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

Channels of Prophetic Expression in the Church

• "Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues" (verse 39).

A demonstration of spontaneous prophecy is described in Acts 19. After baptizing twelve followers of John the Baptist in water, Paul laid his hands on the men and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues and prophesying (verse 6). This was an attendant, miraculous demonstration of God's presence. Since the Spirit is prophetic, it should not seem strange for such a manifestation to occur, even if the men were not prophetically gifted. No one can prophesy unless the Spirit of prophecy is on him or her. In the Old Testament we see the same phenomenon. Saul and his mes sengers, although not spiritual men, began to prophesy as they approached the camp of Samuel and his disciples. The prophetic aura of the camp moved even the strangers to speak forth the things of God (1 Samuel 19:20-24). The story in Numbers 11:24-30 illustrates the same concept. The Spirit of God and prophecy on Moses was put on the seventy elders of Israel, who also began to prophesy. Prophetic prayer. A varied form of prophetic expression is more per sonalized than prophecy in a congregational meeting. This kind of guid ance can be received to some degree by whoever will open his or her mind to it. Called "prophetic encouragement" or "prophetic praying," this approach refers to personalized ministry to selected individuals. From time to time a Christian will be given a prophetic insight about a certain situation or person, either Christian or non-Christian. In this elementary form of prophecy, insights or impressions are shared with that individual or expressed prayerfully over him or her. Without some grandiose statement ("Thus saith the Lord!"), we simply communicate that impression to the other person. We might say, for instance, "I've been feeling that you need prayer in a particular area," or, "I think the Lord may have shown me something of interest to you." The person's response tells us of our accuracy and his or her willingness to receive our prayerful help. 15 The purpose is to encourage someone by sharing insights or helpful suggestions that have been given by the Holy Spirit. Often after a worship service, when people are praying at the altar or together, this form of ministry, if kept sincere, simple and concerned, can be very effective. 16 Prophetic intercession. Those who intercede for the work of God locally and worldwide sense a quickening from time to time about a nation, church, community or individual. These insights born of the Holy Spirit attended by boldness, authority and fervency and interjected propheti cally into serious intercession-enhance prayer dramatically and give us 185 ■