The Prophetic Office

.... Foremost among spiritual gifts, let’s return to the familiar topic of prophecy, which we discussed at length in two of our previous modules. God has called some of us, but not all of us, to prophecy in the sense of an actual office:

.... "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some pro- phets, some evangel- ists, and some pastors and teachers."

(Ephesians 4:11)

.... In the New Testament we find several persons who were called prophets in this sense. Agabus comes most readily to mind (Acts 11:28; 21:10), but Paul and Barnabas were prophets and teachers also, before they became apostles (Acts 13:1-2); and Silas, too, was a prophet, before he joined in Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 15:32).

.... But let's think about these examples carefully. When we see the ministry of a prophet in the New Testament, we are never seeing them speak in the sense of revealing ‘new truths’, for in Christ there were none left unrevealed: God’s final and full revelation was in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Instead, we find New Testament prophets speaking in terms of church direction or direction for church leadership (which has a lot to do with church direction).

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.... For example, Agabus prophesied a drought which would come into all the world (Acts 11:28), which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. But why did God reveal this information at all? Just to impress us, or to thrill us? No, it was for the sake of practical instruction:

.... "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare . . ."

(1 Timothy 1:18)

.... God gives this type of prophecy to explain His game plan (so to speak), which allows the church to cooperate with His intentions. In the case we've just mentioned, the church used the information about an imminent drought to take up an offering for the relief for their sister church in Judea. So the prophecy was used for a practical purpose in giving the church direction. Therefore, when this type of prophecy comes forth we must ask ourselves, "Why is God telling us this? What is it He would like us to do?" and we must seek Him further in prayer to apply this knowledge fruitfully. But through the same answer, let’s not lose sight of another opportunity:

.... "The LORD is known by the judgment He executes."

(Psalm 9:16)

.... and again,
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.... "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

(Revelation 19:10)

.... In prophecy, God's heart and mind may be clearly known; and in walking with Him through the fulfillment of the prophecy, our relationship with Him will deepen as we find an opportunity to apply the glimpse of His character we have seen, which will help us to become more like Him.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5