But Moses
replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people
were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
Numbers
11:29
"And
afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters
will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel 2:28
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Acts 2:16-18
I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
1 Cor. 14:5
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
1 Cor.
14:23
But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all,
1 Cor. 14:24
For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
1 Cor.
14:31
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
1 Cor. 14:39
It has always been God’s deepest desire to have a close relationship with people characterized by mutual love, respect and care. It involves commitment, trust and open communication. Unfortunately due to humankind's fall into sin this relationship has been affected to the point that even if we are reconciled to God and back into a close relationship with Him through faith in Christ and His gospel, we still hear, see, understand and experience God incompletely. In the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. At present we only know and understand in part as the effects of the fall are still present in our lives, hearts and minds and even as believers we struggle with our old self (Romans 7:14-25; Gal. 5:16-21). As a result it is possible to confess the one moment that Jesus is Lord and the next moment speak words inspired by Satan as happened to Peter (Matthew 16:16, 23).
Therefore as a community of believers we are told not to reject prophesy but to test everything and hold on to what is good but avoid even that which appears evil (1 Thess. 5:20-22).
It is Gods
desire as expressed in the words of Moses in Numbers 11:29 and repeated by Joel
in Joel 2:28 that all of Gods people would be prophets. That is that all would
speak Gods truth on His behalf to Gods people and to a world in need. That is why Jesus spoke to His disciples that
we should go into all the world and make disciples of all nations....teaching
them to obey everything He has commanded us (Matthew 28:18-20). Through the Holy Spirit we have been made
into a community of prophets who share the teachings of Christ with the world,
that is the message of Pentecost as Peter explains in Acts 2:16-18. Now our prophesying might simply be a matter
of forth-telling the gospel and the teachings of Christ, or it may be helping people
to apply these in their day-to-day lives, communities and nations. Since Christ
is the full revelation of the Divine Being, certainly forth-telling is our
primary task, hence the strong emphasis on us being witnesses in word and deed
of Christ for it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus (Rev.
19:10).
However,
the above does not exclude the fact that God through His Spirit may give us visions,
dreams and revelations which are specific for our time and situation in order to
provide more detailed direction. We may think of Philip who was told to go to a
specific location and share the gospel with the Ethiopian he met there (Acts
8:26-31). We may think of Ananias whom God spoke to in a vision (Acts 9:10-19),
of Agabus whom through the Holy Spirit was informed of Paul’s impending
imprisonment (Acts 21:10) or of Paul whom God spoke to in a dream (Acts
16:6-10). However, this is not our
primary prophetic task, the primary task is bearing the testimony of Christ in
word, deed, thought and behaviour.
Whether a
message communicated on behalf of God is done by a professor in Theology in a
university, by a well-known pastor in a church, by a gifted charismatic speaker
or comes to us in a supernatural manner, it is still subject to being tested. By
the end of the day it is far less relevant whom the messenger is than what the content
of the message is, whom t is from and even if we are convinced it comes from
God whether it accurately reflects what He wants to communicate to us. How do we test? The most important test is
based on the immutability of Christ who does not contradict Himself and is the
same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrew 13:8). This means that He will not
communicate anything to us that is in contradiction with the example He set for
us and all that He has taught us. This
test actually dates back to Moses and was applied to all those who claimed to
be prophets throughout the ages (Deut. 18:18-22). If a prophet gives specific directions which
do not contradict Christ and His teachings and these directions agree with what
Christ demands from us as recorded in Scripture, we should follow these
directions.
If a prophet gives specific directions that are not explicitly demanded from us in Holy Scripture but may be a special task for us, the biblical principle that decisions should be made on the basis of two or three reliable witnesses should be applied (Deut. 17:6; 1 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Hebrews 10:28). Our God is a loving and caring God and He knows that we do not always properly understand the directions He is giving us so He will provide confirmation if He requires something specific from us. Now in some cases as in the case of Philip who is told to go to a certain road and speak to a certain person we may not have the opportunity to have something confirmed by fellow servants of God. However, if it is not a life and death matter we can in faith step out and follow whatever guidance we feel God is giving us and trust God that along the way He will either confirm that this was from Him or lovingly correct us. Philip went and met the Ethiopian and so the circumstances confirmed it was indeed God who had spoken to Him (Acts 8:26-31).
In some cases we may find that what we thought was Gods guidance is not confirmed and that we may have been mistaken and yet even then God will be pleased for at least you have shown your willingness to serve and obey Him. Of course sometimes things do not come true because the outcome did not just depend on your obedience but also on the co-operation of other people. However, do not try to justify yourself with all kinds of explanations why your prophecy did not come true. This shows it is still too much about you and not about Christ. You do not have to try and prove to people that you are always correct because this is pride. You will not always be right so you should better admit that in humility. Even if in some cases you are proved to be right later, why should that be important either? Is is that you want people to put their trust in you and obey all that you say? What is important is that you help people to put their trust in Christ while you strife to be a faithful witness of what that means in day-to-day life. This actually includes a humble attitude of admitting that only God is infallible, you are not, but you even though you are striving with all your might to live right. It is not your reputation in the eyes of other people which should be your concern, but Gods reputation among people and your reputation with Him. Of course this applies to anything we say or do in the name of Christ, we must do so with humility, accepting the fact that like Peter we can also at times be misled (Matthew 16:16-23) and so we must subject our words and actions to testing by other faithful servants of Christ (1 Thes. 5:20-22).
Of course it may be hard to admit mistakes out of fear of being labeled a false prophet. However, the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is not the absence of error. David is called a prophet by Christ and yet we know that he made his share of mistakes and even committed some serious sins too. The difference is in the heart. David was a man after God's heart for He loved God and loved God's people and longed to serve God and Gods people faithfully and therefore he was humble enough to allow himself to be corrected by his fellow prophet Nathan. A false prophet in contrast mainly loves him/herself and is not driven by a desire to serve God and Gods people faithfully but by self-serving motives. Sometimes false prophets can appear very genuine and what they preach, teach and predict can be exciting and exhilarating and much more pleasing to the ear than what a true prophet proclaims as we read about in Jeremiah 23. False prophets will justify behaviour which is unfaithful to God and our fellow humans and does not reflect responsible, caring Godly love as we see reflected in Christ. At other times the false prophets may have established self-affirming and self-validating structures which have a semblance of respectability and reliability but ultimately are based on traditions of men rather than Christ. We see this among the pharisees in the time of the New Testament and throughout history in all kinds of human constructs, whether intellectual or institutional constructs.
In all cases we must also be self-critical and do not act on impulses that reflect self-interest or the interest of certain groups and parties in society. If there is even the slightest possibility that you might be influenced by your own wishes and desires or by those of others and wait until God confirms through reliable witnesses.
So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, be eager to prophecy because in Christ you are a prophet, priest and king, with the high calling to share the testimony of Christ in word, deed, thought and behaviour. And secondly, after careful and humble testing, lovingly obey any specific instructions whenever you are convinced in your heart that it is the Lord who has provided these.
If a prophet gives specific directions that are not explicitly demanded from us in Holy Scripture but may be a special task for us, the biblical principle that decisions should be made on the basis of two or three reliable witnesses should be applied (Deut. 17:6; 1 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Hebrews 10:28). Our God is a loving and caring God and He knows that we do not always properly understand the directions He is giving us so He will provide confirmation if He requires something specific from us. Now in some cases as in the case of Philip who is told to go to a certain road and speak to a certain person we may not have the opportunity to have something confirmed by fellow servants of God. However, if it is not a life and death matter we can in faith step out and follow whatever guidance we feel God is giving us and trust God that along the way He will either confirm that this was from Him or lovingly correct us. Philip went and met the Ethiopian and so the circumstances confirmed it was indeed God who had spoken to Him (Acts 8:26-31).
In some cases we may find that what we thought was Gods guidance is not confirmed and that we may have been mistaken and yet even then God will be pleased for at least you have shown your willingness to serve and obey Him. Of course sometimes things do not come true because the outcome did not just depend on your obedience but also on the co-operation of other people. However, do not try to justify yourself with all kinds of explanations why your prophecy did not come true. This shows it is still too much about you and not about Christ. You do not have to try and prove to people that you are always correct because this is pride. You will not always be right so you should better admit that in humility. Even if in some cases you are proved to be right later, why should that be important either? Is is that you want people to put their trust in you and obey all that you say? What is important is that you help people to put their trust in Christ while you strife to be a faithful witness of what that means in day-to-day life. This actually includes a humble attitude of admitting that only God is infallible, you are not, but you even though you are striving with all your might to live right. It is not your reputation in the eyes of other people which should be your concern, but Gods reputation among people and your reputation with Him. Of course this applies to anything we say or do in the name of Christ, we must do so with humility, accepting the fact that like Peter we can also at times be misled (Matthew 16:16-23) and so we must subject our words and actions to testing by other faithful servants of Christ (1 Thes. 5:20-22).
Of course it may be hard to admit mistakes out of fear of being labeled a false prophet. However, the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is not the absence of error. David is called a prophet by Christ and yet we know that he made his share of mistakes and even committed some serious sins too. The difference is in the heart. David was a man after God's heart for He loved God and loved God's people and longed to serve God and Gods people faithfully and therefore he was humble enough to allow himself to be corrected by his fellow prophet Nathan. A false prophet in contrast mainly loves him/herself and is not driven by a desire to serve God and Gods people faithfully but by self-serving motives. Sometimes false prophets can appear very genuine and what they preach, teach and predict can be exciting and exhilarating and much more pleasing to the ear than what a true prophet proclaims as we read about in Jeremiah 23. False prophets will justify behaviour which is unfaithful to God and our fellow humans and does not reflect responsible, caring Godly love as we see reflected in Christ. At other times the false prophets may have established self-affirming and self-validating structures which have a semblance of respectability and reliability but ultimately are based on traditions of men rather than Christ. We see this among the pharisees in the time of the New Testament and throughout history in all kinds of human constructs, whether intellectual or institutional constructs.
In all cases we must also be self-critical and do not act on impulses that reflect self-interest or the interest of certain groups and parties in society. If there is even the slightest possibility that you might be influenced by your own wishes and desires or by those of others and wait until God confirms through reliable witnesses.
So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, be eager to prophecy because in Christ you are a prophet, priest and king, with the high calling to share the testimony of Christ in word, deed, thought and behaviour. And secondly, after careful and humble testing, lovingly obey any specific instructions whenever you are convinced in your heart that it is the Lord who has provided these.
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