Prophets and Teachers: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 Remember in first Corinthians 12:28 God set some in the church and then he ranks him in order the most important was the apostle which we covered last week last session second and order is prophets now this is the office of prophet this is not prophesy of edification exhortation and comfort or placing in or confirming your place in the body of Christ this is the office of a prophet all right this is the real deal and then third in rank is teachers then he goes on to say or all apostle are all prophets are all teachers of course not the church is lacking to a body the human body we wouldn’t be worth five cents if we were all eyes we were just eyes. We couldn’t walk around we couldn’t talk we can’t do anything and if we were all tongue we couldn’t see anything which a lot of us are you know a good at that tongue thing.

▶ 1:05 And so we need every part of a body and that’s why he says God sets in the church if he wants you to be the little toe on the foot that’s who you got to be. Okay and if you are where God wants you to be you’re as great in the eyes of God as any apostle because no one can be any higher than God enables them to be. How they’re so don’t ever feel jealous and I or think that somebody’s greater than you in God’s eyes when God is doing the thing he’s the great one we also reminded you that in Matthew 23:34 and Luke 11:49. That Jesus said I will send to you apostles prophets wise men and scribes I will send these okay that’s his promise.

▶ 2:09 In second Thessalonians 2 3 talking about the second return of Christ it says that day will not come except there is a falling away first we lost the apostle we lost the teacher we lost the prophet we lost everything we lost faith we lost repentance in the dark ages the church was horribly corrupt the catholic church was a joke they were the main church and in a we had just lost sight of everything truth was lost okay you didn’t have to repent anymore you just paid the catholic church and you’d automatically go to heaven live any way you want and so there was a falling away and it’s already happened I trust you’re not believing these people that say there’s going to be another falling away I don’t think we need any more than one how about you we don’t we’ll go through that again we want to learn our lesson and go on and that seems to be what’s in God’s plan when you go to the Bible he says in Acts 3:20 through 21 that he will send Jesus Christ whom the heavens must retain.

▶ 3:29 Until the times a restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since the world began Adam was the first prophet ok John the revelator was the last one. And he says he’s going to restore why is he going to restore because it was a falling away we lost it’s like an old car you know left out in the weather without any maintenance in maintaining it and keeping it repaired it just rust and rots away the tires fall off and you know the motor gets its contaminated and everything else and it’s worthless so people that like old cars they go get them and they restore them they get them back to their original condition and that’s what God is saying here there is going to be a falling away but I am going to restore the church back to the original condition.

▶ 4:28 Alleluia in that powerful yeah. So. Identifying the office of a prophet all right there are four things to identify the office of the prophet this is what a prophet does he makes a prediction prediction number one that something is going to happen that mankind has no. Capability of doing all right he’s going to give a sign that this prophecy is true all right like Hezekiah Hezekiah was going to die he had a disease he’s going to die from the prophet was sent by God to go tell Hezekiah I’m going to heal you and I’m going to give you 15 more years and as a sign that I’m going to do this I’m going to move the sundial back 20 degrees forty minutes I’m going to move the sundial back 40 minute and of.

▶ 5:32 Course our great scientists just say that’s impossible. It would this it would mess up the whole system the earth would have to stop the earth would have to go backwards and all this stuff just can’t be well you’re talking about a supernatural God here folks he does things that we can can’t even ask or think about in there right so if you ever feel like you’re short on prayer just feel comfort in the fact that you pray all right because that’s what he’s looking for just a simple respond and then they have a message always have a message the message I have an asterisk up there because this is the real proof of a prophet it’s not the signs it’s not the prediction it is the message has to line up with the Bible and then the prophecy will be fulfilled an example of this is in Deuteronomy 18:22.

▶ 6:40 When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord if the thing the prediction does not happen fulfill here it’s not happening. That is the thing which the Lord has not spoken that prophet has spoken at presumptuously arrogantly conceitedly by his own means by his own power and you are not to be afraid of that prophet you’re not to respect him don’t even pay any attention to him in Deuteronomy 13:1 if a prophet or dreamer of dreams okay here’s the prediction. Gives you a sign is it and in a supernatural event that’s going to prove this prediction is going to come to pass and that sign or wonder actually comes to pass the sign really happened.

▶ 7:35 Number three the message his message is let’s go after other gods let’s serve them. Okay I don’t care if the sign comes a pass or not if the message is wrong the prophet is wrong oh. Yeah and we get wrapped up in signs so easy. But the message is that is the one that proves it don’t listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer God is testing you to know if you want [unclear]. What’s the more excellent way love. How are we going to get these ministries these offices apostle prophet evangelist pastor teacher and all that back how are we going to do it love the church has got to grow up and we got to pursue love and obtain love and then the gifts of the spirit and the offices of the ministry will be an automatic thing.

▶ 8:44 But we’re trying to get big numbers and we’re trying to use psychology in the church today and and and get along with everybody and all the rest if a parent really loves their child will they discipline them yeah they’re not going to get along with them. They’re going to tell them this is the way you got to live this is the this is character than putting in you if he cries do we give in no. But the American church is people that don’t like God’s plan the church is trying to accommodate them and we can. Love the Bible says in Proverbs will discipline their child many times why because they love the child and they want that child to have character and so does God and God disciplines us also.

▶ 9:46 This faith camp is totally eccentric and way out of kilter all right love is the more excellent way and God wants to know if your highest priority is to love him all right and message is the proof not the signs that makes sense now. Folks I learned a lot of this by encountering a lot of false teaching and false ministers and I had to do a lot of digging in the word to sift through this stuff because there just wasn’t a lot of teaching on it back then when I got saved but luckily I did get filled with the Holy Ghost which guides you into all truth all right and he would not let me have any peace until I would find the truth I would be up late at night who’s studying and reading this word and whatever.

▶ 10:51 Matthew 24:24 there shall arise false Christs. False prophets and shall show great signs and wonders in so much and if it were possible if it were what. Possible they would deceive the very elect the chosen are we chosen by Christ yeah the elect is not some supersonic level it just means chosen you’ve been selected and a the Christ died for the whole world yes and when we respond he chooses us and we think we came to Christ but it was him bringing us to him all right we just responded so it’s not possible that the elect the chosen the people that really serve God can be fooled by signs and wonders it’s not possible so I don’t have to worry about this now I admit and my young christianity I went through some difficult times trying to figure this out all right.

▶ 12:01 Let me elaborate again remember I told you God started the 4th awakening right around 1948 and out of that stream came some miracles folks and I saw some real miracles okay. There were a few people that could do them and then I saw the juniors come in wanting to imitate what God was doing through. Some real people he said into the body all right and then I saw the mess and then I saw that even those who had it God drew back. He stopped doing miracles on a large scale we still would have a couple of year in the church you know he still would do some miraculous things a couple of times but that means ninety-eight.

▶ 13:02 Percent of our prayers were not answered when it comes to physical healing. And that was a fact and you can’t hide that fact you have to accept it but these guys they could. In a group effort a group ministry a lot of miracles going I mean eyes open and I mean obviously visible things happening. Now the evangelicals I told you came out of this movement. Most of you don’t even know what an evangelical is you think it’s a political group in the republican party. You know they call me a evangelical if I’m a republican and I’m an embarrassed republican after that Thursday night debate geez what do they take me for they think I’m a juvenile I don’t can’t think for myself for that’s the four best people we got in America out of 200 million people that would qualify that’s the best cheese.

▶ 14:13 Anyway that’s another story. In the 50s America. Put the under God we trust on the money and one nation under God because of this great awakening okay beef during this time let me just give you I grew up here okay. In the church world. Black Americans were not even accepted in a lot of a white American churches. President Carter went to one of those judges. Are you out there.

▶ 15:07 Folks that violates the very basic part of love. So when God was moving in an awakening a white church would have their revival service over here and the black church would have their revival service over there no. That doesn’t sound like a very good revival. So the evangelicals when God moved they said hey we’re getting rid of segregation in the church and in society and that’s where Billy Graham came out of it and he allowed any church in his services and any race in his services and the fundamentalist still stuck to the guns that no you can associate with people that disagree with you and so the fundamentalist went on ahead bullheaded.

▶ 16:04 Evangelicals accepted and the latter rain folks again they taught about the unity of their body in the unity of people and we got to integrate everybody is equal in the man-woman you know there’s no there’s no separation in the church and that’s what the Bible says in Christ Jesus there’s neither male nor female bond or free rich nor poor in Christ Jesus he just selects who he wants to select to do what he wants to do and he accepts everybody that comes because God is breaking stupidity all right then the 60s come along and the God is dead movement started the Beatles come along and they we said they were more famous than Jesus Christ with a bunch of baloney. You know musicians they really think they’re hot stuff because they got music talent and they think they got a voice so does hollywood because they got an acting talent they think they got a voice and they think they can think.

▶ 17:05 But the Bible says the fool says in his heart there is no God when you say there’s no God the Bible calls you very foolish no matter what kind of natural skill you had I’m just talking from the cuff now yeah because America looks for idols to worship and musicians and athletes and actors become those idols we wear clothes like and we do our hair like them and every else and we believe what they say so God to counteract that poured out his spirit on the episcopalians the catholics of Presbyterians, Lutherans he just came to the denominational church poured out his Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues just like back in Azusa Street with the pentecostals and they called them self charismatic I asked my Bible study last week haven’t even know the difference between a pentecostal and charismatic and everybody just looked at me it’s the name that’s all it’s just the charismatic the people in the sixth it did not want to identify with the the rejected church the pentecostals who made all these boo-boos we did I got saved in pentecostal churches we made a lot of errors and the.

▶ 18:29 Charismatic we’re making the same ones but because its charismatic it’s okay. Anyway. In the 70s God put that awakened into another stage and begin to save the Jesus people the hippies okay and is when I started into the ministry’s when the hippies started coming up I started in the ministry okay they didn’t wash their clothes and [unclear] wore feathers in her hair all kinds of anything to go against the establishment but boy when they were sick they ran right to that establishment hospital and I used to get him on it all the time. [unclear] no good till I need him and if the if all the doctors would have became hippies but I had no one to heal us.

▶ 19:29 Anyway ah. There was a lot of false stuff going on here folks a lot of false stuff and it took me time through reading the word and seeking God to get through this mess the faith camp sounds really good but it’s a dead end street. And when you can’t have miracles you manufacture them you know pray for my back [unclear] we can’t see it and I’ll give us something we can see. Are you there one leg shorter than the other everybody’s got a leg shorter than the other. What what what the deal. Now I did see some false prophets that did speak from demonic sources I was in a service in alabama and this woman was up there and she would give names and addresses and tell little personal things about people and then she would pray for them but her message was wrong and I sit there now I remember I look I filled with the Holy Ghost and I’ve been reading my Bible and I said they’re looking at right at her I was just daring her to come to me.

▶ 20:51 What I’m tried it once and I use me huh. Yeah. And I’m the only one that said no this is a bunch of baloney and all right you were there. Everybody else just gives in to the nonsense. But just because somebody can tell you your name that’s what the lady with the familiar spirit could do she could give limited information. Didn’t make her any great godly person at all are you there I heard another woman on the radio preaching with tremendous anointing but it was from the dark side demonic side and I told the people in the car with me I said that’s a demon speaking I.

▶ 21:50 Mean she spoke with authority the message was wrong and she taught with authority like people do on the [unclear] are you there so I’ve experienced these things. If it were possible. The elect could be deceived but when you’re pursuing Jesus and his word you’re not going to be deceived you may be frustrated for a period of time you may be in a wandering and worried or whatever concern but the day will come when he will show you in the word what is truth alleluia. Now. Matthew 12:39 an evil adulterous generation seeks the sign no sign shall be given but the sign of the prophet Jonas that.

▶ 22:47 Our enemy say is just a myth wasn’t a real story now. Just a Jewish fable. Three days and nights in the whales belly so the son of man shall be three days and nights in the heart of the earth the death burial and resurrection of Christ is the only sign given to this world for salvation. And the message is he is going to back that up God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save the lost and them they believe and so the message is going to rely on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the sign and only the sign can I hear an amen now he does miracles to help people believe but this is the miracle and is sufficient enough if the roman government could have proved Christ did not die and rise again they would have spread their religion as and they could have had a reason to punish Christians for being phony but they couldn’t find him.

▶ 24:18 He did die and they couldn’t kill him he laid down his life the Bible says and he picked it back up again it happened and that is the sign can I hear an amen and I don’t need nothing else if I got the preaching of ministers preach the word God is faithful to convict me convince me persuade me by that word to go to this man who died for me and rose again and is coming back again amen and that’s it and this is where all the protestant churches agree. This one after that we go separate ways. The early church had prophets and teachers Acts 13:1 through 3 there were in the church at Antioch certain prophets and teachers and they named them he names five of them and two of these were apostles so an apostle can be a prophet and a teacher is that correct yeah they better be a teacher because the message is what’s important the teacher better be a teacher because the message is what’s important and the prophet better be a teacher because the message is what’s important amen.

▶ 25:37 And one of these was brought up with Herod God’s told when I hurried harriet who opposed Christ opposed John the baptist. God’s told one of his family members. Convicted them and they repented and got saved and became a prophet and a teacher in the body of Christ and that’d be beautiful I wish some of our politicians would get a dose of that I. Am I’m upset with the democrats the republicans I’m upset with everybody I don’t hear any wisdom and knowledge out there jeez. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted [unclear] that’s a good idea for the church the minister of the Lord why do we worship minister to the Lord why do we pray minister to the Lord were serving the Lord were doing what he asked us to do why do we fast it’s ministry to the Lord why do we read our Bible its ministry to the Lord why do I pay tithes it’s ministry to the Lord why do I come to church it’s ministry to the Lord I’m doing it for the Lord not to find a spouse not to find somebody that can sell a house to because I’m a real estate person not to find somebody that can sell insurance because I’m I’m in the insurance business I go to the house of God to minister unto him.

▶ 27:06 Yeah. And if you haven’t learned a minister unto him I don’ti get your christianity’s on the weak side because the things come as you minister to him. All right and then the Holy Ghost said here we have the sign. Let me tell you folks when the Holy Ghost speaks you know it I may just may tell you you just know it it permeates the air it permeates the soul it permeates the spirit when God is saying something directly. I’ve been in services okay. Separate me Paul and Barnabas now here’s the message the message is I want you out of these prophets and teachers I want these two all right and then.

▶ 28:02 Comes a prediction for the work I’ve called them I have a goal I have a ministry for them I’m going to send them out to the Gentiles to the nation’s to the non-Jews and so when they had fasted again and prayed again they didn’t stop because God’s folk. Hello checked. They laid hands on them there’s that laying on of hands again and they sent them away and within Paul and Barnabas came back they had a tremendous report that people did get say that by physical bodies were healed miracles took place they got put in jail they got beat you know they got rejected and everything else but look what God did and so you have prophets and teachers in the church.

▶ 29:03 Early church prophets and teachers continuing here and I want to remind you this is before the falling away Acts 11:27 there came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified here’s the sign by the spirit hear the spirits speaking again. That there should be a great famine okay great famine. Throughout all the world and here’s number four it has to come to pass and it says which one which what came to pass you see it happened so we know they’re a prophet the disciples every man according to his ability and sent relief to the brethren in Judea by Barnabas and Saul okay so they they put their stuff together and they sent relief to Judah now my question to God you ask God questions when you’re reading the Bible my Bible study people are hearing this a lot on through the week I said God if there’s a great famine.

▶ 30:16 Now throughout the air. How’d these guys in Antioch have something to send to these people and you did that. Make sense yeah. Now the answer to that is very simple. These guys loved and Antioch was the main church that’s where the apostles were a lot of persecution going on there. This is just simply a response of love for people sending to poor people. In Antioch didn’t have much jus didn’t have much but see the love of God compelled him they moved by love we got to help the apostles in Jerusalem we got to help them and it could have been written also that the church in Jerusalem might have sent help to the church in Antioch why because the same love worked are you there it’s just the response to love.

▶ 31:31 Nobody was wealthy here everybody was suffering. Alleluia and you know my parents were poor but you know when people came buys it needed something to eat my mom always made them a sandwich always gave him a glass of water poor giving to the poor no we just did what we could yeah we couldn’t get money or anything like that but my mom could get my salad or a bowl of soup or whatever whatever we were having. Acts 1532 Judas and Silas being prophets exhorted and confirmed the brethren with many words there’s the message their prophets now we have eight prophets, eight prophets in the known world at that time first Timothy 2:7 I was appointed a preacher and an apostle I am speaking the truth in Christ I do not lie a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth Paul was a preacher I.

▶ 32:37 Proclaimer an apostle and a teacher and a prophet we found back there in Acts 13 he was all four. Was appointed a preacher an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles in 2nd Timothy 1:11 for this reason I suffered these things but I’m not ashamed for I know whom I believe and I’m persuaded that he is able to keep that which are committed to him until that day now here Paul is saying again he’s a prophet he’s a teacher and we know he’s an apostle and he’s being mistreated. He’s being mistreated he’s been beaten he’s been stoned he’s been put in jail and huh the the Jews hate him his own countrymen it hated him and everything else but he’s not embarrassed about it. He knows God’s going to keep him and the message and the church until Christ comes again.

▶ 33:42 Acts 20 verse 27 now what’s this I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God you see a teacher and apostle a prophet is not going to be limited to the baby truths of the Bible the foundational truths of the Bible of faith repentance water baptism Holy Ghost baptism baptism into the body placing into the body laying on of hands resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment those are baby doctrines of Bible says Hebrews chapter 6. These guys are not limited to baby doctrines. They teach the whole counsel of God Paul in another place he said the way you call heresy so worship by the God of my father’s believing all things written in the law of the prophets so where do we go to find our way of worship.

▶ 34:43 The law and the prophets the scriptures it’s not some modern idea we go to the scriptures to find out how to worship God. Now second Corinthians 11:6 and 10 and 10 and people said he was rude in speech that he was contemptible in speech. Why cuz he’s telling the truth and when you don’t want to hear the truth you sound rude you sound demeaning you sound merciless x 5 33 and 754 in Acts 533 the apostles were preaching Jesus Christ and the Jewish leaders didn’t like it and they got a council together to kill them you see Paul said I suffered I suffered.

▶ 35:38 So does anybody that stands up for the truth. Those that don’t want to hear truth are going to ridicule you they’re going to mock your they’re going to laugh at you physically hurt you and have nothing to do with you. They stoned Stephen for preaching the truth Stephen preach the truth and they killed him. And he wasn’t an apostle. He was just a deacon. So why do people persecute and kill apostles prophets and teachers Isaiah 30:9 you are a rebellious and lying people. Here’s God talking.

▶ 36:30 Who will not hear the law of the Lord a law is what a rule that has a consequence if you don’t obey it and it has a benefit if you obey it. You say they don’t want to hear the law oh tell me that I’m going to heaven tell me I can believe in Christ and everything’s fine but don’t tell me about the laws of God. Are you there. You say to the seers and to the prophets don’t see or don’t prophesied to us right things don’t tell us right things get off of that speak to a smooth things easy things speak to us deceits.

▶ 37:22 Get out of the way of truth turn aside from the path of truth stop confronting us as the niv says with the holy one of Israel [unclear]. We don’t want to hear this. So the Bible says they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears they find people that will tell them what they want to hear but a real prophet a real teacher a real apostle will not deviate from the truth of God’s word and church I highly recommend that you find these kind of people to learn your Bible from now just so we know Proverbs 8:20 I lead this is God talking I lead in the path of righteousness ii turn aside from the path turn aside from righteousness I.

▶ 38:25 Lead in the midst of the path of judgment you see. The path of judgment the way of righteousness. And they just wanna be told they’re okay I’m okay everybody is ok. But a teacher and apostle or prophet will not submit to that the present church today. Today’s Christians I challenge you you’ve got to rely on the Bible’s apostles prophets and teachers doctrine. You got to make sure that what we’re teaching at the home Bible study on Wednesday and Friday is in the Bible you gotta go and you gotta open up and dig in it yourself that your responsibility and not only will that help you find truth but it will reinforce truth because if you keep seeking the truth you find it.

▶ 39:33 Could that be an amen the church in America needs to get back to the apostles prophets and teachers of the Bible Acts 2:42 they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. Not just anybody’s doctrine not the Jewish doctrine not the Pharisee doctrine not the Sadducee doctrine not the Essene doctrine or all these other little groups they continued in whose doctrine the apostles and I submit to you today we need to continue in the apostles doctrine amen. Second Peter 3:2 be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets the Old Testament prophets he same be mindful of the Old Testament prophets from Adam all the way down to Malachi and the.

▶ 40:26 Commandments of us the apostles he said you listened to the Old Testament prophets and you listened to the New Testament apostles he said us. The apostles he didn’t say future apostles. Future ministers can only preach what the Bible tells us to preach and you can put a name of apostle or a teacher or prophet on someone doesn’t make them anything and let me tell you you can go to Bible college and Bible seminar or whatever and graduate with a degree and that still doesn’t mean you’re placed in to be an apostle prophet a teacher or an evangelist or whatever only God can do that.

▶ 41:24 The apostles of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ Ephesians 2:19 you are no more strangers but fellow citizens of the household of God and are built upon what the foundation of who the apostles and the prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone all the stones line up to the cornerstone the cornerstone is set in and then all the stones are lined up to the cornerstone so we are built on the foundation of the doctrines Jesus of and the apostles that he talked and the prophets that he raised up then I hear an amen. We got to get back to the scriptures folks and these self-proclaimed prophets the self-proclaimed miracle workers.

▶ 42:25 The keys in the message. They chose the more excellent way to the gifts of the spirit I submit to you we need to choose we can desire spiritual gifts but if we’re not going to pursue God and if we’re not going to pursue love I can guarantee you they’re not going to be much happening. Love is what our family needs our nation needs our neighbors need our spouses need our kids need love. And the Bible says that the apostles were compelled by what love they were moved they were forced to minister and teach and do what they do because of love and my question to you is will love restore the gifts and offices today. Could be we need to get back to the more excellent way.