Why Apostles And Prophets Are A Match Made in Heaven That Hell Fears

The Devil hates apostles. In fact, of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, only one didn’t die a brutal death. Further, one — Judas — was used to betray Christ Himself and Satan actually entered into him to control him in betraying Christ. Further, Satan sought to corrupt the first of the Apostles of the Lamb, the Apostle Peter. To the adversary, attacking apostles is personal, intentional, and maniacal; he wants to corrupt and destroy all apostles. Only one apostle — the Apostle John — was beyond his reach. Why? Is it possible that’s because the Apostle John wasn’t only an Apostle but he was also a prophet? After all, isn’t he called the Revelator by most of the Church? 

Yes, the Apostle John is called the Revelator by most of the Church, and with that spirit of revelation, he was able to overcome all of the attacks of the enemy. The Apostle John became immune to Satan’s attacks through his unique calling among the Apostles of the Lamb — he was a visionary prophet. It was that combination that did something amazing in the Apostle John’s life — it buttressed his life and calling making him immune to Satan’s attacks. The apostle’s life and calling are immunized from the attacks of the enemy when an apostle works alongside and with the prophet’s ministry, especially visionary prophets — seer prophets. 

Similarly, the Devil hates prophets. Why? Prophets expose the pattern, plans, and processes of the enemy. Prophets see behind the curtain and see what Satan is doing. That ability makes them extremely dangerous to Satan’s kingdom. The Devil hates prophets because they can see behind the scenes what Satan is doing and counteract it. Yet oftentimes, prophets are limited in their ability to discern the enemy’s plans against their own life. They see what he’s doing against others, but they can miss what he’s plotting and planning against them. Because of that weakness, they can be susceptible to demonic attacks. And that’s where many prophets fail, they have no one covering their back from attacks of the enemy. And that’s where apostles come in — they can cover the prophet’s

back from attack. 

 “The truth remains — prophets need apostles and apostles need prophets; they together (not separate) are the foundation of Christ’s Church.”—Scott Wallis

When prophets work alongside apostles, there’s something significant that happens — the gospel goes forth, churches are planted, and believers are blessed. The Church was designed to be built upon the foundation of apostles AND prophets. We, the Church, are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone”. Ephesians 2:20, Webster’s Bible Translation. Notice, not just apostles or prophets; rather, apostles AND prophets. Both apostles and prophets are necessary for there to be a healthy foundation upon which the Church can be built. That’s why so many churches today have such unhealthy foundations — apostles don’t work alongside prophets and prophets don’t work alongside apostles. And each one thinks they’re better off without the other. 

Foolish! Yes. What prevents apostles and prophets from working together? Pride. Oftentimes, apostles want to be first; they like to be in charge. And they can dismiss what prophets see, hear, or know by the Spirit of revelation. That happened in the Apostle Paul’s life. When? There came a time when the Apostle Barnabas wanted his nephew, Mark, to join them on their second missionary journey. The Apostle Paul put down his foot — NO!, he said. Why? John Mark had abandoned their first missionary journey; he left his post. To the Apostle Paul, someone abandoning their post like that was tantamount to going AWOL. In the Apostle Paul’s mind, that’s what John Mark did. Barnabas saw it differently. They nearly came to blows over this incident and it caused their separation. 

After this incident, the Apostle Paul’s apostolic ministry grew; he had a greater impact on the Church going forward. The Apostle Barnabas’s ministry diminished; his impact grew less and less. One key difference: the Apostle Paul chose Silas, a prophet; the Apostle Barnabas chose John Mark. Together, the Apostle Paul and prophet Silas “traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” Acts 16:4.5 NIV. Here, we see the Apostle Paul blossom into an apostle. The transformation is dramatic — significant and powerful supernatural events happened — the reaching of Macedonia, a prison break and the conversion of a prison warden, and more. 

What happened? The Apostle Paul connected with the prophet Silas. That connection changed his life and the course of his ministry. And the Church grew significantly. It would be easy to miss the subtle but significant change. Yet it’s a revelation of the power released when apostles and prophets work together — supernatural grace and power is released for the growth and establishment of the Church. Churches are strengthened, believers are established and encouraged, and growth naturally happens; it’s not artificial, which often happens when there’s little to no partnership between apostles and prophets. We must break this destructive cycle that has stopped apostles and prophets from working together — pride in apostles and prophets.

Failure to admit to their own need replaces honesty and humility. Truth is, prophets and apostles need one another. Despite that truth, which God chose to establish as a boundary for each ministry, that reality can oftentimes be ignored, overlooked, or even, in some cases, despised. Nevertheless, the truth remains — prophets need apostles and apostles need prophets; they together (not separate) are the foundation of Christ’s Church. And if we are building Christ’s Church, we will acknowledge our need for both apostles and prophets.

Unfortunately, neither apostles nor prophets are truly functioning in the Church as they should. How do I know that? Because much of the Church still does not recognize the reality of both. In fact, there are many “Bible believing” Christians who oppose those claiming to be apostles or prophets, and there are even some prominent ministers who will even curse them, not only under their breath, but publicly. How can a man or woman of God curse someone whom God has blessed?! Such behavior is anathema to true Christian conduct.

Kennith Copeland

Recently, I was watching a video of a minister who was preaching against those who preach a false gospel. The person creating the video had added a video of Kenneth Copeland to the video of the other well known evangelical minister who had quoted the Apostle Paul cursing the preaching of a false gospel. The connection was obvious — Kenneth Copeland is under a curse for preaching a false gospel and so is anyone else who believes what he preaches. How easy it is to twist scripture to advance the evil in our own perverse hearts! Kenneth Copeland is a great man of God. He brought forth truths we desperately need to hear. I love what Reinhard Bonnke, the great German evangelist, said about Kenneth Copeland, “he’s the most generous man I know!” What a statement!

The Church should be standing up and supporting men of God like Kenneth Copeland, who know how to be generous. Yet I know there are many ministers who are like Kenneth Copeland in their generosity; they give and give and give. That’s one of the signs of genuine apostolic and prophetic ministry — we give, we love, and we serve. Kenneth Copeland has moved in the apostolic and prophetic anointing before it was popular. He’s an example of facing persecution for preaching the gospel — which means, good news. 

Joel Osteen

 Joel Osteen preaches powerful prophetic sermons.  Yet, he’s been called a false minister. The issue: believers, especially other ministers, often don’t know just how powerful or prophetic his sermons are. Instead, they focus on what he doesn’t preach — hellfire and brimstone. Joel Osteen is functioning as a prophetic voice to the Church today — calling us back to what the gospel is — good news. And how can anyone fault a man of God who doesn’t receive his income from the church he pastors. Rather, he receives his paycheck from the books he’s written and published. Amazing! Further, he’s apostolicly demonstrating how to build an amazing church reaching lost humanity. Isn’t that what we want?!

But they’re not doing it our way. You’re right! And that’s how apostles and prophets are — they don’t follow the usual model in doing God’s work. No, they build from an invisible pattern and plan given to them by God. Now imagine if these two powerful ministries could come together, unite under Christ’s banner, and turn their attention towards establishing Christ’s Church. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! Yes! Yes! Yes! When apostles and prophets come together, there’s something amazing that happens in the Church — it begins to grow and grow and grow. Why? The Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets not apostles or prophets, or prophets or apostles; its apostles AND prophets. They’re a match made in heaven. And that’s why we need them.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis