
They had unique abilities and miraculous powers. According to Acts 5:15-16, whenever Peter’s shadow fell on people, they were healed. They were a unique group for a unique period of history to lay down a doctrinal foundation and to establish a pattern. The only church the Apostles ever collectively founded was the church at Jerusalem. And they set it forth as the model. Of course, Paul individually established churches, but the collective Apostles established, worked, and ministered just that one area of Jerusalem.
Now, we don’t need Apostles today because we already have doctrine. Do we need new doctrine? Do we need new truth? Do we need a new pattern for the church? No. Some people say, “Well, what about the missionary today? Isn’t he a `sent one’?” Yes, he is an apostle in the general sense of the word. Others want to say, “The modern Apostle is the theologian.” That is easy to explain: He simply has the gift of knowledge. You don’t need to make him an Apostle. He is just someone who is studying what the Apostles already said.
Now, the second foundational office of gifted men is the office of…
B. Prophets
1. THE DEFINITION
Who are the prophets? The Greek word prophetes means “one who speaks out.” We think of a prophet as somebody who says, “In three weeks the sky is going to fall.” It actually wasn’t until medieval times that the word prophet even came to be connected with the idea of prediction in the English language. It was always connected with the idea of speaking forth. The prophet was someone who gave God a voice in the world.
2. THE DIFFERENCE
You say, “What was the difference between a prophet and an Apostle?” In some cases, there wasn’t a difference. Paul was both. Peter was both. We know Paul was both because Acts 13:1 calls him a prophet, while everywhere else he is called an Apostle. There really isn’t much difference between the two, but there is some. They…
a. Remained in a Local Ministry
The Apostle had a broad-base ministry to the worldwide church. The prophet had a ministry to a local congregation. The only time Paul is ever called a prophet was when he was one of the five pastors at the church at Antioch (Ac. 13:1). The prophet apparently stayed in a more localized ministry.
b. Spoke Revelation from God
The prophets were a distinct, unique group. Their message was revelation from God. In the Old Testament, the prophet spoke revelation from God. In the pages of the New Testament, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, and Agabus, to name a few, spoke revelation from God (Jn. 3:27-36; Ac. 2:14-40; 11:27-28; 13:1). They spoke the word of God.
c. Taught Apostles’ Doctrine
Every time they opened their mouths, it wasn’t always revelation. They might preach and proclaim as did the five pastors in Antioch (Ac. 13:1). Every time they opened their mouths they didn’t predict the future, and every time they opened their mouths they didn’t give revelation. They spoke for God sometimes by direct revelation, and sometimes based on what they had learned from the Apostles.
This is an office, not the gift. The office has passed away, but the gift of proclamation is still here.
3. THE DUTY
What was the prophets’ function? Their function was to give revelation to a local group of believers. That is why the pastors at Antioch were called prophets. That is why Agabus had the very unique ministry of prophecy concerning what was going to happen to the church in Jerusalem. Acts 15:32 says, “And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.” So, they had a ministry of exhortation as well. “Confirmed them” probably means that they confirmed their word with miracles.
4. THE DISTINCTION
A prophet was geared to a local congregation. First Corinthians 14:29 says, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.” Verse 32 says, “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” There is no indication of Apostles in Corinth, but there were prophets. This, again, corroborates the idea of a localized ministry. So, the Apostles had a general, broad, widespread responsibility; the prophets had a localized responsibility.
a. Regarding Revelation
Revelation given to the Apostles was doctrinal, revelation given to the prophets was practical. That is a general distinction. The Apostles laid the doctrinal basis — the Word of God, whereas the prophets gave practical advice to the church. Why?
The church was an infant church. They didn’t have the composite Word, needed to extract practical principles. They didn’t know what was coming in the future. They were little babies. The prophets had the vital ministry of communicating God’s truth to them, in order to preserve the church in its infancy, until such a time as the Word of God was finished and they had their standards. Once that was accomplished, the Apostles and prophets ceased to have any purpose.
b. Regarding Subjection
One more distinction is found in 1 Corinthians 14:37: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” Paul says, “If anyone claims to be a prophet, make sure that what he says agrees with what the Apostles wrote.” So, the prophets were subject to the Apostles.
The prophets were a temporary group. They were around only until the close of the Old Testament canon. Then the prophets don’t appear in the four-hundred-year period after the Old Testament. When the New Testament is to be written, prophets appear again. But as soon as the New Testament is completed, the prophets disappear again. There aren’t any prophets today because the Word of God gives us all we need.
The Functions of the Apostles and Prophets
The Apostles and prophets had three functions:
1. FOUNDATION
Ephesians 2:2O says that the church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.” They had the responsibility of laying the foundation.
2. REVELATION
They were God’s mouthpiece to reveal His truth…both doctrinally and practically. Ephesians 3:5 says, “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”
3. CONFIRMATION
They had gifts and abilities to do miracles to confirm their revelation.
Now, if revelation is complete, then that part of their function is finished. If that part of their function is finished, then there is no need for any confirming signs. And if the church foundation is already laid, it doesn’t have to be laid again. So, the ministry of laying the foundation is gone, the ministry of revelation is gone, and the confirmation of that revelation is gone. When those ministries ceased, the Apostles and prophets ceased with them.
Focusing on the Facts
1. Why does God indwell the corporate assembly of believers?
2. What are two of the benefits of the believers’ mutual ministry to each other?
3. What is the result when a Christian is not functioning as he should?
4. What are the fourteen basic principles that make spiritual gifts?
5. What are the two basic ways in which spiritual gifts are counterfeited? How is the counterfeit manifested?
6. What is meant by the fact that spiritual gifts are “given to every man to profit?” (1 Cor. 12:7)
7. What does the varieties of gifts indicate? Do Christians have only one gift? Explain.
8. What was Timothy’s gift? Support your answer.
9. How many areas are believers responsible to minister in? Why is a believer who is gifted in one area more responsible to minister than a believer who is not gifted in that area?
10. What are the three categories essential to an understanding of spiritual gifts?
11. What is the difference between spiritual gifts and the gifted men?
12. What are the five offices of gifted men?
13. What is the general definition of apostle?
14. Who were the official Apostles? What was their duty?
15. Why are there no Apostles today? What happened to them?
16. What unique abilities belonged to the Apostles?
17. Give a definition of a prophet.
18. What are the differences between a prophet and an Apostle? Explain the importance of these differences.
19. What were the three functions of the Apostles and prophets? Why are these functions no longer necessary?
Pondering the Principles
1. Do you think that you have only one gift, or do you believe that you have a blending of several gifts? Why? Review the lists in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28. What do you normally find yourself doing when you are around Christians and controlled by the Spirit? A comparison of what the Spirit consistently does through you, with the biblical references to spiritual gifts, will probably give you a good idea of what your blending of spiritual gifts is.
2. Do you often say, “I only have one area in which I have been gifted, so I don’t have the responsibility to minister in other areas”? Look up the following verses: Romans 12:5, 10; 13:8; 15:5, 7, 14; 16:16; Galatians 5:13; 6:2; Ephesians 4:2; 5:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13. What areas of ministry do you have responsibility in as a Christian? If you are not gifted in an area, how can you learn to minister in that area? Pick a particular area of ministry that you would like to be more effective in, then seek out God to help you to find those people who can help you to grow in that area.
3. Based on the teaching in this lesson, how would you respond to someone who told you that there were still Apostles and prophets today?Added to the John MacArthur “Study Guide” Collection by: Tony CapocciaBible Bulletin BoardBox 314Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022 Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com Email: tony@biblebb.com Online since 1986