Christians - do you believe that?

Question

Christians - do you believe that Prophets and Apostles are functioning within the Church today?

Answer 1

I love that you asked this question. I believe that in mainstream Christian churches, they have been cast aside. However, there are churches out there that do operate in the 5 fold ministry. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers and Pastors. This is the way God meant for the Church to operate. There are many ministries out there that also follow the way God meant it. The church that I attend is an apostolic church. Not everyone that attends in an apostle but not everyone is meant to be. We have apostolic members, prophetic members, and of course Teachers, Pastors, and Evangelists. I also believe that you can be more than one. I believe that everyone can hear from God ("In the last days I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters will prophecy.....) and that everyone is commissioned to take the gospel out, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons.
The churches that operate in the 5 fold ministry I feel are more interested in equipping their members than filling the pews.

Answer 2

We are waiting for the last Prophets mentioned in the book of revelations, I do not know if they are here yet or not, but they will make themselves known in the last days as for Apostles. St John the Beloved was the last of them. So no I do not believe there are Apostles functioning in the Church today

Answer 3

Apostles-no.
Prophets-yes. But not in the sense that some think. Prophets "preach" 'hell fire and brimstone', they do not do fortune telling like you see in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement.
I would think some modern day prophets would be people like-
recently died-
D James Kennedy
Adrian Rogers
Leonard Ravenhill
J Vernon Mcgee
Richard Owen Roberts
alive today-
James Merrit
David Jeremiah
John MacArthur
Peter Lord

There are more-

Answer 4

Perhaps I do not know the term "Apostle" well enough. I always thought it meant the original 12 disciples, plus the one that replaced Judas and Paul. They are not working anymore. As for Prophets there may be some or will be when God decides to raise up another.

Answer 5

No, I believe the final revelation of God was Christ and the Scriptures.

Heb 1:1 In many ways and in various ways of old, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets;
Heb 1:2 in these last days He spoke to us in the Son, whom He appointed heir of all; through whom He indeed made the ages;

The apostles were a one time group. In order to be considered an apostle, one had to have had personal contact with Christ and be called by him. Paul would qualify since He had an encounter with Christ and was called by Him to preach to the Gentiles.

Answer 6

I do believe that some people are given special insight into what the scriptures are actually saying. God has always used such men to give messages to the people.
I don't know if they could be called prophets or apostles?
Perhaps a part of God's organization?

Answer 7

Yes, I do believe that. They are both within and outside the Church house. Sadly, so are the "wolves in sheep's clothing". It is imperative that Christians call upon The Lord for the gift of discernment and good judgement.

For those who may not know, a "prophet" has a much bigger role than foreseeing the future, he is to exhort God's word and show us how to apply it to our daily life and guide us in seeing the "bigger picture".

Answer 8

I do believe that these FUNCTIONS within the Body are carried out. To function in the capacity of an apostle in the raising up of churches or when speaking forth the Lord and speaking for the Lord for the building up of the Body of Christ with the gift of prophesying I think is also seen among many healthy churches.

If you are talking about being an apostle in a special way to bring up your own dogma and doctrines then No. We are all here as believers and members of Christ for ONE ministry, and that is as Ministers of the New Covenant. We are here to minister Christ to others because we ourselves are those to whom CHrist ministers His Life.

The gifts and ministries, functions and operations in the Body are all FOR the Body and not for the individual.
Each member of the Body is FOR the Body and not for personal gain or personal ambition or name. There is Only One head in the Body of Christ and we as the many members Grow up into Him, Who is our Head.

There has been much abuse by the enemy with all the gifts in the Body.. as much as the Church in Corinth was gifted, this did not mean that the saints there were mature in the Divine Life. The functioned in the gifts but Paul could not even feed them the " meat " of the word but he had to address them as infants in the Divine Life.

We each need to function according to the measure and operation and the grace given to us as members in the Body. But note that these are not for you to be in a class by yourself with the ambition to gain the following of others. If you function to raise churches or to speak for and forth the Lord then the spirit of the Prophet is subject to the prophet and all things need to be done in Order with the Body balancing you.

Good Q brother
in Christ
sandy

Answer 9

Not apostles since they died off with John's death, but I do believe prophesying is possible though I do not personally accept any specific person living now as one simply because I have not yet been revealed the knowledge of someone like that.

Answer 10

Sure, it's just that we are speaking for the Son of God. That's what the first part of Hebrews 1 is about. The Holy Spirit is speaking through us.

Hebrews 1
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers 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 he made the universe.

So we communicate because of God's Spirit:
John 15
26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."

All we are doing is continuing the testimony that has preceeded us from about 2000 years ago.