I’m disturbed by recent exposures of casual, careless, and cavalier attitudes toward prophesying. It’s time to refresh our understanding of the incredible privilege of speaking for God.
For a robust view of prophecy to begin with, we need to understand both the similarities and the differences between prophecy in the Old and New Testaments.
Prophecy in the Old Testament largely served to remind God’s people to return to his covenant when they (repeatedly) strayed.
By contrast, the main purpose of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort believers. The main role of the New Testament prophet is to help equip, mature, and unify the church.
That said, a keen, prophetic edge continues from Old to New Testament—the sharp blade of God’s holiness.
We’re not only warned in the Old Testament to serve God with trembling. The New Testament provides harsh warnings as well.
Ananias and Sapphira agree together to lie about the amount for which they sold some land so they could keep part of the proceeds but still look generous (Acts 5:1-11).
Peter confronts Ananias for letting Satan fill their hearts and lie to the Holy Spirit, and Ananias drops dead. Sapphira comes in later, forfeits her chance to come clean, and meets the same fate.
Paul crosses paths with a false prophet named Elymas, who exudes a strong influence on the governor of that province. Elymas tries to steer the governor away from the faith, which prompts this Spirit-inspired response from Paul:
“You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.”
Paul also warns his protégé Timothy concerning certain false teachers, whom Paul has
“… delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20).”
Folks dropping dead, going blind, delivered over to Satan—these are not Old Testament narratives. They are stories of the early Church.
The Spirit who enabled prophets in the Old Testament to speak the words of God to his people is the same Spirit who enables us to speak prophetic messages today.
He’s the Holy Spirit.
Just like our ancient sisters and brothers, believers today can fail to take the holiness of God seriously.
We can become enamored of God’s power flowing through us. We can desire a spiritual gift for the profit we might make from it.
We can even be guilty of blasphemy, teaching false doctrine, and leading people away from faith in Christ.
It’s pretty clear God is cleaning house these days.
He’s exposing people who use ministry as a means to live extravagantly by taking advantage of others’ trust.
He’s shining light on wicked deeds done in darkness for decades. He’s exposing false shepherds as wolves who prey on the sheep.
Brothers and sisters, we must recognize the weighty responsibility that comes with walking in the Spirit’s power and speaking his words to others.
Spiritual gifts are not toys for our amusement, tools for building a personal empire, or tickets to worldly wealth.
The writer of Hebrews warns,
“…worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
Prophecy is a holy God speaking to humans through humans—a remarkable reality we must embrace with trembling humility.
Today as in ancient times, the searing edge of his holiness cuts sharp and deep.
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Image by Gordon Taylor from Pixabay
