I. The Prophet Prophets--Gen 20:1ff.; Deut 18:15; 1 Sam 3:20; 2 Kings 5:8; Jer. 1:5

II. The People Prophets--text; Matt 9:37-38; Acts 2:17-19; 1 Cor 14:3-5, 24--a prophet testifies under the influence of the Spirit

Martin Luther: "What are all other gifts together compared to this gift, that the Spirit of God himself, the eternal God, comes down into our hearts, yea, into our bodies and dwells in us, rules, guides, leads us!"

Richard Lenski: "The Spirit who came upon a few disciples at Pentecost has filled others of all languages in all lands the world over and is still extending his activity to more of them. ...The Spirit, now that redemption was accomplished, went out to all people and extended the Church to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and symbolized this at Pentecost by letting the disciples speak in many languages."

THE MESSAGE FOR CHILDREN 

When I was in school, we had to take vocabulary tests. Do you still do that? The teacher wants to know if you know the meaning of certain words. Let’s see if you know this one: PROPHET. What is a prophet? (Allow for answers.) Most people think that a prophet foretells the future. But that’s not his main job. A prophet speaks God’s Word. No, not the way that a pastor does. And not the way that Moses did and Isaiah did. But we share the truths they taught.

Now don’t tell me that you can’t do this. Ever tell a friend about your favorite radio station? What’s your favorite pizza place? I’ll bet your parents and grandparents know good places to eat fish on Friday and tell their friends about them.

When you study God’s Word, you are better prepared to share it with people who still don’t know Jesus. Yes, tell your friends about a great place to eat. But don’t forget to tell them about Jesus, who loved us so much that he died for our sins. After all, he is the Bread of Life.