01/23/2009
In this article we will look into one more scriptural pattern in regards to the prophetic.
2)Prophesy in scripture revealed God (His nature),His requirements as related to His nature and were the people stood in regards to them.
Revelations 19:10 – For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
If we follow the lives of the prophets in the Old Testament we would see that their primary mission was to bring into people an understanding or awareness of who God is. This was first and foremost. From this place they brought forth the requirements laid out by God as His nature demanded. Then the people were either commended or rebuked depending on their position and response towards it. This is so that the people would stay connected (close) to God.
Not every one of the prophets fulfilled each role mentioned here, however they fulfilled either one role or the other related to this. This is the heart of prophecy. Reveal God (Christ), set the standard, require the standard, commend or rebuke according to the response.
This same pattern follows its way in the New Testament. As we look into this, let us also clear some misunderstandings.
Today many assume that since every believer has the Holy Spirit that the prophets are no longer required to fulfill this role. The truth that every believer can access God and get to know Him remains, however even in that God has assigned a role for the prophets, which apart from them we would be incomplete as a body. Let us establish this from scripture.
Every one of the churches that the epistles were written to were Spirit filled churches. They had access to the Spirit as much as the apostles did. However they had to be reminded time and again on Christ (and His accomplishments),the way that they should walk in and rebuked if they were wayward or commended if they were right. Now one may say that it was in regards to the role of the apostles.
To put it more accurately it was in regards to apostles fulfilling the prophetic role. We see this even clearer in Revelation in John’s prophecies to the seven churches. Every one of them starts with a revelation of who Christ is, reveals were they are as a church. Commends or rebukes them if they had or hadn’t been walking in the truth.
For those of us who are still persistent and say we have the written Word for today and therefore these don’t apply, we need to understand that God has set forth apostles, prophets, and evangelists for a purpose. The same passage in Ephesians, from where we get the term pastors and evangelists is where apostles and prophets are mentioned.
If we simply open our eyes we will see the excesses that have crept in the body. Could it be because the prophets and the apostles are missing or they are not fulfilling their roles properly? Brethren we desperately need prophets who would bring in a timely revelation of Christ to the body and what we need to do accordingly. We’ve already lost too much ground and we need the prophetic in full stature as never before.
This aspect of prophecy in revealing GOD and setting forth His Righteous requirements needs to be regained in the church again. This revelation of God is greatly lacking, due to major shift from Christ centeredness to self-centeredness.
Our prophecies major on who we are, rather than who God is. Now, we need to know who we are but it comes out of knowing who God is first.
We major on what God can do for us rather than what we can do for God. Christ calls the Laodecian church (whose focus was self centered), poor, miserable, naked and blind!
Let us get delivered from SELF and start walking in selfless affection towards our Lord. Let our primary focus be on God and then people.
