The foundational role of the apostles and prophets is a reminder that the church must remain anchored in God’s revealed Word rather than continually seeking new teachings that contradict the truth already given. Hebrews 1:1–2 declares that God has spoken to humanity through His Son, while 2 Timothy 3:14–17 urges believers to continue in the Scriptures, which are inspired by God and equip them for every good work. Therefore, our responsibility is to study, preserve, and faithfully apply the truth God has revealed. Like a building that remains secure when firmly established upon its foundation, the church remains spiritually grounded when its teachings and practices are centred on Jesus Christ and consistent with the Word of God.

“Hearing this, all of us—the local believers and his traveling companions—begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem ..”

Yes, this story sure is curious, given what can be read at Matthew 16:22-24:-

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

The offices of apostolic and prophetic are distinct for the edification of the church. These two offices are essential gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to the will of God for the balanced growth of the body of Christ, the church. As we have already seen the previous lesson, the prophetic office functions to communicate God’s messages, reveal future events which are only known to God by acting as seers, to give warning and direction when people go astray, and to strengthen the church. On the other hand, the apostolic office functions with following mandate; commissioned and sent by Christ to establish and strength churches, to teach and safeguard sound doctrines, provide spiritual oversight, and equip believers for ministry.

It is important to note that the two ministries are not mutually exclusive. That is not say that a prophet cannot be an apostle or an apostle cannot be a prophet. In some cases, one person can function in the two ministries. For instance, Paul was explicitly called an apostle (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1) and some occasion he communicated revelations from God, including the revelation described in 2 Corinthians 12:1–4. Also, Barnabas was identified as an apostle alongside Paul in Acts 14:14. He also served among the prophets and teachers at Antioch in Acts 13:1–3.

In all cases, before anyone can be accepted as a true prophet or an apostle, their messages must be examined in the light of Scripture (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:20–21). As Jesus warned against false prophets (“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” , He also warned against false apostles, “You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.” ( Revelation 2:2, NKJV).

The danger of being deceived by those who falsely claim to be speaking for God is real. We have been admonished to examine their fruit, test their teaching against Scripture and above all, we must remain faithful to Jesus Christ by living the truth that we have.

Organisation and structure developed as needed. Some of the new church members felt left out, so deacons were organised to do that task. But, at the same time, job demarcation was not an issue. Stephen was a deacon, but that did not stop him from preaching. The Apostles, those who had been Jesus’ Disciples and some others essentially did the work of coordination and instructing. The were doing the work of prophets, guiding folk into an understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. I am using the term prophet here in the sense of one who provides guidance, “forth-telling” rather than foretelling the future.

There are several references in Acts that are related to this discussion.

As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then, when Paul laid his hands upon their heads, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other languages and prophesied. The men involved were about twelve in number. Acts 19:6,7 TLB

Then we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the first seven deacons.[a] 9 He had four unmarried[b] daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Acts 21:8,9 TLB

In both these cases prophesying appears to mean something quite different to instructing the church or predicting the future. We may need to think about what is meant here.

During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea and visited us. He took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.’” Hearing this, all of us—the local believers and his traveling companions—begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. Acts 21:10-12 TLB

This one is interesting because here we have a prophet accurately predicting the future and Paul going against the advice of the prophet, the local congregation, his fellow travellers, and the Holy Spirit.