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The prophetic terrain of the Church

Upon analyzing the prophetic ambience within the Body of Christ, we note that its manifestation encompasses three areas:

1) The Spirit of Prophecy
(Revelation 19:10)

When the members of the Body of Christ gather together in His name, praising and worshipping him, then the King establishes his throne in the midst of them. It's within this environment of the presence and glory of God that “the spirit of prophecy” is manifested. In this ambience, any believer can be moved by the Holy Spirit and declare the word of the Lord (Amos 3:8).
The essence of the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, the manifestation of the person of Christ and his lordship.
It's important to mention two of the functions of the Holy Spirit that are related to the testimony of Jesus.

The Lord Jesus said about the Holy Spirit
(John 15:26).

And he also said:
(John 16:14).

The Holy Spirit is in charge of giving testimony about Jesus as the Savior, the Lord and King. When doing so, his only intention is to give Jesus all the glory. When the Spirit of God inspires a prophetic word, the attention of everyone listening is directed towards Jesus; He is seen, admired, recognized and given all the glory.

The spirit of prophecy is based on two aspects:

a) God always wanted—and still wants—to raise up a prophetic people (Numbers 11: 24-29, 1st Corinthians 15:5).
The evidence is very clear of God's desire to have a people controlled by faith who speak His words supernaturally.

b) The Holy Spirit is a prophetic spirit (Acts 2: 14-18).
When the Holy Spirit falls upon someone, his influence is seen by an abundance of prophecy in every sense. We need to note that this very passage reaffirms the divine intention that “all” prophesy, from children (Your sons and daughters) to young people, the elderly, adults and leaders (my servants).

2) The Gift of Prophecy
(1st Corinthians 12:10)

This is one of the nine manifestations or “gifts” of the Holy Spirit. The gift is not given according to the maturity of the Christian, but is rather an unmerited grace with which to bless the Church.

This gift offers a particular strength to the believer who possesses it to speak the specific world of God.

According to 1st Corinthians 14:3, the gift of prophecy is for:

a)   Edification
b)   Exhortation (to prod or encourage, counsel, warn or wake up).
c)   Consolation (comfort and encouragement).

 

This gift is an extension of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and a function of the Body of Christ.

None of the previously mentioned abilities make someone a prophet.

3) The office of the prophet
(1st Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11)

This is completely distinct from the other two areas.
The office of the prophet is an extension of Christ's ministry and a function of the head of the body of Christ.
The prophet operates in a realm of greater power and authority that those operating in the other two areas. As a result, a prophet has the grace to go beyond edification, exhortation and consolation.

His or her ministry brings revelation, direction, correction, confirmation, impartation and activation, among other things.

FOUR HEBREW TERMS TO DESIGNATE PROPHETS

1) NABI (1st Samuel 3:20)
This is the most important term. It translates to prophet and it means one who proclaims or declares a received message, a voice, herald, or announcer. It’s someone who announces a message commanded by somebody else (usually God).

2) RO’HE (1st Samuel 9:9)
Means a seer, a visionary, one who sees visions. This Hebrew word is derived from the verb RA’HA, which means to “see” and contains meanings like: perceive, appear, discern, and watch.

3) HOZHE (2nd Samuel 24:11)
Means contemplator in vision. This term is very closely related to the previous term.

4) ISH ELHOIM (1st Kings 13:1)
It translates to “man of God” and it means that the prophet is chosen and sent by God. It is the least utilized term.




THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPHETS IN THE BIBLE

1) The prophets in the Old Testament.

These prophets had the responsibility of effectuating a triple function.

a) Listening to God to receive the message through revelation.
b) Declaring the message to the people, thus communicating the Words of God.
c) Leaving the message in writing for testimony.

His triple function had to be exerted with strict and exact fidelity to the received revelation.
What is known today as the Old Testament is the divine revelation given to the prophets, to which nothing can be added or taken away (Deuteronomy 4:2).


2) Jesus:
(Mathew 21:11; Luke 13:33; John 6:14; 7:40):

He is the perfect model and the base of the sustenance for the prophetic ministry of the neo testament.


3) The prophets of the New Testament: 
(Acts 11:27; 15:32; 21:10)

They are those who worked after the completed work of Jesus (death, resurrection, and ascension) and include today’s prophets.