When we begin to develop our prophetic gift, it can be very daunting to step out for the first time.

We want to speak God’s message and share His heart and plans with people. However, we are faced with the certain fact that no matter how hard we pray, learn or try, we are never going to know or express God’s revelations perfectly (1 Cor 13:9,12).

It is true that the prophetic gift does sharpen and become more accurate with experience and Christian maturity. However, even mature, seasoned prophets in the church today are not infallible and do not get prophetic words 100% correct all the time.

To understand the Biblical basis for this, let’s take a quick look at the difference between prophetic ministry in the Old and New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, prophets were expected to speak the perfectly inspired word of God. Many of the Old Testament scriptures were either prophetic in nature or written by prophets (Heb 1:1). If prophets did not speak a word that proved true, they were condemned as ‘false prophets’ (Jer 14:14-16).

However the New Testament portrays prophetic ministry in the church very differently to this. Like other spiritual gifts, prophecy is not meant to be a stand-alone ministry in the church. It is incomplete without the added value of other gifts in the church body (1 Cor 12:12), and is subject to being tested and weighed up (1 Cor 14:29, 1 Thess 5:20-21).

Imagine what it would be like if a prophet prophesied perfectly all of the time, or if a particular teacher taught 100% perfect doctrine, or if someone with a gift of healing was able to heal every sick person they laid their hands on! We would be tempted to revere and rely on the gifted person, instead of depending upon God.

Instead, God in His wisdom has ordained that we use His spiritual gifts by faith (Rom 12:6), and in interdependence upon each other.

The person prophesying needs those who have gifts of discernment, leadership and wisdom to complete their contribution to the church. He or she also depends upon other prophets to supply more ‘pieces of the puzzle’ of God’s revelation (1 Cor 14:29-33). Prophetic ministry needs an environment of humility, cooperation and grace to operate as Jesus intended it to.

Here are some more amazing facts about New Testament prophetic ministry:

1. In the New Testament, the Lord has placed prophetic ministry within the reach of every believer. It is on the heart of God that we be a prophetic people.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said,

‘This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18)

Every Spirit-filled believer has the ability to prophesy. This scripture also tells us something about the prophetic language of the Holy Spirit: prophecies, dreams and visions. If this is the language of the Holy Spirit, then we need to know how to listen to and understand what He is saying.

2. In the New Testament, we see that there are different functions, or levels of prophecy in the church

Examples of these are:

• The ability to prophesy available to every Spirit-filled believer (Acts 2:17-18)
• A spiritual gift of prophecy. Note that Paul encourages all believers in the church to desire this gift (See 1 Cor 14:1,5,31)
• The office of the prophet in the context of the five-fold ministries (Eph 4:11)

Even within these ministries there is variation in strengths and styles of gifting. As you seek to grow your prophetic gifts, you will discover that God has a unique expression and arena for your ministry.

3. The New Testament reveals that there are many different arenas in which the gift of prophecy can be used.

Some of these are:

• Prophetic evangelism (John 1:47-51)
• Prophetic ministry in the church (1 Cor 14)
• Prophetic ministry to a church movement or across many churches (Acts 15:30-32)
• Prophetic ministry to a group, region or nation (Acts 11:28)

4. Our church is the environment that God has ordained for us to develop and share our gifts.

No matter what the arena or level of prophetic ministry you and I are called to, it is important that we be accountable to our church and church leaders and sent out from a local church (1 Cor 14, Acts 15:30-33). The basic guidelines applied in the Bible to New Testament prophetic ministry apply to us today.

As a prayer leader in a church, my desire is to provide a safe place to nurture and grow prophetic people in their ministry every step of the way. In our church, we provide a place where individuals who are growing in their prophetic gift can have a go, sometimes get it wrong, and try again. As my team pastors and equips people with prophetic gifts, we watch in wonder, as the miraculous message from God transforms the lives of both giver and receiver alike. For New Testament prophetic ministry is not a work of perfection, but of grace in community.

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Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blogs and teaching to help you grow in your gift of prophecy
• notifications about online prophetic training opportunities
• news of resources to help develop your prophetic gift

Check here for online prophetic training opportunities in 2010

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See also:

Signs that you have a Prophetic Gift

How to Develop Your Prophetic Gift

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing

I raced into our rumpus room, preparation for an upcoming meeting in my mind. Suddenly I had a brain-blank. Why had I come into this room? I couldn’t remember at all—how annoying! Retracing my steps back to where I had started, the purpose for my mission suddenly dawned on me. I had gone there to retrieve a DVD that I needed to return to the friend who had lent it to me.

Sometimes church life can be like this. I develop sudden-onset amnesia. Stuff happens. Discouragement looms, prophetic dreams are delayed, there are hurts, and decisions are made that seem to be taking our church in a different direction than I had expected…I have to continually remind myself, ‘Why am I here?’ And “What is the purpose for me to exercise my prophetic gift, my intercessory gift—or any other spiritual gift?

I love this passage from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1-4, ‘Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy…But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

The Strongs concordance tells me that the word edifies means, ‘to be a house-builder’. My great passion is to build the house (Church). However, that purpose is something I need to keep in mind, or—like my wasted visit to the rumpus room, other distractions and motivations will crowd it out.

Our goal in prophetic ministry, in intercession and whatever ministry we are involved with, should ALWAYS be to build the house – so that the vision and mission of the church be fulfilled.

Proverbs 14v1 tells me,

The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Years ago I sat, appalled, as a woman with a prophetic gift ‘prophesied’ to our pastor that our church was doomed for destruction. Unsurprisingly, she left our church soon afterwards. It’s wisdom to use my prophetic gift to build my church—and foolishness to use it to tear it down.

Since that time I have made it a number one priority to teach our prayer community and prophetic people to be blessers and ‘cheerleaders’ of our church and leaders. And our prayer area is thriving.

I want to remember what I’m here for!

****************************************************************************************

Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?

Enter your email address in the subscribe box at the right hand side of this page to receive:

• regular blogs and teaching to help you grow in your gift of prophecy
• notifications about online prophetic training opportunities
• news of resources to help develop your prophetic gift

Check here for online prophetic training opportunities in 2010

****************************************************************************************
See also:

Understanding How Prophetic Ministry Works in the Church Today

© Helen Calder   Enliven Publishing