The One Who Prophesies

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.” (1 Corinthians 14:1-5 ESV)

The ”love” that we are being called upon here to pursue is not human love, not of the flesh, but it is agape love, which is of God, and which means to prefer, specifically to prefer what God prefers. So, as followers of Christ, we prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. And we prefer all that is holy, just, morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So we will do good to others, and not deliberate and habitual evil, when we love them with this agape love.

Now the gifts of the Spirit are given to all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit gives them to each one of us as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). But we are to earnestly desire the gifts of the Spirit and to not reject nor neglect them out of fear of them. And Paul said here that we should especially earnestly desire that we may prophesy. And that may seem strange to us if we only think of prophecy in terms of foretelling future events. But, in context, we will learn it has another meaning.

The word “prophecy” means to “speak forth in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling.” What Paul is indicating here is the “forthtelling” which reveals the mind (message) of God in a particular situation. It has to do with us being messengers of God in getting out his messages to the people. It is taking the teachings of the Scriptures and making them relevant to what is going on in our world and in the church today, and giving out the messages that are most needed in these critical times we are in right now.

Notice with me the character traits of prophecy that Paul mentioned here: 

• The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

• The one who prophesies builds up the church.

• The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

• In church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

• Prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

• Let all things be done for building up.

See 1 Corinthians 14:1-26

What is the key word or phrase here? It is “for building up.” So, what does that mean? 

It includes encouragement, consolation, and instruction. “Encouragement,” though, is not just all the feel-good stuff. Another word for this is “edification” which involves “constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be the suitable dwelling place of God.” And encouragement is a “summons, exhortation, entreaty” and “holy urging,” as well as it is joy, gladness, and comfort. And this “holy urging” “is used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out his plan.” So it can refer to exhortation, warning, and encouragement. (Bible Hub interlinear)

Basically, much of it is what all believers in Jesus Christ are instructed in the Scriptures to do in ministry to one another within the body of Christ. For all of us are to show to one another family-type affection, sympathy, comfort from agape love, like-mindedness (with Christ first, then with each other), caring for one another’s needs, and praying for one another, each ministering to one another in the areas of giftedness we have been given of the Spirit, and in the areas of ministry assigned to us by God.

And we are not to be in competition with one another, thinking that we are less if we don’t have certain gifts, or telling other members of the body of Christ that we don’t need or want them, for all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body of Christ. But we do have to be followers of Christ who are not living in sin but who are walking in obedience to our Lord if we are going to be able to minister to one another within the body of Christ in the way in which God designed for us all to operate.

And all of us are to be speaking the truth in love to one another so that none of us are led astray by every wind of doctrine coming from people in their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming. And this is also so that we will all grow to maturity in Christ and be encouraged (exhorted) in our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord as each body part is working properly. And we are to be teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom and to be exhorting one another daily so we aren’t hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

But for it to be prophesying and not just the body of Christ ministering to one another in these various ways, although this should be true of all Christian ministry, we must be led of the Holy Spirit in what to do and in what to say and in what messages to give to whom and when. And the messages should be relevant to what is going on in our lives and in the church and in our nations and in the world today, just like the messages were to the Christians in the times of the writings of the New Testament.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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