Lesson #1: THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPHETS AND TEACHERS



 “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers.” (Acts 13:1) It is very important to have both prophets and teachers in the church. Prophets prophesy from the Holy Spirit and teachers teach from the Holy Scripture. The apostle Peter wrote, “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21).  The apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16) Prophets speaks ‘Thus says the Lord’ to the church as they are moved by the Holy Spirit while teachers explain, convince, rebuke, exhort the church with all longsuffering and teaching according to ‘It is written’ in the Holy Scripture.


Lesson #2: TWO EDGED-SWORD OF THE WORD OF GOD



The prophet’s prophecy from the Holy Spirit and the teacher’s teaching from the Holy Scripture form the two-edged sword of the word of God that is living, powerful and sharp. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The apostle Paul also wrote that the word of God was the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). This two edged-sword of the word of God is the sword which went out of the Lord Jesus’s mouth in the apostle John’s vision on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:16).


Lesson #3: MOSES, ELIJAH, AND JESUS



In his gospel Matthew wrote, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” (Matthew 17:1-3) When Jesus was transfigured on a high mountain, Moses and Elijah appeared in glory talking with Him. Why were Moses and Elijah who appeared and talked with Jesus, not Abraham and David or others? The prophet Malachi wrote, “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:4-5) Moses represented the Law, which is the written word of God and Elijah represented the Prophet, which is the spoken word of God. The Law and the Prophet became one in Jesus who is the Living Word of God (1 John 1:1)


Lesson #4: JESUS’ DEATH FULFILLING THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS



In his gospel Luke wrote, “Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:28-31) When Moses and Elijah appeared in glory, they spoke with Jesus of His death. Most likely, they talked with Him that His death would fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) How did Jesus fulfill the Law and the Prophets? He lived according to all the commandments of the Law and fulfilled all the prophecies of the Prophets concerning His life, then He died bearing all the punishments of the Law and fulfilled all the prophecies of the Prophets concerning His suffering and death. Moreover, He died like Moses but then rose again and ascended to heaven like Elijah.


Lesson #5: GOD’S COMMANDMENT AND DESTINY FOR THE CHURCH



Jesus is the head of the church. Therefore, the church must follow Jesus’s example. The church must live according to all the commandments written in the Holy Scripture. The most important commandment for the church in the New Testament is to believe and to love. The apostle John wrote, “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” (1 John 3:23) Besides, the church must also fulfill all the prophecies concerning her destiny spoken by the Holy Spirit. The most important prophecy for the church in the New Testament is for her to be the glorious bride of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)


Lesson #6: THE ROLE OF TEACHERS AND PROPHETS IN THE CHURCH



God put teachers in the church to teach them His commandments and principles. Teachers must be nourished in the wholesome words of faith of the Lord Jesus, skilled in the word of righteousness and their doctrines must accord with godliness (1 Timothy 6:3, 4:6, Hebrews 5:13). Their role in the body of Christ is to renew the mind of the believers so that they can know the will of God in their lives. The apostle Paul wrote, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) God put prophets in the church to reveal His calling and destiny for them. Prophets must be full of the word of God and the Holy Spirit, skilled in ministering to the Lord, and their prophecies must accord with God’s eternal purpose (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 3:11; 5:18-19; Acts 13:2). Their role in the body of Christ is to prepare the hearts of the believers for the things to come so that they can embrace the plan of God in their lives. The apostle Peter wrote, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) 


Lesson #7: EQUIPPING FOR THE PRESENT AND PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE



Teachers will teach the church about what God wants them to do at present while prophets will prophesy to the church about what is going to happen in the future and what God wants them to do to prepare or be ready for it. The early church was always taught to remember the poor and they made contribution when they knew about the poor among the saints (Galatians 2:10; Romans 15:26). However, when the prophet Agabus prophesied to the church in Antioch that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, the believers there, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea (Acts 11:27-29). The famine had not taken place yet, but the church in Antioch already decided to send relief to the churches in Judea. And, they did so (Acts 11:30). If there had been no prophet in the church, this would have not been possible.