Chapter 7
PROPHECY IN THE CHURCH
By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze
ESSENCE OF PROPHECY
We have by now understood, beyond all reasonable doubts, that the essence of prophecy is clear: “the pure knowledge of truth and accurate predictions therefrom”. By divine inspiration, man is able to connect with the Spirit which is omniscient and omnipresent, and receive messages which prove true.
PROPHECY AS A SIGN OF THE TRUE CHURCH
The entire Bible proves that prophecy is one of the signs by which we know the true church of God. Prophetic evidences abound in it.
It was by prophecy that Moses was able to give a good account of the creation and ancient times. His accounts agree with historical records, archeological findings and scientific evidences. Creation, itself, was based on prophecy. First, God spoke. Then, His word (command) became manifest (fulfilled).
It was by prophecy that Noah foreknew that God was about to destroy all life on earth through the great flood. By the same prophecy, he was able to make adequate provisions for the salvation of a few. Abraham was a prophet. That was why it was easy for him to believe God and leave his country. He foreknew of his numerous offspring and their slavery in Egypt through prophecy.
- Moses, the first leader of the Israelites was a prophet. Joshua, his successor, was guided by the priest through prophecy (by the use of Urim and Thumim).
- All the judges that succeeded Joshua relied much on prophecy.
- Gideon used prophecy to confirm his appointment and soldiers.
- Deborah, who initiated and led the war against King Jabin of Canaan, was a prophet.
- The birth and life of Samson was foretold through prophecy. He had to suffer when he neglected God’s message to him that Delilah was not his wife and that his hairs should not be cut.
- It was through Samuel the prophet that God anointed and directed King Saul. And when Saul disobeyed the words of divine prophecy, the kingdom was taken away from him.
- David succeeded Saul. It was the custom of David to enquire of the Lord.
- Through prophecy, God met with Solomon and blessed and exalted him. But Solomon fell when he neglected the words of the prophecy of the Lord.
- As evident in the Chronicles and the Prophets, there was always a prophet to direct the children of Israel. Whenever they went astray, one or more prophets were provided to redirect them. Hence, there were the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets.
- Even in exile and Diaspora, God uses prophecy in dealing with His people.
- When Jesus Christ came, He did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. He came to fulfill and establish and magnify them. He was a prophet. He gave several prophetic revelations about His flock, the church, end time and the coming kingdom. From time to time, He directed, taught and led His disciples with prophecy. Even after His death, He took time to deliver the prophetic messages of the Book of Revelation.
- The early church was prophetic. The Pentecost day, a prophetic fulfillment, was the commencement of great works of evangelism. On that day, the gifts of Holy Spirit including prophecy, was distributed to the disciples.
- The appointment of the seven deacons, the conversion of Saul and Cornelius and the missionary journeys had strong bearing on prophecy.
- Thus, we see that prophecy is inseparable from the church of God. It is a sign of true church of God.
In the modern times, and for a long period, the church members had many problems and difficulties which could not be solved. This was because the gift of prophecy was neglected and under-utilised. Since the past thirty years, there has been a gradual and steady revival, a step-up, in use of prophecy by the churches. The result has been overwhelmingly impressive: the sick are healed, the captives are freed, the dead raised and problems solved. All are prophetic signs given by Jesus Himself.
“ And these sign will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongue; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all: they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well”. Mark 16:17, 18
Prophecy Is Indispensable To The Church
This section highlights the importance of prophecy to the church of God. It explains, illustrates, establishes and promotes the use of prophecy, which is indispensable to the church. The following conclusions or facts are evident from the message to the Corinthians
- The church should seek, identify, encourage and develop spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1)
- Speaking in tongues is very good, but prophecy is much better (1 Corinthians 14 2-5, 8).
- Speaking in tongue is useless if it does not contain prophetic messages, revelations or purposes. (1 Corinthians 16:6).
- Prophecy strengthens, encourages, confirms and builds up the church (1 Corinthians 14: 3, 12)
- Speaking in tongues is for unbelievers, so that they cannot know God's will (and at the same time for believers to learn wisdom), but prophecy is for those who are rooted in God, that they may always know the will of God and live accordingly (1 Corinthians 14: 22)
- Prophecy converts the unbelievers and convinces them of divine presence and reality. (1 Corinthians 14: 23-25)
- The spirit of the prophets are subject to the control of the prophets - where several persons have prophetic messages to deliver, they should not speak all at the same time, but one after the other. Contrary to the general belief of people, all spirits are not subject to the control of the prophets.
A prophet can only control his own spirit. This portion does not in any way indicate that all spirits are subject to the control of the prophet. What is man that he should direct God, the Holy Spirit or the Angels? The Angels obey none, except God (1 Corinthians 14: 29-33)
- The claim that women should not speak in the churches is subject to clarification and confirmation by the Holy Spirit (God). More so, as the women pray, sing and testify in the house of God. Also, the Angels move them to speak, prophecy, correct, admonish and teach in the study of the Bible. Before we accept a statement in the Bible, we should first ascertain:
- Whether it was God who said it. If so, the statement holds.
- If the statement was not made by God but by some body, we should first find out whether God approves of the statement or not. If God approves of it, it shall stand. If God does not approve of it, it shall not be upheld. This is because there are several statements, in the Bible which are irrefutably false. The faith of the church must not be a blind faith. (1 Corinthians 14: 36-38).
St Paul only meant that women are talkatives and quarrelsome. They should not be allowed to disorganise church members.
- The Bible does not in any form stipulate that prophecy should be banned. Instead, it should be encouraged and valued, utilized in an orderly manner. Refer to 1 Corinthians 14: 39, 40
ATTUTUDES AND REACTION
The attitude of all is not the same in respect to prophecy. Mnay delight in it, and they react positively to it. Some others accept prophecy with reservations. The differences in attitudes and reactions have caused divisions in the house of the Lord. Obviously, there are reasons and evidences which strengthen each side of the divisions in their convictions, attitudes and reactions. The reasons notwithstanding, the house of God should strive to strongly keep their light (the spirit of prophecy) burning. It is the pilgrims’ compass and a guide to those who are spiritually enlightened.
REASONS WHY PEOPLE LOVE PROPHECY
- It confirms that God is with a group.
- By it, the divine will is ascertained.
- It guides people in their various endeavours. Thereby, they take advantage of good opportunities and avoid problems.
- It exposes evils and secrets.
- It enthrones and defends the righteousness.
REASONS WHY PEOPLE DISLIKE PROPHECY
- The evil ones do not like their hidden works to be exposed. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and lay bare before the eyes of the Lord. The world hates the light because darkness conceals their evil conducts.
- The enemy knows that it is through the light (spirit of prophecy) that God reveals His plans, ways and attacks. Therefore, he instigates people to rise against the light. He does this because he would like to retain his hold on the world.
- People who have been cheated through prophecy become skeptical, thenceforth. Old members of the flock know that sometimes, false ministers assume to be inspired of God, whereas they are not.
PROPHECY AND FALSEHOOD
One of the strategies of Satan is to make himself appear like an Angel of the Lord. Since his fall and banishment, the forces of good and darkness have being at war. It is therefore no wonder that often, false prophecy is used in order to mislead the church of God.
Hananiah, the false prophet, was bold to resist prophet Jeremiah, claiming that it was God who spoke to him (Hanaiah). If God had not acted quickly to remove Hananiah from the face of the earth, people would have accepted his prophecy; especially because his prophecy was pleasant (Jeremiah 27 and 28). Ahab was killed because he was misled by false prophets. Four hundred men were bent on prophesying falsely against Micaiah the only prophet of God. If God had not intervened and got Ahab dead in the battle, Micaiah the prophet would have lost his life and king Ahab would still be misleading all the Isrealites.
In the time of Jeroboam, a man of God was bold enough to prophecy lies and thereby misled a fellow man of God. This is a clear indication of how the enemy is strongly fighting to spoil the good works of God, just as he did in the Garden of Eden. By prophecy, God warned Adam and Eve not to sin. They heartily obeyed, until the serpent misled them by false prophecy - that they will not die.
Similarly, in the time of Nehemiah and Ezra, the enemies of progress - Samballat, Tobias and their group - were bent on discouraging the exiles from rebuilding Jerusalem. The exiles would have been misled, if Nehemiah had not been given the spirit of discernment. Korah, Dathan and Abiram did the same thing in the wilderness. They claimed that God equally spoke through them, and they tried to dethrone Moses and return to Egypt.
In the New Testament, Jesus warned His disciples of false prophets who would come to them in sheep’s clothing. Even in the Book of Revelation, God foretold of the spirit of antichrist which would seek to dominate their entire world.
All the above examples, beyond all reasonable doubt, point to the nature (character) of the Satan, “for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his nature and language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8: 44 The examples also illustrate the predicament in which some modern churches do find themselves. Convincingly, they forewarn the present churches, to guard against false prophecy.
IMPLICATIONS OF FALSE PROPHECY
- They show that the enemy is not happy, and that he is always skimming and acting in such ways as to disprove God. Rather, he ends up exposing and disgracing himself.
- The church, especially the clergy, must watch and pray always against forces of darkness and false prophecy.
- Every spirit or message has to be examined and discerned.
- God has not banned prophecy because of falsehood. Instead, He uses signs and wonders to confirm His words and prophets.
- The church should not ban prophecy; she should step up and strongly establish the discernment of the Holy Spirit.
- Experience and history prove that false prophecy is usually disastrous.
WHO PERFECTS THE OTHER?
In the recent times, a general attitude to prophecy has developed. After the Lord has moved (possessed) somebody to prophecy, and you wish to tell people the message, the first question they will ask you is “Who was used by the spirit in delivering the message?” They use the person to determine whether the message is genuine or not. Usually, they prefer the senior ministers. But God uses whomsoever He wishes, whether the person is old or young, black or white, experienced or in-experienced. We tend to think that it is the person used in delivering the message that makes the message true and perfect. But man can do nothing of his own. It is by the spirit that true prophecy is received. It is the Lord who makes man perfect, and not man who makes God perfect.
Our attitudes and reactions should not be determined by outward signs only. We should first discern to know whether the spirit and the messages are God's or not. It is when we have confirmed duly that we shall truly be able to say whether the message is true or not. Moses disobeyed God and was not allowed into the Promised Land; Nadab and Abiahu presented an unholy fire before the Lord and were consumed; Ananias and Sapphira died for telling lies; Samson, the brave, meet his doom by disobeying God’s directives; and King Saul lost his kingdom for not obeying the directives of God.
Man should rather learn from the life of Jesus Christ. He did not do His own will, but God’s. The following words and quotations prove accordingly:
- “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Matthew 3:15
- “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17
- “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14: 36
- “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” Luke 8:16