Interest in Prophets

[stuartb]

I notice that a lot of people seem to be interested in prophets.
But how do you recognize a prophet. There are lot of them out then, both in the church and not in the church.
A prophet is just below an apostle using scripture and just above an apostle if you use the humility scale. That is an apostle is more humble and thus puts themselves lower than a prophet.
The key things to notice about a prophet of God is this;
1. They are extremely humble.
2. They do not seek the recognition and praise of men. If they do then they run the risk of saying and doing what men want them to do instead of what God wants them to do.
3. They do not always say what we want them to say.
4. What they say does not always come true. An example of this is when God sends a prophet to proclaim judgement on a people and then the people hear and repent.
5. Their prophesies are measured by other prophets.
6. They are in love with God and his church.
7. They only speak what God wants them to say. They may not always have a prophesy when we want them to have one.
8. They struggle with what they see in the natural and what they see in the prophetic because the two are never the same.

They should not be chased after by us, God will send them to whom he chooses to send them to.

 

[GrapeGirl]

That is, if you even think that the office of a prophet exists nowdays. I don't. I believe the gift of prophecy exists, but not the office. I don't think any man has any right to call himself a prophet. Jesus was the fulfillment of everything, thus eliminating the need for a prophet. Jesus is the answer. No matter what the question. Jesus can speak to me just as well as he can somebody else. Same for everyone else.

 

[irenemcg]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/9664035/Taking-a-Look-at-the-Gift-of-Prophecy


This might help you

 

[Elijah2]

Yep, Jeremiah never really called himself a prophet.

 

[whatfor]

Your link doesn't work for me Irene.

 

[stuartb]

That is, if you even think that the office of a prophet exists nowdays. I don't. I believe the gift of prophecy exists, but not the office. I don't think any man has any right to call himself a prophet. Jesus was the fulfillment of everything, thus eliminating the need for a prophet. Jesus is the answer. No matter what the question. Jesus can speak to me just as well as he can somebody else. Same for everyone else.

There are lots of things that the church says no longer exists. They use all forms or wisdom of men to say things no longer exist.

There are other things which quite obviously no longer exist in the church.
Obeying the first two commandments. To love your God and to love your neighbor. We love church but not much else.
To go out into the world and preach the gospel.
To show compassion and humility.
To not crush the weak or to avoid jealousy.
To worship God instead of man.

 

[KleinerApfel]

That is, if you even think that the office of a prophet exists nowdays. I don't. I believe the gift of prophecy exists, but not the office. I don't think any man has any right to call himself a prophet. Jesus was the fulfillment of everything, thus eliminating the need for a prophet. Jesus is the answer. No matter what the question. Jesus can speak to me just as well as he can somebody else. Same for everyone else.

There are some in whom the gift of prophecy is bearing more fruit, but you won't necessarily see it, and in my experience the ones proclaiming their gift most loudly are the least likely to be bearing fruit of the Spirit.

Prophetic people bring life, and life doesn't have to announce itself.

True prophecy builds up and encourages, brings life, relief, hope, reminds you who you are...in short, when someone's presence and words are lifting your spirit and realigning your thoughts with God, you're seeing the prophetic in action.

On the other had, when you hear hard, directive, insistent, gloomy, commanding voices which suck the very breath ouit of you and leave you in despair, you know that's not prophetic.

 

[Questioning Christian]

If you eliminate the office of the prophet, you also eliminate the apostle, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. Truly Jesus did fulfill all the law and the prophets, but surely there were prophets after him.

Prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch, among whom was Agabus, who predicted a dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.[Acts 11:27]

There was a group of prophets and teachers at Antioch. [Acts 13:1]

Judas and Silas [of "Paul and Silas"] were recognized prophets. [Acts 15:32]

Agabus, a prophet first mentioned in Acts 11, came down from Judaea and prophesied to Paul in Caesarea at the house of Philip the evangelist. [Acts 21:10]

The Apostle Paul writes that prophets are set in the church along with other spiritual gifts. [I Corinthians 12:28]

God's truth and revelation, which in time past was unknown to humans, is now revealed to God's apostles and prophets. [Ephesians 3:5]

God has given the prophets for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith. [Ephesians 4:12]

Two prophets will in the future come down and declare judgment, bringing with them fire out of their mouths, ability to shut up heaven so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy, blood-smitten waters, [to themselves] the resurrection of the dead, and ascension in a cloud. [Revelation 11]

The time of the prophets is far from being over. Perhaps the time of the prophets [as we know it since the day of Pentecost] has only just gotten rolling!

 

[zaksmummy]

There are some in whom the gift of prophecy is bearing more fruit, but you won't necessarily see it, and in my experience the ones proclaiming their gift most loudly are the least likely to be bearing fruit of the Spirit.

Prophetic people bring life, and life doesn't have to announce itself.

True prophecy builds up and encourages, brings life, relief, hope, reminds you who you are...in short, when someone's presence and words are lifting your spirit and realigning your thoughts with God, you're seeing the prophetic in action.

On the other had, when you hear hard, directive, insistent, gloomy, commanding voices which suck the very breath ouit of you and leave you in despair, you know that's not prophetic.

I have read a couple of OT prophets, and one thing struck me about them - they said what God told them to say, even if they receivers didnt want to hear it. Sometimes what God is saying about judgement needs to be heard - that is the job of a prophet as far as I can see. In Jeremiah, God tells him that the "prophets who say the encouraging things" are not from him, and that Jeremiah must go and tell them king that judgement is near. He warns the prophets who continually say "thus says the Lord" that they are false and will be destroyed.

In an not saying that all prophets who are encouragers are false, what I am saying is that God users prophets to give his message, it is us who sometimes are not ready to hear what he has to say becasue we think judgement doesnt apply to us.

 

[Alpine]

That is, if you even think that the office of a prophet exists nowdays. I don't. I believe the gift of prophecy exists, but not the office. I don't think any man has any right to call himself a prophet. Jesus was the fulfillment of everything, thus eliminating the need for a prophet. Jesus is the answer. No matter what the question. Jesus can speak to me just as well as he can somebody else. Same for everyone else.

I am inclined to agree with you.

 

[KleinerApfel]

We're living in a specific time - not the Old Testament, when one could expect a very different message, and not the very end when it's "last chance saloon" for those left here after all the Christians are gone.

For now, we live in the New Testament days of God's grace - judgement does not apply to us here and now - we are His children who hear His proclamation of, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men on whom His favour rests" and that is reflected in New Testament prophecy.

 

[jazzypooh]

I notice that a lot of people seem to be interested in prophets.
But how do you recognize a prophet. There are lot of them out then, both in the church and not in the church.
A prophet is just below an apostle using scripture and just above an apostle if you use the humility scale. That is an apostle is more humble and thus puts themselves lower than a prophet.
The key things to notice about a prophet of God is this;
1. They are extremely humble.
2. They do not seek the recognition and praise of men. If they do then they run the risk of saying and doing what men want them to do instead of what God wants them to do.
3. They do not always say what we want them to say.
4. What they say does not always come true. An example of this is when God sends a prophet to proclaim judgement on a people and then the people hear and repent.
5. Their prophesies are measured by other prophets.
6. They are in love with God and his church.
7. They only speak what God wants them to say. They may not always have a prophesy when we want them to have one.
8. They struggle with what they see in the natural and what they see in the prophetic because the two are never the same.

They should not be chased after by us, God will send them to whom he chooses to send them to.

i posted a thread "Dimensions of the Prophetic" that talks all about this and explains the different levels of the prophetic. i pray it blesses you all. here's a link:

http://christianforums.com/showthread.php?t=7326999

Love,
~jazzy

 

[jazzypooh]

If you eliminate the office of the prophet, you also eliminate the apostle, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. Truly Jesus did fulfill all the law and the prophets, but surely there were prophets after him.

Prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch, among whom was Agabus, who predicted a dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.[Acts 11:27]

There was a group of prophets and teachers at Antioch. [Acts 13:1]

Judas and Silas [of "Paul and Silas"] were recognized prophets. [Acts 15:32]

Agabus, a prophet first mentioned in Acts 11, came down from Judaea and prophesied to Paul in Caesarea at the house of Philip the evangelist. [Acts 21:10]

The Apostle Paul writes that prophets are set in the church along with other spiritual gifts. [I Corinthians 12:28]

God's truth and revelation, which in time past was unknown to humans, is now revealed to God's apostles and prophets. [Ephesians 3:5]

God has given the prophets for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith. [Ephesians 4:12]

Two prophets will in the future come down and declare judgment, bringing with them fire out of their mouths, ability to shut up heaven so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy, blood-smitten waters, [to themselves] the resurrection of the dead, and ascension in a cloud. [Revelation 11]

The time of the prophets is far from being over. Perhaps the time of the prophets [as we know it since the day of Pentecost] has only just gotten rolling!

Jesus came to fulfill, not to destroy (Matt. 5:17). the prophetic is still very much in operation, and God still uses prophets to proclaim His Word.

Love,
~jazzy

 

[stuartb]

We're living in a specific time - not the Old Testament, when one could expect a very different message, and not the very end when it's "last chance saloon" for those left here after all the Christians are gone.

For now, we live in the New Testament days of God's grace - judgement does not apply to us here and now - we are His children who hear His proclamation of, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men on whom His favour rests" and that is reflected in New Testament prophecy.

It is true that when we transgress that we can go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, but did not Jesus say that we have been grafted into the vine and that if a branch does not produce fruit that it will be cut off and thrown into the fire. This sounds a little like judgment to me.

What kind of fruit are we producing in the world today?

 

[GrapeGirl]

There are lots of things that the church says no longer exists. They use all forms or wisdom of men to say things no longer exist.

There are other things which quite obviously no longer exist in the church.
Obeying the first two commandments. To love your God and to love your neighbor. We love church but not much else.
To go out into the world and preach the gospel.
To show compassion and humility.
To not crush the weak or to avoid jealousy.
To worship God instead of man.

I, for one, do not care what "the church" thinks. I care what the bible says. I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time; but I have stated what I believe.

 

[GrapeGirl]

If you eliminate the office of the prophet, you also eliminate the apostle, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. Truly Jesus did fulfill all the law and the prophets, but surely there were prophets after him.

Prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch, among whom was Agabus, who predicted a dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.[Acts 11:27]

There was a group of prophets and teachers at Antioch. [Acts 13:1]

Judas and Silas [of "Paul and Silas"] were recognized prophets. [Acts 15:32]

Agabus, a prophet first mentioned in Acts 11, came down from Judaea and prophesied to Paul in Caesarea at the house of Philip the evangelist. [Acts 21:10]

The Apostle Paul writes that prophets are set in the church along with other spiritual gifts. [I Corinthians 12:28]

God's truth and revelation, which in time past was unknown to humans, is now revealed to God's apostles and prophets. [Ephesians 3:5]

God has given the prophets for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith. [Ephesians 4:12]

Two prophets will in the future come down and declare judgment, bringing with them fire out of their mouths, ability to shut up heaven so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy, blood-smitten waters, [to themselves] the resurrection of the dead, and ascension in a cloud. [Revelation 11]

The time of the prophets is far from being over. Perhaps the time of the prophets [as we know it since the day of Pentecost] has only just gotten rolling!

I can see your point, but I can also see that I do not live in the same culture or society that existed 2000 years ago, and that furthermore, that culture and society doesn't exist anymore in even that same area. So, seeing that the culture and society has changed, I still stand by what I said. The office of a prophet does not exist because there is no need for it...at least not in the United States. Maybe it does in some foreign country where the bible has not been introduced and nobody can read....you know...the one that everyone brings up when they question the whole issue of salvation...I bet that's where prophets exist and are needed.

 

[stuartb]

Does it really matter in the end what people think exists or does not exist?
I for one am tired of people throwing titles on themselves so that they appear more important than others. It does not matter what a person calls himself, I have seen people who have called themselves apostles and or prophets. I have met some people called prophets, who do not produce the fruit of a prophet and I have met some people who do. I have yet to meet an apostle who produces the fruit of an apostle.

If I see someone who produces the fruit of either an apostle, prophet an evangelist etc, I have two choices. I can either say that this cannot be true or I have to adjust my religious teaching so that it comes into line with the fruit of what I am seeing.
It is by peoples fruit that you will know them. Not by their titles.

As for the USA not needing prophets, well as an outsider to the USA I would say that it needs a word from the Lord more today than ever.
It is always easier to see the state of a nation when you look at it from the outside and unless there is some major change in the direction that the USA is heading then it will become like the last days of Rome for the American civilization is on the decline. It has reached its height and is slowly ebbing away. It cannot see this itself, but the rot has set in and it is eating itself from the inside. This is not just then end of the American civilization but all that is held dear by the western world.
Remember it is not America that it mentioned in revelation and other end time prophesy.

 

[Desperaux]

There are some in whom the gift of prophecy is bearing more fruit, but you won't necessarily see it, and in my experience the ones proclaiming their gift most loudly are the least likely to be bearing fruit of the Spirit.

Prophetic people bring life, and life doesn't have to announce itself.

True prophecy builds up and encourages, brings life, relief, hope, reminds you who you are...in short, when someone's presence and words are lifting your spirit and realigning your thoughts with God, you're seeing the prophetic in action.

On the other had, when you hear hard, directive, insistent, gloomy, commanding voices which suck the very breath ouit of you and leave you in despair, you know that's not prophetic.

What you have said here is true.

People also have the wrong idea about prophecy. Our pastor prophesies every time he stands before us, because the more apt definition of the verb, "to prophesy" is to forthtell (truth, the Word of God) rather than foretell (future conditions or events).

When my pastors speak from the truths of the Scriptures to that I receive a rhema word about it, and my heart leaps for joy upon the hearing of it--that is prophetic.

 

[Desperaux]

Most people who would dare to call themselves prophets---aren't.

A true prophet moves in his or her gift and does not declare the gift--only the Giver. Normally a prophetic person is misunderstood and even mistreated, so normally they are reticent to let it out that they possess such a gift. They just use it, quietly.

A true prophet is only known by what others declare about him--not the prophet himself. That is the mark of one so gifted.

 

[KleinerApfel]

It is true that when we transgress that we can go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, but did not Jesus say that we have been grafted into the vine and that if a branch does not produce fruit that it will be cut off and thrown into the fire. This sounds a little like judgment to me.

What kind of fruit are we producing in the world today?

Christians are not branches that bear fruit - all Christians do bear fruit. Of varying quantity and quality, yes, but there's not one Christian who isn't bearing fruit.

We are pruned, not thrown into the fire. Pruning is healthful to us - removing disease and stimulating growth, not judgement.