Prophecy - The Gift
Scripture Reading - Romans 12:4-6 KJV
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Today we will speak briefly about “Prophecy”. Generally biblical “prophecy” can be thought of in four ways. 1st “Prophecy” is the spoken Word of God, 2ndly “Prophecy” is a prediction of an event, situation and/or circumstance that will happen in the future. 3rdly “Prophecy” is a gift from God and 4thly “prophecy” is a spirit. In this lesson we will focus on “prophecy” as a gift from God. As we spoke before that all godly “prophecy” is inspired from the Holy Spirit of God. Of course all gifts from God are given by grace because our Heavenly Father chooses which gifts to give to each person. Yes, some gifts are given to every believer like faith and a heart of love while some gifts are specifically for certain individuals. The gift of “Prophecy” is twofold. First the gift of prophecy is to be esteemed valuable and desirable for all believers according to 1 Corinthians 14:5. In that verse of scripture the Apostle Paul admonishes every believer in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to “prophesy” so that the church could be edified. This general “gift of prophecy” can be used within the church walls to set people free and it can also be used in everyday life when speaking to people individually. We (ihlcc) always exercise some caution when speaking on “personal prophecy” because wrong people giving life changing advice in the Name of Jesus has ruined the lives of many people who were going in the right direction without the “false prophecy”. We typically stay under the general counsel of God which states “prophecy” should only be used to confirm what the Lord has already dealt with you on personally. Remember “prophecy” is suppose to edify, exhort and comfort, not guide, persuade or rebuke. Generally speaking when “prophecy” is used correctly it will always edify and confirm what you already know to be true. By keeping “prophecy” in the context of God’s Holy Written Word (The Holy Bible) it is safe and solid for edification and godly confirmation. The moment people start “prophesying” to each other concerning other people in their life and/or future events that will happen in an individual’s life there is a danger for error and mistakes that hurt innocent people and shatter some relationships. Remember “prophecy” is never to be confused with fortune-telling. Fortune-telling is trying to predict an individual’s future whereas “prophecy” is only edifying an individual with an authentic Word from God that is timely and accurate for a current situation they are dealing with. Personally “prophecy” should always be judged by the listener and if the listener is unsure they can bring it to the elders (Paster, teachers, deacons, etc…) of their local church for review and/or confirmation of truth. Now the second “gift of prophecy” is the ministry gift that is freely given to those who minister to people on a larger scale. It is interesting to note that those who operate in the public “gift of prophecy” will be judged more strictly than those who don’t “prophesy” publically. This is in line with James 3:1 which states that those who are in ministry leadership will be judged more severally than those in the laity. Also, to whom much is given of that same person much will be required according to Luke 12:48. The ministry “gift of prophecy” is a true blessing to the Body of Christ when it is used correctly. Yes, this gift still ministers love and peace to edify the Body of Christ but it can also be used to give instruction, warning and correction. Judgment is the big difference between “public prophecy” and “private prophecy”. “Public prophecy” should be judged by others that are present according to 1 Corinthians 14:29-33. Yes, “public prophecy” is often spoken forth from those who stand in the office of a prophet, thus they are more seasoned and developed in the Ways of God and the practical use (application) of the Word of God. Since these types of “prophesies” are publically shared the church leadership and all the church members can judge the validity of the “prophecy”. We (ihlcc) would hope that even a new believer would be able to tell the difference in their own heart from truth spoken forth or error introduced to congregation. Yes, we in the Body of Christ should never follow the Word of the Preacher, Teacher or Prophet but we strictly believe you should follow the Holy Word of God spoken in love before many witness. The larger the audience the greater the cloud of witnesses to bear witness to the “prophecy” of truth. If you are ever uncertain about a “prophecy” spoken publically and/or privately don’t worry about it, simply leave it alone until you know it is either all right or simply wrong. One problem we have commonly seen in the Body of Christ is that someone hears a specific “prophecy” that was God inspired for another individual and they try to apply it personally to their own life. They foolishly think that if God said it to one person any Christian can benefit from it. This is very presumptuous and wrong, this type of misunderstanding of “prophecy” has caused many to stumble and fall because as the verse stated “prophecy” is tied to faith as noted in today’s verse of scripture. Thus, it is never OK to take a personal word from God intended for another believer and use it for yourself simply because you like the words of the “prophecy”. This works for the general promises of God’s Word found in the Holy Bible but it doesn’t work at all for the principles of “prophecy”. Since people “prophesy” according to their faith there is always some interpretation necessary to fully understand the “prophecy”. Therefore, the faith of the individual giving the “prophecy” and the faith of the person listening to the “prophecy” could vary. Due to this fact all prophecy must be judged to see just how accurately it lines up with God’s Word and the Spirit of God’s Love and the heart of the receiver and the heart of the church leaders. If we keep “the gift of prophecy” in its divine context it will always serve its purpose from God and we can all rest assured it is a good purpose in Christ Jesus, our Lord, Savoir and Friend. Remember God only gives good gifts so please enjoy “the two Gifts of Prophecy” both publically and privately because we (ihlcc) have found great blessings in all God’s gifts unto man. Amen!