Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Insights from Modern Church History (A.O. 1830-1980)

cf.also the gift of discerning of spirits, 1Cor. 12:10 ).One such test is whether or not it exalts Christ ( 1Cor. 12:3). Vol.II, p. 337

Commission on Doctrine and Current Affairs, Dutch Refonned Church (Republic of South Africa), 1978 We do not know precisely what constituted prophecy in the early church, but it would not be correct to equate it with preaching or the exegesis of scripture by ordinary ministers of the word in the assembly, for there is a too distinct differentiation between prophets and teachers in the New Tes tament (cp.Acts 13:1; 1Cor. 12:19; Eph. 4:11)....The prophets spoke primarily on the grounds of specific revelations which they received from the Holy Spirit (cp. 1Cor. 14:30, etc.). Vol.II, p. 413 There is still some debate on the charismatic renewal, but the move ment must be acknowledged as of major significance. It is presently found in all the continents of the world and in virtually every denomination, Roman Catholic as well as Protestant. To many it has been a breath of heavenly air, to others a major frustration. All the evidence points to charismatic renewal as not just a prayer or evangelistic movement but an authentic gracing of the Church for renewal in all its dimensions. Perhaps its most notable (and controversial) empha sis is the restoration of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)-vital ele ments of Christian life relatively unknown since the early days of Chris tianity. One of those gifts is prophecy, the concern of this book. The quotations used above are not meant to imply that all denomina tions are open to prophetic activity, but that there is serious concern in many circles to consider the possibilities of prophecy for the contempo rary Church. We can safely say there is now a high expectation for this gift to function in our local churches.9 Conclusion

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There was some concern that the charismatic renewal represented an overblown pneumatology, attributing an exaggerated role to the Spirit and • 308