His-story will culminate in that great wedding day of Bridegroom and Bride -"the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready".

His bride is the Church, His body here on earth. The adversary of the Lord (Satan) wants to steal this bride and even to destroy it if at all possible.

The Lord has given a blueprint on how this church is to be built and how this Bride is to be made ready for the Bridegroom. We find this in the book of Ephesians.

The Lord has given gifts of ministries for the building of the Church. We read about this grace in Eph 4:11f. Five ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. These are given to prepare God's people for works of service that the body of Christ (the church) may be built up. The end product is maturity and a joining of the whole body by every supporting ligament. The whole body grows in love as a result. A picture of a healthy body and therefore a healthy church.

In theory this is good, but that adversary, Satan, is trying his best to wreck the whole thing.
How does he do that?

He works to ensure that the church is not joined or connected to the Head properly.
How does he do that?

He attacks the foundations.
What are the foundations of the church? Eph 2:20-22 tells us that it is the grace (gift) of the Apostle and Prophet, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 the Apostle Paul says "And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets third teachers".

Why is it that we accept evangelists? Is it because we know that he who wins souls is wise? Why do we accept pastors? Is it because Jesus' command to Peter was to feed my sheep? Why do we accept teachers? Is it because we know we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God?

Why is it that the foundational ministries of apostle and prophet are so often rejected by the church? Can that adversary Satan be scheming to discredit these ministries in the church, because he knows they are key to the right joining and connecting of the body to the Head?

Why was Paul's apostleship so contested in the church, even though he was being beaten up, whipped or generally mistreated everywhere he went. Could it be something to do with the humbling of the cross that Jesus went through, - that greatest of all apostles.

Jesus himself said - "Because of this, God in His wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute'".(Luke 11:49). "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you" (Mt 23:37).

Isn't it time we sought out these gifts of God's grace of apostle and prophet. How can the church be Fathered without the grace of the apostle? How can we stick to God's blueprint for the building of the church without the prophet telling us to get back on track, when we have proved unfaithful and deceived (derailed) ourselves?

This brethren is nothing more than a plea to the church to seek the grace of apostle and prophet, that the building, the church, be rightly joined together and so rise to become a holy temple in the Lord, a radiant church, a Bride prepared for her Bridegroom.