The
Inspirational Gifts – Part 1
Memory Verse: “And
afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters
will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see
visions.” (Joel 2:28. NIV.)
We want to consider the
sources and types of prophecies so we can identify true and fake prophecies.
Background
At the commencement of this
series, we said the
q
9
Gifts of the Holy Spirit that are listed in 1 Cor. 12:8-10 can be categorized
into
o
Revelation Gifts: word of
wisdom; word of knowledge; distinguishing between spirits.
o
Inspirational Gifts: prophecy;
speaking in different kinds of tongues; interpretation of tongues.
o
Power Gifts: faith; gifts of healing;
miraculous powers.
We are now about to commence
looking at the second group, the Inspirational Gifts.
From 1 Kings 22:1-23 we read
earlier, we can see that
Just as there were false prophets
in Bible times, there are still loads of them today. Many are backed up by the
power of Satan, and are able to deceive people into believing them by their
signs and wonders. It is a life that demonstrates obedience to God’s will that
counts with God – signs and wonders, not even in the Name of the Lord, prove
anything. See Matt.
7:21-23.
Lesson Outline 1: There are three sources of Prophecy
q
But what is prophecy?
o
It is essentially the gift of being able to reveal God’s
mind, speak God’s word, “Thus says the Lord”. God can refer to the past. He
speaks on current issues. And He also speaks concerning the future. All time is
in God’s hands and He can reveal His mind concerning the past, present or
future.
q
What are the basic types of prophecy?
o
Direct Prophecies, which take the nature of “Thus says the
Lord”.
o
Indirect Prophecies, which are often blended with inspired
preaching, in counseling or other utterances. See John
11:49-53.
q What are
the sources of Prophecy?
o
It can come from the human spirit (a liar), the devil (as in
1 Kings 22) or from God Himself.
q What are
some of the characteristics of prophecy inspired by the devil?
This is the area where the lying
spirit, an agent of the devil, is at work.
o
Even where the problem is correctly diagnosed, the offered
solution is usually devilish.
o
Ideas and suggestions that come forth usually end up
confusing/misleading the victim.
o
Devilish prophecy can lead to conflicts between friends,
husband & wife, parents & children, etc.
o
The aim of the devil behind it all is to destroy the victim,
John 10:10a. Remember 1 Kings 22:23.
Lesson Outline 2: There are divinely given Prophecies
Let us begin by considering
q Prophecy
that has human inspiration as its source.
It may come through the
person’s intelligence, learning or experience. Some of its characteristics
include:
o
The desire of the “prophet” is to please man. He speaks what
his hearers would like to hear.
o
His message at best has an earthly value. Its heavenly
content is zero.
o
Their allegiance is not to God – they never heard from Him,
nor do they know and fear Him. Jer.
23:16-22.
o
Receive what they have to say, and you will be misled,
because they are there to fulfill their master’s mission, John 10:10a.
q
Prophecy that is divinely inspired
has different characteristics.
o
Its source is God Himself. He
is the One sending His message through his messenger. So prophecy comes from
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
o
The message is fully consistent with the word of God.
He inspired the Scriptures to begin with, and what word He sends through
His prophets will not contradict what He said earlier. 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16; Joel 2:28.
o
What He says has eternal value.
His word will inspire the hearer onto greater godliness and a closer
walk with God. See Jer. 23:22.
Summary: Though man, the devil or God can be
the source of prophecy, God remains the only true Source. Only that which comes
from Him has eternal value, and while here, will lead us to greater godliness
and a closer walk with God. Speculations from man and deceits from the devil
will not do any of these.