prophecy, but rather the significance of the gift itself in Paul’s mind to the Church. To recap, Paul elevates prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14, because it builds up the Church (:12) and it’s a sign that “God is really among us” (:25).
Prophecy has been defined as speaking, or reporting, what God brings to mind. God speaks, we listen, and we share. That sharing can be in many ways and contexts, but if we shared something we believe God put on our heart for someone or a group, there’s a good chance we prophesied.
We can change the term to “impression,” or “thought,” but the truth remains that if we attribute any of the revelation we received to the Holy Spirit, we prophesied. Demystifying this process puts prophetic ministry back within reach of the Church, right where it belongs.
But we can go too far. If we say it’s just a counseling concept, or an insight of grace, we downplay the gift from God and the glory it affords Him. We have a chance in prophecy to draw everyone’s attention and affection upward to God, but we can instead direct it toward men and their wisdom in sharing.
Does God need us to say it’s a prophecy for anointing to flow? Absolutely not, but it’s not a stretch to suggest that when we open our hearts to the flow of the Spirit in a ministry moment, we usually see the glory of God revealed in a unique way.
I was refused a job in an evangelical context because of my charismatic doctrinal position. In the exit meeting, this evangelical brother graciously shared that our doctrinal differences were a deal-breaker. But in his very next breath, he said he was praying for me before our meeting. He felt the Lord “impressed” something upon His heart about me.
This kind brother, who withheld a job because I believed in gifts and prophecy while he did not, was now going to share a prophecy he received about me in prayer before I arrived. He felt God showed him that I “would be given another opportunity very soon to be involved in Christian education” and that I “would be used mightily in the athletic arena.”
He added that he sensed from the Lord that I might be prone to discouragement and that I wasn’t to be upset by this setback, but that it was not the Lord’s timing for this job.
He was right; a job as a Christian school Athletic Director soon followed.
In this brother’s experience and doctrine, he had received an “impression from the Lord.” The Bible calls that “prophecy.” Was God any less glorified in how he shared?
No, but a wall of doctrinal distinction was raised that diminished the glory rightly due God.
This brother received a clear prophetic message for me while disbelieving in prophecy. It was still a powerful and poignant life-changing prophecy for me, but what if this brother had a fully surrendered, faith-filled heart for God to speak to and through him? He has the door cracked open to hear to some degree, but what if he threw it open to the Holy Spirit?
This is the invitation of the prophetic for all of us, to experience the voice of God in a way that reveals Him in a greater form that doesn’t leave any of us the same again.
If we hope to see God transform our lives and churches as we’ve prayed, we must be willing to move the dial of our doctrinal posturing from “impressions” from the Spirit to “immersion” in the Spirit as our only hope.
Chapter 5
Distinctions of Prophecy
1) The Prophecy of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20; 2 Tim. 3:16)
A guiding gift from the Spirit
The closed canon of Scripture is the central thrust of the Holy Spirit’s fulfillment of His job description noted in John 14:26b: “…he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Peter references the Bible as “prophecy” (2 Peter 1:20) because that is what it is, uniquely inspired writings of men who were led by the Holy Spirit in a manner unique in all of human history. This Spirit-inspired compilation is the pinnacle of prophecy to men from God. There is nothing equal to it, nor will it be repeated or added to in any way, ever. However, this does not preclude the Holy Spirit from applying it, interpreting it, and working through it to reveal His present will to believers.
The Scripture contains His will and purpose for our lives, but it doesn’t contain Him. It reveals Him in a measure He intends to all men, but His deeper revelation of Himself continues in each man’s heart and in every genuine church through preaching and the gifts. The experience of the Spirit doesn’t draw our attention away from Scripture; it highlights its value. It builds a desire to experience more of Him through the truths contained therein.
One clear normative revelation in Holy Scripture is followed by countless Spirit-led revelations of His attributes and ways when we apply Scripture. These lesser revelations guide us to a deeper understanding of who He is in His Word, who He is in our lives, and who He desires to be through us.
A great example of this Scripture/prophecy relationship I once heard was by Bojidar Marinov, a missionary to Bulgaria (www.bulgarianreformation.com). He likened the Scriptures to science as the fixed nature of things and prophecy to the discipline of engineering as the application of that science. Engineering doesn’t do away with science; it draws from its foundation to meet specific applications and needs.
Ongoing prophecy applies scriptural truth and promises to our specific lives and situations; it doesn’t add to Scripture or take away from it. It is a means of grace God gives to enrich our understanding of who He has revealed Himself to be in Scripture.
2) The Spirit of Prophecy (1 Sam. 10:10; 1 Cor. 14:31; Acts 19:6)
A presiding gift from the Spirit
As the One who is sanctifying the Church, the Holy Spirit presides over our meeting together as believers. He manifests Himself through the various means of grace gifts He appointed in Scripture (1 Cor. 12, 14; Rom. 12), which includes the ability of anyone indwelt by the Holy Spirit to prophesy as He gives the grace and faith to speak (1 Cor. 14:31). This presiding gift manifested through a person of His choosing by the sovereign Holy Spirit is an expression of His love, encouragement, edification, and comfort to the people of God. It also has those same benefits on the person being used. They stepped out in faith to share something they spontaneously received from the Holy Spirit and were blessed by His affirmation and confirmation of what they shared.
Does this mean God cannot speak outside the church building or use other sources than those specifically in the church to speak? No, it doesn’t. He is sovereign over all and therefore can loose the tongue of a donkey to express His will (Num. 22:28) if He desires. He also spoke spontaneously through Saul in the Old Testament as a fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy over him (1 Sam. 19:24).
If the Holy Spirit desires, He can speak prophetically through anyone He chooses at any time, in any place. This is true of prophetic ministry within the church, as well as in evangelism. I recall receiving a word of knowledge and prophecy for a waitress while once sitting in a restaurant with friends. The Holy Spirit accurately revealed she had a boyfriend who did not know Christ and that she herself was being drawn back to Him. To affirm His love for her He told me to tell her that her boyfriend would be saved. She went away tearfully encouraged by the Spirit’s ministry to her, where she was, in her workplace. I was so excited to be used by God like that, but He wasn’t done that night.
Later, I left the restaurant so emboldened by the confirmation of the
