Sunday, March 23, 2008

The Difference in the Gift of Prophecy and a Prophet

The gift of prophecy spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:10 is for edification, exhortation and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). Any member in the body of Christ who moves in the gift of prophecy speaks words to build up, exhort, and comfort others.

A prophet speaks prophetic words that can, at times, include things to come, but that is different from one who speaks the gift of prophecy. As I am sure you know, the gift of prophecy is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12. The prophet is a gift himself from Jesus Christ to His Church (Ephesians 4:11). He moves in the gifts of the Spirit as other members of the body of Christ are to do, but he himself is a gift from the Lord. If the Lord speaks to him something about the future, it would usually fall under the gift of the word of wisdom. Speaking about the future is just a small part of the ministry of a prophet. Any real prophet is going to be preaching the Word of God and specifically emphasizing what God wants said to His people. For example, any and all real and mature prophets called by God will presently be ministering repentance to the Church because the Church is in desperate need of repentance.

Most of these guys seen on television who are presented as prophets need to repent themselves. I will deal more with that in the future. Some of these words that Charisma puts forth as prophetic words are well intentioned, but ... They sound good, but that is about it. I will not say more at this time. (Sorry if this offends.) When you meet or hear a true and mature prophet, you will understand the difference. A. W. Tozer was a true prophet. I encourage you to study his writings and listen to any recordings that you can find.

People sometimes confuse prophecy and words from a prophet because they are spelled similarly. Prophets do at times speak prophetic words concerning the future, but, if they do, it is not the gift of prophecy at work. It is the gift of the word of wisdom. The gift of prophecy is not for giving revelation. It motivates because it edifies, exhorts, and comforts. The gifts of the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and the gift of discerning of spirits give revelation about things.

If the prophet moves in power, then he is moving in one or all of the following: the gift of faith, the gifts of healings, or the working of miracles. Tongues and interpretation of tongues are often considered in the same category as the gift of prophecy. They motivate!

God bless you! I enjoy sharing the things of God and His Word.

Visit our internet ministry at JesusandHisWord.org. There are messages found under the heading of messages and also under the heading of truth for today.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Where are the faithful?

We must quit doing things the Black way, the White way, the American way, the Aussie way, or any other way except THE Way. We must have disciples who know Jesus and His Word! The eyes of the Lord still searches the earth looking for those who will be loyal to Him, looking for disciples who will deny all to follow Jesus and return to living by the biblical way. Who will break free from modernized or post-modernized Christianity?

Who will quit listening to these prophets who are always talking about some new thing, some new move, some new wave, etc. They always come up with these things that make each generation feel special. It works generation after generation because it feeds the fleshly ego. People who should know better go along with it because they use their mind of reason and natural emotions, and think and/or say "at least they are going to church." It is time to quit going to church and become the Church that has Christ formed within.

Who will really live for Jesus? Who will decrease that He may increase? Who will preach Jesus and Him crucified and the gospel of His kingdom without tainting it? Who will get on their face before God and stay there until He frees them from the junk that is being promoted as revival, and from all the false, carnal and immature ministers who have flooded the Church? Where are the faithful? Many are in other countries, often being persecuted and killed for being true disciples! Professing Christians of the West, wake up! Any true, mature prophet of God is preaching repentance first to the Church and then to the lost.

Presently, all too often, if the lost start going to church, they become more like that particular church than like Jesus. Let's repent and then make disciples who have Christ formed within. Let's preach to those who are about to receive Jesus that they are accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. Let's make it clear from the beginning! Let's tell them that they are probably going to have persecution and not material prosperity. (Watch these false prosperity teachers start to whine about being persecuted.) Then we will have a Church that turns the world upside down for Jesus Christ. We are going to quit playing games and have true godly restoration, or we are going to have devilish storms. I choose repentance and godly restoration! How about you?

Friday, March 21, 2008

Judging with a Good Spirit

All Christians would benefit from knowing what the gift of prophecy is and what it is not. They would also benefit from knowing the difference in prophetic words spoken by a true prophet and the gift of prophecy. While we are at it, they would also benefit by knowing the difference in a true prophet and a false prophet.

There are false prophets at work in the Church, and because people are afraid to judge, they are wreaking havoc on parts of the Church. One of the things that keeps innocent people from judging is a sincere but definite misunderstanding about Matthew 7:1. False prophets love to control people with a misunderstanding about judging and about spiritual authority. Matthew 7:1 is a wonderful truth of God when rightly divided, but a devastating tool for Satan when wrongly divided. Matthew 7:1 and 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, rightly divided, would greatly help protect the body of Christ from Satan's ministers disguised as ministers of righteousness.

There is a place to call names, but just as some are too quick to shout, "Do not judge," others are too quick to condemn and call names. They are actually right sometimes with what they are saying, but they are wrong in their own spirit. That is what Matthew 7:1 is about—it teaches not to have a bad, judgmental spirit.
The lesson to be learned is this: Get your own spirit right, and then you can apply 1 Corinthians 5 and 6.

Others have been fed cheap grace and sloppy love, and they are blind to the truth that false prophets do need to be exposed and judged. Oftentimes, they are so blinded that they cannot recognize or admit that someone is a false prophet or teacher. One thing to remember, though, is that a minister can be wrong without being false. Another thing to know and remember is that a little leaven ministered by a real minister is very harmful to the Church.

Let's get our own spirits right with God. Let's identify the false prophets and false teachings. But let's not be guilty of having a bad attitude and a critical spirit. On the other hand, let's not be guilty of picking and choosing Scriptures and looking at things through rose-colored glasses. Let's put Matthew 7:1 together with 1 Corinthians 5 and 6. We need disciples who are balanced and mature, and who can discern between good and evil. Survival depends on it! Be careful of religious spirits!