I appreciate that readers will come here from a variety of positions. Some of you will be from conservative/non charismatic backgrounds, cessationist even. Don’t of you will be more Pentecostal/Charismatic. Personally I come from what might be best described as a charismatic place. This means I believe in prophecy and it is actively encouraged in our church. But I also see plenty of confusion about what it is and isn’t. Here are some things that it is not (we will talk in some future posts about what it is).
Prophecy is not Special Revelation and therefore not in competition with or a replacement for Scripture. This also means that it doesn’t give us a free pass to impose a view. It also means that prophecy is not permission for us to do what we please with Scripture, to ignore, distort or contradict it.
Prophecy is not about being pioneering or provocative. Prophets may be provocative and pioneering but just because someone is, then it doesn’t mean they necessarily have a prophetic ministry. We should not use the term (prophetic) to cover over unhelpful, unhealthy and sadly sometimes unsavoury, idiosyncratic language and behaviour.
Prophecy is not just about predicting the future. Sometimes it may include a prediction, sometimes not. Testing and discerning it is therefore about more than whether a prediction comes true.
Prophecy is not about getting to do whatever we want or getting others to do what we want. Prophecy is not about prefixing our own ideas with “the Spirit told me..” This leads to us avoiding proper discernment.
Prophecy is not about just saying warm and encouraging things to others. Nor is it just about rebuking with harsh words.
I believe that the gift of prophecy is to be encouraged, desired and treasured. This means having a clear understanding of what it is and is not.
Faithroots 