Jesus Revealed in Doctrine THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. Eph. 4:11.
There were some longtime Seventh-day Adventists who were taking a trip with some new converts to their church. One of their stops was in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they toured the temple square and other points of interest. The new converts said, "We're glad that the Seventh-day Adventist Church doesn't have any of this prophet business." The Seventh-day Adventist friends sort of went hot and cold, and tried to think what to reply. Obviously, these new converts had been rushed into the church without sufficient preparation.
Not only does the gift of prophecy and prophets have something to do with God's church, but this gift has had something to do with God's people in all ages. According to God's plan, the gift of prophecy is scheduled to be in His church to the very end of time.
If you don't believe in the gift of prophecy, you don't believe in the Bible. And if you're having trouble with the gift of prophecy in the church, you're also having trouble with Scripture.
Most of us would deny ever seeing a real live prophet. But perhaps you have tried to imagine what it would have been like several years ago to have seen a prophet in person. And yet this is God's purpose in the church. Not only was it His purpose in regard to the Ephesians in the days of Paul, but you notice that in this passage, it is for the perfecting of the saints till we all come in the unity of the faith. Have we reached that yet? Has the Christian church today come to that place? Not yet!
Some people look back on the gift of prophecy and say that it was sent for the purpose of helping immature, naïve people grow up. And once the church comes of age and matures, it no longer needs the gift. I don't believe it. It was given till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine. We have not arrived. We have not reached the full stature yet. The gift of prophecy is still meaningful for us today.
And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. Eph. 4:11.
There were some longtime Seventh-day Adventists who were taking a trip with some new converts to their church. One of their stops was in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they toured the temple square and other points of interest. The new converts said, "We're glad that the Seventh-day Adventist Church doesn't have any of this prophet business." The Seventh-day Adventist friends sort of went hot and cold, and tried to think what to reply. Obviously, these new converts had been rushed into the church without sufficient preparation.
Not only does the gift of prophecy and prophets have something to do with God's church, but this gift has had something to do with God's people in all ages. According to God's plan, the gift of prophecy is scheduled to be in His church to the very end of time.
If you don't believe in the gift of prophecy, you don't believe in the Bible. And if you're having trouble with the gift of prophecy in the church, you're also having trouble with Scripture.
Most of us would deny ever seeing a real live prophet. But perhaps you have tried to imagine what it would have been like several years ago to have seen a prophet in person. And yet this is God's purpose in the church. Not only was it His purpose in regard to the Ephesians in the days of Paul, but you notice that in this passage, it is for the perfecting of the saints till we all come in the unity of the faith. Have we reached that yet? Has the Christian church today come to that place? Not yet!
Some people look back on the gift of prophecy and say that it was sent for the purpose of helping immature, naïve people grow up. And once the church comes of age and matures, it no longer needs the gift. I don't believe it. It was given till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine. We have not arrived. We have not reached the full stature yet. The gift of prophecy is still meaningful for us today.
RSS Feed
