The Gifts of the Spirit Part 8

The Gift of Prophecy

August 24, 2022

I.The Gifts of the Spirit

A.The Manifestation Gifts

1. (1 Cor. 12:7-11) 9 Manifestation gifts

2. The nine gifts categorized:

a. Three revelation gifts reveal something:

~Word of wisdom 

~Word of knowledge

~The discerning of spirits

b. The three power gifts do something:

~The gift of faith

~The working of miracles

~The gifts of healings

c. The three utterance gifts say something:

~Prophecy

~Divers kinds of tongues

~Interpretation of tongues

3. No one is born with these gifts of the Spirit. You must be born-again and baptized with the Holy Spirit.

B. The Gift of Prophecy – supernatural utterance in a known tongue inspired by the Spirit to build up the church or an individual.

1. (1 Cor. 14:5-6, 13, 22-40 ESV) The vocal or utterance gifts have the most instruction in the scriptures because of the ease with which they can be misused and abused and cause disorder and confusion in church meetings.

2. (1 Cor. 14:1, 5, 39 ESV) Of the three utterance gifts the gift of prophecy is the most important because it takes the other two vocal gifts to equal this one gift.

3. The Hebrew meaning of the phrase “to prophesy” is to flow forth. The Greek word for “prophesy” means to speak for another. So “prophesy” can mean to speak for God or to be His spokesman.

4. (1 Cor. 14:3-4) The purpose of prophecy is to edify, exhort and comfort an individual or the church.

a. The simple gift of prophecy has no revelation, foretelling or prediction in it. 

~edification – build up; exhortation – stir up; comfort – cheer up.

b. (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14) New covenant believers should not be led by prophecy. A prophecy should only confirm what you already know in your heart by the Holy Spirit. The primary way God leads believers is the word of God and the inward witness.

c. Some people think that “to prophesy” means to preach. Prophesying is different than preaching.

~The supernatural gifts of the Spirit are given to arrest people’s attention not to save them. On the day of Pentecost no one got saved until Peter preached to them. 

~The gift of prophecy goes beyond speaking by our own reasoning processes and intellect.

6. (Acts 21:8-11 AMP) The gift of prophecy vs. the office of the prophet.

a. Operating in the simple gift of prophecy doesn’t make one a prophet.

b. A prophet stands in the a 5-fold ministry office as a teacher or preacher and operates in prophecy and at least two revelation gifts on a continual basis.

~We can all prophesy but we all aren’t prophets.

c. (Acts 13:1-4 AMP) The Holy Spirit manifests His gifts as we worship the Lord.

d. (Eph. 5:18-20 AMP) The gift of prophesy like tongues can be used in one’s personal prayer life.

[Pastor Lee Stokes]

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