I have a spiritual gift I wish I didn’t have.
The gift of prophecy.
I wish the Lord had given me the gift of exhortation, or giving, or healing instead. But I wasn’t consulted in the matter, because the Lord distributes the gifts as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11, 18).
I’ve taken many spiritual gift tests … and asked others to take those same tests with me in mind. In fact, I took a class called “Discerning Your Ministry Identity” for my doctoral program, and the results always come out the same.
Teaching is my top gift. Prophecy is second.
I can’t foretell the future, so please don’t ask me who’s going to win the World Series or the election in November!
But I do sense the freedom to speak openly and candidly about cultural and personal issues from a biblical standpoint.
Here’s how this gift – featured in 1 Corinthians 14 – manifests itself in the life of a modern-day prophet:
First, prophets are drawn to controversy. I first discovered this at age 19. When I taught publicly, I wanted to talk about issues that others wouldn’t talk about.
Stephen Brown, author, pastor, and radio preacher, lived by this motto whenever he preached:
WHEN IN DOUBT, SAY IT.
Brown believed that whenever a pastor said something unplanned, those words would be more memorable and impactful to a congregation.
Maybe so … maybe not.
Some of the best things I’ve ever said … and some of the stupidest … occurred when I practiced that motto.
But like the prophets of old, sometimes I have to say things … because God’s word is like a fire in my bones.
Second, prophets feel free to talk about any subject.
Over the years, while having conversations with pastor friends, I’ve discovered that many of them are uncomfortable talking about certain issues from the pulpit.
Examples?
Giving to God’s work. Sex … even inside marriage. Homosexuality. Couples who live together outside marriage. Hell. The wrath of God. Intelligent design and creationism.
And you don’t know how many times I wanted to wade into politics … but didn’t.
But a pastor with the gift of prophecy says to himself, “If I don’t speak about these issues from Scripture, how will people know God’s mind on these topics?”
This is why I’m drawn to people who do talk about these issues.
It’s why I thought the late Chuck Colson was the best Christian speaker I’ve ever heard. When the Jim Bakker scandal broke in the late 1980s, I heard Colson publicly critique the prosperity gospel in a biblical, succinct, and devastating way. He was a modern-day prophet.
It’s why I’ve appreciated Bill Hybels’ ministry over the years. I used to become quite upset when Christians would criticize Hybels for watering down the gospel because I never found it to be true. He gave the best messages I’ve ever heard on substitutionary atonement … and hell … and abortion … and homosexuality … and he never pulled punches in the process.
I’m currently writing and talking about the devastating effects that the forced termination of pastors has on Christians, churches, and pastors and their families. This is not a topic most believers want to hear about, but this problem is becoming an epidemic in our country … and people are leaving their churches … and even their faith … because of the way these situations are being handled in local churches.
Someone has to speak up … and pray that God’s people will pay attention.
As a wise man once told me, some practices inside Christian churches can only be changed by people who are angry enough to speak out.
Third, the prophetic gift can go against one’s personality.
My two favorite Bible characters are Jeremiah and Timothy.
They both shrank from their calls to ministry.
They both felt unsuccessful.
They both felt like quitting at times.
And they were both sensitive men.
God took a sensitive man like Jeremiah … called him to be a prophet … told him in advance that his ministry would fail … and then insured that he was always alone!
That’s how it feels at time to have this gift.
If God gives someone the gift of prophecy, shouldn’t He give it to a person with an iron will and nerves of steel?
But sometimes He gives this gift to a person with a tender, bleeding heart.
You feel like a spiritual schizophrenic.
Prophets may feel fear before they speak … but they go out and speak anyway … with the authority of God Almighty behind them. As Paul said to the church at Corinth: “I came to you in weakness and fear, and much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3).
But he still preached Christ to them … in the power of God’s Spirit.
Finally, prophets always pay a price when they use their gift.
Some prophets are abrasive and obnoxious when they exercise their gift. Keith Green … whose music I love … believed God had given him the prophetic gift, but he had a habit of slamming people when he used it. Before he died, he apologized for the way he used his gift.
Prophets are free to speak the mind of God to the people of God … they just have to do it in love.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I have the gift of prophecy … but have not love, I am nothing.”
Four years ago, the state of California was getting ready to vote on the definition of marriage … that marriage was between one man and one woman.
I have pastor friends who chose not to speak on that topic, stating that they weren’t going to change anybody’s mind about it.
But I believed … and still do … that we preachers had the opportunity to clearly delineate what God’s Word says on this issue. But as Paul says about prophecy, we needed to do it for people’s “strengthening, encouragement and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3).
So I talked on “Defending Biblical Marriage.” Gay marriage proponents loudly proclaim their position … and if we Christians are silent, don’t they win the argument by default?
When I gave the message, I knew some people would applaud me … some would attack me … and some would abandon me.
But I had to do it … and would do it again in a heartbeat … even though I believe that message angered the enemy … and that he gradually began to cause damage from that moment on.
The church of Jesus needs prophets who proclaim the whole counsel of God.
And when they do, we need to pray for them, encourage them, and stand behind them … even when they say something that others don’t like … or even we don’t like.
The alternative is for the church of Jesus Christ to be biblically illiterate, culturally irrelevant, and spiritually impotent.
I am not the body. You are not the body.
I need your gifts … and you need mine.
Even the gift of prophecy.
Follow the way of love, and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 1 Corinthians 14:1
I would be interested to how many people have the gift of prophecy compared to other gifts…I know there are fewer…what do you think the percentage might be? BTW, you always handled difficult topics very well and I never cringed:)
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Thanks for your comment, Mrs. Meuer. I don’t really know how many people have that gift. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul writes, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers …” These words probably refer to the relative importance of the gifts … apostles are most needed, then prophets, then teachers … but it’s possible that at least in New Testament times, there were as many prophets as teachers. In our day, we have many teachers, but not nearly as many prophets as we need. Teachers shed light on God’s Word, while prophets bring some much-needed heat. We need both light and heat.
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I have always appreciated your willingness to tackle the tough topics. I remember one Sunday when you spoke about divorce-we could have cut the tension in the sanctuary with a knife. That was the most impactful sermon our congregation had ever heard. Not everyone deals with addictions, homosexuality, or the debate over evolution on a daily basis, but with the divorce rate at 50% most people have either been divorced or have been profoundly affected by it in some way. I appreciated the way you spoke the truth with such compassion.
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Thanks, Ce Ce. To me, it seems normal to discuss tough topics, and when I see a pastor avoid them, it seems abnormal. Maybe this is just the way God made me, I don’t know. I don’t remember the message on divorce … however, you obviously do … and if I had known how tense the room was, it probably wouldn’t have made any difference to me. There’s a sense in which a message is a burden that has to be delivered, and if people don’t like it or agree with it, you still have to deliver yourself of it.
If you don’t, what else are you going to do for 30 minutes?
As always, thanks for commenting!
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I have known since I was 10 years old…I am a prophet. I was called into the Lord’s kingdom in a movie theater while watching The Ten Commandments in the summer of 1968. I stored it in the farthest recesses of my mind, mostly because I didn’t understand it. In February 1989 the Lord pressed into my life with such a passion I could not, nor did I desire to refuse Him my heart, my mind, my soul, and my life. If I were to take the time to tell you my testimony it would leave you with such a profound sense of awe for the hand of God. I know this because those who I have shared with all come away with the same reaction…miraculous. To make a long story short in 2002 I bolted. Ran in the complete opposite direction from God into the desert and the waiting arms of Lucifer. I have spent 10 1/2 years wallowing in every evil imaginable. Yet sobbing myself to sleep every night because of the intense pain of not walking with Him, not talking with Him, not sitting in His lap while He taught me and counseled me. Crying out to Him how much I missed Him. He would always assure me that He has never left my side and never would, that His love for me is eternal, but that I had left Him. Separation from Him is not only spiritually painful, but emotionally, mentally, and physically painful. I would, and still do beg Him to bring me home. The Lord has begun to press into me again, revealing things to me I cannot believe, yet thanks to the Internet I can research them and I always find the truth in what I have been told. He wants me to prophesy to born again believers…not the perishing souls. He wants me to prophesy about false teachings by men of God in the church being treated as the gospel of Christ. In reality they are really the whisperings of Satan twisting the Word of God to deceive the chosen. Teachings, which when they don’t come to pass will cause thousands to lose hope, to lose faith, and to fall away from the flock, renouncing their faith and turning to the world, to evil, to man for their answers and their hope. I cannot do this. Who will even hear my words? They will fall on deaf ears because of the last 10 years of my life, because what I have to tell them goes against what most have been taught for the last 70 years. I will be ridiculed, called an enemy of the church, in league with Satan…A FALSE PROPHET! The Lord said to me His church has lost its’ way and His flock is being unwittingly led astray. He said His Word must go forth. Why me? Why a back sliding, down-trodden, broken Christian? My heart is ready to follow His will, but my mind is not and my feet are pointed in the opposite direction and are ready…to bolt again!
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It’s a burden to have this gift. And it’s an even greater burden to have the gift but lack an audience. What do you do with all your thoughts and feelings?
Write them down. Start a blog if you don’t have one already. Only write when you’re right with God. Hook up with someone who has a prophetic ministry and let them mentor you.
Maybe you’ve wasted some years … but you don’t have to waste the rest of your years. Invest them.
I can only write clearly when I’m thinking clearly, and I can only think clearly when my mind and heart are right with God.
The church of Jesus needs many more prophets. We’re tolerating evil in our midst and saying/doing nothing about it.
Rise up! Use your gift! Be who God made you to be.
I’ll be praying for you, my friend. When you start writing, let me know so I can encourage you.
Jim
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Jim,
Wow…your reply to me is simply more proof of His pressing into my soul and the work He desires me to accomplish.
On a Sunday evening in February of this year I felt the Holy Spirit rise up within me for the first time in over 10 years. The intenseness of emotions, the pure joy and exhilaration, the warmth of the spiritual anointing oil soothing my aching body and tortured mind so wondrous I could not stop from shouting out scriptural praises to the Lord I had thought were long gone within me, perhaps even dead. At that moment I knew why my prayers begging to die and come home were never granted.
Over the next few months I once again let the flame of passion to follow His will and travel the path He has chosen for me to ebb. Once again I chose the temporal instant gratification of the world over the eternal glory and gifts of the kingdom of God. Putting my will and my desires to the forefront and burying the Lord’s deep enough so as not to interfere with my “life is a party all the time” way of sinful living. But my heart was hurting, my soul felt so hollow, my life began to literally fall to pieces, I lost everything the world could give me…my home, my income, and my will to live.
On June 16, 2013 the Lord, in an abundance of mercy came to me and I was compelled to write down exactly what was being said/told to my spirit.
This morning I felt such a strong compulsion to do an Internet search about the gift of prophecy and that is how I came to be at your website/blog. It was no mere coincidence or happenstance, it WAS His perfect timing. Below is the message I received on June 16th in its entirety.I believe I need to share it in this post. There is someone who needs to see this message in an answer to prayer, to minister to their pain, and to bring them comfort and hope. God bless you and thank you for your encouragement Jim.
6/16/2013
All things are allowed for me – not all things are good for me, but they are allowed.
Stop persecuting yourself for putting things in your body or doing things to yourself you believe are wrong, yet your weakness keeps you bound to.
Satan seeks to inhabit your mind with unworthiness and a belief God only blesses the upright, the upstanding, the truly deserving of His blessings.
Remember – no one – not one single solitary one is righteous and deserving on their own merits.
FOR ALL HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OIF GOD
It is only through the Spirit that one becomes righteous and this in itself is not true righteousness because there is only one righteous enough to sit at the right hand of God.
BUT
Through faith, prayer, meditating on the Word, and a devotion to the Lord
MY righteousness I will give freely to all.
Seek my righteousness and it will be added unto you.
You are in a battle – a war – a fight for your life – physically and spiritually.
You will fall down – you will get wounded
BUT
If you pick yourself up and dust yourself off – If you are honest with yourself and with me, and you confess your short-comings, your failings, your self-indulgence, your lack of faith in me
I WILL FORGIVE YOU AND SET YOUR HEART, YOUR SOUL, AND YOUR FEET BACK ONTO THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE WAY IN WHICH I WANT YOU TO MOVE FORWARD AND THE PATH YOU NEED TO FOLLOW
If I DO NOT CONDEMN YOU
THEN WHY DO YOU CONDEMN YOURSELF OR ALLOW OTHERS TO DO SO?
YOU HAVE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS
OF CHRIST THROUGH
THE HOLY SPIRIT
OF THE LORD GOD
ALMIGHTY!
STOP WASTING IT
STOP THROWING YOUR
INHERITANCE
AWAY!!!
Why do you continue to let Satan beat you and steal your blessings?
The only power he has over you is that which you allow him to have.
DEFEAT HIM WITH THE WORD!!!
Remember –
If you will put forth the effort
I WILL DO THE WORK
All you have to do is have faith, be true to yourself and the Lord, and rest in my embrace.
I WILL NEVER Leave You Nor Forsake You
You are my child
You are my sibling
You are my love
How could I ever let you perish without being there to rescue you or bring you home for eternal rest and peace?
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You’re off to a good start! Your thoughts from God and your writing are very powerful. Walking with the Lord is a daily thing. Walk in step with God’s Spirit and you can still minister to His people.
Once again, I encourage you to start by writing. It’s only been a few weeks since you’ve decided to start living for the Lord again. Take things easy before you start revealing God’s Word to people.
Let me know how it goes!
Jim
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Jim,
Thanks for your advice and your support, but can’t do this. Just as I knew would happen I was called a false prophet today. Keeping my mouth shut and the things revealed to me to myself from this point on. Too bad the Christians of this world prefer the view through rose colored glasses. At least I know the truth and maybe that’s all it’s meant to be is for my understanding. God bless.
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I don’t know who called you a false prophet. A pastor? A missionary? A false prophet in Scripture is someone who claims to speak for God but really speaks for someone else (like a king or their friends). And a false prophet is someone who makes predictions about the future that fail to come true.
Someone with the New Testament gift of prophecy, however, speaks for God in a forthright but loving manner. This person addresses issues in the culture and in the church with courage and clarity. We need more prophets today!
Please take some time to work on your relationship with God and hook up with a group of Christians somewhere. Like every spiritual gift, yours is needed as well … just realize that on occasion, someone isn’t going to like what you say. But I contend that getting some reaction is better than getting no reaction. The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon … one of my few heroes … said that a preacher needs to make people sad, glad, or mad.
Maybe you made somebody mad … but you might also make people glad. Hang in there, my friend!
Jim
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Jim,
Can’t live like this anymore. Please pray for my soul.
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Jim i believe God is using you in a special ministry which our fellow christians are not clear with. Like Saul who became Paul, even the apostles at first did not believe, they thought he was faking to kill them but Paul kept the faith and prove himself by staying with them and doing what God asked him to do until he finally told them of his ministry to the gentile that God has called him into. so brother Jim, running from the christians will not solve your problem but will rather prove what the christians may be thinking but i want you to stay there and do the will of God. it will not be easy but God will prove you right to the glorification of His name. God bless you and give you strength.
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Thank you for your encouraging words. I plan to stay right here and continue to do the will of God, as you say. The Church of Jesus Christ needs more prophets who speak the truth in love on a variety of issues, but because prophets threaten the status quo, they are usually ignored or ostracized. Please pray that God will continue to guide me and bring healing among Christ’s people.
Jim
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As I read this post, my heart just filled with joy and praise to God! My heart leapt with joy and I had to fall to the ground and worship God! Praise Jehovah!
I have been taking spiritual gifts tests for a while and the results all usually come out the same: prophecy. Although it is something that makes people uncomfortable, I praise God that He, in all His holiness and love, has chosen someone as me to carry this gift given through His Holy Spirit. Some might not want this gift at times, but praise God he has given it! I am overjoyed in my soul that God has placed this upon me! Praise God! Hallelujah!
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I don’t know how I missed your comment, but I did, so I apologize for not replying sooner. Prophecy can be a tricky gift. As with all the gifts, it must always be exercised in love, but sometimes people need to hear something from the Lord in a bit of an edgy manner, too … or they won’t pay attention.
Right now, I use my gift through writing, and since I can’t always tell how people respond to me, it’s hard to adjust and know whether I should be more or less edgy. It’s much easier to use this gift when you speak because you can see the reactions of people.
May the Lord give you discernment as you use your prophetic gift for His glory.
Jim
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