How much stock do you put in prophecy?

[originalsecretplace]

Originally Posted by samp

They can, and they do. Look at the masses of sick people who show up at Benny Hinn crusades. Look at all the people who travel to Brazil to be treated by John of God. There is no shortage of people claiming that miraculous healings are available.

But there is, in my opinion, a huge shortage of people who claim to offer miracles that actually deliver. Herein lies the problem. It is not that there isn't enough faith. It's not that there aren't enough people who believe in the miraculous power of God. It's that there are too many people making promises that, unlike Jesus's promises, do not come to pass. Then they add insult to injury by claiming it was the person's own fault for not getting healed.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

True story...

During an all night prayer meeting one brother walked up to a sister and told her that the Lord showed him that she was going to have another baby.

When she told her husband what she had been told he calmly stated (with a slow methodic country drawl) "I'm just glad he's a truck driver and not a prophet.

lol

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by CareyM

Felicity, just curious...wouldn't a "word of knowledge" or a "word of wisdom" be just that...I never thought those things to be considered prophesey. I'm sincerely curious about this...we've had several "prophets" come through our church over the years who were basically false prophets in my opinion and focused more on sensationalism. However, I do know a prophet or two among us and have full confidence in their ministry.

Carey .......

The point has already been made that there are those who are out for their own gain or who are deceived in thinking they have this gift, but I know for absolute sure that there are also many genuine men used in this gift. Absolutely.

"Prophetic word" is a term that seems to have become more widely used in the last 30 years or so - least it seems that way to me. Perhaps the following will help in understanding that "prophecy" has more than one definition as the word is used in Scripture.


Propheteia (Gk.) = Prophecy:

• A discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.

• Used in the NT of the utterance of OT prophets.

1) of the prediction of events relating to Christ's kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due

2) of the endowment and speech of the Christian teachers called prophets

3) the gifts and utterances of these prophets, esp. of the predictions of the works of which, set apart to teach the gospel, will accomplish for the kingdom of Christ

So ... you can see from the above that a prophecy and the calling or office of a prophet isn't all about foretelling. It's also about "FORTHtelling" but can have the element of foretelling in it.

[LaVonne]

Originally Posted by Felicity

Carey .......

The point has already been made that there are those who are out for their own gain or who are deceived in thinking they have this gift, but I know for absolute sure that there are also many genuine men used in this gift. Absolutely.

"Prophetic word" is a term that seems to have become more widely used in the last 30 years or so - least it seems that way to me. Perhaps the following will help in understanding that "prophecy" has more than one definition as the word is used in Scripture.


Propheteia (Gk.) = Prophecy:

• A discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.

• Used in the NT of the utterance of OT prophets.

1) of the prediction of events relating to Christ's kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due

2) of the endowment and speech of the Christian teachers called prophets

3) the gifts and utterances of these prophets, esp. of the predictions of the works of which, set apart to teach the gospel, will accomplish for the kingdom of Christ

So ... you can see from the above that a prophecy and the calling or office of a prophet isn't all about foretelling. It's also about "FORTHtelling" but can have the element of foretelling in it.

Felicity,

Thank you for clarifying. I guess I just always thought that a word of knowledge and or a word of wisdom would be separate from a word of prophesey. I'm sorry, I'm probably not making a whole lot of sense.

Now reading your post again, I can see what you are saying. That all of these "words' (knowledge, wisdom, prophesey) can come from a prophet and are not necessarily separate.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by CareyM

Felicity,

Thank you for clarifying. I guess I just always thought that a word of knowledge and or a word of wisdom would be separate from a word of prophesey. I'm sorry, I'm probably not making a whole lot of sense.

Now reading your post again, I can see what you are saying. That all of these "words' (knowledge, wisdom, prophesey) can come from a prophet and are not necessarily separate.

Oops, I meant to but forgot to address your point about the possibility of the word of knowledge/wisdom being separate from a prophecy or prophetic word.

They can be separate. Like I mean someone could be praying for you in a general sense and then out of the blue comes a word of knowledge or of wisdom --- a flash of inspiration from the Holy Ghost.

Isn't it awesome how God works? I'm so thankful for anointed called men of God used in the Holy Ghost who minister to us in this way. I've been the recipient many many times!

Like you ..... I believe that the Lord can do ANYTHING!

[Pastor Keith]

Couldnt resist weighing in on this one. You cannot read an OT definition into the NT version of prophecy. The only thing that they have in common is the operation.

Prophecy in the NT is basically "speaking words given by the Holy Spirit".

They have either a foretelling aspect (future things) or can have a forth telling aspect (right now).

Most prophecies are conditional, also if a prophecy is wrong the fault generally lies with that prophetic person. They most likely missed it, misinterpreted the word or vision or just wasn't of God.

Prophetic words need to be judged and evaluated. I Cor. 14 says much about this.

NT prophetic words should not be binding or directive in the sense that it should alread confirm what the receipient knows or feels like God is already saying.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by keith4him

Couldnt resist weighing in on this one. You cannot read an OT definition into the NT version of prophecy. The only thing that they have in common is the operation.

Prophecy in the NT is basically "speaking words given by the Holy Spirit".

They have either a foretelling aspect (future things) or can have a forth telling aspect (right now).

Most prophecies are conditional, also if a prophecy is wrong the fault generally lies with that prophetic person. They most likely missed it, misinterpreted the word or vision or just wasn't of God.

Prophetic words need to be judged and evaluated. I Cor. 14 says much about this.

NT prophetic words should not be binding or directive in the sense that it should alread confirm what the receipient knows or feels like God is already saying.

Good post.

[whollyHis]

I was in a service one time, with a well known 'prophet' in the UPCI ranks- he told a lady that she would conceive within tweo years. The church went NUTS. Why?? Because this lady had underwent a complete hysterectomy many years before and could never have children. Folks believed that she was gonna conceive and carry a child with no Womb, no ovaries...She never had a child- and she was devastated, she thought that God was going to perform a miracle in her life.

I have heard prophets tell folks that God was gonna heal them of their cancers in that revival- just to be attending their funeral while still in revival.

Do I believe that God still speaks to us today? Absolutely. But, I no longer have the 'blind faith' in a man as I once did.

Label me however you want.

[Pastor Keith]

Originally Posted by whollyHis

I was in a service one time, with a well known 'prophet' in the UPCI ranks- he told a lady that she would conceive within tweo years. The church went NUTS. Why?? Because this lady had underwent a complete hysterectomy many years before and could never have children. Folks believed that she was gonna conceive and carry a child with no Womb, no ovaries...She never had a child- and she was devastated, she thought that God was going to perform a miracle in her life.

I have heard prophets tell folks that God was gonna heal them of their cancers in that revival- just to be attending their funeral while still in revival.

Do I believe that God still speaks to us today? Absolutely. But, I no longer have the 'blind faith' in a man as I once did.

Label me however you want.

Words like this need to be accountable, that pastor should have a conversation with that prophetic person about these words.

[Pastor Keith]

The host pastor that I stayed with in India, a few years back he came to the states. He went to a church in Southern California pastored by one of the Munsey brothers. Robert Mitchell, (he is not perfect and has flaws) was there in service, there were approx 2000 or more people there. He was sitting in the back row and had his head down in his bible asking the Lord to speak to him. The service went on and was closing, when Robert Mitchell walked back to where my friend was sitting and put his arm around him and said to him this:

You are a pastor (he was) you are not from here( India) and thus says the Lord you have 10 churches right now (true), but in a one years time you will have 30 churches (this word came to pass exactly as the Lord said it would.

Now we can debate all the wrong prophetic words all we want and there is a time a place for that, but there are legitimate prophets and they do speak amazing words of accuracy for the edification, exhortation and comfort of the body of Christ.

By the way, more damage has been done to people in the body of Christ with erroneous interpretations of scripture than all of the poor examples of the operation of the Gifts of the Spirit in history put together.