UNIT ONE

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. THE TEACHING OF JESUS ON THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(John 14:15-26, 16:5-15; acts 1:7-7)

The concept of the Holy Spirit existed before creation and has actively been involved in the
history of salvation. For example:

 The Holy Spirit directed Samuel in choosing Saul and David as kings of Israel.
 It helped all prophets in the Old Testament to deliver God’s messages, withstand
hard times and worked miracles.
 The Holy Spirit identified Jesus as the son of God during his baptism.
 The Holy Spirit helped Jesus to overcome temptations in the wilderness.
 The Holy Spirit helped Jesus during his ministry to carry out his tasks successfully.

During his ministry, Jesus taught the following about the role of the Holy Spirit:

 The Holy Spirit would continue and complete God’s universal plan of saving human
beings.
 The Holy Spirit would act as an advocate, counselor, and comforter to the followers
of Jesus.
 The Holy Spirit would remind and introduce the disciples to the deeper meaning of
Jesus’ words and teaching.
 The Holy Spirit would reveal the truth about God. I.e. he would help the disciples to
understand mysteries like the Holy trinity.
 The Holy Spirit would help the disciples to understand Jesus’ relationship with God
the father and their spiritual union.
 The Holy Spirit would reveal the sins of the world which is, people’s refusal to
believe in Jesus as the son of God.
 The Holy Spirit would pronounce on the sinners of the world.
 The Holy Spirit would affirm the right of Jesus as a son of God.
 The Holy Spirit would reveal the glory of Jesus’ death as victory over the prince of
evil the power of Satan.
 The Holy Spirit would continue with Jesus’ work of forgiving sins.
 The Holy Spirit would give the disciples the power to become his witness in
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
 The Holy Spirit would enable the disciples to discern and expose the secret hearts of
the sinful people.

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 2. PETER’S MESSSGE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST

a. The day of Pentecost ( acts 2:1-8)

 Pentecost wasone of the Jewish festivals.
 It was the day that the Jews commemorated God’s giving of the Law of Moses on
Mount Sinai.
 It was a harvest festival commonly called the ‘festival of weeks’.
 It was a thanksgiving occasion when every Jew was expected to bring to the temple
the first fruits of the harvest.
 The occasion was held 50 days after the Jewish Passover. All Jews went to Jerusalem
from all corners of the world.
 During the day of the Pentecost the disciple received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
 The spirit came in the form of astrong wind and tongues of fire which rested on the
heads of each of the disciple.
 Wind and fire are some Old Testament symbols of God’s presence.
 The disciples started speaking in tongues and the crowd of people was amazed as
the disciples began to speak in different tongues as the spirit enabled each of them
to proclaim.
 Each one of the visitors who were gathered there from different nations was able to
hear what the disciples were saying in his or her own native language.
 However others mocked them and accused them of being drunk.
b. Peter’s message (acts 2:9-40)
 Peter, empowered by the holy spirit, confidently stood up and defended the
disciples
 He pointed out that the disciples were not drunk.
 He explained to the crowd that the incident was a fulfillmentsof Joel’s prophesy
where God would pour out his spirit upon all people.
 He informed them Jesus was the son of God.
 Peter told them that Jesus performed miracles through the power of God.
 Peter accused them of crucifying and killing Jesus. To the will of God.
 He told then that the death of Jesus was according
 Peter reminded them that he and other disciples were witnesses to Jesus’s
resurrection and ascension to heaven.
 He informed them the resurrection of Jesus had been foretold by David.
 He said that Jesus was exalted in heaven
 He told them that Jesus was a descendant of King David.
 Peter called on the people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Assignment: what relevance does the Pentecostal experience have for Christians
today?

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 3. PAUL’S TEACHING ON THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14)

 Spiritual gifts may be defined as extraordinary favours given to Christians by God.

 They are special abilities or talents to be used for the service of others and not for
one’s personal benefits or glorification. These gifts are as follows:
a. The gift of wisdom
 This gift enables one to expound and make deep understanding of all truth
concerning God and his purpose for humankind.
 This gift also helps the Christian to make the right decisions on matters affecting the
church.
b. The gift of knowledge
 This gift enables Christians to understand the basic facts about Jesus and his
mission.
 For example why Jesus came, what he did, how he was crucified on the cross and
how he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.
 This gift enabled the apostles to spread the word of God.
c. The gift of faith
 This refers to the confidence in God’s help, which inspires us to undertake difficult
tasks.
 It also refers to deep trust in God which can help a Christian to perform
extraordinary works, e.g. performing miracles.
 The disciple belief in the risenChrist helped them to face all forms of persecution for
Christ’s sake.
d. The gift of healing
 This refers to the power to heal all forms of sicknesses miraculously by invoking the
name of Jesus.
 This gift enables people to receive God’s healing from any sickness at the time the
Holy Spirit has prescribed.
e. The gift of performing miracles
 This is the power to perform all types of miracle including healing.
 This gift enables one to perform various types of miracles that demonstrate the
saving power of Christ.
f. The gift of prophesy
 This gift refers to interpret God’s word and relate it to his people.
 This gift enables Christians to foretell what will happen in future as revealed to
them by God.

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 g. The gift of distinguishing spirits
 This refers to the ability to identify the source of the spiritual gift, i.e. whether it is
from the Holy Spirit or from the evil spirit.
 In other words it is the gift that gives one the ability to tell the difference between
gifts that comes from the Holy Spirit and those that do not.
h. The gift of speaking in tongues
 This gift enables a person to speak in another language not understandable by the
congregation.
i. The gift of interpretation of tongues
 This is the ability to understand and interpret “tongues” i.e. the messages of those
speaking in tongues.
 It enables a person to interpret different tongues to the congregation to benefit
them
NB:
 Saint Paul further explained that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be
demonstrated with love.
 He also stressed that love, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is supreme over other
spiritual gifts possessed by Christians.
 Every spirit filled Christian is expected to demonstrate love in all things.
 All gifts of theholy spirit are temporary but the fruit of the holy spirit, love, lasts
forever

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

Characteristics of love

 Love is patient and kind.

 Love is not jealous or boastful.
 Love is not arrogant or rude, i.e. it is not ill-mannered or selfish.
 Love does not insist on its own way.
 It is not irritable or resentful.
 Love is not disrespectful in dealing.
 Love does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the truth.
 Love bears all things,
 Love believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
 Love is eternal.

4. THE CRITERIA FOR DISCERNING THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Matthew 7:15-20; 1 Corinthians 12:1-3; Galatians5:16-26)

 A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit does not indulge in immorality but lives
an upright life.
 A person filled with the Holy Spirit does not engage in idolatry.
 A person filled with the Holy Spirit does not contradict the word of God.
 He/she does not curse Jesus but glorifies him.
 A person filled with the holy spirit accepts Jesus as lord and savior

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  The life of a person filled with Holy Spirit is in line with what they preach.
 A person filled with the Holy Spirit has the ability to distinguish between true and
false prophesy.
 A person filled with the Holy Spirit will act and behave in accordance with the
teachings of Jesus.

Ways in which the gifts of Holy Spirit have been abused by the church today

 Some people demand for pay in exchange for prayers and others services.
 Too much emphasis is put on speaking in tongues at the expense of other gifts in the
some churches
 Some people who have the gifts of the Holy Spirit display pride.
 Some people pretend to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
 Sometimes the gifts of the Holy Spirit are expressed in a disorderly manner.
 Speaking in tongues is used without an interpreter causing misunderstanding.
 Some people instill fear in others by pretending to use the Holy Spirit.
 Sometimes Christians compete in speaking in tongues.
 In most cases these are used to split the church.

5. THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Galatians 5:16-26)

 The fruit of the spirit manifests God’s presence in a believer.

 The Holy Spirit helps Christians to bear good fruit.
 Christians are identified by the fruit they bear. These are fruits of the Holy Spirit:
 Love
 joy
 Peace
 Patience
 Kindness
 Generosity
 Faithfulness
 Gentleness
 Self-control

Christians demonstrate the above fruits of the Holy Spirit by:

 Taking care of the old and the orphans.

 Visiting the sick in hospitals.
 Rehabilitating street children.
 Reading the Bible.
 Giving aid to the poor.

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6. THE MANIFESTATION OF THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH
TODAY
 The gift of prophesy is used by priests and pastors to condemn evil in the society.
The also foretell God’s plan for his people. This helps them to win converts for Christ
through the interpretation of the gospel.
 The gift of faith helps Christians to withstand challenges of life because faith gives
them hope to receive eternal life.
 Christians with the gift of wisdom guides other Christians in making decisions when
difficult situation arises.
 The gift of distinguishing spirits helps Christians in decision making and right living.
 The Holy Spirit guides some Christians to perform healing through prayer.
 Christians demonstrate love by carrying out works of charity.
 Some members of the church are able to speak in tongues.
 Some Christians have witnessed miracles in their lives, e.g. surviving tragedies like
accidents.

Assignment: identify ways in which the Holy Spirit was manifested on the day of
Pentecost

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 UNIT TWO
THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS
1. THE TEACHINGS OF THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS IN THE SELECTED NEW
TESTAMENT TEXTS
 The unity of believers refers to the oneness of those who have faith in Jesus Christ
as their saviour.
 These people can easily be singled out from others because their actions and
activities are directed by God.
 In the New Testament these people were known by different names such as
Christians, disciples, people who belonged to the way, the faithful, brethren, the
church and the saints.
 ST Paul emphasized all believers are united through baptism in Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit. (Galatians 3:28)
 The early Christians in Jerusalem saw themselves as an assembly of the lord. The
demonstrated their unity by holding joint prayer sessions, sharing the Eucharist
(Lord’s Supper) and sharing their possessions.

Factors that contribute to unity in Kenya

i. The national language (Kiswahili)

ii. Education.
iii. The country’s laws.
iv. A common currency.
v. The national flag.
vi. The national anthem.
vii. Religion and religious practices.

Terms used in the new testament to refer to the unity of believers.

a. The people of God.

b. The body of Christ.
c. The vine and the branches.
d. The church.
e. The bride.

a. The people of God(1peter 2:9-10)

 In the Old Testament God had promised that he would make the Israelites his
people and He would be their God.
 In the New Testament the perception of the people of God is different. I.e. the people
of God are the followers Jesus.
 The people of God are those who believe in God, are the chosen race, a royal
priesthood and a holy nation.

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 They are a special people because God has preserved them for Himself.
 They are chosen so that they may proclaim the wonderful works of God to the
world.
 The people of God are therefore a holy nation expected to lead by examples.

b. The body of Christ(1corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:1-12)

 The church is like a human body with many parts.
 The different parts of the body play different roles just as different members of the
church play different roles.
 As different body parts operate together, Christians should work together in
harmony.
 As the human body is one, believers are unified by one spirit through baptism.
 The human body is a living organism.
 The church is kept alive through the nourishment of the Holy Spirit.
 As the body is served by its different parts, so is the church to be served by different
members with different gifts.

c. The vine and the branches. (John 15:1-10)

 Vine is a creeping plant that bears grape fruits.
 It is used in the OT to describe Israelites who were expected to be a good example
to other Nations but they failed to do so.
 In the NT the vine refers to Jesus Christ the son of God. The vine was a symbol of
prosperity and peace.
 In the Gospel of john Jesus is the vine and the father is the vine dresser and
Christians, believers are the branches.
 The Christians are encouraged to bear much fruits by remaining faithful in Christ.
 But, if they fail to do so, they will be pruned and thrown into a fire and burnt just as
the dead branches are thrown into a fire.
 Christians should remain united in Christ so that whatever they request for will be
granted.

d. The church/Assembly of God.

 The word church does not refer to a building where Christians meet to worship God.
 Church is derived from a Greek word Ekklessiawhich means people who believe to
the lord.
 It comprises people of different social and cultural background, who came together
in recognition of a place where Christians gather to worship God.
 Paul discusses the unity of the church by using the theme of marriage.
 Just like the way husband and wife came together from different backgrounds and
live in harmony with each other.
 The husband represents Christ and the wife represents the church. As the husband
takes care of his wife so does Christ takes care of his church. In this relationship,
there must be:

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e. Bride (2corrithians11:2, rev 21:1-12)
 In the OT, Israel was considered as the bride of God. This bride was known as the
New Jerusalem. (Hosea 2: 16-19, Isaiah6:10)
 In the NT saints Paul and johnalso referred to the Christians as a ‘bride’ or ‘new be
Jerusalem’ who is married to Christ.
 On the wedding day the bride is immediately dressed and prepared to be received
by the bridegroom.
 The day is usually a joyful one to all people concerned.
 John saw the New Jerusalem as bride dressedready to meet her husband.
 Their marriage will be a life-long union where there will be no experience of
suffering and death,i.e. they will live in happiness forever.
 Christians are reminded that this world is a temporary home and that their real
home is in heaven, the holy city of God.
 During the final establishment of the kingdom of God, God will take all believers i.e.
the bride to this city where they will live in unity and love.
 Believers must obey God and do his will in order to be rewarded with eternal life.
Those who disobey will face eternal suffering.

2. THE CAUSES OF DISUNITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH AND SOLUTION OFFERED

(1 Corinthians 1:4-21)
a. Dispute in the church leadership
 Some claimed to be followers of Apollo.
 Another group claimed to be followers of Peter.
 Paul had the biggest following because he was the founder of the church of Corinth.
 The fourth group called itself the party of Jesus Christ.
 Paul was unhappy with these divisions and advised them to be united since the
church is led by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 He explained that it was not the cleverness of the preacher that mattered because
the central message of all preaching is Jesus who had suffered and crucified.
b. The eating of meat offered to idols
 Some Christians were eating meat offered to idols.
 These were Christians who strong in faith and knew that idols were powerless.
 Such actions, however, misled those who were weak in faith.
 The latter were convinced that those who ate this meat were defiled by it.
 Paul urged the Christians to keep away from idol worship.
c. The misuse of spiritual gifts
 Some Christians attached greater importance to the gifts of speaking in tongues and
even boasted about it.
 This made some Christians with other gifts want to outdo those with the gift of
speaking in tongues.
 This created disunity among Christians.
 Paul discouraged them from boasting and reminded them that all these gifts came
from God and were to be used for the common good and for strengthening the
church.
 He urged them to aspire for the greatest gift of all, i.e. love.


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d. The abuse of the lord’s super
 Christians grouped themselves according to their status in the society and the poor
were left out.
 Paul reminded them that the purpose of celebrating the Lord’s Supper was for all to
come together as believers to share and partake of the Lord’s Supper.
 As they did this, they were to remember the great love Jesus had for them by dying
on the cross.
e. Misunderstanding of the Resurrection of the body.
 Some Christians believed in the resurrection of the body while others doubted it.
 This created the disunity.
 Paul reaffirmed that the resurrection of the body will actually take place and this is
proved by the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and even appeared to his disciples.
f. Dispute over the covering of the head during worship
 Traditionally, women were expected to cover their heads and to dress modestly so
as not to disrupt the attention of others during worship.
 This practice was not being observed in Corinth and women had started going to
church without veils.
 Paul reminded them of this requirement while men were advised to keep their hair
short.
 He advised both men and women to be decently dressed because in so doing they
would honour Christ the head of the church.
g. Sexual immorality
 Corinth was a cosmopolitan city and was notoriously known for sexual
immorality.
 They were engaging in sinful acts like incest fornication and prostitution.
 Paul advised them to refrain from acts of sexual immorality so as not to defile
their bodies.
h. Dispute over marriage and divorce.
 Marriage was despised by some believers in Corinth while others avoided it mainly
because they expected the second of Christ to take place soon.
 Paul recommended that they could remain single and serve God if they were able to
control their sexual desires.
 If they could not then they were advised to marry to avoid falling into temptations.
 Paul also noted that some married people were seeking divorce.
 Such people were advised to stick together and avoid divorce.
 Those divorced were discouraged from remarrying.
 The believers married to non-believers could separate if their relationships become
unbearable.
i. Christians settling disputes in civil courts.
 Christians were taking one another to courts of law to settle disputes.
 These were pagan courts which were incompetent in handling disputes arising from
Christian issues.
 Paul advised them not to take their fellow Christians to civil courts but to solve their
problems before church elders.

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3. THE CAUSES OD DISUNITY IN THE CHURCH IN KENYA AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

a. The formation of splinter groups

 In some churches, members of the congregation get divided because some prefer
certain leaders than others.
 Christians should accept all types of preachers because they deliver the same
message about Jesus Christ who is the head of the church.
b. Misunderstanding of the use of spiritual gifts.
 Those who speak in tongues might feel they are closer to God than others.
 Some preachers feel that they are more inspired with the gift of wisdom than others.
Such attitudes create misunderstanding.
 They should be governed by the principle of love.
c. Discrimination against some members of the church
 In some churches, some members might feel spiritually more superior to others.
 Such members look down upon others and do not mix freely with others.
 Christians should realize that all are children of God and that Jesus Christ came so
that all may gain eternal life.
 Therefore, everybody should be treated equally.
d. Settling disputes in civil courts
 Some churches have had outstanding differences due to leadership wrangles to the
extent of taking each other to court.
 These wrangles could be avoided if those in leadership are appointed on merit.
 Those in leadership should also lead exemplary lives so as to avoid leading believers
astray.
 They should settle disputes among themselves.
e. Misuse of the freedom of worship
 This freedom has been abused by individuals and groups who leave their mother
churches to form splinter groups.
 This problem may be addressed by the government vetting critically the registration
of such groups.
f. Admission of sacraments
 It is also observed that the numbers of sacraments recognized are more in number
in some churches than in others. E. g. the Roman Catholic Church has a total of seven
sacraments and considers them important.
 Attitudes to sacraments vary from one church to another.
g. Differences in the practice of baptism
 Some churches practice spirit baptism while others baptize by water through
immersion or by pouring some water on the forehead.
 Some believe that the spirit baptism is superior to baptism by water
h. Differences in the belief of resurrection
 Christians take the resurrection of Jesus as the cornerstone of their faith.
 This belief gives them the hope for this life and the life to come.
 However, they have different beliefs on the state of dead and in the manner and
nature of the resurrection.
 Diversity in belief and practice need not to enhance disunity among

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  Christians. Christians should learn to appreciate and respect the practices, beliefs of
faith and traditionsof others

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 UNIT THREE
THE WRITING OF PROPHETIC MESSAGES
1. DEFINTION OF TERMS: PROPHETS AND PROPHECY
a. Prophets
 The word prophet is derived from Greek word prophetes, which means one who
speaks out that which he/she has received from God or a divine spirit.
 He /she is the spokesman or mouthpiece of God.

Other terms used to describe a prophet include:

 Messenger of God.
 Shepherd of God’s people.
 A watchman of God’s word.
 An interpreter of God’s word.
 The Hebrew word for prophet is Nabi which means the one who announces.
 In the OT, the word means one who is calls or one who is called.
 The word ‘seer’ is also used synonymously with the word prophet. E.g. Amos was
described as a seer by Amaziah the priest of Bethel (Amos 7:12)
 Women who prophesied are called prophetess. E.g. prophetess Miriam, Deborah,
Hulda
b. Prophecy
 Prophecy is the art of delivering theas revealed by God.
 It is an utterance which is inspired by direct revelation from the Holy Spirit.
 Prophecy includes predictions of future events.
 Prophecy was an important aspect of a prophet’s life in Israel.
 In the OT times, prophets were called to deliver Yahweh’s messages for specific
situations.
 Prophecy was recognized in both the OT and NTs. It was an officially recognized
institution of the Israelite religion.
 It was God’s way of guiding His people to live according to his will.
 Prophecy is also recognized in the NT as a gift of the Holy Spirit.
2. CATEGORIES OF PROPHETS

Prophets are categorized in two major categories, i. e. true prophets and false prophets.

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 a. True prophets

These include the major, minor and early prophets.

i. Major Prophets
 They include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.
 Their messages are written in specific books that bear their names.
 They are called Major Prophets because the books are long and contain clearly
written messages.

ii. Minor prophets

 These refer to the twelve books in the Bible that are short and contain less
information than those in major books.
 These books are Amos, Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

iii. Canonical prophets

 They include both the major and minor prophets.

 This means that the utterances of each prophet are recorded in individual books
that bear their names.

Iv. The early prophets

 They belonged to guilds or schools.

 They lived together in communities under a chief prophet who was their leader.
 Elijah and Elisha were leaders of such prophetic communities.
 The travelled around together, delivering oracles as the occasion demanded.

v. cultic prophets

 These were some prophets who served in places of worship for example, at
Bethel and Jerusalem.
 These were called cultic prophets because they were associated with religious
activities in shrines.
 They worked side by side with priests and played a special role in worship.
b. False prophets
 These were some prophets who pretended to speak in the name of Yahweh but
were not called by Yahweh.
 They challenged the work of true prophets.
 They challenged the law of God given through Moses.
 They received no dreams and visions from God.
 They had no personal knowledge of God.
 Their prophecies never came true.
 They did not speak with authority.
 They used evil forces like magic to call upon the spirits of the dead.
 They never condemned evil in the society.

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 They told kings what they wanted to hear not the truth.

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPHETS.

 They acted as mediators between God and people, i.e. they were messengers sent to
communicate the word of Yahweh to the people.
 They foretold future events as communicated to them by God.
 They preached practical monotheism and condemned idolatry. They stressed That
only one God was to be worshipped( Exodus20:3-5)
 They condemned all forms of social evils and ritual sins.
 Isaiah condemned the observance of the Sabbath sacrifices because those who
offered them lived sinful lives.
 They acted as the conscience of kings. i.e. they advised them when they were
consulted and confronted them when they went wrong.
 Some prophets also acted as priests, e.g. Abraham, Moses and Samuel. They led
people in worship and in offering sacrifices to God.
 They fore told the punishment that would come to the people for not obeying God.
 They gave people hope of being restored to God if they repented their sins.
 They guided and counseled people whenever they strayed from the path of
righteousness.

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE PROPHETS

i. They heard God’s voice calling them to be His spokespersons. God’s revelation
came to them in different ways as follows: visions, words or messages which
came into their minds with great power, events and experiences, signs or
ordinary things and prayers.
ii. They were obedient to God.i.e. They communicated what God revealed to them
even if it meant they would face danger and hostility.
iii. They believed that God was the only God of the universe and that He was the
lord of all nations.
iv. They stood for the covenant relationship of Yahweh and his people, the
Israelites, i.e. the warned people of the punishment they would face if they broke
the covenant law.
v. They understood that God cannot compromise with evil, i.e. they condemned all
types of social; and religious evil.
vi. They spoke and acted with authority and courage because they trusted God to
give them strength and to protect they as the confronted their people, leaders
and rulers.
vii. They led a life that emulated God’s attributes, e.g. they understood God to be
holy and therefore, they lived holy lives.
viii. They acted as mediators between God and the people.
ix. They were prayerful. At times they withdrew from people to have a quiet time in
order to seek God and wait for His revelation.

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5. THE WRITING OF PROPHETIC MESSAGES
 The books were not necessarily written by prophets themselves but their disciples.
 However, prophets like Isaiah actually did write much of their messages.
 A prophet was first and foremost a speaker and a preacher.

a. Continent of the messages

i. the prophetic sayings: These are oracles spoken either by God or by the prophet
in God’s name. They can be regarded as poetic passages conveying some teaching,
prediction, threat or a promise; Isaiah 29:13-14; Amos1:3
ii. Narratives told in the first person: In the narratives, the prophet relates his
own experience and mainly his own vocation, e.g. prophet Jeremiah gives an account
of the dialogue he hat with God in which he was appointed a prophet to the nations.
iii.Narratives in the 3rd person: These narratives recount events in the prophet’s
life or the conditions in which he worked. They touch on social, political and
religious background.
b. How prophetic messages were written
 The prophet’s messages were important in building people’s faith.
 The messages were written down so that those who had not heard the prophet’s
message would read it and know God’s will.
 The messages were written on scrolls by the prophets themselves or by the scribes.
 Some prophetic messages were preserved as oral tradition by the disciples of
prophets.
 The disciples treasured recollections of prophet’s life as well as his oracles.
 Some prophetic writings were preserved in the prophet’s own words while others,
like Jeremiah’s were paraphrased
 Prophetic messages were collected over time and then organized into subjects by
the inspired writers or the scribes who wrote them.

6. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW

TESTAMENT PROPHECIES
 The OT prophecies prepared the way for the NT.
 Without the knowledge of the OT prophecies one may not understand the NT.
 The relationship is as follows:
i. In OT, prophet Isaiah predicted that a young virgin shall conceive and bear a
so whose name shall be Emmanuel. This was fulfilled in the NT when Mary
conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
ii. In OT Prophet Malachi foretold about John the Baptist as the forerunner of
Jesus. This was fulfilled in NT as john baptized people in River Jordan on
repenting their sins.
iii. In the OT king David prophesied about a righteous king who would come
from lineage. This was fulfilled in the NT with the coming of Jesus.
iv. Jeremiah prophesied about the new covenant which was fulfilled by Jesus
during the celebration of the last supper and in the blood that Jesus shed on
the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

16 ZACHARY A. NYANGARESI
 v. Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in the city of David, and
Jesus was born Bethlehem.
vi. Isaiah’s prophecy o the suffering servant of God was filled in the suffering
and crucifixion of Jesus
vii. Joel’s prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled when the
Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
viii. The teachings of Jesus in the NT are similar to the teachings and prophecies
of OT prophets, e.g. condemning evil in the society.
ix. The teachings and prophecies in the OT provided the foundation for the
message in the NT. Jesus taught that he did not come to abolish the law bu to
fulfill it.
7. COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADTIONAL AFRICAN AND OLD TESTAMENT
PROPHETS
a. Similarities
i. In both cases they spoke on behalf of God.
ii. In both cases they foretold future events.
iii. In both cases they had both prophets and prophetesses.
iv. In both cases they condemned evil acts in the community.
v. In both cases, they led lives of high moral standards.
vi. In both cases their prophecies were fulfilled.
vii. In both cases they were authoritative in their work.
viii. In both cases they played religious roles such as offering sacrifices.
ix. In both cases, they were mediators between God and the people.
x. In both cases they were consulted to reveal God’s will to the people.
xi. In both cases they were charismatic personalities.
b. Differences
i. The OT prophets received their call from God while Traditional African
Prophets inherited their work from the ancestors.
ii. The OT prophets were empowered by God while some Traditional African
prophets got their power from spirits and ancestors
iii. The OT prophets prophesied to the nations while Traditional African prophets
were confined to their communities.
iv. The OT prophets faced opposition from the people while Traditional by
prophets were liked and respected their community members.
v. The OT prophets stressed on one God while some Traditional African prophets
were proponents of many gods.
vi. The OT prophets had their works recorded and preserved while traditional
African prophets had their prophecies passed on orally.

Assignment: discuss the relevance of Old Testament prophets to Christians.

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 UNIT FOUR
PROPHET AMOS
I. BACKGROUND TO PRPHET AMOS
a. Historical background
 Amos came from Tekoa, a village south of Jerusalem in Judah.
 He was a shepherd and a dresser of Sycamore trees.
 He was called by God to proclaim His message to the Northern kingdom of Israel.
 He prophesied during the reign of king jeroboam II of Israel.
 The prophetic ministry of Amos may be dated during the years 760-750 BCE.
 His call came two years before the earthquake.
 His ministry was not only confined to the to the nation of Israel but he also
pronounced judgments to Judah and other neighbouring nations, hence portraying
God as universal
b. Political background
 Amos prophesied during the reigns of king jeroboam II in Israel (783-743BC) and
king Uzziah in Judah (783-742 BC).
 He concentrated his ministry in Bethlehem and Samaria. Samaria was the capital of
Israel.
 King jeroboam II was a capable ruler a strong military leader under whose
leadership the northern kingdom reached its summit of power. This was before the
Assyrian invasion.
 At that time, the northern and southern kingdoms were peaceful.
 He was called by God when Israel was faced with Assyrian threat.
 The threat was minimized since Assyria was preoccupied with internal problems
and was facing external threats from the north.
 During the reign of jeroboam II, there was political stability and peace in Israel.
c. The socio- Economic background
 Amos prophesied at a time when Israel experienced a period of economic
prosperity.
 Amos observed that the wealth of the nation was in the hands of a few rich people
which led to the rise of a class of rich people who acquired wealth at the expense of
the poor people.
 The gap between the rich and the poor was great.
 Wealth was concentrated in the hands of the king, his family, and his official and
wealthy landowners.
 Wealth was concentrated in the towns and cities where trade and commerce
thrived.
 The rich merchants accumulated wealth by exploiting the poor thus breaking the
covenant of brotherhood.
 There was massive corruption in the society for there was bribery and corruption in
law courts.
 Sexual immorality was widespread among the people of Israel.

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  The powerful and wealthy elite of the country showed off in worship by offering
large sacrifices in the name of Yahweh whose covenant law was ignored.
d. Religious background
 The people of Israel (northern kingdom continued to worship Yahweh.
 Bethel, Gilgal and Samaria were the main centres of worship.
 There was hypocrisy in religion, i.e. people pretended to be holy yet they practiced
evil in secret.
 Religious rites such as sacrifices were performed at places of worship in the name of
Yahweh.
 People performed these religious rites in the name of Yahweh but the same
worshippers were involved in acts of injustice and victimization of the poor.
 The people were also involved idolatry, thus making worship meaningless.
 Amos strongly condemned this kind of worship where external observances were
stressed at the expense of sincere worship.

2. THE CALL OF AMOS (Amos 1:1, 3:8, 10-15)

 Amos received his call around 758 BCE, two years before the earthquake.
 King Jeroboam II was ruling Israel , and king Uzziah was ruling Judah when
Amos was called
 At the time of his call, Amos confessed having a deep sense of compulsion to
prophecy which he could not resist.
 He responded to God’s call with obedience.
 God sent Amos to go and proclaim His message to the people of Israel.
 Amos spoke to the people about evil in Israel and warned them of the impending
punishment from God if they did not repent.
 The prophetic messages of Amos were not received well and he was asked to go
back to his home in Judah.

4. THE VISIONS OF AMOS

Meaning of a vision

 Literally a vision refers to the power of seeing or a picture seen in the mind.
 From a religious perspective, a vision is an ecstatic experience and a medium
revelation.
 A vision is experienced powerfully in the imagination of the mind concerning the
future.
 God revealed Himself to the prophets in Israel in the form of visions.
 Prophet Amos received 5 visions in which God communicated His message of
judgment on the people of Israel.
 The visions were as follows:
a. The vision of locusts (Amos 7:1-3)
 Amos saw God sending a swarm of locusts on the land of Israel.
 It was about to consume the crops.

19 ZACHARY A. NYANGARESI
Significance

 The vision refers to the disaster which God was going to send to Israel as a
punishment for sins.
 Amos pleaded with God to forgive the people because the punishment was so
severe.
 God accepted and did not punish them which showed that He is God of love.
b. The vision of fire( Amos 7:4-6)
 Amos saw a supernatural fire that had already burnt up the subterranean waters
and was about to consume the earth upon which humankind lives.
Significance
 God was not happy with the people’s sinful lives.
 Amos interceded on their behalf, and then God withheld the punishment.
c. The vision of the plumb line(Amos 7:7-9)
 Amos saw a crooked wall being checked with a plumb line.
 The symbolic wall must have been leaning over and about to collapse.
Significance
 The crooked wall represents the crooked ways of the people of Israel.
 Just like a crooked wall must be destroyed, God was going to punish Israel by
leading sinful lives.
 Amos was silent while God’s judgment on Israel’s sin was being pronounced.
d. The vision of a basket of summer fruits (Amos 8:1-3)
 Amos saw a basket of ripe fruits at the end of the fruit harvest.
Significance
 Yahweh told Amos that Israel was ripe for destruction.
 God had waited for Israel to repent just as one waits for time to harvest fruits.
 Since they had not repented God had come for them to be punished.
e. The vision of the destruction of the altar
 Amos saw God standing by the altar where Amaziah was the high priest and where
the Israelites went to worship.
 God seemed to be commanding an angel to strike the altar and destroy it
completely.
 All worshippers were being struck down.
Significance
 No one would escape, for God would follow them to their hiding place till they were
destroyed.

5. THE TEACHINGS OF PROPHET AMOS

a. Social Justice and Responsibility
 Social justice refers to fair dealing in our interactions with other people. It implies
showing concern for the needs of others.
 Responsibility means being accountable for our actions towards others. It shows
how our actions affect the people we interact with.
 Amos taught and preached against the following social evils:
a. Slavery (Amos 2:6)

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 The righteous, the needy, the poor and the afflicted were subdued by the rich and
made slaves.
 This was mainly because the poor were unable to repay their debts.
b. Sexual immorality and temple prostitution (Amos 2:7)
 Amos condemned sexual immorality which involved a father and a son sharing the
same temple prostitute or a servant taken as concubine.
 Temple prostitution was one of the characteristics of idol worship.
c. Breaking God’s law on garments secured as pledges
 God gave the Israelites a law which placed restrictions on items that were to be
given to creditors as a guarantee for the goods borrowed. For example:
 Millstones were not to be taken since they were needed for grinding grain
thus essential to sustain life. (Deuteronomy 24: 6).
 The garment of a poor man was not to be taken as a ledge overnight.
(Deuteronomy 24:10-13).
 The widow’s garment was not to be taken in a pledge at all (Deuteronomy
24:17)
 Amos observed that creditors failed to return the garments as per law but, instead
they used them openly and shamelessly.
d. Idolatry
 Amos accused the Israelites for breaking God’s covenant by worshipping other gods.
 Worshippers were offering wine to thepagan gods which they extracted from the
poor as fines.
e. Bribery and corruption (Amos 5: 10-15)
 The judges were unjust and corrupt.
 They took bribes and grew rich from heavy fines which they imposed on the
innocent.
f. Robbery and violence(Amos 2:10)
 The city was characterized by unrest panic disruption of law and order and crimes
involving violence.
 The rich acquired a lot of wealth through means such as exploiting the poor through
threats and actual violence against them.
g. Greed and excessive luxury(Amos 4:1-3)
 Amos condemned the rich and the selfish women of Samaria for oppressing the poor
and drinking too much.
 The luxury of the rich was also expressed in the way they built expensive houses for
summer and winter, slept in luxurious coaches.
h. Self-indulgence and false sense of security
 The leaders of Israel had a false belief that they were secure in their homes and that
God could not punish them because they were chosen by His people.
 They also believed that Samaria could not be attacked from outside because it had a
strong wall built around it.
i. Cheating in business( Leviticus 19:35-36)
 Amos condemned cheating in business among the traders of Israel.
 The business people tampered with the standard weighing scale so that customers
got less than what they paid for.
 They also overcharged the prices on the goods they sold.

21 ZACHARY A. NYANGARESI
  The merchants sold goods of low quality to the poor.
 They mixed good and bad grain together with chaff and then sold it at exorbitant
prices in order to make profits.
 By selling them goods unfit for human consumption, the merchants did not regard
the poor as human beings.

The relevance of the teaching of Amos on social justice and responsibility for
Christians

i. Christians should ensure that peace and justice prevail among them.
ii. Business people should not engage in dishonest practices.
iii. Christians should condemn evil activities in the society such as robbery with
violence, theft and murder.
iv. Christians should avoid all kinds of evil so as to maintain a good relationship with
God.
v. Christians should sensitize their communities on the importance of responsible
sexual. They should help in addressing social issues such as unplanned pregnancies,
sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.
vi. Christians should promote works of charity to the poor.
vii. Christians learn that they should not make material wealthy their priority.
viii. Christians learn that they should demonstrate love to others irrespective of their
social status.
ix. Christians should be at the forefront in protecting and standing up for the rights of
the weak, the poor and the less privileged in the society.

b. Hypocritical religion in Israel (Amos 4:4-5, 5:4-5, 5:21-27)

 Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to be something different from what one is.
 A hypocrite is a person is who pretends.
 Amos condemned the Israelites for being hypocritical in their worship.

Characteristics of the hypocritical religion in Israel

i. Insincere worship(Amos5:4-15)
 The worshippers who took part in religious rites were unjust, corrupt and always.
 The prophet therefore made it clear that it was wrong for one to take part in a
ceremonial worship, yet the individual was unjust and immoral.
ii. Empty sacrifices (Amos 4:4-5)
 The Israelites used to bring sacrifices every morning and tithes after every three
days.
 They also offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving and proclaimed free will offerings in
public
 According to Amos, these were empty sacrifices as God was interested in the sincere
worship.
 God told the Israelites to practice justice.
iii. Syncretism
 This refers to the worship of Yahweh alongside with other gods.

22 ZACHARY A. NYANGARESI
  The Israelites combined the worship of Yahweh with that of other gods.
 Amos warned them that they would fall and never rise again.
iv. Idolatry (Amos 5: 26-27)
 Idolatry is the worship of human-made gods and goddess.
 The Israelites worshipped other gods
 God was going to punish them.

The relevance of the teaching of Amos on Hypocritical religion to Christians

 Christians should be sincere in their worship.

 The offering and sacrifices given should be got in the right way.
 Christians should give more importance to inward religious practice than the
outward.
 Christians way of life should be directly related to their way of life.
 Christians need to humble themselves before in worship.
 Christians should understand that God requires obedience to His commands rather
than sacrifices.
 Christians should worship God in the name of Jesus Christ.
 Church leaders are encouraged to be at the forefront in fighting hypocrisy in the
church.
c. Judgment and punishment Against Israel and other nations( Amos 1:3-15, 5:1-
17)
Judgment to the nations
 Judgment: Refers to the making of a decision on a given situation after careful
consideration.
 Punishment: Refers to the act of making a person to suffer because of a crime one
has committed meant to correct.
 Repentance: Refers to the act of being sorry for a wrong doing.
 According to the teachings of the prophets, judgment refers to God’s punishment
upon his people.
 Amos pronounced judgment against people in the following cities and nations:

Syria (Damascus) (Amos 1:1-5)

 The people Syria had mistreated the pregnant women of Gilead during their war
with Israel.
 They had committed a war crime because expectant mothers were nor supposed to
be attacked by the enemy during war.
 God would punish them by sending fire upon and by sending them to exile.

Philistia and Gaza (Amos 1:6-8)

 The people of Gaza in Philistia had sold their fellow citizens as slaves to Edom to
work in their expansive copper industry.
 God was going to destroy the wall of their city with fire.

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 Tyre (Phoenicia) (Amos 1:9-10)

 The king of Tyre sold the Israelites to Edom as slaves hence, breaking the covenant
of brotherhood.
 God would send fire to destroy Tyre.

Edom (Amos 1:11-12)

 The people of Edom plundered Jerusalem, killed its citizens and carried some into
slavery.
 The Edomites were descendants of Esau and Jacob thus; they were closely related to
the Israelites.
 They were not supposed to go to war against the Israelites.
 God was going to destroy the entire nation of Edom by fire.

Ammon (Amos 1:13-15)

 The ammonites had broken the rules of war by being cruel to pregnant women of
Gilead during war with Israel.
 The king and his subjects would be sent into Exile.
 God would send fire to destroy their city wall.

Moab (Amos:2: 1-3)

 The Moabites fought and defeated Edomites.

 They dug out the royal graves and burnt the bones of the dead kings into ashes to
signify complete destruction of the royal family.
 God would punish them by sending fire upon them.
 Kings and princes would be exiled.

Israel and Judah (Amos 2:4-16, 3: 1-2)

 After Yahweh passed judgment over nations surrounding Israel, he then turned to
Judah and Israel.
 Being God’s chosen people, the Israelites least expected that they would be judged
and punished like other nations.
 The Israelites broke their covenant with God by practicing social injustices.
 The people of Judah broke their covenant with God by practicing idolatry.
 Amos prophesied that God would punish the Israelites as follows:
i. They would suffer famine.
ii. God would destroy the altars of Bethel and their houses which were built
with ivory.
iii. God would send them into exile.
iv. God would cover their land with darkness.
v. God would send down fire to destroy the people of Israel.
vi. God would use an earthquake to destroy their houses.
vii. God would punish the well-fed women of Samaria who oppressed the poor.

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Lessons that Christians learn about the nature of God from the Judgment of Israel
and the other nations.

i. God is faithful.
ii. He is God of justice
iii. God is universal.
iv. God is holy.
v. God is merciful.

The relevance of Amos’ message on judgment for Christians

i. God expects Christians to be morally and spiritually upright.

ii. Christians should put God’s teachings into practice.
iii. Christians will face punishment if they do not repent their sins.
iv. Christians must repent and seek forgiveness from God.
v. Christians should face situations with faith.
vi. Christians should not give up in life.

d. Israel’s election (Amos 2:9-22)

 Election is the process of choosing a person or a group of people for a position
especially a political by voting.

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26 ZACHARY A. NYANGARESI