Articles by Kevin Baird

*This is a series of posts which might be of benefit for the first time reader to begin at the “Introduction” for continuity sake.

As an historian, I tend to see history through 2 important lenses: Providential and Restorative. This means I believe God has intervened and continues to intervene in human history for His purposes. In like manner, I also believe He is breaking our incessant default to pragmatism and attempting to restore divine pattern and design to His Church. If we desire divine results, we must consider divine patterns. When it comes to what the Lord dwells in, the Bible indicates that He can be very detailed (Consider the Ark of the Covenant, The Temple, The Tabernacle and utensils). I do believe prophets can help to align us with God’s restorative program. Consider some insightful Scriptures related to these thoughts:

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*This is a series of posts which might be of benefit for the first time reader to begin at the “Introduction” for continuity sake.

Obviously, for a prophet to be a prophet, there has to be some disposition to prophesy. That appears to be a  simplistic statement, but apparently it needs to be stated. Titles abound in modern Christianity and many of those titles are self-conveyed. People declare themselves to be established in a certain office (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Elder, Deacon, Minister, etc.) without any fruit of such establishment or endorsement from a local church body. I believe these offices exist, but how it is appropriated as a title might need further evaluation. The Bible certainly presents these offices as a reality, but tends to present them as job descriptions more than titles. Nowhere in Scripture does Paul refer to himself as “The Apostle Paul”, but rather, “Paul, an apostle”. A strong case can be made that these offices are descriptors more than titles.

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*This is a series of posts which might be of benefit for the first time reader to begin at the “Introduction” for continuity sake.

The same question could be asked of any of the FIVE office gifts or graces found in Ephesians 4:11. What real authority does earthly ministry leadership and especially prophetic ministry have over the individual or the church? I speculate, with lengthy experience in both the pastoral / teaching office, as well as the prophetic, that greater authority is at times granted to prophets (or those exercising a prophetic gifting) due to the dramatic aspects which spring forth in foretelling or hidden knowledge. It is sad, but many people seem to need a side show of revelatory drama from a prophet, rather than receiving the mundane biblical and wise counseling of a seasoned pastor. This is where cessationism has found ample illustration of Charismatic gullibility and immaturity. Many accept a prophetic utterance as final authority, rather than the plain pastoral counseling of Scripture. It is this kind of confusion that led Edward Irving to a downfall in the early 1830’s in the famous London Presbyterian Church when he assumed (mistakenly) that those with gifts must be in some way superior to those with legitimate and established governmental authority. Government and gifts must never be conflated or confused without some discernment.

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*This is a series of posts which might be of benefit for the first time reader to begin at the “Introduction” for continuity sake.

This may be the most interesting post in this series. Can a real prophet ever “miss it”? At first glance, the simple answer appears to be “no”. A real prophet must be 100% on target at all times. There can be no wiggle room, no exceptions, and no quarter given to anyone claiming prophetic utterance who gets it wrong. I would never want to be placed in a position of defending error or a person who apparently “missed it”. An erroneous prophecy is simply that, erroneous. But let’s be sure we have all the biblical insight available which might help us process the human element under a New Testament paradigm. For example, some questions I personally have…

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*This is a series of posts which might be of benefit for the first time reader to begin at the “Introduction” for continuity sake. We are still spring boarding off part 1, dealing with Jesus’ and the religious leaders misconception concerning prophets in Luke 7:39.

Prophets are a misunderstood lot.

It has always been that way, albeit to varying degrees, all through the Bible. It is still true to this very day. Prophets come in all shapes and sizes, personalities and quirks, and even assignments and purposes. No two prophets are exactly the same. Our problem as 21st century interpreters of such people, is that we like to make things static and concrete. It is easier to evaluate and judge people when any aspect of divinely ordained uniqueness or human subjectivity is removed. Isaiah was not the same as Ezekiel in forms of ministry or personality, yet both are prophets. Jeremiah was different than John the Baptist, yet both stood in this office. So, untangling misconceptions starts with the human element. Even Jesus was misunderstood as the Messiah because He arrived as a Servant-King. People rejected Him because He didn’t live up to their self-generated, preconceived notions of what messiah’s should look like. We need to keep this in mind as we work through prophetic ministry. I have found that if a misconception exists long enough, it is presumed to be accepted doctrine. Religious misconceptions do not die easily. In fact, they often die kicking and screaming “heresy”. However, we need to challenge old notions and preconceived ideas, especially if the Bible leads us in another direction.

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