Three Streams

Prophecy has fallen both into neglect and abuse within the church. I myself came to the Lord through a community of believers known as the Brethren. These Christians loved the lord, loved the bible but did not believe in the present day function of prophecy. They were influenced by the reformers, who while bringing new order to the church also stamped out a lot of the creative and prophetic aspects of Christianity.

Many Bible believing Christians fear prophecy because they know that the bible is a closed canon and fear that the present day use of prophecy is to ‘add to’ the scripture. It is true that the canon of scripture is closed. Hebrews opens with the statement that ‘In the past God spoke to our forefathers through, dreams, visions and prophets but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son’. (My paraphrase) This is true the old and new testaments together are the complete and final revelation of the Son of God. Nothing can be added to or taken away from this revelation. God has spoken and what God has spoken is what God is speaking just now.

However, there is a sense in which although God has spoken through the bible, the bible does not specificly speak to every person regarding every situation. Belief in prophecy is the belief tha GOD STILL SPEAKS. The Bible doesnt give you specific guidance but prophecy may. The bible doesnt reveal specific things that are hidden i.e sin in a church, but prophecy may. What I mean is the bible will not tell us that Mr A and Mrs F are living in adultry, but the prophetic annointing can and will and does.

The Bible may not tell us to jump on a boat to china but the prophetic ministry will. It was in worship, fasting and prayer that the Holy Spirit said ’set apart Paul and barnabas for the ministry I have ordained’. This is the prophetic annointing and it wasnt just needed for the book of Acts.

The reason that this gift needs to be embraced is that the church is called to be cutting edge. Only by moving in the prophetic will the church of Christ discern what the ‘Spirit is saying to the churces’ NOW. Every generation must discern the leading of the Spirit for their own times. The Bible itself tells us to ‘be led by the Spirit’. This goes beyond the text of scripture, but will never contradict scripture. If you think God is telling you something that contradicts the word of God you are in fact in error. Prophecy will come to its fullest maturity within a community of believers who are biblical in their theology and who desire to live out the truth.

God is not a safe God, conservative evangelicalism has tried to tame God, like C.S Lewis says’ Aslan is not a tame Lion’ neither is the lion of Judah!