Does the Church Still Need Apostles and Prophets?
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Blocking the Doorway
Matthew 22:13 – “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
A wise master builder is what the Apostle Paul said he was by the grace that was given to him. He laid the foundation, now others were building upon it. Apollos, a teacher, had just visited the church in Corinth and had strengthened the church with his gift. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the increase. Paul’s warning to each was to be careful how one builds upon that foundation.
It probably wouldn’t be wise to contract a plumber to build your house. The roof angles might keep him up at night or give him nightmares. Plumbers are needed in the project, but I wouldn’t want them to be in charge of the whole building process. Likewise, electricians are also needed, but they, too, should not be put in charge. Each part of the building process needs the gifts of various skilled tradesmen; but if you are building a house, then you want a wise master builder to head your project.
I Corinthians 3:5-11 are verses that give us this same analogy for the church. The gift of the apostle was given to the church to be the foundation layer and the wise master builder. The other four leadership gifts (prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, Ephesians 4:11) are needed just like plumbers and electricians are needed to complete the building. Each gifting brings its own expertise and focus and is needed for the growth and the unity of the body.
What happened to this beautiful design? How did we manage to whittle this down to a singular leader who we call a pastor or a priest? Why do we think that our model is the standard, instead of the New Testament church being the standard that we should measure up to? Does it matter who the leaders of the church are and does it affect how we carry out the mission of the gospel? It absolutely does.
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About the Book
Does the Church Still Need Apostles and Prophets? is a book that examines the original New Testament design of the fivefold ministry of leadership in the church. It asks the question, Was the single pastorate the design of the Lord, or was it the result of our own choosing? This book intends to give the reader a look at the great foundation of the apostle and prophet in the scriptures and tackles the very difficult question of whether these giftings passed away with the first-generation church. This book examines in detail the scriptural ministries of the apostle and the prophet and why these giftings are just as valid today as they were in the first-century church. The total restoration of the plural team ministry that the book of Acts describes and the New Testament confirms will once again help the church to maintain its focus on discipleship and mission. After thirty years of functioning with fivefold leadership teams, the author shares this teaching and illustrates it with real-life examples of the transformation that happened in his own church.
About the Author
Jim Thomas is marking his fortieth year of ministry with the writing of this book. He grew up in a Mennonite community in Southwest Pennsylvania, near Johnstown. He is the founding minister of Living Way Fellowship (now called The Gathering) in Jerome, Pennsylvania. He has functioned in team ministry for most of his life.
Jim has been married to his wife Sherry, also for forty years, has two sons and six grandchildren. He now resides in Pretty Prairie, Kansas near Hutchinson and Wichita. He has written four other books:
The Road to Royalty, Seven Stages of Growth in the Life of a Christian (Pleasant Word)
B.C., The Blessing and the Curse (Noah’s Ark Publishing)
The Place (First Light Ministries)
The Day (First Light Ministries)