Spiritual Gifts Pt 2. (Prophesy)

So we are in season on Wednesday nights of studying the spiritual gifts God gives to us, which are to be used to empower the Christian and direct us into our calling, and then move us along in that calling into deep mature Christian values.

I do want to remind all of us, as we begin to study these. As much as I want to encourage you there is a warning. Spiritual Gifts are not for you. What I mean is they are not to lift up your name, or even who you are. When we receive Spiritual Gifts they are a GIFT for one. And they are Christ doing the work in and through us.

Another warning, to not be discouraged. These gifts just as much as any other gift is not for all. While some may carry multiple if not all of these gifts, others will specialize in only a few in their lifetime. Maybe even one.

To sum up all of these warnings, We must allow God to ignite these gifts in us, our responsibility is to humbly accept them and work in the gifts.

This isnt all doom and gloom, These studies are meant to be a fun subject of learning and discovery. Discovering something about ourselves that we may not have known before.

After all Spiritual Gifts are something God has chosen specifically for you, to help you to be able to advance Spiritually and the outcome is the advancing of the church on earth.

So lets learn and get ready to serve. Amen!

The reason for the long intro is to say this……I taught it now you can define it but here is the defining characteristic of our lives as Christians.

We must have a pursuit of love as the priority in our Christian lives.

In the pursuit we gain three things

- Christ

- Desire for Gifts

- Receive a Calling

1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

1 COR 13 is all about what? LOVE.

I want to read it really quickly. Because to often has the church taken this passage out of context. This is normally taught that we must love in this way, for the greatest thing we can do is love. However….the bible isnt about you nor me. Its from the beginning to the end. About jesus. Ill prove it to you. Let’s read 1 COR 13…..but instead of saying Love….Ill replace it with a more appropriate word. Watch this.

1 Corinthians 13 NIV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Here’s the thing. WITHOUT JESUS we have no business operating.

However because they are a gift for us, we can choose to operate blindly without Jesus.

The Church must stop being okay with being filled with the Holy Spirit and thinking that’s enough.

We can be filled still walking in the natural, matter of fact paul warns us of exactly that.

john 15 15-21

Vs 20….Do you remember what I told you? A slave isnt greater than his master! So since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you!

We must cast the natural things aside.

Read it and then come to 1 COR 14 1-5

1 Corinthians 14:1–5 NIV

1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 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.

…..

Were going to talk about the two P’s Today.

The Gift of the two P’s

If you are taking notes. Write in Bold, as if it’s a title. The Two P’s of Gifts.

PROPHECY AND PRAYER

Our first P lets talk about it.

1. Prophecy….Why its important?

Paul speaks here in the beginning of the passage and says tongues are not directed to men but to God….Prophecy on the other hand is directed to the people of God and meets three needs of the human hearts

- Strength

- Encouragement

- Comfort.

Prophecy brings Clear understanding.

This is the segment where im going to give a bit of advice as well i want to state this may be from my opinion. Tv prophets and youtube sensationalist prophets…stay away from them.

Prophets are called and embraced by God, not a political agenda. There are prophets helping out both democrats and republicans. Stay away from them. False prophets ease there words in prophetic slang into thier listeners ears with what they want to see happen and unfold.

Literally every single “ Major” prophet i have seen on youtube or tv during covid were complete in correct. They gave specific dates, biblical references and said in the name of God this will be so. And its all false, crap, and most importantly.....Not for the church. They were for polictical parties and agendas and revenues.

The bible in all of my illustrative devotion to this topic points to a prophet speaking to a specific body. Just as a body has a pastor, teacher, worship leader, it has its prophets as well. Operate for your body, not for your flesh. People using God’s gift to gain riches for later in life will ultimately become dissatisfied in the presence of God’s voice and replace it with their own. again, operate for your body, not for your flesh.

back to our normally operations. Prophesy brings clear understanding through strengthening its hearers.

This is not always something you want, but itll be what you need when you need it most.

those strength moments aren't always desirable. If i go to the gym do some bicep curls i can not only hurt my bicep but i could pull my shoulder back or even pop a muscle and need surgery.

I can be holding onto the weight and even moving the weight consistently, but if im not doing it right, i can really hurt myself. God comes in through prophecy at times to correct our form.

The initial spoken word from God isnt wanted, dont correct me, dont come at me like that. However when you allow your life to walk out straight what He informs you of, You recieve spiritual strength.

The importance of prophecy is the church today needs clear understanding and revelation about modern day issues, and guidance how to navigate in the narrow road facing those circumstances.

Ephesians 2:19–20 NIV

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

built on the foundation of

apostles

prophets

Christ Himself

Theres christ again being the center of the need for, and the need of prophecy.

The other factor that’s important in prophecy usage is its used to build up the church Paul was speaking about tongues and prophesy i want to break this down for a moment. Very similar but different gifts.

Tongues-build, we will see later in the month..

Tongues will build the individuals trust with God. Tongues creates the ability for the “user” to relinquish control to his spirit.

Prophesy does something similar but different.

Prophecy ensure the “user” is in constant fellowship, or constant devotion to the mouth of God.

Meaning that prophecy requires an ear attentive to heaven.

When we use prophecy in the way its intended it’s a sign.\

There is a huge misconception with the world we live in today. That prophesy is used to supernaturally get the attention of unbelievers....its not used for that way. Again you can be filled with this gift operating in a wrong place.

prophesy is used for THE CHURCH.

Prophesy is a sign even unto believers that God is real and that He is speaking to his people even today. 1 COR 14 22

1 Corinthians 14:22 NIV

22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.

So the importance of Prophecy is God builds his church up through new divine revelations of the times to come.

Okay we see the importance but

is it still relevant?

Many have speculated God doesn’t speak today. He stopped speaking when the ink dried in the book of revelations. For why else would the divine God tell us of times to come if he would do it the same as old.

Yet I simply don’t understand that for one, because of the above verses we read in 1 Corinthians but also. Brother Howe spoke to me at 11 years old and say youre going to be a great pastor and do very large things. As I was standing in a sanctuary that could hold 300 people I believe, huge lot and things working perfectly, I imagine it would be that, until God continued to speak to me over and over again of the promises, showing me even greater images, and trust me we aren’t there yet, not even close. God has choosen Mika and Myself and not only chose us but spoke it to us years ago.

This is the same source of prophecy thought out the Old Testament. Gen 12 God gave the beginning of an image that paul would later speak about in 1 Thessalonians. That again christ fulfilled. I look forward to the day my daughter or great great grandsons will write the ending to the fulfilled prophesies spoken over me.

5:18

innet

Prophesy why its important

Prophecy who is it?

Prophecy is a known as a miracle of knowledge, or simply to predict or declare something in the future.

“To prophesy” is the action of speaking divine inspiration with assurance it will come to pass another one: proclaiming God’s wisdom and knowledge

3:42

I wanna show you prophesy fulfilled

Prophesy today.

Now I wanna do this for the rest of the time. You dont have to take notes or anything, they are just interesting and you can call me crazy later, but its just a simple thing....biblical prophecy coming to life.

Im going to do a little of showing you vs explaining to you so Prophetic interpretation as well.

Euphrates River

Revelation 16:12 NIV

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

Biblically speaking, when the Euphrates River dries up, essentially the line between “righteous” and “unrighteous” becomes blurred, and/or is no longer present.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-7 and Isaiah 5:20, we are told in the Last Days men would become wicked, and people would “call evil good, and good evil”. We see these things today, but the events of the Sixth Vial are reserved for the Tribulation.

Matthew 24:15–16 NIV

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Prophesy what does it look like?

Prophesy when does it happen

Prophesy who -from God through people

Prophesy how do we know?