Vol. 9: Series
God in HIS Image
Cover: as used in Exhortations 3
Road: Something compatible
Letters: Black
*****
Book Description: (Pam: Also use this as a "Preface" in this book)
Do we have prophets in today's church?
This is answered in the Bible.
Ephesians 4:8;11-12 When HE (Jesus) ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men... And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
***
In the Holy Bible, we have examples of prophets working in the NT church:
*Agabus in Acts 11:27-28 ... And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
(These are New Testament prophets working in the New Testament church as cited in the New Testament Bible.)
*Acts 15:32 And Judas (surnamed Barsabas) and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
*Acts 15:40 And Paul chose Silas (a prophet), and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
A NT prophet, Silas, travelled with Paul.
***
Prophets deliver godly messages to the church to prepare the church for the return of Jesus Christ, where the church is taken up to be with all the saints before them, to live in the new Jerusalem which God showed to the apostle John in the following scripture:
***
Revelation 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
***
The primary work of prophets, in the old and new testaments and today, is to carry messages from God to the church.
The apostle Paul says to the New Testament church:
I Corinthians 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
***
At the church group I attended when I lived in Dallas, one of the men had a birthday.
Someone asked him how his birthday was.
He replied: "Terrible ... I turned 50 and God got all the prophets after me !"
Someone asked him how his birthday was.
He replied: "Terrible ... I turned 50 and God got all the prophets after me !"
***
If you hide out in churches, you have reason to fear prophets.
For God does show prophets sin in the church.
For God does show prophets sin in the church.
I was speaking at a small church in San Angelo, Texas. The pastor invited people to come forward for prayer. I came up to one woman in the prayer line and I asked her, "And what is it you want from God?"
She replied, "I's jest wants more of the Lord."
I said to her: "God will tell me what you are doing."
She jumped out of her seat and began waving her arms in the air and screamed out: "OH, NO, LORD ... Don't tell her!"
(This brought the house down!)
She replied, "I's jest wants more of the Lord."
I said to her: "God will tell me what you are doing."
She jumped out of her seat and began waving her arms in the air and screamed out: "OH, NO, LORD ... Don't tell her!"
(This brought the house down!)
***
I find a lot of humor when I read the dealings of the prophets.
In the Old Testament God sent king Saul to kill the people who had done evil toward HIS people when they came into the land.
God said to Saul:
I Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
While Saul was gone to do this work, God spoke to the prophet Samuel and said:
"It repenteth ME that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following ME, and hath not performed my commandments." (I Samuel 15:11)
And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (I Samuel 15:14)
***
People deceive themselves into thinking they have done that which God says and they try to deceive you, but God often opens the eyes of the prophet to see ... and the prophet of God is trained by God to speak the truth of God to the people.
Some people do not like truth. Some do not seek out truth by the Bible. Some do not even care about truth in secular matters. They do not hunt for the truth.
God says:
II Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
***
If you love the truth, you will love this book which tells the stories of the prophets from the Bible and stories of prophets working in the New Testament church today.
Joan Boney
*****