#7 - Habits for life - Gifts Saying

Inspiration Gifts

Today, we’re jumping into the “SAY” something category.

Here’s a quick refresher!

To “KNOW” something: Revelation Gifts + Prophetic Flow

To “SAY” something: Inspiration Gifts + Priestly Flow

To “DO” something: Power Gifts + Kingly Flow

These are NINE gifts of Grace!

1 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)

10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

The gift of Prophecy + the gift of Tongues + Interpretation = inspiration gifts

We’re going to look at the meaning of the gift of prophecy, but before we do, I want us to read the first verse of chapter 14. Paul writes,

1 Corinthians 14:1–4 (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.

He says we are to desire the gift.

The word desire is the Greek word zeloo, meaning an intense desire that causes one to seek something until obtained.

Desiring spiritual gifts could be translated, “Seek the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit until you have them in your grasp and they are operating in your life.”

Paul is saying, “It’s good to want all the spiritual gifts enthusiastically, but if you can only have one, you should pursue the gift of prophecy.”

We often think prophecy is telling the future!

No, that’s not a prophecy!

Look at V3 -

1 Corinthians 14:3 NIV

3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.

The gift of prophecy is there to edify, comfort, and exhort other believers.

Prophecy is a spoken word of inspiration!

WHY DOES THE GIFT OF PROPHECY EXIST?

To Edify - Building Each Other

The word edify in Greek is a picture of a home being built using a set of blueprints. The blueprints were designed to create the exact structure that the architect envisioned from the beginning.

God is the Master Builder! He is the Architect of our life and the lives of those around us.

It may seem like we’re the one building, but it’s His design.

His houses ALWAYS include perfect blueprints!

When we edify (prophecy over) each other, we help confirm what He’s building.

His perfectly designed plans illuminate. We strengthen each other to become the house God is creating us to be.

Spiritually speaking, when we prophesy over each other, it’s like we’re on a construction site. We’re walking around with the Holy Spirit, affirming the building’s progress. We help reveal the overall dream of the project. We remind each other what God’s building will be worth all the effort and time.

Prophecy is a spoken word to illuminate the structure of God’s purpose and plan for your life.

To Exhort - Lifting Each Other

The word exhort comes from the Greek word parakaleo, meaning someone who has come closely alongside another person for the sake of speaking to him, consoling him, comforting him, or assisting him — the overall meaning is counseling. All of these attributes describe aspects of the counseling process.

How do we know it’s a prophecy?

The ingredient of prophecy is a spoken word that gives supernatural counseling, purpose and grounding in the plan God devised all along.

Prophecy is looking for someone to encourage!

Exhorting doesn’t have to be an in-depth counseling session. It can be as simple as encouraging someone as you come alongside them in little ways.

The Bible encourages us to do that exact thing in Hebrews. It enables us to look for an ordinary moment He wants to make extraordinary!

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Operating in the gift of prophecy might look like listening to the urging of the Holy Spirit to send someone an encouraging card, text, or message.

Reminding them that they are seen and known.

To Comfort - Healing Each Other

Jesus says, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter….” John 14:16 He uses the exact Greek word Parakaleo to describe the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16 (ESV)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

You can have the gift of comfort or helper, but not just the comfort that comes from the things you know about. The Holy Spirit will comfort you about the things you don’t know about.

It is a supernatural gift of comfort, imparting the deepest, most profound comfort which can only come from Heaven.

Prophecy is delivering a message that God wants to give to His people about a particular moment or for a specific situation.

The critical moments that we need to hear God’s thoughts.

The gift is to comfort those under pressure, bring encouragement to people’s hearts, and redirect an individual’s attention back to God.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPHECY

For the believer, by the believer

Every believer is encouraged to prophesy

It is supernaturally revealed

For edification, exhortation, and comfort

Reveals God’s investment in every aspect of our lives, even the most minor details

What is NOT Prophecy?

(No matter how prophetic it seems)

Prophecy is not rebuking, criticism, or judgment.

Prophecy is not guidance. (it only confirms what you already know from the Holy Spirit)

Prophecy never contradicts the Word of God. God is not confused. He doesn’t change His mind.

Prophecy should not leave you discouraged, depressed, or humiliated.

Ephesians 4:11–16 NIV

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

A prophet teaches the Church how to hear the voice of God more clearly

A prophet gives direction to the church leadership by showing the timing of God for where they are going and how to stay on track

Gift of tongues & Interpretation of Tongues.

To begin with, this topic is one of the MOST controversial topics in the Church! It has split faith communities straight down the middle.

I’m sure we will not be able to explore every angle of this provocative subject, but I’m hoping to give you some clarity and maybe even a desire to operate in this gift.

Before Jesus left the Earth, He promised His disciples someone would come in His place—the Holy Spirit. They didn’t know Who it was or what to expect, so they gathered together to pray—waiting for the Spirit to come.

Let’s read about this moment:

Acts 2:2–4 (NIV)

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

I use the term “filled with the Holy Spirit with tangible evidence of tongues” because I believe there’s a difference. Paul explained two things that happened to them in Acts 2.

First, “They were all filled and equipped with the Holy Spirit.”

Second, “inspired to speak in tongues—empowered by the Spirit to speak in languages they had never learned!”

Here’s where the controversy happens. Some believe you have to have the evidence of tongues to be “filled with the Spirit.” In contrast, others believe you can “be filled with the Holy Spirit” without the actual evidence of a spiritual language.

I lean towards the second. Billy Graham never spoke in tongues and I think we all can agree he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Many influential faith leaders speak in tongues and encourage others to do the same. To draw a line here in the spiritual sand would be a mistake.

God is still God and He still has mysteries we do not fully understand.

What is speaking in tongues?

It is a spiritual gift evidenced by an individual speaking in a language that they do not know, empowered by supernatural grace.

1 Corinthians 14:2–4 (NIV)

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.

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.

Additionally, Paul instructed the Church not to operate in this gift publicly without the gift of interpretation.

1 Corinthians 14:28 (NIV)

28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

These tongues can include human languages with which the speaker is unfamiliar. (Acts 2:8-11)

Non-human, holy languages with which no person is familiar. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Always need to be interpreted.

It’s an interpretation; not a translation.

Romans 8:26–27 (NIV)

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

“Holy Spirit, all around me are people in need, and You are the only One Who can touch their lives in a way that transforms them. You have given the gift of prophecy to build up, cheer up and stir up the lives of believers. I ask that You would use me as a vessel to reach those around me with the gift of prophecy. Guide my heart to discern when You are speaking, and give me the words to share what You would say. I trust and believe that because You have said, ‘desire to prophesy,’ my passion to do so comes from You. Lastly, I promise to give You every ounce of glory for the lives that will be touched by this transformative gift. In Jesus’ name - Amen!”

Next week

The gift of Faith + Gifts Healing + gifts Miracles

To “DO” something: Power Gifts + Kingly Flow

They include “doing” something and operating in a kingly flow.