What's the difference between a Christian prophet and a fortune teller?
Recently a young man in my church was telling me that he went to see a prophet from another church who told him his life story and his future without ever having met him before. I've always been uncomfortable with this kind of thing.
I believe that God does speak to people today. I believe there are prophets. So what is it that bothers me?
Well I finally figured it out. In the Bible prophets do sometimes foretell the future. Usually it is in the form of some calamity that will come upon a people if they don't get their act together. Or it has to do with some major world event that people should prepare for.
I can't think of any situation where someone wants to know their personal destiny. Goes to a prophet. Hears about their life story and then hears about their future.
The biblical prophets point out injustice and say, "stop it or else."
They aren't fortune tellers. They don't predict the future so that you'll know whether to pick Google or Apple.
And so when my friend told me he'd been to see a prophet like I go to the movies. It sounded more like entertainment than prophesy. Fortune telling is not prophesy.
I believe that God does speak to people today. I believe there are prophets. So what is it that bothers me?
Well I finally figured it out. In the Bible prophets do sometimes foretell the future. Usually it is in the form of some calamity that will come upon a people if they don't get their act together. Or it has to do with some major world event that people should prepare for.
I can't think of any situation where someone wants to know their personal destiny. Goes to a prophet. Hears about their life story and then hears about their future.
The biblical prophets point out injustice and say, "stop it or else."
They aren't fortune tellers. They don't predict the future so that you'll know whether to pick Google or Apple.
And so when my friend told me he'd been to see a prophet like I go to the movies. It sounded more like entertainment than prophesy. Fortune telling is not prophesy.
