1 Thessalonians 5:20, ‘Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].’ AMP
When we think of the prophetic, there are various ideas as to what its nature, purpose and execution. The office of the Prophet has been widely abused and the very essence has been tainted and tarnished to the point that it has become misunderstood and despised. How then do we erase this stigma and give the respect and honour of the prophetic? By understanding how it came about, let us to go back to the earliest accounts of the gift and ministry of the prophetic to ascertain the true function it was used for. First we must know of the
1. Origin of Prophecy – if we do not know where it came from we will never fully understand why we are supposed to embrace and respect this office/gift/ministry. There are two things we ought to know about it, firstly.
a. It is God’s Word - 2 Peter 1:21, ‘for no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.’ Prophecy does not come from Man but from God, it is his word to us not man’s word to us.
b. It is a Good Word - 1 Corinthians 2:13, ‘And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit,’ These words are from God and as a result will be words that he will speak to us, words of hope, comfort, strength and power.
2. The Oration of Prophecy – How does God let us know what he is trying to say, when we for various reasons are unable to hear his voice. Hebrews 1:1, ‘In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets,’ So by this we know that God uses man to speak his words. These words brought forth can accomplish a myriad of functions but two things I would like for us to grasp to are.
c. To bring Correction - 2 Kings 17:13,’ Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all the prophets and all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the Law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.’ When we live contrary to the word of God, he sends his prophets to bring correction, not just to individuals but to nations as well.
d. To bring Comfort - Isaiah 50:4,’ [The Servant of God says] The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.’ When we are so broken and weary, God will send his prophets to minister to us to bring, courage and hope to fight the good fight.
3. The Operation of Prophecy – Now that we know about the origin and oration of the prophetic, let us consider the operation of it, or how does this gift/office/ministry work. There is a power that works with prophecy and the power is twofold because the very nature lies in the fact that it is.
e. Rooted in the Spirit - 1 Corinthians 2:13, ‘combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].’ It is not based on the emotional state of neither the prophet nor the based on the bias of a servant but rooted in the Holy Spirit.
f. Rooted in the Scripture - 2 Peter 1:20,’ [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).’ Every word of Prophecy must be rooted in the word of God and must be in line with what is written in the Holy Bible.
The gift/office/ministry of the Prophet is not something to take lightly nor is it to be despised. It has been misinterpreted and abused for many years but we must realign our concept of it. At the end of the day once we remember that the Prophetic has a heavenly origin. It is God’s word to us and it is a good word. We need to understand that the oration is unique because God uses humans to bring forth correction from him and also to comfort us in our times of need. The operation of the prophetic is powerful because it is deeply rooted in the spiritual realm and in the Holy Scriptures. I know that from this day forth we are not going to despise, debate, denounce or make a debacle of the Prophetic, we thank God for his wisdom and work shall we bow our heads in prayer...
