Guidelines for all leaders in charge
-Please do not despise prophecy. I understand that if the prophetic is not managed properly, it can destroy a lot of things but then let's not forget that is probably one of the most important gifts of the Lord for the building/growth of your church/body and the people the Lord has given to you.
Do not treat prophecies with contempt
1 Thessalonians 5:20 NIV
- As you accept the prophetic in anybody or gathering that you head, don't allow anything go within your congregation or the people you lead.
I'm the assistant to my pastor in church but I never give prophecies in Church even when I'm the one leading or preaching. I write it down and submit to the head pastor. I still got something for the church during service today, I wrote and gave to her. The pastor doesn't announce immediately also, I've noticed. She probably takes time to examine what was sent to her
Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
There has to be training and order within the body of Christ. If we do not guide the process of the prophetic carefully, things can get pretty flaky.
So yes, embrace the prophetic but make sure there is proper guidance, training and order put in place to avoid anyone being led by the flesh corrupting the church in the name of prophecy
- Create a friendly Prophetic environment for the people under you.
- Make sure to align your group/body and yourself with mature Prophetic voices to aid growth
They might not be your members but you should have mentors too. Same way we have Pastors we are accountable to, it's important to have people that have been walking in the Prophetic for long amongst us. They will help us in cases where we don't understand certain things. The Lord will also use them to correct us when we are going wrong.
As you grow, a time will come when you will start getting messages for your mentors.
All of my mentors in the Prophetic (both active and passive), in the past one year, I've seen God actually pass very important messages to them through me. Another thing I noticed is, recently, they've all started allowing my gifts and this is because they've watched it grow. Though they still watch and check what I'm doing but I'm more free to deliver messages to people.
Infact, they bring names of people for me to pray for or direct anyone that comes to them for prayers to me. This is funny because, I had to run everything by them as at a time.
For those of us that are in a hurry to give words, I know the spirit is speaking to you but please do not despise the leading of those in charge.
Don't go and be doing your own thing
The time will come when they will leave you to speak directly to the congregation without telling them first, until then go through them.
Do not be quick to give private messages to members of your body also or church without running with the pastor.
Because in the past people have given wrong messages for various reasons that shook the body of Christ and this is one of the reasons most churches stay away from the prophetic.
Now that we see it is building up slowly around us, don't spoil it by not being accountable. Especially for corrective and directive messages. You should NEVER reach out to your church member on your own for this.
Prophetic Protocols in The Church and any Spiritual Gathering
Protocol simply means a guideline of how things should occur. There are rules as far as prophecy is concerned in the body of Christ. Majority of the rules will be determined by the leaders of course but I think they are mostly same in most bodies.
So from all we have learnt, we will all be answering concerning the rules.
1. Should words be given during a service or first be judged by leadership
2. Should we have a Prophetic free for all or all words should pass through trained leaders?
3. What types of words do you think should be given in a service?
4. Should corrective words for an individual in the church be given before the congregation?
5. How about Directive?
6. What is your reaction as a member when Prophetic words are given?
7. Should everyone be allowed to prophesy in the main services?
Things to note as you develop a Prophetic Lifestyle
Basic Life Character
1. Have integrity as a person. How people see you largely determines how they process the message you give.
2. Be kind and let love be the order for you.
It's hard for someone that knows you don't like them to take you serious when you deliver a message.
Also, it is hard for you to hear clearly about someone when you are having hateful thoughts towards them.
3. Don't be spooky.
You can operate in the Prophetic and act normal.
Don't let people feel uneasy around you.
Authority and Accountability
- You must submit to authority. This is a must. If you don't want to, leave the prophetic alone. The church doesn't need more chaos
- As you grow and your leaders allow you to express more freely, accountability is still not removed.
-Help others to grow in their Prophetic giftings also
You can pick a Prophetic partner or partners. Pray with them regularly over other people. Write down the things you receive and share with those you are accountable to
The word
The word is your go to, you must be grounded in it.
A large percentage of prophecy comes directly from scripture.
The remaining percentage that is not explicitly stated can be traced here also.
The word of God is our map in this journey
Be a clean Prophetic Vessel
Our lives and backgrounds are the filters the word must go through usually. Insecurity, bitterness, rejection, pride, control, selfish ambitions etc are dangerous filters for a direct word from God. It is easy to misinterpret the message or share our own view as God's view.
We can't afford to be defiled Prophetic voices. There are a whole lot of these out there.
People who are defiled by the lack of right living (they can't even share certain things cos of the state of their lives or they pervert God's words to make themselves feel good), wrong motives, greed (some people will lie to you that God said and collect money), desire for personal gains (God said we should marry ๐), recognition or power
All of these things taint and defile our voices. We need to be watchful with them
Also, a whole lot of us are tingled by prophets. We like looking for prophets up and down. Please be careful, be very careful. I have numerous bad experiences that I have seen. Stop looking for what is not missing up and down
Someone traveled all the way from a city to another to visit a prophet, when she got there, she lost her memory and became Prophet's wife for years. She had children and husband. She was visiting the prophet concerning her husband.
Test all spirits and put your bumbum in one place. The end is here already. There are a whole lot of false prophets. If you don't know what you are doing, you will become casualty data for the evil they do.
I know this prophet, e do miracle, e raise the dead
The person that is giving you the gist, who are they? Are they grounded I the spirit? Can they discern if the prophet is false or not?
Don't follow anybody to anywhere without praying about it please. What you want to hear, God can use people around you to tell you. He can tell you directly.
My very close friend was charmed by a prophet shortly before her marriage. They canceled wedding and everything just scattered. He saw her on the road and gave an accurate description of her life and happenings. She believed only the spirit of God could reveal to him. He sha told her she needed to do some things. She visited him for counseling in his house. We don't know what happened there but when she got back, she and her husband to be started fighting over everything.
I was home in 2017 and met her, I practically came home for wedding now you say it's not happening again. I knew something was wrong the way she was talking. I started praying with her and linked her with my aunt to also pray for her.
During the prayers, she confessed the pastor abi prophet gave her something to put in the house so that God will reveal. That was when trouble started. In fact the week we were praying with her, she still visited the prophet, he asked her to go naked so he could pray for her but thank God she was getting sane small small
My point in all of these, if she could discern herself, she'd have known something was wrong. If she had been exercising her hearing ears and spiritual eyes, she'd have gotten something sha
This is one of the greatest lessons I learned from my late spiritual mom
First, you are your own prophet.
You need to take charge of your life. Don't be a victim of evil circumstances.
God will send people to you but God will also speak to you to. He will let you know who He sent and who He didn't sent
Lovers of God have been given eyes to see with spiritual discernment and ears to hear from God.
Proverbs 20:12 TPT
If you forget anything you learn in this group, don't forget this scripture. Don't!
You can hear! You can see!
Ears that hear and eyes that see— we get our basic equipment from God !
Proverbs 20:12 MSG
Seeeeeeee. Basic equipment for spiritual living. Hold on to it.
Intimacy with Jesus is the Highest Key to the prophetic
Remember we took the intimacy series before this, that wasn't coincidental
“You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.
John 15:14-15 TPT
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives
Galatians 5:25MSG
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit!
I pray we all live as we've been called, that we put these things into practice and we enter a new life of living in the Prophetic, that we subject ourselves to the leading of the Spirit at all times. And when the times when we need to put in use something from this teaching, the spirit brings it to our remembrance.
Amen
Thank you so much everyone.
We've come to an end of the Divine Communication Series
Showing posts with label the prophetic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the prophetic. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 December 2019
Monday, 11 November 2019
THE PROPHETIC 2: Types of Prophecy
The first thing we will be doing today is examine words of the old testament describing Prophetic giftings.
These Hebrew words used for Prophets show us how different people receive from the Lord. We see the different ways God may use Prophetic ministry.
1. NABI:
This means to bubble up. God's word just seem to bubble up out of the inner part of this this gift. The word NABI describes one who is stirred up in spirit.
Like it just simply comes up within you out of your heart, into your mind.
2. ROEH:
This means to see or perceive. The seer sees things more than he hears prophetic words. Could be pictures, visions, illustrations etc.
For seers, usually we have to break down or interpret what is seen. Another Hebrew word used close to ROEH is Hozeh. It also means seer but dynamics are a bit different. We can check 1 Chronicles 29:29 for the usage of these words.
3. HAZON:
This means watchman.
I believe this gift is that of a Prophetic intercessor. One who stands before the Lord, sees and hears for the purpose of praying powerful Prophetic prayers to be a watchman of the Flock.
4. PROPHETS:
This is a Greek word that simply means One who speaks for God. (Pronounced Profaytace)
Basic description of the prophetes :
Foretell: tells things in the future. Gives directives on upcoming events or workings of God with men.
ForthTell: gives the wisdom, counsel and understanding of God into a life or situation or group.
5. NATAPH
This simply means to Preach, to drop from heaven
FOUR LEVELS OF PROPHETIC MINISTRY
As we all start Horning our Prophetic gifts, it is important we learn how prophecy exists on different levels and how we grow into consistent Prophetic ministry.
Everyone tends to begin with a general hearing of God's voice, as the year goes by, the prophetic gifts deepen.
So here is a generalisation of our growth process in the Prophetic. It is broken down into 4
1. The Spirit of Prophecy:
This depicts a revelational life in God; that is revelation in the word and prayer.
Basically, a general sense of hearing from God and seeing what He is doing. Could be for yourself, friends or family members.
Every believer/child of God is actually expected to operate on this level. We should be living in fellowship with Christ and hearing His voice.
Amplified Bible. Revelation 19:10
[10]Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours].
The essence of the truth revealed is the spirit of Prophecy. My version says the testimony of Christ is the spirit of Prophecy. Here, we see Christ; His divine will and purpose, unveiled to us
2. The Gift Of Prophecy
This involves getting a specific message for someone and relaying it to them.
If you find yourself occasionally seeing things about people (in any way mentioned earlier), it is most likely you have the gift of Prophecy and it needs to be developed.
Of course, you start praying and desire to walk in the fullness of this. It is not a bad thing to desire to prophesy, Paul made this clear in 1 Cor 14. Most important thing is to make sure our desire of it is not about us. One thing about gifts is this, they are not about us, they are majorly about others, the body of Christ.
So whatever gift we desire, it is simply us desiring to serve. To serve others in the body of Christ
If you find yourself in this second level, it is best to stick to Edification, exhortation and comfort (as explained in the last teaching). Stay away from corrective/directive prophecy.
If you get any of those, meet those you submit to their leadership and tell them first before telling the person. This is because at this stage your gifts are not well developed and it allows for error.
Corrective and directive prophecies do not give error allowances. It's either you are right or you are right.
3. The ministry of Prophecy:
This is for those that find themselves being used often by God to give Prophetic utterances or messages to people.
Here are signs to look out for to know if you have a ministry in the Prophetic :
* You find yourself developing a clear giftedness and consistency in this path.
* You find that this is one of the dominant ways God uses you.
* People can testify that they've been blessed through you and built
* This gift you have is bearing fruit in others, visible fruits.
If every of this sign is present and full, it is most likely you've been called to the prophetic ministry (Same way some are called as teachers, evangelists etc)
4. The Office of A Prophet:
The person who holds this office has years of consistent and accurate Prophetic ministry where not just this person but many others (especially leaders around) can testify and recognize that this is your office in the work of God. There is a long, proven track record here. An accurate one.
Submission to the place of prayer and discipline is one thing we will see about such person.
So this is basically all the four levels of the prophetic that I know of.
Let me use a simple illustration to sum it up.
Everyone should be able to explain when they read (How are you going to help your kids with assignments ๐?)
But not everyone will be very good with explanation.
Some will be good with explanation but will need to read more to become better.
Some can actually teach well but they are not teachers yet (Because teaching is not all that is to teachers)
Then the last level is for the teachers themselves. They've been accredited to teach, this is from years of Learning or taking exams to certify them as qualified enough to teach.
So we see that knowing how to teach does not equal being a teacher
Seeing things about people does not automatically make us prophets. There is a whole lot of in betweens to get there. And all of it requires discipline/commitment to the secret place.
All of these processes I laid down also makes it easier to ensure accuracy of prophecies.
This way, people get less weary of prophets. We have less people saying I don't believe in prophets xyz bla bla.
I have questions for us
1. From the Old testament words describing Prophecy, which ones do you find yourself operating in?
2. From the Four levels of Prophecy, what level do you think you are on? Or you are yet to start any level?
Sumi - 1 an gradually growing In 2
Tebs - For the levels of the Prophetic I think I operate in 1&2
We all should pay attention to ourselves also and patterns. It is important. This will help us grow
Remi - 1. I experience all 5. I'm trying to see which one is more dominant but I can't categorically say which yet. I'm still taking notes sha.
Will also check my book again (I write down when I get anything from God), will use this to track which way I hear more
2. Growing in Level 3.
These Hebrew words used for Prophets show us how different people receive from the Lord. We see the different ways God may use Prophetic ministry.
1. NABI:
This means to bubble up. God's word just seem to bubble up out of the inner part of this this gift. The word NABI describes one who is stirred up in spirit.
Like it just simply comes up within you out of your heart, into your mind.
2. ROEH:
This means to see or perceive. The seer sees things more than he hears prophetic words. Could be pictures, visions, illustrations etc.
For seers, usually we have to break down or interpret what is seen. Another Hebrew word used close to ROEH is Hozeh. It also means seer but dynamics are a bit different. We can check 1 Chronicles 29:29 for the usage of these words.
3. HAZON:
This means watchman.
I believe this gift is that of a Prophetic intercessor. One who stands before the Lord, sees and hears for the purpose of praying powerful Prophetic prayers to be a watchman of the Flock.
4. PROPHETS:
This is a Greek word that simply means One who speaks for God. (Pronounced Profaytace)
Basic description of the prophetes :
Foretell: tells things in the future. Gives directives on upcoming events or workings of God with men.
ForthTell: gives the wisdom, counsel and understanding of God into a life or situation or group.
5. NATAPH
This simply means to Preach, to drop from heaven
FOUR LEVELS OF PROPHETIC MINISTRY
As we all start Horning our Prophetic gifts, it is important we learn how prophecy exists on different levels and how we grow into consistent Prophetic ministry.
Everyone tends to begin with a general hearing of God's voice, as the year goes by, the prophetic gifts deepen.
So here is a generalisation of our growth process in the Prophetic. It is broken down into 4
1. The Spirit of Prophecy:
This depicts a revelational life in God; that is revelation in the word and prayer.
Basically, a general sense of hearing from God and seeing what He is doing. Could be for yourself, friends or family members.
Every believer/child of God is actually expected to operate on this level. We should be living in fellowship with Christ and hearing His voice.
Amplified Bible. Revelation 19:10
[10]Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours].
The essence of the truth revealed is the spirit of Prophecy. My version says the testimony of Christ is the spirit of Prophecy. Here, we see Christ; His divine will and purpose, unveiled to us
2. The Gift Of Prophecy
This involves getting a specific message for someone and relaying it to them.
If you find yourself occasionally seeing things about people (in any way mentioned earlier), it is most likely you have the gift of Prophecy and it needs to be developed.
Of course, you start praying and desire to walk in the fullness of this. It is not a bad thing to desire to prophesy, Paul made this clear in 1 Cor 14. Most important thing is to make sure our desire of it is not about us. One thing about gifts is this, they are not about us, they are majorly about others, the body of Christ.
So whatever gift we desire, it is simply us desiring to serve. To serve others in the body of Christ
If you find yourself in this second level, it is best to stick to Edification, exhortation and comfort (as explained in the last teaching). Stay away from corrective/directive prophecy.
If you get any of those, meet those you submit to their leadership and tell them first before telling the person. This is because at this stage your gifts are not well developed and it allows for error.
Corrective and directive prophecies do not give error allowances. It's either you are right or you are right.
3. The ministry of Prophecy:
This is for those that find themselves being used often by God to give Prophetic utterances or messages to people.
Here are signs to look out for to know if you have a ministry in the Prophetic :
* You find yourself developing a clear giftedness and consistency in this path.
* You find that this is one of the dominant ways God uses you.
* People can testify that they've been blessed through you and built
* This gift you have is bearing fruit in others, visible fruits.
If every of this sign is present and full, it is most likely you've been called to the prophetic ministry (Same way some are called as teachers, evangelists etc)
4. The Office of A Prophet:
The person who holds this office has years of consistent and accurate Prophetic ministry where not just this person but many others (especially leaders around) can testify and recognize that this is your office in the work of God. There is a long, proven track record here. An accurate one.
Submission to the place of prayer and discipline is one thing we will see about such person.
So this is basically all the four levels of the prophetic that I know of.
Let me use a simple illustration to sum it up.
Everyone should be able to explain when they read (How are you going to help your kids with assignments ๐?)
But not everyone will be very good with explanation.
Some will be good with explanation but will need to read more to become better.
Some can actually teach well but they are not teachers yet (Because teaching is not all that is to teachers)
Then the last level is for the teachers themselves. They've been accredited to teach, this is from years of Learning or taking exams to certify them as qualified enough to teach.
So we see that knowing how to teach does not equal being a teacher
Seeing things about people does not automatically make us prophets. There is a whole lot of in betweens to get there. And all of it requires discipline/commitment to the secret place.
All of these processes I laid down also makes it easier to ensure accuracy of prophecies.
This way, people get less weary of prophets. We have less people saying I don't believe in prophets xyz bla bla.
I have questions for us
1. From the Old testament words describing Prophecy, which ones do you find yourself operating in?
2. From the Four levels of Prophecy, what level do you think you are on? Or you are yet to start any level?
Sumi - 1 an gradually growing In 2
Tebs - For the levels of the Prophetic I think I operate in 1&2
We all should pay attention to ourselves also and patterns. It is important. This will help us grow
Remi - 1. I experience all 5. I'm trying to see which one is more dominant but I can't categorically say which yet. I'm still taking notes sha.
Will also check my book again (I write down when I get anything from God), will use this to track which way I hear more
2. Growing in Level 3.
Sunday, 3 November 2019
The PROPHETIC 1: The Prophetic is Prophecy
PROPHECY
This is one part a lot of believers shy away from.
Some of us fear it or its usage
Some of us are scared of the truths in prophecy (we don't know what part God will decide to show)
It is mysterious to some
For some Christians, it doesn't exist
One thing I've found is that Prophecy is often neglected by believers
I will like to ask, what is your attitude towards Prophets and Prophecy?
(Be honest please)
I'm asking that question because it is important you know where you stand.
If it is a ministry you are against (knowingly or unknowingly), you might have issues operating fully in it
Fola - I used to think it was exclusive to the white garment churches
Toye - It's for a confirmation of that which God is(/has been) saying
Keneth - To me i believe its a blessing to hv genuine prophet in our generation,
Though many hv tanished the image of the prophetic in many ways,
To me genuine Prophets and prophecy am for..cuz it an awesome blessx
Sumi - At first I never rlly loved prophets because the majority I saw always predicted onli good things like they never said only very positive things an it seemed like hard or difficult moments won't ever come. But it is different now
First, what is Prophecy?
It is a hearing, seeing or somehow knowing what God is presently saying or doing and expressing that to others by some means.
So when we prophesy, what we are doing is speaking for the mind and heart of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Do you know how beautiful it is to speak God's mind?
How did we get to the point where we see this as evil?
This is such a beautiful thing. To not just know the mind of God but to be able to express it towards others. Wow
(let's keep in mind that in hearing God, it is not everything we hear that we speak. Directions usually come with what is shared. Sometimes we are meant to just pray about it). How long has Prophecy been?
Amplified Bible. Acts 3:21
[21]Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man].
God has spoken by the mouth of the prophets since the world began
Here it says from the most ancient time in the memory of man.
The gift of prophecy has been in use since the most ancient time in the memory of man.
What is being prophesied?
What God has spoken.
How?
Through Prophets
Since when?
The beginning of the world.
Amplified Bible. 1 Corinthians 14:1
[1]EAGERLY PURSUE and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).
Here we see Apostle Paul admonishing us to desire prophecy.
To desire something is to be on fire to get ahold of, to covet it.
God through Apostle Paul tells us to be on fire to obtain and use these powerful gifts made available by the Holy Spirit but especially the gift of prophecy.
Now, if we read the letters to the corinthians, I think from chapter 12, we will get the background properly.
The church in Corinth at that point had placed emphasis on some gifts more than the other; speaking in tongues
They "over-emphasised" speaking in tongues (praying) and under-emphasised Prophecy. Does this sound familiar?
Majority of churches in the body of Christ today are the Corinth Church o.
If you don't know how to speak in tongues, you will nearly be excommunicated in some churches or be made to feel less.
But we meet people that prophesy and we shut them up.
The only prophecy a lot of us believers agree with is "inspired preaching/teaching"
In this particular chapter, we see that Paul wasn't talking about teaching here. The Greek word for preaching (which he had used before) is not what he used in this letter so we cannot translate it to mean inspired teaching.
Now, this does not mean speaking in tongues is wrong or should be desired less. No.
Apostle Paul said in verse 5 that He wishes we all spoke with tongues.
He valued the gift of tongues.
He was only asking that we regard the place of Prophecy is our midst also
When we choose to ignore the prophetic for whatever reason, we become unbiblical Christians
If you have any thing against prophecy, it is unbiblical of us
Every fold of ministerial gift is important. We don't remove one because we've met insincere prophets.
I believe the enemy works hard in this area.
The Prophetic is a very powerful fold of ministry, requires extra training and watching over those that officiate in it too.
The Prophetic is not exclusive to a particular church or DNA.
The reason we see it more common in the white garment churches is because they embraced it while most Christians shut it out.
They help their ministers grow in this gift
History of Prophecy in Scriptures
Out of all the five fold ministerial gift in Ephesians 4, we see that it is only Prophecy that transcends all era.
From the beginning of time, we had prophets. Let's look at those who operated in the Prophetic in the Old testament. We have Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Miriam, Deborah etc.
(you can add more if you remember)
Now let's note one thing (cos we will come to it a we Continue this series), not all of these people officiated directly as prophets but they all prophesied or moved in the prophetic.
For those of us that think prophecy ended with the old covenant, let's look at after the new covenant and those that operated in the Prophetic.
1. Agabus and the prophets from Jerusalem.
Acts 11:27
2. 2. The church in Antioch.
Acts 13:1-2
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. - Bible Offline
We see from this scripture that there were Prophets in Antioch and it was through them God spoke that Barnabas and Saul (Paul) be sent out.
Paul's call came and was established through the mouths of Prophets. Other believers might not have minded him should it not have been confirmed from these ones who officiate in the prophetic ministry
3. Judas and Silas
Acts 15:32
4. The daughters of Evangelist Phillip
Acts 21: 8-9
The promise of the spirit and Prophecy
Let's read Acts 2: 16 - 18
[16]But [instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
[17]And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams.
[18]Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels and predicting future events pertaining especially to God's kingdom].
Here we see the promise of the spirit.
When the spirit comes, four different times scripture records that He comes to make us a Prophetic people.
This is the dominant work of the spirit in our lives, He causes us to come alive and gives us a Prophetic nature.
Every person born of the spirit (and filled with the spirit) is expected to be a Prophetic person
We are a Prophetic nation, everyone of us that carry the spirit.
We prophesy (doesn't mean we officiate as prophets), we see visions, we dream, we speak God's mind and heart; All of these, upon the outpour of the spirit
So if we have fight with prophets or the prophetic ministry, now is the right time to dead it cos we need to start operating in line with the outpour of the spirit.
This is why we had to start with Hearing God (for ourselves first). If you can hear God, it is hard to doubt that another can hear God. It is also easy to examine whatever is being prophesied.
Let's also note that the basics and foundation from Hearing God remains in the Prophetic part of this series
Have you ever received a Prophetic word from anyone? How did you respond to it? Did you believe or discard?
Tebs - Someone stopped me and said don't travel for the next three months you will have an accident๐.. Who does that? It planted fear for some days but I prayed it off and got better
Sumi - A prophet told me I will travel that time since I didn't rlly blive in prophets I was just like travel where to but deep inside me didn't blive. Because I've never seen maself traveling.
Purposes and Functions of Prophecy
1. To equip the saints for ministry and mature the body of Christ.
And he gave some, apostles; and some,q prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV
The first purpose of Prophecy as with other folds of ministerial gifts is to help the body of Christ grow and equip us for service.
2. Edification, exhortation and comfort
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:3 KJV
To edify is to build up, erect and strengthen.
To exhort is to urge, spur on or encourage into action
To comfort is to bring peace, healing or a message of mercy to a wounded part of a heart.
So we see from point 2 that prophecies encourage us into action. We move in accordance with it.
Probably we've been down, sometimes God sends a word through others and it just strengthens or heals us.
Note: Almost all prophecy within the body of Christ i.e church should stay in this level, especially if we do not operate directly in the office of the prophetic.
When we get Prophetic words, we should check them with the above. Does it encourage the person? Does it heal them?
Should we notice that the prophecy we got is not in any of these categories, we should meet without church leadership and relay to them first.
This way no one is saying anything unchecked or in a manner that defies the purpose of prophecy.
3. Corrective Prophecy
This is a word that speaks to a wrong area of our life or ministry. Probably we've been doing certain things wrongly, of course God will communicate this to us cos He loves us.
This part brings correction, rebuke or a change.
I think most Christians don't like this part.
We'd rather God tells us this part directly instead of telling other people.
Well, if we were listening to God in the first place, we wouldn't be following a wrong path and need correction/rebuke.
So if we are in a position where we are being corrected or rebuked by God through certain persons, we should know it is from a place of love and if we were listening or following in the first place, the rebuke won't be coming.
Corrective Prophecy though open to every believer should be managed by leaders in the church and be done in love.
Don't go and gossip about the person God gave you a message for.
4. Directive Prophecy
This is a type of prophecy that gives clear direction, a course of direction that we must/should take.
I believe this part should be left for those who have been ascertained to be trustworthy in the Prophetic ministry, not just believers or those who officiate as prophets.
We cannot be playing ludo with people's lives. We've seen situations where prophets say don't marry person A or don't take that job, don't collect the money, move to America etc.
A wrong interpretation of what God spoke or giving the message to a wrong person or not relaying the timing of the message can actually destroy the lives of those involved.
Important
As believers, we do not give prophecies to others relating to points 2 and 3 unless we first submit it to and through our leadership.
I know we've been seeing things since birth but please these areas of the prophetic need to be weighed and judged first.
They are best reserved for the seasoned and mature Prophetic voices.
If it comes through those of us still growing, we meet our leaders about it. Also, seeing things does not automatically make you a prophet. I will explain this probably in the next teaching
5. Prophecies function as a weapon of war in the fight of faith
One of the aim of the enemy is to cause us to move out of faith and give up on the promises of God. Prophecy is a powerful weapon in this case, as a person or church. We know God has spoken, so we hold on to it.
Timothy, you are like a son to me. What I am telling you to do agrees with the prophecies that were told about you in the past. I want you to remember those prophecies and fight the good fight of faith.
1 Timothy 1:18 ERV
This is why it is important to write them down. We go back to them on days when things are not going the way we expect and we hold on to God's words as a weapon
6 God wants it to function in our prayers
To just pray what we think or what we see is not enough, God wants to speak with us, He wants us to know what is on His mind/heart, so when we pray, we pray what Christ our great intercessor prays.
Prophetic prayer births result because we are basically praying the mind of Christ
Let us pray
Lord, we thank you for your word, for flooding us with your light and opening our hearts to your truth.
Should there be anything that we find difficult to understand, spirit of God do break it down for us.
Help us to move in the Prophetic just as the Lord wishes, especially in times as this.
We pray for other believers around the world, that you open theirs eyes also to this truth and your will concerning it.
We pray that you expose those who exploit your children through the prophetic, that every false prophet in the body of Christ be brought to repentance.
Help us to grow in these gifts and manage them properly.
Help us to not get puffed up or proud as we begin to operate in this move.
Amen
This is one part a lot of believers shy away from.
Some of us fear it or its usage
Some of us are scared of the truths in prophecy (we don't know what part God will decide to show)
It is mysterious to some
For some Christians, it doesn't exist
One thing I've found is that Prophecy is often neglected by believers
I will like to ask, what is your attitude towards Prophets and Prophecy?
(Be honest please)
I'm asking that question because it is important you know where you stand.
If it is a ministry you are against (knowingly or unknowingly), you might have issues operating fully in it
Fola - I used to think it was exclusive to the white garment churches
Toye - It's for a confirmation of that which God is(/has been) saying
Keneth - To me i believe its a blessing to hv genuine prophet in our generation,
Though many hv tanished the image of the prophetic in many ways,
To me genuine Prophets and prophecy am for..cuz it an awesome blessx
Sumi - At first I never rlly loved prophets because the majority I saw always predicted onli good things like they never said only very positive things an it seemed like hard or difficult moments won't ever come. But it is different now
First, what is Prophecy?
It is a hearing, seeing or somehow knowing what God is presently saying or doing and expressing that to others by some means.
So when we prophesy, what we are doing is speaking for the mind and heart of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Do you know how beautiful it is to speak God's mind?
How did we get to the point where we see this as evil?
This is such a beautiful thing. To not just know the mind of God but to be able to express it towards others. Wow
(let's keep in mind that in hearing God, it is not everything we hear that we speak. Directions usually come with what is shared. Sometimes we are meant to just pray about it). How long has Prophecy been?
Amplified Bible. Acts 3:21
[21]Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man].
God has spoken by the mouth of the prophets since the world began
Here it says from the most ancient time in the memory of man.
The gift of prophecy has been in use since the most ancient time in the memory of man.
What is being prophesied?
What God has spoken.
How?
Through Prophets
Since when?
The beginning of the world.
Amplified Bible. 1 Corinthians 14:1
[1]EAGERLY PURSUE and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).
Here we see Apostle Paul admonishing us to desire prophecy.
To desire something is to be on fire to get ahold of, to covet it.
God through Apostle Paul tells us to be on fire to obtain and use these powerful gifts made available by the Holy Spirit but especially the gift of prophecy.
Now, if we read the letters to the corinthians, I think from chapter 12, we will get the background properly.
The church in Corinth at that point had placed emphasis on some gifts more than the other; speaking in tongues
They "over-emphasised" speaking in tongues (praying) and under-emphasised Prophecy. Does this sound familiar?
Majority of churches in the body of Christ today are the Corinth Church o.
If you don't know how to speak in tongues, you will nearly be excommunicated in some churches or be made to feel less.
But we meet people that prophesy and we shut them up.
The only prophecy a lot of us believers agree with is "inspired preaching/teaching"
In this particular chapter, we see that Paul wasn't talking about teaching here. The Greek word for preaching (which he had used before) is not what he used in this letter so we cannot translate it to mean inspired teaching.
Now, this does not mean speaking in tongues is wrong or should be desired less. No.
Apostle Paul said in verse 5 that He wishes we all spoke with tongues.
He valued the gift of tongues.
He was only asking that we regard the place of Prophecy is our midst also
When we choose to ignore the prophetic for whatever reason, we become unbiblical Christians
If you have any thing against prophecy, it is unbiblical of us
Every fold of ministerial gift is important. We don't remove one because we've met insincere prophets.
I believe the enemy works hard in this area.
The Prophetic is a very powerful fold of ministry, requires extra training and watching over those that officiate in it too.
The Prophetic is not exclusive to a particular church or DNA.
The reason we see it more common in the white garment churches is because they embraced it while most Christians shut it out.
They help their ministers grow in this gift
History of Prophecy in Scriptures
Out of all the five fold ministerial gift in Ephesians 4, we see that it is only Prophecy that transcends all era.
From the beginning of time, we had prophets. Let's look at those who operated in the Prophetic in the Old testament. We have Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Miriam, Deborah etc.
(you can add more if you remember)
Now let's note one thing (cos we will come to it a we Continue this series), not all of these people officiated directly as prophets but they all prophesied or moved in the prophetic.
For those of us that think prophecy ended with the old covenant, let's look at after the new covenant and those that operated in the Prophetic.
1. Agabus and the prophets from Jerusalem.
Acts 11:27
2. 2. The church in Antioch.
Acts 13:1-2
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. - Bible Offline
We see from this scripture that there were Prophets in Antioch and it was through them God spoke that Barnabas and Saul (Paul) be sent out.
Paul's call came and was established through the mouths of Prophets. Other believers might not have minded him should it not have been confirmed from these ones who officiate in the prophetic ministry
3. Judas and Silas
Acts 15:32
4. The daughters of Evangelist Phillip
Acts 21: 8-9
The promise of the spirit and Prophecy
Let's read Acts 2: 16 - 18
[16]But [instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
[17]And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams.
[18]Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels and predicting future events pertaining especially to God's kingdom].
Here we see the promise of the spirit.
When the spirit comes, four different times scripture records that He comes to make us a Prophetic people.
This is the dominant work of the spirit in our lives, He causes us to come alive and gives us a Prophetic nature.
Every person born of the spirit (and filled with the spirit) is expected to be a Prophetic person
We are a Prophetic nation, everyone of us that carry the spirit.
We prophesy (doesn't mean we officiate as prophets), we see visions, we dream, we speak God's mind and heart; All of these, upon the outpour of the spirit
So if we have fight with prophets or the prophetic ministry, now is the right time to dead it cos we need to start operating in line with the outpour of the spirit.
This is why we had to start with Hearing God (for ourselves first). If you can hear God, it is hard to doubt that another can hear God. It is also easy to examine whatever is being prophesied.
Let's also note that the basics and foundation from Hearing God remains in the Prophetic part of this series
Have you ever received a Prophetic word from anyone? How did you respond to it? Did you believe or discard?
Tebs - Someone stopped me and said don't travel for the next three months you will have an accident๐.. Who does that? It planted fear for some days but I prayed it off and got better
Sumi - A prophet told me I will travel that time since I didn't rlly blive in prophets I was just like travel where to but deep inside me didn't blive. Because I've never seen maself traveling.
Purposes and Functions of Prophecy
1. To equip the saints for ministry and mature the body of Christ.
And he gave some, apostles; and some,q prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV
The first purpose of Prophecy as with other folds of ministerial gifts is to help the body of Christ grow and equip us for service.
2. Edification, exhortation and comfort
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:3 KJV
To edify is to build up, erect and strengthen.
To exhort is to urge, spur on or encourage into action
To comfort is to bring peace, healing or a message of mercy to a wounded part of a heart.
So we see from point 2 that prophecies encourage us into action. We move in accordance with it.
Probably we've been down, sometimes God sends a word through others and it just strengthens or heals us.
Note: Almost all prophecy within the body of Christ i.e church should stay in this level, especially if we do not operate directly in the office of the prophetic.
When we get Prophetic words, we should check them with the above. Does it encourage the person? Does it heal them?
Should we notice that the prophecy we got is not in any of these categories, we should meet without church leadership and relay to them first.
This way no one is saying anything unchecked or in a manner that defies the purpose of prophecy.
3. Corrective Prophecy
This is a word that speaks to a wrong area of our life or ministry. Probably we've been doing certain things wrongly, of course God will communicate this to us cos He loves us.
This part brings correction, rebuke or a change.
I think most Christians don't like this part.
We'd rather God tells us this part directly instead of telling other people.
Well, if we were listening to God in the first place, we wouldn't be following a wrong path and need correction/rebuke.
So if we are in a position where we are being corrected or rebuked by God through certain persons, we should know it is from a place of love and if we were listening or following in the first place, the rebuke won't be coming.
Corrective Prophecy though open to every believer should be managed by leaders in the church and be done in love.
Don't go and gossip about the person God gave you a message for.
4. Directive Prophecy
This is a type of prophecy that gives clear direction, a course of direction that we must/should take.
I believe this part should be left for those who have been ascertained to be trustworthy in the Prophetic ministry, not just believers or those who officiate as prophets.
We cannot be playing ludo with people's lives. We've seen situations where prophets say don't marry person A or don't take that job, don't collect the money, move to America etc.
A wrong interpretation of what God spoke or giving the message to a wrong person or not relaying the timing of the message can actually destroy the lives of those involved.
Important
As believers, we do not give prophecies to others relating to points 2 and 3 unless we first submit it to and through our leadership.
I know we've been seeing things since birth but please these areas of the prophetic need to be weighed and judged first.
They are best reserved for the seasoned and mature Prophetic voices.
If it comes through those of us still growing, we meet our leaders about it. Also, seeing things does not automatically make you a prophet. I will explain this probably in the next teaching
5. Prophecies function as a weapon of war in the fight of faith
One of the aim of the enemy is to cause us to move out of faith and give up on the promises of God. Prophecy is a powerful weapon in this case, as a person or church. We know God has spoken, so we hold on to it.
Timothy, you are like a son to me. What I am telling you to do agrees with the prophecies that were told about you in the past. I want you to remember those prophecies and fight the good fight of faith.
1 Timothy 1:18 ERV
This is why it is important to write them down. We go back to them on days when things are not going the way we expect and we hold on to God's words as a weapon
6 God wants it to function in our prayers
To just pray what we think or what we see is not enough, God wants to speak with us, He wants us to know what is on His mind/heart, so when we pray, we pray what Christ our great intercessor prays.
Prophetic prayer births result because we are basically praying the mind of Christ
Let us pray
Lord, we thank you for your word, for flooding us with your light and opening our hearts to your truth.
Should there be anything that we find difficult to understand, spirit of God do break it down for us.
Help us to move in the Prophetic just as the Lord wishes, especially in times as this.
We pray for other believers around the world, that you open theirs eyes also to this truth and your will concerning it.
We pray that you expose those who exploit your children through the prophetic, that every false prophet in the body of Christ be brought to repentance.
Help us to grow in these gifts and manage them properly.
Help us to not get puffed up or proud as we begin to operate in this move.
Amen
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