Marketplace Apostles and Prophets

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NIV

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 NIV

For the purpose of this devotional I will use a reference from Cindy Jacobs that I received a few years ago, that really stuck with me and helped me understand who apostles and prophets are and how they work together, paraphrased she said, “Prophets lay the runway for the apostles to build on.” In other words, the prophets receive the revelation from the Lord and the apostles carry it forward and bring it into existence. This is a simple rendering and there are far more deeper implications that we do not have time to explore in this devotional but I encourage you to study it in the word further.

The scripture in Amos indicates that the Lord reveals his plan to the prophets. The scripture in Corinthians indicates God’s governmental order is first apostles then prophets. This doesn’t mean one is more important than the other, it means that it takes apostles moving in their assignments to receive the words from the prophets to carry God’s directives forward here on earth. It shows the criticalness of these two offices working together along with the rest of the body of Christ.

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for the works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV

All five offices are critical to the Lord’s governmental order and it’s imperative that we understand our assignment and which of these we are called to. In II Peter 1:11the word says, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I believe much of what Peter is talking about here is our calling as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. I spent years asking the Lord what is my calling because I wanted to be sure and it was in recent years that I began to understand my calling as an apostle. Not just a business owner, not just a leader, not just an encourager or faith filled believer but truly as an apostle.

I believe getting the governmental order of the kingdom into our businesses and in the marketplace, is key to us all seeing the fullness of His promises manifest on the earth and see His kingdom advanced in and through us. As I have become more intentional in those I ask to speak into my business, to lay the runway, to reveal the plans of the Lord, the more growth and stability I have seen in my business. In addition, as I have become more intentional to understand my assignment as an apostle, not just a business owner, I have seen more movement and manifestation in all areas of my life of the promises of God. God is divinely connecting His apostles and prophets so we can see the work of the kingdom fulfilled.

As a final note, know that we all hear God’s voice and receive revelation, strategy and wisdom from Him for ourselves and others. This is not reserved just for the prophets and any word we receive from a prophet should be confirmed in us by the Holy Spirit. Those called specifically to the prophetic calling carry a very strong anointing to receive, carry and steward the mysteries and plans from the Lord to be revealed in His timing to those they are called to reveal it to both individually and corporately for an organization, city and nation.

There is much more to be shared and understood about apostles and prophets then what I have shared here. For those that have been asking the question, am I an apostle or am I a prophet, I pray that question has been answered. For those that are already moving in these callings I pray this has encouraged you and catapulted you to the next level of your assignment. For those still wondering I pray God reveals more to you as you seek His wisdom and direction to make your calling and election sure whether it be apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher or some combination thereof.