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Hear my sermon entitled Prophets Among Us.

My primary theological source for this was Wayne Grudem – The Gift of Prophecy

If you don’t stay tight on Scripture you can really get in trouble.  I’ve heard of people getting into the prophetic and telling people and controlling people – that’s not what we’re talking about and that is unhealthy.  But to shut it down because someone abuses it would be to shut down all of Christianity.  What does the Bible teach – when followed it’s very clear and simple.  Whereas 1 Cor 13 is the love Chapter – 1 Cor 14 is the prophecy chapter – many had become arrogant and puffed up and felt superior over their gifts.  Paul is setting the record straight and is giving direction.  Some thought tongues was everything –Paul is saying it’s not – prophecy is above that.

DEFINITION: 1–One with Supernatural knowledge.  2-one who predicts the future 3-spokesman
METAPHOR:  Announcer or Proclaimer
PURPOSE:  To hear God

PROPHETS ARE AMONG US.
You can really hear from God! The creator of the universe wants to speak to you, But not just to you, THROUGH YOU!!!  He does this through what Paul calls the gift of prophecy. Don’t let that term weird you out. You have probably already experienced this is some way as a believer and haven’t even realized you are doing it. Called someone, “The Lord laid you on my heart to pray for you.” Or God told me to tell you…..

In the OT you had these prophets who spoke with absolute authority with zero error. They would say, “Thus saith the Lord….” and if any part of their message was false they were to be stoned to death. Kind of makes you nervous to practice this expression of Jesus in a cell. Think if you thought God was telling you something to share and your team said that is not right and took you in the backyard and started throwing bricks at you.  NOT the kind of prophecy the NT talks about. Those men were “thus saith the Lord” spokesmen from God. 

In the New Testament we read that He speaks to us through Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1 1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

So now as Christ lives in us by the power of the Spirit, and as we’ve seen in this series that when we gather HE IS AMONG US, we can expect Him to speaks through us as we express this thing called prophecy differently than the He did in the OT. Says practice it. Says it is a gift that doesn’t operate exactly the same as in the OT. God says now we are to not despise prophecy, when someone says to us, I feel like God is telling me to tell you, but rather test it. 

I Thessalonians 5:20 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 
An example from the Bible – Antioch is going to be the missionary church:

See two times a guy got a word from God in the New Testament….

Acts 11: 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 

The disciples weighed and tested prophecy, then acted on the prophecy. .  started collecting an offering from His churches for the Jersusalem church.

But another time, same prophet as before…said something to Paul that he tested and did not receive it as action – but get ready.

Acts 21: 9He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

You give the word – God will give the right interpretation.  So it is okay. If God lays something on your heart you don’t have to feel like you are an infallible OT prophet, just be a NT prophet that delivers a message and lets it get tested by the Body.

PROPHETS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD.
Important to know that you can seek this gift…..

I Cor 14:  1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy

Again it is important for you to be in a cell. Best environment to seek this gift, to learn about this and practice this.  But don’t just share something to share something. It should be a revelation from God and not something you concocted up in your heart to try to must up prophecy. That is fake. If God doesn’t give you something, relax, pray and be patient. He will in His timing.

What you hear will be:

Rooted in love.  “pursue love (see also…I Cor 13:2 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.)  It will be shared for the benefit of the one(s) receiving the prophetic word, not your own gain. Not telling them what to do as much as building them up (build/encourage we saw earlier).

Rooted in Scripture never contradict Word of God, in fact it will confirm and be confirmed by Word of God.  D.A. Carson “When Paul presupposes in 1 Cor. 14:30 that the gift of prophecy depends on a revelation, we are not limited to a form of authoritative revelation that threatens the finality of the canon.  To argue in such a way is to confuse the terminology of Protestant systematic theology with the terminology of the Scripture writers.”  Acts 15:28 “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden thatn these necessary things. . . “

Given by the Holy Spirit - bringing Scripture to mind Spirit giving you a word or picture to share putting someone, some situation on your heart to tell others to pray for, an example would be Agabas – Paul bound.

Confirmed by the Saints, the Body will receive and test it. If your prophecy was predictive, they might put it in a “pending future confirmation” file. But just because you don’t understand a word or a picture or a verse God has given you to share, if you sense it is truly from Him SHARE IT. Don’t be timid. Let the body determine its application. 

PROHECY IS FOR TODAY.
I Cor 14:3 3On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

Joel 2:28"And it shall come to pass afterward,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Paul really has a lot of guidelines for this.  Grudem is really good on this.  Only 2 or 3 at most – then one at a time, and if one interrupts the other, the other has to shut up.  It gives the point it’s from God.  It isn’t a prophetic free for all!  Why is that – because it’s to have gravitas to it. 

Speaks “to people-“ not a gift you do alone. Gift you do with and for others. That is why the best expression of it happens in a cell. A cell is the perfect environment to practice this gift in because it is small enough that the prophecy can be given, received, tested, and acted upon.
Upbuilding-help towards growth in Christian maturity. When you prophecy you should be like a bricklayer laying more bricks upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Not about giving information to take this job or that job, or do this or that, but about affecting lives of the hearers, oftentimes by anchoring them in their identity to God.

Encouragement & consolation- It is for encouraging those that need hope. We see from this verse not just about predicting the future.