Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Christ's Continuing Voice in the Church

Most promoted ofthe gifts. 1 Corinthians 14 is the basis of this state ment, for in terms of sheer bulk of verses in the Bible, prophecy stands out as the most promoted! Most connected withJesus. "The spirit of prophecy" is equated to "the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 19:10}. This unusual comparison, made by an angelic guide to the apostle John while in heaven, can be taken two ways: the testimony about Jesus or the testimony by Jesus. The possible meaning: that prophecy is the continuing voice of Jesus to the Church. Either way this marvelous gift is closely associated with Jesus and His word. 29 The chart on the next page, although arranged differently, is based on a chart by Michael Griffiths. He says: "A comparison of the different lists amounting to some twenty different items suggests neither Paul nor Peter was intending to produce a single exhaustive list; each was rather illus trating what he meant when emphasizing either the variety of gifts or the unity of the purpose for which they were given." Admittedly the gift of prophecy is not mentioned specifically by Peter in his short list, but certainly when he says, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God" (NKJV), he is including prophecy in his thought of the ministry of speaking. Accuracy and inerrancy are part of any present-day discussion of prophecy. 30 Sometimes unintentional mistakes are serious but amus ing, showing why we need supervision and evaluation. There was the man who went on and on with his prophecy describing God's faith fulness. He became focused on the ark and how God helped Moses call the animals inside. "And Moses called the elephants . . . and Moses called the giraffes." And so on. Finally, after a prolonged account of Moses gathering the various animals, the speaker sat down. A deathly silence followed the message. Suddenly the man stood up again: "God saith, 'I made a mistake; it was Noah."' This true story illustrates that good, sincere folks may need some adjustment in their prophetic ministries! ■ 172 Prophetic Accuracy and Gradations of Prophecy The Eight Lists of Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament