As many of you may know, I
have been known for having a somewhat prophetic ministry. I have been invited and traveled thorughout the nations and been invited into various cities for the sole purpose of ministering "prophetically." So, after 40 years of ministry and giving thousands of prophetic words, I thought it was time to start writing on
this subject from time to time, share what I've learned, mistakes I've made, and offer assistance to others on "how" to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Who knows? Someday there might need to be a book on the
subject since there are so many fallacies out there on the subject. Let me be very
clear that this is just a brief musing on this topic and is designed for
beginning a thought process. Maybe you can assist me in writing more by
commenting and asking questions on this blog if the subject interests you. I
certainly am eager to learn more about this subject. I am also interested in
what a “false” prophet is since there is little teaching in the church today on
that subject but we will save that topic for another time.
A cursory reading of
the scriptures demonstrates that there were diversity kinds of prophets. Hebrews 1:1 says. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to
our fathers by the prophets.” Isaiah was different from Amos. Micah was different than Jeremiah the
prophet. Throughout the scriptures. there were prophetic voices that
held out hope in times of trouble and those who stood in opposition to the
cultural trends of their day and called for repentance. There were prophets who
gave hope for reconciliation and restoration and those who gave warnings if
their words were not heeded.
Prophecy is a funny thing.
Scripture shows “prophetic words” as being centered in a local context,
historical contexts, national contexts, and also a personal contexts (I.e. Samuel,
Nathan, and Agabus). Prophecy can be about the ancient and yet future. It’s
quite a difficult task to give a comprehensive view on what “prophecy is.” One
thing for sure is that the scripture say that ALL prophecy is to be judged.
I Cor. 14:29
But how do you do
that? Is there examples in scripture where “prophets" spoke and then there was some
prophetic judges panel (like American Idol) who discern together whether it was a
true word from God or not? Who selects those who are to be called upon to judge
the word? What are their
qualifications? Who has developed
the discernment and ability to judge the prophecies? All-important questions. Of Course, there are those who would simply say, “Well we
have to use scripture to judge a prophetic word.” But, what if the prophetic word has to do with the future
movements of Russia or China and nothing is said in the scripture about those
two modern countries? Are we suppose to blindly just dig through the scripture
and string together a few verses to support our prophetic notions on Russia
(Gog/Magog) or on China as the great people of the north? What if you actually see no evidence of
that the word as being current or relevant in your own context – do we dismiss it and say it’s not a true word from
the Lord. How do you know? I remember back in early 1989 when one of my friends
and mentors in the prophetic, Rev. Glen Foster (Senior Minister of 3000 member
Sweetwater Church Of The Valley in Phoenix, Arizona) stood up in a church in
Virginia Beach and prophesied that the walls in Berlin would come tumbling down
by the end of the year and we would find ourselves preaching the gospel on the
streets of Moscow. At that time, this was considered impossible and people thought Glen was out of his
mind. How do you know if that was
a word from God when you are asked to judge it? There was no scriptural basis for such a word. Unless, you held that Ezekiel
prophesied Russia would invade Israel by 1982 then you would have judged his
word as a false prophecy. However,
by November 1989 the walls of Berlin came tumbling down. Glen's prophecy came to pass just as he prophesied it and many of us have preached in the former soviet union. So when St. John sat on
the Island Of Patmos and wrote a prophecy called the book of Revelation was it
meant to be a word for the time he wrote it? Or was it a word concerning the future? Can prophetic words today spoken in our own time be meant to
come to pass in about 100 years after our death? That’s’ what happened in the Bible.
Another important
aspect that needs to be explored is - Is there a difference in a Old Testament
Prophet and a New Testament Prophet?
How did the work of the cross change the work of the prophet? We know that “Prophets” are for
today! Ephesians 4:11-17 says,
that God gave prophets “until” we have come into complete unity and to full
maturity in Christ. That has not happened yet that I am aware. If I’m wrong someone please enlighten
me! What does the New Testament say
about “prophets and prophecy? First, I Cor. 14:31 says that EVERYONE can prophecy! “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be
instructed and encouraged.”
What is the purpose of prophecy as described here in this passage? SO THAT everyone may be instructed and encouraged. Let’s look at that word
“instructed.” The Greek word used
here is mantháno, which means "to learn how to be a disciple by experience, with the
implication of reflection or coming to realize.” So prophecy should be a part of our spiritual formation and
discipleship process. Secondly,
the Greek word for “encouraged” is parakaleó, which means, “to be called up, close and personal.” In
other words, a prophetic word is to bring us into a closer relationship with
the Lord. It’s an invitation to
come closer to God. There is
nothing in this description of “prophecy” that is condemning of another. In
fact, it’s quite the opposite. Romans 2:4 states “…it’s the goodness of God
that leads you to repentance- not douncing and calling judgement on others.” According to I Cor 14:31 everyone should
prophecy with the motivation to encourage people to come into a closer
relationship with the Lord and be discipled.
Rev. 19:10
states, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” What does this mean? Does it mean that “prophetic words” are
to reflect the character and nature of Christ? Does it mean that when the
prophecy is given that it should be done in a way Jesus would prophesy and
minister to others? Or does it simply mean that Jesus speaks today through the testimony of His people? It could mean all three aspects above. The NIV says, “Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy
who bears testimony to Jesus."
The Holman Christian Bible states, “Worship God, because the testimony
about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The Weymouth translations puts it
this way, “Testimony to Jesus is the spirit which underlies Prophecy.” Each English translation adds another
dimension. Guess it depends what
the word “is” means! Lol Certainly, a major component to
understanding this passage is John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth,
comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he
will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” In
this text Jesus without apology insists that the Holy Spirit would not speak
from himself.” Who is the Holy Spirit going to
speak about? What should a prophecy point to? You? Or Jesus? This opens up a lot of questionable practices in
“prophetic-led” settings. Remember, my intent in writing this blog is to open
up our thinking and ask questions.
Also keep in mind I Cor. 14:39 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do
not forbid speaking in tongues.” Prophecy is something we should be a normal pratice in the life of a church.
My
favorite verse in the New Testament on the purpose and use of prophecy is I
Cor. 14:3 which says, “But he that prophesies speaks unto men (and women) for edification,
and exhortation, and comfort.”
To me this means that anyone who exercises the “gift of prophecy” or
ministers in the prophetic office of Eph. 4:11 with any other intent than to
edify (build up), exhort (encourage), or comfort others may not be hearing
the Lord at all and maybe prophecy out of their own negative spirit. We should never seek to minister to
others out of a negative spirit. I lean heavily toward the idea that Jesus took
ALL of our judgments and penalties for sin to the cross and has offered the
gift of prophecy and “prophets” like Ananias (Acts 9) and Agabus (Acts 21) to
encourage, edify, and exhort others rather than to pronounce doom and gloom over people. People today need encouragement and comfort. Just saying… but what do I know? 
