Prophecy sometimes gets a bad wrap because of abuses by those who claim to speak for God. There is a beneficial role of modern prophecy to edify the Church. Sometimes this gets lost as people are too eager to share their "word from the Lord." Recently, I listened to a teaching by Dr. Gordon Anderson of Central College on the role of prophecy and Pentecost. He was speaking to a group of ministers on the subject.
Dr. Anderson made several great points. He stated that the foundation of prophecy is love. Actually, love is the basis for all of the spiritual gifts outlined in the New Testament. That is why the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) is sandwiched between chapters on tongues and prophecy in 1 Corinthians. Spiritual gifts exist to edify and build up the Church. These come from God for His purposes.
Prophecy is a spiritual gift that has been abused, which has led many churches to just ignore it altogether. Many pastors have banned prophecy because they are afraid of what could happen if anyone other than a pastor is given the microphone. But what if God wants to say something that a pastor has not been burdened with or refuses to speak?
Instead of kill the voice of prophecy, Dr. Anderson called for pastors to guide it and even encourage it. He said pastors should hope that all the people in their churches prophecy. Members should be trained in how to properly use the gifts. Prophecy should be done in Biblical order and judged for its alignment with Scripture.
Modern day prophecy is not in the same category as Biblical prophecy, which does not contain any error. Biblical prophecy always takes precedent over any individual word that comes to a man today. But this does not mean that God is finished speaking to and through people.
Many get the wrong idea about the primary focus of the modern gift of prophecy. It is more about helping others to see truth than communicate the future of any one individual. Prophecy mainly exists to call people to repentance. It helps the Word of God come alive in their hearts and reveals spiritual truths that may not have otherwise seen.
Dr. Anderson believes if love, order and the proper focus of prophecy is restored in the Church, it could lead to a whole new dynamic to ministry.
