Monday: Apostles and Prophets
Daily Lesson for Monday 19th of October 2026
The New Testament mentions the work of prophets and apostles. The apostles were “messengers,” or “ones sent forth” from God, as defined by the Greek word apostolos. Throughout the Gospels, the word “apostle” refers to the 12 disciples. The rest of the New Testament supports this idea and includes other individuals who were not among Christ’s original disciples.
Paul calls himself an apostle 12 times in his epistles. In Romans 1:1-2, he connects his apostolic calling, and the content of his preaching, with the message of the Old Testament prophets. Paul presents himself as an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). He was appointed “through the will of God” (1 Corinthians 1:1).
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Unlike the priests who followed a familial line from fathers to sons, God appointed prophets and apostles according to His will. When Paul’s apostleship was in dispute, he defended his calling (1 Corinthians 9:1-2). Paul saw his apostleship as building upon the work of Christ, the Foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). As recipients of God’s revelation, the apostles therefore possess the same level of inspiration as the prophets (Ephesians 3:1-5).
In 2 Peter 3:1-2, Peter makes reference to prophets as those who came before and whose words were important, but now the apostles are presented as carrying the same authority. In these verses, reference is made to Old and New Testament times. While prophets may seem to be God’s messengers of the Old Testament era and apostles God’s messengers of the New Testament era, there were also people who prophesied or exercised the prophetic gift but who were not apostles. The gift of prophecy was not limited to the apostles in New Testament times. And not all prophets were apostles (Acts 15:32).
Read Ephesians 2:20 and Ephesians 3:5. How do apostles and prophets function in relation to Christ and the church?
And as we also know from reading what the apostles in the New Testament wrote, Jesus was the center of almost all that they wrote. In one way or another, His life, death, resurrection, high-priestly ministry, and return were their central focus.
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The Bible is the only official record we have of the words of the apostles and prophets about Jesus, His life, and works. What should this tell us about why the Bible must have final authority for what we believe about Jesus and His death for us? |
The early Christian Church did not kick off with an organisational structure, workforce, buildings, or well-defined creed. We read that in some cases thousands of people joined as followers of Jesus in a day. In some respects, from a doctrinal point of view, the joining criteria were minimalist: “Do you believe Jesus is the Messiah?”
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. They 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.
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.
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.
“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.
I’m struggling to see the point or spiritual message and application of Agabus’ prophecy except to establish that he was a true prophet. Any ideas, thoughts?
Perhaps you are looking for more than what this text contains?
It seems to me that the authors included this text as evidence that the early New Testament church included prophets, even though they didn’t necessarily play a major role.
In a similar manner, God can use individual disciples of Christ today to convey messages from Him, without them ever playing a major role or being recognized as “prophets” in the wider church.
It depends on how you think about Agabus’ message. Was he preparing Paul for the coming events in his travels or was he warning him to change his plans to avoid the situation? Either way makes sense. I have a feeling from reading Paul’s story that he may have been a bit headstrong and inclined to get the bit between the teeth. If that is the case, it is interesting that God can use that sort of person. He doesn’t change our personality but he works on our character.
I agree. I think God would have preferred Paul heed Agabus’ warning and not go. He lost many years of fruitful ministry by being imprisoned. Of course, God continued to use Him in powerful ways. We know from experience that He can bless our plans b and c.
I may be wrong, but I don’t see a similarity between Peter discouraging Jesus from the cross and Agabus warning Paul. They are very different situations. Peter was speaking on his own.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11, NKJV).
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.
Both the prophets and apostles shared the responsibility of sharing God’s revealed truth with divine authority. The apostles were sent to proclaim the gospel, establish the early church, and lay its spiritual foundation, while prophets communicated God’s messages to guide, correct, and strengthen His people through out God’s engagement with the fallen race. Paul explains that the household of God is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19–20). Jesus Christ remains as a cornerstone because the entire Christian faith rests upon Him, while the teachings delivered through the apostles and prophets provide the foundation upon which the church is built.
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.
In reading today’s blog and posts, I believe the apostle and the prophet intertwined in function, and duty, and identity. Yet they were of one spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit. I don’t see much distinction. Except some were generalists and some were specialists according to their calling. It is like a PhD who gets his/her doctorate in computer science yet he/she is an excellent mathematician, photographer/ ornithologist, and dabbles in theology and history also. I am reminded that whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31. Psalm 115:1.
The concept of the Creator of all things taking on humanity is so foreign to man that even when Nebuchadnezzar saw the preincarnate Jesus in the midst of the fiery furnace he was astonished. (Daniel 3)
Prior to this, in Daniel 2, the Babylonian wise men when challenged by Nebuchadnezzar to reveal his forgotten but disturbing dream, or face extinction, told the king that his demand was impossible for any human being on earth, stating that only the gods—who do not live among mortals—could reveal such a secret.
To the pagans, their “gods” were distant, aloof, unconcerned with the plight of humanity. Yet, the Bible reveals a God that is so infinitely concerned about humanity that He entered into it’s existence. A God who came near. This is the type of God that the prophets proclaimed; a God so intimately involved that He took on flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1)
According to Google, an apostle is a “sent one” or messenger commissioned to preach the gospel and establish the church, while a prophet is a spokesperson who receives and proclaims a direct revelation or divine message from God to guide, warn, or edify His people.
In essence, an apostle carries a broader commission to spread the gospel and establish the church, while a prophet delivers a revelation that may address a specific situation, time, audience, or purpose.
The concept of non-canonical prophets—often referred to as non-literary or non-writing prophets—supports the understanding that some divine messages were intentionally given for a particular people, situation, or period rather than for universal, enduring application.
Therefore, although both prophets and apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit and spoke with divine authority, their roles, purposes, and the scope of their messages could differ. Inspiration does not require that every inspired message have the same audience, duration, or purpose.
The last question was asked, if the Bible is the only thing we have truly about the life of Jesus, shouldn’t it be the final authority. But how do you deal with people who don’t believe that the Bible is an authority or believe in the Bible at all?
You can, of course, try to convince them that the Bible can be trusted. But probably the best starting point is your own life which cannot be disputed. Hopefully seeing you live differently makes them wonder about the Bible and its truth.
It has been said that the only Bible some will ever read is the testimony of the lives of Christians.
If they see a power in our lives that they do not have, the Holy Spirit can use that to draw them to Himself.
The word “Bible” may elicit contrasting reactions among people, much as we’ve seen in the contemporary world, which can oscillate between extremes. I hope we can find a balance, because knowing the truth does not mean living it.
The part about Agabus is there, I think, partly to establish that Paul _knows_ he’s going into danger, and does it anyway. But he may also have taken it as a promise that he’ll survive the Sanhedrin and be given into Roman hands — and the Romans have already been shown several times to be favorable to Paul (Sergius Paulus, Gallio, etc.), so Paul figures the danger will be temporary, not fatal. Note that the Holy Spirit did _not_ say “don’t go to Jerusalem”; Paul might have more faith here than his companions!
Luke has already established in a couple of places that the early church had prophets, so he doesn’t need to mention it again just to establish that. He does mention Agabus earlier in connection with a prophecy about a famine during the reign of Claudius. I wonder if perhaps Agabus was still around when Luke was writing Acts and got included as a sort of reference point — “look, if you want to know more about it, talk to this guy I’ve mentioned”. It does seem as if the Gospel writers did this sort of thing from time to time.
Thanks for the reminder that “the Holy Spirit did _not_ say ‘don’t go to Jerusalem; Paul might have more faith here than his companions!”
That makes a lot of sense to me.
It’s so easy to miss a point because we come at the text with preconceived idea. That’s why it’s good to come together to discuss a passage of Scripture.
“In the multitude of counselors there is safety”, as Solomon notes in Proverbs. 😉
In looking at the passage again, I see that the Holy Spirit had already warned Paul. I had read this before, but not quite in the context you suggested. Now it seems obvious. The prophecy of Agabus was confirmation.
God was giving Paul a heads-up so he could prepare himself spiritually, mentally and emotionally for what was coming.
God is good!!