Apostles and Prophets

"Yes, prophets and apostles could make mistakes, and they did; but there is this about it - because they had seen, and were utterly abandoned to that which they had seen of the Lord's mind, the Lord was abundantly able to come in on their mistakes and sovereignly overrule them and teach His servants something more of Himself and His ways."

God's people are his craftsmen, who he leads to build or rebuild their lives and relationships, as well as those of others, and to renew governments, businesses and the arts, thereby revealing Jesus to a fallen world.

God's apostles and prophets are his architects, receiving and executing his plans and blueprints for the church and restoring what has been improperly made, broken or decayed.

Principles of Architecture

First century Roman architect Vitruvius set down three principles of good architecture: firmatis, utilitas and venustatis—it should last, it should do the job well and it should be beautiful, delighting people and raising their spirits.

Oxford University, for example, is breathtakingly beautiful and has been in constant use since the 11th century, growing to thirty-eight self-governing colleges built in every major architectural style in England, from English Gothic and Neoclassical to Functionalist and Postmodernist.

Unlike Oxford, Christianity has survived for millennia, but it has neither lasted as Christ built it nor grown as he intended. Today, it is often more concerned with filling seats or collecting listeners and viewers than with enabling those entrusted to its care to live eye-to-eye with God.

A Personal Testament

I was invited to a roundtable discussion once to talk about the viability of apostles and prophets in today's world. It wasn't long before I noticed that, one after another, they were talking about the apostolic and prophetic in terms of gifts rather than offices.

The Bible speaks of the gift of prophecy, the ministry of the prophet and the spirit of prophecy, but there is no mention anywhere in Scripture of any apostolic gifts.

"I'm not trying to be contrary here," I began when my time came to speak, "but you're talking apples and oranges. When you speak about the offices of the fivefold ministry in terms of gifts rather than callings, you're reducing their calling and authority as the foundation of the body of Christ. They hold the blueprint, through revelation, to empower the church to function as a holy organism."

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

"But since most leaders today are focused on building their churches or organizations, it has become convenient to exclude the apostles and prophets to prevent them from interfering.

"As a result, the office callings of the fivefold ministry are no longer considered to be relevant, which leaves the church vulnerable to every wind of doctrine that blows through.

"Our call as apostles and prophets is to build the saints into a holy, powerful and revelatory enterprise of heaven on earth, not to build facilities."

After the meeting broke for lunch, not another word was spoken about apostles and prophets that day.

It also did not escape my notice that I was left alone during lunch while everyone else congregated together. But I kept my smile, because this is generally the result of speaking the truth as a prophet. Rejection happens. Doors close. But I was blessed, since in my heart I knew the Lord had not rejected me.

The Church is Changing

Fortunately, the church is changing.

The Holy Spirit has begun to restore his five-fold prophets and apostles who, like Revelation's living creatures, are full of eyes and worship God without ceasing. Each sees our never-changing Lord from ever-changing perspectives and ministers through a unique variety of gifts.

Most apostles and prophets, though, are still hidden away with him. Listening to his voice. Studying his word. Their eyes fixed on him.

Others have begun to build churches that are starting to attract the Christian remnant, many of whom have walked alone or in small groups for decades, ever hungry for God.

At the same time, thousands of young people, who have ignored or abandoned religion, are discovering God. And they are being ignited with a fiery passion that will one day burn away the fields of religious weeds that have nearly smothered the earth and will stoke the flames of an unprecedented global harvest.