Being Prophetic

Being Prophetic

1 Corinthians 14:1–5 (NKJV)

14 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Three Aspects of the Prophetic

In the scriptures it is revealed that there are three areas of the prophetic.

1. The Spirit of Prophecy

2. The Gift of Prophecy

3. The Office of Prophet

The Spirit of Prophecy

1 Corinthians 14:31–33 (ESV)

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

When we worship, we enter into His presence. There is an atmosphere of the glory of God that descends upon the gathering. One aspect of that presence is the Spirit of Prophecy.

1 Samuel 19:15–24 (ESV)

15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’ ”

18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

When the Spirit of Prophecy fills the place, it does not matter what is happening in your life, God will speak through you if you are willing. This is an example of the Spirit Within and the Spirit Upon. Saul and his messengers had the wrong motivations when going to find David. Yet, when the Spirit of Prophecy fell on them, they prophesied encouraging words from God. We must always develop the Spirit within us as we seek to minister prophetically as the Spirit falls upon us.

Paul says that the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. This means that you never lose control of yourself. You don’t just interrupt what God is doing in a service. You wait for the proper time to deliver the prophetic word. The word must also be delivered in the correct tone and volume that enhances the flow of the presence of God.

The Gift of Prophecy

The Gift of Prophecy has three main components:

1. Building-up (Edification) – This literally meant, To build a house or build up your house

2. Encouraging (Exhortation)

3. Comforting

The Gift of Prophecy is not fortune telling or sooth saying. Rather, it is speaking a “Now” word from God to build-up a discouraged believer. It brings comfort to the believer. The Gift of prophecy should never be used to shame or belittle. It should never be used control or manipulate the believer.

The Gift of Prophecy seeks to drop the very word from God that produces encouragement and comfort to the hearer. It produces a building up of the spirit. It says, yes you can go on, you can make it because God is with you. You are loved. You have purpose.

To speak to God in worship is a good thing, but Paul was concerned with using spiritual gifts to edify others. He encouraged prophecy as a way to join love and spiritual gifts because prophets speak to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. . . . Prophecy in the early church resembled contemporary preaching in many ways. It was a message from God to his people, delivered in the language of the people. Prophecy benefited people in countless ways and was used in the service of love.[1]

The Gift of Prophecy flows from someone who has, through personal worship and praying in the Spirit, edified themselves. It comes from someone who has built-up their spiritual house to a place of overflowing. Then that radiance pours out in a word of prophecy. It is effervescent and infectious.

Prophecy, then, is a means of building up Christian character, of encouraging and strengthening people, and of giving them comfort in their distress[2]

The Office of Prophet

Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Throughout the New Testament there are examples of people operating in the office of Prophet. Agabus is one of those prophets:

Acts 11:27–30 (ESV)

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

According to the Spirit Filled Life Bible, there is a difference between the Office of Prophet and the Gift of Prophecy:

1. It is a Christ-appointed ministry on a person

2. It was not sensationalized

3. It submits to Spiritual Authority

4. It must not be taken lightly

5. Sometimes it is predictive

6. It often speaks on a national or even international platform

7. Sometimes miracles accompany it

The Office of the Prophet, PROPHECY. Agabus is an example of the “office” of the “prophet” in the NT. This role differs from the operation of the gift of prophecy in the life of the believer, for it entails a Christ-appointed ministry of a person rather than the Holy Spirit-distributed gift through a person. In the NT, this office was not sensationalized as it tends to be today. Such an attitude is unworthy, both in the prophet and in those to whom he ministers, and is certain to result in an unfruitful end. (Apparently Paul was addressing such assumption of the prophetic office when he issued the challenge of 1 Cor. 14:37, calling for submission to spiritual authority rather than self-serving independence.) The office of prophet cannot be taken lightly. There is nothing in the NT that reduces the stringent requirements for serving this role, and Deut. 18:20-22 ought to be regarded seriously. Prophecy is nothing to be “experimented” with, for souls are in the balance in the exercise of every ministry.

Further wisdom may be gained by noting that on biblical terms there is more than one type of ministry by a prophet. While a few exercised remarkable predictive gifts (Daniel, Zechariah, John), other traits of the prophetic office are seen: 1) preaching—especially at a national or international level (John the Baptist); 2) teaching—especially when unusual insight is present and broad impact made in serving God’s people (Ezra); 3) miracles—as remarkable signs to accompany a prophet’s preaching (Elijah); 4) renewal—as with Samuel (1 Sam. 3:21; 4:1), or that called for by the psalmist and by Amos (Ps. 74:9; Amos 8:11, 12). The incident of Agabus resulted in effective action by the church’s rising to meet a challenging situation. This is a valid test of the prophetic office. It is for edification and not for entertainment—to enlarge and refresh the body, whether locally or beyond.[3]

Practical insights to moving in the Prophetic

Quieting your inner distractions and listening to His voice

The Bible says in James 5:17ff. That Elijah was a man like us. He was a prophet that called the nation to return back to the Lord. After a powerful victory, Elijah was exhausted, and his life was threatened. His depression made him feel suicidal. When he finally calmed his heart, he heard the Lord’s voice which gave him direction.

1 Kings 19:11–13 (NKJV)

11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

No matter all the noise around you, the prophetic comes when we settle our heart and listen to His Spirit within us.

One thing God was in: a still small voice. This can be a great lesson to people who believe that loud, boisterous worship is the mark of power from God, and that quietness indicates a lack of the Spirit. On some occasions God was revealed in mighty thunderings (Ex. 20:18; Rev. 10:3–4), but here only in the still small voice.[4]

herefore, in the name of God I exhort you, keep close every moment to the unction of the Holy One! Attend to the still small voice! Beware of hearkening to the voice of a stranger!

John Wesley[5]

When Elijah wrapped his face in his mantel, it was a sign of respect to God and a renewing of the Anointing. Fresh Anointing comes as we listen to that still small voice.

Often the prophetic word will come from a single word or phrase, a scripture verse, or even a vision

After you still your heart, do not limit how God will reveal His word to you. The prophetic is always a step of faith.

In Matthew 14:27, Peter steps out of the boat and walks upon the water after hearing one word from Jesus: COME. The prophetic is like this. Often, you do not get the full message. You only hear one word. If you will step out and speak what you hear the Lord saying in that one word, the rest of the message will flood your mind and heart.

Some people will have a verse of scripture pop into their mind. Again, you simply take a step of faith by saying something like, “I believe the lord is giving you this verse.” Then quote the verse by faith and be open to what more the Lord is saying to that person.

The same applies to a vision or mental picture. Be willing to describe what you are seeing and what God is saying to that person through this picture.

These messages will follow the principle of Edification, Exhortation, and Comfort.

The word “I believe” is better received than, “Thus saith the Lord.”

By saying something like, “I believe the Lord is saying to you . . .” takes the pressure off both you and the recipient. “I’m seeing this picture of such and such, I believe God is saying to you . . ..” “I believe God has this verse for you.”

The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet (Reprised)

1 Corinthians 14:31–33 (ESV)

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

If God is impressing upon you a prophetic word, He will open the door for you to deliver that word without interrupting the flow of the spirit of the meeting. Sometimes you might need to tell the leader of the meeting that God has given you something.

1 Corinthians 14:26 (ESV)

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Following are twenty New Testament activities that need to be done in order:

1. Singing of psalms (Eph. 5; Col. 3)

2. Teaching doctrines (2Tim. 4:2–4; Acts 2:42)

3. Tongues and interpretations (1Cor. 14:27)

4. Prophecies (1Cor. 14:3, 24–25, 29–30)

5. Exhortations by laymen (Heb. 10:25)

6. The Lord’s Supper and a love feast (1Cor. 10:16–17; 11:17–34; Jude 1:12)

7. Scripture reading (Lk. 4:16; Col. 4:16; 1Th. 5:27; 1Tim. 4:13)

8. Prayers (Acts 2:42; 4:24–31; etc.)

9. Exercise of other gifts -- healing, faith, and miracles (Acts 3:6; 5:12–16; 8:5–8; 15:12; 19:11)

10. Exercise of discernment and judgment (Acts 5:1–11; 13:6–11; 1Cor. 5)

11. Reports and business (Acts 4:23; 6:1–7; 11:1–18; 15:1–35)

12. Baptism (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 16:33)

13. Laying on of hands for enduement of the Holy Spirit and gifts (Acts 8:14–19; 9:17–18; 19:1–7; 1Tim. 4:14; 2Tim. 1:6; Heb. 6)

14. Preaching (Acts 2:14; 8:4–5, 35; 10:33–44; 1Cor. 1:18–24)

15. Sending missionaries (Acts 13:1–4; 15:36–40; Gal. 2:9–10)

16. Collections (Acts 11:29; 1Cor. 16:2)

17. Disputings (Acts 19:8–10; Gal. 2)

18. Confessions (Acts 19:18; Jas. 5:16)

19. Church trials (Mt. 18:15–18; 1Cor. 5–6; Acts 5–11; Gal. 2:1–14)

20. Addition of members (Acts 2:41)[6]

[1]Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7, p. 244). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers. [2]Morris, L. (1985). 1 Corinthians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 7, p. 184). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [3]Hayford, J. W. (Ed.). (1997). Spirit filled life study Bible (electronic ed., Ac 11:26). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. [4]Dake, F. (1997). The Dake Annotated Reference Bible (1 Ki 19:12). Dake Publishing. [5]Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Modern church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [6]Dake, F. (1997). The Dake Annotated Reference Bible (1 Co 14:26). Dake Publishing.