The Synergistic Working of Apostles & Prophets

Apostles and Prophets have clearly been linked together in Scripture in the Epistles.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11 NASB

“And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28 NASB

“Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.” Ephesians 2:20 NASB

• In all three of the texts listed above these two offices are linked.
• It seems like through much of the New Testament we see a linking of Apostles and Prophets together.

• The gift of Apostle along with the gift of the Prophet together make up the foundation that the church is built upon. (See Ephesians 2:20 above)

• God’s true Apostles and Prophets are not in competition with each other. They were designed by Christ to complement each other. They are the only two of the five that are paired together in ministry.
• “As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.” Ephesians 3:3-5 NLT
• It is God’s pre-ordained will for Apostles and Prophets to work together.
• Apostles and Prophets are like a team of two horses harnessed together and pulling one wagonload of anointed ministry.
• Peter Wagner in his writings declares that he loves the analogy of Apostles being “hitched” to Prophets…he explains; Apostles can do certain good things on their own, Prophets can do certain good things on their own, but hitched together they can change the world!
• In looking at the New Testament it seems that there are two types of Apostle - Prophet relationships:
• A Casual Relationship – much like that of the Apostle Paul and the Prophet Agabus, they were acquainted or “Tied Together”, but did not work close together.
• A Structured Relationship – much like that of the Apostle Paul and the Prophet Silas. Silas was Paul’s traveling partner and ministry companion. They are a great example of the biblical linking of Apostles and Prophets. We would consider them as being “Harnessed Together”.

The offices of Apostle and Prophet have been joined together by almighty God, and what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. In order for both the Apostle and Prophet to have maximum impact and effectiveness, they must be synergistically working together.

This word comes from the root word synergism - interaction of discrete agencies (as industrial firms), agents (as drugs), or conditions such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects. Webster’s Dictionary This word really came to popularity in the health supplement industry regarding the use of vitamins. Many were just popping handfuls of pills randomly, but after much research they discovered that it was better to have certain vitamins paired together in certain doses known as “SYNERGISTIC COMPOUNDS” which gave the user the maximum impact and benefit from the supplements they were taking. So it is with the Offices of Apostle and Prophet; when they are synergistically linked there is a maximum impact.

In order for us to get the maximum impact of these two offices of Apostles and Prophets not only must they be synergistically working together but they must also be mutually respecting, honoring and receiving of each other’s ministries.

“The ethical meaning of mutualism is interdependence as opposed to individualism. Mutual means that two people have so many things in common in their abilities, vision and ministries that they are interdependent on each other rather than independent of each other. There is no competitiveness, but a complementing of each other. Their callings, ministries and destinies are linked together. They give each other their mutual respect and honor with each having acceptance and appreciation of the other. The mutual ministries of Apostles and Prophets could be likened unto twins who have so much in common, but each has his or her own unique personality and abilities. But their methods and approaches seem to come from opposite directions, like the right and left hand, in fulfilling goals for their personal life and ministry.” Dr. Bill Hamon

• When the prophetic revelation of a Prophet is combined with the wisdom of an Apostle, there is a whole new level of strategic application.
• The insights Prophets receive into God’s strategy and timing for nations, cities and people are an incredible help to an Apostolic Church.
• The combination of prophetic anointing and the signs and wonders that accompany apostolic ministry creates an incredible atmosphere for Kingdom advancement.
• Even in a Paul – Agabus type relationship it is critical that Apostles be open to receiving prophetic ministry from “Proven Prophets” with whom they are NOT in a team relationship. (In fact many times a Prophet who is not intimately acquainted with a person’s life can speak more accurately because the “Word” is not affected by their natural knowledge.)
• Through the prophetic gift Prophets can bring Apostles revelation that is vital to their ministry; whether it is a warning, encouragement or comfort, this aspect of the Prophet’s ministry cannot be minimized.
• One of the hardest of all relationships to successfully negotiate is the relationship between peers. Even though God has placed Apostles in authority over Prophets, many times they will also be peers and even intimate friends. (In our case, My Mom & Dad, Apostles and me a Prophet, family members) When this is the case mutual respect, humility and submission to one another are even more critical.
• The fruitfulness of Apostles and Prophets can increase exponentially when they are willing to work as a team. Whether it is the revelation provided by the Prophet, or the wisdom and governmental grace of the Apostle, these ministries have an ability to complement one another that is unique in the Kingdom of God.

Thank God we are living in a day when God’s restorational truth is being explained, proclaimed, and received and being implemented in many circles. We are seeing greater alignment and working together of these two ministry gifts than I have ever witnessed in my 47 years in the church and 35 years in ministry. It is indeed an exciting and new day as Apostles and Prophets are Synergistically working together.

Beginning To Flow In Prophecy

Since I am a Prophet who teaches on the Gifts of the Spirit in general and the Gift of Prophecy specifically, quite regularly I get asked questions along this line: How do I begin to flow in the Gift of Prophecy? How do I know if it is God or just me? What if I don’t sound like others that I hear prophesying?

These are all good valid questions to ask. Before we get into the specifics of answering them and would serve us well to lay somewhat of a basic foundation.

What exactly is Prophecy anyway?

Prophecy is a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit where a believer is inspired to speak a message from God in a known language. (Known to the speaker)

What do I mean by a known language and known to the speaker? The only language that I know how to speak is English, so therefore I can only prophesy in English. I met a man on one of my trips to Africa that spoke seven languages. Guess how many languages he could prophesy in? You guessed it…seven…because he knew how to speak seven.

Many times because we look at Bible Prophecy and we see that it is predicting the future, this causes us to think that the Gift of Prophecy must always be declaring something that is to come. That is not the case. Actually the Gift of the Spirit that deals with the Revelation of the Purpose and Plan of God…that which is yet unborn, is the Word of Wisdom, which sometimes can come out through the vehicle of Prophecy, but Prophecy in and of itself in its simplest form has no Revelation in it.

So what it is Prophecy in its simplest form? The book of Revelation tells us:

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’” Revelation 19:10 NKJV

So to make a compound definition of Prophecy, we would come up with: speaking by the inspiration of the Spirit in a language that you know how to speak where you share the testimony of Jesus.

This takes a lot of the pressure off for folks. So many when they are starting out compare themselves to other’s that are more proficient in the development and operation of the gift than they are and think that in order to Prophesy they must do what they see others do. Nothing could be further from the truth! Prophecy and Prophetic Gifting is something that you grow and develop in. I started to operate in what Kenneth E Hagin used to call “The Simple Gift of Prophecy” (basic prophecy described above, containing no revelation in it) as a Freshman in high School when I was 15 years old. The level of the gift that I operate in now having exercised and operated in it for almost 32 years is quite different than where I started.

It is important to remember that when you start you will speak very general and basic words and NEVER GET STUCK COMPARING YOURSELF TO SOMEONE MORE EXPERIENCED THAN YOU!

When it comes to understanding how the Prophetic comes to us, it will usually come one of two ways:

·         The Nabi Anointing

·         The Seer Anointing

The Nabi Anointing is when the words bubble up out of your spirit…the same place that Jesus spoke of when He said out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. The Seer Anointing is more visual and you either see words, pictures or mini movies.

Quite often in the Old Testament when the Prophets spoke the Scriptures record them saying: “The word of the Lord came unto me saying”. This is the Nabi anointing and the way I minister about 75% of the time. Quite often when I prophecy I will say: “I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying”, same idea, the Nabi anointing.

The Old Testament also tells us that a Prophet was formerly called a Seer. (1 Samuel 9:9) The reason they were called the Seer was because they could see. I only operate this way about 25% of the time.

Some people like me are stronger in one than they are the other. Some only operate in one or the other. And some flow in both equally, but that is quite rare.

Now that we understand what Basic Prophecy or The Simple Gift Of Prophecy is and we understand the two general ways that Prophecy comes to us, how do we know if it is God or us?

Again let me reiterate that you should never compare yourself to others as it will leave you feeling inadequate and afraid to step out. Whichever way it comes to you Seer or Nabi, ask yourself: “Does this agree with Scripture?” Second look to your spirit man, your innermost being, that place again that Jesus spoke of when He said out of your innermost being or out of your belly (depending on the translation), and see if you have peace inside. Does it feel like velvet? Or does it feel like sandpaper? Velvet = God! Sandpaper = not God.

I know when I first started all those years ago I would play the vacillation game saying Lord is this me or is this You? Many have felt that way and I am sure you will to. Quite often in the beginning God in His mercy gives us some physical manifestations to help confirm to us that it is indeed Him. You might feel like butterflies in your stomach, tingling in your arms or heat in your hands or in your belly are all quite common. (It should be noted that these physical manifestations do not last forever, as God expects you to grow and develop in your gifting and not require them.)

When you feel these types of things, you have peace like velvet in your spirit and you know it agrees with the Word, follow the Protocol of your local church (key point I can’t go into here) and go ahead and release what you believe you have. Will you start perfect? Probably not, nobody does, but we all grow. It is up to local leadership to then coach and lovingly correct you. Not long ago we had a service where a few actually stepped out and released what was in their spirit for the first time. I went around the room and asked folks what is stirring in your belly? What feels like butterflies in your belly? I then instructed them to go ahead and release those things.

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A LONG DETAILED WORD TO BE FROM GOD! Start where you are. Remember the Word says:

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy let us prophesy in proportion to our faith.” Romans 12: 6 NKJV

You can only prophesy according to the proportion of your faith and in the beginning your faith is not that great in this area…so again, don’t compare yourself to others that are more advanced in their gifting than you are in yours.

Finally, remember that God created you as a unique one of kind individual with your own gifts, talents, and abilities and anointing on your life. Nobody else is like you. You were created to be an original, not a copy. Be yourself! Don’t try to sound like somebody else! Sound like you! God will use your normal every day speech patterns, verbiage and conversation style just as much as He will use anybody else’s, you don’t have to be somebody you are not to be used by God in the Gift of Prophecy!

Blessings!