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Understanding the Prophetic

Posted on 22 Sep 2019, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: Understanding the Prophetic

Text: Eph. 4:11-13, Rev. 19:10

[Eph 4:11] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

[Eph 4:12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

[Eph 4:13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

[Rev 19:10] And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Introduction

When we talk of the prophetic, there is a difference between the gift and the office.
Having the gift does not mean you occupy the office.
We just read in Eph. 4:11 that Jesus is the One that gave some to be prophets.
Jesus is the One that call some to become prophets.
Prophets don’t make themselves prophets. They are set in the office by Jesus Christ Himself.
Since we have a prophet coming for the prayer conference, we need to understand the prophetic for a couple of reasons:
- To not miss what God wants to do
- To avoid the abuse of what the prophetic is

Main Topic

1. The gifts of the Spirit

[1Co 12:7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

[1Co 12:8] for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,

[1Co 12:9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

[1Co 12:10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

[1Co 12:11] But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

In 1 Cor. 12:7-11, there are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that has been classified into 3 categories: Power Gifts, Gifts of Utterance, and Revelational Gifts.
- Power Gifts: Working of miracles, faith, gifts of healings
- Gifts of Utterance: Prophecy, diversity of tongues, and interpretation of tongues
- Revelation: Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits

2. Qualification for the Office of a Prophet

To stand in the office of a prophet, one must have the gift of prophecy, along with at least two of the revelational gifts.
The ability to prophecy alone does not make one to be a prophet. Any believer can prophecy, but that does not make the believer a prophet. Act 21:8-10
- [Act 21:8] On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
- [Act 21:9] Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
- [Act 21:10] And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

3. Limitations of prophets

Prophets are not all knowing. They do not know everything.
They know what God reveals to them – 2 Kings 4:27
- [2Ki 4:27] Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

4. Prophecies are not absolute

Prophecies do not automatically come to pass
When God gives you a Word, and you believe the Word, you now have to go into prayer to bring the Word into manifestation.
When you do not agree with the Word, you can reject it.
When prophecies come, 9 times out of 10, it will confirm what the Holy Spirit has already put in your heart. So, you know it’s a confirmation of where God is leading you.
When you receive a prophecy, write it down, then go to your prayer closet and pray the prophecy into manifestation. 1 Kings 18:41-46
- [1Ki 18:41] Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
- [1Ki 18:42] So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
- [1Ki 18:43] and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
- [1Ki 18:44] Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ “
- [1Ki 18:45] Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
- [1Ki 18:46] Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

5. Abuse of the prophetic

We are not to rely on the prophet for every decision we need to make – it is an abuse of the office.
The prophet is not your God. Don’t act like they know everything God knows about you

6. False Prophets – 2 Pet. 2:1-3

[2Pe 2:1] But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

[2Pe 2:2] And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

[2Pe 2:3] By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Signs of a false prophet
- They merchandise the office
- Their prophecies does not bring you closer to Jesus – Rev. 19:10
- Their prophecies does not come to pass
- The prophecies goes against the Bible
- The prophet’s life style does not reflect Jesus
However, just because there are fake prophets does not mean the real ones are not there.

Conclusion

Be highly expectant of what God has for you as we have been waiting upon the Lord
Be ready to pray like you have never prayed before

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Sermon

Understanding the Prophetic