And God has appointed
these in the church;
first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers,
after that miracles,
then gifts of healings,
helps, administrations,
varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles?
Are all prophets?
Are all teachers?
Are all workers of miracles?
Do all have gifts of healings?
Do all speak with tongues?
Do all interpret?
but earnestly desire the best gifts.
And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1Corinthians 12:28-31
The answers to those questions listed above is: NO! This then begs the question; "why are there schools attempting to teach supernatural gifts?" I know of one school that charges upwards of $4000.00 per session, and lower amounts for smaller sessions, with about 800 students, this is somewhere in the range of $3,200,000.00 per session without the additional monies derived from the smaller sessions. Simon would be proud, they are making money selling the free gifts of the Spirit. How heretical can a person be? With the list of gifts demanding an answer Paul does not place them high on the scale of gifts for he will show them a more excellent way. This divisive practice among so-called believers must be addressed point blank using the Scriptures for the answers that are so badly needed and this is the attempt that I am hoping will bring sanity to a run amuck religiosity that is ravaging the Church.
Many Christians today speak of God giving to them some revelatory vision, or guiding, speaking to them in such manner that makes the reason for the Word of God to be not necessary. One such revelatory gift that the propound as from God is that of prophecy. A prophet is a proclaimer of a divine message, a seer, indicating that the "prophet" was a person who had immediate conversation with God (1Samuel 9:9). In the Old Testament a prophet was one upon whom the Spirit of God rested and their messages largely exclaimed divine purposes of salvation and glory to be accomplished in the future. In the New Testament the prophets prophesied by preaching divine counsels of grace already accomplished and the foretelling of the purposes of God in the future. The Greek word for prophecy is: προφητεία, and is not necessarily or even primarily, foretelling. It is the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means for it emanates from God and is the foretelling of God's will, whether with reference with the present, past, or future. It is speaking forth the mind and counsel of God. In Apostolic times there was two parts to this gift: One concerned the communication of words from God to men through the prophet and this was a supernatural gift. God did not leave this gift without instructions as to whether what a person spoke was true or false. God did this by means of others who would have the gift of discernment. New Testament Christians were to test all things but this then means that prophesy must be tested. Paul in addressing this gift of prophecy made the purpose of this gift: "But he who prophesies speaks edification an exhortation and comfort to men" (1Corinthians 14:3). As time went on the gift of prophecy was given to the local ministers who preached God's word for the edification of their parishioners. In time also, this gift no longer existed as it did in the first century and the need for predictive prophesy would cease, especially so after the letters of canon became written and copied so that believers would have the word of God that they could read and no longer have the need of verbal communication of the word of God.
God no longer needed to reveal "new truth" for there is now a Bible, and as most Bibles do have, a concordance, furthermore the canon is closed. Today many masquerade as apostles and prophets of Christ but we are warned of such people: "for if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!... For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ" (2Corinthians 11:4:13). There is a mandate that Christians examine everything and to hold on to that which is good (1Thessalonians 5:21). This means that we are to be under true teaching learning to ascertain the truth from the false, we need to be rooted in the Bible.
What about those who claim to be prophets or have the gift of prophecy? The requirement is that the test they must pass is that they be 100% correct; there is no room for error! Seek the gift that is more excellent.
Truly the signs
of an apostle
were accomplished
among you with
all perseverance, in signs
and wonders and
mighty deeds.
2Corinthians 12:12
Today, Yield, Submit To God
Richard L. Crumb
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