Strengthen With Prophecy
1 Corinthians 14:3 says, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening…. Strengthening (οίκοδομή oikodomḗ) is the act of building, especially in the building for spiritual profit or advancement. (The Complete Word Study of the New Testament; Word Pictures in the New Testament; The Bible Exposition Commentary)
It is like building a house – first a solid foundation to hold the building. The floor, roof, etc. One supports the other and compliments each other until the project is just like the architect designed it. God has created you, He knows what He wants you to be. The one who has the gift of prophecy directs you first to Christ Jesus the foundation. He then teaches the Word of God to you, thus giving you knowledge of Christian truth which the Holy Spirit uses to enable you live the Christian life.
As people make the genuine effort to seek the Lord’s will for them, God will raise up Christians who can teach them God’s Word concerning the situations and circumstances they are facing, as well as equipping them to accomplish His call upon their lives. These people share testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness which the Holy Spirit uses to build Christian faith.
I know of a man who was attending church, but he felt useless and unsatisfied in what the church had appointed him to do. By God’s grace the young man was invited to attend some solid Bible teaching done by a Para-church ministry that had the gift of prophesying. They shared the Word of God with him so he could get Biblical confirmation on what he felt the Lord was calling him to do. Along with the Bible teaching they shared personal testimonies of God’s faithfulness.
Like the foundation of a house, they taught him what it really means to have Jesus Christ as the foundation of all he did. They taught him how to prayerfully study the Bible so he could determine God’s will, seek His direction and accomplish the Lord’s vision set before him.
It was in June of 1994 this young man attended the North American Conference for Intenerate Evangelist, conducted by the Billy Graham Association. This is were he learned from those who had the gift of “prophecy.” (Romans 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 14:1) Their sacrificial exercising of the gift of prophesying laid the foundation to sustain him the past 20 plus years through criticisms, false accusations, and miss-guidance which are to often found in conjecture of man.
Because God’s gift of “prophecy” the young man has become a mature Christian, exercising the gift of “prophesying” (Romans 12:6) to thousands all around the United States of America and beyond.
Like the young man in this Biblical teaching, 1,000 new people every month are having to look outside their local church to enjoy the gift of “prophecy” so they can enjoy God’s direction, “eagerly desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially [the gift] of prophecy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)
Ask God to send the Holy Spirit upon the church, thus restoring His gift of “prophecy” or “prophesying” so Christians may be strengthen.
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