My daughter’s friend enters with a joke: How do two prophets greet one another?

“You are doing well. How am I?”

LOL! I think in pictures and can just imagine the two prophets giggling together when they do it.

Today prophets aren’t as common as in Old Testament times when there were more than 133 prophets. These prophets not only conveyed the Lord’s messages to the people, but also announced revelations about the future. The first known prophets were Moses and Abraham. Other well-known prophets are Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, Elia and Elisha.

Early in the New Testament we meet the prophet John the Baptist. He predicted that the Messiah was coming. Obviously, Jesus was the biggest Prophet. Every word He spoke was educational and He gave us a glimpse of God’s world.

In short, one can say that a prophet is a spokesperson of God. They are people that God calls specially to convey a message from God to people.

There are still prophets today. It is a special gift that some people receive. But it is not only them that reveal the Word of God to the world. Every Christian must proclaim the Word of God everywhere. Ministers and pastors are called to do it full time. However, it is still our responsibility to make sure that self-appointed prophets don’t deceive us:

²⁰… and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. ²¹On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. ²²Throw out anything tainted with evil.

It is so much easier to ask someone else’s opinion about a subject than to look for answers yourself. If a person’s opinion is refuted, we just point the finger at that person. It’s his truth. But the scripture helps us understand that each of us has a responsibility to make sure that the truth is really true. We cannot and may not follow anybody blindly – even if his or her church is enormous and even if they’ve written a library full of books.

How do you do it? Verse 19 has the answer: Don’t suppress the Spirit ...

Together with the Holy Spirit we will sniff out those who talk nonsense. Yes, with the help of the Holy Spirit we will find the only truth. With God’s pure Word and truth we will be able to serve the people around us and show them the path to God like the prophets of old.

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Reflection

Have you ever met a prophet?

How do you know someone is a real prophet?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in your life?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, without your Holy Spirit’s voice, I cannot distinguish between right and wrong. Thank you that You still equip people today with the gift of prophesying and that You also use it to build up believers and to equip them for their calling. Amen.