Prophecy ~ Part 1 – God’s Gift to the Church

Prophecy ~ Part 1 – God’s Gift to the Church

By Pastor Gary Wayne

We recently spent four weeks talking about hearing from God.
1 Cor.12-14 was written to put in place needed instructions for the gifts of the Sprit to operate within a church service.

Text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 31, 39-40, Acts 2:16-18

We are still living in the time frame Peter preached about.
The words “last days” are a reference to the entire present church age, from the birth of Jesus to His second coming.
This span of time is where the gifts of the Spirit operate to empower us to fulfill our purpose and calling.
I want to point out that Joel, and Peter specifically mentioned prophesy as functioning in this time period. Prophsy is for today!

In this series, in a general way, when I refer to getting a word from God, I’m including all three - wisdom, knowledge or prophesy - a prophetic word.

In 2022, I did a series on “Spiritual Gifts.” In that series, I got more detailed on each of these gifts, and their function. Notes are in the back.

1Cor.14:1-5,
Notice the emphasis Paul places on prophesy operating in a gathering of believers.
Of all the spiritual gifts that Paul tells us to earnestly desire and seek, notice in ver. 1 Paul says “especially that you may prophesy.”

God intends for His church to be active in the prophetic because it is a HUGE benefit to a church service, and our individual function in ministry.

I believe because of the uniqueness of tongues, the believers in Corinth were out of balance, giving too much emphasis in tongues, so in ver. 2-5 Paul doesn’t put down the use of tongues, but rather helps us to realize that prophesy covers a larger function of communicating God’s heart.

The main purpose of prophesy operating in a gathering of believers is for edification, exhortation, and consolation.
Edification = to build up, Exhortation = to call near, Consolation = to cheer up.
Prophecy is not given to direct or correct the Body of Christ, but rather to encourage us.
Often people want prophecy to “tell us what is going to happen.” Give me the inside scoop, so I can have an advantage. This is a mis-understanding of this gift.

Ver.31 Every believer can prophesy.
Anyone who is saved and receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit can minister in the gifts of the Spirit.

Acts 2:17-18 on all mankind – men, women, young, old, etc.
It is clear from these verses that the gift of prophecy is available to EVERYONE!

Prophecy is a gift. Not earned, not because you arrived at a spiritual level.
It doesn’t tell others how spiritual you are or how advanced you are.

How do you get the gift of prophecy? You ask for it.
Scripture instructs us to simply ask for the “gift of the Holy Spirit. When you receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, you get Him.
As a result, you can now operate in any of the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy.

Ver.39-40