Prophecy: The Voice of God

Ezekiel 34:1 “And the word of the Lord came to me.”

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle’s sermon touched on the subject of prophecy. Prophecy is, as defined by Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, a foretelling; prediction; a declaration of something to come. As God only knows future events with certainty, no being but God or some person informed by Him, can utter a real prophecy. The prophecies recorded in Scripture, when fulfilled, afford most convincing evidence of the divine original of the Scriptures, as those who uttered the prophecies could not have foreknown the events predicted without supernatural instruction. Prophecy is telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind. When done right, it is water to the thirsty soul. We are not to withhold God’s message, but we are to stay within the Bible’s boundaries.

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, your young men shall see visions.”

How are we to seek the prophetic Voice of God in the church and in the Believer’s life today? Kyle gave us some things that Scripture teaches about prophecy. (1) It is real. (2) Its human agents have always been fallible. A prophetic word will never contradict God’s authority. We need to minimize our own thoughts and ideas. (3) Its human agents should be weighed. We need to use our God given wisdom and examine the prophetic Word. (4) We don’t need it; but we should seek it. Prophecy is a gift, not a moment-by-moment measure of our life. (5) Most prophecy in the Bible is simply teaching.

1 Corinthians 14:1 “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”

Pastor Kyle  gave us five simple ways to start seeking the prophetic voice of God without getting weird. (1) Respond to the Holy Spirit’s promptings with more spontaneous prayer. Everyone admits that they need to pray more. (2) Listen for spontaneous messages from the Lord (focusing on the one for me). We need to be patiently waiting on the Lord, while looking for His word with open hearts and minds. Be hearing from God what we need, right when we need it. (3) Apply it to others through spontaneous encouragement. (4) It’s better to say:“I think” or “I feel” rather than “God told me”. God will never tell us to do anything that contradicts his Word. God is to get the glory; not us. We do not see everything that is going on in the “Big Scheme” of things, except for what is revealed to us by the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.”

(5) Keep in mind it’s a tool for the church’s edification; not self-edification. But, prophecy is not some learned spiritual lingo to build us up. Prophecy is for the building up of the body of Christ. We do not share in God’s glory; we want others to see and hear God.

In Christ, Brian