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Reclaiming Prophecy. Darin Slack
Читать онлайн.Название Reclaiming Prophecy
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isbn 9780996271646
Автор произведения Darin Slack
Жанр Религия: прочее
Издательство Ingram
One clear normative revelation in Holy Scripture is followed by countless Spirit-led revelations of His attributes and ways when we apply Scripture. These lesser revelations guide us to a deeper understanding of who He is in His Word, who He is in our lives, and who He desires to be through us.
A great example of this Scripture/prophecy relationship I once heard was by Bojidar Marinov, a missionary to Bulgaria (www.bulgarianreformation.com). He likened the Scriptures to science as the fixed nature of things and prophecy to the discipline of engineering as the application of that science. Engineering doesn’t do away with science; it draws from its foundation to meet specific applications and needs.
Ongoing prophecy applies scriptural truth and promises to our specific lives and situations; it doesn’t add to Scripture or take away from it. It is a means of grace God gives to enrich our understanding of who He has revealed Himself to be in Scripture.
2) The Spirit of Prophecy (1 Sam. 10:10; 1 Cor. 14:31; Acts 19:6)
A presiding gift from the Spirit
As the One who is sanctifying the Church, the Holy Spirit presides over our meeting together as believers. He manifests Himself through the various means of grace gifts He appointed in Scripture (1 Cor. 12, 14; Rom. 12), which includes the ability of anyone indwelt by the Holy Spirit to prophesy as He gives the grace and faith to speak (1 Cor. 14:31). This presiding gift manifested through a person of His choosing by the sovereign Holy Spirit is an expression of His love, encouragement, edification, and comfort to the people of God. It also has those same benefits on the person being used. They stepped out in faith to share something they spontaneously received from the Holy Spirit and were blessed by His affirmation and confirmation of what they shared.
Does this mean God cannot speak outside the church building or use other sources than those specifically in the church to speak? No, it doesn’t. He is sovereign over all and therefore can loose the tongue of a donkey to express His will (Num. 22:28) if He desires. He also spoke spontaneously through Saul in the Old Testament as a fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy over him (1 Sam. 19:24).
If the Holy Spirit desires, He can speak prophetically through anyone He chooses at any time, in any place. This is true of prophetic ministry within the church, as well as in evangelism. I recall receiving a word of knowledge and prophecy for a waitress while once sitting in a restaurant with friends. The Holy Spirit accurately revealed she had a boyfriend who did not know Christ and that she herself was being drawn back to Him. To affirm His love for her He told me to tell her that her boyfriend would be saved. She went away tearfully encouraged by the Spirit’s ministry to her, where she was, in her workplace. I was so excited to be used by God like that, but He wasn’t done that night.
Later, I left the restaurant so emboldened by the confirmation of the Spirit’s work in that girl that I obeyed His prompting to share the gospel with another young man wandering in the parking lot. I simply said, “Hey, do you know Jesus?” He said, “No.” I replied, “Would you like to? He loves you and died for your sins and He sent me over here to share some good news with you.” That was all that was said and I expected to be rebuffed quickly. He said, “Yes, I would.” No speeches or flowery words, just the truth as I understood it, and the Spirit moved on his heart. Amazingly, that young man enthusiastically accepted Christ right there on the spot!
As I rejoiced at God’s faithfulness and told the story to my friends a few cars away, the young waitress I had prophesied over earlier stepped out of the restaurant and crossed the parking lot to the young man that had just received Christ and kissed him—it was the boyfriend God had promised to save! When I saw the kiss and recognized what the Spirit had done in fulfilling that prophecy that same night, I screamed aloud in the parking lot. My friends thought I’d lost my mind, but mine was a heart deeply affected by the privilege of seeing my simple obedience rewarded with a glimpse of the unsearchable riches of God’s kindness through this gift!
Paul states that “all may prophesy one by one,” (1 Cor. 14:31) and what the basic requirements are for this to occur in a gathering of the believers. This would be a “spirit of prophecy” operating within the church, or anywhere for that matter. Here, a speaker is used in the biblically labeled gift of prophecy, but it’s not something they experience very often. This lack of frequency of use can be used to distinguish between those who operate in the gift of prophecy from time to time (spirit of prophecy) and those who seem to possess the frequency consistent with a resident gift (gift of prophecy).
When a “spirit of prophecy” comes on any person, in any place, at any time, it requires faith and obedience to speak, and all that is said must be tested by the truth of Holy Scripture and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
3) The Gift of Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10; Cor. 14:3)
An abiding gift from the Spirit
While anyone can prophesy, some are more active in sharing what the Holy Spirit is revealing to them. The genuine gift of prophecy in someone will typically be accompanied by an evident Christ-like character, humility, and faith. A person who operates in the gift of prophecy will usually receive impressions in multiple ways—dreams, visions, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and various types of prophecy. Those who function in this gift are told to do so according to their proportion of faith (Rom. 12:6).
Paul is encouraging those who hear God this way not to strive in their efforts, but to function at the level of their faith. This could mean we have faith to share with just one person in one setting all the way up to corporate words for thousands. At either end of the spectrum, it is still faith governing the execution. Nothing changes in terms of the need to test what is said from the person used this way, but if the gift is genuine it will have all the marks of the true gift—accuracy, anointing, encouragement, exhortation, and comfort. (Chapter 21 addresses the testing of prophecy in depth.)
4) The Office of Prophet (Eph. 4:11; Acts 11:27-28, 13:1, 15:32)
A residing gift from Jesus
According to Ephesians 4:11, there are individuals given by Jesus Christ himself to fulfill the calling of prophet to the church. These persons are gifts to the Church from Jesus Christ. This can be a congregational prophetic call to a local church, and in some cases an extra-local call to serve the broader Church around the world. The scope of the prophet’s gift will be discerned by those around him, and the Holy Spirit will make clear what He wants.
This confirmation will typically be recognized by the local pastoral leadership team, other prophets, apostles, and/or church leaders. This acknowledgment is usually made public through a commissioning and validation of their Ephesians 4 gift, a solemn charge to fulfill their ministry in obedience to the Spirit, and an increased responsibility and accountability of the prophet and leadership team caring for them.
He did it with Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13 by prophecy, and Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:14 when He confirmed callings and directed the elders to release his gift. These are men who not only prophesy, but also possess other gifts that qualify them to be used in leadership, teaching, and development of others.
They are called to equip the saints for works of ministry and build up the Church. The anointing on this person will be evident to all who are ministered to by them, and as their character grows, they will be released by the Holy Spirit to take their place alongside the elders in the church to care and provide for her.
These are not first-century Scripture-writing prophets, nor are they Old Testament prophets. They are generational, continuing prophets called to carry the mantle of God’s grace for the Church in their lifetime, leaving a legacy for those they train and release for the next generation. They are not solo shows of prophetic ministry;