After they were sent, the apostles’ principal work was to go out to preach the word of God. This is clearly depicted in Acts 13:4-6: “They therefore, having been sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed away to Cyprus. And having come to Salamis, they announced the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews....And having passed through the whole island as far as Paphos,...” The apostles were always on the move doing the work; they did not settle down to shepherd a church, but they were constantly traveling. The result of their preaching was that as many as were appointed to eternal life believed, and there were ones saved among both the Jews and the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-48).
When the apostles were sent out to a place where there was no local church, they would preach the gospel and bring salvation to men who would then become the church in that locality. Then they would choose some from among the saved ones and appoint them to be the elders, and they would commit the church in that locality to the leadership of the elders. Beginning from Acts 13, apart from Antioch, almost all the churches were founded in this way (Acts 14:20-27). The goal of the apostles’ work in their going out was to establish churches. Their preaching of the gospel was the means for them to achieve this goal.
Prophets (referring to persons) are gifts given by Christ to the church (Eph. 4:11); prophecy (referring to the ability to prophesy) is a gift given by Christ to individual believers (1 Cor. 12:10; 14:1). What Christ gives to the church are the prophets, the persons; what Christ gives to individual believers is the gift of prophecy, the ability to prophesy. Christ gives the gift of prophecy to individual believers that they may prophesy. Then He gives those who have the gift of prophecy and the ability to prophesy as gifts to the church that the church may be built up. Hence, regarding the persons, they are the gifts given by Christ to the church, and regarding the ability they have received, it is a gift given individually to them by Christ.
The ministry of the prophets brings in God’s revelation. In the church they not only speak for God and speak forth God, but sometimes they also predict for God for the edification of the church. At times they speak for God and speak forth God in an ordinary way through the spiritual power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:6); at other times they predict for God in an inspired way by the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:10). Both are the prophets’ speaking for God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, both carry God’s authority, and both can cause man to receive the revelation which is from God, and sometimes even cause unbelievers to be benefited (1 Cor. 14:24-25).
As the greatest gift in the local church, prophets can cause a local church to be built up more than the other gifts (1 Cor. 14:4-5). In the meetings of the local church prophesying to speak for God can render the greatest spiritual supply to the church. Just as apostleship is the greatest office for the universal church, so prophesying is the greatest gift for the local church. Hence, the Bible says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20).
Although the prophets are for the local churches, yet because they have the gift of speaking for God, wherever they go they can prophesy to build up the believers and the church. Agabus, Silas, and Judas were prophets in the church in Jerusalem, but when they went to Antioch or Caesarea they were able to prophesy, to speak for God (Acts 11:27-28; 21:8-11; 15:22, 30, 32).