Some people do not believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today, especially the prophetic, because of extremes they might have seen and because of Bible teachers that have dismissed the prophetic or any current proceeding word from God. The world’s largest Protestant denomination states in its organization’s doctrine that God no longer speaks to people past the last written Scripture. But the gifts of the Spirit are biblical, and their functions in the body of Christ have not ceased.
We know the prophetic is for our benefit because in 1 Corinthians 12:7 Paul says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” Therefore, the prophetic is a must for our productivity in the Holy Spirit. The operation of spiritual gifts in your life is essential for the glory of the Lord to become manifest. If you want to fulfill all that God has called you to do, you must embrace these gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s start by looking at four different realms of the prophetic.
The Prophecy of Scripture
The first prophetic realm is the Word of God itself.
When people share scriptures, they are prophesying, whether they are aware of it or not. They’re ministering in the first realm of the prophetic, because Scripture is the first realm of the prophetic. The entire Word of God is prophetic. The Word of God in Scripture is the first realm.
Only this kind of prophecy can rightly claim total inspiration by the Holy Spirit. All other realms of the prophetic are inspired, but they’re not direct revelations from the Lord. With other realms of prophecy, the human element comes in to explain what God is saying.
When you teach the Word of God, you know exactly what God is saying. Isn’t that amazing? What a privilege.
The Spirit of Prophecy
The second realm is the spirit of prophecy mentioned in Revelation 19:10: “I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See
thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The “testimony of Jesus” is the preaching of the gospel under the anointing. When a person is ministering the gospel with power, the atmosphere becomes prophetic. That’s what Scripture means by the spirit of prophecy. The Spirit of the Lord brings the atmosphere of the prophetic into a room.
The prophetic is the greatest gift because it releases all other gifts. That’s why Paul said, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1). When the prophetic begins to manifest, it activates all other realms. All other gifts come to life. When the prophetic begins, the word of knowledge is activated, the word of wisdom is activated, discerning of spirits is activated, the gift of tongues is activated. But it all begins with the prophetic. Therefore, the prophetic is the most important of all realms in our life. That’s why Moses said, “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Num. 11:29).
The Gift of Prophecy
Next, we have the gift of prophecy, which is the third realm. The gift of prophecy is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and then explained more in chapter 14. It has borders, which means there are limits to its purpose.
The Office of the Prophet
Understand these two main points concerning the fourth realm of the prophetic: first, there is the office of the prophet, and next, the church is built upon this. Ephesians 2:19–20 says: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.”
So here Paul tells us that apostles and prophets are the foundation that the church is built upon. We also read in Ephesians 4:11, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” This verse clearly establishes that there is the office of the prophet.
Not everyone who prophesies is a prophet. Many can prophesy because they have received the gift of prophecy, but that is different from one who holds the office of the prophet. The prophet is the door to the prophetic. He or she is the one who brings that atmosphere into a room. That is what was going on in the lives of Elijah and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings, where the prophetic was active in their followers. The office of the prophet is a mighty office. God speaks through His prophets.
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