FRIDAY
Our phrase again for this week is, “May God strengthen you” as a phrase of encouragement.
This week I want to end with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:3, as to the purpose of prophecy in the church. Now, it’s important to define prophecy, because we often think of it as just predicting the future. That may be part of it, but not always. Prophecy is essentially hearing and declaring the word of the Lord. God speaks to his people primarily through Scripture. Everything we think we hear from God in other means must align with the words of Scripture. But I believe God also speaks to his people in other ways: a dream or a vision, an audible voice, a feeling or an emotion or a strong sense, etc. Again, the meaning of these must all align with what we know of God in his revealed Word. In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul emphasizes the greater value of prophecy in the church over and against speaking in tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:1–3 1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
Prophecy, then, is meant to strengthen, encourage and comfort. We see this in many other places in Scripture, but here are a couple:
Acts 15:32 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
Daniel 10:18–19 18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
So as we speak, “May God strengthen you,” we should also be listening for God to speak words of encouragement and strengthening that we can relay to one another as well.
Prophetic words can easily be misused and abused. When someone says they have heard from the Lord, there is often no way others can refute that even if it seems to be off or just silly. However, we should not so quickly dismiss the prophetic from the life of the church. The correction to misuse is proper use, not disuse. So, again, every word of prophecy must be tested according to Scripture and it must be discerned with Christians who are wise and discerning. And of course we should always hold it loosely, not building our lives upon it and placing it in the place that only Scripture holds.
Prophetic words have been a great encouragement to me in my life. Before we planted the church, someone had a dream of the church as an almond tree that remains strong with roots that spread far and wide. One person shared a dream with me that helped me recognize my need for rest and spiritual nourishment. Another shared dreams with me that have helped me see what God is doing in our church. One person had a dream that directly spoke into the situation of another person without knowing anything about the situation. I’ve had strong senses of God saying something in prayer that has helped me not lose heart through incredibly difficult times. I’ve witnessed someone hearing God say, “I love you,” and being brought to tears. I’ve witnessed someone seeing a picture of heaven and its glory when they were struggling with the fear of death. I’ve read passages of Scripture that seem to leap off the page and apply to the immediate situation I’m facing.
In all, we need the prophetic ministry in the church to strengthen, encourage and comfort one another. In short, we need to hear from God, the source of all strength, encouragement and comfort.
Reflection
Read Scripture as God’s words for our strengthening, encouragement and comfort. Spend some time listening for God today. Just be still before him and listen for him. If you think you hear him speaking, check it with Scripture. Does it sound like God who is revealed there? If you need help discerning, share it with others who are wise and discerning. Then ask, does it need to be shared? Is God revealing something to you specifically? If you think God is leading you to share it, do so in humility. Don’t come in strong with a, “Thus sayeth the Lord!” Instead, share the word with them and ask if that means anything to them.