1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20 "Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophesying"...it goes on to say test things, hold fast to the good and abstain from the evil. The Bible clearly states that it will be imperfect (in Corinthians) & subject to the person speaking it, but it is nevertheless a gift God tells us to not despise or quench.
The TRUTH about prophecy... what it is not...it is not "fortune telling" for gosh sake - it is not of satan as some would say-it isn't even just for Biblical times! How I know...I read the Bible, study God's word, and I see God used this for discipline before Christ at times when speaking to the prophets of the Old Testament, Paul encouraged us that all should use this gift in the new Testament, and the word teaches what the appropriate use of it is! It is, since Christ, a gift of "encouragement" that believers exercise to build one another up in their most holy faith! Why have so many believers failed to see this? Partly due to the failure to study (not just read) God's word, partly due to being taught error, and partly due to the enthusiasm of those who do understand it to misuse the gift which then leads others to disbelieve the gift. The same is true of healing, faith, and all the other gifts-if we abuse them we mislead others into doubt of the reality and power of the gifts God has bestowed upon us for our well-being.
Why should we care about prophecy? Well, for one thing the entire Bible is a prophetic book! The OT is rich with the prophetic and a large part of it is devoted to the prophets of God. The book of Revelation is an exciting book of God's prophetic word to the apostle John. The problem comes when we do not realize that the gift of prophecy is actually a gift of love and that we were instructed in it's use and value. I cringe whenever someone extracts something from the word of God and says this part isn't meant for "today" or "I don't believe this part" - the word of God is all both to be believed and to be of value for us today. Somehow I think that God himself must cringe when we disbelieve his word and his gifts. I wonder how much we grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to embrace the third person of the trinity with the same degree of belief as we do the Father and the Son? Yet look at the absolutely weird things people believe in the world today, and yes, even Christians believe some very strange things but can't wrap their brains around the power of the creator of the universe.
My belief is that we all should look at the specific scriptures in regard to the Holy Spirit and the gifts of God and pray for personal revelation. For me, when I first read them, it was an "aha" moment when suddenly the big picture of God's creation, salvation, and love for us came into sight! To prophesy means simply to declare, preach, or proclaim. 1 Cor. 14:3 "...he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding encouragement, and consolation." Paul goes on to say prophecy edifies the church! He tells us he wishes we all would...prophesy..in other words, to encourage, console, and build one another up! It is that simple...prophecy is an act of love toward the church...and through Paul God himself told us to use it. Many scriptures address this gift and the others and most folks believe the ones they choose to-the ones they aren't afraid to accept from God. Have you ever been afraid to accept a gift of love from a parent? In the OT the Holy Spirit fell upon men, but now we all have the Holy Spirit within us once we are saved. That means quite simply that God put the comforter in us so we could avail ourselves of that power whenever we need to. We can let it lay dormant or we can embrace it.
The TRUTH about prophecy... what it is not...it is not "fortune telling" for gosh sake - it is not of satan as some would say-it isn't even just for Biblical times! How I know...I read the Bible, study God's word, and I see God used this for discipline before Christ at times when speaking to the prophets of the Old Testament, Paul encouraged us that all should use this gift in the new Testament, and the word teaches what the appropriate use of it is! It is, since Christ, a gift of "encouragement" that believers exercise to build one another up in their most holy faith! Why have so many believers failed to see this? Partly due to the failure to study (not just read) God's word, partly due to being taught error, and partly due to the enthusiasm of those who do understand it to misuse the gift which then leads others to disbelieve the gift. The same is true of healing, faith, and all the other gifts-if we abuse them we mislead others into doubt of the reality and power of the gifts God has bestowed upon us for our well-being.
Why should we care about prophecy? Well, for one thing the entire Bible is a prophetic book! The OT is rich with the prophetic and a large part of it is devoted to the prophets of God. The book of Revelation is an exciting book of God's prophetic word to the apostle John. The problem comes when we do not realize that the gift of prophecy is actually a gift of love and that we were instructed in it's use and value. I cringe whenever someone extracts something from the word of God and says this part isn't meant for "today" or "I don't believe this part" - the word of God is all both to be believed and to be of value for us today. Somehow I think that God himself must cringe when we disbelieve his word and his gifts. I wonder how much we grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to embrace the third person of the trinity with the same degree of belief as we do the Father and the Son? Yet look at the absolutely weird things people believe in the world today, and yes, even Christians believe some very strange things but can't wrap their brains around the power of the creator of the universe.
My belief is that we all should look at the specific scriptures in regard to the Holy Spirit and the gifts of God and pray for personal revelation. For me, when I first read them, it was an "aha" moment when suddenly the big picture of God's creation, salvation, and love for us came into sight! To prophesy means simply to declare, preach, or proclaim. 1 Cor. 14:3 "...he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding encouragement, and consolation." Paul goes on to say prophecy edifies the church! He tells us he wishes we all would...prophesy..in other words, to encourage, console, and build one another up! It is that simple...prophecy is an act of love toward the church...and through Paul God himself told us to use it. Many scriptures address this gift and the others and most folks believe the ones they choose to-the ones they aren't afraid to accept from God. Have you ever been afraid to accept a gift of love from a parent? In the OT the Holy Spirit fell upon men, but now we all have the Holy Spirit within us once we are saved. That means quite simply that God put the comforter in us so we could avail ourselves of that power whenever we need to. We can let it lay dormant or we can embrace it.
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