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

Makeup: Traits That Characterized a Prophet

• Judas, a prophet and faithful servant of God in the early Church (Acts 15:32), had risked his life for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 15:25-27). 2. Committed, Obedient, Humble. Edersheim observes, "For the fun damental idea, the very law, of prophetism was absolute, unquestioning obedience to the command of God....It explains how sometimes exceed ing strange things were given them to do in public, so that in the absolute ness of their obedience they might exhibit the absoluteness of God's authority." 25 • Jahaziel, one of the singing priest-prophets, obediently brought an astounding-seemingly impossible-word to Jehoshaphat and Judah when they faced annihilation by hostile armies (2 Chronicles 20:14-17). • Isaiah and his wife gave strange names to their children by divine direction, thereby predicting the future, even though the names were humiliating to use (Isaiah 7:3; 8:3, 18). • Ezekiel was commanded to show no personal grief over the upcom ing death of his wife (Ezekiel 24:16-18). 3. Holy, Prayerful, Compassionate. Prayer allowed God to work mar velous things in the prophets' natures. They knew the impossibility of their tasks without His help.They felt the feelings of God, so we find pas sionate, spontaneous prayers scattered throughout the prophetic books (Jeremiah 18:19-23; Daniel 2:19-23; Jonah 2:1-9; Habakkuk 3:1-2). Ezekiel and others fulfilled the role of intercessors as they responded to the burning call of God: "I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it" (Ezekiel 22:30). • Hannah's remarkable prophetic ode of thanksgiving poured from a humble, thankful heart (1 Samuel 2:1-10). • Joseph saw the fulfillment of his prophetic dreams, yet humbly received his family back again (Genesis 45). • Moses remained humble and dependent on God as hostile leaders sought to take over his leadership; and also when his own brother and sister rebelled against him (Numbers 12:1-2; 16:1-3). Prayer was his first recourse in every circumstance. • Daniel defied the king's decree, continuing his daily custom of bow ing in prayer three times a day (Daniel 6:10).

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