The first thing I had to learn was to in essence unlearn what I knew without a doubt to be true and let the Holy Spirit guide me in my study of who He is. The first thing that I had to learn was that the role of a prophet never actually went away. What happened is that we stopped calling people prophets and attached a negative stigma to the name. That somehow some way someone claiming to be a prophet was not quite right in the head. So those who were called that way simply used other names. A good number of prophets were pastors of individual churches, or were circuit preachers. If you actually do a study of the prophets you will find their biggest role was that of guardian, and herald. The thing that may help most is looking for the precedent in scripture for prophets in the era of the new covenant.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12: 4-8
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12: 27-28
There are many more verses in the New Testament where prophecy is spoken of but not once have I found where Jehovah has revoked the gift. Verses 27 and 28 in 1 Corinthians 12 specifically mention one of the offices of the church as being prophet, I cannot even say that the office of apostle is gone as we still have those who teach the teachers and plant churches. The thing is; quite frankly, I was somewhat predisposed to the idea even before I was called because I did believe what the Word said over what people said. I could not reconcile scripture with the Baptist doctrine concerning prophets I was being taught and even castigated over when I questioned why it was that it seemed to contradict scripture. It was over things like this that set me at odds with church leaders. This is when I learned all about local power bases in a church and how they do not like their predisposed ideas challenged. That a lot of them play lip service to the idea of testing their teachings against scripture, but when they are challenged or even asked to answer why they circle the wagons and act with hostility.
To put things plain and simple I believe the scriptures when He said that we would do greater things than He did and that He has not changed nor will He. If someone could show me where I am wrong then I would be willing to listen, but you need to come with your "A" game as I have studied this and a plain simple reading of the scriptures backs me up.
4 comments:
I too see nothing in God's Word about Him repealing that gift and calling. Why would He not do things the way He has always done? I see nothing in the New Testament even that even suggests that the Lord has changed His ways, despite some brothers and sisters saying that such moves of God were just to 'kick-start" Christianity. It's not happening much in the apostate western Christian churches, but there's plenty of evidence from other (especially third world countries) that God continues to move move mightily amongst those who truly believe what He says, and that the gifts of the Spirit are given and used daily.
Eaglewood, I too will challenge anyone who is an inerrantists to show scripturally where spiritual gifts ceased to be gifts for all believers. Not only have spiritual gifts not ceased to exist, they are evidences of God working in the life of a believer. How can anyone argue that one or two or all of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased when these gifts were given to the believers for one purpose; to edify the local church.
It is beyond my understanding that anyone would add to the biblical text and put words in God's mouth. I thought that there was something in the book of the Revelation about that, but I may be mistaken, NOT!
If you continue your research a little further, the prophet is what we would call today’s preacher. The prophet was called to speak, "thus says the LORD." The preach today is also called to preach, "thus says the LORD." I have a feeling you already know that though. What is so amazing is that people do not understand their OTs well enough historically and grammatically to comprehend what the prophet was and is from the NT passages. It does not take a rocket scientist actually to study the Bible, but then again to some their eyes are blinded and their ears are closed so that they will not find the truth.
It must also be hard lying in bed at night trying to add and subtract from the Bible that God has entrusted to us for our own understanding of who He is. I guess many Americans are like Thomas Jefferson who tore out pages of his Bible because he did not like the way God was portrayed.
Live up to the high calling of the prophets. We are called to be forthtellers, like John the Baptist, Paul, and the millions who have gone on before us. Their lives were lived so that we could climb to higher levels of proclaiming, "Thus says the LORD."
I think you are confusing a preacher and a prophet, they are two completely different things and play completely different roles.
Tarot,
I am sure you are a troll but rest assured I am not confusing either role. Yes they are two different things, but I am not naive enough to confuse them. I am not a preacher or pastor, I am not eloquent nor do I wish to be in the spotlight. I am charged with upholding His Word as a shining light unto His people though.
Post a Comment