Prophecy is a powerful gift of the Spirit to the body of Christ. Unfortunately, over the years it has experienced a lot of abuse and misuse creating an excuse for disuse for many. We are commanded in 1 Cor. 14:1 to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially that we may prophesy to edify, encourage, and comfort. (1 Cor. 14:3) Acts 2:17-18 highlights key evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh being the broad manifestation of prophecy through the church body, regardless of class, station, or gender. If we desire to better understand, and pursue, prophecy as expressed in the New Testament, it might be helpful to begin by distinguishing the various realms of prophecy as they exist today.
Distinctions of Prophecy
1) The Prophecy of Scripture: 2 Peter 1:20, 2 Tim. 3:16
A guiding gift from the Spirit
The closed canon of Scripture is the central thrust of the Holy Spirit’s fulfillment of His job description noted in John 16: “He will bring to mind what I have told you.” Peter references the Bible as “prophecy” (2 Peter 1:20) because that is what it is, uniquely inspired writings of men who were led by the Holy Spirit in a manner unique in all human history. This Spirit-inspired compilation is the pinnacle of prophecy to men from God. There is nothing equal to it, nor will it be repeated or added to in any way, ever. However, this does not preclude the Holy Spirit from applying it, interpreting it, and working through it to reveal His present will to believers.
The Scripture contains His will and purpose for our lives, but it doesn’t contain Him. It reveals Him in a measure He intended to all men, in every place, at every time. However, His deeper revelation of Himself continues in each man’s heart and in every genuine Church through preaching and the gifts. The experience of the Spirit doesn’t draw our attention away from Scripture, it highlights its value. It builds a desire to experience more of Him through the truths contained therein.
One clear normative revelation in Holy Scripture is followed by countless Spirit-led encounters of His attributes and ways when we apply Scripture. These lesser revelations guide us to a deeper understanding of who He is in His Word, who He is in our lives, and who He desires to be through us.
A great example of this Scripture/prophecy relationship I once heard was by Bojidar Marinov, a missionary to Bulgaria. (www.bulgarianreformation.com) He likened the Scriptures to science as the fixed nature of things and prophecy to the discipline of engineering as the application of that science. Engineering doesn’t do away with science; it draws from its foundation to meet specific applications and needs.
Not all prophecy spoken before the canon was completed rose to the level of normative, universal revelation. Neither does continuing prophecy rise to speak to everyone, everywhere, at once anymore. Continuing prophecy applies Scriptural truth and promises to our specific lives and situations. It doesn’t add to Scripture or take away from it. Prophecy today is the testimony of Jesus declared, what He has done by His cross, what He is doing by His grace, and what He will do through us for His glory. It is a means of grace God gives to enrich our understanding of who He has revealed Himself to be in Scripture.
2) The Spirit of Prophecy: 1 Samuel 10:10, 1 Corinthians 14:31
A presiding gift from the Spirit
As the One who is sanctifying the Church, the Holy Spirit presides over our meeting together as believers. He manifests Himself through the various grace gifts He appointed in Scripture (1 Cor. 12 & 14, Romans 12), which includes the ability of anyone indwelt by the Holy Spirit to prophesy as He wills. (1 Cor. 14:31) This presiding gift manifested through a person of His choosing by the sovereign Holy Spirit is an expression of His love, encouragement, edification, and comfort to the people of God. It also has those same benefits on the person being used. They stepped out in faith to share something they spontaneously received from the Holy Spirit and were blessed by His affirmation and confirmation of what they shared.
Does this mean God cannot speak outside the church building, or use other sources than those specifically in the church to speak? No, it doesn’t. He is sovereign and therefore can loose the tongue of a donkey to express His will (Num. 22:28) if He desires. He also spoke spontaneously through Saul in the Old Testament as a fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy over him. (1 Sam. 19:24)
Paul states that “all may prophesy one by one,” (1 Cor. 14:31) and what the basic requirements are for this to occur in a gathering of the believers. This would be a “spirit of prophecy” operating within the church, or anywhere for that matter. Here, a speaker is used in the biblically-labeled gift of prophecy, but it’s not something they experience very often. This reduced frequency of use can distinguish between those who operate in the gift of prophecy from time to time (spirit of prophecy) and those who seem to possess the consistency of a resident gift (gift of prophecy).
If the Holy Spirit desires, He can speak through anyone He chooses at any time, in any place. When a “spirit of prophecy” word comes forth, all that is said must be tested by the truth of Holy Scripture and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
3) The Gift of Prophecy: Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 14:3
An abiding gift from the Spirit
While anyone can prophesy, some are more active in sharing what the Holy Spirit is revealing to them. The genuine gift of prophecy in someone will typically be accompanied by an evident Christ-like character, humility, and faith. A person who operates in the gift of prophecy will usually receive impressions in multiple ways – dreams, visions, words of wisdom, words of knowledge and various types of prophecy. Those who function in this gift are told to do so according to their proportion of faith. (Rom. 12:6)
Paul is encouraging those who hear God this way not to strive in their efforts, but to function at the level of their faith. This could mean we have faith to share with just one person in one setting all the way up to corporate words for thousands. At either end of the spectrum, it is still faith governing the execution. Nothing changes in terms of the need to test what is said from the person used this way, but if the gift is genuine, it will have all the marks of the true gift – accuracy, anointing, encouragement, exhortation, and comfort.
4) The Office of Prophet: Ephesians 4:11
A residing gift from Jesus
According to Ephesians 4:11, there are individuals given by Jesus Christ himself to fulfill the calling of prophet to the church. These persons are gifts to the Church. This can be a congregational prophetic call to a local church, and in some cases an extra-local call to serve the broader Church around the world. The scope of the prophet’s gift should be discerned by those around them, and the Holy Spirit will make it clear what He wants.
He did it with Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13 by prophecy. He also did it with Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:14 when He confirmed His calling and directed the elders to release his gift. These are people who not only prophesy but possess other gifts that qualify them to be used in leadership, teaching and discipling of others.
They are called to equip the saints for works of ministry and build up the church of Jesus Christ. The anointing on this person will be evident to all who are ministered to, and as their character grows, they will be released by the Holy Spirit to their full sphere of ministry.
These are not first-century Scripture-writing prophets, nor are they Old Testament prophets. They are generational, continuing prophets called to carry the mantle of God’s grace for the Church in their lifetime, leaving a legacy for those they train and release for the next generation. They should not be solo shows of prophetic ministry; but rather servants who lead teams of prophetic voices in the Church as evidence of their call to equip and build up the body.
Prophetic ministry authority is for serving, not subjecting
There is one more important distinction to be made in understanding the proper perspective on the gifts. No office, gifting or position in the church is binding on anyone who does not choose to submit to it. A prophet may be recognized in one Church, but that is not binding on anyone else to see him that way. The determination of someone as a “prophet” isn’t authoritative in the sense that he can now dictate what others are to do. He is only being recognized for what God’s grace provides through him in service to the Church.
None of the offices are designed to be dictatorial. They have authority as imputed by Christ as servants to the Church, and that is the extent of their calling. They have responsibility and limited authority related to what Jesus has apportioned to each for their ministry to operate effectively, but each believer is ultimately responsible to and under the authority of Jesus Christ.
A prophet cannot tell someone what to do, but only share what they believe God is saying in the moment. It’s up to the believer to decide if that agrees with what they are sensing in their own hearts to do. If we choose to submit to the authority of the office out of obedience to the Holy Spirit who is guiding us, that is up to us.
The choice to submit to God-appointed earthly authority in the Church is completely on the believer. The Holy Spirit will guide us to join a church, submit to the appointed authority there, and serve as He leads us for the purpose of demonstrating the grace of the gospel and rule of Jesus Christ upon our hearts. We are bound to Jesus, not men.
So, any prophetic gift, or word, is never binding on anyone, unless the person chooses to accept what it says, in faith, to apply what God has revealed. No prophet has any control over anyone for any reason. They are the messengers of Jesus only and are not to think they can manipulate or lord anything over anyone in the use of their gift. Any effort of the prophet to exercise undue authority should be avoided. Prophets are called to be servants, not to make others subservient.
Why the distinctions of the gift of prophecy?
When leaders begin to distinguish between the spirit of prophecy, gift of prophecy, and office of prophet in someone, this would usually relate to the “sphere of influence” (measure of impact) that is discernible when they are used. It’s not a measure of maturity or godly character, it’s an awareness of how God appears to anoint the ministry of one person over another.
This fact that God sees difference in anointing and influence in His servants was clearly explained in Numbers 12:1-8, when Miriam and Aaron challenged Moses’ anointing as a prophet. God clearly distinguished the anointing on Moses as a prophet as different from Miriam and Aaron in such strong terms that He severely punished them for their insubordination.
The differences of prophetic anointing on people being highlighted matters little to anyone not involved in prophetic ministry development. But when leaders are discerning God’s grace on people for ministry, it can be helpful to have a simple template to measure.
The New Testament calls anyone who prophesied with some regularity a prophet. (Agabus, Judas, Silas) Even in 1 Corinthians 14, prophetic people were noted as “prophets.” (The spirit of the “prophets,” are subject to the “prophets.”) Paul’s use of “prophet” could have been a general reference to those who are being used prophetically. Instead of saying, “person used in prophecy” it would be easier to just say “prophet” to denote someone speaking from the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, we must be careful to communicate that these distinctions in the gift sphere are not about classifying talent, performance, or significance of anyone. They are to help us clarify the nature, scope, and level of the grace gift being demonstrated in a person. This allows leaders to better track the development, maturity, and equipping of the believer, which is their Scriptural mandate.
We are all in danger of selfish ambition and pride, but the greater danger to all prophetic people is unbelief. When a grace gift is identified in someone, there is a greater sense of responsibility and faith for that gift to grow in them. If a prophetic person says to themselves, “If anyone can do it, and we are all the same, it doesn’t matter whether I’m used or not, then I’ll just let someone else go in my place.” When they realize there may be a more frequent use in the gift of prophecy, there is an increased sensitivity and readiness to respond.
The labeling shouldn’t be used to separate or exclude, but rather to build faith in those being used. Leaders can encourage people more specifically, “Hey John, every time there is that spirit of prophecy present during worship, I see you so willing to serve. Thank you for your obedience to the Spirit’s prompting. Great word this morning.” Or, “Hey Lisa, I really appreciate the growth I’m seeing in how God is using you in prophecy toward other women. The Holy Spirit has placed a rich gift in you, keep seeking the Lord for more.”
In neither case was the focus on the label, but rather the faithfulness of God and their subsequent obedience. However, in a subtle way, the label speaks to the context and sphere of influence they are operating in. That is a wonderfully confirming, faith building, and validating encouragement to the prophetic heart.