A Human Report of Divine Revelation
God’s people who have been
given the gift of prophecy do not necessarily predict future events. In fact, most of the time
they don't. And most of us who prophesy have never considered wearing a
John-the-Baptist-style hairy shirt! Despite popular depictions of prophets as
solitary wilderness-dwellers, today's prophets are distinct and unique
members of the Body of Christ who have the ability to present a straightforward
"human report of a divine revelation."
Raising the Bar
It is God’s will to see the bar raised high in
the prophetic gift in the Body – the Ekklesia of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. Now
let's be real. Prophetic types might become insecure, feel threatened, and even
jealous. The leaders can sometimes promote one person over another based upon
who has the biggest draw. We can lose our balance and forget to keep the
"main thing the main thing." Remember, the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of
Jesus. (Revelation
19:10)
There are significant standards that we’d
attempt to follow:
1. That we find our identity
in Christ Jesus first and foremost.
2. That the written Word of
God is our final authority.
3. That we cultivate His character
to carry the gift.
4. That we walk in a culture
of honor.
Yes, integrity matters. The fruit of the
Spirit is as valuable as the gifts of the Spirit. God and us want to see
prophets who build up the Body of Christ, including the local church, and who
walk in accountability and community. These are high goals – I know. And yet,
these are basic standards that every true disciple of Jesus should have as
their aim – no matter their gift or function in life and ministry.
An Honest Assessment
In recent days, I have been pondering the
purpose of the prophetic all over again. You see, it can be easy to become jaded
and disillusioned. In my 20 years of full-time vocational ministry, having been
involved in various ministries in the Body of Christ, I have watched many
Believers become observers who are no longer active participants. With this in
mind, let's review some of the purposes of the prophetic.
Purposes of the Prophetic Gifting
God is our Good Father, and He
wants to encourage us and advise us. For each new generation, He chooses prophets to
deliver fresh words to accomplish His purposes. Paul wrote about three main
purposes of prophecy: "One who prophesies
speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation"
(1 Corinthians 14:3).
Edification refers to building up people in the faith and enabling them to be more effective in ministry. Exhortation pertains to admonishment and motivation for people to perform good deeds, and it is the same as encouragement. Consolation means giving comfort or solace or alleviating some kind of distress.
We each need encouragement. "Barnabas" was a nickname for a man named Joseph who was a Levite from the island of Cyprus (see Acts 4:36.) Barnabas means "son of encouragement and comfort." We do need to have too much encouragement, comfort, and up-building. This is one of the reasons I value prophetic gifting.
The gift of prophecy is also
used by the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin and to convince them of God's
good intentions toward them. Some people today wrongly teach that the convicting work of the Holy
Spirit only applies to unbelievers. But I believe it applies to all of us,
since all of us need additional convicting and convincing as we make our way
toward holiness and perfection.
Just as the light of God
penetrates the hearts of unbelievers, so it penetrates ours. It is the job of the Holy
Spirit to, "Convince the world concerning
sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). One of the ways the Spirit
does this is by speaking His Rhema words through prophets. The true
prophetic promotes the fear of the Lord and that results in greater purity.
Prophecy is a revelatory gift as well as a vocal
gift, and God uses it to instruct and teach us: "For
you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and
encouraged" (1 Corinthians
14:31 NIV). No single prophet or teacher can teach everything—it
takes a "cluster anointing" to do the best job. But working
together, we make a great team and God's people are made stronger.
Maturing in the Gift of Prophecy
With regard to maturing in the gift of prophecy,
let us recognize that there are four categories of a prophetic revelation: the
Spirit of Prophecy, the Gift of Prophecy, the Ministry of Prophecy, and the
Office of a Prophet. It is important to understand how they are distinct
and how each has its place.
First, the spirit of prophecy refers to those
occasions when the Spirit of God encompasses a group of people. God manifests
His presence in the midst of the assembly in such a way that anybody can hear
God and thus prophesy; whether or not they otherwise claim to have a gift of
prophecy (see 1 Samuel 19:20-21
for one example). It is simply amazing when this takes place!
The Gift of Prophecy
Second, the gift of prophecy is the spiritual a gift that God gives generously to His people in order to build us up and to
help us walk with sure steps of faith (see 1
Corinthians 12:10; 14:6, 24, 31). This gift of the Holy
Spirit is for edification, exhortation, and comfort, but it does appear to
include correction and direction.
The Ministry of Prophecy
Third, people who exercise the gift of prophecy
consistently over time have a ministry of prophecy, developing a ministry that
is not occasional. Consistency is important here and it takes time to
develop that narrative.
Τhe Office of a Prophet
Beyond the ministry of prophecy is the office of
a prophet (or prophetess). Those in the office of the prophet are equippers; they
can instruct others in how the gift operates. Lots of people who prophesy are
not necessarily equippers. Leaders in the office of the prophet are like
spiritual fathers or mothers or equippers, whose emphasis (besides broadcasting
the words God gives them) is on multiplication and growth of prophetic in God’s
people.
In other words, there is a difference between
revelation and authority. The bottom line is: God uses all of the varieties of
prophetic categories in order to speak to His people in every situation. He
uses not only the office of prophecy but also the spirit of prophecy, the gift
of prophecy, and the ministry of prophecy.
Releasing the Testimony of Jesus
Ultimately, all prophecy is about this:
releasing the testimony of Jesus. Here is John's visionary picture from the
book of Revelation:
"Then I
[John] fell at his [the angel's] feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Do not
do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the
testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy.'" (Revelation 19:10)
Jesus wants to testify, and He uses men and
women to do it. Those who serve as His voice do not draw attention to
themselves but rather to the message and to the Messenger. Yes, the testimony
of the Lord Jesus Christ is released through the spirit of prophecy. None of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased. The gifts of the Spirit are not
for the elite few; they are for every Believer today!
Thank God we value the prophetic gifts. The best
is yet to come!
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