The Gift of Prophecy
Acts 15:32 - And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
The Context
The context of Acts Chapter 15 is the Church leadership in Jerusalem – along with Paul, Barnabas, and others – dealing with whether or not Gentiles needed to follow the Mosaic Law in order to be saved.
The obvious answer was (and is) no, and when the Gentile believers heard this ruling read in a letter, they rejoiced. The letter was read to the Gentile believers in Antioch by Paul, Barnabas, Judas (not the one who betrayed Jesus), and Silas. These last two were referred to as prophets.
The Responsibility of the Prophet
What do you think when you hear the word prophet?
Various images may come to mind: Elijah on Mount Carmel challenging the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18; John the Baptist rebuking the religious leaders; and Isaiah writing his prophecy in the Old Testament.
Perhaps you think of a bold individual who won't compromise? Maybe you think of the tender-hearted Jeremiah weeping over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., recorded in Lamentations 3.
Various images come to mind, but what did prophets actually do?
Some think they always told about the future. While some gave prophecies about the future, their main calling was to exhort and strengthen God's people! They were called to challenge, encourage, bring strength, and call the Jewish people back to the Mosaic Covenant in the Old Testament and exhort Christians in the New. While at times they foretold the future, they forthtold or proclaimed God's word! This was the main function of a prophet.
What Prophecy Is Not
So many people today believe someone is a prophet because they allegedly speak in one state, and some woman with a sore throat is being healed in another. This is not the gift of prophecy!
In fact, this is a farce. An individual exploiting those who are ignorant of Scripture commits the sin of heresy. Too many true believers today fall for these lies because they don't know God's Word.
In 1 Corinthians 14:3, the apostle Paul tells us that the purpose of the gift of prophecy is to [speak] unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. This echoes our introductory verse from Acts.
Misconceptions
Too often, believers develop the impression that all people with the gift of prophecy are bold, abrasive, arrogant, unloving, don't care what others think, and come across as prideful. Some with the gift of prophecy may have all or some of these characteristics, but it's important to remember that this is one of the spiritual gifts – used for the building up of the Church – and has little to do with personality.
Some believers with the gift of prophecy may be bold and others may take them as abrasive or overbearing. Many others, however, are calm and collected, but when a Biblical issue arises, this person spiritually gifted by God speaks His Word to direct believers back to God and to those things which are truly important.
Doing the Work of a Prophet
Not having the gift of prophecy doesn't mean you too shouldn't live and point people back to Scripture.
Every Christian should be willing, equipped, and love God and others enough to speak the truth in love, exhort (challenge and encourage), and comfort other believers. Where else do we find true comfort but in God and His word? How else does God confront our sins, push us out of our comfort zone, and encourage us to persevere aside from the hope we have in Christ?
No matter who you are and whether or not you have the gift of prophecy, always be ready and willing to lovingly and boldly proclaim God's Word – just as the prophets of the Bible did!
Michael Weis is a pastor, video operator, editor, and social media manager at Zion's Hope.