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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Episode 5 :: Question 4 on the Function of the Prophetic Ministry Today

3:29 AM | Posted by St. Burnish | Edit Post
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Question 4 - Nthabiseng (South Africa): When a prophetic word is spoken about me by a Prophet, how do I know for sure that it is true and a real prophecy from God?

Answer 4: Well, first and foremost you’ve got to understand that in the New Testament, we are not led by Prophets; we are led by the Holy Spirit. That’s what the bible says. In the Old Testament, they were led by prophets, but in the New Testament we are not led by prophets. Why? Simple! In the Old Testament, there were only three offices that were anointed by the Holy Spirit: the king’s office, the High Priest’s office, and the Prophet’s office. Now, the King  was anointed with political power to run the business of state; the Priest was anointed to minister unto God in Heavenly things and to intercede on behalf of the people; the Prophet was anointed with the Holy Spirit to give guidance, to give the word, to give guidance to God’s people. Outside of these three offices, nobody else was anointed with the Holy Spirit. Now, you’ve got to understand that, prior to this time [back in the Old Testament] when they were preparing, when the lord gave instructions for the tabernacle to be constructed and for the garments of the priests [the High Priest] to be made, he had to anoint certain men to get the job done. Now, that was a special occasion. After that, he really didn’t do that. Now, even thought the bible does tell us that Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit, he wasn’t talking about the anointing into an office. This was different. So, you understand that, in the Old Testament, only the office of the king, the priest and the prophet had the Holy Spirit [the anointing of the Holy Spirit], and so everybody had to listen to the guidance of the prophets.

Now, in the New Testament, he fulfilled what he prophesied back in the Old Testament. He said “in the last days saith God.” This was the prophet Joel. He said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon my servants and upon my handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit [And they shall prophesy].” [Joel 2:28-29]. Meaning, that he would release His Spirit upon his children in the New Testament days and that every one of them will have the word of God, and they will prophesy. And, then again he said, they will not need to be told, ‘lo here’ or ‘lo there’; they will not need that kind of guidance, because the Holy Spirit will put the word of God in their hearts. That’s what we have today. Does that rule out the office of the prophet? Emphatically no! The office of the prophet is still very important. In fact, the office of the prophet is just one of the several offices that we still have in the New Testament today. The difference is the New Testament prophet doesn’t give you the original and only guidance. What happens is, he brings guidance to you that is in conformity with the scriptures or with the guidance that the Holy Spirit is giving to you. He may have it before you even know yours or he may have it to confirm what you already have. Whichever the case, you are going to know. Now, if you have doubts as to what the prophet says to you, you don’t have to follow it.

And, here is another thing that’s very important. The children of God in the New Testament are placed under pastoral ministries. Now, understand this, sometimes a pastor can have several offices. A pastor can be a teacher, a prophet , an apostle; the same pastor can have several offices. Remember the book of Acts chapter 13, the bible says there were certain prophets and teachers because the prophetic office comes first; so, there were certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and several other men [you know] with complex names. Let me read them to you and you get an understanding of how this functions today. In the New Testament, it says in Acts chapter 13, verse 1: “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch;…and Saul.” So, Saul - this is talking about Paul, the Apostle, which means he was both a prophet and a teacher. Later on, he became an apostle; so he was an apostle, a prophet and a teacher. And, of course if we study further, we may find that he actually had some more offices. So, it is possible for the pastor to have more than one office. So, I’m not saying that if you are under a pastor, definitely he is not a prophet, or that if it’s a prophet, he is not a pastor. No, he could have several offices. 


But, the point is this: children of God today are placed under the pastoral ministry, because the local church is the ground and pillar of truth. The local church is where the children of God are nurtured. You are nurtured through the word. You grow up with the word, you learn the word, [and] you become grounded in the word. When you are that grounded, no matter the guidance or instruction that a prophet gives, you will have the word of God in you to determine whether or not this is right. And plus that, you will also know through the Holy Spirit how to bear witness [whether that thing bears witness within you]. So, you take that seriously. So, prophets are important, but they are not the sole guide in the New Testament. You‘ve got to have your own conscience of the Spirit leading you through the power of the Word of God.


Watch the full episode 5 [June 23, 2009] video here!
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