Oracles of God
Peter wrote to the church about being good stewards of God’s grace. He spoke of Christ’s suffering in the flesh for our sake and the need for us to live in the spirit. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you” (1 Peter 4:4). Peter spoke of the coming judgement, when everyone will give an account of their own works before God. He warned the church to be sober minded and self-controlled, because the end of all things is at hand. Moreover, we have a need to use the spiritual gifts that have been given to us to serve one another.
Peter spoke about the gift of the spoken word and the gift of serving. I don’t think that many Christians consider serving to be a spiritual gift. However, my emphasis for this post is on the gift of speaking. Some children are very talkative from an early age and parents may suggest that they are born to be a speaker. Other times suggestions are made about being a Lawyer or a Radio or Television Announcer. Not many parents applaud their children and pronounce that they will become a preacher, pastor, evangelist or a teacher of the word. Who then are the oracles of God or God’s mouthpiece on the earth?
An oracle relates to a prophetic word(s), spoken through a priest or a prophet. For the purpose of the text, Peter was not confining his message to Priests or Prophets. In fact, Peter’s message was to the churches in “the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1). That being said, his reference could have been to those appointed to speak. The context could also be applied more generally, to all believers who speak with each other, to speak as though they are speaking prophecies. “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
I once read a quote which said that plants responded well to being positively spoken to. Imagine what happens when you speak positively to human beings. Let us go a step further and say, imagine if you spoke the word of God over those who we come in contact with on a daily basis. It is natural to ‘speak as we find’ or to ‘keep it real.’ What if we guard our lips and our tongues, so only what proceeds from the mouth of God, proceeds from our lips? It takes a lot of practice, self-restraint and constantly denying the flesh in order to train our tongues. I believe that we can do all things through the help of the Holy Spirit. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
A.P.-Y.
Published by Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
View all posts by Anneta Pinto-Young
Published
July 12, 2022July 12, 2022
