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

Christ's Continuing Voice in the Church

gift because of timidity or false pride. Let's trust that the church body will be gracious in their evaluation of our contribution and move out to express the anointed conviction of our hearts! Conditional. Just as in prayer, an "if" clause also conditions a prophecy. H. L. Ellison, in his study on Old Testament prophets, points out that a prophecy can be annulled, delayed or suspended. His statement is geared for the Hebrew prophets, but the principle applies to New Testament prophecy as well: "Every prophecy is conditional, even when the condi tion is unexpressed. A prophecy of good may be annulled or delayed, if men do not obey, while repentance may suspend or reverse a prophecy of evil. We must make an exception when it is confirmed by God's oath." 37 A clear "if" clause was attached by Paul to prophecies made to Timo thy (1 Timothy 1:18). Timothy was exhorted, "according to the prophe cies previously made concerning you," to "wage the good warfare" (NKJV). Many times the known will of God is thwarted by the devil, people or circumstances simply because a person will not take a strong, aggressive stand. Prophecy given over me as a young man probably saved my min istry. I learned to wage warfare-that is, claim God's promises and per severe in spite of problems. Like some pastors, I was ready to resign the church every Monday morning! But biblical admonitions and prophetic words of challenge caused me to address problems boldly in Jesus' name. In the next chapter we will discuss six channels of prophetic expres sion. One channel operative in the early Church no longer exists; four are particularly important for congregational use today; and a special chan nel is suggested for utilizing prophetic anointing in reaching out to the lost people beyond the church walls.

REFLECTIONS

Prophetic ministry is the declaration of the mind of God in the power of the Spirit, with a special bearing on the current situation. 38 F. F. Bruce It is a spontaneous supernatural manifestation of God, spoken by the Spirit through human tongues in the language of the hearers, that the church might be edified. 39 Cecil M. Robeck Jr. Prophecy is the gift by which God speaks through a person a mes sage to an individual or the whole Christian community. It is God making ■ 176