Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Heb. 1 ... God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds;
In the OT, the Holy Spirit was not
given to all for Jesus had not "ascended". NT all who belong to God are
given the Holy Spirit so God speaks today to each us of "by HIS Son",
through the Spirit of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.
Do we have prophets in the New Testament church?
Eph. 4 shows us that we do have both apostles and prophets in the NT church along with evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
When
he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men. 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended
first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.) 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ: Eph. 4
After Jesus ascended up on high ... after Jesus was resurrected from the dead
... HE gave to the church some apostles, and some prophets, and some
evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ.
But we no longer have to go to the prophet to find out what God wants us to do in specific issues of this present life.
Romans
10 ... Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is,
to bring Christ down from above:) 7Or, Who shall descend into the deep?
(that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:
Now (NT church) God puts HIS laws directly into our hearts and into our minds.
Heb.
8 ... For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people: 11And they shall not teach every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all
shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more. 13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the
first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish
away.
Heb. 10:16 ... This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts,
and in their minds will I write them;
So each
of us have direct access to God through Jesus Christ, through the Spirit
of Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit that searches all things of God to
reveal them to us. (I Cor. 2) So we do not need another person to go
find out the will of God for us today as in the OT.
The Spirit of God knows the things of God and reveals those things of God to us. I Cor. 2
So what do prophets do today in NT Church?
Basically they do the same thing they did in OT. God still uses
prophets to turn HIS people to HIM. God will warn people when sin has
crept into their way. NT prophets are used to try to turn people to the
way of God on this present earth.
Consider the work of John the Baptist ...
Lk.
1 ... And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord
their God. 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of
Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.
Lk. 3 ... Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall
be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6And all
flesh shall see the salvation of God.
... And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every
tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire. 10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do
then? 11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let
him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do
likewise. 12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him,
Master, what shall we do? 13And he said unto them, Exact no more than
that which is appointed you. 14And the soldiers likewise demanded of
him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to
no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
So
you see prophets try to turn people to God's way. Prophets warn
people. Sometimes God uses prophets to show people things to come
although certainly God can do that directly by His Spirit with each
believer without using a prophet.
Agabus was a New Testament prophet:
Acts
11 ... And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
28And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the
Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which
came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29Then the disciples,
every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the
brethren which dwelt in Judaea: 30Which also they did, and sent it to
the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 21 ... And the next day we that were of Paul’s company
departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of
Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
9And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10And
as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain
prophet, named Agabus. 11And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s
girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy
Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this
girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12And when
we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him
not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep
and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also
to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14And when he would
not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
So today each of us who belong to God have the Spirit of God in us unlike the days of the OT.
But God still uses HIS prophets to correct the church, to warn the church, and to edify the church today.