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Transcript of The Holy Spirit in Mission: Prophetic Speech and Action in Christian Witness by Gary Tyra
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the
Holy Spir itin Mis sion
PPHc SPcH ad ac cHSa WSS
G a a
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InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
E-mail: [email protected]
©2011 by Gary Tyra
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press ® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA ® , a movement of
students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States
of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information
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Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.intervarsity.org>.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Hly Bble, New Iteata l Ves®.
niv®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
While all stories in this book are true, some names and identify ing information in this book have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
Design: Cindy Kiple
Images: The Dove of the Holy Spirit by Sebastiano Bombelli at Palazzo Ducale, Venice, Italy. Cameraphoto Arte
Venezia/The Bridgeman Art Library.
ISBN 978-0-8308-3949-0
Printed in the United States of America ∞
InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. As a member of Green Press Initiative we use recycled paper whenever possible. To learnmore about the Green Press Initiative, visit <www.greenpressinitiative.org>.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tyra, Gary, 1955-
The Holy Spirit in mission: prophetic speech and action in
Christian witness/Gary Tyra.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-8308-3949-0 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Holy Spirit. 2. Missions. 3. Prophecy— Christianity. I. Title.
BT121.3.T97 2011
231’.3—dc23
2011023123
P 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Y 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
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Contents
Acknowledgments 9
Introduction 11
1 “Would God that all the lord’s PeoPle Were ProPhets” 39
Bb c Bw cmg
f S P a
2 “You shall reCeive PoWer” 75
c Bw P a
M Ffu
3 “the sPirit Bade Me Go” 102
M Ffu Gb Gw f Pm
4 “Men of athens!” 129
Bmg M M Ffu W
5 “a Man naMed ananias CaMe to see Me” 159
ugg M Ffu amg
g k F
Conclusion 186
Name Index 192
Subject Index 194
Scripture Index 204
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1
“Would God that
all the lord’s PeoPle
Were ProPhets”
Bb c Bw cmg f S P a
IaM a vaGca HPG t spe fellw eagelcals t
embace a thelgy f the Spt that wll puce a geate mssal
fathfuless a ceasgly pst-Chsta msty emet. I
fully ealze that f I am t succee ths eea, I must be able t
emstate that the peumatlgy I am ppsg pssesses a bblcal
waat. A cmmtmet that les at the cete f what t meas t be
eagelcal s a allegace t the authty f Scptue.1 We eagel-
cals wat u belefs a behas t be bblcally fme. I thschapte I wll attempt t emstate that the Bble as a whle es
ee eece a cect betwee empweg ecutes wth
G’s Hly Spt (the Spt f mss) a the pheme f p-
phetc actty—speakg a actg G’s behalf.
The challege wll be f me t make the case f ths cect
such a way as t cce my eaes wthut exhaustg them the
pcess. I e t accmplsh ths I wll my best t me as swftly
as pssble thugh sueys f what the Ol a New Testamets hae
1See Mak Nll, American Evangelical Christianity: An Introduction (Male, Mass.: Blackwell,2001), p. 13; a Alste McGath, Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity (DwesGe, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 1995), pp. 53-87.
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40 the holY sPirit i n Mission
t say abut what typcally ccus whe the Hly Spt cmes up
G’s peple. I sme places I wll slw w a pe sme cla-
fyg cmmetay. I the places I wll smply allue t eleat ep-ses peset applcable bblcal passages wth especally petet
sects hghlghte f ease etfcat.
old TesTameNT suPPorT for The coNNecTioN
A cmm ctcsm f the appach take by may tatal Pete-
cstal schlas as they attempt t make the case f a empweg,
pheme-pucg atg wth the Hly Spt s that they fcus the attet almst exclusely the New Testamet bk f
Acts.2 Hwee, sce the gal f ths bk s t wk ut a bblcal
thelgy f the Spt that fcuses patcula aspects f the Spt’s
mssal wk, what s calle f s a cseat f the whle f
bblcal teachg that culmates wth the New Testamet. Hece my
ecs t cmmece ths stuy wth a caeful examat f sme
petet passages fu the Ol Testamet.
Empowerment in general. May Ol Testamet passages speak a
ey geeal way f the elatshp betwee the cmg f the Hly
Spt up uals a the expeece f e empwemet. F
example, seeal passages the bk f Juges efe t the Spt f the
L cmg up Sams “ pwe” (Jug 14:6, 19; 15:14). Smla
laguage s als use f empweg ecutes expeece by Saul (1
Sam 10:6, 10; 11:6) a Da (1 Sam 16:13). Isaah’s pphecy -
clues a pect that the Spt f the L wll est up the Mes-
sah, ewg hm wth the “Spt f cusel a f pwe” (Is 11:2).
Fally, Mcah 3:8 seems t asscate a -fllg f the Spt f the
L wth a empwemet f pphetc msty.
2See, e.g., James D. G. Du, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Phlaelpha: Westmste Pess,1970), pp. 3, 5, 103; a Feeck Dale Bue, A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Ga Raps:Eemas, 1970), pp. 63-69. Ths teecy t fcus exegetcal attet passages fm the
bk f Acts s ackwlege by the Petecstalsm schlas: see, e.g., Alla Aes, An Introduction to Pentecostalism (New Yk: Cambge Uesty Pess, 2004), p. 191; RgeStsta, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Peaby, Mass.: Hecks, 1984), p. 5;Rbet Mezes, Empowered for Witness (Sheffel, U.K.: Sheff el Acaemc Pess, 1994), pp.237, 245-46; a Ams Yg, The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh (Ga Raps: Bake Aca-emc, 2005), pp. 83-85.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 41
It s teestg that the passages just cte ae lcate aus sec-
ts f the Ol Testamet—the hstcal bks a the pphets. At
the ey least t seems clea that the Ol Testamet as a whle ca beuest as ctag a umbe f passages that asscate the cm-
g f the Spt f the L up peple as hag the effect f em-
pweg them t say a thgs they wul t thewse be able
t say a .
Nw that a cect betwee the cmg f the Spt a e
empwemet geeal has bee mae, let’s g t pe a pssble
cect betwee the cmg f the Spt a pphetc actty (the fm f speech a act) patcula. Bblcal schla Wlf Hl-
ebat ssts that the Ol Testamet es ee peset us wth
umeus passages that efe t the Spt (ru=ah [) elat t the gft
f pphecy.3 If ths asset s cect, a cect betwee the cm-
g f Spt a pphetc actty shul t be ffcult t sce.
Prophetic speech. As cate ths bk’s tuct, I am
usg the phase “pphetc speech” t efe t t fetellg, but
fth-tellg. T speak pphetcally s, mst bascally, t say sme-
thg t G behalf f G t thes, as a esult f the pmpt-
g f the Spt.
I Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament , Chstphe
Wght clues a chapte ttle “The Pphetc Spt” a a subsec-
t ttle “G’s Pphets a G’s Spt.”4 Thughut these pages
Wght assets the Ol Testamet uestag f the cect be-
twee the pheme f pphetc actty a the Hly Spt.5
Hwee, he begs hs teatmet f the pphetc Spt t wth e
f the pphetc bks but futhe back tme a cacal place-
met t, f all places, the bk f Numbes.
Nea the begg f the Ol Testamet we ea that Mses, hm-
self a pphet, ha bee leag the peple f Isael sgle-haely f
sme tme. T say that he was suffeg fm buut wul be a
3 Wlf Hlebat, An Old Testament Theology of the Spirit of God (Peaby, Mass.: Heck-s, 1995), p. 151.
4Chstphe J. H. Wght, Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament (Dwes Ge,Ill.: IVP Acaemc, 2006), pp. 63-86.
5F example, see b., p. 75.
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42 the holY sPirit i n Mission
uestatemet. The tuth was that Mses was cmpletely fe—eay
t thw the leaeshp twel!6
Hag expesse hs acal fustat a payeful lamet, Gespe by stuctg Mses t select seety eles wh wul
beg t shae the leaeshp la wth hm. The pla was f these
seety eles t gathe wth Mses at the Tet f Meetg at whch
tme G wul allw them t shae the sptual atg that ha
thus fa este Mses ale. Please tce the effect the cmg f
the Spt ha up these seety eles:
The the Lord came w the clu a spke wth hm, a hetk f the Spt that was hm a put the Spt the seety
eles. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied , but they t
s aga. Hwee, tw me, whse ames wee Ela a
Mea, ha emae the camp. They wee lste amg the el-
es, but t g ut t the Tet. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,
and they prophesied the camp. A yug ma a a tl Mses,
“Ela a Mea ae pphesyg the camp.” (Num 11:25-27,
emphass ae)
The sty ges t cate that Jshua, Mses’ ae-e-camp, be-
came alame at the fact that tw f the seety eles wee pphesy-
g the camp. Ntce w what happee whe Jshua pleae wth
Mses t make these tw me cease the pphetc actty:
Jshua s f Nu, wh ha bee Mses’ ae sce yuth, spke up a
sa, “Mses, my l, stp them!” But Mses eple, “Ae yu jealusf my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the
Lord would put his Spirit on them! ” The Mses a the eles f Isael
etue t the camp. (Num 11:28-30, emphass ae)
Thus, Numbes 11:29 we hea Mses expess the wsh “that all
the Lord’s peple wee pphets a that the Lord wul put hs
Spt them!” I the pcess f expessg ths wstful lgg, t
cetaly seems as f Mses equates the cmg f the Spt wth smest f pphetc capacty. We shul als take te f the fact that
Mses seems t atculate hee a yeag f a ay whe ths empw-
6Ib., p. 47.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 43
eg expeece mght be aalable t all f G’s peple athe tha
ly a select few.
As the aate pesete the Ol Testamet ctues, we f apletha f passages that ept sme st f pphetc actty ccug
as a esult f G’s Spt cmg peple wh belg t hm. F
example, 1 Samuel 10:1-11 we f the teestg sty f Samuel’s
ecutmet f Saul t becme the fst kg f Isael. Accg t the
bblcal accut, Samuel t ly fucte pphetcally Saul’s
lfe—makg sme pects that, ce fulflle, wul pe Saul
wth a cfmat f hs call t the the (1 Sam 10:1-4)—Samuelals pecte that Saul hmself wul s expeece the pheme
f pphetc utteace as a esult f hs w empweg ecute wth
the Hly Spt. Thus, 1 Samuel 10:5-7 eas:
Afte that yu wll g t Gbeah f G, whee thee s a Phlste
utpst. As yu appach the tw, yu wll meet a pcess f pph-
ets cmg w fm the hgh place wth lyes, tambues, flutes
a haps beg playe befe them, a they wll be pphesyg. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with
them; a yu wll be chage t a ffeet pes. Oce these sgs
ae fulflle, whatee yu ha fs t , f G s wth yu.
(1 Sam 10:5-7, emphass ae)
Nt supsgly, the aate ges t ept that Samuel’s pe-
cts came tue, just as he sa. I fact, 1 Samuel 10:9-11 seem t
uesce the cect betwee the cmg f the Spt a thepheme f pphetc utteace. These eses ea:
As Saul tue t leae Samuel, G chage Saul’s heat, a all these
sgs wee fulflle that ay. Whe they ae at Gbeah, a pcess
f pphets met hm; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he
joined in their prophesying . Whe all thse wh ha fmely kw hm
saw hm pphesyg wth the pphets, they aske each the, “What
s ths that has happee t the s f Ksh? Is Saul als amg the
pphets?” (1 Sam 10:9-11, emphass ae)
Whle u eag f Samuel’s ecutmet f Saul makes t clea
that Saul’s expeece f pphetc speech was spasmc athe tha
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44 the holY sPirit i n Mission
pepetual, the bk f 1 Samuel as a whle makes eet that ths was
t the ly tme t ccue. Late 1 Samuel 19 we ea f Saul
a hs hechme egagg pphetc utteace as a esult f theHly Spt cmg up them. Saul a Da ha expeece a fall-
g ut. Saul was the hut f Da—hs gal beg t elmate
ths yug al f the the. As we lk e the passage that e-
scbes a epse that tk place ug ths espeate seach, we
shul pay specal attet t eses 20, 21 a 23. The passage as a
whle eas:
Whe Da ha fle a mae hs escape, he wet t Samuel at Ramaha tl hm all that Saul ha e t hm. The he a Samuel wet t
Nath a staye thee. W came t Saul: “Da s Nath at
Ramah”; s he set me t captue hm. But whe they saw a gup f
pphets pphesyg, wth Samuel stag thee as the leae, the Spirit
of God came upon Saul’s men and they also prophesied . Saul was tl abut t,
a he set me me, a they prophesied too. Saul set me a th tme,
a they also prophesied . Fally, he hmself left f Ramah a wet t the
geat cste at Secu. A he aske, “Whee ae Samuel a Da?”
“Oe Nath at Ramah,” they sa.
S Saul wet t Nath at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even
upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth . He
stppe ff hs bes a als pphese Samuel’s pesece. He lay
that way all that ay a ght. Ths s why peple say, “Is Saul als
amg the pphets?” (1 Sam 19:18-24, emphass ae)
As a ase, I wll befly atculate hee the ew that the cllecte“pphesyg” efee t these passages pbably tk the fm f
ecstatc, extempaeusly elee ats a sgs f pase a
thelgcal eflect ey smla t what ca be fu the Ol
Testamet bk f Psalms. Whle pphesyg ca le makg
pects egag the futue, t ee t. Ths ew s suppte by
the fact that (1) Da, the auth f may f the psalms, s etfe
Scptue as a pphet (Acts 2:25-30) a a Spt-ate sge f sgs (2 Sam 23:1); (2) at least e f the psalms the bk f Psalms
s explctly efee t by Da as a “acle” (Ps 36:1); (3) 2 Samuel
23:1-7 sees as a athe example f a psalm-lke acle attbute t
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 45
Da; (4) the Ol Testamet ctas efeeces t such pphesyg
beg accmpae by muscal stumets (e.g., 1 Ch 25:1, 3);
(5) the Scptues peset us wth the psalm-lke ats that aeexplctly ptaye as pphetc utteaces (e.g., Lk 1:67-79); a (6)
the apstle Paul seems t suggest that e f the csequeces f beg
flle wth the Spt s that chuch membes wll “speak t e athe
wth psalms, hyms a sptual sgs,” a wll sg a make musc
the heats t the L (Eph 5:19).
Retug t u suey, Numbes 24:1-3 als cects the cmg
f the Hly Spt up a pes wth the pheme f pphetcactty; hee we ea f the Hly Spt cmg up Balaam, empw-
eg hm t pphesy a pste mae e the at f Isael
(much t the chag f Balak, s f Zpp, kg f Mab!). Ths
passage eas:
Nw whe Balaam saw that t please the Lord t bless Isael, he
t est t scey as at the tmes, but tue hs face twa the
eset. Whe Balaam lke ut a saw Isael ecampe tbe by tbe, the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered his oracle . (Num 24:1-
3, emphass ae)
The fllwg ae sme the Ol Testamet examples catg a
cect betwee the cmg f the Hly Spt a the pheme-
f pphetc speech:
Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said . . .
(1 Ch 12:18, emphass ae)
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa
and said to him . . . (2 Ch 15:1-2, emphass ae)
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of
Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of
Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said . . . (2 Ch 20:14-15, empha-
ss ae)
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He
stood before the people and said, “Ths s what G says . . . (2 Ch
24:20, emphass ae)
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46 the holY sPirit i n Mission
“Theefe pphesy agast them; pphesy, s f ma.”
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and he told me to say: “Ths
s what the Lord says . . . ” (Ezek 11:4-5, emphass ae)
I hae pesete these umeus Ol Testamet passages e t
make the pt that we t hae t jump staght away t the bk
f Acts e t f bblcal suppt f the ea that a cect
exsts betwee the cmg f the Hly Spt a the pheme f
pphetc utteace. A caeful a hest eag f the Ol Testa-
met wll ealy emstate that t s pssble t sce ts pages a
thematc patte that eally shul t g utce by ay eagelcal
teeste fgg a thelgy f the Spt that s bblcally fme.
T be me specfc, ths suey f petet Ol Testamet passages
has cate that whe the Hly Spt este came up a -
ual, the pheme f pphecy the sese f speakg ethe t
G t thes behalf f G fte ccue.
Prophetic action. S fa, we hae lke at passages that speak f
the Spt f G cmg up peple a empweg mae geeal a a way that puce pphetc utteaces patcu-
la. Thee s als a cllect f Ol Testamet passages that seems
t cect the cmg f the Hly Spt wth pphetc act. As
we ae abut t see, t act a pphetc mae as I am esg
t meas g smethg twa thes behalf f G at the
Spt’s pmptg.
O the e ha, sme f these passages speak f Spt-speacts f warfare egage by Isaelte juges a kgs such as Othel,
Ge, Jephthah, Sams a Saul:
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel’s judge and
went to war. The Lord gae Cusha-Rshatham kg f Aam t the
has f Othel, wh epwee hm. (Jug 3:10, emphass ae)
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, sum-
moning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Ma-
nasseh, calling them to arms, a als t Ashe, Zebulu a Naphtal,
s that they t wet up t meet them. ( Jug 6:34-35, emphass ae)
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 47
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and
Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced
against the Ammonites. (Jug 11:29, emphass ae)Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. He went down to
Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stppe them f the belg-
gs a gae the clthes t thse wh ha explae the le. Bu-
g wth age, he wet up t hs fathe’s huse. (Jug 14:19, emphass
ae)
As he appache Leh, the Phlstes came twa hm shutg. The
Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh
jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. (Jug
15:14-15, emphass ae)
Whe Saul hea the ws, the Spirit of God came upon him in power,
and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and
sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what
will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they turned out as one
man. (1 Sam 11:6-7, emphass ae)
O the the ha, thee ae the Ol Testamet passages that
seem t speak a pecte mae f the effects that wll be p-
uce as a esult f the Spt f G cmg up Isael’s futue Mes-
sah. These Spt-pmpte behas ae less mltastc a me
peace-pucg. Of cuse these messac passages achee a ltealfulfllmet the pes f Chst. Hwee, whle t eyg ths
lteal fulfllmet, s thee t als m f a me fguate e as
well? Mght the Hly Spt, pcple, puce Chst’s fllwes
the same k f behas he puce Chst (see Gal 5:22-25;
2 C 3:17-18)? Uest ths fguate, geeal mae these
passages mght the be tepete t suggest that the cmg f the
Hly Spt mght pmpt smee’s lfe the pursuit of justice a a
egagemet a missional ministry to the poor and hurting:
Hee s my seat, whm I uphl,
my chse e whm I elght;
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48 the holY sPirit i n Mission
I wll put my Spt hm
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He wll t shut cy ut, ase hs ce the steets.
A buse ee he wll t beak,
a a smleg wck he wll t suff ut.
I fathfuless he wll bg fth justce;
he wll t falte be scuage
till he establishes justice on earth.
I hs law the slas wll put the hpe. (Is 42:1-4, emphass ae)
The Spt f the Seeg Lord s me,
because the Lord has ate me
t peach g ews t the p.
He has set me t b up the bkeheate,
t pclam feem f the captes
a elease fm akess f the pses,
t pclam the yea f the Lord’s fa
a the ay f egeace f u G,t cmft all wh mu,
a pe f thse wh gee Z—
t bestw them a cw f beauty
stea f ashes,
the l f glaess
stea f mug,
a a gamet f pase
instead of a spirit of despair. They wll be calle aks f ghteusess,
a platg f the Lord
f the splay f hs sple. (Is 61:1-3, emphass ae)
But as f me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice a mght,
t eclae t Jacb hs tasgess,t Isael hs s. (Mc 3:8, emphass ae)
“Ae these t the ws the Lord pclame thugh the eale
pphets whe Jeusalem a ts suug tws wee at est a
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 49
pspeus, a the Nege a the weste fthlls wee settle?”
A the w f the Lord came aga t Zechaah: “Ths s what
the Lord Almghty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compas-sion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the
poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’
“But they efuse t pay attet; stubbly they tue the backs
a stppe up the eas. They made their hearts as hard as flint and
would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent
by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. S the L Almghty was ey
agy.” (Zech 7:7-12, emphass ae)
The bttm le s that the Ol Testamet smetmes speaks f the
Spt f G spg peple t take act G’s behalf. Thugh
sme places these Ol Testamet texts seem t asscate the cmg
f the Hly Spt wth acts f wafae esge t fee G’s peple
fm the ppesss, thee ae the passages whee the cmg f the
Spt puces beelet athe tha let behas. Futheme,
we shul als keep m that the New Testamet the atg
f the Spt s ee asscate wth wafae but wth behas such as
gspel pclamat, peacemakg a beelet scal act!7
A particularly important passage. As we cclue ths suey f what
the Ol Testamet has t say abut what we ca expect fm a e-
cute wth G’s Hly Spt, we must t elk a passage lcate
the pphecy f Jel that has temeus mplcats f a bblcally
fme thelgy f the Spt. Nea the e f the Ol Testamet ea
the pphet Jel felt cmpelle by G t auce that the plate wsh expesse by Mses back at the begg f the Ol Testamet
ea—that all f G’s peple mght be flle wth G’s Spt a
becme le pphetc actty—wul smeay cme tue.
Ths pphetc pmse eas ths way:
A aftewa,
I wll pu ut my Spt all peple.
Yu ss a aughtes wll pphesy,
7See Ewa Hey Bckesteth, The Holy Spirit: His Person and Work (Ga Raps: Kegel,1959), p. 23, f a bef scuss f the pgesse mae whch the actty f the Hly Spt s eeale the Ol Testamet.
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50 the holY sPirit i n Mission
yu l me wll eam eams,
yu yug me wll see ss.
Ee my seats, bth me a wme,I wll pu ut my Spt thse ays. (Jel 2:28-29)
May schlas hae bsee that ths emakable pphecy seems
t pmse a futue ea salat hsty whe all ks f sc-
lgcal baes wll be ctaee wth the ceat cmmuty
as a esult f G’s Spt cmg up all f hs seats. Accg
t Jel, age, gee a scecmc status wll becme eleat
as all ks f peple ae empwee by the Spt t egage thek f pphetc actty that was ce ejye by pmet, male
eles ly.
As mptat as ths sclgcal bseat s, sme schlas be-
lee that smethg ee me pfu s beg pmse Jel
2:28-29. F example, hag mae the cect betwee Mses’
wsh as epte Numbes 11:29 a Jel’s pmse pesete ths
passage, Wlf Hlebat suggests that bblcal pphecy “has a f- wa atcpaty utlk t a pe whee G wul hae mme-
ate a tmate cect wth all hs peple.”8 I the ws, a
tme s cmg, says the pphet Jel, whe all f G’s peple wll be
eable by the Spt f mss t thgs that pphets : hea
G’s ce, ecee msty assgmets, speak a act hs ame.
New TesTameNT suPPorT for The coNNecTioN
We hae see that the Ol Testamet pes suppt f the ea f
a cect betwee the cmg f the Spt a the pheme f
pphetc actty. But es the New Testamet as well? I belee t
es, t smply the bk f Acts, but because f the stg em-
phass up peumatlgy, the Gspel f Luke a the Paule lettes
as well.9 That sa, t s als tue that me tha e schla has sug-
8Hlebat, Old Testament Theology of the Spirit of God, p. 205.9Mst tucts t the New Testamet cmmet the fact that the Gspel f Luke c-tas a specal emphass the Hly Spt (as cmpae wth the the Syptc GspelsMatthew a Mak). F example, see Dal Guthe, New Testament Introduction (DwesGe, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 1970), p. 93; Jh Dae, Introducing the New Testament (SaFacsc: Hape & Rw, 1986), pp. 187-88; Mell C. Teey, New Testament Survey (Ga
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 51
geste that the bblcal bk we kw as the Acts f the Apstles s
ply ame ge the mptace f the Hly Spt t the sty t
tells.10 Thus, whle u suey f the New Testamet wll exte be- y the bk f Acts, t shul t supse us t f wth ths
patcula bk a pletha f petet texts.11
I am t ale hlg the ew that the New Testamet as a
whle a bk f Acts patcula emstate a cect be-
twee the cmg f the Spt a the pheme f pphetc
speech a act. F example, speakg f the New Testamet wt-
ess, Jh Mchael Peey states thatthe ma sta f Hly Spt actty, whethe elat t Jesus t
hs scples, s ccee baly tems f a pphetc pwe e-
ece w a ee. I patcula the tems flle wth/full f the
Hly Spt ae accmpae by “pphetc” speech, whle the atg
f the Spt the Spt cmg up smee s ccee as a em-
pweg f ws whch effect salat eleace.”12
Smlaly, hs teatse the Spt Luke-Acts, Rbet P. Me-zes ssts that “Luke csstetly ptays the Spt as a suce f
pphetc spat, whch (by gatg specal sght a spg
speech) empwes G’s peple f effecte sece.”13
Raps: Eemas, 1985), pp. 184-85; Eeett Has, Introduction to the New Testament (Ga Raps: Eemas, 1971), p. 204; Ralph P. Mat, New Testament Foundations: A Guide for Students (Ga Raps: Eemas, 1975), 1:252-55; Walte A. Elwell a Rbet W. Yabugh, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey (Ga Raps:
Bake, 1998), p. 104; Rbet H. Guy, A Survey of the New Testament (Ga Raps:Zea, 1994), p. 209. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke , p. 35. It shulbe te that may f the Luka passages fm whch we ee New Testamet suppt fthe cect betwee the cmg f the Spt a pphetc actty pssess paallels Matthew a Mak.
10F a balace, thughtful scuss f ths ssue see Jh R. W. Sttt, The Message of Acts (Dwes Ge, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 1990), pp. 32-34.
11Iteestgly, Ams Yg makes the bseat that f a thelgy s esge t esp t a“yeag t expeece afesh the pwe f the Hly Spt mafest the fst-cetuy chuch” t wul seem lgcal t fcus Luke-Acts sce Luke s the New Testamet auth“mst ccee wth, a teeste , the peats f the Spt” (Yg, Spirit Poured Out ,
p. 27).12 Jh Mchael Peey, The Missionary Emphasis of Lukan Pneumatology (Sheffel, U.K.: Shef-
fel Acaemc Pess, 1997), p. 47. See als Hlebat, Old Testament Theology of the Spirit of God , pp. 205-7.
13Mezes, Empowered for Witness , p. 44. See als pp. 174, 186, 188, 202, 226, 230, 238, 239-40,249, 250, 258-59.
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52 the holY sPirit i n Mission
Hay R. Be says smethg smla wthut usg the w pro-
phetic . He wtes:
The beg flle [sic ] wth the Spt at Petecst mafeste tself ir-
repressible speaking abut the geat wks f G that came fth fm the
huma spt whlly seze by the e Spt. Petecst mmetaly
place shap a amatc elef that the Chuch that ha cme t
beg he New Testamet fm s a speakg, pclamg Chuch
a that she aesses all me a all ats wth he message.14
Smlaly, e agast a teecy amg sme Chstas t becme
peccupe wth the e sptual lfe, Athu Glasse makes thefllwg cget bseat:
I Acts, wheee met s mae f belees beg flle wth the
Hly Spt, the accut always ges t met speech (Acts 2:2;
4:8, 31; 7:55-56; 9:17-20; 10:44-46; 13:9-10; 13:52–14:1; 19:6; etc.).
Wheeas t s tue that the fut f the Spt escbe Galatas
5:22-23 s lagely hs ps f wa gaces, Acts wul hae us
uesta that a pmay wk f the Spt s t pe peple’s muthsa get them t bea wtess t Jesus Chst. Iee, “the hghe gfts”
f the Spt ae thse that make pssble the al msty f G’s
W (1 C 12:31; 14:1-3).15
James D. G. Du has ctee that “f the fst Chstas, the
Spt was mst chaactestcally a e pwe mafestg tself
spe utteace” (see Acts 1:16; 3:18; 4:25; 28:25).16
Fally, Rge Ststa, efeg t Luke-Acts, wtes: “The Gs-pel s the sty f Jesus, the uque Chasmatc Pphet; the Acts s the
sty f Hs scples, a cmmuty f Chasmatc pphets. As Luke
escbes t, the especte mstes f salat ae pssble ly
thugh the atg, empweg, a leag f the Hly Spt.”17
As we pess ahea t suey the petet New Testamet passages,
fllwg the lea f msslgst Athu Glasse, I t pe a
14Hay R. Be, Pentecost and Missions (Ga Raps: Eemas, 1961), p. 102.15Athu F. Glasse, Announcing the Kingdom (Ga Raps: Bake Acaemc, 2003), p. 263.16 James D. G. Du, The Christ and the Spirit: Pneumatology (Ga Raps: Eemas, 1997),
p. 11.17Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, pp. 34-35.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 53
thugh ecaptulat f the agumets ethe se f the schlaly
ebate cceg the suppse cmpatblty f the peumatlges
put fwa by Paul a Luke.18 Rathe, pesumg the uty f theBble a that all the bblcal mateals pt t the e a the same
e ealty f the Spt, whle at same tme t scutg the -
esty that es exst the bblcal wtess, I am gg t pess ahea
wth the assumpt place that Luke tee t peset hs eaes
wth a peumatlgy that, whle t cmpatble wth the apstle
Paul’s, ffee smewhat fm t—a complementary peumatlgy that
clues the t f multple -fllgs wth the Spt ccugsubsequetly t the expeece f ces that esult chasmatc
empwemet f mss.19 F eass aleay state the peus
qutes, a whch I wll elabate chapte thee, I am cle t
efe t ths cmplemetay peumatlgy thelgy f the Spt as
“mssal.”20 I am cce that a caeful stuy f the New Testa-
met as a whle wll pe suppt f the thess that thee s a c-
ect betwee gg -fllgs wth the Hly Spt a the phe-
me f pphetc actty.
18See Glasse, Announcing the Kingdom , p. 270.19Mezes, Empowered for Witness, pp. 240-41. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St.
Luke , pp. 11-12. F hs pat, Fak Maccha speaks f the pssblty f tegatg the Luka,Paule a Jhae peumatlges “alg the les f a peumatlgcal stelgy that ews the Spt as the ey substace f the Chst lfe” (Fak D. Maccha, Baptized in the Spirit [Ga Raps: Zea, 2006], pp. 16, 28-29). Lkewse, Sm Cha speaks f theee f Petecstals t lk Luka peumatlgy wth Paule peumatlgy (Sm Cha,
Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition [New Yk: Sheff el Acaemc Pess,2000], p. 12). I a smla me Ams Yg seems t lk the Paule a Luka peuma-tlges whe he suggests that “the e baptsm the Hly Spt, take as a New Testametmetaph f the full sa lf c wk f G . . . emas a aety f expeeces, each f whchcul be sgf cat f ces ffeet aeas at eepe leels, clug that f begeecte twa beag me fcuse a tese wtess t the gspel. . . . Put succctly,the baptsm the Hly Spt efes bth t Chsta tat (but uestas salat a yamc Wesleya athe tha fesc Luthea/Refme sese) and empwemet fsece (but uestas ths as hlg ut the pssblty f multple eepeg a tes-fyg expeeces f the Spt athe tha ly as ‘sec’ ‘th’ wks f gace” (Yg,Spirit Poured Out , p. 119).
20Fak Maccha attempts t cstuct a Petecstal cte f Spt baptsm that succees attegatg Paul’s stelgcal ew f the Spt wth Luke’s catal pespecte (Mac-cha, Baptized in the Spirit , pp. 57-59). Sce hs appach s t gu bth peumatlges a eachg thelgy f the kgm f G (see b., pp. 60, 63, 79, 91, 256, 282), I wul ffe that f we ca cect the “kgm f G” wth G’s mss twa the wl, the Maccha’s thelgy f the Spt es up beg “mssal” as well.
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54 the holY sPirit i n Mission
Prophetic activity in the infancy narratives of Luke 1–2. The ealy
chaptes f the Gspel f Luke peset us wth seeal staces f
cmm flk eleg psalm-lke ats a extempaeusmae. May schlas ae cce that Luke expecte hs eaes t
uesta these ecstatc utteaces as ccass f Spt-eable p-
phetc speech smla t thse whch ccue ug the Ol Testa-
met ea. Ths wul hae csttute a statlg a theefe effec-
te tuct t Luke’s Gspel aate.
The ughly fu hue yeas that sta betwee the cmplet
f the Ol Testamet epch a the cmmecemet f the New s e-fee t by bblcal schlas as the “tetestametal ea.” Rbet Me-
zes sees the chaactes escbe Luke 1– 2 as habtg a “wl f
petstc Juasm”21 healy fluece by the lteatue cmpse u-
g ths tetestametal age.22 Accg t Mezes, the e ha,
the tetestametal lteatue exhbts a teecy t “etfy the Spt
f G wth pphetc spat.”23 O the the ha, the same lt-
eatue als attests t a pecee eath f Spt-spe pphetc
actty ug ths lg pe f tme.24 Ths wul hae mae the
sty aate the ealy chaptes f Luke’s Gspel all the me cm-
pellg f ts fst-cetuy auece. Says Mezes, “the slece f
spt-spe pphetc actty t whch the tetestametal ltea-
tue attests s shattee at the ey utset f the aate, a peu-
matc spat csttutes a ecug mtf.”25 Rge Ststa puts
t ths way:
Ths amatc utbust f Chasmatc pphetc actty s best -
21Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 107. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 36.
22Mezes, Empowered for Witness, pp. 106-7. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St.Luke, p. 38.
23See Mezes, Empowered for Witness, pp. 49-102, f a fascatg, f spute, aalyss f aus aspa Palesta a Essee texts cmpse ug the tetestametal pe, as well as texts that ae a pat f the Rabbc tat. O the the ha, see Peey, Mission-
ary Emphasis, pp. 29-35, f a ctque f Mezes’ thess.24Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 107. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke ,
p. 36; a Rge Ststa, The Prophethood of All Believers (Cleela, Te.: CPT Pess,2010), p. 39.
25Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 107. See als Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 36.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 55
tepete agast the backgu f tetestametal Juasm. . . .
[T]he exta-cacal lteatue f ths pe, thugh t s chaacte-
ze by esty, wtesses t a theefl pespecte the Spt: 1) Juasm the Spt s almst always the Spt f pphecy, 2) ths p-
phetc gft f the Spt has cease wth the last f the wtg pphets,
a 3) the eal f the actty f the Spt s expecte ly the
messac age—hwee t mght be ausly ccee.26
I the ws, fm the ey utset f the sty t s aatg, Luke’s
Gspel eeas t help ts eaes uesta that a ew ea sala-
t hsty has awe. The Hly Spt s acte aga, eablg mea wme t egage amatc, pphetc actty just as the ays
f l. Ths eal f pphetc actty ca mea ly e thg: the
messac age has fally ae!
Thus, t shul t supse us t f that the fst efeece t the
Hly Spt actually cmg up smee Luke’s Gspel ccus
Luke 1:11-17 whee we ea f the agel Gabel aucg t Zech-
aah that a s wul be b t hm hs l age. The pmse t
ths age pest was that ths s, t be ame Jh, wul egage
a mptat pphetc msty as the feue t the Messah. Fu-
theme, keepg wth hs specal pphetc callg, the baby “wll
be flle wth the Hly Spt ee fm bth” (Lk 1:15). Thee t s:
the fst New Testamet passage emstatg a cect betwee
the cmg f the Spt up smee a the pheme f p-
phetc actty.27
Late Luke 1 we ea f May, aleay wth chl as a esult f he
w empweg ecute wth the Hly Spt (Lk 1:35), ag at
Elzabeth’s hme. The aate tells us that whe Elzabeth hea
May’s geetg she was flle wth the Hly Spt. Luke 1:41 eas:
“Whe Elzabeth hea May’s geetg, the baby leape he wmb,
a Elzabeth was flle wth the Hly Spt” (Lk 1:41).
Hee we hae yet athe New Testamet efeece t the Hly
Spt cmg up smee. A caeful eag f the sty wul seem
26Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 38. See als Ststa, Prophethood of All Believ-ers, p. 39.
27See Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke , p. 37.
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56 the holY sPirit i n Mission
t cate that Elzabeth wet t expeece the pheme f
pphetc speech. As we lk at Luke 1:42-45, pay clse attet t
the manner a content f Elzabeth’s ebal espse t the expeecef beg flle wth the Spt. The passage quest eas:
I a lu ce she exclame: “Blesse ae yu amg wme, a
blesse s the chl yu wll bea! But why am I s fae, that the
mthe f my L shul cme t me? As s as the su f yu
geetg eache my eas, the baby my wmb leape f jy. Blesse
s she wh has belee that what the L has sa t he wll be ac-
cmplshe!”
I ths patcula case, the pphetc speech quest tk the fm
f a feet, sptaeus, ejaculaty pucemet f blessg ecte
at May a he ub chl. Nt a few schlas ecgze ths as a
pphetc utteace.28 Eetly, Luke tee hs eaes t assume
that Elzabeth’s kwlege f what was happeg t May was ely
cfee a that the ete utteace was sptaeus, ecstatc, feet
a pmpte by the Spt hag suely cme up he.Gg fwa, we hae aleay take tce f the fact that Luke
1:35 efes t the Hly Spt cmg up May e t effect he
pegacy. Sce Elzabeth’s pphetc utteace efes t May as ha-
g aleay ccee, t seems safe t assume that May’s empweg
ecute wth the Hly Spt ha aleay ccue. Iee, t appeas
that t s smply the su f May’s ce that pmpts Elzabeth’s
ecute wth the Spt: as f May, the hly chl she s cayg,s t ly a beae f the Spt but a pphetc puey f hm (see
Acts 8:15; 9:17; 10:44; 19:6).
Futheme, Luke 1:46-55 ges t pe a accut f a ap-
paet pphetc utteace ffee by May heself espse t the
e just pffee by Elzabeth. Rbet Mezes agues t ly f a
cect betwee May’s ecute wth the Spt efee t
Luke 1:35 wth he speech Luke 1:46-55, but als f he speech’s
spe, pphetc qualtes.29
28Peey, Missionary Emphasis, p. 33; Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 108. See als St-sta, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 37; a Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, p. 40.
29Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 115. See als Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, p. 40;
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 57
The ext efeece t smee beg flle wth the Spt Luke’s
facy aates cces Zechaah, the fathe f Jh the Baptst.
Oce Elzabeth ha ge bth t he s, a Zechaah ha beyethe agelc stuct t ame the chl Jh, he ha hs w empw-
eg ecute wth the Hly Spt. It s ff cult, f t mpssble, t
ecgze Zechaah’s at (Lk 1:67-79) as aythg the tha a
Spt-eable pphetc utteace sce the peamble t ths at
eas: “Hs fathe Zechaah was flle wth the Hly Spt a pph-
ese” (Lk 1:67).30
The ext efeece Luke’s Gspel t smee beg flle wththe Hly Spt ccus Luke 2:25-35 a pesets us wth yet athe
accut f pphetc actty. May a Jseph ha take Jesus t the
temple e t “peset hm t the L” (Lk 2:22-24). Luke e-
scbes f hs eaes a ghteus, eut, aleay Spt-flle ma
ame Sme. The fact that Sme’s ecute wth the Hly Spt
ha puce wth hm a pphetc capacty s cate by the fact
that, as Luke tells t, “It ha bee eeale t hm by the Hly Spt
that he wul t e befe he ha see the L’s Chst” (Lk 2:26).
I the ws, the Spt-flle Sme was appaetly eceg p-
phetc eelats fm the L. Gg futhe, Luke tells hs eaes
that, pmpte t s by the Hly Spt, Sme ushe t the Tem-
ple cuts whee he seems t hae expecte ths pphetc eelat t
be fulflle (Lk 2:27). Sue eugh, sme eelaty mae Sme
was able t ecgze the baby Jesus as Isael’s futue Messah. The,
takg ths fat t hs ams, Sme gae expess t what ap-
peas t be yet athe example f pphetc speech (Lk 2:27-32).31
But Sme’s expeece f the pphetc ’t cclue wth hs
expess f Spt-spe pase. He wet t egage pphetc
msty t Jseph a May, wh, accg t Luke, wee ue-
staably stue by Sme’s hag efee t the chl aus
ways as Isael’s lg awate Messah (Lk 2:33). I 1 Cthas 14:1-3
Peey, Missionary Emphasis, p. 33.30See Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 37. See als Ststa, Prophethood of All
Believers, p. 40; Peey, Missionary Emphasis, p. 33.31See Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 37; see als Mezes, Empowered for Witness ,
p. 115.
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58 the holY sPirit i n Mission
the apstle Paul cates that whe the Hly Spt pmpts Chst’s
fllwes t pphesy t e athe, hs tet s that the ecpets
f ths msty mght be stegthee, ecuage a cmfte. Thugh Sme’s pphetc message t Jesus’ paets (especally May)
was t, stctly speakg, a cmftg e, suely t was tee t
stegthe, pepae a, a sese, ecuage them.
Immeately fllwg hs accut f Sme’s Spt-eable p-
phetc msty, Luke tuces hs eaes t a wma ame Aa,
whm he escbes as a pphetess. Thugh Luke es t efe explc-
tly t the le the Hly Spt playe Aa’s pphetc msty, hees make t clea that she, hag expeece sme fm f supe-
atual eelat as t the baby Jesus’ messac etty, was pmpte
t (1) ffe pphetc ws f pase hs behalf, a (2) beg bea-
g wtess t the Messah’s aal t eeye he wl (Lk 2:38).
I wat t suggest that, f a aety f pssble eass, Luke smply
t cse t ecessay t explctly efe t the pesece f the Hly
Spt Aa’s lfe. F e thg, as we hae aleay see, may Ol
Testamet passages, as well as aus texts cmpse ug te-
testametal ea, seem t cect pphetc actty wth the empwe-
met pe by the Spt f the L. F athe, Luke seems t
take pas t cate that the epse cceg Aa was ealy
ctempaeus wth the e cceg Sme, whse elatshp
wth the Hly Spt was explctly cate. Suely the fact that Luke’s
accut f Aa’s epse begs wth the ws “Cmg up t them
at that ey mmet” (Lk 2:38) s t wthut sgf cace. F all these
eass, schlaly suppt f the pphetc atue f Aa’s speech
a acts s t lackg.32
Prophetic activity in the inauguration narrative of Luke 3:1–4:44. The auguat aate s Luke’s way f escbg the cmmece-
met f Jesus’ publc, pphetc msty.33 Ee thugh Luke has pe-
32See, e.g., Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, p. 40. See als Peey, Missionary Emphasis,p. 33.
33Ststa wtes: “A clse eag f Luke’s hsty f the g f Chstaty cmpels theeae t cclue that Jesus mstes, fm fst t last, as the eschatlgcal, atepphet” (Prophethood of All Believers, p. 37). Futheme, Ststa makes the bseatthat “Jesus etfes hmself as pphet hs augual sem at Nazaeth (Lk. 4.16-30).
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 59
usly efee t Jesus as the S f G whse ey bth was cause
by the Hly Spt hag “cme up” hs mthe, the th Gspel
cates that Jesus expeece hs w empweg ecute wththe Spt the ccas f hs wate baptsm. Luke 3:21-22 eas:
Whe all the peple wee beg baptze, Jesus was baptze t. A
as he was payg, heae was pee a the Hly Spt escee
hm bly fm lke a e. A a ce came fm heae: “Yu ae
my S, whm I le; wth yu I am well please.”
Whle ths passage pes suppt f the ea that the Bble as a
whle seems t teach that a cect exsts betwee the cmg f
the Hly Spt a sme st f pphetc actty, t es s a
c mae. I all f the cases f Spt-ewmet we hae lke
at thus fa, t ha bee the ecpet f the Hly Spt that ethe speaks
acts pphetcally. I ths case, t s the spese f the Spt that
“ppheses”—G hmself!
Ge the mmeate ctext f the sty f Jesus’ baptsm—the
temptat epse Luke 4:1-13, the sty f hs eject at Naza-eth Luke 4:14-30 a the accuts f hs mstes f excsm a
healg Luke 4:31-44—may New Testamet schlas uesta
the ce fm heae as bgg t Jesus a pphetc message at the
utset f hs publc msty. Ths message was tee t ecuage
a stegthe hm “ the face f the satac a huma ppst he
must face.”34
A yet we shul als keep m that sme bblcal schlashae allue t the pssblty that the auguat stes f Jesus’
baptsm, temptat, eject at Nazaeth a subsequet egagemet
chasmatc mstes fm a tegate aate esge t p-
tay the “lauchg f the publc msty f Jesus—the chasmatc
Chst.”35 If such a lteay cect s justfe, the thee s a sese
whch Luke may hae tee hs eaes t asscate the pphetc
Because ths s pgammatc f Jesus’ ete msty, Luke place ths epse mmeately afte Jesus’ baptsm a temptat, a theeby at the begg f Jesus’ msty” (b., pp.37, 53).
34Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, pp. 40-41.35Ib., p. 39.
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60 the holY sPirit i n Mission
speech uttee by Jesus the syaggue at Nazaeth (Lk 4:14-21) wth
the accut f hs wate baptsm a ecept f the Spt. Ths wul
mea that, as Luke tells the sty, Jesus hmself eetually pph-esy espse t hs w ecept f the Spt.36
At the ey least, ge the fact that Jesus’ subsequet msty was
s ey ch wth pphetc speech a act, we ca safely assume
that hs expeece wth the Spt the ccas f hs wate baptsm
see t ew hm wth the pheme f prophetic capacity.37
Prophetic activity alluded to in Jesus’ preparation of his disciples
(Lk 12:11-12). Ths s smewhat f a specal case, but e that shul
36Smethg smla may hae ccue the case f Saul f Tasus. Thugh pphetc speechpe se s cate Acts 9:17, the subsequet eses Acts 9 mply a egagemet pphetcmsty, a 1 C 14:18 makes t clea that at sme pt the apstle Paul beg t egage the pactce f glsslala (speakg tgues), a fm f pphetc speech.
37 Ths le f thkg assumes that hs kenosis self-emptyg Jesus became just as epe-et the Spt f hs msty atg as ay the huma mste wul be. Wth thatthught m, I wul lke t bae the fg wates a ask: Cul t be that ths tf prophetic capacity mght fuct as a ew statg pt the gg algue betwee
Petecstals a chasmatcs a -Petecstals chasmatcs wth ega t the ques-t f phemea a Spt-fllgs? I suggest that ge the ceasgly pst-Chstamsty emet whch we Weste Chstas ae pesetly stuate, the fcus f eagelcal thelgas a chuch leaes—Petecstal-chasmatc a -Petecstal-chasmatc—ees t me past the l peumatlges champe thus fa twa a thel-gy f the Spt that ca puce wth the ak a fle f all u chuches a ceaseablty t le mssally fathful, hpeful les. Mght t be pssble f all ses t cme t-gethe au the ea that whe the Hly Spt cmes up a fllwe f Chst, at the ey least we ca agee that ths expeece esults the mpatat f pphetc capacty? WhleI cat speak f thse the -Petecstal-chasmatc se f ths ebate, f theleaes f classcal Petecstal emats, I ca attest that thee ae a umbe f Pete-
cstal-chasmatc acaemcs a chuch leaes wh ecgze the ee a ptetal fsuch a meetg f the ms. F example, Petecstal thelga Fak Maccha les sup-pt f ths t whe, afte pg a affmg cmmet a cuet te amgmay Petecstals t “accet the gft f the Spt ge egeeat a t ew the Pe-tecstal expeece f Spt baptsm as empwemet f wtess as a ‘elease’ f a aleay-wellg Spt lfe,” he wtes, “Imple s that all Chstas ae chasmatc. Chstasat whatee leel f sptual matuty f the mstes ehace wth geate pwe aeffecteess thugh a expeece f Spt baptsm” (Maccha, Baptized in the Spirit , p. 77).Late ths same wk Maccha efes t Spt baptsm as “a empweg ca llg a gft-g f a lg wtess t Jesus that s the bthght f eey Chsta as a beae f the Spt”(b., p. 79). Futheme, I ecetly hea Petecstal statesma Jack Hayf ele a
aess whch he mae a stct betwee beg Petecstal wth a “uppecase ‘P’ ” abeg e wth a “ lwecase ‘p.’ ” That s, beg a Petecstal whse maj cce s the c-te f tal, physcal eece, a beg a Petecstal wh actually pactces pphetcspeech ( glossolalia) a egula bass wth a mssal effect (Jack Hayf, “The PetecstalPlgmage a the Emegg Chuch,” Sec Aual Petecstal Leaes Sees, TheLews Wls Isttute f Petecstal Stues, Csta Mesa, Calf., Febuay 17, 2011).
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 61
be clue u suey sce t lks the Hly Spt wth pphetc
actty. I at t the seeal Luka passages that ptay p-
phetc speech ccug as a esult f the Hly Spt hag cmeup smee, Luke 12:11-12 we f Jesus speakg a stage
w f cmft t hs scples that efes t the futue expeece
f Spt-spe speech a mssal ctext: “Whe yu ae
bught befe syaggues, ules a authtes, t wy
abut hw yu wll efe yuseles what yu wll say, for the
Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say ” (Lk 12:11-
12, emphass ae) That t s a type f pphetc speech Jesus has m hee s c-
te me clealy Matthew’s es f ths same msty pmse:
O my accut yu wll be bught befe ges a kgs as wt-
esses t them a t the Getles. But whe they aest yu, t
wy abut what t say hw t say t. At that tme yu wll be ge
what t say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you. (Mt 10:18-20, emphass ae) Ths s a stage pmse Jesus makes t hs scples. O the e ha,
he s assug them they wll be pesecute, smetmes fmal, legal,
ee egal settgs. Clealy ths wul be a tmatg bt f ews.
But the the ha Jesus ges t assue hs scples that at such
tmes they wll t be ale. They ca cut the Hly Spt t be
fathful ug these types f “tals,” ee t the pt f pphetcally
spg the aplgetc espses. Prophetic activity in the book of Acts. S fa u stuy f what the
Bble as a whle has t say abut what ca be expecte whe the Hly
Spt cmes up peple, we hae scee the pesece f a “p-
phetc sty” wth the “bblcal sty” as a whle. Ths pphetc
sty s mae up f thee “chaptes” a begs, fst f all, wth
Mses makg the wsh that smeay all f G’s peple wul be
flle wth the Spt a theeby ewe wth the capacty t fuc-t pphetcally (Num 11:29). The ext chapte the pphetc
sty ccus whe we ea f the pphet Jel makg the bl a-
ucemet that what Mses wshe f wll smeay ccu: all f
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62 the holY sPirit i n Mission
G’s peple, egaless f age, gee a scecmc status,
wll be flle wth the Hly Spt a theeby eable t pphesy
(Jel 2:28-29). The fal chapte ufls whe we f a speapstle Pete blly aucg that wth the cmg f the Hly
Spt the ay f Petecst, bth Mses’ wsh a Jel’s pmse
hae bee fulflle (Acts 2:14-18)!38 Ths cclug chapte t the
pphetc sty s s ctcal t u uestag f what the Bble as
a whle has t say abut the cect betwee the cmg f the
Spt a the pheme f pphetc actty that t waats a
especally clse spect.I Acts 1:8 Luke has Jesus makg a pmse f hs w: hs s-
cples wll ecee a supeatual empwemet t bea wtess f
hm as a esult f the Hly Spt cmg up them. The utteace
f ths pmse, fllwe by Jesus’ bly asces t heae, pe-
cptate a extee paye meetg attee by elee f Jesus’ s-
cples, a few famly membes a a umbe f the fllwes (Acts
1:13-14). Acts 2 tells us that Jesus’ pmse was fulflle the ay
f Petecst.
Whe the ay f Petecst came, they wee all tgethe e place.
Suely a su lke the blwg f a let w came fm heae
a flle the whle huse whee they wee sttg. They saw what
seeme t be tgues f fe that sepaate a came t est each f
them. All f them wee flle wth the Hly Spt a bega t speak
the tgues as the Spt eable them. (Acts 2:1-4)
Ths passage eeals yet athe ccas Luke-Acts whee the
eae fs smee beg flle wth the Hly Spt. Luke makes t
cystal clea Acts 2:4 that the pheme f glsslala, speakg
tgues, was Spt-eable. The quest s: Is glsslala t be c-
see a fm f pphetc speech? Luke aswes ths quest f us
the tw pecpes (sects f Scptue) that fllw.
Acts 2:5-13 ceys the mage f Jesus’ fllwes sptaeusly, ec-
statcally, publcly “eclag the wes f G” tgues that wee
38Suppt f ths cect s pe Vel-Matt Käkkäe, Pneumatology (Ga Rap-s: Bake Acaemc, 2002), p. 31. See als Wght, Knowing the Holy Spirit , p. 53; a Yg,Spirit Poured Out , p. 83.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 63
feg t them but well kw t the membes f a cw f lkes
that ha quckly gathee au them. Gate, Luke tells us that the
mssal effect ths pphetc speech ha the cw f lkes was mxe. Wtessg the pphetc actty f the Spt-flle sc-
ples cause sme the cw t mck a t accuse the scples f
beg uk publc. Obseg the same pphetc actty cause
thes the cw t expeece geat amazemet a t pse the
quest, “What es ths mea?”
Acts 2:14-18 sees as the peface t Pete’s “Petecstal Sem,”
whch tself shul be ewe as pphetc speech.39
Ths peface tPete’s sem makes t clea that the glsslala efee t Acts
2:4, 11, csttutes a fm f pphecy. Ntce the fllwg passage
the way the apstle Pete makes the cect betwee the scples’
glsslala a the fulf llmet f the pmse mae by the pphet Jel
that smeay all f G’s peple wul be eable by the Spt t
pphesy.
The Pete st up wth the Elee, ase hs ce a aesse thecw: “Fellw Jews a all f yu wh le Jeusalem, let me expla
ths t yu; lste caefully t what I say. These me ae t uk, as
yu suppse. It’s ly e the mg! N, ths s what was spke
by the pphet Jel:
“I the last ays, G says,
I wll pu ut my Spt all peple.
Yu ss a aughtes wll pphesy, yu yug me wll see ss,
yu l me wll eam eams.
Ee my seats, bth me a wme,
I wll pu ut my Spt thse ays,
a they wll pphesy.” (Acts 2:14-18)
Actually, a clse cmpas f Acts 2:18 a Jel 2:29 cates that
Luke has Pete gg ut f hs way t equate glsslala wth the phe-
me f pphecy. Pete’s cclug phase “a they wll pph-
39 Wllam W. Mezes a Rbet P. Mezes, Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Ex- perience (Ga Raps: Zea, 2000), pp. 194-95.
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64 the holY sPirit i n Mission
esy” s t a pat f Jel 2:29. Pete has ae that phase as f t ue-
sce a mptat thelgcal pt: Mses’ wsh a Jel’s pmse
hae bee fulflle the eets f Petecst!40 Iee, t has bee suggeste that Luke tee f the utpug
f the Spt the ay f Petecst t be tepete as a eet that
haks back t the tasfeece f the Spt a accmpayg msty
atg fm Mses t the seety eles escbe Numbes 11.
Just as Numbes 11 epcts hw the Spt a accmpayg msty
atg that ha este Mses was tasfee t the seety el-
es, Acts 2 epcts a tasfeg f the Spt a accmpayg m-sty atg that ha bee eset Jesus t hs apstlc cmmu-
ty.41 Thus the cect s t smply betwee Petecst a Jel’s
pmse, but betwee Petecst a Mses’ wsh that smeay all f
G’s peple wul be ewe wth a pphetc capacty. Rge
Ststa puts t ths way: “the pug ut f the Spt the ay f
Petecst auguates thg less tha G’s peple as the pphet-
h f all belees.”42
The ea that Luke was beg caeful t make ths thelgcal
pt fs suppt the fact that the emae f the bk f Acts
s flle wth stes f Chst’s fllwes beg empwee by the
Hly Spt t egage pphetc speech a act. Rbet Mezes
bsees that “Out f 59 efeeces t the Spt f G Acts, 36
ae uequcally lke t pphetc actty.”43 My w bseat
40See Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, p. 69; Clak Pck, Flame of Love (DwesGe, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 1996), p. 134; Glasse, Announcing the Kingdom , p. 264.
41Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, pp. 69-70. Lkewse, Clak Pck wtes, “At Pete-cst the chuch ecee the Spt a became the hstcal ctuat f Jesus’ atgas the Chst. The Oe baptze wate a Spt w baptzes the scples. He tasfeeSpt t them s that hs acts cul ctue thugh the agecy. The beae f the Sptw baptzes thes wth the Spt, that thee mght be a ctuat f hs testmy w a ee a a ctuat f hs pphetc a chasmatc msty” (Pck, Flame of Love , p. 118). See als Chstphe J. H. Wght, The Mission of God’s People (Ga Raps:Zea, 2010), p. 43.
42Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, pp. 69-70. Lkewse, G Fee wtes, “Wth the
utpug f the Spt at the e f the age, the ealy Chstas uest the pphecy f Jel 2:28-30 t hae bee fulflle, s that ‘pphecy’ t ly became a eewe pheme,but was als ptetally aalable t all, sce all w pssesse the Spt fulless (cf. Acts2:17-18)” (G Fee, God’s Empowering Presence [Peaby, Mass.: Hecks, 1994], p.170).
43Mezes, Empowered for Witness, p. 258.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 65
s that less tha twety-e f the twety-eght chaptes f the
bk f Acts ptay sme st f pphetc actty takg place:
(1) scples speakg pphetcally t G, (2) scples pphetcally heag fm G, (3) scples pphetcally speakg a actg
behalf f G wth the esult that ee me scples ae mae a
the chuch s bult up!
F example:
A peusly tm Pete was w wllg a able t sta a e-•
le a pweful Spt-spe sem that esulte thusas f
cets t the Chsta fath (Acts 2).44
Smehw Pete seeme t kw that he was suppse t lft a lame•
ma t hs feet, theeby effect hs healg, a the blly peache
t a astshe cw abut the esuecte Jesus (Acts 3).
Pete was eable by the Hly Spt t ffe a bl espse t the•
elgus leaes f Isael wh wate t kw by what pwe he a
Jh ha bee able t heal that lame ma the temple (Acts 4).
Afte a fesh -fllg wth the Hly Spt, the ete Chsta•
cmmuty bega t pclam the gspel a extaaly bl
mae (Acts 4)!
Pete seeme t kw that G was abut t execse e sc-•
ple the les f tw chuch membes—Aaas f Jeusalem
a hs wfe Sappha—wh wee gulty f lyg t Hly Spt
(Acts 5).Stephe was empwee by the Hly Spt t bea wtess t the•
esuecte Jesus ee as he was becmg the chuch’s fst maty
(Acts 7).
A agel f the L tl Phlp t g t a ceta lcat (ut •
the eset) a wat thee f a ceta msty pptuty. Oce
thee, the Spt eable Phlp t effectely eagelze a baptze
a hgh-stag membe f the cut f the quee f Ethpa! Afte
44Ststa pes substatal exegetcal suppt f the t that Pete’s Petecstal se-m was a “peuma scuse—speech spe by the Hly Spt” (Ststa, Prophethood of All Believers, pp. 68-70).
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66 the holY sPirit i n Mission
ths msty ha cclue, the Spt ctue t pe specfc
ect t Phlp hs mssal eeas (Acts 8).
The L spke t Aaas f Damascus a s, seg hm t•
pay f the ma wh wul becme the apstle Paul (Acts 9).
The Hly Spt tl Pete t g wth sme Getles t Caesaea •
e t msty thee (Acts 10).
As Pete peache the gspel a extempaeus mae t the•
Getles Celus’s huse, the Spt came up them, eablg
them t egage pphetc speech f the w (bth glsslala
a ecstatc pase the eacula) (Acts 10).
The Hly Spt, speakg thugh a pphet ame Agabus, -•
fme the chuch Atch that a fame wul s aesely
affect the scples lg the eg f Juea (Acts 11).
A agel spke t Pete, gg hm specfc stucts, helpg•
hm escape the ps t whch he ha bee thw (Acts 12).
The Hly Spt spke t the chuch leaes Atch, stuctg•
them t se Paul a Baabas ff the fst mssay assg-
met t Cypus a Asa M (Acts 13).
Paul was spe by the Hly Spt t blly a pphetcally c-•
ft a peese Jewsh scee wh was mpeg the msty f
the gspel (Acts 13).
The Hly Spt spe the leaes f the chuch Jeusalem t•
t eque that Getles be ccumcse e t becme Chst
fllwes a chuch membes (Ths was a huge eelpmet the
hsty f the chuch!) (Acts 15).
Paul ecee sme faly specfc a mptat msty stuc-•
ts elee aus ways by the Hly Spt. (As a esult, the
gspel csse the Aegea Sea a ae Eupe. Ths t was a
huge eet the hsty f the chuch!) (Acts 16).
The L spke t Paul a s, ecuagg hm t ctue•
msteg Cth espte the aesty he was expeecg
(Acts 18).
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 67
Aplls ( sme Geek mauscpts), hag bee “stucte the way •
f the L” was able t speak wth “fe the Spt” (Acts 18).
Afte the apstle Paul paye f sme ewly baptze flks Ephe-•
sus, the Hly Spt came up them, eablg them t egage
pphetc speech (glsslala a pphecy uttee the eacula)
(Acts 19).
Paul kept heag the Hly Spt wa hm that hs futue le•
ps a hashps (Acts 20).
The Spt use aus chuch membes Tye a Caesaea t•
ele pphetc messages t Paul, futhe pepag hm f the
aesty he wul s expeece (Acts 21).
Paul ehease the pphetc mae whch the L ha•
wae hm t f lee Jeusalem yeas eale just afte hs ces
(Acts 22).
The L spke t Paul a ey pesal way, assug hm that he•
wul t e Jeusalem but wul hae the pptuty t peachthe gspel Rme (Acts 23).
Paul ehease the pphetc mae whch he ha bee calle t•
a pphetc msty (Acts 26).
The apstle Paul was able t mste cmft a assuace t hs•
fellw shpmates because he ha ha a ecuagg cesat
wth a agel the ght befe (Acts 27).
What shul we make f the may cets f pphetc actty
pesete the bk f Acts? At the ey least, we must ackwlege
that the Hly Spt playe a huge le the bth a expas f the
Chsta memet. I wat t g t suggest, hwee, that u
suey f Luke-Acts has yele a emakable egee f suppt f the
ea that a cect exsts betwee the cmg f the Spt a the
pheme f pphetc actty.
Gg ee futhe, I wat t uesce the p put fwaby t a few schlas that whle Luke’s wk as a hsta shul t
be uealue, he was g me tha wtg a hsty. Luke was
als a thelga, cmpsg wth the help f the Spt a cumet
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68 the holY sPirit i n Mission
that was tee t fuct pescptely as well as escptely.45
T be me pecse, I am cce that the Hly Spt was usg
Luke t ceate a cumet that wul pepetually em the chuchf the ee t egage pphetc actty e t ema mss-
ally fathful.
Thugh the eece es t suppt the ea that the sty f the
scple Aaas (f Damascus) beg set by the Hly Spt t ms-
te t a aze a cfuse Saul f Tasus (Acts 9:10-20) was, stctly
speakg, paagmatc f Luke f what Chst wats all f hs Spt-
flle fllwes t be able t , it must be acknowledged that Luke’s mes-sage overall seems to be that that all Spirit-filled believers possess the capacity,
like Ananias, to hear God’s voice, receive ministry assignments, speak and act
on Christ’s behalf, make new disciples, and build up the church, offering a
powerful refutation of religious relativism in the process! 46
References to prophetic activity in the writings of the apostle Paul. Eale ths chapte I allue t the ea that Paul a Luke seem t
peset the eaes wth ffeet thugh cmpatble thelges f
the Spt. Schlas efe t Paul’s peumatlgy as “stelgcal,”
a t Luke’s as “chasmatc” “catal.” I the cate my
pefeece f the tem missional . Thugh ths stct s al, t
45F example, Petecstal schla Rge Ststa makes the asset that Luke’s hstcalaccuts pe a sl fuat f a thelgy f the Spt that shul be take seusly by ctempay fllwes f Chst. Ststa wtes, “I pcple, Luke’s aates ae amptat a legtmate ata base f cstuctg a Luka cte f the Spt. Thus,
athe tha pg a f lmsy fuat up whch t eect a cte f the Hly Spt, ass cmmly allege, the hstcal accuts f the actty f the Spt Acts pe a fmfuat f eectg a cte f the Spt whch has mate mplcats f the ms-s a elgus expeece f the ctempay chuch” (Ststa, Charismatic Theology of St. Luke , p. 9). Futheme, the ew that Luke was a thelga as well as a hsta s alssuppte by eagelcal schlas Wllam Kle, Cag Blmbeg a Rbet Hubba J., wh wte, “may tepetes f Acts succumb t false chtmes betwee thelgy ahsty. . . . But, as hs Gspel, Luke t cmple hsty f hsty’s sake; athe hecmple t t teach hs eaes what he belee G was accmplshg the wl a what G was cmmag belees t a thugh the eets he aate” (Wllam W. Kle, Cag L. Blmbeg a Rbet L. Hubba J., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
[Dallas: W, 1993], pp. 344-45, cte Peey, Missionary Emphasis , p. 13).46 Whle t s tue that Acts 9:10-20 es t efe t the Hly Spt specfcally, ts ctext
the tw-lume wk Luke-Acts (see Acts 1:1) suggests that Luke assume hs eaes wuluesta that t was thugh the agecy f the Hly Spt that G cmmucate wthAaas, pmptg hs subsequet egagemet mssal msty t a ble a bewl-ee Saul f Tasus behalf f the se Chst.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 69
shul t be ewe as abslute. I belee that t s pssble t etfy
passages Paul’s wtgs that seem t cect the pheme f
pphetc actty wth the cmg f the Spt a whch suggestthat the actty f the Spt the les f belees ca a shul
execse a mssal effect.47
Fst, I wat t bg attet t a cuple f passages that seem t
suggest that it is through prophetic means that the Spirit assures believers of
their soteriological status before God. I Rmas 8:15-16 we ae tl that
thugh the Spt belees ae eable t “cy, Abba, Fathe” a
theeby t hae the heats assue that they belg t G. Ths pas-sage says, “F yu t ecee a spt that makes yu a slae aga
t fea, but yu ecee the Spt f sshp. A by hm we cy, ‘ Abba,
Fathe.’ The Spt hmself testfes wth u spt that we ae G’s
chle” (Rm 8:15-16).
Paul says essetally the same thg Galatas 4:6.48 “Because yu
ae ss, G set the Spt f hs S t u heats, the Spt wh
calls ut, ‘ Abba, Fathe.’”
Cetaly, these efeeces t the Hly Spt pmptg scples t
emply a ceta fm f speech, a t the e testmy f assu-
ace he pes the pcess, ca be uest metaphcally. But
s t t als pssble that Paul ha m that as a esult f eceg
the Spt, a pes mght lteally ge expess t a fm f Spt-
spe speech wheeby he she s eable t cmmucate wth G
a ect, tmate, sptaeus a mpasse mae?49
Ee me suppt f the ea that Paul was pe t the ea that
the Hly Spt mght pmpt a belee t ge expess t sme fm
f pphetc speech s pe by the apstle’s efeece Rmas
47Suppt f ths ea s pe Käkkäe, Pneumatology, p. 32. Cetaly ths was thecase wth Paul hmself as Acts 13:9-12 makes clea.
48G Fee’s teatmet f these tw passages elaps geatly. See Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , pp. 561-62.
49C. K. Baett ackwleges the pssblty that ue t hs use f the let w krazomen Rm 8:15 (taslate as “we cy”), Paul may hae ha a Spt-spe utteace m hee(cf. 1 C. 14:15) (C. K. Baett, The Epistle to the Romans, Hape’s New Testamet Cm-metaes [New Yk: Hape & Rw, 1957], p. 164). A fm f the same Geek eb s use Galatas 4:6 a s taslate as “cal ls ut.” G Fee makes the pt that t s the be-lee wh speaks, but at the Spt’s pmptg (Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , pp. 568-69).
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70 the holY sPirit i n Mission
8:26-27 t the a the Hly Spt pes belees whe t cmes t
paye. Ths passage eas:
I the same way, the Spt helps us u weakess. We t kw
what we ught t pay f, but the Spt hmself tecees f us wth
gas that ws cat expess. A he wh seaches u heats
kws the m f the Spt, because the Spt tecees f the sats
accace wth G’s wll.
Mst schlas agee that the pla sese f ths passage s that e
way athe the Hly Spt asssts sptually cfuse belees by
spg them t pay a mae that s accace wth G’s wll. Yes, t s tue that schlaly ebate suus the ssue f whethe
Paul ha glsslala m hee a lteal gag spe by the
Spt.50 Ethe way, t appeas that Paul meat t suggest that at tmes
the Spt wll actually speak pay through the belee, ffeg effec-
te tecess hs he behalf the pcess.51
Futhe exegetcal suppt f the ea that Paul ecgze the c-
ect betwee the cmg f the Spt a pphetc speech s t befu hs fst lette t the Cthas. I 1 Cthas 12:3 the
apstle efes t the yamc f “speakg by the Spt.” Paul ges
t lst aus ways the Hly Spt ca a wll mafest hmself
thugh membes f Chst’s by.52 Thugh all f the mafestats
50Emet New Testamet schlas F. F. Buce a C. K. Baett bth ackwlege the pss-blty that Paul may hae ha glsslala m Rmas 8:26 (F. F. Buce, Romans, Ty-
ale New Testamet Cmmetaes [Dwes Ge, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 2008], p. 165;C. K. Baett, Epistle to the Romans , p. 168). F hs pat, Petecstal bblcal schla GFee s a bt less ambalet. He wtes: “Seeal mattes, theefe, j t suggest that Ogepbably ha t ght, uestag these seteces as a whle a ths phase patculat efe t a k f pate (‘t eself’) payg tgues that Paul speaks abut as pat f hs eslut f the pactce f utepete tgues the wshpg cmmuty Cth” (Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 580). Accg t Fee, Est Käsema alssees a efeece t paye tgues at wk ths passage. See Est Käsema, “The Cy f Lbety the Wshp f the Chuch,” Perspectives on Paul (L: SCM Pess, 1971),p. 135.
51Fee feels the ee t make t clea that the Spt s t eablg us t tecee f thes. “T
the ctay, the appeal s befe G our behalf, the Spt’s appealg t G f us be-cause u weakess we t kw hw t pay u w behalf ” (Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 579).
52Fee assets that the gfts lste ths passage ae “abe all manifestations f the Spt ’s pes-ece the mst, chse because they ae, lke tgues tself, extaay phemea”(b., p. 165).
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 71
f the Spt lste by Paul 1 Cthas 12 ca be see e way
athe t be pphetc a mssal atue, ese 8 he efes
t “messages” f wsm a eelat that ae pe by the Spt,53 a ese 10 he allues t the gft f “pphecy” ppe, 54 whch,
accg t G Fee, “csste f sptaeus, Spt-spe,
tellgble messages, ally elee the gathee assembly, -
tee f the ef cat ecuagemet f the peple.”55
Eetly, Paul ewe the ablty t pphesy a especally mp-
tat, aluable sptual gft.56 As s well kw, thee s a sese whch
1 Cthas 14 s all abut ths patcula fm f pphetc speech.Paul begs ths chapte by cmmeg ths patcula “sptual gft”
t the Cthas (1 C 14:1).57 Paul ges the chapte t expla
why he hls the gft f pphecy such hgh esteem. Fst, thee s ts
ablty t bg messages t fellw chuch membes that esult the
53Fee efes t thse wh “hae suggeste that Paul hee has m a supeatual ewmet
f kwlege, factual fmat that cul t thewse hae bee kw wthut theSpt’s a, such as fequetly ccus the pphetc tat” (b., p. 167). I a te elatet ths scuss, Fee cates that “Pete’s ‘kwlege’ f Aaas a Sappha’s msee Acts 5:1-11 s fte lke up as ths gft act” (b., p. 167 . 310). Fee ges tcate that sce the gft kw as the “message f kwlege” “s s clsely te t the ‘mes-sage f wsm,’ the tw shul pbably be uest as paal lel sme way. Mst lkely,theefe, t s a ‘Spt utteace’ f sme eelaty k” (b., p. 167).
54Ib. p. 165. Fee efes hee t Wllam Ba ’s gupg f “pphecy, sceg ppheces,tgues, tepetat f tgues” as “gfts f spe utteace” (Wllam Ba, The Corin-thian Church: A Biblical Approach to Urban Culture [New Yk: Abg, 1964], p. 139). Feeals explas that f Paul “the pphet was e wh ue spat f the Spt spke t
G’s peple (e.g., Mc 3:8)” (Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 169). See als F. D. Bue’steatmet f the peat f ths sptual gft Petecstal chuches Bue, Theology of the Holy Spirit , pp. 142-43.
55Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 170. I shul pt ut that Fee essetally smsses thet f “pesal pphecy, wheeby smee ppheses e athe as t ey pesalmattes the les.” O the e ha, I ultmately esate wth the spt whch thsctque s ffee a the gal f ts execut. The type f mssal pphetc actty I amseekg t pmte these pages shul t be cfuse wth the k f “pesal pphecy”that ges may chasmatc paye meetgs. O the the ha, ee thugh Fee allwsthat sme fm f pesal pphecy mght hae bee gg thse stuats ef lecte 1 Tm 1:18; 4:14, I stll we f hs ctque cul be me uace the lght f what he,
hmself, has t say abut the pphetc aspects f the messages f wsm a kwlege, as well as such passages as Acts 9:10-20; 13:9-11. That sa, I als we f pehaps f Fee thecmmuty esus pate settg s what s at ssue as well as the tepesal atue f thepphetc actty (see b., pp. 170-71).
56See Pck, Flame of Love , p. 134; a Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , pp. 215, 217-21.57Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 215.
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72 the holY sPirit i n Mission
“stegtheg, ecuagemet a cmft” (1 C 14:3).58 Sec,
when conducted properly, a chasmatc wshp sece eamake by
al pphetc utteaces wll hae a pste mssal effect ay ubelees wh happe t be atteace (1 C 14:24-25). Cm-
metg ths passage, Fee wtes:
Oce me pphecy s set fth as the alteate t the utellg-
blty f utepete tgues. I ths case t s ewe as leag -
ectly t the ces f the stg ubelee. Ths passage pa-
tcula mples that pphesyg s potentially available t all belees,
sce all ae Spt peple. That s, Paul es t say, “If the pphetsall pphesy,” but “If all pphesy . . . the ubelee wll be ccte
by all [t all pphets] . . . a he she wll be juge by all .” The
atue f ths agumetat exclues the pt that ths gft was
lmte t a gup f authtate peple wh wee kw the
cmmuty as “the pphets.”59
Paul cclues the chapte by amshg the Cthas t be
eage t pphesy a t t fb speakg tgues (1 C 14:39).It shul be pte ut that Paul eetly belee that thee s a way
f mssally fathful chuches t egage these ks f pphetc
behas a mae that s fttg a ely—that s, t we,
chatc, supte, ff-puttg cutepucte (1 C 14:40).60
Fally, Paul’s lette t the Ephesas ctas a fascatg pas-
sage whch, all by tself, sees t cate that thee s wth the
apstle’s essetally stelgcal peumatlgy a uestag f
hw beg flle wth the Spt wll puce a capacty f Chst’s
fllwes t mste t e athe thugh pphetc speech. Ephe-
sas 5:18-20 says:
D t get uk we, whch leas t ebauchey. Istea, be flle
wth the Spt. Speak t e athe wth psalms, hyms a sptual
sgs. Sg a make musc yu heat t the L, always gg
thaks t G the Fathe f eeythg, the ame f u L Jesus
Chst.
58Ib., pp. 217-19.59Ib., p. 244, emphass gal.60Ib., p. 261.
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“Would God That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets” 73
At the ey least ths passage suggests that beg flle wth the
Spt (smethg whch the Geek eb fm cates shul happe
e a e aga)61 wll esult the capacty t egage pphetcspeech (ecstatc pase a thaksgg) a pphetc act (submt-
tg t e athe in the fear of Christ ). G Fee takes pas t -
cate that “what s fte msse u Eglsh taslats s that all
f . 19-21 take the fm f a sees f patcples that mfy the p-
may mpeate . 18.”62 Ths meas that the ccumstaces by
whch Paul’s eaes ae t bey the pmay mpeate “be flle wth
the Spt” ae cate such qualfyg phases as:“speakg• to each other wth psalms, hyms, a Spt sgs”
“sgg a makg musc• to the Lord, wth yu heats”
“gg thaks• to God f all thgs the ame f the L Jesus
Chst”
“submttg yuseles• to one another the fea f Chst.”63
Pesumably, Paul meat f hs eaes t uesta that ths te-pesal msty by meas f pphetc speech a act wul hae
the effect f pucg gg sptual matuat amg chuch
membes. The pssblty exsts, hwee, that he als tee hs
eaes t uesta that such tepesal pphetc msty was
61Refeg t the cmma Eph 5:19 t be flle wth the Spt, bblcal cmmetat Fa-ces Fulkes wtes: “the tese f the eb, peset mpeate the Geek, shul be te,
mplyg as t es that the expeece f eceg the Hly Spt s that eey pat f lfe spemeate a ctlle by Hm s t a ‘ce f all’ expeece. I the ealy chaptes f theActs f the Apstles t s epeate a umbe f tmes that the apstles wee ‘flle wth theHly Spt.’ The pactcal mplcat s that the Chsta s t leae hs lfe pe t be fllecstatly a epeately by the e Spt” (Faces Fulkes, Ephesians, Tyale New Testamet Cmmetaes [Dwes Ge, Ill.: IteVasty Pess, 2008], p. 159). Ths b-seat wul als hae applcat as a cecte agast ay peumatlgcal ew f aSpt baptsm that es t allw f gg expeeces f -fllg. Ically, thugh James Du a the classcal Petecstal emats ffe the use f the tem Spirit baptism, a whethe a tal Spt fllg esultg empwee wtess shul be ewe as a sec ee th wk f gace, my sese s that mst classcal Petecstals
wul agee wth Du that “e es t ete the ew age the Chsta lfe me thace, but e may be empwee fl le wth the Spt may tmes (Acts 2.4; 4.8, 31; 9.17;13.9; Eph 5.18)” (Du, Baptism in the Holy Spirit , p. 54). See als Bue, Theology of the HolySpirit , pp. 171-72, 214, 241; a Glasse, Announcing the Kingdom , p. 311.
62Fee, God’s Empowering Presence , p. 719.63Ib.
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74 the holY sPirit i n Mission
key t the accmplshmet f the mptat mal a mssal m-
peates t whch he ha bee efeg thughut the whle sect
f whch ths passage s a pat (Eph 4:17–5:21).64 These ae just a few passages culle fm the wtgs f the apstle
Paul whch, alg wth thse we etfe Luke-Acts a thse
clue u suey f the Ol Testamet, ffe stg suppt f
the ea that the Bble as a whle eeces a yamc cect be-
twee empweg ecutes wth G’s Hly Spt a the phe-
me f pphetc actty. Why s seeg a embacg ths y-
amc cect s mptat? Thugh I hae aleay hte at theaswe t ths quest, I pe a fmal, much me thugh e-
spse t t chapte tw. A the pcess, I wll put fwa a
athe pcate msty they.