Finally, prophecy

This month we come to the topic of prophecy. Or to be more accurate, the New Testament gift of prophecy. If we don’t use this longer title a host of red herrings surface as the “anti-gifts for today" mob panic that some of us are receiving new revelations. Worse still – special revelations.

I would never choose to start in defensive mode. But as my algorithms navigate various social media sites for me – I can’t help but notice (particularly from the United States) that Christian conservative views are posted at an almost militant level. Doctrinal issues we would have discussed back in the early 1980s are still being presented by some today. So, on a positive note, I would like to give a shoutout to York’s One Voice – a weekly gathering of Christians across that great and historic UK city who met to pray. A broad spectrum of people from an equally broad-spectrum of local congregations, yet the core facilitators (for the years I was there, 2009-2022) created a culture of charismatic spirituality in the midst of varying degrees of differing doctrinal positions. In the name of love and for the sake of our city we prayed as one (one voice) often and deliberately with prophetic input from the gathered faithful.      

Continuing on a personal note, I’ve been rubbing shoulders with prophetic types since the late 1980s, attending conferences, sharing platforms, and reading books – I have NEVER come across anyone in any of these contexts suggesting they are receiving special revelation, some previously hidden material, needed to complete or enhance the Scriptures.

Read your Bible!

We prophecy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9), more obscuration than revelation (Proverbs 25:2) like a distorted image in an ancient mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12), which is why all such utterances need weighing (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Prophecy is to strengthen, encourage and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). It’s not doctrinal. It’s not bringing a new word, but rather, it allows (if not grieved or quenched) the Holy Spirit to shine a light and illuminate God’s truths.

Often, we seek to call forth the ‘gold’ – to bring spiritual encouragement. Where the world bombards us with messaging, deliberate disinformation and less intentional misinformation, God’s people can rise above this and speak truth. Not only eternal saving truth, but because God has numbered the hairs on our head: personal, intimate, relational, pastoral truths.

As the gift of prophecy matures, we enter a place I call, Kingdom culture. You can apply this to all the ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11, which are explicitly linked to maturing the local church. Most of us grow in specific environments: Sunday mornings, midweek groups, conferences. We probably first dabbled in prophecy with much hesitation, in some orchestrated event, often on a Saturday, where, after some rudimental teaching, you were put in a small group, and pretty much told to prophesy over each other. To your amazement, you did, and it seemed to have value. Kingdom environments seem to be the norm. We often operate in evangelism, because a special activity has been organised expecting us to be on the street with literature or in a room with some helpful presentational aids. You might discover that many of the people on your preaching rota only unpack Scripture when asked to occupy the pulpit. These are all examples of low-level ministry practice: the pre-arranged environment is designed to trigger a Kingdom gift. Kingdom culture is when you operate spiritually as your default mode. You might see this with those we call ‘gifted evangelists’ – they just can’t help themselves. In regards to the subject at hand, when I pray for someone, I prophesy. It’s my start-up mode. I don’t waste words on being overly pastoral. I don’t play the games of being some self-taught psychologist spouting forgettable wisdom I saw on social media. I pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18) with all sorts of prayers, but hopefully primarily Spirit-led and pastorally insightful – that’s the New Testament gift of prophecy.

We all need confirmation and affirmation from time to time. Good parenting involves this. Well, my Heavenly Father not only disciplines but encourages too.

The apostle Paul encouraged many churches, and sometimes with stern words. He shed light on the life and ministry of Jesus and reminded us of our new identity in Christ. He was at times heavily theological, yet also practical in his applications. Even at times personal –

Tell Archippus: see to it that you complete the ministry you have received from the Lord. Colossians 4:17.

A public reading of that letter (which was the norm) would have got Archippus’s attention! And very probably further encouragements from those witnessing Paul’s words. I say that, because I’ve been in scores of similar situations, in various settings in many countries, when a word spoken over an individual (with hesitation and ignorance) clearly resonated with those present who knew far more about the person’s situation – a word of encouragement, weighed instantly by those present, that leads to the strengthening of the recipient. Now that’s what I call prophecy.    

And yes, annoyingly, for balance, it can bring abuse, and confusion. But those things aren’t biblical, they’re never the aim. If a large body of water is only seen as place where you might drown, we’d have no swimming, no boats, no international trade routes. We’d also lose a lot of Bible verses, Bible events, and ancient prophetic imagery.

Someone once said, “Faith is spelt, R-I-S-K. And if you want to walk on water, you first have to step out of the boat.”  

I’m not endorsing recklessness. But for faith to be truly faith, it needs to be exercised with a certain amount of uncertainty and humility. Welcome to the world of prophecy – where we operate in love, praying for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, in order to strengthen, encourage, and comfort one another.

Follow the guidelines in the Finally – Prophecy handout and begin to change the way you pray and minister. You’ll probably start in those awkwardly created environments, but soon, it will become your cultural norm. Amen.