Prophecy, The New Testament Gift
Picture in your mind several years of giving to your loved ones everything they need to function and survive in an hostile world. How would you feel after finding out the family you would give your life for are now held in bondage, unable to achieve their goals and accomplish their daily task for living a fulfilled life. You make your way to their place of residents and find that everything you have given them to survive and function effectively with had been carelessly thrown into an old shed, collecting dust, rusting and decaying away.
I would propose to you that God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit has gifts to empower the church of Christ, enabling her to accomplishing everything He has called her to do in a sin cursed world. Yet most of those gifts have been in a sense placed where they are not being used. Much of His church are in some kind of bondage, unable to achieve their goals and accomplish their task at making disciples for Christ.
When I graduated from high school my father made sure I had what I needed to attend and graduate from Oklahoma Farrier’s College. While attending that college the instructors handed me a book written by a master farrier. That book taught me how to properly trim and shod horses. It taught me to do corrective shoeing, which enabled lame horses to become sound so they can complete their daily task.
God has handed us a Book, the Bible. The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind. When read under the leading of the Holy Spirit we find correction for our wrong motives and thoughts, thus the spiritually lame become sound so they can achieve their daily task of living for Christ Jesus.
As I mentioned just a moment ago, the Holy Spirit has gifts for the church of Jesus Christ. Can you name them? Can you identify them as they are exercised in your church? Are you prepared to teach about them?
The high charge to the church is to have people who can “Preach the Word…” People who are able “with great patience” through “careful instruction” teach the counsel of God. A mature church is able to teach and prepare you to enjoy the Holy Spirit gift of prophecy. Those who exercise this gift are able to strengthen, encourage, and comfort others. (1 Corinthians 14:3) The person with the gift of “prophecy” (προφητεύω prophēteúō) has the ability to speak out the counsel of God with the clearness, energy, and authority which spring from the consciousness of speaking in God’s name and having received a message from Him to deliver. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament)
The people of God has been given every good gift they need to function as a unified Body of believers for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7) All we need to do is seek out those with this gift so we can gain understanding of the Lords purpose for us.
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