Matthew 4:4 (ESV): But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Sometimes people have confusion regarding the role of prophecy in the local church. Some have even assumed that because we have the written Word of God, there is no need for prophecy in the church at all.

I certainly do not agree with this line of thinking and I hope you do not either.

I want to offer a few thoughts to help separate the two roles of prophecy in God’s program.

It might be easier to see that God’s program for pursuing people that He loves is the same in the Old and New Testament but the way that He pursues people is different. The system by which He cares for people through authority and structure varies from old to new.

In the Old Testament, God established the prophet, priest and king roles to carry out His desires for the people of Israel. In the New Testament the king does not exist in God’s system, because Jesus fulfills this role. Along with that, the prophet and priest are very different in the scope of work that they do. Let’s take a look at the difference between the prophet in the Old and New Testament.      

First, we have the Old Testament Prophet that operated as the voice of God. The Prophet’s role was to point the people back to the law.

The law was an external set of commandments given to the people of Israel to direct their lives according to the desires of God. The law was given through prophetic utterances that happened as God spoke to a man and that man then spoke to the people and told them what God said.

There were very stringent and costly consequences for misrepresenting God to the people He desired to speak to and lead. Notice the stern requirement given by God.

Deuteronomy 18:20 (ESV): But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

There was a direct vocal conversation from God to the prophet and the prophet to the individual, family, region, or nation.

Old Testament Prophets were designated by the Lord, He chose them and set them apart for a work. Notice in this next passage how Isaiah was chosen and sent with a Word from God.

Isaiah 6:8–9 (ESV): And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people…”

Prophets were raised for specific purposes and at pivotal specific times to pronounce blessing, judgment, restoration and direction for God’s people. Or, the prophets of the Old Testament at times pronounced some form of judgment or consolation for nations that interacted in some way with God’s chosen people.  

Prophets in the Old Testament heard the voice of God and God told them what to say to others. And they were held accountable to the specific words that God spoke to them. The scriptures that we have today are in many cases, those words that God spoke and then repeated by the Prophet. They are inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Because of who God is and the authority that He has, every word He speaks, no matter who speaks it for Him, is authoritative. No matter when the time of speaking, if God speaks those specific words to a person, then it is scripture because it is God speaking. It can’t help but be scripture, because it is God speaking. God hasn’t chosen certain of His words to be scripture and some words not scripture. Everything that God has spoken to man is authoritative. If God opens His mouth to speak, it is scripture.

This is why we are to listen to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Never have we heard of God saying, “Yeah, don’t put that in there.” Or, “Oh boy…leave that out too.” Because God is God, everything that proceeds from the mouth of God is authoritative and it is life to us.

This is why I want to point to something that Paul said for us to understand clearly. This will remove confusion and help all of us move into maturity. The body of Christ needs maturity so badly.

1 Corinthians 14:29 (ESV): Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.

Can you imagine if an Old Testament Prophet, let’s say Nathan, stands before king David and tells him that he is the one who murdered Uriah and slept with Bathsheba and then turns to someone and asks, “Does anyone bear witness to this word?” That’s absurd.

Why is there no one in the Old Testament bearing witness or weighing the words the way that we are instructed by the Holy Spirit today? The answer is the life of the Prophet in the Old Testament bore witness to their authenticity. If the Prophet is inaccurate, the Prophet dies. This is not the case in the New Testament. In the New Testament others around those who prophesy weigh what is said.

This alone should cause us to wonder about the words that are being spoken today. Are they authoritative as the words spoken by the Prophets in the Old Testament? The conclusion I have come to is…no. When I prophesy, I am not revealing new scripture and what I say is not authoritative, nor will I die if I am wrong.

Logically, let’s look at this, If God gives me a word for someone – if it is God’s Word spoken into me not from the Bible, spoken into me – in other words – I heard with my ears God saying words, then it is authoritative.  

I want to suggest to you that God doesn’t do that. If God speaks it, it can never not be authoritative.

You ask what about Jesus? Did every word from Jesus get recorded and thereby become scripture? No.

First, Jesus did many things that are not included in what we follow today as the authoritative Word of God.

John 21:25 (ESV): Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

How is this possible if Jesus is God? Wouldn’t everything He said be recorded as Scripture? No.

Philippians 2:5–7 (ESV): Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus laid down this aspect of His being and took human form to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That is why some of what He said is revealed to us and some of it is not.

I believe wholeheartedly in the gift of prophecy in the New Testament. However, when we on purpose or inadvertently attempt to put the old chains of the Old Testament on the gift of prophecy, we are treading on thin ice.

Lean in people! Let’s learn about the gift of prophecy, what it is and what it isn’t. Because, it is vital to our functionality as believers today. So-much-so, that Paul says this…

1 Corinthians 14:5 (ESV): Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.

What an encouragement to all of us to understand what Paul is saying, not simply the significance of prophecy, but even more basic, what it is!?

Lord, thank You for the dimensions of Jesus shared with the church. We are the body of Christ. Father we operate the way that Jesus did. Thank You for this wonderful gift, to be able to serve You. Thank You not only for saving us through Jesus, but also, allowing us to carry on the work He did through the five-fold dimension of Christ. Please continue to equip us to understand. Thank You Lord.

Blessings,

Pastor D