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

The Use of Prophecy in Church Today

occurred. Each person may not be bold enough to speak up or share his or her opinion (nor would it be appropriate), but it is the nature of the human mind to observe a situation and draw a conclusion. All seven groups of people described above are involved in the reception and eval uation of a prophecy, but only certain ones, particularly the pastor and elders, are the authorized spokesmen and decision-makers for the church. To open a public meeting for anyone to voice his or her opinion about a prophecy allows for great confusion and argumentation. Anyone may draw a silent, personal conclusion, but this is not the same as publicly declaring approval, rejection or questions. The people of New Testament times had great respect for their pastoral oversight, and undoubtedly most, if not all, surrendered personal opinion to the final judgment of the local church leadership. The key, I feel, is this: Who is responsible for what is done in the serv ice? The answer to that question unlocks who the "others" might be. I strongly believe that the whole church body becomes publicly responsi ble for the procedures followed and the doctrines taught, and its decisions are made known through the eldership. Individual members may affirm some false doctrine or have strange standards of behavior, but the image of the church itself and its message are preserved by the standards main tained by the membership as interpreted by the eldership. When it comes to prophecy, someone must be responsible for the accu racy of a prophetic word, its effect on the people, the procedure for allow ing and evaluating it, and ascertaining the trustworthiness of those par ticipating. The church itself, composed of all its members, is responsible for its doctrines and behavior. That same church confirms its officials as the leadership and spokesmen. In that sense the whole church partici pates, but the public spiritual leadership, public confirmation and policy implementation are put into the hands of the shepherd-overseers. The church needs closure on a prophetic manifestation. Is it to be acted on? Ignored? Shared with others? Do the people understand what has been said? It is not enough to simply "leave it up to God" or allow every one to take it however they like. Some statement from the leadership should confirm, correct or adjust whatever has been said, so that people will leave the service with correct impressions. A simple comment often brings appropriate closure to the spoken word. The pastor of the flock is the ideal person to summarize and endorse any beneficial prophecies or, working with the elders, make any correction needed . • 340 4. Let There Be Closure to Prophecy.