DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
GIFT OF THE PROPHET & PROPHESYING


 

One of the reasons there is confusion today about the prophet gift is the failure to distinguish between the “gift of the prophet” and “gift of prophesying”.

According to Ephesians 4:11-16 “He(Christ: See v7))gave some… i.e., prophets …for the 1)perfecting of the saints, 2)for the work of the ministry, 3)for the edifying of the body of Christ…”. In the Greek, this passage states that these equipping leaders were themselves a gift of Christ to His church and it was not just the gift of prophecy that was given. Even though to the casual reader it may appear to be just a play on words, this fact is crucial in understanding the difference in the “gift of the prophet” and the “gift of prophesying”. I Corinthians 12:28 adds, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers…”

Only the prophet, as an equipping servant-leader, is qualified according to Scripture to function in what the KJV calls “office”. It is important to qualify this word “office”, for the connotation today is that “office” implies position or rank. In reality, the KJV’s use of the word “office” does not accurately translate that Greek word in any of the above three cases.

All three uses of the word “office” used in the KJV, which include Romans 11:13, Romans 12:4 and I Timothy 3:1 should not be translated as “office”. Romans 11:13 “I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine “office” (Gr.diakonia=service, ministry). Romans 12:4 “For as we have many members in the one body, and all members have not the same “office” (Gr.proxis=work, action, use).” I Timothy 3:1 “This is a true saying, If a man desire, the “office”(Gr.episkope=oversite) of a bishop, he desireth a good work.”

In truth, the “office” is not a position nor a rank but rather a descriptive function. The different Greek names given to represent the various leaders in the church(i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, deacons, etc.), simply describe who these leaders were and what their function was in the church.

The servant leaders who are described in Ephesians 4:11 were themselves gifts to the church. Their primary purpose was to serve and lead by example. Their primary function was 1)”For the perfecting of the saints,” 2)”for the work of ministry,” 3)”for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

A person who serves in the function of a prophet, that is as one who is a gift from Christ to the church to equip the body, operates in this gift as a primary ministry and is known and recognized by the church as a result of the confirmation of the Holy Spirit.

The “gift of prophesying” on the other hand, is a gift of the Holy Spirit available to any believer in the Body of Christ. According to I Corinthians 12:7 “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. I Corinthians 12:8, 10 adds “For to one is given by the Spirit…i.e. prophecy…” In I Corinthians 12:11 it states, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” I Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now hath God set the members every one of them I the body, as it hath pleased him.” In I Corinthians 12:29 it says, “Are all apostles?(Gr. ‘No’)Are all prophets?”(Gr. ‘No’)Are all teachers?” (Gr. ‘No’)


 

© 2011 New Testament Church