Part 7I. My Personal Experiences With Prophecy, Presented for Review and Comment.
What happened when I prayed for the gift of prophecy in the middle of 2000. How did God answer? The jury is still out. Discussion is invited.
Tag Archive: Prophecy
God’s Work and Voice in Me, Part 7G: Didn’t the Apostles Say God Was About to Quit Speaking to Us?
The blog post discusses various scriptures in an attempt to address the topic of whether God ceased to speak after the Bible was finished. The author contests teachings that this is the case, arguing that scriptures often thought to support this view require numerous assumptions. The post suggests that the divine dialogue continues, challenging readers to approach scripture with less literal interpretation and more open-minded understanding. The author plans to discuss each scripture in greater detail in subsequent posts and videos.
You Are Not the One to Build, Part 7A: God Uses No Cookie Cutters
God uses our uniqueness and gives unique gifts and roles. He does not make interchangeable, cookie-cutter believers for our administrative convenience. Examples: the first deacons, Stephen, Philip. Paul and the anomalous New Testament prophets.
Repent, turn again, turn away from your wickedness, in Acts 3:19
When Peter preached that the people should “repent,” he explained that meant that they were to “turn away from their wickedness” and so, in their behavior, “listen” to Jesus. Jesus did not come to entertain us or to offer advice, but to turn us away from our own way to obedience to him.
Prophets (New Testament)
Prophets tell forth God’s words to an individual, church or situation, giving God’s perspective which is not plainly visible without God’s illumination. The purpose of prophecy is to edify the Church. Prediction of the future is not the essence of prophecy. Many great preachers were likely prophets, though not recognized as such. This function is still important to the Body, and therefore still present in it.
The Bad Example of Balaam
Balaam spoke with God and was given a true revelation of the way God viewed the children of Israel, but misinterpreted it. reversing its true meaning, due to his own greed. God said he saw no iniquity in Jacob because he had chosen them; Baalam thought he meant that he had chosen Jacob because he saw no iniquity in them. The result was fatal for Baalam and the Midianites.
God’s Initial Response to my Strange Prayer for the Gift of Prophecy
God said “yes” to my request in the year 2000 to exercise that gift. The prophecies I was given were intended to, and did, awe me into recognizing the seriousness of prophecy–and even more so as they seemingly have been fulfilled in the 20 years since.
My Strangest Prayer and My Personal Experience with Prophecy
My personal journey from a liberal church that had little belief in spiritual gifts, through local churches of various other flavors, to the point of praying for prophecy, as 1 Corinthians 14:1, 12 and 39 seemed to say was appropriate.