Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church is a book written by Thomas Johnson. Johnson wrote this book to challenge taking the Luke-Acts Christianity into contemporary Christianity. The challenge is that the church would have an ear to hear its prophetic calling. The overall purpose of the book is to offer a scriptural foundation for the ministry of the church so that it is grounded and coherent in the ministry of Jesus. Johnson argues that Luke and Acts, presents Jesus and the apostles in terms of prophecy. According to Johnson, the position of Luke and Acts in the scriptures implies their value in the modern-day church. This challenges us to look at our contemporary Christianity, and see just how well we follow scriptures. Johnson helps the reader to understand the distinctive witness of Luke and Acts by analyzing the literature in these gospels. In the material analysis, Johnson discusses the distinguishable gospel of Luke and its relationship with the other synoptic gospels. He also discusses how Luke used sources to fit his writing style. He points out that in Luke’s gospel he pays special attention to geography and the use of prophecy. The prophetic shape of Luke and Acts, develops the theme of the book. Johnson expresses this theme by bringing attention to the dimensions of prophecy used as the skeleton for these gospels. One feature is the fulfillment of the Torah, and the second is Luke’s use of prophecy as a literary technique. Johnson discusses and defines the character of a prophet; the theme that flows through the rest of the book. A prophet is lead by the Spirit of God, speaks through God, is a reflection of the Word of God, sees through God’s eyes, and bears witness when opposed. The big indicator that Jesus and his followers are prophetic figures is the prominent role of the Holy Spirit. Johnson challenges the contemporary church to recognize the movement of the Spirit as the active role of God. The church, then, is not “answerable to itself or to its traditions, but to the presence and power that presses upon it at every moment” (p. 66). Johnson makes a second challenge to recognize the voices of the prophets who are among us in the present. The final challenge he mentions, is the activity of the Spirit and how it effects the church. Johnson stresses that it’s not the structure of the government of the church that matters as much as the ability for each individual to adhere to the Holy Spirit. Luke’s presentation of a prophetic message is concerned with the topic of repentance, conversion, and the promise of God. Johnson discusses the narrative of Luke – the life of Jesus and the main characters in the gospel, as well as the prophetic word therein. Johnson calls today’s church “to examine themselves with respect to the clarity and consistency of their ‘message’ to the world” (p. 89). This examination should include the prophetic topics of repentance, conversion and the kingdom of God. Being a prophet is not all about the prophecy, or spoken word, but also includes the embodiment of God’s word, sewn through the integrity and character of a person.
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Being generous, going when God says “go”, communication with God and servant leadership, are all characteristics Johnson includes in the embodiment of a prophet. Although this “perfection” seems hard to reach, it is something the contemporary church should strive for, to be more Christ-like. Johnson analyzes the way prophetic vision is expressed through ministry of Jesus in correlation to the early church. He points out that the prophetic mission of Christ is contrary to those of other pagan nations, but also to Judaism (the Pharisees) and the Essene community who had even more religious rules. Johnson calls the contemporary church to act a little more like Jesus, to stand out from our ordinary society, and bring back the Spirit into our churches through healing and exorcism. We have to recognize the Spirit of God is willing and capable to take action, where we ignore that action must be taken. Jesus was a suffering prophet and the church of Acts emulated His life and ministry. In this way, Johnson claims the early church was just as prophetic as Jesus Himself. The question is
Being generous, going when God says “go”, communication with God and servant leadership, are all characteristics Johnson includes in the embodiment of a prophet. Although this “perfection” seems hard to reach, it is something the contemporary church should strive for, to be more Christ-like. Johnson analyzes the way prophetic vision is expressed through ministry of Jesus in correlation to the early church. He points out that the prophetic mission of Christ is contrary to those of other pagan nations, but also to Judaism (the Pharisees) and the Essene community who had even more religious rules. Johnson calls the contemporary church to act a little more like Jesus, to stand out from our ordinary society, and bring back the Spirit into our churches through healing and exorcism. We have to recognize the Spirit of God is willing and capable to take action, where we ignore that action must be taken. Jesus was a suffering prophet and the church of Acts emulated His life and ministry. In this way, Johnson claims the early church was just as prophetic as Jesus Himself. The question is