C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR MAY 26, 2024 LESSON 15 : TOPIC – THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

2024 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

UNIT 2: GOD GIVES GIFTS PURPOSEFULLY

THEME: SPIRITUAL POWER AND GIFTS FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST

LESSON Fifteen

26th May, 2024

TOPIC: THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

MEMORY SCRIPTURE

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith (Romans 12:6).

God works through the gift of prophecy to speak His mind to His people, whether through foretelling or forth-telling, but we must beware of false prophets sent by Satan to scuttle God’s programme among us.

BRIEF COMMENT

Prophecy is a divine spiritual gift granted by God to individuals, enabling them to reveal His intentions to humanity. These prophets are chosen and empowered by God, endowing them with the unique ability to perceive matters beyond the physical realm and providing insights into His will. Prophecy typically manifests in two primary forms: joretelling, where future events are predicted, and forth-telling, offering guidance and encouragement to people. It’s crucial to understand that genuine prophecy is not a product of personal interpretation by the prophet (2 Pet. 1:20). Instead, it represents God’s intentions conveyed to humanity through His chosen vessels. This divine guidance is essential for the spiritual well-being and growth of the people, as a lack of it leads to spiritual deterioration (Prov. 29:18). In His desire for the Church’s welfare, God has given the gift of prophecy and called individuals into the prophetic ministry for the purpose of edification.

DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS

Mon. 20: Der Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. 14:1)

Tue. 21: Desire The Gift Of Tongues (1 Cor. 14:2)

Wed. 22: Desire The Gift Of Prophecy (1 Cor. 14:3)

Thurs. 23: Desire To Edify Yourself And The Church (1 Cor. 14:4-5)

Fri. 24: Desire To Use The Gifts Appropriately (1 Cor. 14:6-9)

Sat. 25: Desire To Edify Christ’s Body (Eph. 4:12-13)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

1. God desires to speak His mind to His people, even today, hence His gift of Prophecy to the Church.

2 The gift of prophecy is valuable to the Church, but we must note Satan’s attempts to introduce false ones. So, the Church must discern and test all spirit to determine their source.

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:3ff.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

AIM: To unveil the truth about the gift of prophecy, the office of prophets and the essence of the school of prophets.

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

i. discuss the truth about the gift of prophecy as well as the dynamics of the office of the Prophet; and

ii explain Spiritual Power And Gifts For The Body Of Christ the essence and importance of the school of Prophets.

INTRODUCTION

TEXTUAL SOURCE: DEUTERONOMY 13:1-3; 1 SAMUEL 10:5; 19:18- 24: 2 KINGS 4:1,2; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:10; REVELATION 19:10

We thank God for His unending blessings in His Word. The the interpretation of tongues. We pray that the knowledge and blessings God has deposited in our hearts and lives will remain permanent in us, for our constant spiritual growth. Amen!

This week, we are saddled with the topic: THE GIFT OF PROPHECY. Here, God is set to reveal to us truths about both the gift of prophecy and the School of Prophets. The gift of prophecy and the office of the prophet as well as the school of prophets are not foreign to both the Old and New Testaments as well as in contemporary times. For instance, 1 Sam. 19:18-24 talk about the sons of the Prophets, Le. students who assembled to worship, pray and study for needed knowledge and skills. The biblical prophets were both foretellers and forth-tellers.

Historically, the establishment of Bible School or School of Prophets is for the people with the divine calling. On 27th March, 1952, the first Bible Training Institute of our Church was established at Ede. It moved on, and in 1979, all the Bible Training centres were fused together at Ile-Ife under the first principal, Pastor Busuyi Faloye. The School of Prophets and Evangelists was subsequently established at llesha by Prophet/Evangelist D. O. Babajide. However, there had been efforts at some local levels to make people undergo tutelage, before this time.

May we receive enough to fill our hearts and spirits for our growth and walk with Him till He returns. Amen.

LESSON OUTLINE I. THE GIFT OF PROPHECY II. THE SCHOOLS OF PROPHETS LESSON EXPOSITION 1. THE GIFT OF PROPHECY (Deut. 13:1-3; 1 Cor. 12:10; Rev. 19:10) to another prophecy… (1 Cor. 12:10).

a) Rev. 19:10: God’s promise of outpouring His Spirit in the last days shall result in His people prophesying (Acts 2:17)-the gift of Prophecy. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy (cf. Rev. 22:8,9) who imparts the prophetic gift to believers.

b) 1 Cor. 12:10 (cf. Rom. 12:6; Eph. 4:11): Grk. prophèteuo means to speak publicly, or to speak of something before it happens (cf. Deut. 34:10). The e gift of prophecy is a special ability to speak forth God’s message.

c) God’s prophets have been operating from the beginning. Read Gen. 20:7; Num. 12:6; Deut. 18:15; 34:10; Acts 2:16,17 for OT prophets. The NT also mentions people with this gift (Matt. 11:14; Lk. 1:67; Acts 13:1; 15:32; 21:8-10). These were moved by the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:10-12; 2 Pet. 1:20,21) and they spoke and/or wrote divine messages to people (cf. 2 Chro. 20:14,15; Jer. 51:60,61).

d) The absence of prophetic instruction in the Church is too inimical (cf. Prov. 29:18; Lam. 2:9). Hence, God has given us 2 kinds of prophets: Foretellers, predicting the future (cf. Acts 11:28); and Forth-tellers, instructing and encouraging the people (cf. Acts 15:32; cf. 1 Cor. 14:31).

e) Judas and Silas were prophets (Acts 15:32) but weren’t church leaders. A person can exercise the gift without being a church leader. Anyhow, no one can choose to be a prophet on his own. God’s Spirit does the selection (Deut. 18:15; Acts 7:37; Rom. 12:6).

f) Deut. 13:1-3: The test to know true prophets should include agreement with the Bible (Isa. 8:20; cf. Mal. 3:6), the witness to Jesus as the Lord and Saviour (1 Jn. 4:1-2), fulfilled prophecy (Jer. 28:9), and fruits produced (Matt. 7:20).

g) The office of the prophet lacks equilibrium without a solid foundation in the teachings of the Word, the fruit of the Spirit and an authentic relationship with God.

II. THE SCHOOLS OF PROPHETS (1 Sam. 10:5; 19:18-24; 2 Kgs. 4:1,2)

…you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying (1 Sam. 10:5).

a) 1 Sam. 10:5: Since Prophet Samuel’s days, God’s prophets formed groups (Schools of Prophets) where younger prophets were mentored by more seasoned ones, sometimes called the “fathers” (2 Kgs. 2:12; 6:21), as they lived and served the Lord together:

b) 2 Kgs. 4:1,2: Some of these sons of the prophets were married, while others were unmarried (2 Kgs. 4:38; 6:1,2). They supported the prophets in their duties and could replace them They most likely read up on the law and history of Israel.

c) Identified Schools of Prophets: in Gibeah (1 Sam. 10:5), Ramah (19:18-24), Bethel (2 Kgs. 2:3), Jericho (2:15), Gilgal (4:38), and other places (2 Kgs. 6:1). Their numerical strengths varied: about 50 in Jericho (2 Kgs. 2:7) and 100 in Gilgal (2 Kgs. 4:43).

d) These young men lived on agriculture (1 Kgs. 19:19), freewill aids (1 Sam. 9:7-8; 2 Kgs. 4:42), and construction (2 Kgs. 6:1-7).

e) Though the Bible never mentions a divine directive for creating these schools, they were valid means of carrying out out God’s order to instil the law in His people (cf. Deut. 4:1,9; 1 Sam. 12:23), just like the Bible schools and seminaries today (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2).

f) When compared to the wicked Jews, the prophets-in-training were a glaring contrast. They revered God’s Word, lived a morally upright life, fervently worshipped, served God, completely rejected idolatry, were submissive, and prepared themselves for ministry.

g) Gehazi was a drop-out from Elisha’s school of prophets (2 Kgs. 5:15ff). This is a lesson to all renowned and forthcoming prophets and other ministers (cf. Matt. 27:3-10; Acts 1:12ff).

h) Absconding from relevant training is robbing oneself of the needed tools to work with, in future. This is a huge reason for having many half-baked, untrained, semi-skilled/unskilled ministers today Anointed and gifted, but untrained.

LESSONS DERIVED

1. The gift of prophecy is one of the ways God communicates His mind to His people.

2. The establishment of Schools of Prophets affirms the need for adequate training and equipping of aspiring ministers and leaders.

QUESTIONS

1. Describe the gift of Prophecy.

2. What were the major roles of the Schools of Prophets? Compare that with what is obtainable in Bible/Ministerial training centres today.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTION

ANSWER TO QUESTION 1

* It is a special gift to man by God for the purpose of revealing His mind on earth.

* It is a divine gift for forth-telling (instructing and guiding), and fore- telling (predicting the future), thereby ensuring that the Church is not in darkness at any time.

* It is a divine gift by which God gives direction to His people.

* It is a tool in God’s hand to edify and strengthen His Church.

* It is God’s way of ensuring that His Church is not abandoned like sheep without a shepherd.

* It is a symbol of the fulfilment of God’s promise (Joel 2:28; Acts 1:8; 2:4).

* Without the gift of Prophecy, the Church would have no direction, and therefore, the devil would easily prey on them.

* Without the gift of prophecy (divine guidance and instructions), the people would perish (Prov. 29:18).

ANSWER TO QUESTION 2

*Their roles include:*

* Training and equipping prophets who would reveal God’s mind to His people in the nearest future.

* Helping the prophets-in-training to imbibe spiritual virtues such as godliness, character, patience, long-suffering, and other fruits of the Spirit as necessities to their prophetic ministry.

* Exposing them to the true Word of God, thereby loading them with sound doctrine of the Scripture.

* To also subject them to garner practical experiences from their masters as they watch them perform their prophetic duties. This would be useful for them in future.

In the Bible/Ministerial Training Centres today:

* There are lots of similarities between the Biblical Schools of Prophets and today’s Bible Training Centres, but the management of today’s schools must ensure that biblical standards are maintained in high frequency.

* Just as we have in the Bible, today’s Bible Training Schools also play the role of equipping the prophets-in-training with the necessary teachings, experience, exposure, character formation platforms, etc., needed for the ministry ahead.

LIFE APPLICATION

Spiritual gifts, talents and divine calling alone cannot make fit S persons without proper training and guidance. Merely possessing gifts and talents is insufficient for achieving excellence; additional elements acquired through training and practical experience are equally crucial. No one can succeed without adequate training, discipleship, guidance, mentorship, and tutelage, regardless of his, or her anointing or natural abilities. What is your perspective on training? How do you respond to those who genuinely correct and guide you? Do you have a mentor? Reflect on these questions!

CONCLUSION

Glory be to God for the successful completion of another lesson. May we receive the grace to be doers of His Word in Jesus’ name. The gift of prophecy is always poured out raw on God’s prophet. They therefore need the sound doctrine of the Word of God, adequate training, brokenness, the fruit of the Spirit, mentorship, discipleship and many other godly virtues, to become balanced, competent and up to God’s standard. So, it is in other secular fields of life as well.

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