C. The double ministry of the apostles

Some books

Tim Chester Prayer (Bible Speaks Today) !!!

Graeme Goldsworthy Prayer and the Knowledge of God

Paul E.Miller A Praying Life: connecting with God in a distracting world

Fred Sanders Embracing the Trinity (chapter 7: ‘Praying with the grain’)

THAT intercessory prayer is essential to bible-teaching ministry

How would you define the ministry of a prophet?

Read Exodus 7:1,2

And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.

Great passage to explain who is prophet in the bible. Prophet spokesperson who speaks to people for God.

How would you define the ministry of an apostle?

Read Acts 6:2.

What was the key element in the ministry of the apostles, that made it distinctive from other ministries?

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

Now read Acts 6:4.

What additional ministry seems to have slipped in, almost by mistake?

But we will devote ourselves toprayer and to the ministry of the word.”

How the prayer snuck in there? We all meant to be praying. That was their job, to pray to God for people and speak to people for God.

Why is this surprising?

Can you make sense of this?

A. The double ministry of the prophets

Now look up the following verses. What else was a prophet meant to do?

1. Abraham (Gen 20:7): Gen 18:22-33; 20:7

Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

We never thought about Abraham as a prophet. So the ministry of prophet is not only talk to people for God, but also to intercede for people in prayer .

2. Moses (Deut 34:10): Exo 32:11-14, 30-32; Num 11:2; 14:13-19; 21:7; Deut 9:20

3. Samuel (1 Sam 3:19,20): 1 Sam 7:8-9; 12:19-23

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

He says it would be a sin for not pray for the people.

He has this obligation to pray for people to God as well as speak to people for God. It is his job description.

4. Elijah: 1 Kgs 17:17-24; 18:36-37

5. Elisha: 2 Kings 4:32-37

6. Job: Job 42:8 (and see James 5:10,11)

7. Isaiah: 2 Kgs 19:4

8. Jeremiah: Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; 37:3; 42:2 (think about the negative ones and see Jer 15:1!)

As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Exception !!! God

Under old covenant, you would ask prophet to pray for you because he is righteous person. And you are not.

9. Prophets in general: Jer 27:18

10. Ezekiel: Ezek 11:13

11. Daniel (Matt 24:15): Dan 9

12. Amos: Amos 7:2,5

So what two things were prophets to do?

Can you think why they needed to do both these things?

B. The double ministry of the Lord Jesus

Look up Luke 22:31,32 and John 17

How does Jesus’ ministry show the double pattern of prophetic ministry?

C. The double ministry of the apostles

Think back to Acts 6:2,4. Now why do you think ‘prayer’ is here?

How does Paul show this double pattern of apostolic ministry?

Rom 1:9,10

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Differences : apostol ask to pray for them- because everybody has access to Jesus.

Rom 10:1

Eph 1:15-19

Phil 1:3-11

Col 1:3, 9-14

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

1 Thess 1 2

2 Thess 1:11,12

Philemon 4,6

Prayer for the people is part of the pastoring people, if you don’t, you are not actually pastoring them under God’s authority.

But what is different under the New Covenant?

What is different between the apostles (under the new covenant) and the Old Testament prophets (under the old covenant)?

Look up

Rom 15:30

2 Cor 1:11

Col 4:3,4

1 Thess 5:25

2 Thess 3:1

Heb 13:18

D. The double ministry of the Christian bible teacher?

Look up

Col 4:12,13

Eph 6:18.

How does this show the same pattern?

Conclusion“The minister ought never to speak before men in God’s name without himself first speaking to God in man’s name, and making intercession as for himself so for his people.” (P.T.Forsyth)

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 476