The Gift of Prophecy
As a church, we want to overflow with the Holy Spirit. We want the Holy Spirit to move in power amongst us, transforming our hearts, our church and the communities around us.
Our prayer is that we fall in love with the Holy Spirit again. That we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and are released to operate in them freely.
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
So what is the gift of prophecy?
The gift of prophecy is all about communication. When we talk about prophecy, what we’re talking about is how through the Holy Spirit, God communicates his heart and his will for us as his children, and for the world he created. Prophecy is about God speaking, and us learning to hear his voice.
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…”
God has always wanted to communicate with his people. At the very beginning of the Bible, in the first few chapters, we see God walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. However, when sin came into the world, it damaged the communication channel between us and God.
Throughout the Old Testament, God gives specific messages to specific people. The Old Testament prophets communicate God’s encouragement, warning and correction to the people of Israel.
And then in Acts 2 we see the fulfilment of one of those Old Testament prophecies:
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
When Jesus died on the cross, he repaired our broken relationship with God. After he rose again and ascended to heaven, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The communication channels between God and his people were restored.
If you are a follower of Jesus, if you have accepted him as your Lord and Saviour, you can be filled with the Holy Spirit, and learn to hear God’s voice. God is always speaking, but we need to keep learning how to hear.
This doesn’t happen automatically, but takes practice. Learning to hear God’s voice can be a bit like tuning an analogue radio, where you turn the tuning knob, navigating through static to find the point where the channel comes through clearly. In the same way, we need to learn to ‘tune in’ to the voice of God, to hear him clearly and free from distraction.
Tuning in comes through practice.
Practicing listening. Taking time to slow down and wait for God to speak. He might bring a particular Bible verse to mind, or a picture in your imagination, or a lyric from a worship song.
Practicing weighing. God isn’t going to say something that doesn’t align with the Bible. “Is this consistent with scripture?” is a good question to ask when we’re weighing whether something is from God or not.
Practicing sharing. Often God speaks to us and gives us prophetic words that are meant to be shared with other people. We need to not be afraid, but practice stepping out, having a go and sharing what God has said with those around us.
God wants us to be a church that hear his voice. A church that can discern when God is speaking. And a church that communicates God’s voice to the world around us.
We are called to bring hope to the Cherwell Valley. Stepping out in the gift of prophecy is part of that. As we speak God’s words of hope into the hopelessness that we see in the world it will change the atmosphere, it will transform the cultures of our neighbourhoods and communities into a greater likeness of the kingdom of God.
God’s word changes everything. That’s what prophecy is all about.