Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Thinking Aloud On Prophets And Prophecies (3)

By Ernest Onuoha
26 July 2015   |   5:03 am
God’s dealing with His people in terms of those to represent Him is irrespective of their gender. You have men and women as prophets and prophetess, who conveyed God’s mind to His people or represented Him even in battles.
Ernest Onuoha

Onuoha

God’s dealing with His people in terms of those to represent Him is irrespective of their gender. You have men and women as prophets and prophetess, who conveyed God’s mind to His people or represented Him even in battles.

In Old Testament, we read of the woman prophetess and judge Deborah, who led Israel to war. It was not gender that gave her victory, but what she stood for. She was a prophetess of the Most High God. According to the Bible account, God gave His people victory, when Deborah led them in battle against Sisera, as recorded in Judges Chapter four.

This victory led Deborah to singing to the God that grants victory to His people, Judges 5. How often do you celebrate God’s victory in your life? Do you have a song at all to appreciate this Almighty God? Also, in the New Testament, we recall the great Evangelist Philip, who had four girls and all were prophetesses.

The Bible was quick to add that they were also virgins. One may begin to wonder about the particular reference to their virginity. We should know that God is a jealous God, the Bible said of Him: ‘He is Holy than to behold iniquity,’ (Hab. 1v13). In fact, He deserves nothing but the best.

Therefore, those who must be His mouthpiece must be holy, pure, and righteous and in that state enjoy His usage and revelation the more. These days, many young people seem to play down the issue of holiness.

They live waywardly like engaging in armed robbery, prostitution, exam malpractices and idolatry among others. This God whom we serve cannot lower His standards for He said: ‘Be Holy, for I am Holy,’ (Lev. 20v26).

God fulfilled His promise to His people according to the prophecy He gave to Joel: ‘on the last day, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and old men shall dream dreams and young people shall see visions,’ (Joel 2v28). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost day fulfilled this Old Testament promise.

It is possible Philip’s daughter’s received a fair share of this Holy Spirit. We need to appreciate that the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is a present reality.

But the Holy Spirit is sensitive; it cannot be present in a life that is filled with iniquity. Therefore, whoever desires to have Him must be in good standing with the Lord.

How is your life? Do you think as it is now, it can attract the Holy Spirit to come and dwell therein? During ordination in the Anglican Church, ministers are called upon to exercise their prophetic ministry, which is to ensure that they are always in tune and in touch with God in order not to make a mess of their ministry.

God, through the gift of prophecy, will get them connected to Him. And He conveys explicitly that which He wants His people to benefit. As prophets, they bear a universal message and such messages must be relevant to the experiences of God’s people.

Wherever one is found, the prophetic utterance is relevant to him and to his situation. Jesus said: ‘when you hear of rumours of war, know that the end is near,’ (Matt. 24:33).

This has a universal application, as we are now witnessing across the globe. Humanity is yet to be free from wars and violence. We can hazard that the end is near.

Therefore, the universal message of God must be communicated to warn people because the rapture will soon take place. Should the rapture take place now, are we ready? We call upon ourselves to listen to what God is saying and revealing through His prophets.

Those who have ear let them hear. Ven. Ernest Onuoha Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State. www.ibrucentre.org

0 Comments