God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

/ 2 4 3

G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

Allow a few students to share with the entire group the ways in which the Spirit convicted them of sin. (Since people’s entire conversion testimony can sometimes be lengthy, you may need to keep those who are sharing focused on the specific topic– i.e. the way in which the Spirit convinced them of their need for God). After you complete the time of sharing, say: “The Holy Spirit is always at work in the world to make people aware of their need for reconciliation with God. This was a central message whenever the Spirit ‘spoke by the prophets.’ Tonight we are going to focus on the ways in which the Spirit is the one who prophetically reveals the truth and calls people to believe and obey it.” Prophecy may be defined as a way of knowing truth; and as such, may be compared and contrasted with philosophy. In its biblical manifestation it forms a part of the theology of the Holy Spirit and is represented as one mode of the divine revelation of God’s truth or, in a broader sense, the totality of that revelation. . . . Like philosophy, prophecy purports to offer truth about God, man and the world. . . . Unlike philosophy, its starting point is God and its source of knowledge is divine revelation–truth received, rather than truth achieved by autonomous human reason or experience.

4 Page 52 Contact 2

5 Page 54 Outline Point I-A

~ “Prophecy.” New Dictionary of Theology . p. 537.

A prophet is always someone who has heard from God and whose own communication represents the mind of God speaking through the Holy Spirit.

The Law is comprised of the Five Books of Moses, the Prophets are divided into “Former Prophets” (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings), “Latter Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), and “The Book of the Twelve Prophets,” and the Writings contain Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.

6 Page 55 Outline Point I-B-2-a