What Is Paul's Definition of NT Prophecy?

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Depends on what area He would need a prophet to concentrate on.

Prophets are very individualistic, very independent, as well as also very dedicated and loyal to GOD. So if Jesus foresees a problem with a huge build up of witchcraft in a country, He can raise a prophet up in that area to combat it. If there are issues with governments, He can use a prophet to start removing the offending individuals.

Of course prophets operate in the revelation gifts like Agabus, Jeremiah, and others, but they can also operate in the greater gifts of power like Elijah.

It just depends on what GOD needs for a given situation.

I nearly agreed with you, except the function of the NT Prophet is not to the nation, but toward the Church. If you had said that if there was a build up of witchcraft in the Church (which is actually happening), instead of the country, and if there are issues with the Church instead of governments, I would heartily agree with you.

Because the ministry of the Prophet is confrontational and abrasive, he can be accused of beating up the body of Christ in the same way that a surgeon removing a cancerous tumour could damage healthy tissue in the process, even having to remove a part of the body to save its life.

A Prophet can function in all nine of the spiritual gifts, including prophecy, but not limited to predictive prophecy as are the Kansas City prophets and those like them.

 

[Lost Witness]

The Function of any particular person within the Body of Christ is Solely up to the LORD.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

The Function of any particular person within the Body of Christ is Solely up to the LORD.

"By their fruit you will know them". What this means is that the fruit of a particular ministry will show whether that person is called of God and equipped by Him, or not. If a person calls himself a prophet and gives prophecies that put believers on the right track toward Christ, and predictive prophecies come true, then there is every indication that God has sent that prophet and equipped him. If Christ is not the focus of a prophet's word, and his predictions don't come true, then it shows that God has not sent him and his prophecies are dreamed up out of his own imagination.

 

[Lost Witness]

"By their fruit you will know them". What this means is that the fruit of a particular ministry will show whether that person is called of God and equipped by Him, or not. If a person calls himself a prophet and gives prophecies that put believers on the right track toward Christ, and predictive prophecies come true, then there is every indication that God has sent that prophet and equipped him. If Christ is not the focus of a prophet's word, and his predictions don't come true, then it shows that God has not sent him and his prophecies are dreamed up out of his own imagination.

As long as what they prophesize comes to pass then to what function they have is between them and the LORD.
The moment they say anything that doesn't come to pass is the moment you can ignore them. These of course are just my opinions.

 

[ARBITER01]

The Function of any particular person within the Body of Christ is Solely up to the LORD.

Exactly.

For instance, GOD is concerned about what is going on in a country because that country is His also. That country could enact laws that would diminish His ability to reach other countries and areas with the gospel.

His eye is obviously on the body of Christ, but He is keenly aware how the outside can eventually affect that body.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Associated with this discussion is the fact that the voice of the Body of Christ in current politics is largely mute with few exceptions.

This was not so much the case 50 years ago.

The world needs to hear His voice and we need to pray for those who will bring it.

 

[ARBITER01]

Because the ministry of the Prophet is confrontational and abrasive, he can be accused of beating up the body of Christ in the same way that a surgeon removing a cancerous tumour could damage healthy tissue in the process, even having to remove a part of the body to save its life.

A prophet is not there to beat up the body of Christ. That's not his job.

Get it through your head.

None of us will ever be qualified by Jesus to beat up His body. He alone issues judgments and punishments, not us. He has no reason to utilize us to do it being that He is GOD.

 

[ARBITER01]

Associated with this discussion is the fact that the voice of the Body of Christ in current politics is largely mute with few exceptions.

This was not so much the case 50 years ago.

The world needs to hear His voice and we need to pray for those who will bring it.

Well 50 years ago the family structure was different. Most kids were being brought up in a household that worshipped GOD, not so today. I think most Christians nowadays are more interested in GOD/church than the world, but that creates problems also if you don't keep tabs on the outside.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

A prophet is not there to beat up the body of Christ. That's not his job.

Get it through your head.

None of us will ever be qualified by Jesus to beat up His body. He alone issues judgments and punishments, not us. He has no reason to utilize us to do it being that He is GOD.

We'll have to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

 

[ARBITER01]

I'm just going to put you on ignore, better that way.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I'm just going to put you on ignore, better that way. I don't have to listen to your tripe.

Bye and have a nice life.

 

[Berserk]

My 455 page Harvard doctoral thesis deals with this topic. There many Jewish and Christian definitions and explications of "prophet" from late antiquity. The overwhelming consensus can be expressed by this definition:

'A prophet is a figure divinely authorized to mediate the conditions of divine forgiveness and redemptive security."

For example, this definItion makes sense of tje function of prophecy in 1 Cor. 14:24:25: Redemptive security becomes possible when "outsiders" are prophetically made aware of the "The secrets of their heart" and are convicted and called to account for these. Thus, they know exactly what sins they need to repent to find redemption.
It also makes sense of the function of the 7 prophetic oracles from the risen Lord tha comprise the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation. In these letters each church is made aware of their spiritual conditions that jeopardize their redemptive security, so that they can repent: e. g. "losing their first love (2:4)," "having a reputation of being alive" when in fact they are spiritually "dead (3:1)," and "being spiritually "lukewarm (3:16)." A prophetic prediction of judgment comes with identification of specific sins that need repentance to avert this judgment. Thus, the future is not normally fixed for a prophet.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

My 455 page Harvard doctoral thesis deals with this topic. There many Jewish and Christian definitions and explications of "prophet" from late antiquity. The overwhelming consensus can be expressed by this definition:

'A prophet is a figure divinely authorized to mediate the conditions of divine forgiveness and redemptive security."

For example, this definItion makes sense of tje function of prophecy in 1 Cor. 14:24:25: Redemptive security becomes possible when "outsiders" are prophetically made aware of the "The secrets of their heart" and are convicted and called to account for these. Thus, they know exactly what sins they need to repent to find redemption.
It also makes sense of the function of the 7 prophetic oracles from the risen Lord tha comprise the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation. In these letters each church is made aware of their spiritual conditions that jeopardize their redemptive security, so that they can repent: e. g. "losing their first love (2:4)," "having a reputation of being alive" when in fact they are spiritually "dead (3:1)," and "being spiritually "lukewarm (3:16)." A prophetic prediction of judgment comes with identification of specific sins that need repentance to avert this judgment. Thus, the future is not normally fixed for a prophet.

This is a really good response by someone who has done some comprehensive academic research on the prophetic ministry.

 

[GTW27]

Bye and have a nice life.

Are we not members of the same Body. Have we not all received Him(He came to us) when He was lifted up, just as He promised. When will we all learn to humble ourselves and step aside, and let The Lord(The Holy Spirit) teach us about all things, just as He was sent to do. It is then, that we all would be of One accord. I have learned that when I humble myself and say, "I do not know', It is then that The Lord is quick to answer for He is faithful like a Father to a son. And He has many sons and daughters. Why do we seek outside ourselves, that which is within. The Kingdom of God is within us. That same Kingdom is within all who are truly born from above. Jesus has kept that promise.
"I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest". That is the sound of these boards that the outside world observes. But he who truly is the greatest is(has become) the least in The Kingdom of God.

You are my brother in Christ Jesus Oscar, as we both have received of The Lord. We are members of the same Body with Christ as The Head of The Body. All parts of The Body are needed from the least unto the greatest. We are to lift each other up and encourage one another in love until we reach the unity of The Faith.

"Bye and have a nice life" Even though he does not know me, he is my brother in Christ Jesus, as he is yours.

 

[ARBITER01]

Are we not members of the same Body. Have we not all received Him(He came to us) when He was lifted up, just as He promised. When will we all learn to humble ourselves and step aside, and let The Lord(The Holy Spirit) teach us about all things, just as He was sent to do. It is then, that we all would be of One accord. I have learned that when I humble myself and say, "I do not know', It is then that The Lord is quick to answer for He is faithful like a Father to a son. And He has many sons and daughters. Why do we seek outside ourselves, that which is within. The Kingdom of God is within us. That same Kingdom is within all who are truly born from above. Jesus has kept that promise.
"I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest". That is the sound of these boards that the outside world observes. But he who truly is the greatest is(has become) the least in The Kingdom of God.

You are my brother in Christ Jesus Oscar, as we both have received of The Lord. We are members of the same Body with Christ as The Head of The Body. All parts of The Body are needed from the least unto the greatest. We are to lift each other up and encourage one another in love until we reach the unity of The Faith.

"Bye and have a nice life" Even though he does not know me, he is my brother in Christ Jesus, as he is yours.

You need to back up and regroup there marine.

GOD has things for me to do, and at times I need to rid myself of things or people that tend to get in the way. I already know how the gifts are suppose to operate in the assembly, I already know how people are doing it wrong, so I don't need someone constantly beating down people's doors with their deceptive thoughts.

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

I'm not going to entertain keeping friends with everyone in my life, I've got things to do with GOD, and that does require me to turn away from people at times. I just tend not to sugar coat it much.

Thanks anyways.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Are we not members of the same Body. Have we not all received Him(He came to us) when He was lifted up, just as He promised. When will we all learn to humble ourselves and step aside, and let The Lord(The Holy Spirit) teach us about all things, just as He was sent to do. It is then, that we all would be of One accord. I have learned that when I humble myself and say, "I do not know', It is then that The Lord is quick to answer for He is faithful like a Father to a son. And He has many sons and daughters. Why do we seek outside ourselves, that which is within. The Kingdom of God is within us. That same Kingdom is within all who are truly born from above. Jesus has kept that promise.
"I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest, no, I am the greatest". That is the sound of these boards that the outside world observes. But he who truly is the greatest is(has become) the least in The Kingdom of God.

You are my brother in Christ Jesus Oscar, as we both have received of The Lord. We are members of the same Body with Christ as The Head of The Body. All parts of The Body are needed from the least unto the greatest. We are to lift each other up and encourage one another in love until we reach the unity of The Faith.

"Bye and have a nice life" Even though he does not know me, he is my brother in Christ Jesus, as he is yours.

The reason why I made that comment was that he said I was talking tripe and was putting me on ignore. My farewell to him was friendly not vitriolic.

 

[GTW27]

You need to back up and regroup there marine.

GOD has things for me to do, and at times I need to rid myself of things or people that tend to get in the way. I already know how the gifts are suppose to operate in the assembly, I already know how people are doing it wrong, so I don't need someone constantly beating down people's doors with their deceptive thoughts.

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

I'm not going to entertain keeping friends with everyone in my life, I've got things to do with GOD, and that does require me to turn away from people at times. I just tend not to sugar coat it much.

Thanks anyways.

Blessings in Christ Jesus.
I have a walking stick. I bought it at Walmart as I was guided to do. After a heart attack and Cancer I am led to walk this year. I have been at rest. And walk I will. And I am not the only one who will walk. 7 "I's" in so few words. Perhaps now I fit in here. These are the words written on the other board. Do you remember them? Now go up and review your response. How many "I'"s do you see? Regrouping is part of the walk, it is called repentance. In order to walk in The Spirit one must be clean, one must repent. There will be no backing up, for it is time to walk. The Lord knows what we will do, or what we will say, even before it comes to mind. I am sorry to have brought words that sidetracked this thread. Perhaps the source of the them might be considered. Be Blessed.

 

[GTW27]

The reason why I made that comment was that he said I was talking tripe and was putting me on ignore. My farewell to him was friendly not vitriolic.

Blessings in Christ Jesus! You know as well as I do I will not look up this word, "vitirolic".

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Blessings in Christ Jesus! You know as well as I do I will not look up this word, "vitirolic".

It means the same as ascerbic.

 

[Guojing]

Blessings in Christ Jesus.
I have a walking stick. I bought it at Walmart as I was guided to do. After a heart attack and Cancer I am led to walk this year. I have been at rest. And walk I will. And I am not the only one who will walk. 7 "I's" in so few words. Perhaps now I fit in here. These are the words written on the other board. Do you remember them? Now go up and review your response. How many "I'"s do you see? Regrouping is part of the walk, it is called repentance. In order to walk in The Spirit one must be clean, one must repent. There will be no backing up, for it is time to walk. The Lord knows what we will do, or what we will say, even before it comes to mind. I am sorry to have brought words that sidetracked this thread. Perhaps the source of the them might be considered. Be Blessed.

Very good observation!