Sermon Tone Analysis

God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets ().

Message # 42 | | April 30, 2017

God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets ().

Introduction

In 1853 John Howie wrote a book titled, The Scots Worthies.

In it he unfolded many stories of great Christian heroes in Scotland during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of those short biographies is about John Welch and includes two brief accounts that I would like to share.

From 1590 until 1606 John Welch ministered in the Scottish town of Ayr.

During his time in Ayr, the Lord’s Day was being profaned by a gentlemen about eight miles away.

The man was having gatherings at his house on Sundays and they were playing football and “other pastimes.”

Welch wrote to him on a number of occasions but to no avail.

“Welch came one day to his gate, and called him out to tell him, that he had a message from God to him.”

Because the man had slighted the advice Welch had offered, Welch declared that the “Lord would cast him out of his house,” and no following generations would live there.

Even though the man was financially secure at the time, he ended up falling into rough times and had to sell his estate.

As he handed over possession of the home, “he told his wife and children that he had found Welch a true prophet.”[1]

As to the second and potentially more dramatic story, John Welch was still in Ayr during an outbreak of the plague.

At the time the town of Ayr was free of infection, but much of the country around was infected.

As a result, the town placed guards and sentinels at the ports.

One day, two traveling merchants “each with a pack of cloth upon horseback, came to the town, desiring entrance, that they might sell their goods.”

They presented a pass from the magistrate of the town from which they had just come, and that town was as well free of infection.

The guards were still concerned so they called the magistrates who would not make any decision without first getting Welch’s advice.

Welch was called and his opinion asked.

He objected “and, putting off his hat, with his eyes raised towards heaven for a short space, though he uttered no audible words, continued in a praying posture.

Having broken silence, he then told the magistrates they would do well to [dismiss] these travellers, affirming with great [emphatic declaration], that the plague was in their packs.”

They were commanded to leave, and so they went about sixteen miles away to the town of Cumnock where they sold their goods.

In Cumnock spread an infection so bad that it is said that “the living were hardly able to bury the dead.”[2]

Throughout Welch’s ministry, he accurately prophesied over and over again.

For those of us who struggle with the idea of prophecy being present in the modern church, what should we do with a story like that.

Is this what Paul was referring to in ?

Let’s consider this on a more personal note.

Have you ever personally had a moment of providential insight that seemed to be from God? Premonition?

Have you ever been prodded by the Spirit to speak to someone about God’s word?

Has anyone ever started a conversation with you by saying, “God told me”?

How are we to process what some might call prophecy?

If we don’t call it prophecy, what should we call it?

Is this what is being referred to in ?

To answer these questions, we are going to have to work through the next few chapters, but we are going to start by processing the first two gifts to the church mentioned in , “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets.”

First, Apostles

Basic meaning of apostle.

The Greek term for apostle refers to a messenger or one who is sent.

This definition is simple and with such a general meaning could refer to anyone who has been sent on any kind of special mission.

Therefore, it is true that apostle can extend beyond the Twelve and Paul in the same way that “Lord” can extend beyond Jesus and “elders” and “deacons” can extend beyond those roles within the church.

The early church had to use terms and vocabulary that was within their own culture.[3]

The word for deacon carries the simple idea of service.

Therefore, anytime someone in the church is serving, they are in essence “deaconing.”

Yet, the church has established a specific role for deacon that is distinct from the action of serving.

The same is true of apostle.

Anyone can be a messenger or sent on an assignment, but not everyone can fill the office of apostle.

Therefore, the meaning of apostle is connected to the importance and authority of the one who sent them and the importance of the task to which they were sent.

The twelve apostles.

For most Christians, the concept of apostle likely brings to mind the Twelve disciples.

We are told in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority “over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”

Matthew immediately goes on to list “the names of the twelve apostles” ().

Luke similarly writes, “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles” ( ESV).[4]

Jesus’ establishment of twelve apostles was so established that when Judas abandoned his “office,” he had to be replaced.

After returning from Christ’s ascension on the Mount of Olives, the eleven remaining disciples returned to the upper room and put forward two men to fill Judas’ position, “Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias . . .

And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

(, ESV).

Paul, the apostle.

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to” Paul (). Paul was as well considered an apostle, although he had to defend this role on a number of occasions.

The fact that Paul regularly had to defend his apostleship seems to indicate that there was a very specific group of people that had been deemed “The Apostles.”

If they meant apostle as a general messenger they would not have questioned Paul’s apostolic authority.

The “Twelve” seemed to be clearly established as “The Apostles” and Paul found it necessary to defend his association with this very exclusive group.

He writes to the Corinthian church, in his second letter, “Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles” ( ESV).

And again, “I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing” ( ESV).

It is this group that is the foundation for the church.

In , Paul writes, “God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers.”

In similar fashion he writes in Ephesians, referring to the church, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” ( ESV).

And a couple of chapter later he informs us that God “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” ( ESV).

Others considered apostles.

And yet, the term apostle is given to many others in 1 Corinthians.

Paul writes about how Christ appeared to Peter and then to the twelve, to more than 500 brothers, to James, and then to all the apostles ().

Apparently there were individuals who were considered apostles (to some degree) other than “The Twelve Apostles” and Paul.

Barnabas is referred to as an apostle in .

In Galatians, Paul writes of when he went to Jerusalem and “saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother” ( ESV).[5] Paul refers to Epaphroditus as “your messenger (apostolon) and minister to my need” () and to Titus as part of a group of “messengers (apostoloi) of the churches” ().[6]

Therefore, a distinction must be made between the gift of apostleship and the office of apostle.

It is the office of apostle on which the church was founded.

Those apostles are limited to the Twelve Apostles and Paul.

There were others that were occasionally referred to as apostles that had the gift of apostleship but did not fill the “office” of apostle.

Apostles Today.

While there are people today who have been sent by God to spread the gospel, it is best to not refer to them as “apostles” due to both the confusion it would inevitably cause and the lessening of the unique authority the original group of apostles possessed.

The term “missionaries” would be better to use in referring to those who have been called by God and can with confidence say as Paul does, “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” ( ESV).

Back to 1 Corinthians.

and are referring to The Twelve Apostles and Paul.

They are the foundation of the church.

This role is no longer present within the church.

This fact is reinforced by Paul’s use of the word “first.”

While “first” could refer to order of importance, it more likely refers to chronology.

In fact, if Paul’s intent was to establish order of importance he would not likely have placed prophecy in front of teaching.

Instead, he is referring to the chronological order in which they appear in church history.

Second, Prophets

Old Testament Prophecy.

Before we assess either the New Testament prophet or the spiritual gift of prophecy, we need to quickly offer an overview of the Old Testament prophet.

(1) OT prophets were messengers, sent by God, to communicate to people the very words of God.

Primarily, prophets were sent to Israel to call them out of their disobedience and impending judgment and call them to repentance.

Secondly, the words of an Old Testament prophet were the very words of God.

They were not their own.

You may recall when God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses is concerned about what he will say.

God tells him, “go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” ( ESV).