Modern Day Prophets & Apostles

[Lewis]

I think Christians need to concentrate on the Biblical, Apostolic doctrine,
rather than on supposed lines of 'apostolic succession', etc.

The Apostles themselves would doubtless have insisted that everyone keep going back to the Word itself.

The question is are there Prophets and Apostles today, I have a friend and I truly love her and she is a ordained minister who has started calling herself an Apostle, and that bothers me. I have also seen others in person here in Philly call themselves a Prophet or an Apostle. And I can't count the many times that I have seen people call themselves that on Christian TV. My thing is do they have a RIGHT to call themselves that, plain & simple. When I hear them call themselves that it bugs me for some reason just like when I hear people call themselves Reverend, that bothers me too, knowing that Psalms 111:10 is talking about God and not a man.

 

[farouk]

The question is are there Prophets and Apostles today, I have a friend and I truly love her and she is a ordained minister who has started calling herself an Apostle, and that bothers me. I have also seen others in person here in Philly call themselves a Prophet or an Apostle. And I can't count the many times that I have seen people call themselves that on Christian TV. My thing is do they have a RIGHT to call themselves that, plain & simple. When I hear them call themselves that it bugs me for some reason just like when I hear people call themselves Reverend, that bothers me too, knowing that Psalms 111:10 is talking about God and not a man.

LewisW:

Exactly.

In any case, the apostles were active at a time when the Bible was not yet complete, and the Word of God, as fully revealed in the Old and New Testaments, is sufficient authority now, for the believer.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

A "Prophet" Speaks God's truth

I get uncomfortable when people call themselves Prophets or Apostles.

As do I - when one CLAIMS TO BE, or is PROMOTED AS a "Prophet" - that's a HUGE "Red Flag".

But God DOES CONTINUE to operate through PEOPLE in the "GIFT" of prophesy (as listed in 1 Cor 12).

BUT there's been a bit of a change - in the nature of the gifting - when compared to OLD Testament prophets who spoke with great authority (and were judged HARSHLY should their words be found in error). We're told NOT to "Eat whole" without confirmation what's spoken as "Prophesy" in the Church in 2010 (1 Cor 14).

I have given prophetic utterance on several occasions, and in a couple of cases, another present "Confirmed" that HE had the same utterance - without the "burden" to speak it. Modern prophetic utterance is subject to "Judgement" and "confirmation" BEFORE "resources" are committed on it's basis.

What's a bit mysterious in practical terms is the apparent existence (at least theoretically) of the "OFFICE" of prophet (like an "Agabus" in the Book of Acts).

I have "prophesied", BUT I certainly wouldn't think of myself as a "Prophet" - only a "Process Christian" who has been GIFTED occasionally with prophetic words (re: 1 Cor 12) - as ANY Christian is able to manifest at the Holy Spirit's will.

There was (back in the '70s) a pastor's wife in Sidney, OH who moved rather consistently (and with a solid track record) in the prophetic gift. I would be tempted to consider HER as possibly possessing the "Office" of a prophet. But I haven't run into anybody else in that vein in the 30 years following - the '70s were a VERY different time spiritually during the Charismatic outpouring (1966 - 1978 or so).

SO there's no question that the "Prophetic GIFT" is still alive and well in 2010, but the "5-Fold Ministry" (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers) is still mysterious (although nobody would argue with the "Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers" part of that).

Our church, in fact was ALMOST killed in the early '90s by a "Prophesy" - which "ordered" us NOT to attempt to "grow" as a church, so they folks pulled out of all their outreach efforts, and the church started to shrink. Fortunately there was a pastoral change, and the new leadership team tossed that stupidity out the window, and got back to business properly. ANd I've heard at least TWO OTHER similar cases - one affecting the AoG missionary efforts in an entire Caribbean country, believe it or not.

 

[Strangelove]

I think it's something called the 'Latter Rain' movement that are so into modern day apostles and prophets.

From Wiki:

"A major theme of the Latter Rain was "unity" among the believers in the church service, the geographic region and at large. They taught that God saw the Church organized not into denominations but along geographical lines as in the book of Acts—one Church but in different locations. They expected that in the coming last days, the various Christian denominations would dissolve, and the true Church would coalesce into city wide churches under the leadership of the newly-restored apostles and prophets."

I think these maybe the same kinds of churches that talk about 'disciple making' all the time. The pentacostal signs and wonders cell church crowd basically.