Prophetic Guidance — Act 11:27-30

May His blessings on us be permanent in Jesus mighty name! The scripture above reveals 2 church locations. One was the church at Jerusalem, and the other, the church at Antioch.

The church at Jerusalem was the 'mother' church and the one at Antioch had just started waxing strong. Earlier in that chapter, the bible gives a history of the church at Antioch. This church was formed by Christians who ran from Jerusalem because of the persecution that broke out.

This persecution led to the establishment of several churches among the Gentiles and these churches began to wax strong. However, at some point, spiritual reinforcements had to be sent from Jerusalem to maintain a spiritual balance. The original goal of Christ for His church which is fullness and perfection had to be maintained.

Every gift and ministry had to be operational for fullness to be possible. The Antioch church had great preachers but lacked prophets, and because the Jerusalem church which was like the source of every church had an abundance of prophets, some were sent to Antioch. Among the prophets was a notable man by name, "Agabus", a great prophet that was mightily blessed with fore-telling abilities.

Agabus at that time successfully predicted a great famine that would ravage the whole earth. The key observation here is not in the accuracy of the prophecy but in the response of the church. After this prophecy, there was a massive agreement that God had spoken and appropriate steps were taken by the church to avoid being at the receiving end.

The question now is, "Why was it easy for Christians in those days to believe and act on a prophetic word unlike the Christians of now"? The early Christians were sure that God was present in their midst. Each time they gathered, fearful signs and wonders were done by the apostles and no one needed to be told that God was real.

God first proves Himself with great signs and wonders which is a pointer to the fact He confirms His words each time it is spoken or revealed. On our part, we must demonstrate faith, confidence and trust in His words by acting on and adjusting our lives to tally with His plans, purposes and will for our lives. What do you think would have happened if the church at Antioch failed to take that prophetic warning seriously?

The famine would have wreaked a great havoc on the Christians in Judaea. How much of what God says to us here do you take seriously? We have a great privilege of knowing most things that would happen in the future and God reveals these things to show us opportunities and protect us from danger.

Start acting on prophetic words and God will show you greater ways to rule in Jesus mighty name.