In recent years, Dr. Otabil has made some remarks about the prophetic ministry and its abuse in the African church. These statements have gone viral on social media, sparking mixed reactions from various quarters of the Christian community, as well as from non-Christians. I have followed the discussions closely. Why? The prophetic ministry is a topic I have a keen interest in, and so I made sure to hear all the arguments that were being made.
I intimated to those close to me that I wish Dr. Otabil would do a series on the topic – you know, a classic Otabil-style 16-part, 16-week teaching on the prophetic ministry. I was looking forward to this because I wanted to understand his perspective properly and the basis for the statements he was making. So imagine my joy when I heard he had written a book on it instead. I got a hold of it the very week it came out, dug into it, and decided to do a review of the book detailing the lessons I took from it, as well as areas I need further clarification on.
The book opens with an introduction explaining why it is necessary for this generation and beyond. The author states categorically that in the past few decades, there has been a significant growth of the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. But just like in the other parts of the world that saw the sudden and prominent rise of Christianity, there is a lot of cause for concern regarding matters arising. Specifically in Ghana and Africa at large, we see an emphasis, Dr. Otabil refers to it as an over-emphasis, of the Spiritual Gifts, especially prophecy. This, in itself, is not bad, only that there is a need for doctrinal clarification on how the gifts are wielded and administered in the body. This, coupled with the menace of sexual immorality and other ethical issues identified amongst people in these movements, makes it an even more critical issue that requires immediate attention. The background at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the book in a way that convinces the reader that it is important that this book exists in our time to address, head-on, the current state of the prophetic.
Dr. Otabil proceeds to define the following terms that were used extensively throughout the book: the word of God, scripture, bible, canon of scripture, revelation, and prophecy. These are all terminologies that could be loosely defined by any serious Christian, but for the sake of communicating a single and effective message to readers, the author offered definitions at the beginning. This helped me to read the book with clarity and understanding; I enjoyed the read because of this. Personally, one of my greatest takeaways from the book is “language”; ie, the author’s use of language and apt terminologies. Many times, we know what the word of God says, but lack the appropriate language to frame our thoughts and communicate them in a way that will be fully understood by our listeners. I have personally benefited from the rich, theologically sound language used in this book. When Dr. Otabil stated in the book that “… the church must strive for clarity and doctrinal precision”, he meant it and demonstrated it in the way that he authored the book with such a high regard for precision of language.
The author defines prophecy as the “divinely inspired communication of God’s will, purpose, or plans to humanity”. Prophecy can be “forth-telling” (inspired speech about the present) and “fore-telling”(predictive) as well. From scripture, we can tell that it is not always predictive, for there are times when people extolled God and it was still referred to as prophetic – case in point, Zachariah’s prophecy in Luke 1:67-79, which is a combination of both.
There is one prophetic utterance that Dr. Otabil refers to as the turning point between the prophetic patterns of the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is the prophecy of Joel, indicating that in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-30). This is in sharp contrast with the norm in the Old Testament, where individuals like Prophets, Priests, and Kings were the only recipients of the Spirit of God. Joel’s prophecy signified that anybody at all, regardless of age, gender, and social status, could receive the Holy Spirit in the last days (a term the author says is synonymous with the “New Testament”). We see the fulfilment of this prophecy at the dawn of the New Testament and the new prophetic era on the day of Pentecost. The bible makes us understand that 120 people were gathered in the upper room where they were waiting for the promise that Jesus made to them. The Holy Spirit fell on them, and they all began to speak in tongues. This manifestation of the gift of tongues was specifically the speaking of foreign human languages as confirmed by the crowd of Jewish men coming from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). The crowd also confirmed that they could hear them speaking about the “mighty works of God” in their own languages. It is unimaginable to make a direct connection between this event and the prophecy of Joel, essentially because Joel said nothing about tongues. It is when Peter took center stage to address the crowd that he connected the event to the prophecy of Joel in a way that commemorates the commencement of the new prophetic era, which is more congregational than vocational (I will explain subsequently). In the New Testament, the Spirit of God is poured out on all flesh, and regular folks who may not have any titles or positions in the church are filled with the Spirit of God and able to prophesy. Herein lies another proof that prophecy is not always foretelling or predictive. Peter claims the day of Pentecost was the commencement of the fulfilment of the Prophecy of Joel. However, all the 120 people didn’t foretell future events but rather they spoke about the mighty works of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is forth-telling and not foretelling.
I have always classified the prophetic ministry from a biblical perspective into two categories: Old Testament and New Testament prophets. This is because of the clear distinction between the two groups of prophets. In this book, Dr. Otabil categorizes prophets and the prophetic ministry into two sets of two distinct groups, both valid and interesting.
- Vocational and Congregational Prophets: This classification, in my view, emphasizes access to the prophetic gift and the level of participation. Vocational prophets are those whose prophetic gift defines their divinely ordained calling or office. It is predominant in the Old Testament. Some are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, and Amos. Congregational Prophets are those who did not receive a special calling from God to become prophets before they started prophesying. You will often find them within the covenant community of people who revere God. They may not have any leadership or special positions amongst God’s people, yet they have been given the gift of prophecy to speak forth the word of God. Congregational prophecy is more predominant in the New Testament and can be seen in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, when the 120 people gathered in the upper room all spoke in tongues, prophesying the mighty works of God. The interesting fact about this classification is that, although there is a concentration of each of the groups in either the New or the Old Testament, it does not mean there are no overlaps. Which means, there are congregational prophets in the Old Testament just as there are vocational prophets in the New.
- Canonical and Contemporary Prophecy: Canonical prophecy refers to the ministry and prophecies recorded as scripture, while contemporary prophecy refers to what is portrayed in 1 Corinthians 14 as the prophetic ministry that continues after the canon of scripture was closed. The author calls it post-canonical prophecy (again, the language). It is purposely for edification, exhortation, and encouragement. Dr. Otabil states categorically that “unlike canonical prophecy, this contemporary form is not infallible (exactly what Paul taught in 1 Cor 14). It is not preserved as scripture”. This classification is especially important to me because of my interest in the cessationist and continuationist debates. Our cessationist brethren have always refuted the continuation of the gifts of prophecy because the canon of scripture is closed. Meaning, the existence of the bible makes the prophetic gift redundant. To this, Dr. Otabil had a few things to say:
- Prophecy has not ceased entirely. What has ceased is the kind of prophecy that produced the Word of God.
- Therefore, contemporary prophecy is not inherently permanent, but its discontinuation is tied to Christ’s return, not the canon’s closing.
- Contemporary prophets do not write scripture, reveal new doctrine, or speak with the infallible authority of Moses, Isaiah, or Paul.
The existence of Contemporary Prophets raises a lot of questions that need addressing. One of such is, does their operation in the prophetic and the prophetic office qualify them for a position in the hierarchy of the local church? I was particularly interested in this because over the years, I have heard a few statements Dr. Otabil has made in connection to this very subject and have always sought clarity on it. I’m glad he takes the time to offer an explanation on this matter in this book. On page 66, he says, “while spiritual gifts are distributed throughout the congregation, they do not determine formal leadership roles, which in the early church were pastoral: elders, bishops, and overseers, not prophets or even apostles”. Although this is new to me, I agree. My view has always been that, so far as there were prophets in the early church in Acts, then all prophets should be recognised and called “Prophets” in contemporary churches as well. This is true; however, it doesn’t mean the prophetic ministry is a determinant of formal leadership roles in the church. It also implies that somebody can be a prophet, and because they preside over a congregation or church as an overseer, they would be formally referred to as an overseer, bishop, or even pastor. And it is fine! The conclusion is that such people can operate in the prophetic ministry as an office, but can have a different title depending on their formal leadership role in the church.
Finally, I want to highlight two things that the author referred to from the story of the Prophet Samuel. First, he points out the need for mentors and fathers in the faith to step aside for their proteges to have direct communion with God throughout their ministry. He used the relationship between Eli and Samuel as a reference point. When Samuel was mistaken in the dead of the night, who was calling out his name, Eli didn’t assume the position of the “Caller”. He rather pointed Samuel to God and asked him to request that the LORD speak to him directly humbly. The point here is that nobody is called into ministry by another man. God calls people and uses them. Therefore, mentors in the faith must always step aside and allow their mentees to heed the “divine summons” (as Dr. Otabil calls it, beautifully) as Eli did.
Secondly, Dr. Otabil pointed out the fact that “the prophet’s character is as vital as his calling”. He said this to point out the need for prophets to exude the fruit of the Spirit and live a life that is God-glorifying because of their calling. This is important to point out, and it is even more useful to cite Samuel as a reference because in 1 Samuel 12:3-5, Samuel challenged the people to come up with instances where he either cheated them or administered his gift for personal gain. They couldn’t, and that speaks of the Prophet’s integrity. Prophets must recognize the exceptional calling on their lives and know that their character is as vital as that calling.
This is the first part of my review of the book. In the next one, we will delve more deeply into points of disagreement or areas where I require further clarification. I trust that you learnt a thing or two here, and if you haven’t already, do grab a copy of the book and read it. It is good stuff!