New Testament Prophets

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome back to the Tree.
Over the past week, we have examined prophets, their humanity, their messages, and the danger of false prophecy. We have asked whether people can speak in God's name while telling others what they want to hear.

Today, we move into the New Testament. But I want us to begin with a question that may be more uncomfortable than it first appears.
What if we have spent so much time defending the gift of prophecy that we have not spent enough time examining what God intended the gift to accomplish?
Think about that.

We know the names. We know the stories. We know the doctrines associated with prophecy. In our church, the subject carries particular significance. But familiarity with a teaching is not necessarily the same as understanding it.
So let us put our denominational assumptions aside for a moment—not to abandon them, but to examine them against Scripture.

The New Testament presents us with an interesting picture. Prophets appear in the early church, but they do not all perform the same tasks. Some bring messages to particular congregations. Some warn of coming difficulties. Some strengthen and encourage believers. Paul teaches that spiritual gifts differ, yet the same Spirit gives them.
That raises questions worth exploring.

• Was a prophet primarily someone who predicted the future, or someone through whom God addressed the needs of His people?
• Were prophets and apostles interchangeable?
• Why does Paul place prophecy among the gifts given to the church?
• If the Holy Spirit is the source of the gift, what should happen when someone claiming that gift speaks a message we find uncomfortable, or one that challenges what we have always believed?
• Can a church correctly teach that the gift of prophecy exists and still misunderstand how that gift is meant to function?

These are not questions intended to weaken our faith. They are questions intended to move our faith beyond familiarity and into understanding.

Our memory text reminds us that there are different gifts, ministries, and activities, but the same God works through them all. The emphasis is not simply on the existence of spiritual gifts. It is on their divine source and their place in God's work.

This week, we will examine the New Testament evidence. We will meet the people who functioned as prophets, consider what they actually did, explore their relationship to the apostles, and confront the danger of false prophets.

But let us agree on one thing before we begin: We must not decide what the Bible says before we have allowed ourselves to hear what it says.

Welcome to our new lesson, New Testament Prophets.