THE MARK OF THE TRUE PROPHET AND APOSTLE

Introduction

               I have been reading a lot of blogs, lately about “false prophets”. Many of them are extremely good and well-researched, while others are obviously from the point of view of a person that has been indoctrinated to believe something other than real Truth. In order to clear up some misconceptions, and to present the Truth, I am publishing this article.

               Before you try to decide which turnip truck I fell off of, let me make a simple statement: the Holy Bible (kjv) is my reference for all materials presented, here. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is what it is, it says what it says, and it says what it means. I also believe that anything that happened in the Bible can and does happen, today. I do not claim to have the entire Bible memorized, but I cannot recall a single scripture that says the ministries, miracles, and Spirit of God are not for the modern Church. I’m sorry if you are feeling offended at that statement, but I believe this to be true. It is my intention, to now prove the truth of that statement.

               Instead of taking the approach of debunking false prophets and apostles, I am going to concentrate on presenting the characteristics of a true prophet and genuine apostle of the Most High God.  Many writers have expended much effort in spotting false prophets, but I haven’t found much material on the recognition of genuine prophets or apostles. I believe that when the Body of Christ can recognize the true prophets and apostles, the false prophets and apostles will not have any room to work. I also believe that if we concentrate on pointing out the work of the enemy, we are inadvertently giving him glory (no offence meant to those other writers). It is not my intention to glorify the works of satan, so I am going to glorify the works of the Lord, instead.

What is a Prophet?

               Prophets first appeared in the Old Testament. They were God’s messengers. In fact, the Hebrew word “nabiy”, translated as “prophet” 312 times in the Old Testament, means “spokesman, speaker or prophet” (Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Page 611).

               Prophets, and their respective ministries, are mentioned numerous times in the Bible. Much of the Old Testament was written by prophets. But they are also in the New Testament, as well. The Greek word, “prophetes”, the word most often translated as “prophet” in the New Testament, appears 149 times, and means “one who speaks forth” (Thayer’s page 553).

               Old Testament prophets were used, in many instances, to carry messages of the wrath of God; their ministry was one of God’s wrath and judgment. Many times, they would warn Israel that the judgment of God was approaching. This was a “shot over the bow” to let God’s people know that it was time to adjust the way they were thinking, living, and worshipping. The references on this point are too numerous to mention.

               Old Testament prophets lived and worked in the atmosphere created by the Law of Moses, a law of works. They were not allowed to be inaccurate, as death would result (see Deut. 18:20). However, just because an Old Testament prophet was a false prophet, doesn’t mean that they weren’t accurate (see Deut. 13:1-3). Just like modern day false prophets, they could be accurate, as well as show signs and wonders (otherwise, God wouldn’t have warned His people about false prophets showing signs and wonders and having accurate prophetic words from the wrong source). The difference was the source of the prophecy, and to whom did the prophetic word point. If the word pointed to the one true God, then it was genuine. Even if the word was accurate, but led the Israelites astray, the prophet was judged as false. The prophecy had to be more than just accurate, it had to reveal the character of Jehovah. This principle still applies, today.

I repeat, just because a prophet is accurate, does not mean that they are a genuine prophet of God. Satanic prophecies can be extremely accurate. We have all seen this in action. There are some fortune-tellers out there that are very, very accurate. There are some psychics that can tell you everything about your life, but espouse belief in eastern mysticism. There are also some prophetic “Christian” ministers that are accurate, but lack grace and godly character. All of these instances point to a prophet being a false prophet.

               New Testament prophets have been given a new job description. When the Lord Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, we entered an age of grace. This age will continue until He returns to call His people home. Because of the beginning of Grace, everything in the kingdom was given a new filter. Nothing happens in the Kingdom of God that is not filtered through the blood of Christ. Therefore, modern prophets must prophesy out of grace. Keep in mind, that even Old Testament prophets prophesied out of grace, it was just a little harder to spot. With the modern prophet, everything must be about the grace of Christ. Grace should be very evident in any prophecy given in this day and age. If it is not, test the Spirit for the source of the prophecy.

               I must make a point, here concerning prophecy. Any prophecy spoken absolutely must line up with the Word of God!!! God has revealed His will for His people through His Word! He is not going to speak something that does not line up with what He has already spoken. God reveals His will and His personality through His written word. He does the same through the spoken word. If the two do not line up, then the written word must always supersede any spoken word from any prophet, regardless of how much trust you have placed in him.

What is an Apostle?

               While the Old Testament was mainly written by prophets, the New Testament was mostly written by apostles. Apostles became the founders, governors, and developers of the Christian Church. Christ gave them to the Church to govern it upon His ascension. All eleven of His disciples became apostles. Saul of Tarsus became an apostle a few years later (the Apostle Paul). Many other apostles have been given to the Church in the interceding years. Their mission is always the same, and they generally exhibit many of the same characteristics.

               The ministry of the apostle is a ministry of foundation. We see many people in the modern Church that are labeled as apostles, even though many of them are not true apostles. When we look at the ministry of an apostle, we should see a person concerned with building the Church by building foundations. We see this all through the New Testament. Every apostolic New Testament writer dealt with church foundations. Some founded actual churches, while others built foundations of love, worship, Spiritual service, etc. Regardless of what they were building, they were always building.

               Again, they were always building as a function of their ministry. Generally speaking, apostles build foundations on a corporate level, and prophets build foundations on an individual level. Prophets will be concerned with a person’s foundation, while an apostle will be concerned with a church’s foundation. That is not to say that apostles cannot minister individually, because many do, and subsequently are mistaken for prophets.

New Testament Prophets and Apostles

               Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to His Church. This is very clearly stated in Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4:11-13 reads: “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” So let’s examine this statement a little more closely, shall we?

               First, He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. This was His (Christ’s) gift to the Church. This was not His gift to a church, but to the Church. We need to take notice that all five ministers were given at the same time, in the same statement. There are statements which follow that must be understood in that way in order for them to make sense.

I would like to make a point, here. I have never found an instance in scripture when God gave a gift to someone, and then took it back. When He gives us a gift, it is ours unless we choose to give it to someone else. Even in the Old Testament, God never took back the land He had given to the children of Israel. They followed after strange gods, they cursed Him, they killed His messengers (the prophets), they even killed His Son. God never took back the land He had given them. He did warn them when they were about to lose it, but they seldom listened. Then, they lost it through their own actions. Even after all of that, He gave them their land back, more than once. Once God gives us something, it is ours. He has given us the five-fold ministry, and I cannot find any reason in the Scripture to believe He took it back.

I need to make another point, here. All five ministers were given in the same statement, as one gift from Christ to the Church. So even if He had taken them back, He would have taken them all back. All five were the same gift. Therefore, we either have all five ministries operating, or we haven’t any.

Why did Christ give this gift to His body? “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” This is the job description for any person called into the five-fold ministry. To be perfected means to be “complete, furnished, or equipped” (Strong’s Elec. Ed.). To be “edified” means to be “built up” (Strong’s, elect. Ed.).

So the five-fold ministry is supposed to be equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and building up the Body of Christ. That is their function, their mission. So, it naturally follows that any five-fold minister, functioning within his calling, is going to further these goals. Apostles will build corporate foundations; prophets will build personal foundations; evangelists will bring in new converts; teachers will teach them; pastors will shepherd them. And everything will be done to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, and to edify the Body of Christ. This is one of the easiest ways to recognize a genuine prophet or apostle. Are they building up the Body? Are they equipping the saints? Or, are they simply following their own agendas? 

In 1 Corinthians 14:4-5, the Apostle Paul reinforces this doctrine of edifying the Body. It is very clear that New Testament prophecy is given for the purpose of edification. In order for a prophecy to be genuine, it must build something or someone. A prophecy which is spoken that does build or equip, should be seriously questioned as to the validity of the source.

Prophecy also serves to convince and convict (1 Cor. 14:24), and teach and bring comfort (1Cor. 14:31). It also serves as a means of exhortation (1 Cor. 14:3). Regardless of the particular prophetic word being released, it must also serve to equip and edify; it must also line up with the written Word.

For how long, exactly, did Jesus give us the ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” So, I may be wrong. The Lord has already told us that these ministries will not last forever.

First, the Word says “Till we all come in the unity of the faith.” I really don’t have to go any further, do I? There is only one thing that will make all of us come together in the unity of the faith: the return of Christ. With thousands of different denominations all espousing different beliefs, and competing with each other for members, we really can’t say we’ve managed to come together in the unity of the faith, can we?

This is the first statement following the word “till” (until), however. If we have not even met the first condition, how can we fool ourselves into thinking that the ministries of the prophet and the apostle are no longer required or in operation? Again, the Bible says what it says, and it says what it means.

So how do we recognize a genuine apostle or prophet? Many of the guidelines have already been given. But there are a couple more I would like to point out. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus is addressing the issue of false prophets. He says “you will know them by their fruits.” What does that mean? In Galatians 5:19-23, the Apostle Paul outlines the fruit of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit. He says that love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance is the fruit of the Spirit. Does the apostle or prophet manifest these fruits? All these things are of God. It is only in the true character of Christ that you will know a true prophet or apostle from God. Do their prophetic utterances manifest these fruits? Do you hear grace when they speak?

In 1 John 4:1 we are told to “try the spirits”, and in 1 Corinthians 14:32, it says “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” Also in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul highlights “discerning of spirits” as one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. In other words, God Himself will let many of us know that a prophetic utterance is not of Him. Listen to your Spirit! If you have any question, immediately seek confirmation from another prophetic person.

John 15:26 describes the Holy Spirit as The Comforter. It also says that the Holy Spirit shall testify of Jesus. One sure way to know a prophetic word is genuine is if it points the way to Christ. A prophet that prophesies money from you or your ministry into his, is not pointing the way to Christ.

Parting Thoughts

I hope this article helps those that are searching after the truth of prophetic and apostolic ministry in this age of false doctrine. I would be happy to answer your questions, or see your comments on this issue. May God bless you and keep you. Paul