There has been much controversy over prophetic utterance. The issue is fraught with emotion, and many are willing to discount any person who would say that they have been called as a prophet to the church. It is almost as if the general belief is that there are no true prophets in the body of Christ.
This is because most do not know what a new testament, or church, prophet is, or what their function is. It is obvious that many false prophets have gone out into the world, and that they are even now deceiving many. How do we know those who are true from those who are false? Is there a test we can administer to make the distinction between true and false? It seems that many have decided that it is easier and safer to just consider them all false, and take no chance in being deceived.
It is written in scripture that the Holy Spirit has give some to be prophets. Are there any prophets who are true, that have been given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the body of Christ into Him? I believe that there are. What we need to know is how do we know the true from the false, and just how will the true work to build the body up in Jesus.
One of the first things we must realize is that scripture is spiritual in it's very nature, and that this nature makes it essential that we read and understand scripture in relation to spiritual things. This is not to say that there is no wisdom in scripture that can be applied in the physical world, just that the real meat of scripture is in it's spiritual message to is as the children of God. It is also important to realize that all scripture has in no way been fully understood by us. In fact, we can assert with confidence that most of the truth contained in scripture is still waiting to be ascertained. Scripture has meanings that are as far above our understanding as God is above the world. There is no end to the truth contained in scripture, and even one sentence can contain limitless truth.
And so we come to the most important function of the church prophet, to reveal truth from scripture as it is needed in the body to cause her to grow in the knowledge and the stature of Jesus Christ. A church prophet will have the gift of the Spirit whereby the Spirit makes certain truths plainly visible to him. (And it is a gift, the prophet can take no credit at all.) much is left to be revealed, and much has been revealed in the past that has been lost and needs to be regained. All of it is from and of scripture.
Sometimes, the Spirit will speak through a prophet. In this, He will admonish, judge, convict, and declare God's thoughts. If this happens, it is because something is wrong and needing repented of. And in this is the body also built up in Christ Jesus, because He knows what things are keeping us from the fullness of Christ. He wants us to be filled with Him, for ourselves, and for those He would send us to. It is Christ in us that will be the effective witness to a lost and dying world.
The prophets place is to see that how much we are in Christ Jesus, and how much He is in us, always and ever, increases.
In Christ
This is because most do not know what a new testament, or church, prophet is, or what their function is. It is obvious that many false prophets have gone out into the world, and that they are even now deceiving many. How do we know those who are true from those who are false? Is there a test we can administer to make the distinction between true and false? It seems that many have decided that it is easier and safer to just consider them all false, and take no chance in being deceived.
It is written in scripture that the Holy Spirit has give some to be prophets. Are there any prophets who are true, that have been given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the body of Christ into Him? I believe that there are. What we need to know is how do we know the true from the false, and just how will the true work to build the body up in Jesus.
One of the first things we must realize is that scripture is spiritual in it's very nature, and that this nature makes it essential that we read and understand scripture in relation to spiritual things. This is not to say that there is no wisdom in scripture that can be applied in the physical world, just that the real meat of scripture is in it's spiritual message to is as the children of God. It is also important to realize that all scripture has in no way been fully understood by us. In fact, we can assert with confidence that most of the truth contained in scripture is still waiting to be ascertained. Scripture has meanings that are as far above our understanding as God is above the world. There is no end to the truth contained in scripture, and even one sentence can contain limitless truth.
And so we come to the most important function of the church prophet, to reveal truth from scripture as it is needed in the body to cause her to grow in the knowledge and the stature of Jesus Christ. A church prophet will have the gift of the Spirit whereby the Spirit makes certain truths plainly visible to him. (And it is a gift, the prophet can take no credit at all.) much is left to be revealed, and much has been revealed in the past that has been lost and needs to be regained. All of it is from and of scripture.
Sometimes, the Spirit will speak through a prophet. In this, He will admonish, judge, convict, and declare God's thoughts. If this happens, it is because something is wrong and needing repented of. And in this is the body also built up in Christ Jesus, because He knows what things are keeping us from the fullness of Christ. He wants us to be filled with Him, for ourselves, and for those He would send us to. It is Christ in us that will be the effective witness to a lost and dying world.
The prophets place is to see that how much we are in Christ Jesus, and how much He is in us, always and ever, increases.
In Christ