The below discussion is based upon a question that was asked regarding if the Apostolic and Prophetic offices/Ministries are operating in the Church today? The top section is what I received and the bottom section is my response. I hope you find this helpful and a blessing.

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Your question is: “Apostolic and Prophetic offices “Do they exist in this age?

You define an apostle as one who is sent and a prophet as one who brings a message from God about the future of His people in different occasions and time.

Here are some passages you are looking at in regard to the questions:

Hebrew 1:1-2
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

Mathew 11:13
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

Ephesians 4:10-13
10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 2:19-21
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

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Here is my response:

When it comes to Apostolic offices or if there are apostles functioning and working in the Church today, one has to take care to separate if you are talking about, Capital “A” Apostles or lowercase “a”apostles.

What do I mean by Capital “A” Apostles or lowercase “a”apostles? Capital “A” Apostles refer specifically to the “12 Apostles of the Lamb”, where as lowercase “a” apostles can mean any disciple of Christ who is sent or delegated with authority to go. In fact, the modern missionary, sent by a local Church to go and conduct ministry for the Kingdom of God could by definition fit the simple definition of the word, “apostle – one that is sent or delegated with authority”. A perfect example of this is Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:2&3 who were both sent and delegated with authority to go:

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Later we find both Paul and Barnabas called apostles in Acts 14:14. Now we know that Paul was considered one of the 12 capital “A” Apostles, but Barnabas wasn’t, yet he was set apart by the Holy Spirit and was “sent” and he did perform miracles displaying the anointing and power of the Holy spirit. So, the Acts 14:14 reference is being used here to refer to both of them, as being sent and designated to go as we saw in Acts 13:2&3.

How can I be so sure that there is only 12 Capital “A” Apostles of the Lamb?

• Matt 19:27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

• Ephesians 2: 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone

• Rev 21:12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I am 100% certain because Christ said there was only 12 thrones and when you combine Eph 2 and Rev 21 together, you see clearly that there are only 12 foundations. These 12 positions are positions of power and authority because they are attached to thrones which means there is not an unlimited number of thrones… there are only designated 12 thrones. So while it is possible to have more than 12 lowercase “a” apostles… Scripture makes it clear there can be only 12 Capital “A” apostles.

If that is true, then what are the clear qualifications which must be meet to be one of the 12 Apostles. The chief three are:

• They must have meet personally and seen with their own eyes the risen Savior (11 Disciples + Paul)
• They must have been selected, appointed and sent “by Christ” Himself (12 Disciples Luke 6:12-16 – subtract Judas John 17:12 then add Paul-Acts 9:15&16, Gal 1:12 & 1 Cor 15:9&10)
• Display the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit; healings, speak in tongues, power over evil spirits and teaching (11 Disciples + Paul)

So, to answer the first half of your question:
“Apostolic and prophetic offices “Do they exist in this age?

I believe that Christ selected and appointed 12 Apostles to lay the foundation of the Church with Himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20. That there are only “12 Apostles of the Lamb” (Rev 21:12) which will sit upon 12 thrones (Matt 19:28). I believe all 12 are currently absent from the body and are with the Lord and they are the 11 disciples and Paul and as such, this special 12 Apostolic ministry is complete and does not exist today in the Church.

However I do believe that just as Paul and Barnabas were sent and designated with authority as we saw in Acts 13:2&3, the Holy Spirit can and is setting apart people for ministry today in the church and they are being sent as lowercase apostles as appointed by Christ (Eph 4:11-13) for the purpose of both fulfilling the great commission of making “disciples of Christ” (Matt 28) & equipping them for works of service for the building up and edification of the body of Christ unto maturity.

I hope that helps to make it clear in answering the first half of the question regarding Apostolic Ministry in the church today.

 

Now in regard to Prophetic ministry in the Church today:

Hebrews 1:1&2
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
Rev 22:18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
Gal 3: 23
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
Col 2:17
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Matt 17: 4
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

All of the above passages have one clear message in that Christ is the final or complete revelation of God. That in Christ, everything is complete and finished. This is the meaning of the words Christ utter just as he gave up His life on the cross in saying, “It is finished”. We often express this by saying, “The finished work of the cross is realized when Christ sat down upon His throne in heaven”

It is important to understand this because a prophet as you defined it, “as one who brings a message from God about the future of His people in different occasions and time” can in no way “ADD” something new to revelation that is finished and complete in Christ. There is no “NEW” or different revelation.

Gal 1:8
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

Jesus warns in Matt 24:10-14 of “false” prophets.

So to be clear… Any one who claims to receive a revelation from God today that is not 100% in perfect alignment and harmony with both the Word of God and the Spirit of God, then they are a false prophet. The bible is the “Final Authority” for faith and practice. Period.

(HYPOTHETICAL) “IF” the Bible as it is now, is not the final authority and someone writes something they believe to be inspirited by the Holy Spirit or claim it was given to them by an angel from heaven, and they then begin to preach and teach it and make the claim it should be received and followed and obeyed with the same authority as current scripture… No, this cannot be. It has been done. Joseph Smith who started the Mormon religion did this and made this claim. He was a false prophet.

So does that mean Prophetic gifts are not in operation today in the Church? Well let’s consider what the Word of God says.

Acts 2: 17
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

The last time I checked we are still living in the “last days”. So everything above applies to the Church today. We know that seeing visions and dreaming dreams are part of the Prophetic ministry. Does that mean they can receive a dream or a vision that ADDs to what we know as finished revelation? No, but can God give specific people visions by which they are then to share those with the body? Yes, absolutely as long as their vision and dream is in alignment fully with the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Do not Pastor pray for vision to lead their flocks? Like with Daniel, who interpreted the king’s dream, prophets are also often given insight to explain visions or dreams of others.

So do I have any biblical examples of what it might look like for a prophet to exercise their spiritual gift in the Church today? Yes…

Acts 21:10
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

In the above reference we see the Holy Spirit spoke to a prophet Agabus from Judea concerning Paul. He went over to Paul and shared what the Holy Spirit had said to him.
Did Agabus add any new revelation to the finished work of Christ? No.
Did Agabus receive a word directly from the Holy Spirit? Yes.
Did what Agabus say come true? Yes

Often during mentoring or giving spiritual counseling to others, the Spirit often reveals things to me, spiritual things, which I share these insights with the person who affirms or agrees that is exactly what God is telling them or that is exactly the answer they have been seeking.

So no, the time of Prophecy for new revelation is over, so any prophetic ministry must operate within known truth as it is written in the Bible and be a work of the Holy Spirit, not originating from man. Again using Agabus as a perfect example of this.

The problem you often get with this is people claiming to have this gift but more is reality that they have self-ambition and self-importance issues. They do not use discernment or restraint rather than using it to minister and serve others. And it can be difficult at times to weed out those who are real, verses who are false. It is so much easier to just stick to known truth, which is the written Word of God and even Paul uses the same logic when it comes to speaking in tongues. He said:

1 Cor 14:18&19
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

With this kind of thinking… we have elevated evangelists, pastors and teachers to a point where we neglect or even dismiss the work of the Holy Spirit through the prophets that is in the Church today. Instead of asking God to help us to better understand and use this gift correctly in the body, we opt for the easy way out. I think this grieves the Holy Spirit and I would even go so far as to say it was because we diminished this gift, it created a cause-effect in the splitting of the Church as seen in the rise of the charismatic movement sects of the body of Christ.

I also want to point out that part of prophesying is preaching or teaching the Word as it is.

I think there are subtle distinctions between teachers, pastors, evangelists, prophets and apostles, however all of them are required to have the ability to teach the Word of God as it is written. Just like there is a distinction between the way a preacher, preaches verses a teacher, teaches, so to there is differences in how a prophet would prophesy/teach. And this is just my opinion… but God often uses the prophets of old in odd ways to communicate how He felt about things. Consider Hosea being told to marry a prostitute in order that Hosea would personally experience the jealousy, anger and hurt that God was experiencing with Israel, so that Hosea could correctly communicate what God felt about Israel’s adulteries. I believe that  God still uses prophets today to share how he feels towards situations via the Holy Spirit inside them. So in my opinion, the stirring of the Holy Spirit in prophets today often results in them receiving scripture that speak to situations.

I will end with this:

1 Thess 19-22
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

I hope I this was helpful in answering the second half of your question concerning Prophetic Minisitry in the Church today.

By Him and for Him,
God Bless