 Continuation of the Series 'Unpacking the Gifts. All scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.
First of all, let’s look at the definition of the Greek word used throughout the New Testament for these words. Word Prophesy-Prophecy Greek – prophēteuō I. To prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict a.. to prophesy b. with the idea of foretelling future events pertaining esp. to the kingdom of God c. to utter forth, declare, a thing which can only be known by divine revelation d. to break forth under sudden impulse in lofty discourse or praise of the divine counsels *under like prompting, to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others *to act as a prophet, discharge the prophetic office Remember, that when Paul wrote Corinthians, it was a letter without chapters or verse numbers. But where the gifts are spoken about, has a unique, intentional placement, I believe. First, we will be looking at 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14. 1 Corinthians 12:1-7 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. The remainder of the chapter goes on to talk about the spiritual gifts. The point is that we are all given gifts, specifically to be used to help each other in the body of Christ. He is very clear on the purpose. It is not to make money, not to manipulate, not to elevate, just to help each other. Then if you go to Chapter 13, it is known as the LOVE Chapter. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Then Paul goes into prophecy vs speaking in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened. I know all of this can be a bit confusing, especially if you have never been taught or studied about the prophetic gift. So, to make it easy, let’s break it down to three categories. First: The Gift is For All In the book, The Prophet, by James Goll, he says “FOR THE MANY, NOT THE FEW” I am firmly convinced that the current prophetic empowering is intended for the many, for the rank and file “ordinary” members of the Body of Christ, not just the few, the prophetic “superstars.” Successive waves of God’s Spirit will continue to unfold until Christ’s Church has been saturated with the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:15-23 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. In this passage, Paul specifically prays for:
But look back at Verses 22-23 God has put all things (in the earth) under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church (for us, for our benefit). And the church (us) is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. – we are full of HIM!!!! This spiritual gift is part of Him who is in us and works through us and we are to use it. Gods intended purpose is for HIS people to be filled with the revelation of His Son. Revelation only comes when Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds to it and is exactly how a prophetic gift works. Remember the part of the definition that says ‘a thing which can only be known by divine revelation?’ Many churches, ministries, people try to make the prophetic a high and lofty thing, when actually God reveals things to us all the time. That is the prophetic at work in our lives. There is a story in Numbers 11, while the Israelites were in the wilderness. Moses was weary from dealing with the people, so Moses turned to God. Numbers 11:16-17 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and He took some of the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed it upon the seventy elders. But keep in mind that Moses still had ALL of the Spirit he needed. That was not diminished when God ‘took it’ off of him. He had all of the Spirit he needed, and the elders had all of the Spirit they needed. Then, Verse 25 tells us, “when the Spirit rested upon them (the elders), they prophesied. But they did not do it again.” With a stroke of the Master’s hand, the prophetic presence that rested upon Moses was distributed among the elders there and they prophesied. But they stopped and did not do it again. What a beautiful depiction, yet what an unfulfilling outcome! However, in Verse 26, two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. But the Spirit saw them, and rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. Even though they weren’t in the tabernacle, they still received the Spirit because of their position as elders. Joshua went to Moses complaining and wanted them stopped, Numbers 11:29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” There is no indication that they ever quit prophesying. Many, both inside and outside of the church have continually tried to stop the gifts for many reasons, but always out of fear. But Joel 2:28-29 says KJV And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Then, in Acts 2, Peter quotes this same verse as evidence of the outpouring being a fulfillment of this prophecy. Not just on the few, but everyone with Peter that day. Acts 1 tells us that there were about 120 people there and Acts 2:4 says ‘they were ALL filled’. So the prophetic gift for ALL is stated in 1 Corinthians 14:3 ‘to strengthen others, encourage them, and comfort them.’ King James says ‘edification, exhortation, and comfort.’ When you have a strong relationship with the Lord, Holy Spirit will speak through us if we allow Him. He will show us things, and when we are praying for people, when talking with them, just normal conversation, or when you see something, if you will let Him, He will work through you to help others in tremendous ways. There are different ways it may operate. You may see things, feel things, have just a knowing, or maybe something is ‘bothering’ you. Sometimes I’ll read something, or even see something on TV or the internet and I just know I have to call and tell someone about it. Only to find out it was something that they truly needed in that moment. But don’t just rely on your gift in the moment, you must partner the gift God has given you with Holy Spirit. Prophecy is not just about God or you, it’s about God’s heart for the person you are ministering to. Second: The Mature 1 Corinthians 14:22-25 So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy. But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.” Note: Chuck Smith’s commentary about this passage. “So the tongues, an interesting passage, are a sign for those who believe not. Now herein is a very difficult passage of scripture, because it would appear that the very next verse completely contradicts this. We do find on the day of Pentecost that tongues did serve as a sign for those that believed not. For on the day of Pentecost when these devout Jews were drawn by the phenomena, they heard them speaking in the various languages, though they were, all of them, from Galilee region, languages from all over the world, using these languages to praise God and to glorify the Lord. As Peter then explained to them the phenomena that they were observing, giving them the scriptural basis, when Peter was finished with his message and the Holy Spirit had convicted their hearts, they said, "What shall we do since we have crucified the Lord of glory?" Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and your children who are far off."” Now, we see in Verse 22 that ‘Prophecy is for the benefit of the believers.’ When we first begin to realize we can operate in this gift, we may find that we operate in it a bit more than others. Or we may realize that it is something that is really part of us. Someone with the type of gift I am referring to, often begins to realize it is something they have operated in all of their lives. Sensing things, being able to know when something is about to happen, etc. But as you grow in the word, worship, and pray regularly, you will grow in this gift. You will want to sit under godly teaching, study the word more deeply in order to understand it better and grow. As you realize this gift is growing, then you have a responsibility to begin studying about the gift and how it operates in and through you. We are all different. While all of us can operate in it to a degree, but those called to this gift, it will mature in it. Only the truly mature should bring correction or foretell future events. The immature may have a revelation, but should not prophesy it without submitting it to a mature prophet to ‘judge.’ This just means they will counsel on how it should be handled. This will bring protection and growth to the ‘new’ prophet. In Verse 14:25 we see that ‘their secret thoughts will be exposed.’ When you have matured, or if you are gifted a bit more in this gift, you may ‘know’ or see things in the spirit. But you are never to ‘expose’ the hearer in a mean, negative, or public way. 1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. We can choose when, how, or if we will release a word. Kim Clement is becoming well known right now because so many of his prophecies are coming to pass about Donald Trump and the US. He got ill in 2015 and died in 2016 and prophesied the Trump presidency, new supreme court justice among many other things. He told a story once about a man in one of his services that the Lord revealed to Kim, was a pedophile. The man was standing next to his wife in a crowd of several hundred people and Kim wasn’t sure what to do with what God showed him. So he went down and stood in front of the man and told him to hold his hands up. The man did and Kim began slapping his hands really hard. You see his hands were his tools of abuse. After a few minutes the man broke down and fell to the floor weeping and repenting. Kim never had to say a word and the man knew God was confronting him in his sin. God will speak through you, if you let him, and even if you don’t know the ‘what’ the people will. I often times have been told to just say a word or a phrase to someone and they start laughing or crying because they know God was speaking to them. Third and Final: Office of the Prophet Ephesians 4:11-16 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. This is commonly referred to as the Five-Fold Offices. These offices were what Jesus left as gifts to the church, in order to build the church. Their job is stated clearly.
This will be done until,
The purpose of which is to
A body of believers with all five in operation, doing what they are supposed to do, operating in this manner, would be such a strong and effective work that the enemy would not be able to bring it down. Some Things to Remember
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony (the witness, the evidence, the proof) of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The gift of prophecy is the ‘proof’ that Jesus is working in and through you. It also confirms to the hearer’s heart that Jesus sees them, loves them, and cares for them. It shows them that God sees them and loves them enough to send you to speak to them in that very moment. Always remember, you are literally speaking for God. Never take that responsibility lightly.
Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11 KJV As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. The word ‘oracles of God’ is the word “Logion,” which means “words or utterances of God.” Again, you are speaking for God, but you must ‘steward it. This means, you need to grow in it, sit under godly teaching, learn about it, study it, practice it, have someone mentor you in it. There is an Old Testament story about Saul when he was anointed King. 1 Samuel 10 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 10:6 At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. Then go to Verses 9-10, As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. God needed Saul to be changed, especially his heart, so he could run Israel well. We see evidence of that heart in the early days of his reign when he built and dedicated the temple. However, we see later that he didn’t steward the gift. He disobeyed God and ended up in torment and misery, finally losing the throne to David. We may be gifted, but if we don’t steward the gift or our lives well, we will suffer consequences.
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. The gifts and callings are always in operation, even when you walk away from God. That is why Saul was so miserable. There are many people in business, who seem successful in their work, but because they were given the gifts for ministry, they are miserable. The gifts still work, but if we don’t walk out our call, we will struggle. We must steward the gifts and our walk with Him.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. Many churches, denominations, or even people use Verse 10 to say the gifts ceased. It says ‘When the time of perfection (or the perfect) comes.’ The Greek word for ‘perfect’ used here is ‘teleios’ which means - brought to it’s end, completeness, finished, perfected. And the word for ‘comes’ is erchomai’ which means - arrives, is established, or comes into being. So it literally says, ‘When the time of the end, or time of completion, or time it is finished, or the time it is perfected arrives’ these partial things will become useless. Some say that when Jesus was resurrected, or others say that when the Canon of Scripture was put together in 325 AD with the Council of Niceae, that was the ‘perfect’ came so there was no more need of the gifts. However, there is nothing in scripture or even in extrabiblical texts from that time that indicate that would be ‘perfection.’ I see the ‘perfection’ coming in 2 ways. The first is at Jesus second coming simply because we won’t need these things anymore. But if you look at it in context, we see something very specific that Paul is referring to. When you are given a prophecy from another person, it is often ‘incomplete’ like a puzzle. But either it works with something you know but they don’t or, as you walk it out, everything begins to fall into place, it is completed and makes sense. Then the prophecy is then perfected and no longer needed. Sometimes we put things into a long-term view that may only be meant for a short-term application. In context though, we see Paul specifically talking about maturity. 1 Corinthians 13:9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! Verse 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. It is just like reading the bible as a young Christian and you will have passages you don’t understand, but when you mature and grow, these passages begin to make perfect sense, so there is no ‘need’ to try to figure it out anymore. Prophecy is the same way. Verse 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. This verse can have a short-term application, as well as a long-term, future with Jesus, application. There comes a point where things are revealed, both in the present and when we see Jesus. Whether we die and go to heaven or when He returns, it will all be made clear. This was to comfort us, not cause us to discount much of the word of God because we don’t understand it. We need to have faith that He will show us. I personally have a deal with God. If He gives or shows many anything and I don’t understand it in the moment, I ask Him and trust Him to show me when I need it. He always does. I lived the first half of my life believing this was not for today. But when I saw it in operation and knew that God didn't end any of the gifts of promises, I decided I wanted all He had for me. In all of this, pray and ask God to show you Himself. I will continue talking about this gift next week.
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