Two Are Better Than One

“PROPHET”– proPHEtes – 148x – Strong #4396 – from #4253 – pro + pheMI (to say) 58x

Strong #4398 PROPHETESS– proPHEtis – 2x

Note: In the Greek NT there are 5 words all meaning “to say or speak”. The root word is eREo* (4076 refs. with all cognates); EIpo22x; LEgo1341x (LOgos from this)

REo27x (REma comes from it) – John Stegenga

One. Acts 3:22 (11-26) PROPHET: JESUS – FORETOLD TO MOSES & ISRAEL. “A PROPHET shall theLord God raise up unto you from your :brothers, like unto me; to him shall you hearken in all thingswhatever he shall speak unto you.” (NNT). Jesus is an EXTRAORDINARY prophet. There is none like Him – never has been – and never will be. His words and His alone are Spirit and they are Life. ONLY as we daily find in Him and drink of His Spirit do we have what the Father has designed for us. J. Hudson Taylor found that John 15:1-16 expressed this most clearly.

Two. Acts 13:1 (1-3) PROPHETS: PART OF MISSIONARY-SENDING TEAM. “Now in the church that was at Antioch were PROPHETS and teachers, both :Barnabas and Symeon :called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” This is a most significant portion of Scripture. Here we see a functioning of prophets in the Presbytery concept.

Three. 1 COR 12:28 (12-31) PROPHETS: SET TO FUNCTION IN THE CHURCH. “And :God has SET (Aorist) some in the church, first apostles, second PROPHETS, third teachers, then powers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, kinds of tongues.” We cannot emphasize this verse too much. This with Ephesians 4:11 were majored on in 1948 by George Hawtin. The fullness of understanding here has not yet been realized.

Four. 1 COR 14:37 (37-40) PROPHET: KEY CONDITION FOR FUNCTIONING. “If any thinks himself to be a PROPHET, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of what things I write you, that it is theLord’s commandment.” Prophets must saturate themselves in the full counsel of God. They need to be aware of apostolic teaching and understanding as it proceeds from one like Paul. This makes a team such as Paul and Silas – after Barnabas went another way.

Five. EPH 2:20 (11-22) PROPHETS: KEY FOUNDATION FOR CHURCH. God’s household, “being built upon the foundation of the apostles and PROPHETS, Christ Jesus himself being chief corner stone.” Here again we see the two-fold foundation for the church from the human viewpoint. From God’s vantage point however, it is JESUS who has center stage as the Chief Corner Stone.

Six. EPH 4:11 (1-16) PROPHETS: GIVEN TO EQUIP THE CHURCH. “And HE (Christ) gave (Aorist) some as apostles; and some, PROPHETS; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers.” The 1948 Northern Canada Visitation majored on this portion of Scripture through George Hawtin. Can we do less? Should we?

Seven. REV 2:20 (18-29) PROPHETESS: JEZEBEL – A FALSE ONE. “But I have against you, that you suffer the woman Jezebel, who calls herself prophetess; and she teaches and seduces my :bondmen to commit fornication, and to eat idol sacrifices."

Just as Jesus warned of false apostles in one of the 7 churches of Revelation – NOW He warns of this false prophetess in anther of these 7 churches. How could a city church such as Thyatira fall into such delusion?