JOYALMINISTRIES
God is building a prophetic church with a Kingdom mindset. The gifts of the Spirit need to be operating in the body of Christ to bring His church, to maturity. We also need to have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In 1 Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul said, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren I would not have you ignorant. God wants us to understand how to move in the gifts of the Spirit. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to profit all. We are going to talk about the gift of prophesy, prophetic ministry and the office of the prophet. We are told to covet earnestly the best gifts and yet also told that there is a more excellent way. We need the love of God in our lives. We can have all the gifts and yet not walk with the love and character of Christ. If we seek Him first and have a sound relationship with the Lord the gift of prophesy will flow with more purity. We need to guard our eye gate and ear gate so that we hear Him.
We know in part and we prophesy in part. In the old testaments prophets spoke with 100% accuracy as the Spirit of the Lord came upon the prophet for a specific time and purpose. The New Testament prophet speaks under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are told to stir up the gift that is in us. The Apostle Paul told his spiritual son Timothy not to neglect the gift that was in him through the laying on of hands and so we see it possible to neglect the gift God has given to us. We need to stir up the gift of prophesy by worshiping and praying in tongues. The more we use the gift of prophesy the more it will be stirred up and ready for use.
1 Corinthians 14 says: 1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. One needs to desire the gift of prophesy and God longs to give you the desire of your heart to further His Kingdom by edifying the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 14:22 says that prophesying serves not for them that do not believe but for them that believe.
In verse 24 of first Corinthians it says but if all prophesy and there comes in one that believeth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all and he is judged of all. A healthy body will have all of the gifts of the spirit flowing when needed, in their midst.
We prophesy according to the proportion of faith. 1 Corinthians 13 prophecy is to edify, exhort and comfort the body of Christ. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. God's people so need to be built up. Let God use you to speak a Word in season to His church.
We are told to covet to prophesy - Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 1 Cor. 14:39 The word covet is a strong word but you need to desire it earnestly. If you do this God will use you in this gift. Step out in faith and ask the Lord to use you in the gift of prophesy. Enter in to praise and worship and ask the Lord to fill your mouth with words for His people. Ask Him what is on His heart for His people. You will sense a quickening and His Spirit will lead you. Usually the best time to give a word is sometime during the praise and worship when there is a quiet moment. Sometimes we need to ask the Lord to make a place for the Word to be given. You may receive a few words and as you ask Him for wisdom He will reveal if and when you are to speak them out.
Always follow the guidelines for prophesying in the meeting you are in at that time. When unsure you should ask the one who is overseeing that particular meeting. It is important that those that lead praise and worship are sensitive to Holy Spirit and give Him place to move. It is easy to prophesy when those that lead the worship allow Him to move in their midst. It is much more difficult to prophesy when the one prophesying has to try and get the word in, on a wing and a prayer. It is best then to wait. This is something one learns as they become more sensitive to the moving of His Spirit.
It is good for someone who is growing in the gift to also begin journaling what the Lord speaks to them at home. Test and try what you are hearing and make sure it is in agreement with scripture. We are also told that no one can declare that Jesus Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost.
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27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire] the greater gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 All are not prophets but all can prophesy as the Lord leads.
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Ephesians 4:11
This verse is referring to the fivefold ministry offices. This is God's order for His divine government in the body of Christ.
God has divine order in His meetings. He is not the author of confusion. Therefore He says let two or at the most three prophets speak. This is not referring to the number of words in a meeting but the number of individual prophets speaking. Otherwise we would not have meetings where we do have a prophet in office give many prophetic words to individuals. The flow of Holy Spirit will always bring unity and order and there will be a general consensus to what the Lord is saying in a given meeting.
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 1 Corinthians 14:29 This scripture is referring to the prophet in Ephesians 4:11
Prophetic Ministry
There are those that are used in the simple gift of prophesy that will have an anointing from the Lord and in time begin to prophesy regularly. They will find themselves moving in this gift and in time it will develop into prophetic ministry. You will become much more sensitive to His voice and the leading of His Spirit and find yourself growing and stepping out in faith often. God speaks to each one in different ways. In my own life the Lord would show me a picture of something before I prophesied. Sometimes He gave me a simple thought or sometimes a few words. As you step out in faith He will fill your mouth. This can be in a meeting, on the street, or at home. There will come a time that you may start to speak things more directionally. The quickening of the Holy Ghost will come upon you and you may quickly sit down and type out what the Lord was speaking to you for His people. This is especially true in online prophetic ministry. These will be wonderfully used of God as is anyone speaking a Word for Him.
Office of the Prophet
There then comes a time for some that the Lord will confirm their calling to the office of the prophet. This is a lifetime calling of the Lord. It is one of the fivefold ministry offices. It is a governmental position in the body of Christ. God will confirm your calling to this office through others in leadership in the body of Christ. There is a season of time between ones time in prophetic ministry and the ordination into the office of the prophet. You will find yourself going through tests and trials as well as the Lord asking you to die to the vision. Everyone called to the office of the prophet will first die to the vision. With some it will be longer than for others. In my own life it was a period of about three and one half months where the Lord asked me to give up all prophetic ministry and to come aside with Him. The Lord gave me the grace to be obedient when He used others to speak this into my life. He spoke through several in the same week or and God called me aside. Out of death came life. Praise the Lord. Then the Lord again allowed me to come back into ministry and about twelve months later there was a separation for the office of the prophet by an apostle. This is likened to being done in the heavenly realm. Then a few months later my ordination (by an apostolic group who are also my covering) into the office of the prophet. One becomes a gift to the body of Christ. God puts you into this position for one reason only and that is to serve His body. You are called to equip the body of Christ for the work of ministry. Your eyes and ears will be sharpened and as you walk out this office with fear and trembling God will use you to equip others. He will use you as that intercessor with His heart. All prophets are intercessors. You will need to spend much time alone with the Father and hear His heart so that you have good food for His body. One in this office will have at least two other revelation gifts i.e. the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits operating in their life along with the gift of prophecy.
You will be totally consumed by Him and die to all that you are or ever will be because you love the Lord and are His servant. You will live Christ twenty-four hours a day seven days a week and expect nothing in return. You will daily carry the burden of the Lord and will be on call for Him and know the fellowship of His sufferings. This walk is not for the faint of heart. You will be totally consumed by Him and die to all that you are or ever will be because you love the Lord and are His servant. You will live Christ twenty-four hours a day seven days a week and carry the burden of the Lord.**** One in the prophetic office will have signs and wonders following and be able to foretell what the Lord tells them to speak in regards to a future event as in Agabus the prophet in Acts 11:27 predicting a famine.
God is establishing His divine order in the body of Christ. The office of the apostle as well as that of the prophet is being restored to His church. We are coming to the end of the age and need to have a Kingdom mindset. The Lord is coming soon to rule and reign in the earth. He is establishing His authority in His church so that the body is equipped for the work of the ministry. There is an end time harvest that needs to come in and there are those that are not yet in the office of the prophet that are called by the Lord. Let us work together to see them come into the Kingdom. God is calling and if you sense in your heart that you are being called by Him by Him press in to receive all that He has for you and out of His heart you will minister to others.
JOYALMINISTRIES
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