May 21, 2011
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
“THE GIFT OF PROPHECY”
Scripture tells us in 1Cr 12:7-11 that the Holy Spirit will distribute “gifts” to the members of the Church. Among these gifts is the “gift of prophecy”. Most Christians acknowledge that all the other gifts are readily distributed among the churches of all past ages, including today. But they separate out from the list the gift of prophecy and they elevate it to such a status and load it with such expectations that very few people outside of the Bible are believed to have had this gift.
I submit to you that we have made an error in doing this to one of the gifts of the Spirit. I invite you to consider that the gift of prophecy is among us far more commonly than we think; but we don’t recognize it due to our faulty understanding of it.
I posit that the deeply spiritual brother or sister who is obviously blessed with the Holy Spirit and who receives spiritual insights which they believe to be from God is manifesting by that insight communication with God which can rightly be termed the “gift of prophecy”. If we would adjust our understanding of this term to a more realistic concept, then we could see it is already with us.
Of course, along with the genuine gift there will also be those who claim it falsely and those who manifest a counterfeit version; so we must be cautious and discriminating. But we should not allow a fear of the false to prevent us from being blessed by the true. It is therefore prudent to have some guidelines to make sure we stay on safe ground.
It will be useful to our understanding if we define a few terms. I will be using the following expressions in a manner such that they are not interchangeable: hearing God speak; a prophetic spirit; the gift of prophecy; and a ‘prophet’. The way I refer to these terms may vary slightly from the way you use these terms; so please note carefully what I intend as I use them. In the following discussion I use them as thus:
“Hearing God speak” is being cognizant of the Holy Spirit whispering to you. Many people hear the Holy Spirit talking to them; but most mistake it as just a part of their conscience. The voice of the Holy Spirit is not your conscience talking to you; your conscience is part of your own mind. The Holy Spirit is a separate being from you, even though you hear Him internally.
“A prophetic spirit” is a spiritual being who delivers to humans a prophecy of something to occur or a message purported to be from God. This could be an angel sent from God with a message for you. But it could also be a demon which gives you a prophecy hoping to gain your trust. Hence the admonition given in 1Jn 4:1 to “test the spirits”, in order to discern what type is speaking to you; “for many false prophets are gone out into the world”.
“The gift of prophecy” is one of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit to selected individuals. It represents a greater level of communication, understanding, and responsibility than merely hearing the Holy Spirit speak to your conscience. This gift is given for the chosen individual to use it for the benefit of others, as well as for themselves. How faithful the individual is to the development of this gift will determine their later usefulness and calling.
“A Prophet” or a “Messenger of God” refers to an individual called by God to this ‘Office’ in order to fulfil a given purpose for a given people at a given time. Those who have been called to this position have often gone through the preceding steps, received the gift, and developed it until called on to fulfil God’s purpose.
Prophets, when faithful, typically attain a high degree of notoriety. And it is because we focus only on those in this highest office and elevate them to an overly exalted status that we neglect the lesser forms of the gift of prophecy and lose the benefits available to us. As a consequence of viewing the gift of prophecy as nearly inaccessible to mankind, and the resultant avoidance of it for fear of being “presumptuous”, Christians in general have lost much knowledge regarding the finer principles surrounding this gift. Yes, we still claim one or two basic concepts — such as, does what they say really happen, and do they live a blameless life — because we think these are mentioned in Scripture. But we know very few principles beyond these.
We should realize that there is enough involved in exercising the gift of prophecy for the benefit of a congregation that the prophets Samuel, Elijah and Elisha saw fit to establish schools for prophets; (see 1Sa 10; 1Sa 19; 1Ki 18; 2Ki 4; 2Ki 6). This wouldn’t have been necessary if there was nothing more to it than, “wait for God to choose someone, then see if what they say comes true”. Those who are given this gift by the Holy Spirit need to develop it, strengthen it, and become adept at understanding the communications that come from God.
We are not experts on the subject; not by any means. As acknowledged above, much information has been lost through the years due to lack of use. But because the Holy Spirit has promised to “teach us all things” (1Jn 2:27), and since we’ve been learning much through our experiences in the prayer rooms, we have begun putting together a few guidelines to help us. And now we are willing to share with you what we have learned. Once again, keep in mind that these concepts are still under development as we daily learn more. But we hope that by sharing with you, then you can join with us in rediscovering the full potential of this gift which our God has given us. I’d like to present five major principles which can be used as guidelines in our studies.
First, know that God desires to have intimate communication with us. This purpose has been present since Creation. This is the closeness which God once had with Adam, and which He sought to re-establish through the Plan of Salvation. The Holy Spirit tries to talk to all of us; but most people don’t know it. We, however, through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit have found that He is willing, even now, to talk to us. We then do all we can to be attentive and to strengthen this interaction. Therefore, listen for Him; keep listening until you hear Him. Everyone who desires to, can hear the voice of God.
Second, know that the Holy Spirit gives to some among us the “gift of prophecy”. The Holy Spirit divides this gift among us “as He will” (1Cr 12:11); and He gives it more frequently than we recognize. This gift is given for the benefit of the congregation. Also, understand that a given congregation is likely to have more than one person with this gift. This is done for the congregation’s spiritual safety. If a person were to get up and say, “I received a message from God, and He said we should do such and such”; most people would then have to ask themselves if they could accept that this really came from God. But if a second and a third person then stood up and said, “Yes; God told me the exact same thing”; then the congregation would have a much higher confidence that this really was a message from God. Having multiple verifications also helps guard against the message being altered through one individual’s misunderstanding or mistaken interpretation.
Recognize that duplication of function is common in God’s work. He has created us with two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two hands, two arms, two feet, two legs, and so on. We can even see that in most of these functions not only does the second one back up the first, but also by them working together an additional benefit is gained. For example, with two eyes you gain a depth perception that you don’t have with just one eye; and with two ears you gain a directionality that isn’t present with just one. In a similar way, when multiple people with the gift of prophecy learn to work together, the church stands to gain even greater benefit than if it has only one.
Third, an individual who has been blessed with the gift of prophecy needs to learn how to develop the gift so that he or she understands it correctly and maximizes its full potential. Some of the specific points to note are the following.
A. As soon as you receive a message — either through dream, vision, declaration, or other means — write down the message and every detail you can remember. Don’t wait until you have come up with an interpretation; write it all down even if you don’t understand it.
B. After it has been written out as completely as you can remember it, then begin praying for God to now give you the interpretation and application. Understanding of the message may come immediately or it may be delayed for a time, depending on the purpose of the message, and upon your ability to receive the meaning. After you have been given the meaning of the message, write that down completely, as well.
C. Once you have understanding of the message, pray to be told for whom the message is meant. Is it just for your personally? Yes, God often tells a special person things just for their own use. Is it meant for another individual, family, or small group? Is it meant to be given to your entire congregation? Or is it to be delivered to the general public? Knowing what person or group the message is meant for may affect how you prepare yourself to deliver it.
D. Once you know the intended audience, pray intensely that you may be made able to deliver the message accurately. There is a very high danger that with each passing day your mind may begin to change the message in small details. This can happen as you mentally make connections between what you’ve been given and what you already know from life experiences. Or it may be that your familiarity with the intended hearer will cause you to adapt the message to their situation so as to make it easier for them to apply it. Don’t do this! Don’t do anything to alter the message from how it was received. Even small changes can result in very large negative consequences. Pray, pray, pray that you keep the message “pure” until it is delivered accurately.
E. If there is to be a substantial delay between when you receive the message and when you are to deliver it, after you’ve carefully written down the message and its interpretation, begin looking for confirmation that you have understood everything correctly. This can be done by continuing in prayer for more understanding; by searching Scripture to find textual support or accounts of a similar situation; and, if you know of someone else with the gift of prophecy, asking them to review your message to see if they can confirm it. It may be that God has given them a similar message. Or, if not, they can pray and ask God if you have understood properly.
Verifying your understanding by consulting another person with this gift becomes especially important in those situations in which the message given or the circumstance involved is such that you yourself have a personal interest in what is to occur. Situations involving self-interest carry a greater risk of you corrupting the message.
Remember above all else that it is vital for the message to be delivered accurately. You are speaking in God’s name, so you must be certain that you have kept the message pure and that you are delivering it in the right way, to the right audience, and at the right time. Never forget the terrible responsibility that rests upon the one called to do this: other people’s eternal lives may depend on how well you do.
The Fourth main principle to know is that there will be people who claim to have this gift but who do not. These people operate from one of several possible motives. Some really believe they are hearing God, but it is only their own thoughts deceiving them. Some really hear a prophetic spirit, but it is an agent of darkness rather than an agent of light. Some are just outright frauds who are seeking attention.
There are many people who desire to have the gift of prophecy; and this is normal. In fact, we are even told in 1Cr 12:11 that we should desire to have this gift. It is ok to pray for the Holy Spirit to bless you in this way, and to do whatever you can to prepare yourself while you wait. It only becomes a problem when someone wants this gift so badly that they become impatient with the Holy Spirit, and they stop being discriminating about what type of voice they’re willing to hear.
Some individuals who seek this too strongly will try to attribute some sort of spiritual meaning to every dream they have or to any unusual thought that crosses their mind. This type of over-reaching and attempt at prophesying is quickly noted by the Enemy, and he will then do whatever he can to push the person farther off course. In the mildest cases, the person will only try to pass off thoughts of human origin as being divinely inspired. But in those who have opened themselves up to deception, the Enemy may assign them an evil spirit which is experienced at giving prophetic messages that have a good likelihood of actually coming about.
Those people in this situation really do have a prophetic spirit informing them, and often their messages are somewhat fulfilled; but the host remains unaware of the true nature of this spirit. And often, even when a true prophet tells this person what has happened, the false prophet is reluctant to hear the truth. This is because he or she is unwilling to give up this spirit which has brought them the ability which they so desperately desired. The only remedy for this situation is to remove them from any position of influence.
Then there are those who are blatant in their false claims and it is readily seen by many that they are only looking to make a name for themselves. There are also people who intentionally try to discredit those who truly have the gift of prophecy. Again, the only remedy is to put these people out of the Body of Christ; in accordance with 1Cr 5:2.
This brings us to the Fifth main principle, that is, if you become aware that someone is claiming the gift of prophecy falsely, then they must be dealt with quickly and strongly in order to nullify their damaging influence. This applies whether the person is knowingly false or is just sincerely deceived. The potential for damage is too great: people’s eternal lives are at stake. You cannot allow a false prophet to remain among you once you are reasonably sure they are not from God.
In the case of someone who is sincere but just misguided, if they are willing to denounce their false messages and refrain from any further attempts to be a messenger, then you may at your discretion allow them to remain in the congregation. But they must never again make any moves toward repeating their past mistakes. However, the likelihood is that even the sincere individual will be unwilling to give up their practice; once they’ve had a taste of what it’s like, they become intoxicated with it. Then the only option is removal.
Do not be afraid of taking such a drastic action. It is God’s preference that you be overly cautious rather than be deceived. Scripture says in Mt 5:29-30, “If your hand, or foot, or eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it from you! It is better to go into Heaven maimed, than for the entire body to be cast into Hell.”
When we read this passage we usually think it applies to an individual’s condition. But this verse has application to the congregation as well. Paul refers to the church as a “body”, and indicates that its “members” perform various functions; each one important to the whole (1Cr 12:12-31). Just as in a person’s body, the church likewise has duplicate members. Some people are the congregation’s “right hand”, so to speak; or the “leg” that gives it support; or in the case of a prophet, its “eye” or “seer” (‘see’-er).
But if an “eye” becomes offensive, that is a false eye, “pluck it out!” The verse affirms that if a member becomes destructive to the whole, then it is better for that one to be cast away; rather than keeping the problem among the members and thus risking a spread of the infection and resulting in the loss of the entire congregation. We are told not to let the entire body be cast into hell by trying to retain one offending member.
Next I’d like to give a few specific examples in order to illustrate some of the points I’ve made. Each one of these cases is a real situation; but they are presented simply as object lessons.
Several years ago, there was a young lady in her late-20s who was studying with our group. As she saw members and students around her having manifestations of the Holy Spirit while she continued to have none, she grew increasingly desperate for something to happen inside her too. Unfortunately, in her impatience, she became careless about the type of spirit she would entertain. Thus she started accepting the influence of an evil agent. We tried to convince her that she had the wrong kind of spirit; but she wouldn’t listen. She was too happy to finally be having some kind of manifestation to be willing to give it up again. In the end she went out from us and we never heard from her again.
There was another lady who after hearing several people relate their spiritual dreams, became anxious to start having these kinds of dreams herself. She began telling us every dream she had, and stretched the details to try to ascribe some sort of significance to them. At last she got to where she was trying to put great weight on dreams that to everyone else obviously had no meaning and were just ordinary dreams with random images.
There was a lady who initially was recognized to have a genuine gift of prophecy. But as she became more and more proud of her gift, she began to think of it as infallible. As a result, she stopped being careful not to let her personal understandings affect what she said. Thus it became increasingly difficult to accept her messages because it was clear that many of them had been altered.
Another lady came to us claiming she had the gift of prophecy and that God was giving her messages for others. But nearly every dream or counsel seemed to involve circumstances which, if followed, directly benefitted her in some way. Her advice to others would indirectly help her financially or would increase her influence. Her gift quickly became viewed as suspect.
There was a fifth lady, who really had the gift, and who had been given an important message for a specific individual. She recognized the need to pray to keep the message pure until she delivered it. But she did not follow the practice of writing messages down; she just depended on her memory. She also recognized that this message contained details which were foreign to her own belief system; and she was very concerned that her mind might try to change those details. So she prayed all the harder to keep the message straight. At last she met with the person the message was intended for; and even though there had been a week’s delay, to her relief, she delivered the message clearly and unaltered. The message proved to be a spiritual blessing to the recipient, and he was able to use it for his great benefit. Unfortunately, he too did not write the message down. A few weeks later the recipient was relating his experience to some friends, and they were marveling with him about his great fortune to receive a personal message from God. By coincidence, at that moment the lady with the prophecy chanced to pass by this same location. So the recipient called her over and asked her to repeat the message so his friends could hear it. As you might be anticipating, it didn’t turn out well. After she had delivered it to him the first time, she stopped trying to remember it exactly as she had received it. So as she tried recalling it now weeks later what she said had significant differences from the first delivery. What is more, these changed details made the end meaning into something completely different. Even worse, the recipient’s guests were very offended, and immediately changed their view of the recipient; and being influential people, from then on instead of being his allies they began working against him. Thus, the message which in its pure form had been a blessing to this man, now in its altered form became an actual curse to him. In the end, it took more than two years for him to recover from that incident. It cannot be stressed too much how important it is to make certain no detail is lost and no point is changed. Even a small difference can have large consequences.
You may have noticed that each of these examples involved a lady. It may be the case that more women than men receive this gift due to their being more sensitive to certain spiritual things. Or, it may be that men are receiving this gift too, but that they are being more cautious about sticking their necks out and identifying themselves as having this gift. Nevertheless, I have noticed there are a couple of men who also truly have this gift. But I’ve also noticed they are taking great care with it and are wanting to learn more about it before using it too publicly. This is commendable! This is what everyone who receives this gift should do; be very careful when dealing with other people’s spiritual lives.
In summary, the five main principles are as follows. First, recognize that a righteous person who is full of the Holy Spirit does receive messages from God. Second, understand that there will likely be more than one person among you who has the gift of prophecy. The Holy Spirit does this so that messages can be tested against each other; thus giving us a means of confirming the reliability of the message and the messenger. Third, know that these messages can be beneficial to others, so long as they are conveyed correctly; but if they are adulterated, they can cause great harm. Fourth, recognize that there are some people who will claim to have this gift who do not. Some of them will know they are lying; some will have deceived themselves; and some will really have a prophetic spirit but which is not from God. Fifth, if you become aware of a false prophet, free yourselves from them quickly. Don’t expose yourself to known deception.
Let us all learn from these lessons. We don’t want to do like so many others and neglect the gift of prophecy to the point that we get no benefit from this blessing the Holy Spirit wishes us to have. But neither do we wish to be careless with it and see it bringing negative results. Let us be open to learning and receiving new things, while also proceeding slowly and carefully so that we may have full confidence in that which we receive.
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
