We all know that a prophet is a man appointed and anointed by God to deliver His message. We see countless prophecies in the Old Testament. There are many prophecies and testimonies that were not added into the Old Testament due to lack of time and written resources available to humankind. God gave five books of the Old Testament to Moses (called Torah).
Prophecy is a word of God that must do three things in the lives of people living or listening to that prophecy — Comfort, Advice, and Progress. Prophecy can be repeated several times before it actually happens. My point of writing is to explain how two main servants of God affect the everyday life of Christian communities around the world.
In the book of Acts Chapter 3 and Verse 21, it tells us that Jesus’ second coming will not happen until everything is fulfilled what all his holy prophets delivered as prophecies. (Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything as he promised long ago through the prophets.) Acts 3:21
Again in Acts 3:22, “For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.” Moses is talking about Jesus. Lord Jesus holds the three major ministries of the Old Testament. He is a Prophet, King, and High Priest. In the New Testament, we see five times the ministries in Christ Jesus that the Lord gave to churches around the world.
Some church leaders will quote these references (Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, Revelation 22:18) and explain that no more prophecies can be delivered by a man of God because the Lord has told us that nothing can be added or removed from the Bible.
In the first reference, the Lord has given special instructions to Moses to take extreme care and do not add or take away anything that the Lord has instructed Him. It does not mean that the Lord will not speak to His people after the death of Moses. However, yes it is important and true that nobody is allowed to change the instructions the Lord has given to Moses.
The second reference in the book of Revelation is purely about the Book of Revelations. The prophecies delivered by John in the book of Revelation. John is warning readers and believers to never add or remove any prophecy from the book of Revelation. John does not refer to other books of the Holy Bible. It really does not mean that we can add or remove anything in other books of the Holy Bible. The point I am raising here is that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He can use anybody to deliver His words. We see in the book of Numbers, God uses a donkey to pass the message when the prophet is not listening or watching what God wants him to do. Numbers 22:21-39
If somebody claims today that he or she is a prophet and got the word of God in his or her mouth, I believe we should listen to him or her. However, in the guidance of other believers or prophets, he or she should already be appointed in churches. According to 1 Corinthians 14:29, two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. In my opinion, God’s purpose is to grow the body of Christ with prophecies and prophets must understand this basic fact.
Some church leaders believe that hearing the word of God through prophecies can be done only when church pastors or leaders are present in the church. They made this rule because of the false prophets in today’s world. This is why the Apostle John said “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world”. 1 John 4:1
I strongly believe what Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:32. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. But the Spirit of the Lord (Holy Spirit) is not subject to the control of prophets. Therefore, we let the Holy Spirit speak and do the work according to the Will of God. Because Jesus said only those will enter into the Kingdom of God who will fulfill the Will of God. Matthew 7:21
Church leaders around the world should understand that all believers must be given opportunities to grow in their relationship to the Holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy despite the scary or misuse of this gift. We can not put the restriction in churches for the use of the gift of prophecy.
Following are helpful resources for beginners to understand how you can enter into the school of prophecy:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/prophecy-for-beginners
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_453.cfm
https://timbaderonline.com/prophecy/how-to-test-a-prophetic-word-is-from-god/
