Gift of Prophesy

9 September 2024

Gift of Prophesy
●Simple Gift of Prophesy should not be confused with the prophetic office.
●1 Corinthians 14:3 reads
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
●So simple Prophesy consists of:

1. Edification
2. Exhortation
3. Comfort ●Truly speaking, does not involve
   1. Foretelling ❎️
   2. Revelation ❎️

●Prophesy in the Old Testament is more of Foretelling or predicting the future
●Prophesy in the New Testament is more of Forthtelling or proclamation .
●It can also be called inspired utterance
●Inspired utterance means that there is definitely an inspiration behind the utterance or speech.
●One major purpose of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is to arrest people’s attention !
●In Acts Chapter 2, we notice that the people were amazed by the events that took place ,
So infact the events that took place caught people’s attention, but yet no one was saved !!
● But then, when Peter stood up and spoke the Word of God, 3000 people were saved
●So the Gifts of the Holy Spirit can arrest people’s attention, but for true salvation to take place, one needs to hear the Word of God.
●Difference between simple Gift of prophesy and the office of the prophet
●Even if one operates in the simple gift of prophesy, it does not make that person a “Prophet “
●1 Corinthians 14:1 says
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy
●Here, Paul diligently asks everyone to desire to prophesy
●But in 1 Corinthians 12:28
Paul says
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
●So if prophesying made everyone who ever prophesied a prophet ,then here Paul would be contradicting himself!
●The fact that simple Prophesy operates through a person, it still does not make him a prophet .
●As an explanation, let us consider the simple fact
●Rich people have money
Most of us also have 💰 money.
●But the simple possession of money does not make one rich according to the definition the world gives of what it is to be rich.
●So, when you are in the office of the prophet ,you would operate on a very different level.
●When you are operating in the office of a prophet ,other gifts of the Spirit will be added to you.
●The person in the office of a prophet will have other gifts operating in him side by side with the gift of prophesy .
●These gifts are usually the gifts of Word of knowledge, Word of wisdom or discernment of Spirit (revelation gifts)
●These 3 gifts would usually be in operation in a person who is called to the office of a Prophet.
●If you are one who is called into the office of a prophet, you will start to predict the future of people , and you would also start revealing their secrets.
●A confirmation that a person is called into the office of a prophet is that he should have at least two of the revelation gifts along with the gift of prophesy operating consistently in his ministry.
●For a person to stand in the office of a prophet ,he should be called into the 5 fold ministry as a preacher or teacher and should progress to a stage where he has the revelation gifts operating with the gift of prophesy in a consistent manner .
●Acts 21 mentions Philip the evangelists’ daughters

21. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
    ●These 4 women had the gift of prophesy, but it does not make them prophets.
    ●In the same chapter in the very next verse (Verse 10-11), it says
    And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
    ●So even though the daughters prophesied this person mentioned above, “Agabus” is the one the Bible calls a “Prophet.”
    ●Then Agabus says
    When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “ Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
    ●Here, we see that this person is seen predicting the future of Paul .
    ●Also ,the writer of Acts calls Agabus a prophet, which would mean that the writer must have previously known him to be a person who holds the office of a prophet
    ●So a person to hold the office of a prophet should have at least 2 of the 3 revelation gifts of Word of knowledge, Word of wisdom, and discernment of spirits operating along with the simple gift of prophesy
    and again, these gifts must be consistent