Understanding the Gift of Prophecy
Understanding the Gift of Prophecy: God's Voice for Today's Church
The gift of prophecy often feels mysterious or intimidating to many believers. Some view it as something only for "super spiritual" people, while others dismiss it entirely. But what does Scripture actually teach about this important spiritual gift?
What Is the Gift of Prophecy?
The gift of prophecy is the empowering work of the Holy Spirit through which God communicates supernatural revelation to his people for strengthening, encouragement and comfort. As Revelation 19:10 tells us, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (ESV). The essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.
True prophecy should never glorify personalities, platforms or ministries. Genuine prophetic ministry magnifies Christ, exalts His character and draws people closer to Him, rather than drawing attention to the individual delivering the message. In many modern expressions, prophecy can begin to resemble fortune telling more than Christ-centered testimony.
Why Must We Pursue Love First?
First Corinthians 14:1 instructs us to "pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (ESV). Notice the order - pursue love first, then earnestly desire the gifts.
When we pursue the gifts without love, we end up using those gifts to serve ourselves instead of serving the church. We begin to process the gifts in order to build platforms and use them for our benefit instead of the benefit of the body of Christ.
Being prophetic in nature can simply be the Holy Spirit laying someone on your heart to reach out to them. It might be a timely word of encouragement for someone you run into, someone you know or maybe someone you don't know. There's a prompting of the Spirit to pray for them or encourage them - that could be prophetic in nature.
How Does God Speak Prophetically Today?
Prophecy is not about human brilliance, emotional passion, or religious performance. Rather, prophecy is the Holy Spirit revealing something the Father desires to communicate. God can bring revelation both spontaneously in a service and through intentional prayer and study.
When Paul speaks about gifts such as a word of knowledge and a word of wisdom, these are prophetically empowered moments of insight and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives for a specific purpose. The Holy Spirit can reveal things about certain situations, about people, about moments, by giving knowledge that could not naturally be known.
Think about Jesus with the woman at the well. When she said she had no husband, Jesus responded with supernatural knowledge: "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband" (John 4:17-18 ESV). This was prophetic revelation - a word of knowledge.
How Do We Test Prophetic Words?
Scripture commands us to test prophecies. First Thessalonians 5:20-21 says, "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good" (ESV). First Corinthians 14:29 adds, "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said" (ESV).
Three Key Tests for Prophecy
1. Alignment with Scripture: If someone gives a prophetic word that contradicts Scripture, it's false and should be treated as such. The Holy Spirit will never speak in a way that opposes the word of God.
2. Love vs. Manipulation: People can sometimes use spiritual language to manipulate others into doing what they want. If it's coming from manipulation and not love.
3. Witness Among Mature Believers: Prophetic words should be weighed by mature believers, not just one person. When something is truly from God, there is often a witness within us that aligns with the Spirit.
What If Someone Gets It Wrong?
New Testament prophecy is not equal to Scripture. Unlike Old Testament prophecy, which carried absolute authority, New Testament prophecy is to be tested and weighed. Just as teachers can sometimes make mistakes in their understanding of Scripture, someone who sincerely believes God is speaking to them can also get it wrong at times.
When someone makes a mistake, we lovingly correct them. Giving people room to grow and even fail is important because many in the church are afraid to step out and risk getting it wrong, so they never step out in faith to get it right.
Prophecy Can Be Contingent
Some prophetic words are connected to how people respond. Certain prophetic warnings are not simply declarations of what will happen no matter what, but invitations for people to repent, obey, and change direction. The story of Jonah and Nineveh illustrates this perfectly - when the people repented, mercy was shown instead of destruction.
Holding Onto Prophetic Deposits
Paul told Timothy: "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18 ESV).
God gives us prophetic deposits in our lives for the purpose of holding onto them because there will be people who try to derail the calling that God has for us. These deposits serve as confirmation and encouragement during difficult seasons.
Fan Into Flame Your Gifts
Paul later told Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6-7 ESV).
Gifts can sometimes go stagnant because the world has knocked us around and we feel like that gift maybe wasn't from God. We need to stir up those gifts, fan them into flame, and not neglect them.
The Prophetic Is Supernatural in Source, Natural in Expression
God frequently speaks through ordinary people to deliver extraordinary encouragement, wisdom, conviction, or direction. Many times His voice is not carried through a dramatic display, but rather through a simple act of obedience, love, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
The prophetic is not about becoming mystical personalities who seek attention and try to appear spiritually superior. Rather, it is about becoming yielded vessels who are humble, available, and sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to pursue love first, then earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings - whether it's reaching out to encourage someone, praying for a person who comes to mind, or simply being obedient to what God is asking you to do.
Ask yourself these questions:
Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind. Walk in the authority of your calling and don't be moved by those who would try to disrupt what God wants to do in your life.
The gift of prophecy often feels mysterious or intimidating to many believers. Some view it as something only for "super spiritual" people, while others dismiss it entirely. But what does Scripture actually teach about this important spiritual gift?
What Is the Gift of Prophecy?
The gift of prophecy is the empowering work of the Holy Spirit through which God communicates supernatural revelation to his people for strengthening, encouragement and comfort. As Revelation 19:10 tells us, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (ESV). The essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.
True prophecy should never glorify personalities, platforms or ministries. Genuine prophetic ministry magnifies Christ, exalts His character and draws people closer to Him, rather than drawing attention to the individual delivering the message. In many modern expressions, prophecy can begin to resemble fortune telling more than Christ-centered testimony.
Why Must We Pursue Love First?
First Corinthians 14:1 instructs us to "pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (ESV). Notice the order - pursue love first, then earnestly desire the gifts.
When we pursue the gifts without love, we end up using those gifts to serve ourselves instead of serving the church. We begin to process the gifts in order to build platforms and use them for our benefit instead of the benefit of the body of Christ.
Being prophetic in nature can simply be the Holy Spirit laying someone on your heart to reach out to them. It might be a timely word of encouragement for someone you run into, someone you know or maybe someone you don't know. There's a prompting of the Spirit to pray for them or encourage them - that could be prophetic in nature.
How Does God Speak Prophetically Today?
Prophecy is not about human brilliance, emotional passion, or religious performance. Rather, prophecy is the Holy Spirit revealing something the Father desires to communicate. God can bring revelation both spontaneously in a service and through intentional prayer and study.
When Paul speaks about gifts such as a word of knowledge and a word of wisdom, these are prophetically empowered moments of insight and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives for a specific purpose. The Holy Spirit can reveal things about certain situations, about people, about moments, by giving knowledge that could not naturally be known.
Think about Jesus with the woman at the well. When she said she had no husband, Jesus responded with supernatural knowledge: "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband" (John 4:17-18 ESV). This was prophetic revelation - a word of knowledge.
How Do We Test Prophetic Words?
Scripture commands us to test prophecies. First Thessalonians 5:20-21 says, "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good" (ESV). First Corinthians 14:29 adds, "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said" (ESV).
Three Key Tests for Prophecy
1. Alignment with Scripture: If someone gives a prophetic word that contradicts Scripture, it's false and should be treated as such. The Holy Spirit will never speak in a way that opposes the word of God.
2. Love vs. Manipulation: People can sometimes use spiritual language to manipulate others into doing what they want. If it's coming from manipulation and not love.
3. Witness Among Mature Believers: Prophetic words should be weighed by mature believers, not just one person. When something is truly from God, there is often a witness within us that aligns with the Spirit.
What If Someone Gets It Wrong?
New Testament prophecy is not equal to Scripture. Unlike Old Testament prophecy, which carried absolute authority, New Testament prophecy is to be tested and weighed. Just as teachers can sometimes make mistakes in their understanding of Scripture, someone who sincerely believes God is speaking to them can also get it wrong at times.
When someone makes a mistake, we lovingly correct them. Giving people room to grow and even fail is important because many in the church are afraid to step out and risk getting it wrong, so they never step out in faith to get it right.
Prophecy Can Be Contingent
Some prophetic words are connected to how people respond. Certain prophetic warnings are not simply declarations of what will happen no matter what, but invitations for people to repent, obey, and change direction. The story of Jonah and Nineveh illustrates this perfectly - when the people repented, mercy was shown instead of destruction.
Holding Onto Prophetic Deposits
Paul told Timothy: "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18 ESV).
God gives us prophetic deposits in our lives for the purpose of holding onto them because there will be people who try to derail the calling that God has for us. These deposits serve as confirmation and encouragement during difficult seasons.
Fan Into Flame Your Gifts
Paul later told Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6-7 ESV).
Gifts can sometimes go stagnant because the world has knocked us around and we feel like that gift maybe wasn't from God. We need to stir up those gifts, fan them into flame, and not neglect them.
The Prophetic Is Supernatural in Source, Natural in Expression
God frequently speaks through ordinary people to deliver extraordinary encouragement, wisdom, conviction, or direction. Many times His voice is not carried through a dramatic display, but rather through a simple act of obedience, love, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
The prophetic is not about becoming mystical personalities who seek attention and try to appear spiritually superior. Rather, it is about becoming yielded vessels who are humble, available, and sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to pursue love first, then earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings - whether it's reaching out to encourage someone, praying for a person who comes to mind, or simply being obedient to what God is asking you to do.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I pursuing spiritual gifts for my own benefit or to serve the body of Christ?
- Am I sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings throughout my day?
- Do I have prophetic deposits from God that I need to fan into flame rather than let grow stagnant?
- Am I willing to step out in faith and risk getting it wrong in order to potentially get it right?
Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind. Walk in the authority of your calling and don't be moved by those who would try to disrupt what God wants to do in your life.
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1 Comment
Great teaching on the gift of prophecy. I wish I had been taught this in my early walk with the Lord. I became fearfully of giving out prophetic words because I didn't want to be wrong. Thank you Pastor.