For months now I’ve been hearing that there’s a difference between prophesying and the actual office of a prophet. And while I know that there’s a place in the 5 fold ministry of prophet I hesitate to call it an actual “office” per se.
From my perspective here we have 2 groups of people Group 1 is those who underestimate the prophets role and prophecy all together and Group 2 seems to, in reaction to Group 1 overestimate it.
Understand that this is something that I personally have been struggling with in trying to have a balanced view on what the word actually teaches on this subject. But I digress.
Obviously the difference between OT prophets and NT prophets is in their function. Ot prophets dealt with the nation of Israel, NT prophets are called to the body for the body to equip the saints. But on many occasion in the NT they refer back to something an OT prophet says. That’s just a basic thing, but not why I’m here.
What I have discovered today in my studying has totally rearranged my thinking of gift of prophecy vs prophet. While I appreciate others attempts at distinguishing the 2, I think they only get part of it.
I am going to give you a partial definition of what a NT prophet is:
A) Of prophets that appeared in the apostolic age *among christians*
1) They are *associated with apostles*
2. They discern and do what is best for the christian cause foretelling certain future events (Acts 11:27)
3. In religious assemblies of christians they were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak having power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict and stimulate the hearers
No here’s the definition of “Prophesying”:
1) To prophesy, TO BE A PROPHET, to speak forth divine impartations, to predict.
a) to prophesy
b) with the idea of foretelling the future events especially pertaining to the kingdom of God
c) to utter forth, to declare a thing which can only be known by divine revelation.
d) to break forth under sudden impulse in lofty discourse or praise of the divine counsels 1) under prompting to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others
e) TO ACT as a PROPHET, DISCHARGE THE PROPHETIC OFFICE.
Now based on that last part of the definition I cannot agree wholeheartedly that there’s a difference between the office of a prophet and the gift of prophecy. A prophet prophesies. I’m not sure where we get the idea that just because you prophesy doesn’t make you a prophet.
Romans 12:4 uses the word office and the definition of that word is as follows: 1) a doing, a mode of acting, a deal, a transaction
2) a thing to be done, a business.
What does all this mean? I’m not sure yet. I’m still waiting on the Lord for that. My goal in this is to get the right picture of this because prophets do play a pivotal role in the body and there’s 2 reactions to prophets: 1st is they are dismissed as nut jobs OR they are embraced as THE BIG DEAL.
God knows we’ve had plenty of people bring shame to the title prophet by referring to themselves as prophet so and so and then going and making a complete idiot of themselves. I believe God wants to change that. God wants to re-establish the role of the prophets in the body. And while we have some VERY NOTABLE people out there who function as such, they are more at a national level. I’m talking about the local body more than anything.
PLEASE before you just take whoevers word about something, FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF what the word says!
You know I could be wrong about this too. I just know that we need to have balance. And really maybe it’s more about the ATTITUDE behind both groups that I’m having an issue with.
Anyone please feel free to voice your thoughts on this. There’s alot of people I respect and trust, and I want to hear what you have to say!
