Some time ago, I was given a suggestion to check out a certain minister with a large social media audience who regularly posts prophetic messages online. The person ardently following this (self-proclaimed) prophet considers him a major source of spiritual input for personal growth. I clicked on a couple of links and quickly decided not to trust this "prophet" for any kind of spiritual guidance. These days, anyone with a bit of Bible knowledge and familiarity with prophetic terminology can build a platform and attract followers. It’s pretty simple to convince lots of folks you Continue Reading
What Phoebe’s Story Tells Us about How Paul Saw Women
Rolling the scroll back together carefully, the woman tucks it into a smooth leather satchel. She wriggles into her sandals and secures them, slips the satchel over her head onto her shoulder, and grabs her favorite traveling cloak. As a businesswoman, this is not the first time she’s made the trip from Cenchreae to Rome, nor will it be the last. But this trip is special. At the door, she takes a deep breath and pauses for a moment, her hand on the satchel. A smile plays across her lips. She’s tasked with carrying her dear friend Paul’s letter to the believers who gather in Rome. Continue Reading
How the Gift of Prophecy Offers Strength, Encouragement and Comfort
During what many Christians called “the refreshing,” an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 1990’s, my family had spent a weekend attending special meetings at a church with a connection to our own. Before undertaking the 10-hour trip home, we stopped at a gas station. A long-haired, bearded man sat cross-legged on the station’s sidewalk. Beside him lay a small, grubby backpack. I walked by the unkempt stranger quickly as I herded my three young boys toward the gas station’s restrooms. “If you’re looking for the bathrooms, they’re that way.” He pointed. I thanked him curtly, not Continue Reading
How the Gift of Prophecy Functions in our Ordinary Lives
She sat alone at a picnic table in the local park, highlighting a hard-cover book and making notes in the margins. I planned to either read or take a nap in the shade while my husband completed the business meeting for which we’d come to this town. But the Holy Spirit prompted me to approach the woman. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so I asked if it was okay for me to sit at the other end of the table. She nodded as I opened my book. After a few minutes, I asked her name and what she was studying. Conversation began to flow, and I found out “Helen” was going through a Continue Reading