Prophets
# 1
Living
By the Word
1Sam 3:19 ¶ And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
q The Lord did not allow any of Samuel’s words to fail or not to come to pass.
q
The Lord
did not allow the words of Samuel to fail, not because He was under any
obligation to please Samuel, but because Samuel had a great discernment and
obedience to the words of the Lord. If
Samuel had been discerning the voice of the Lord incorrectly or not at all, his
words would have failed. God would have
not honored them. The Lord per se was not concerned about Samuel but about the
accuracy of His word working through Samuel.
q
Philippians
1:9 And this I pray, that your love may
abound yet more and more in knowledge
and in all judgment;
q
Knowledge: A complete and thorough knowledge that
grasps the fullness of understanding about that which is being sought out.
Judgment : Discernment
It is
not just enough to become born again and run to save the world. The Lord wants His love in our hearts to
increase in proportion to our fullness of understanding of His Word, will, and
voice. Likewise our discernment of not
only His voice must increase, but our discernment about what either comes from
Him, Satan, or even our flesh must become accurate. Only then can we serve Him and love the world without deception
or the spiritual burnout that comes as the result of getting involved in a host
of Christian activities versus walking in our calling(s).
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
q
Truth is
defined as what is genuine and accurate according to fact. It is not what we incorrectly believe about
the Word of God that will set us free, but what we believe about it, which is
genuine and according to fact. We must
dig deep, research, and study the Word of God for ourselves to walk in the
fullness of freedom. A superficial
knowledge of the Word will never set us free.
Eph
1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: }
7 In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
q The believer has been already blessed with
every spiritual blessing that the Lord has for him or her. We do need the Lord to bless us. Verse eight
of Ephesians one tells us that the abundance of the Lord’s blessings comes to
us in the realm of wisdom and prudence.
Wisdom is the will of God, prudence is the understanding His will and
then fulfilling it step by step in accordance to His voice, in all things that
He calls us to do. Therefore the
blessings of God come only to the extent that we lay down our own will to do
His.
q The prophet Elisha and his tremendous
faith in the voice of God working within him have always impressed me. Please look with me at the following
excerpt.
2
King 4:38 ¶ And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the
land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto
his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the
prophets.
39 And one went out into the field to gather
herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full,
and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
41 But he
said, Then bring meal. And he cast it
into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And
there was no harm in the pot.
q
There was a famine in the land of Israel and food was
so scarce that there was not even enough of the normal makings to make a stew
for the school of the prophets. One of Elisha’s disciples went out to the field
and picked up some wild vegetables and so forth. Unknowingly to him, one of these items was highly poisonous. When it was time to eat they found out that
the soup was highly toxic Elisha got the rhema word of God, told them to throw
some flour into the soup and then eat.
Indeed the Lord healed the soup.
I have
always struggled with that story. Would
I have the faith to hold myself responsible for the lives of a number of a
number of people based upon what I discern in my spirit. What if I heard wrong?
Yet
Elisha had learned the invaluable lesson of having a sharp awareness of the voice
of the Lord within him. The development
of the voice of the Lord within us has no shortcuts. It takes uncompromising
obedience that forces us to step out in faith time and time again until we
learn to recognize and live solely by that voice. It also takes the working of God’s holiness within us, which is
birthed out of a very intimate relationship with the Lord. Without purity of
heart we will not see the Lord Jesus living inside of us. Purity is the result
of much prayer and a deep knowledge of the Word of God.
The Lord
wants each and every one of us to learn to operate solely by His voice just
like Elisha did. The greatness of the
prophet or any man or woman of God is found in how fat they have limited their
lives to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Raise Not Yourselves Up
1
Sam
3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established(passive tense) to be a prophet of the LORD.
q God confirmed Samuel to be a prophet because
He found him faithful and dependable to the point that it satisfied Him. The Hebrew verb tense here is in the
passive. This means that Samuel did not
strive to take for himself the calling of the prophet. God had anointed and called him into it, and
the Lord likewise raised him up into this spiritual office as he found Samuel
to be obedient, trustworthy, and faithful.
1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me(empowered me ; from the word for dunamis), for that he counted me (esteemed me) faithful, putting me into the ministry;
q
Paul
received the power of God to fulfill His calling in proportion to how
spiritually ready the Lord found him to be.
It is a sad thing to see many a minister attempting to serve the Lord
out of their own power or devises instead of living simply out of the power of
the Spirit of God because they raised themselves up instead of awaiting God’s
timing for them.
q
Here is one
of the most important keys to success in ministry. It is important that we do not raise ourselves up into
ministry. One of the reasons for this
is the issue of timing. Every act of
God’s will has the factor of God’s timing within it. Only the Lord knows when we are spiritually fit to be raised
up.
q In the Hebrew, the word for prophet is nabi. This word means to boil and bubble up. Hence the prophet pours forth the Lord’s
words thorough the action of the bubbling up or boiling of the Spirit of the
Lord within his or her spirit. The
other Hebrew root word for prophet naba is defined as
“announcing,” thus making the prophet into a spokesperson for the Lord.
Numbers 3:16 And Moses numbered them according (at) to the word (Heb: mouth) of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Numbers 3:39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron
numbered at the commandment
(Heb:
mouth) of the LORD, throughout
their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two
thousand.
q It is important to understand the prophet is
not only a foreteller of future events, but is the Lord’s faithful spokesperson
to declare that which comes forth from the mouth of the Lord. Prophecy is the accurate declaring forth of
what the Lord Jesus speaks within a person’s spirit. The prophet must be very careful to declare without what the
mouth of God speaks within.
Numbers 3:16 And Moses numbered them according (at) to the word (Heb: mouth) of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Numbers 3:39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron
numbered at the commandment
(Heb:
mouth) of the LORD, throughout
their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two
thousand.
q
If we
carefully observe the two scriptures above we see Moses and Aaron executing
God’s commandments in accordance to the “mouth of the Lord.” Once again we see
the greatness of the prophet is his or her limitation to live by the voice of
the Spirit.
Numbers
22:35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the
word that I shall speak( Piel verb form ) unto thee, that
thou shalt speak(
Piel verb form). So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
q There must always be three dimensions to
every prophecy. First every prophecy
must be given without in the accuracy of the rhema word that is
discerned within one’s spirit. One good rule in giving a prophecy is to speak
only what one sees or hears; no more and no less. Many a time the Lord will reveal something in our spirits that we
cannot understand. Our responsibility
is to speak out as faithfully as we see it.
The Lord will then give us clarity in the situation.
Romans
12:6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy
according to the proportion(
measure) of
faith;
We have
previously studied that true faith is not our faith, but the faith of the Lord
Jesus Christ living within us. God’s faith always resides within His rhema
word. This is because God’s faith is
needed to cause His rhema word to come to pass. When we prophesy according to
the proportion of faith we are prophesying in accordance to the rhema word of
God. In proportion to the measure of the clarity of the rhema word as we
discern it, will be the proportion of the anointing behind the prophecy. This
is why we must learn to hear the voice of the Lord as accurately as
possible. Obedience, faith, and
holiness are the keys.
Secondly, is
the dimension of discerning the intent of the Lord’s heart in the
word given to us. Thirdly, the prophet must give the word with the same intensity
or emphasis, which the Lord gave it to him or her. Sometimes, the prophet is to give the word
with great compassion and gentleness, other times there is the tone of
admonishment or warning behind the voice of the Lord. Practice makes perfect. In Numbers twenty-two and thirty-five we
see the Hebrew Piel verb tense being used twice in the same verse. The Piel
verb form is used in what the Lord gives to the prophet, and likewise in what
the prophet speaks out. The Piel verb form illustrates intensity and
emphasis. One Hebrew grammarian defines
it as busying ourselves with a certain action. The prophet consumes him or
herself with the spoken word of the Lord and is responsible to speak out that
word with the same intensity of emphasis in which it was given to them. We shall see more of this in our study.
1Sam
3:21 And the LORD appeared again in
Shiloh: for the LORD revealed
himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
q
Hebrew: Yahweh
uncovered or disclosed Himself to Samuel through His word.
q
The word
discloses the Lord to the world as it is faithfully spoken forth by the
prophet.
q
The apostle
and the prophet uncover or disclose the hidden Lord Jesus dwelling in the form
of mystery to the church. As He is
disclosed, the church can then participate or fellowship in to what the Lord
Jesus has purposed and called forth corporately and individually. The more revelation, the more participation
into the Lord by the church, and by individual believers.
q
The Lord
will never disclose Himself fully to the church until the ministry of the
prophet is fully welcomed and honored within its walls.
1 sam 9:6
And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God,
and he is an honourable
man;
( Hebrew: Glory or
glorious: The Hebrew word also
means to be weighty
and heavy with
honor and glory. In this case Samuel is
heavy and weighty in the Spirit of God; he discloses the invisible God and
makes Him to become visible through all of his prophecies. This is the definition of glory or
glorifying the Lord.
6 all that he saith cometh surely to pass:( Hebrew: All that he says will come to pass, surely
comes to pass) now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our
way that we should go.
Amos
3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do
nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken,, who
can but prophesy
Hebrew: The Lord Yahweh emphatically spoke, who
will not begin to and continue to prophesy at repetitive times?
q
The more
glory, the more the anointing, and the more will be the spirit of
prophecy. The more is the revelation of
the Lord, the more will always be the release of prophecy. PLease observe the
next two scriptures.
Revelation
19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship
him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit
of prophecy. (The
presence of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy)
1 Cor 1:6
Even as the testimony
of Christ (
the presence of Christ) was confirmed in you:
7
So that ye come behind (You are not lacking or inferior) in no gift;( in no charismatic
gift) waiting for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Sam 10:6
And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy (Hebrew: reflexive verb; You
will be able to prophesy by your own capabilities and actions once that the
Spirit of God has come upon you) with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
q Prophecy, which is received, can turn an
individual or church into a different person or body if that individual or
church welcomes it, believes it, and acts upon it. Belief and obedience to a godly prophecy will bring God’s will
and circumstances to bear upon that individual or church. Their course of life will be radically
altered and blessed by the Lord in accordance to the prophecy, making the church
into a different church or the person into a different person.
Acts 13:27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not,(ignorant) nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
q Many churches today are ignorant, or have
no knowledge of the voice of the prophets.
q One of the most disconcerting things that
I have experienced as a believer of now twenty-two years is the incredibly
small percentage of churches and individuals that welcome prophecies from the
Lord. Most comments have been “ that’s
a nice word.” I have seen little if
nothing been done to test out the prophecy and then to execute it if it is
indeed found to be from the Lord. The
individual or church loses the privilege of being turned into another man, or
body of believers.
q One church in my Christian experience
closed its doors after disputes between the leadership over petty issues. The prophecies that had come forth to this church
however was that the Lord wanted to use it greatly in a large North American
city. Instead of paying heed to the
prophetic utterances and seeking the Lord for wisdom and understanding into how
to take the steps towards this fulfillment, the church is no more. The prophet was not heeded. Years later I
was to find out that the Lord has called a pastor who has a huge church in
Colombia, South America, to start a church in this very city. Could it be that churches such as this
within this city, did not heed the prophetic voice, and the Lord had to look to
another country to send a man of God to fulfill His desires?
q Another church within this very city
received numerous prophecies that the Lord wanted to use it to spearhead
revival if it allowed for the glory of the Lord to come into its midst. This church rejected these prophecies. Instead of experiencing revival today, this
congregation became a “seeker sensitive church” which prohibited the gifts of
the Spirit such as prophecy. I was part
of this church and felt for myself the anointing of the Lord progressively
withdrawing from it, and an unbearable spiritual dryness set in that made me
want to get out of my seat and rush out of the service.
q In another case, a minister was warned
over and over about sins in his life and that of his congregation. He turned a deaf ear to the prophetical
voice of the Lord and eventually lost his ministry, wife, family, home, and
health.
q Look with me at the church of Antioch in
the scriptures, which follow. This
“model” church gave immediate heed to the voice of prophecy within it,
something very rarely found today.
Acts
11:26 And when he had found him, he
brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled
themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were
called Christians first in Antioch.
27 ¶
And in these days came
prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the
Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came
to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
29
Then the disciples, every man according to
his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
2 Chronicle 20:20 ¶ And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
q To believe in the prophets of God means that we must be first assured
of their ministry as spokespeople of the Lord.
Afterwards we are responsible to obey the words that come through them
after proper discernment. To prosper is
to be able to accomplish successfully what one set out to do. Only our executing and accomplishing the
will of God measure true success in life.
Individual believers and churches shall prosper as they take heed to the charge
of God through His prophets. Without the prophetic ministry in it’s midst a
church will truly never become successful in executing God’s will for it.
Hos 12:10 And I have spoken( Hebrew: Piel verb) by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets.
vision
q
Here we find
the same Hebrew “piel” verb form
describing intense and emphatic action.
As we said before, it means to busy or consume ourselves with a certain
activity.” Thus, this verse tells us
that the spoken voice of God is best heard and understood through the prophetic
ministry.
Hosea 12:13 And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
Acts 7:38 This is
he, that was in the church
in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount
Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
q
The Lord by a prophet causes the church to be
brought out of bondage.
q The church is furthermore guarded and kept free by the prophetic ministry after being brought out of its bondage. Until the prophetic ministry is fully welcomed in our churches it is impossible for the Bride of Christ to be made spotless.
I Cor 14:3
But he that prophesieth
speaketh unto men to edification(the building up of the body of
Christ), and exhortation,(encouragement , admonition, and
warning) and comfort.( to persuade, arouse and
stimulate into Christian action)
Ezr
5:1 Then the prophets, Haggai the
prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of
the God of Israel, even unto them.
Ezr
5:2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God
which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them (supporting, sustaining, encouraging, and exhorting).
q
The building
of the house of God must be always done in part through the ministry of the
prophets.
Ezra
6:14 And the elders of the Jews builded(they were building), and they prospered(and
succeeding) through the prophesying of
Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and
finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according
to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
q
Building and
successfully completing the house of God can only be done in part through the
ministry of the prophets.
Acts 15:32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
q To strengthen, fix in place, and make
steady and sure an individual or church by confirming God’s will as well as
giving the person or church direction for growth in the Lord.
(Our next
teaching series will be on “prayer”.)
God Bless You,
Jose
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