In other words, don't be a prophecy hater.
I recently had a spiritual curve ball thrown at me. You know what those are like?
If you don't, maybe you aren't spending enough time studying the Bible or you
aren't open to the Spirit teaching you new things. Personally, I love spiritual
curve balls. They are exhilaration in a life that can seem rote and agonizingly
routine without them. I love that God likes teaching us new things. I love that
our perspective can always change and that Bible verse we always thought meant
one thing comes to mean something completely different.
If you're like the majority
of believers that I walk with, that last sentence probably made you
uncomfortable. We don't like our rules of belief being toyed with. We use the
verse that warns against adding to God's Word to shut off people that try to
give a new spin on an idea we thought we already had down.
But Beth Moore had my
complete attention in her video study on 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV) when she
tackled the taboo topic of prophecies. The verses simply say "Do not put
out the Spirit's fire. Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything.
Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."
It was one of the verses
that, as a result of my upbringing, my brain kind of stumbled over, mumbling
the words without considering them. Because, after all, there's no such thing
as present-day prophecy. We already have the Bible. We don't need any new
revelations.
It occurs to me that many
times when the church has largely decided that one thing isn't possible because
another thing is true, that both things turn out to be truth. This is the
paradox of a big, encompassing God who is too large for us to fit our minds
neatly around is an exercise of faith - agreeing that he is something even
though we don't understand how it could be.
The definition of prophecy
according to Merriam Webster has several meanings:
1. One who utters divinely inspired revelations.
2. One gifted with more than ordinary spiritual or moral insight. (Like an inspired poet.)
3. One who fortells future events.
4. An effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine or group.
As you can see, there are a couple meanings that will make the most open-minded saint gulp back a protest. But is there anything in this definition that makes God put up his hands in alarm and expel a breath of worry?
Now let's think about the original meaning according to the Greek. The word used for "treat with contempt" or "despise" meant to downgrade or make less of something. The word for "prophecies" meant a proclamation of God's Word. It could be a new revelation, or simply restating what has already been revealed in a way that causes people to see it with a fresh perspective. There can be a supernatural element.
According to these words, God tells us not to write anything off. We should test anything with the sharp blade of Scripture, of course.
I think what makes people worry about prophecy is that it's not easily contained or understood. People just know and understand things about the world and about what the Bible says that others couldn't grasp on their own. It's like art. When we look at a painting, listen to music or read a story, we get a glimpse of almost ethereal knowledge of concepts and ideas put forth by "prophets."
As you can see, there are a couple meanings that will make the most open-minded saint gulp back a protest. But is there anything in this definition that makes God put up his hands in alarm and expel a breath of worry?
Now let's think about the original meaning according to the Greek. The word used for "treat with contempt" or "despise" meant to downgrade or make less of something. The word for "prophecies" meant a proclamation of God's Word. It could be a new revelation, or simply restating what has already been revealed in a way that causes people to see it with a fresh perspective. There can be a supernatural element.
According to these words, God tells us not to write anything off. We should test anything with the sharp blade of Scripture, of course.
I think what makes people worry about prophecy is that it's not easily contained or understood. People just know and understand things about the world and about what the Bible says that others couldn't grasp on their own. It's like art. When we look at a painting, listen to music or read a story, we get a glimpse of almost ethereal knowledge of concepts and ideas put forth by "prophets."
This is personal. Some of us have been told our whole lives that our spiritual gift is invalid. (Fortunately, this type can't seem to help themselves and will go about seeing the world the way they were meant to regardless of the shame they receive from others.) But I was always a little confused, because discernment, knowledge, faith and teaching didn't encapsulate my calling. There was always something missing, and I had always been taught to dismiss prophecy.
As weird as it may sound to the more practical and logical in God's church, there are some of us who can see, feel, understand and grasp things others can't. That's okay. It's nothing to be afraid of. We won't "do somersaults in the aisle or sacrifice chickens on the altar" as Beth Moore put it.
You will find value in taking those gifted with prophecy seriously. And you will recognize these people by their fruit, as Matthew 7 instructs. Look around. Look for the one with tears flooding their face at a spoken idea or the words of a song, or even a beautiful poem or a sunset. They are the ones that never quite fit in, that always have their own way of putting things. They tend to be quiet because they know their ideas are new and different. They tend to be discouraged and dismayed by routine, tradition and cliche.
But they are here to help. To show you something God said in a new way. If they have a solid biblical base, just as any believer should have, they won't lead you astray, though they will frequently challenge your preconceived notions. And God gave you an out. He said to test everything. You have the permission to reject anything that doesn't line up with God's Word.
And so do those gifted with prophecy.
As weird as it may sound to the more practical and logical in God's church, there are some of us who can see, feel, understand and grasp things others can't. That's okay. It's nothing to be afraid of. We won't "do somersaults in the aisle or sacrifice chickens on the altar" as Beth Moore put it.
You will find value in taking those gifted with prophecy seriously. And you will recognize these people by their fruit, as Matthew 7 instructs. Look around. Look for the one with tears flooding their face at a spoken idea or the words of a song, or even a beautiful poem or a sunset. They are the ones that never quite fit in, that always have their own way of putting things. They tend to be quiet because they know their ideas are new and different. They tend to be discouraged and dismayed by routine, tradition and cliche.
But they are here to help. To show you something God said in a new way. If they have a solid biblical base, just as any believer should have, they won't lead you astray, though they will frequently challenge your preconceived notions. And God gave you an out. He said to test everything. You have the permission to reject anything that doesn't line up with God's Word.
And so do those gifted with prophecy.
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