Speaking Out A Word From God  Photo: © Jaak Veskimäe - Adobe Stock Images

Paul On Prophecy 1 CORINTHIANS 14:1-25

Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to pursue the way of God's agape-love rather than indulging in arguments about spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophecy. But he also urges them to desire the supernatural gift of prophecy.

Biblical Prophecy: Speaking For God

Biblical prophecy = speaking out words from God to his children.It includes  -

both FORTHTELLING - words of encouragement, instruction, & rebuke
and  FORETELLING  - warning God's people of future events

The most important role of biblical prophecy is to call God's children to repent of their sins and return to God.

Old Testament Prophecy

The Old Testament prophets were men and women called by God to be his spokespersons. Their primary role was to speak God's warnings to his children about their sin - their natural tendency to wander away from the Living God, who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and given them a land flowing with milk and honey, as he had promised centuries earlier to Abraham.

Some of the prophets, like Samuel and Jeremiah, had heard God's call when they were just children or young men. (For more on the call of Samuel, Jeremiah, go to 1 SAMUEL 3 and JEREMIAH 1  and DANIEL 1.)

Others found themselves called as adults to speak God's message to kings, civil and religious leaders, and to God's chosen people Israel - for example, AMOS, ISAIAH, HOSEA and ZECHARIAH. God also used women to be his spokespersons  - for example, Miriam, Deborah, and Esther.

For more on general principles of prophecy, go to GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY