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

The Use of Prophecy in Church Today

and miss the message entirely. The mind cannot receive what the ear can not endure. Continuity. Sometimes the Lord inspires a series of prophetic songs. Such a wonderful manifestation should not be broken up by some irrel evant exhortation or word. Maintain the continuity of expression, for a beautiful thing is happening. Feeling. The song of the Lord is primarily to soothe, comfort and inspire. More feeling is involved than with spoken prophecy, and this is an important tool of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, however, the song of the Lord takes on a militant tone and is like a call to war. This can be a pow erful experience for the church. Mood. A musician may be inspired to play an instrument prophetically without accompanying words. The message is carried through the sounds produced on the instrument. This is an elementary type of prophecy geared for mood setting and emotional change. Use wisdom and common sense. Don't seek to be spectacular. Love the people and seek to bless them. Let the prophet decrease; let Jesus increase. The following areas should be avoided in church prophecies: Obvious troubled areas. These include resolving church disputes, min istry to the sick or dying, a romance or marriage in which you are involved emotionally, or any situation about which you have natural knowledge, emotional investment or strong opinions. Date-setting. Do not date the Second Coming of Christ or predict the end of the world (Matthew 24:36). Beware of setting dates for earth quakes unless you are a prophet, and even then there should be confir mation from reliable sources. Discipline. Let the leadership handle disciplinary problems. If you truly feel something is revealed to you, discuss it only with the church leaders and leave it with them. Fantasy. "Beware of any words, dreams, visions about oneself where it involves something like finding a treasure, marrying 'a film star', tak ing a leadership role in the church, giving up a job which has become frustrating." 18 Sin. Do not dig up past sins. 19 This approach does not edify anyone and is taking the prerogative in a matter for God alone to handle. Marriage and divorce. No one should marry or divorce because of prophecy. These are very personal matters and best handled through pas toral counseling. 20 Prophecies to Avoid

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