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

Mind: How Did Prophecy Come to a Prophet?

ence which you will recognise at once ...'an unction from the holy one."' 10 Spurgeon emphasized the close connection between the prayer closet and this public anointing with the Spirit.Although well known for his preach ing, Spurgeon reckoned that there were as many as a dozen cases in which, interrupting his sermon, he had suddenly pointed to someone in his audi ence and given a striking description without any knowledge of the per son. These spontaneous descriptions had usually caused the conversion of the person addressed. "While preaching in the hall on one occasion," he recounted, "I delib erately pointed to a man in the midst of the crowd and said, 'There is a man sitting there, who is a shoemaker. He keeps his shop open on Sun days. It was open last Sabbath morning, and he took ninepence-with fourpence profit from it.His soul is sold to Satan for fourpence!'" Later a city missionary happened to meet the shoemaker. As they discussed Spur geon, the shoemaker explained that Spurgeon's word was exactly right and had caused his conversion.Fearful at first to return to the church and risk further exposure, the man finally concluded that it must have been God. From then on he shut up his shop on Sundays and went to God's house to hear the Baptist prophet preach.11 Second Chronicles 34 offers the remarkable account of Huldah the prophetess.King Josiah sent a delegation of five officials to inquire what they should do about the apostasy of Judah.Huldah did not know of their coming, but her bold, fervent, instantaneous reply exemplifies immediate unction.She predictedterriblejudgment because of the idolatry but blessed the king for his humility.A brief revival swept through the nation as the king took her word to heart and the people repented. This kind of prophecy is like glossolalia, or speaking in tongues.The Holy Spirit speaks forth words that are not known ahead of time.Some times the message flows quietly and evenly; at other times it is loud and animated. There are various degrees of intensity in Holy Spirit activity. Usually, however, the prophet has control over whether the speech comes forth. The word ecstasy has sometimes been used to describe the mental or emotional state of a person prophesying or receiving revelation. It is an awkward word to use since there are a variety of definitions and the word does not appear in the King James Version, the Revised Standard Version or the New English Bible.Robert L.Alden of Hebrew Union College says, "There is no adequate and accurate definition of 'ecstasy.' Hardly any 81 An Ecstatic Experience