Prophecy

My initial observations and conclusions were based on a few New Testament verses which clearly address the subject

1 Cor 13:8 indicates that love trumps prophecy "Love never ends but as for prophecies they shall cease." Could this indicate as well that when we see the Lord face to face as is described in the following verses that we won't need to hear from God.

1 Thess 5:19-20, 1 Cor 14:29 reflect the idea that we are not to look down on prophecy but are to supposed to test it.

1 Cor 14:22,31 say that prophecy is for the instruction and encouragement of believers.

1 Cor 14:32, 39-40 describe how prophecy is to be exercised in a church meeting setting in an orderly and appropriate way.

2 Pe 1:21 tells how prophecy in scripture isn't muddied by personal construction or interpretation.

Conclusions from these verses show that Prophecy is a New Testament phenomenon that functioned in the early church in a specific way. It is a desirable function in church life that is beneficial to believers but should be tested and critically evaluated.

My question then became focused around the issue of comparison between Old testament prophecy and the New testament Prophecy we see functioning in Acts and the early church. There just seems to be a difference between the "Thus saith the Lord" that prophets like Moses and Daniel operated in and the sort of "the Lord seems to be saying this to me" of the New testament Church. So I looked into Grudem's "Systematic Theology" and my suspicions were confirmed as he listed many reasons that Old Testament prophets differ from the way the New Testament gift operates.

1 Old Testament Prophets words from the Lord were inspired scripture where as New testament prophecy isn't for we see in Acts 21:4 that Paul disobeys a "prophetic word" telling him not to go down to Jerusalem where a he would never have disobeyed a command in scripture.

2 New Testament prophecy seems to have the potential for error or misinterpretation in a way that Old Testament Prophecy couldn't (Upon pain of stoning). In Acts 21:10-11 Agabus prophecy about the Jews binding Paul and delivering him into the hands of the Gentiles was off in that it was actually the Romans who did the binding.

3 Just from the fact that we are told to test prophecy in the New Testament and were supposed to take prophetic words in the Old Testament as straight from God's mouth indicate that New Testament prophecy while it should be taken seriously is still subject the the scrutiny of the believer and the
measure of scripture.

[Grudem 10521054]

I still question exactly why it is that New Testament prophecy is different from that of the Old Testament. I think it has to do with the fact that we have Scripture now and can hear God without misinterpretation through this primary source. Also though it seems that it must have something to do with Jesus (most all the changes between the Old and New testaments have something to do with the person and ministry of God's incarnation as Jesus). Perhaps it is that Jesus is the Ultimate prophet God's word made flesh and so having record of his words we no longer have as great of a need for
inspired instruction.

So why don't we go to a church that operates in the prophetic? I think that it is unquestionably a desirable gift that would be beneficial to many and was so in church services in the New Testament. On the other side of the coin I'm glad we don't go to a church that is based on the prophetic and not
scripture where people present and receive prophecy as a thus saith the Lord pronouncement on level with scripture because I think there is great potential for deception, confusion, and disillusionment in this setting. But just because there is great potential for error doesn't mean we shouldn't seek the real thing. I actually think that in today's world where people seem to be in such need for personal experiences in their spirituality (as evidenced in the New age religions expansion) we shouldn't be afraid to teach and operate in this sort of personal communication from the divine.