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

The Importance of Prophecy

fully compare and clarify the differences between the use of prophecy in Old and New Testament times. But for now I want to emphasize that prophecy in Christian churches is part of a great, continuing biblical tradition. It would be a gargantuan task to analyze prophecy and prophets throughout Church history-certainly beyond the scope of this present effort. Examples of authentic prophecy are scattered throughout the entire Church age. But, like other spiritual gifts, prophecy has not always been an important item on the agenda of the Church. Often the reporting of the exercise of this gift was biased; thus it is difficult to evaluate. 28 Some periods of Church history are like the four hundred silent years between the Old and New Testaments when the prophetic voice in Israel appears to have been stilled. We will not take time here to compare Hebrew and Christian prophecy with that of the ancient Near Eastern religions or the Greco-Roman cul ture. This work is done very credibly elsewhere. 29 Prophecy during the post-apostolic period (A.D. 90-325) will be only referred to since it is cov ered so well by Ronald A. N. Kydd. 30 Part 5 will analyze some significant prophetic movements in modern Church history (A.D. 1830-1980), with which I have more personal acquaintance, and which supply us with valu able insights and cautions. I acknowledge regretfully that I am leaving many years in the Church age undiscussed but trust that enough will be said in the space available to establish my thesis: the reality of and need for prophecy in our day. The next chapter will open Part 2, "A Profile of the Ancient Hebrew Prophet." It seems appropriate to commence our study with the begin nings of biblical prophecy, then proceed later into the New Testament and end the book with practical suggestions for prophecy in today's churches.

REFLECTIONS

We live in a time when prophecy is becoming more and more recog nized throughout the Body of Christ. The argument that God does not speak outside of the Bible may well belong on some "endangered doctrine" list. The best I can calculate, the resurgence of biblical prophecy and the prophetic movement began around 1980 and has been picking up speed ever since. 31 C. Peter Wagner

In both the church and the world, there is a new hunger for the prophetic. This hunger stems from an increasing desire for guidance in order

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