Do Prophets and Apostles Exist in the Church Today?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez nine.

Welcome back to another episode of corporate entity. Were we answer your questions about the faith. I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez together with Prof. Michael Horton and Mike over the years studying the Bible. I know that God is continually shape my thinking by his word, and there been significant points in my life where the word of God actually changed previously held belief may be something I was taught earlier in my Christian faith. It God's word challenged instances let me as you study the word of God and as a theology professor, how many times have you encountered that in your own life will do you regularly. You know when people say I I'm getting anxious because I struggle with doubt will know that's actually an opportunity to explore because look where we are frail creatures. We don't have perfect faith doesn't change the certainty of objective certainty of the truth God and who he is, but are subjective grasp of him is always weak. He holds on to us even when we feel like were losing our grip on him. That's okay. It's okay to have questions.

It's okay to wrestle. We wrestle with doubts the way we wrestle with sin. It's something to chase down and to solve the problem area and at the other. We want to just be submitted to God's word write a meanest word is now putting the Scriptures. It may be that were challenged in one area of our lives. Or maybe in an area of our doctrine what it is that we believe are that we've inherited from whatever church tradition were part of, but at the end of the day. We need to go to the Scriptures and say okay what does God's word say and I were saturated we have to admit we were saturated most of the time not with God's word were not stewing in God's word were stewing in a culture that increasingly thinks we are crazy for believing in God. This culture doesn't believe that it's wrong for you to believe anything that you want to believe as long as you don't really believe it with conviction yeah and mistakes conviction for an arrogant, arrogant, horrified, so we were constantly bombarded with that.

We have to remember we struggle with doubt, the way Christians in previous eras didn't because it was heresy not to believe in God, and now it's heresy to believe in God. In this culture will both get to the program for today here's an email from Justine in Genesis 126 it says that Adam was to have dominion over the creation is really to stewardship of creation does this verse give us a reason to be concerned about things like pollution and the possibility of climate change.

Yeah, thanks Justine well on on one hand you know a lot of non-Christians have really come out against the Judeo-Christian heritage on this point saying when God gave dominion to man. This anthropocentrism this man's centeredness, rather than creation centeredness putting man on top of the the hierarchy, as it were really gave him a key to the car to mess things up will know actually if you look at it from a biblical perspective. God is the creator he made all things good and he entrusted the care of creation to man over the animals that he had made so what was God wanting was God wanting man to exercise tyranny and to terrorize greater know it was like having a babysitter. You know when you hire a babysitter. You expect the person to care for your kids creation care you. You bring that up and people kind of role the rise these days. I don't know why that's exactly what God was telling Adam and Eve to do that was the calling that was their vocation creation care to exercise justice and righteousness and holiness to subdue, which meant to drive the serpent. Anything that opposes God out of the garden, which Adam failed to do. I don't talk about the environment. I use the term creation.

It's not just a kinda neutral environment and is not ours. It's God's world.

It's God's creation and were called to care for. He created space for us to dwell with him and fellowship and we not only rejected him as our creator and Lord. We turned on creation to an end. Creation turned on us when Cain killed Abel.

God said the ground is crying out in vengeance for Abel's blood, even the ground goes to court, as it were, metaphorically against us. Testifying on behalf of the prosecution of the whole creationist forced bias into the fall. Paul says in Romans eight the cycle of corrupting everything that God made good but yet because of what Jesus Christ, the last Adam has accomplished.

Paul goes on to say in Romans eight the whole creation is waiting with anticipation for the revealing of the children of God, so that it can share to in release from the curse isn't that an amazing hope that we have so if that's what were expecting, not the late great planet Earth, but all things, made new, the resurrection of our body and the restoration of creation, how should we live now in the light of that we don't worship creation.

We worship the creator. But we also don't think of creation as a bunch of trash that God's going to throw away. Thank you for your question.

Let's go now to a email that we received from Steve. My dad became a Jehovah's Witness. What is the best way to deal with this. Steve well I think that both Mike and I would say here can want to continue to love your dad and to pray for your dad and to share Christ with your dad and I think each of those is really really important. You know you want to continue to love your father and to have that relationship with him, and I'm sure he wants to have that relationship with you II found that sometimes as Christians. When a family member goes somewhere does something that we disagree with.

We can cut that person off in a way that I think is unhealthy, that isn't right, we should pursue them in love and that's what you want to continue to do with your with your dad and especially to pray. One of the things we talked about over and over again on this program is we don't convert anyone.

You can't save your dad. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. God is the one who opens the heart you think of Lydia in acts chapter 16 so you have to pray for your dad.

Pray that the Lord would work in his heart to help him to see the errors of the Jehovah's Witness group organization so that he can embrace Jesus, the true Christ by faith. That's I think where you want the discussion to go in in your conversations with your dad and in the times I've had conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses.

I try to focus on one of two things really to keep it at the core that the center of the discussion who is Jesus and what is the gospel. The Jehovah's Witness answer to those two questions is different than the historical Christian answer to those questions for them. Jesus is the first created being.

He's not God he's a creature now though say well he's divine in the sense that he sees sort of like this elevated creature. You know what heat he really at the end of the day is just a created being like an angel, we would say no, that's not the case at all. Jesus is the eternal son of God, and he has to be because only God could redeem could save humanity neck. It said that the question of the gospel and so that's the discussion that you're gonna want to have with your dad and I would I would focus on the text of Scripture that one talk about the identity of Jesus Christ, his deity, his equality with the father into the text of Scripture that focused on the free gift of the gospel because boy I've known many Jehovah's Witnesses over the years and there's a bondage that there in what we talked about it or every religion, every religion is just full of bondage.

It all goes to law would always suggest righteousness always focus on the gospel. Steve bring it back to the gospel. Every time I would also recommend a book by Ron Rhodes, conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses.

A friendly approach to sharing the truth about God and the Bible is a really helpful book by reliable author Ron Rhodes will put that on the show notes for today have pretty awesome. We have another call here from Timothy. Let's go to Timothy's call. I chemically calling from Providence, Rhode Island. My question is, I've been studying the Bible and my understanding is that according to Ephesians chapter 4 Paul said that Christ's church, and with apostles and prophets and evangelists, etc. would continue with the use apostles and whatnot until we come to the unity of the face and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man the measure of the stature of force of Christ that sin. Ephesians 4 reading a little bit in the King James was wondering why do many Christian people today not believe that there are prophets or apostles today in the Christian church when Ephesians 4 seems to know say this is, this organization, with apostles and prophets and evangelists centers, continue I'd appreciate a response and thank you so much and have a great evening bye-bye super question to see. Thanks so much and thanks for listening like it's right there in the season for right versus 11 through 14, when Christ ascended he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to build up the body of Christ until the church comes to mature adulthood and in him will elsewhere Paul makes it clear that there is a distinction between the foundation laying era of the apostles, extraordinary ministers, we can call him and the era of building on that foundation. Ordinary ministers case over exist. Paul is an extraordinary minister, Timothy is an ordinary minister.

Paul never says he's guarding a deposit. He is contributing to the deposit of the faith. But Timothy, he tells to guard the deposit. Timothy is not adding to the deposit. He's not expanding the canonical Scriptures. The apostle Paul is writing inspired Scripture Peter is writing inspired Scripture John is writing inspired Scripture, and so on. So for example in first Corinthians 311 through 13, Paul says no other foundation can be laid than the one that is laid, present tense, namely the foundation of the prophets and the apostles and then earlier here in Ephesians in chapter 2 verse 20 he says that the church is quote built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone so in the Old Testament there were prophets in their work. The prophets at their best. Your average ordinary prophet spoke God's truth to his people, but some led Israel astray. That's why Israelites were called to test the prophets in Deuteronomy 18 of verses 15 to 22, of if what he prophesies is not true that he's to be stoned. But then there were the prophets whose prophecies were infallible, inerrant revelation that we find in the Bible. Turning to the New Testament, we see the same phenomenon.

There were the prophets, namely, in this case, the apostles appointed directly by Jesus Christ. God incarnate to speak authoritatively in his name under the spirits inspiration and then there were prophets, ordinary prophets, whom the Spirit led to speak God's word in particular situations and we don't have any of their prophecies or what they said anywhere so we don't test the biblical prophets and apostles, we don't question God's written work. But the prophets in the book of acts were fallible and had to be tested. Notice Timothy that in Ephesians 4, Paul says that at his ascension. Christ gave apostles and prophets.

I don't think he keeps giving them just as there are no more apostles.

There aren't any prophets today in the way that there were when Christ was just beginning to build his new covenant Church right we have God's written New Testament now the foundation has been laid we have that there is no growth of that foundation. It has been laid and now were building on it, so there is no apostolic or prophetic office in the church today so what offices are left while the others he mentions evangelists and pastors, Shepherd teachers basically elsewhere. He mentions elders and deacons. But here is focusing on the ministry of the word, because that ministry of the word preaching and teaching is what creates builds up and expands Christ's body. I really think what he what he saying here is that the prophets and the apostles were necessary to bring the church to maturity to adulthood and now what we need are pastor teachers who lead us in those Scriptures who build on that foundation so that it will stand in the day of Jesus Christ. You're right on Mike and and I was thinking about Paul in first Timothy three and Titus one. When he talks about the offices in the church there any continued throughout the ages. He talks about elders and deacons right and I mean there's no belittlement qualifications for and by the way, the prophet you want. It is what you want to be a prophet, and the apostle you know, we all know that they're pretty important that we want to make sure you understand what their qualifications are no he doesn't do that because he realizes like he said in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 with these extraordinary offices were really for that foundation laying.

And one other verse that I think is often not brought into this discussion that I think helps us to confirm all of this. This idea that that this sort of visionary prophetic office really came to an end with the work of Jesus Christ is found in Daniel chapter 9, beginning in verse 24 oftentimes image that is a prophecy of the Messiah. Listen with the angel told Daniel 70 weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness will that's the work of Jesus that Jesus accomplished on the cross and then continues to seal up vision and prophecy to anoint the most holy place with the accomplishment of redemption in the work of Jesus. There's no need for new revelation revelation is sealed up. That's right. And that's exactly what Daniel says. And so what were looking for now is pastors and teachers working to be faithful to take that once for that faith once for all, given to the saints to the world.

Build on that foundation.

That's right were answering your questions here at Christianity about the fate he can give us a call. The numbers 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core. You can also email us at questions at core, Christianity.com a great resource if we want to let you know about over@ourwebsitechristianity.com yeah drill were sharing her popular Bible study. Why is the world a mess. What you don't hear that every day to add it. You can download it by signing up for our weekly newsletter. This study is designed to help you have a biblical perspective on the pain and suffering that we see all around us in our own lives. So head over to core Christianity.com/offers to download why is the world a mess you can all see that resource by calling us at 833-843-2673. That's 1833. The core let's go now to a phone call they received from Joyce prayer.

Thanks for taking my call today. I've been looking for a Bible-based church and noted each church either. Different Bible translation. My questions are what Bible translation do you recommend and if there a Christian church denomination that teaches the Bible verse by verse and shall end at the while. Thanks Joyce. Please let me address your second question first. I think that all true churches of Christ that faithfully preach the word preaching from Genesis to Revelation and verse by verse. I think maybe you mean just expository preaching.

Preaching the Scriptures because we don't want versus right we want chunks of the Bible every week that are big enough to see that piece of the puzzle in the wider picture of God's history of redemption. You don't want to just focus on the trees but the forest and placed that tree in its forest, I think are lots of churches. It's not a denomination learned lots of churches out there that do that not enough.

I must say there are also a lot of churches that are falling away from that they think all will what people want in my church is of no series on how to have a happy family or how to have bit better marriages or how to have your best life now or have out have whiter teeth, no, we need to hear what God has to say to us, not what the preacher has to say to us what God has to say to us through his minister need to hear that every week as far as Bible translation edge is bewildering.

With all these translations that we have about a century ago Protestants had basically one English version. The the old King James as the 20th century war on with the rise of theological liberalism, new versions emerged, then conservatives produced even more versions of course there is a good reason for the old King James hard to read.

Don't use that language. That kind of English anymore, but among evangelical Bible believing Christians across many denominations.

The two most popular translations are the new international version.

NIV, and more recently the English standard version ESV, these are both good translations a good translation has to do two things, Joyce. First, it has to be accurate. Faithful to the best reading of the best manuscripts we have. But second, it has to be readable a paraphrase like the living Bible is readable but it's often terribly inaccurate. But the NIV and the ESV are both accurate and readable. I preferred the ESV because I think it's more accurate in certain places, but you really can't go wrong if you have either of those translations that think that that is so important Mike and you think what if we have the word of God from heaven here. Why would we want to hear anything else. Let God speak because it's the gospel from heaven and that's what we all need an email. Claire asked hi Mike and Israel have a question about Mark 412, where Jesus seems to suggest that he was teaching parables so that people would not understand. I thought Jesus taught in parables because parables made it easier to get his point. Thanks.

Great question Claire. This is the point at which I think there's often some confusion. First off, it's really important understand the nature of Jesus parables their very context specific. The people who aren't supposed to get it are the unbelieving Pharisees, whose hearts are already stone cold toward Jesus there plotting his death. Right now, so if you think about what the parables mean there sort of verbal dramatic enactments of what is happening right now around him as he speaking so Jesus is contrasting those who believe in him with his hostile enemies. We read in Matthew four, beginning at verse one.

Again he began to teach beside the scene a very large crowd gathered about them so he had to get in the boat and sat on it in the sea and the whole crowd was beside the sea and on the land and he was teaching them many things in parables and in his teaching, he said to them, listen.

Behold, a sower went out to so and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn't have much soil and immediately it sprang up since it had no depth of soil and when the sun rose. It was scorched, and since it had no root it withered. Other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and so insolence of work when he was alone. Verse 10 those around him with the 12 asked him about parables and they said and he said to them to you. It has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside everything is in parables, so that any quotes Isaiah they may indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand lest they should turn and be forgiven.

Basically, Jesus is saying that the parables are there so that those whom he is drawing to himself will get it and those who are hardening their hearts will have them hardened still further, it would help if we went through all of the parables because they they demonstrate what I'm saying here. For example, think of the parable of the prodigal son very well known.

The older son in the parable is clearly the Pharisees saying hey, I've been here at your side. And here you are going after the sun has squandered everything on one women and song. Bless exactly what was happening right Jesus was showing mercy to the sinners and the Pharisees didn't like it gives the parable about the attendance they just kept killing one messenger after another, who was sent from the owner of the vineyard until finally the owner sent his own son, and they killed him. No surprise about who the characters are that story. At that point they look at each other and said I think he's talking about us and they picked up stones to stone and they got what the parables were intending but it hardened their hearts consider them coming to repentance and saying all man I am that person.

The parable I repent.

They became even more hardened.

That is one of her parable says bone man that's me. I'm the one. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33 core when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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