resurrection of Jesus Christ we now have access to the presence of God. The gift of the Holy
Spirit has been given and, as you previously learned, one of His purposes is guidance:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Romans 8:14)It is no longer necessary to go to a prophet to receive spiritual guidance. This is one of the
functions of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Each believer should learn how to be led
by God's Spirit. The New Testament gives no record of believers seeking guidance from
prophets after the gift of the Holy Spirit was given.
But God still uses this gift to confirm guidance He has already given to a believer through the
Holy Spirit. This is what happened in the case of Agabus and Paul. Paul already knew he was to
go to Jerusalem. The prophecy of Agabus revealed what would happen to him there. It was not a
prophecy of guidance telling Paul whether or not to go to Jerusalem.
The words spoken by a prophet under divine inspiration are called prophecies. To prophesy
means to declare openly words from God that exhort, edify, and comfort:
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation,
and comfort. (I Corinthians 14:3)Prophecy ministers not only to believers through edification but also to the unsaved. Prophecy
can convict unbelievers and cause them to turn to the Lord:
But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one
unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on
his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. (I
Corinthians 14:24-25)One of the purposes of a prophet is to bring people to repentance:
Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they
testified against them; but they would not give ear.
(II Chronicles 24:19)The Bible refers to prophecy as a great gift and more to be desired than the gift of tongues:
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may
prophesy.