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

Who Judges the Prophecies?

concern to protect and preserve the integrity of spiritual activity. The prin ciple of pastoral oversight takes precedent over every other rule. Often I have prayed in our church sanctuary on a Saturday night for wisdom to guide the services the next day, praying fervently at the same time that God would influence the people and manifest His presence among us. Also, I bind the power of the devil in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as of any troublemakers who might show up. I have found it helpful to open my mind to any impressions God has for me about the services the next day. (Does He have a special word for the congregation?) Then, backed by personal prayer, Bible study, spiritual insight for the occasion and assurance over the devil's power, I find it a joy to open a Sunday service, fully expecting God to be active among the people. Prophecy in church gatherings is to encourage, edify and exhort the people concerning their daily living and enrich their relationship with the Lord. As C. Douglas Weaver explains: "Modern prophecy does not reveal new doctrine, but edifies the mysteries of the Christian faith with greater clarity and, in doing so, provides reassurance for the recipient. The pri mary purpose of revelation through the gifts is the bringing of God's mes sage to a specific time and place, as opposed to the abiding and universal role of biblical revelation." 6 This kind of prophecy can and should be evaluated. Paul's advice: "Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, NLT). Let's explore further how to do that. I hope the list of 29 questions in the last chapter did not seem too tedious or technical! These are not meant to be a literal checklist for every spiri tual manifestation, nor does each item need approval before a church can proceed with the service. We are not like a jet pilot who cannot take off without personally checking each takeoff requirement! Questions about prophecy should already be a settled part of our the ological framework as we go into a church service. This fundamental teaching should be so subsumed into our spiritual thinking that it auto matically guides and directs our activities. We do not expect a fan in a basketball game to come running out of the stands and take over the ball! (If he did, he would be quickly removed.) In the same way, we expect peo ple who prophesy in church to be qualified and in good standing. Demonic manifestation and bizarre behavior, we assume, will not be tolerated. We 333 • A Practical Approach