Nor do I. Seers can/do exist in a different context than what you keep running back to. They and dreamers are just alternate styles of prophets/prophecy just like prophetic tongues is.
He gave a prophetic word on two recorded occasions, but there is no record that he had any sort of "seer" ministry where anyone went to him to get supernatural guidance. In fact, Paul heard his prophecy about him and went against the pleading of the Ephesian elders who used the prophecy to oppose his intention to go to Jerusalem. Neither Paul nor the elders actually asked Agabus to give his prophecy, but the Holy Spirit inspired him to give it.
I firmly believe in the prophetic. NT prophecy is totally different from OT prophecy. NT prophecy is composed of "love letters" from the Holy Spirit to compliment what the Holy Spirit has already told him. It is for exhortation, comfort and encouragement. It is not for guidance or judgment, and it is always directed to Christ to glorify Him in the heart of the person giving and receiving the prophecy. Some prophecies can contain remarkable words of knowledge and wisdom that can come only from God because of the absolute relevance to the person receiving it. The real impact of a prophetic word is in the receiver rather than the giver.
These things are totally consistent with Scripture. Words of knowledge are usually a confirmation of what the person already knows, but the miracle is that the person giving it doesn't know it before the Holy Spirit revealed it to him. Sometimes words of knowledge are for the person ministering to the other person, and a word of wisdom is needed to find out how to share that word with gentleness and kindness in order that the person is not harmed.
My practice is to ask the Lord for guidance, which allows the Lord to either guide me through Scripture, brotherly correction, preaching from the pulpit, or a prophetic word from someone I know and have confidence in.
I agree. But the prophetic vision was for his own guidance from the Spirit to give him the confidence that he could go to the house of Cornelius to give them the gospel.
But I can't figure out why that would/should be your default definition of a seer.
The encouraging aspect of this is that it was initiated by the Holy Spirit. You are a man of prayer and of the Word, and so you are more open to the leading of the Spirit and do not limit God in how He wants to speak to you in any situation. I think you started the process by going to God in prayer in the first place. Am I right or am I right?
The encouraging aspect of this is that it was initiated by the Holy Spirit. You are a man of prayer and of the Word, and so you are more open to the leading of the Spirit and do not limit God in how He wants to speak to you in any situation. I think you started the process by going to God in prayer in the first place. Am I right or am I right?
The default definition is the OT one where at a point in Israel's history, people went to a seer for spiritual guidance. When Israel and Judah turned to idol worship, the seers became false prophets of Baal and the prophets of the Lord were a minority after most of them were killed. King Ahab had 400 prophets, but they were all false and the only prophet of the Lord who told the truth was Mikaiah. But there is no equivalent in the New Testament because no Christian believer needs to go to a mortal man for spiritual guidance in that way.
We need mentors and counsellors at times, and they may have prophetic words for us. But we have to be careful. Just remember what happened during the time that demonic discipleship/shepherding movement did so much harm to so many good people and turned hundreds away from the faith.
I agree, but there is no record that they set themselves up as those with a ministry for others to come to for spiritual guidance, and get their "fortune" told.
