**In today's insightful broadcast, Joseph Z explores the New Testament prophets, highlighting the twenty-one gifts in the body of Christ for the equipping and edification of believers. He also clarifies the distinction between the roles of prophets and the gift of prophecy.**

Joseph cites Ephesians 4:7-11 to teach that Jesus gave gifts to the church during His ascension into heaven for the equipping of the saints and the edification of the body of Christ. He explains that we activate these gifts by reading the Bible, referencing 1 Corinthians 12:28 to highlight the different gifts Christ made available to the body. He outlines the gifts as follows: five governmental gifts, nine manifestational gifts, and seven motivational gifts, totaling twenty-one gifts within the body of Christ.

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He points to 1 John 4:17 to explain that as God is, so are we in this world, noting that these twenty-one gifts represent the body of Christ. He clarifies the misunderstanding that the gifts ceased to function after Jesus's death, citing Acts 11:27, which tells the story of Agabus, a prophet in the New Testament who predicted a famine during the reign of Claudius Caesar. The church took action to alleviate the situation by sending aid to the affected area. He also references Acts 13:1 to further demonstrate the presence of prophets and teachers in the New Testament.

Joseph continues to direct us to scriptural verses that illustrate the existence of prophets and teachers, citing Acts 15:27-34, which reveals that Judas (not Iscariot) and Silas were also prophets. He explains that prophecy not only comforts, exalts, and encourages, as seen in 1 Corinthians 14, but also causes the unbelieving and uninformed to fall on their faces when they enter and hear everyone prophesying, because the secrets of their hearts are revealed.

He clarifies that prophecy in the New Testament is for all believers, differentiating between the office of the prophet and the gift of prophecy, noting the responsibility that accompanies the office gift. Regardless of the demonstrational aspect of the gifts, Joseph believes they are also meant to teach and train. He highlights the differences between New and Old Testament prophets, pointing out that many prophecies did not unfold exactly as predicted, yet they still came to pass.

April 22, 2026