Prophecy in Acts 11:27

Insight that gave me clarity about the gift of prophesy.

Prophets were not limited to Old Testament times (Acts 13:1; 15:32; 21:9). God appointed certain people to be prophets to the church, and Paul ranked “prophets” second only to apostles in his list of those gifted by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:28). 

Peter, in the book of Acts quoted the prophet Joel in his sermon at Pentecost: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17). The prophet Agabus in Acts 11:28 foretold a famine. This famine is validated by historians like Josephus. 

Prophets have special gifts in ministering God’s messages to his people. At times, prophets did foretell the future (as Agabus did in Acts 11:28), but the gift of prophecy is also valued for its role in exhorting, encouraging, and strengthening God’s people (1 Corinthians 14:31). 

God speaks today through prophets, inspiring them with specific messages for particular times and places.  I don't mean the ones chasing you down to give you a "word from God." 

God's Word says, "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here" (1 John 4:1-3 NLT). 

The gift of prophecy which is truly from God inspires with specific messages for a particular time and place. 

Sources:

Life Application Study Bible

Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

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