Paul LOVED prophecy.
It seemed to be one of his favorite things of the Spirit to operate in, seen not only in accounts of his ministry but written into his letters meant to encourage and instruct.
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. -1 Corinthians 14:1, 5 NIV
And Paul wasn’t the only one. A cursory look at the book of Acts shows us that the early church regularly operated in the power of the Holy Spirit in this way. No matter how you feel about prophecy, it was an indispensable part of the first Christians’ ministry. And we would claim that it ought to be the same in today’s church.
Christian leaders like Wayne Grudem, Gordon Fee, and Sam Storms all articulate a variety of questions surrounding prophecy very well. But for our purposes, here is a brief primer and some considerations as you explore this aspect of the Spirit in your life.
WHAT IS PROPHECY?
As Wayne Grudem articulated so well,
Prophecy is speaking forth in merely human words of something God has spontaneously brought to mind.
This is not profound wisdom into scripture or situations of life (though the Spirit empowers us in those ways as well in the gifts of Teaching and Words of Wisdom), but rather the sharing of God’s thoughts to others. It can come in a variety of forms, like a particular passage of scripture, an image, a song, a word or phrase, a poem, a color, or anything else the Lord wants to creatively use to get our attention and speak into someone’s life.
It most frequently refers to events in the present or future. (For the distinction between Words of Wisdom/Knowledge and Prophecy, click here).
HOW DO I KNOW IT IS PROPHECY?
There are a few standards scripture puts forward to help us navigate between prophecy and everything else.
+It will always be done in the name of Jesus.
+It will always encourage, edify, or comfort.
+It will always require testing.
IS IT ALWAYS TRUE?
No!!!
Have you ever heard someone says, “Thus sayeth the Lord,” or “God said” before they delivered a message? Did it make it feel like this was completely true and MUST be listened to and acted upon? Even more scandalously, did it ever not come true? Scripture clearly tells us that prophecy is not an exact science, but instead a practice of learning to hear God’s voice correctly. Even after many years of faithful practice, it will still require testing inside of a faithful community of Jesus followers. None of us will ever be perfect prophets
Old Testament prophets were held to a high degree of accuracy. Actually, the standard was perfection.
SCRIPTURE
But because Jesus has appeared and revealed the Father to us (SCRIPTURE), and since the Spirit of God lives inside every believer (SCRIPTURE), we do not require prophets to speak to us on God’s behalf. We can hear directly from God ourselves!
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 gives us some encouragements when dealing with prophecies:
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
The call here is clearly to test all prophecy, never swallowing it hook, line, and sinker without bringing it before God. Sometimes you will know it is incorrect because it is so out of left field, i.e. “Your mother will experience trouble at work soon,” yet your mother passed away 8 years ago.
Sometimes the Lord will give you a clear and distinct impression that it is correct or incorrect and may or may not give you wisdom on how to act upon it.
Sometimes you won’t receive a clear answer, and you can write it down or file it away in your mind until it is fulfilled or fades from memory.
Thessalonians also gives us insight to another reality surrounding prophecy in the church that we would do well to remember.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE ABUSE?
Prophecy is a delicate subject for many people because they have had unhealthy and unhelpful experiences with it. They may have been forced to believe a prophecy, to produce one on the spot, or receive a “prophecy” that was nothing but shaming and damaging.
As with anything in life that rest in the hands of broken humans, there is the possibility of neglect. But that does not mean we reject something entirely simply because people might wield it incorrectly.
There have been many instances where pastors and teachers misinterpret pieces of scripture. And as you know, it will continue to happen in the future, but that doesn't mean we get rid of scripture all together. So too we can not throw prophecy out simply because it can be abused. And this is where we would do well to heed the advice in Thessalonians when we are told to “not quench the Spirit” nor “treat prophecies with contempt.”What do we do instead? “Test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil,” and trust God to reveal his heart when and how he wants to.
HOW DO ENTER IN?
This may seem daunting, but we’d suggest a few things to begin journeying into prophecy.
Make it a regular habit to practice listening prayer. Take the time to quiet your surroundings, your mind, and your heart and listen to God. We must familiarize ourselves with his voice if we expect to share it with others.
Remember that prophecy has three main components:
+Revelation: Receiving something from God
+Interpretation: Understanding what it means
+Application: Knowing how to act upon it
It is not guaranteed that we will receive every part of a prophecy, DO NOT MAKE UP THE REST. If you only receive revelation, share it with the person it is intended for, ask God to give either of you the interpretation, and move on whether he does in that moment or not.
Begin practicing with trusted friends. Spend some time listening for one another, share what you receive (or what you didn’t), and keep asking for the gift of prophecy.
Incorporate this into your daily life. Ask God to give you words for coworkers, employees at the store, your neighbor, and anyone else you might come across. Then take the risk and share it! Prophecy is a beautiful gift to the church that was meant to be embraced and shared with the world. Let us be like Paul and earnestly desire the voice of God on behalf of others.
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