The Holy Spirit

Prophecy

Study 14

This week we will look at the gift of prophecy.

1 Cor 12:10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

1 Cor 12:28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Eph 4:11 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Have you noticed that in each of the gifts it uses the plural form, Prophets, Teachers, and Apostles etc.?
This would imply that you might not be the only one in the church with this gift.
But does this mean in your church only?
Look at:

Eph 1:22-23 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

Reading this tells me that the church is the body of believers in Jesus Christ.
So you may be the only one in your church with a particular gift, but not the only believer in the body of Jesus Christ with that gift.
I do believe that all of the gifts are present in a true Christian church. But I also believe that they are not being used, or people don't know how to use their gift(s) so they are not used properly, or even recognize that they may have a gift(s).
You need to pray for your church. Pray that the Lord will manifest His gifts to all in the church, and that all will use them to minister to one another in the church and to other churches.
Also it says

1 Cor 12:31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

We are to desire the best gift. But that doesn't mean to desire what someone else has, that would be coveting
Think of Christmas, you and your brothers or sisters are opening presents. You then start looking at your brothers or sisters gifts and saying, "I want that, it's better then mine".
That's coveting, and when we desire what someone else's gift that the Lord has given to them and not appreciate what He has given to us, then that is sin.

Ex 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

1 Cor 14:1-5 1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

This verse we will go over more in detail next week.
But I wanted you to see what the bible gives as a definition of prophecy, this we see in verse 3 & 5.
And the gift of tongues we will go over in a couple weeks.

Do you know what other name was given to the prophets in the Old Testament?

1 Sam 9:9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

The word proportion is: Greek Word: analogia
It is used in Rom. 12:6, referring to what is said in ver. 3.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

It is a warning against going beyond what God has given and the faith you received from Him.
When we take what God has initially given us, and start to become proud and boastful thinking that we are doing something great, this is now taking God's gift and using it in a sinful manner. We forget that we can do nothing of ourselves. But by the strength of God are we able to stand.

Eph 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We saw the definition of what Prophecy is, but how is the gift of Prophecy to be used in the church?

1 Cor 14:29-33 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

First off notice in verse 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace. When the Holy Spirit is in control of the church there will always be order; any disorder is not from the Lord.
Now look at verse 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
It doesn't say that only one prophet should speak but 2 or 3, Why?
If we are one body, there will be a confirmation from another in the church of what the Lord is telling us.
Think of it this way, if you were to cut yourself you would feel pain, and a confirmation would be the sight of blood from the cut, or the breaking of the skin like with a paper cut.

Or you can put your hand in a bucket of ice water for a couple of minutes then put it in a bucket of room temperature water and you will think that it's hot. Your brain has given you a false reading of what you felt.

It's the same with the word of God being prophesied. Sometimes feelings can get in the way, and your only telling what you feel and not what the Lord is really saying.
That's why we should always fast and pray, seeking the Lord and not our feelings.

Acts 13:1-3 1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

But why should we be in prayer, worship, and fasting?

Prayer, to keep in communication with God, Worship to remember whom He is, And Fasting, to keep your mind clear.
Remember the purpose of fasting is to deny yourself or your physical body of a pleasure (such as eating) so your flesh won't fool you. Being in tune (so to speak) with the spirit.

Have you ever fasted? When you fast, you go through all kinds of thoughts, like; what can I actually have, or drink? God doesn't really want me to do this, or it's useless.
The flesh is so used to having it's own way, which it will try to deceive you like Satan did to Adam and Eve in the garden. God did not really say that.
But He tried the same thing with Jesus who had just spent 40 days fasting and praying. But Jesus was in tune with the Lord knowing that it was His flesh or Satan attacking His flesh.
So it's very important to fast often so you can know the difference from your flesh or Satan speaking, and when the lord is speaking.
When I fast, I can sense a difference from when I don't fast and when I do.
It's better to fast.

1 Cor 2:12-16 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

There can also be those who claim to be prophets but only speak from their feelings and not from the Lord.
Look at what God says He will do to the false prophets.

Ezek 13:1-9 1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, 'Hear the word of the LORD!' " 3 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 "O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 "You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. 6 "They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The LORD says,' but I have not spoken." 8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you," says the Lord GOD. 9 "My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

But this is what the Lord says about a true prophet

Num 12:6 Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.

Know let's go back to 1 Cor 14 and look at verse 33

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Notice again as I have been telling you, that the gifts are for the edification of the church and not yourself.
Here we see the same thing for a prophet. You will also notice that it is for Instruction and Encouragement.

Eph 4:11-16 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Not like you would think of Old Testament times when a prophet would seem to always proclaim doom and gloom.
But then this is not the truth. It wasn't doom and gloom, but a warning from the Lord to His people. That's not the only thing that was prophesied, there were a lot of blessing from the Lord to.
Isaiah 40:1-5 is a very good example of this.

Isaiah 40:1-5 1 "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God. 2 "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD s hand Double for all her sins." 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Acts 11:27-30 27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

This verse Kind of reminds me of the Y2K, but that a different subject.
But we see here that it was the Lord preparing the way for His people.

You don't have to be anyone special in the world's eyes to be a prophet.
Only special in God's eyes, which we all are!
And so it was with Amos. In man's eyes he was nothing special, just a shepherd and a farmer. But God looks at the heart and not our outward man as we do.
So no matter who you are, God knows your heart and even if you think little about yourself, God thinks a lot about you!
How many hairs do you have on your head? Don't know? God knows! That's how much He knows you and cares about you. He knows you better then you know yourself.

Amos 7:14-15 14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: "I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. 15 Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, And the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'

The gift of Prophet is not usually a very popular one. Sure a lot of people feel that they want it, but when you speak the word of God in truth, it's not always what people want to hear.

2 Chron 36:16 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

Matt 13:57 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

The prophet is not always a man.

Luke 2:36-38 36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Notice again that she was in constant prayer and fasting.
And so should we.
We studied prayer a few months ago, how quickly we forget what the Lord has taught us.
Who doing this study needs prayer? Who in the church needs prayer? Who at your work needs prayer? Who at home needs your prayers?
What is so important in our lives that we can't stop for a few minutes to pray?

As we learned a Prophet is to be in prayer all the time. Even if you're not a Prophet, you still need to be in prayer, constant communication with your Father who loves you and wants that time with you.
It's so easy to read this, but will you actually do it?

Do you even have a relationship with the Father or His Son Jesus?
If not, you can right now, Just say this prayer from your heart and you will start to have a real relationship with the one who created you and knows how many hairs are on your head.

Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. Come into my heart and in my life. I want a true relationship with you, not one that plays church but one that will last for all eternity and beyond.
Thank you for forgiving me and for dyeing for me. Help me to study your word, to pray always and to tell others about you. I pray this in your name Jesus. AMEN!

You now have a personal relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Isn't it great?

Next week we will look at some more on prophecy.
Stay in the word every day and may God richly bless you all!

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Who is the
Holy Spirit?

What the
Holy Spirit does
in our lives.

What the
Holy Spirit
does in
our lives
(part II)

Prayer

Prayer
(part II)

Intro to
the gifts of
the
Holy Spirit.

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part II)

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part III)

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part IV)

Word of
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& Word of
Knowledge.

Faith