What is the gift of prophecy? Is it still available today? If so, how should it be exercised? These are the questions Pastor Brian seeks to answer in this message.
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The Gift Of Prophecy
Romans 12:4-6
The apostle Paul has been telling us, here in chapter 12, how to live out the gospel. We do that first and primarily in relation to God by presenting our body to Him as a living and holy sacrifice. That means, we offer all we are to Him to do His will. The only way we will be able to do this is by refusing to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. A mind is for thinking, and that’s why Paul tells us in verse 3 that we are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Paul is going to begin to discuss ministry and spiritual gifts within the church, and he begins by urging us to kill our pride and promote humility.
In verses 4 and 5 Paul gives us two principles that should direct our participation in the church.
- Diversity. In verse 4, he tells us that all the members do not have the same function. In other words, we are different from one another. And that is a good thing! If all of us were preachers, there would be no one to hear the preaching. If all of us were serving, there would be no teachers. Try to imagine a body made up of 1,000 eyes. That’s all! Nothing more. Now, this body could see really well, but it couldn’t hear, or smell, or taste, or speak, or walk or talk or even move. Thank God that in this church we have people from newborns to 80 years old. We have Caucasians, African-Americans, Mexicans, Koreans, Russians and Romanians. Thank God that the body of Christ is diverse! It is a wonderful thing that God has made us all different from one another.
- Unity. This comes out in verse 5. “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Although we all have different functions and are very different from one another, we are still just one body in Christ. And what’s more, we are members of one another. That means I am a part of you, and you are a part of me. You are like my eyes, or nose or mouth. And I am like your feet or hands. Even though we are very different from one another, we can’t get along without each other. We need each other, in the same way that the eyes need the feet. The eyes may see a car speeding toward your child in the road, so you run and grab him and bring him to safety.
Now, going on into verse 6, Paul begins to discuss spiritual gifts, and he lists seven of them: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy. This morning we are going to spend our time discussing the first gift mentioned – prophecy. I am very aware of how controversial this subject is, and I don’t expect that we will all see eye to eye on this matter. However, if we will all go to the Word of God with a teachable heart, I believe there is much that we can learn about this gift and how to exercise it.
In order to guide our study today, I’m going to simply ask three questions:
- What is the gift of prophecy?
- Is the gift of prophecy still for today?
- How should we exercise the gift of prophecy?
1. What Is The Gift Of Prophecy?
There are 3 major views held today.
1) Prophecy is another word for preaching. This was the view that many held in centuries past. The word “prophecy” means “to speak forth.” Those that hold that prophecy is another way of talking about preaching believe that when a person “prophesies” he speaks forth the word of God.
2) Prophecy is to speak forth the very words of God as inspired and inerrant. Those that hold to this view, believe that prophecy was to speak with Scripture-level revelation. It was on a par with the words that the apostles wrote in Scripture. It is without error and has complete divine authority. Obviously, if this is what New Testament prophecy is, it has ceased. If it hasn’t ceased, then we should be writing down every prophecy, and our Bibles would be getting bigger and bigger with each new prophecy.
3) Prophecy is to report in human words what God has spontaneously brought to mind. It is not inerrant and is not inspired in the same way Scripture is. It is not the same as the gift of teaching, because teaching is the explaining of a Biblical text, while prophecy is speaking forth spontaneously an immediate impression that God gives.
Let’s look at what the New Testament tells us about this gift to see which popular view is most Biblical.
- The Gift of Prophecy is Given to Many, both Men and Women
Acts 2:17-18, “And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy.”
Here, Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost, and he is explaining to the multitude what was happening. He is saying that the New Testament is the age of the Spirit. Whereas in the Old Testament, the Spirit was given here and there upon prophets, priests and kings, in the New Testament age, the Spirit is given to every believer. And, furthermore, one of the most prevalent gifts will be prophecy. Peter is quoting Joel 2. He says that your sons and daughters will prophesy. This is not just a gift for men, but also for women. Indeed, Philip the evangelist had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:9). Now, the fact that women can prophesy should tell us a lot. 1 Timothy 2:12 says that a woman should not teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. Teaching the Scriptures carries with it a sense of divine authority. However, a woman was permitted to prophesy. The only conclusion I can come to from this, is that prophecy was not considered authoritative in the way teaching the Scriptures was. And if this is so, it could not have been considered as inerrant like Scripture.
1 Corinthians 14:1, “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” Now, this is interesting. Paul tells the church to pursue love and desire earnestly spiritual gifts. And out of all the spiritual gifts, Paul says that they should especially desire the gift of prophecy. This tell us that prophecy is valuable and can be exercised by many in the church. Remember, Paul is writing to the entire church at Corinth, and telling all of them that they should especially earnestly desire prophecy.
1 Corinthians 14:31, “For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.” Again, we see that the gift of prophecy was not just for a few chosen people but given to many in the congregation.
- The Gift of Prophecy is For Edification, Exhortation, and Consolation
1 Corinthians 14:3, “But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.” This verse comes as close as any to defining prophecy. It is speaking to men with the result of edifying, exhorting, and consoling them. It builds up, urges to action, and comforts people.
- The Gift of Prophecy is Supernatural
1 Corinthians 14:23-25, “Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”
Now, this passage is very interesting for a couple of reasons. First, because Paul mentions all prophesying. If prophecy was Scripture level revelation, you would think only the apostles and a handful of prophets would be able to prophesy. However, Paul imagines the whole church taking part in prophecy. It seems to be a gift that is widely disseminated throughout the church. Second, Paul envisions a supernatural element in prophecy. He mentions that when all prophecy, the secrets of the unbeliever’s heart are disclosed; and he falls on his face and worships God and declares that God is certainly among them. In other words, this unbeliever comes to believe that God is real because these Christians have been able to disclose to him the secrets of his heart. Of course, they don’t know what is going on in his heart, but God does. And God has revealed it to them. Therefore, prophecy here does not seem like mere preaching, for we don’t see a supernatural element in preaching. Prophecy seems to include the ability to know things that could not be known without God revealing them.
1 Corinthians 14:29-30, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.” Here Paul envisions a church meeting where someone is prophesying, and God gives a revelation to another person. The person that is prophesying is to quickly wrap up what he is saying, so that the other person may prophesy. But the interesting thing is that Paul describes a person in the Corinthian church receiving a revelation. God had “revealed” something during the meeting, and he was going to spontaneously share it with the church. Again, we see that it had a supernatural element to it.
- The Gift of Prophecy Must Be Judged
1 Corinthians 14:29, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.” The ESV puts it this way, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.” Now, this tells us something very important about prophecy. It is not infallible. It must be weighed, evaluated, or judged. That tells us that New Testament congregational prophecy is not the same thing as the Scripture level prophecies of Moses, Isaiah, or Ezekiel. Some Old Testament prophecies were the very words of God, and they were recorded in our Bible. Some New Testament prophecies were the very words of God, and they were recorded in our Bible, like the epistles of Paul, Peter, and John, and the book of Revelation. However, there is reason to believe that in both the Old and New Testament, there were other prophecies that were not Scripture-level revelation.
Listen to Numbers 12:6-8, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?”
Notice that God says that He made Himself known to some prophets in dreams or visions and dark sayings. But with His servant Moses, He spoke mouth to mouth, openly, and clearly. That tells me that some prophets received dim and obscure revelations through dreams and visions, while others like Moses, received them directly from the mouth of God, clear as a bell. It is no surprise to me then, that in the New Testament, God does the same. To the apostles who wrote Scripture, God gave His very words. To others, God have “revelations” which were much less clear, and not His very words.
That’s why prophecy must be judged. Paul does not tell us to judge the person as to whether he is a true prophet. He tells us to weight “what is said.” Many today believe that if a person is a true prophet, every time He prophesies, it will be infallible and inerrant. I don’t believe the Bible bears that out. So, if prophecies must be judged, how do we judge them? With the Word of God, the only infallible and inerrant standard that the church possesses. In the final analysis, we should not just believe everything someone says is from the Lord. We should treat “prophecies” with some mild skepticism. We need to check out what is being said and evaluate it through the lens of Scripture. Is it in harmony with everything else God has said? Does it violate anything that God has revealed already in His Word? Those are some of the questions we should ask.
Paul teaches the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22, “Do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
- The Gift of Prophecy Operates Under The Person’s Control
1 Corinthians 14:30-33, “But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” Here we are taught that when God gives a prophecy, the prophet does not lose control. He is not overcome so that he begins to go into a trance and speak under some foreign power that he can not control. No, the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet, so that he can stop his speaking and sit down, when another person receives a revelation. If he could not control himself, people would say that God is a God of confusion and disorder, but God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.
2. Is The Gift of Prophecy For Today?
Again, there are two schools of thought on this subject. Some believe that certain miraculous gifts have ceased like prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, and healings. Those that believe like this are called Cessationists, because they believe these gifts have ceased with the completion of the New Testament canon of Scripture.
Others believe that all of the gifts of the Spirit continue on until the second coming of Jesus Christ. They are referred to as Continuationists, because they believe that all the gifts continue.
So, what do you believe Brian? Are you a Cessationist or a Continuationist? Let me just say that I have never been able to find any passage of Scripture that teaches that at some point certain gifts would cease. However, I have found passages that teach that the supernatural gifts would continue until Christ returns. Let’s look at the most important passage – 1 Corinthians 13.
1 Corinthians 13:8-12, “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
This is an extremely important passage to determine the question of whether the gift of prophecy is still available today. Paul does tells us that prophecy will be done away, just as tongues will cease and knowledge will be done away. Undoubtedly, he is referring to the gift of prophecy, tongues, and the word of knowledge. Why will these gifts be done away? Because we only prophesy in part and know in part. We don’t have full revelation and we don’t know all things. However, there is coming a day when we will know fully just as we also have been fully known. Then, we won’t need the gift of prophecy or the word of knowledge, because we will know fully. When will that be? When the Perfect comes, the partial will be done away. Well, what does Paul mean by “when the Perfect comes”? He means the time when he will see face to face. This can only mean when Christ returns, and we see Him face to face. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 13 gives a strong and clear teaching that gifts like prophecy, tongues, and the word of knowledge will continue until we see Christ face to face at His second coming.
3. How Should We Exercise The Gift Of Prophecy?
According to the proportion of our faith (12:6). That’s interesting because Paul wrote in 12:3, “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” So, each of us has been allotted by God a measure of faith, and now we are to exercise the gift of prophecy according to the proportion of our faith that God has allotted to us. So what does it mean that we are to exercise prophecy according to the proportion of our faith? It probably means that we are to speak only when we have faith or confidence that the Holy Spirit has revealed something to us, and that we should not go beyond our faith by saying something we think will impress other people.
In Love. 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” In other words, we must make sure our motivation to prophesy is because of a deep and strong love for our brethren. We must never prophesy to get people to look at us, think how spiritual we are. Our only motive for doing so is to glorify God by building up God’s people. Before you speak, check your motives.
In Humility. Remember the context. In verse 3 Paul tells us that we must not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. Humility is essential if we are to experience unity in the midst of diversity. And unity is essential if we are to exercise our spiritual gifts to the glory of God.
So, how would a person exercise prophecy with humility? In my early years as a Christian, I heard people say many times, “Thus saith the Lord…” and then go on to deliver a prophecy. To begin your message from God with “thus saith the Lord” is unhelpful and unwise. It is unwise, because it puts what you are about to say on a par with the rest of the Bible! And it is unhelpful, because it puts whatever is said beyond the range of evaluation. If this truly is something that God has said, we certainly can’t judge it. But the Bible commands us to judge it! It would be much more helpful and wise to say, “I think God is saying this…” Or, “I believe the Lord has a word for us, and this is what I believe He is saying.” By introducing your message in that way, you are doing it in humility, and you are allowing the rest of the congregation to judge whether this word really is from God.
So, what is the gift of prophecy? It is a widely disseminated gift given to both men and women. It is given for edification, exhortation and consolation. It is supernatural in nature. It must be judged, and it is under the prophet’s control.
Is this gift for today? Yes, the Scriptures tell us that this gift will continue until we see Christ face to face.
How should we exercise the gift of prophecy? In faith, love, and humility.
Conclusion
So, what would a prophecy look like? Well, remember that in Numbers 12 God says that he has spoken to prophets in dreams and visions. A prophecy could come to someone here in one of our meetings when God put a picture, or strong impression in their mind. Or, God could give a dream to someone who would then share it. Or a thought from God may come spontaneously to someone in a meeting. Remember, that prophecy is not the result of the study of the Scriptures. It is a “revelation” and comes from God when and where He wills. In 1 Corinthians 14 prophecy was the means of disclosing the secrets of an unbeliever’s heart.
A prophecy might include someone sharing that they felt we should pray for a certain country, or person or place, only to find out later that those people were under heavy persecution at that very moment.
There is a story about Charles Spurgeon, who in the middle of his sermon paused and pointed at a man whom he accused of taking an unjust profit on Sunday, of all days. The culprit later described the event to a friend:
“Mr. Spurgeon looked at me as if he knew me, and in his sermon he pointed to me, and told the congregation that I was a shoemaker, and that I kept my shop open on Sundays; and I did, sir. I should not have minded that; but he also said that I took ninepence the Sunday before, and that there was fourpence profit out of it. I did take ninepence that day, and fourpence was just the profit; but how he should know that, I could not tell. Then it struck me that it was God who had spoken to my soul through him, so I shut up my shop the next Sunday. At first, I was afraid to go again to hear him, lest he should tell the people more about me; but afterwards I went, and the Lord met with me, and saved my soul'” (The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon [Curts & Jennings, 1899], II:226-27).
Spurgeon then adds this comment:
“I could tell as many as a dozen similar cases in which I pointed at somebody in the hall without having the slightest knowledge of the person, or any idea that what I said was right, except that I believed I was moved by the Spirit to say it; and so striking has been my description, that the persons have gone away, and said to their friends, ‘Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did; beyond a doubt, he must have been sent of God to my soul, or else he could not have described me so exactly.’ And not only so, but I have known many instances in which the thoughts of men have been revealed from the pulpit. I have sometimes seen persons nudge their neighbours with their elbow, because they had got a smart hit, and they have been heard to say, when they were going out, ‘The preacher told us just what we said to one another when we went in at the door’” (ibid.).
On another occasion, Spurgeon broke off his sermon and pointed at a young man, declaring: “Young man, those gloves you are wearing have not been paid for: you have stolen them from your employer” (Autobiography: The Full Harvest, 2:60). After the service the man brought the gloves to Spurgeon and asked that he not tell his mother, who would be heartbroken to discover that her son was a thief!
There are many times when I am preaching that I have thoughts that did not occur to me in my preparation, but just came as I spoke. And, many times, those are some of the things that made the greatest impression on people’s minds.
Brothers and sisters, we would be wise to be open to the possibility of the supernatural in our lives and in the gatherings of the church. When you come to one of these gatherings, and you believe God has given you a thought, picture, word, or strong impression, speak it forth! Speak it in faith, in love, and in humility, but speak it to the glory of God!
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