Prophetic Ministries, Prophecy And The Difference

By Larry Cook


When it comes to Church and God, there are many different viewpoints. A rather new viewpoint is that of prophetic ministries. For, there are a number of Charismatic churches which now rely on prophecy to be the guiding light of the church.

Individuals believing in this form of ministry believe that the apostles and prophets have been restored and now work for the church. While best known as fundamentalists or charismatics, the five-fold ministry also holds beliefs in line with that of the prophetic Christian faith.

While prophecy is most populous in the Old Testament, there are references to prophecies and prophets in the New Testament. The most well known of which is the story of David and Bathsheba. In this story, the Prophet Nathan goes to King David to report that God is unhappy with the sin going on between the King and Bathsheba. After which, Nathan suggests that if King David ceases such behavior, the King can still make it to a heavenly home.

In those times the calling of a prophet meant to call upon one whom could speak for God. In the process, prophets would rebuke, give guidance and teach when and where necessary. After which, the prophets would teach others how to do the same in different lands in the future.

While there are prophecies and prophets in the New Testament, the text often referred to people whom were prophets. The intention behind these teachings was to teach prophets how to build up the church by relaying messages from God. As such, the idea of prophecy in Biblical times was a present-tense idea rather than one of foretelling the future. While the church believes the Bible is the word of God, it is also seen as a form of history and storytelling rather than one of prophecy.

There are churches which believe in prophecy as it relates to receiving messages from God. While this is the case, most often those attending prophetic congregations believe God speaks though the Bible and the Bible alone. Whereas, these teachings are taught in a literal manner without room for revision. As such, individuals attending this church are often more conservative in all areas of life than others.

Those involved in this ministry believe the New Testament was completed to validate the existence of the apostles. While believing the Bible is sufficient teaching in order to follow the word of God, there are many whom question the absence of miracles in the later chapters. In fact, the church even believe that adding-on to the Word of God is a sin. While this is the case, there are texts which are as old, if not older than the Bible which offer a great deal of information related to the birth, death, life and love of Christ.

While the prophetic church follows Christian beliefs, it appears that there are specific books and aspects of the Bible which are overlooked by the church. For example, the church does not seem to believe in miracles while the Bible clearly suggests that many miracles were performed by Jesus. As such, it is important when attending any church to understand the foundation and beliefs of the church before becoming a member.




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