It's an election year. Predictions and emotions abound in terms of what November's outcome will be. Although a plethora of predictive prophetic messages can be found regarding the election, such messages don’t interest me much. Here are three reasons why: The main purpose of the gift of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort Christians as they face trials and difficulties together (1 Cor. 14:3). The main job description of a prophet is to equip followers of Jesus for ministry and help them unite and mature (Eph. 4:11). Predictions of the future are not a main theme Continue Reading
What Does “Prophet” Mean in the New Testament? – Part 1
Many people claim to be prophets these days, yet misuse and abuse of this title abounds. What does the Bible say about those called to this responsibility? Paul encourages the entire congregation at Corinth to prophesy (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1-3,5, 39). In his exhortation to evaluate prophesies in 1 Cor. 14:29, “prophets” seems to mean anyone who has received a revelation and has prophesied, or who can prophesy.[i] While all may prophesy, Paul seemed to make a distinction between people who regularly demonstrated an ability to accurately prophesy and others who simply prophesied Continue Reading
What Did Paul Mean by “Word of Knowledge?”
In most books about the gift of prophecy, you’ll run across the term “word of knowledge,” followed by stories of people receiving detailed information from the Holy Spirit they would not have otherwise known. But what did Paul mean by this term? In 1 Corinthians 12:8, Paul lists “word of wisdom” and “word of knowledge” among the spiritual gifts distributed by the Spirit. He neither defines the terms nor uses them elsewhere, and may have coined them spontaneously.[i] Modern Pentecostals and Charismatics have understood these terms to mean divinely revealed insight into the how and Continue Reading
What Shall We Make of Paul’s Teachings on Head Coverings? (Part 1)
Did you know only a handful of Scripture passages can be used to argue against the full inclusion of women in ministry leadership—and all of them are disputed by scholars? The first one we’ll examine is a mysterious passage about head coverings. Some Christians believe 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 affirms male headship as grounded in the created order rather than a changeable principle dependent on circumstance.[i] They believe it teaches male headship and women’s subordination as a timeless principle.[ii] They think Paul wanted women who prayed and prophesied publicly to dress in a manner Continue Reading