1. Malachi, a servant of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to Brother Gerald, my beloved brother in the faith:
2. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3. I have heard of your works, and while I rejoice in your zeal for the Lord, I am compelled by the love of Christ to address some concerns with urgency and sincerity.
4. You have taken upon yourself the title of apostle and have united yourself with a woman you call a prophetess.
5. Yet, I am told you neglect the very essence of your calling by failing to visit the churches under your care.
6. Remember, my brother, that the office of an apostle is not merely a title but a divine commission marked by toil, travel, and tribulation for the sake of the Gospel.
7. An apostle, as I have learned from our Lord, goes forth, sowing the seeds of the Kingdom, nurturing the flock, and bearing the marks of Christ in his body for the church's sake.
8. It is written, "How can they preach unless they are sent?" Yet, you remain distant, not sharing in the lives of those you claim to shepherd.
9. The shepherd knows his sheep by name, protects them from wolves, and leads them to green pastures. But how can you do this from afar?
10. Your union with a prophetess should be for the edification of the church, not for personal elevation or comfort.
11. For as it is said, "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge."
12. But if both of you claim revelations without the balance of community and accountability, how then shall the church discern the spirits?
13. I urge you, therefore, to consider your ways.
14. Do not let pride or the allure of titles lead you astray from the humble service to which you were called.
15. The true apostle walks among the churches, bears their burdens, rejoices with them, and weeps with them.
16. I beseech you to return to the simplicity of the Gospel, to the toil of firsthand ministry.
17. For what does it profit, my brother, if you gain the whole world of titles and spiritual acclaim yet lose your own soul or the souls of those entrusted to you?
18. Let your love for Christ compel you to action.
19. Visit the churches, lay hands on the sick, break bread with the believers, and be present in body as well as in spirit.
20. Show by your life, not just by your words, that the Lord indeed sends you.
21. And if this prophetess is truly of God, let her gifts be used in accordance with the scriptures, in humility, for the building up of the body of Christ, not for the confusion or division of it.
22. I write these things to you out of a heart of correction, not condemnation, hoping you will realign your path with the footsteps of our Lord Jesus, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed.
23. May the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
24. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
25. Malachi, your fellow servant in Christ.