Desire Earnestly to Prophesy
1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1)
39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy... (1Corinthians 14:39)
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
(1Thessalonians 5:19-21)
I. PROPHECY FROM A LIFESTYLE OF LABORING IN AND FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST
A. The prophets in the Old Testament labored much to deliver the Word of the Lord. It did not come easily to them; their
personal lives were dramatically affected by their continued labor for the prophetic Word to go forth.
Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the
prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. (Jeremiah 7:25)
B. In the New Testament we are given a model of a lifestyle of labor lived out by the apostles.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than
they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1Corinthians 15:10)
1. Labor in the Word (1 Tim. 5:17)
2. Labor in Prayer (Col. 4:12)
3. Labor of Contending for Righteousness in Others (Gal. 4:11, 4:19; Phil. 4:3)
4. Labor of Working with Our Hands (physically wearying service within our communities) (Eph. 4:28, 1 Thess. 2:9,
2 Thess. 3:8)
My heart is longing to see a prophetic people who would arise and who would not hold onto their “right to comfort, right
to honor, right to fame, etc.”
II. PROPHECY THAT UNDERSTANDS AND PREPARES THE BODY FOR THE END TIMES
A. In this hour all over the earth, God is raising up prophetic messengers who carry a specific calling as forerunners who
help prepare the body of Christ for the unique dynamics of the end times.
B. As a community God has called us to:
1. Stand in the Counsel of the Lord
18 For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word
and heard it? (Jeremiah 23:18)
2. Understand What God is Doing in the End Times
19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury—a violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter
days you will understand it perfectly. (Jeremiah 23:19-20)
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the
appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this
man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my
face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” (Daniel 8:15)
12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble
yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. (Daniel 10:12)
3. Declare with Boldness the Word of the Lord in the End Times
21 “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had
stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil
way and from the evil of their doings.” (Jeremiah 23:21-22)
The dynamics of the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:31) leave those that prophesy in a dangerous place: we
must prophesy the true Word of the Lord or we will find out that we have become part of the problem in the body of Christ
rather than the solution. It is not enough to focus on the coming glory and revival; we must prophesy in a way that
tenderly yet soberly prepares the body of Christ for the tribulation that is coming.
3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel,
your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to
stand in battle on the day of the LORD.” (Ezekiel 13:3-5)
10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds
a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar— 11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall.
There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 12 Surely, when
the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’” (Ezekiel 13:10-12)
13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding
rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with
untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall
be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 13:13-14)
15 “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say
to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, 16 that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning
Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’” says the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 13:15-16)
22 “Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have
strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. (Ezekiel 13:22)
D. How can we know that we are prophesying rightly and that we are truly preparing God’s people for His coming? We
must be certain that the prophetic exhortations that we give bear the lasting fruit of righteousness, holiness, and the fear
of the Lord. This does not mean taking on a harsh tone or even that we will always in every instance prophesy about the
coming judgment, but rather that we will seriously assess the fruit of our prophetic ministry, making sure that it is producing
a wholehearted turning to the Lord and a real and lasting preparation for the unique dynamics of the end times. The
most sure way to accomplish this is to prophesy according to the Word of God and to make sure that our content is filled
with the knowledge of God as revealed in His Word. We cannot simply prophesy what people want to hear or our own
subjective feelings and thoughts. In this hour, we must reach for something higher!
III. PROPHECY POSTURED TO EDIFY RATHER THAN DISTRACT THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
A. As a community we are committed to pursue a radical expression of prophecy that is walked out in the constraints
of a “friend of the bridegroom” value system. At the core of this set of values is the reality that we refuse to become a
distraction to the body of Christ. Our understanding that the bride belongs to the Bridegroom fills us with such a jealous
zeal for His people that we are constantly asking the question, “Does this cause me to decrease and Jesus to shine through?”
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:29-30)
B. Paul the apostle spoke of how deeply the reality of the bride of Christ affected his ministry focus.
2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2)
C. We must take our stand for prophecy that will only be expressed in a way that edifies the church.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all. (1 Cor. 12:4-7)
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul highlights six times in one chapter the theme of prophecy and the gifts of the Spirit for the
purpose of edification:
1. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men (1Cor. 14:2-4)
2. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. (1Cor. 14:3-5).
3. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he
who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
(1Cor. 14:4-6)
4. Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to
excel. (1Cor. 14:11-13)
5. For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. (1Cor. 14:17)
6. How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue,
has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1Cor. 14:25-27)
D. What can we learn from Paul’s frequent insistence on this same point in this single passage?
1. The goal of exercising and increasing in our spiritual gifts must be for the edification of the body.
2. Each member of the body is entrusted with spiritual gifts that are for the up-building of the whole body. They are
not ours to withhold neither are they ours to flaunt and parade in a way that does not edify all the other members of the
body of Christ.
3. When we understand that the manifestations of the Spirit are given by God as He wills in order for the whole body
to be edified together, we are empowered to step past our fears and sense of inadequacy and rise up to all He will give
us for God’s sake and the sake of the people around us that we care for deeply.
E. The reality of doing all for the edification of others and of maintaining the friends of the Bridegroom value system
as we press in to all that the Spirit will gives us is a RADICAL shift that causes us to truly take up our cross at every level.
A good friend of mine once said to me, “If you are receiving personal gain from your prophetic gift, you are probably not
walking it out rightly.” As we press in together God will gives us more understanding into the mechanics of how we can
walk this out in our corporate context. The important thing is to set our hearts according to these values.
F. Our goal together as a community must be that we honor the gifts of the Holy Spirit by pursuing them with fervor
and administering them with excellence. We desire to express prophecy in the Sermon of the Mount values, which Jesus
call His entire Bride to pursue (Matthew 5-7).
IV. PROPHECY THAT IS PRESENTED WITH HUMILITY, TEACHABILITY, AND PATIENCE
A. Humility – faceless: willing not to be personally recognized when the revelation is shared
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:29-30)
B. Teachability: willing to receive instruction from others in administering revelation
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge, but if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first
keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirit of the
prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of
the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:29-33)
C. Patience: willing to be patient as the revelation is being discerned and confirmed
By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. (1 Corinthians 13:1)
V. PROPHECY THAT SERVES AND SUSTAINS THE PRAYER MOVEMENT
A. The spirit of prophecy that we see displayed in the Bible had a huge part in encouraging the prayer movement. We
see a picture of this in the prophets who exhorted those who had been set on the walls in order to rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem. In the end times, true prophecy will always strengthen prayer both in individuals and for the corporate prayer
movement. Without a prophetic perspective, the intercessors lose heart. For the sake of the prayer movement and the
prayer community here in our midst, we must continue to earnestly contend for the spirit of prophecy to increase in our midst.
8 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple;
His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. 10 For who has despised the
day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the
LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:8-10)
B. We also see a huge tie-in between the priesthood and the prophetic ministry in the scriptures.
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, (Jeremiah 1:1)
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives
by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was
in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of
Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. (Ezekiel 1:1-3)
C. True prophets are always intercessors. Prayer is what we do when we hear something from the Lord prophetically,
and it is also what qualifies us to truly carry His Word.
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before
the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the
vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice (Daniel 9:20-21)
18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of
hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do
not go to Babylon. (Jeremiah 27:18)
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn
away His wrath, lest He destroy them (Psalm 106:23)
10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you
a great nation.”
11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God…Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm
to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self…”]
14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:9-14)
VI. PROPHECY THAT RADICALLY SURRENDERS TO AND IS INSPIRED BY SCRIPTURE
A. If we are asking God to release to us angelic encounters, visions, dreams, etc. We MUST be found giving ourselves
to the encounters that God has already affirmed throughout scripture as being 100% from Him. If we despise these
encounters, what makes us think we will heed the angel that God sends to us?
B. In the church today the prophetic ministries are suffering from profound Biblical illiteracy. This gives rise to all sorts
of problems of doctrine and wrong interpretation of encounters, and as a result can shut our eyes to what God truly is
doing in our generation. Our view of the broader picture of what God will do before His Son returns remains small and
dangerously hazy if we do not see the importance of setting our hearts for years of deep theological study of God’s Word.
We must radically surrender all of our experiences to the written Word of God and use His Word as our firm foundation
and as our launching ground into prophetic experiences. Our prophecies must come from and go back to the Word of God.
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the
LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3Then
I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
4I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant
and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments…(Daniel 9:2-4)
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it;
for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until
the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any
private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)