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

Guidelines for Testing Prophetic Utterances

ical extension of an activity that individual church members were already applying regularly to themselves! Any "rules of testing" should not be mechanical and heartless. Those who judge themselves honestly develop the appropriate grace to judge the prophetic utterances of others. The caring, pastoral ministers of the Church are particularly gifted to lead in this area. Although judging is the correct term, it has a harsh sound and must be interpreted graciously in the light of the loving community of Jesus' servants. We should avoid any hint of shaming sincere worshipers who may have made a mistake. 10 A congre gation should not sit with arms folded, gripping pencils and checklists like pharisaic judges. 11 On the other hand, the Church should not be gullible either. Dunn com ments that "these early communities did not simply sit gape-mouthed drinking in every word spoken under inspiration as a word from the Lord. The prophetic spirit was given freedom, but was subject to safeguards and controls ( 1 Cor. 14:32). If God had a word to speak through prophecy the congregation were ready to hear; but not every word of prophecy was necessarily taken as a word of God." 12 We should approach the prophetic gift, despite the possibility of false prophecy, as we do currency, despite the possibility of the counterfeit: It is absolutely necessary, even if there are bogus bills floating around! We must simply learn to recognize the good. This illustration by David Pytches has remarkable application to our subject: "The United States Treasury once taught people how to distinguish counterfeit dollar bills without allowing them ever to see one. They argued correctly that to know the false it is only necessary-but very necessary-to know the true well. So the workers spent their time examining genuine money. They were not allowed to look at counterfeits. Clearly, in the same way, the best way to recognize false prophets will be to have close acquaintance with genuine prophets." 1 3 Prophecy is a calculated risk that can bring great blessing, but it neces sitates faith, spiritual vigilance and pastoral diligence. As Robeck says, "How these utterances affect the faith of believers and the health of the church depends upon the manner in which they are handled and delivered." 14 The beneficial results of a wise approach are well worth the effort. The New Testament teaches that we can determine the source, accuracy and benefit of prophecy. This is accomplished by testing or weighing a given prophecy.

How to Test Prophecy

I have collected nearly two dozen lists from various authors on how to judge prophecy. These authors suggest from three to twelve helpful ways, 317.