The Rev. Canon Dr. Brett Cane, May 2, 2010
Fifth Sunday of Easter: 8:30 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Holy Communion
Hearing the Word of God #2:
“The Purpose of the Prophetic Gift”
1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Opening Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have revealed your Father to us; help us now, by your Holy Spirit, to see how the prophetic gift conveys that revelation to us today and how we are to exercise that gift and benefit from its purposes as we strive to live out and bear witness to your truth in the Church and in the world. Amen.
Introduction
The subject of prophecy is something that never fails to engage the curiosity of every segment of society – just look at the current craze over December 21, 2012. The Mayan prophecies of a major shift in history on that date are all the rage – not only is there the recently-released film but there are about two dozen books on the subject, even a “Complete Idiot’s Guide to 2012”! Prophetic figures such as Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, Jeane Dixon and others continue to raise interest and speculation.
Christians are rightly wary of all of this – but isn’t prophecy a valid subject for Christians to investigate? Absolutely! The place of prophecy and the role of the prophet are central to the Christian faith. No Christian would challenge this. The Bible is largely made up of books by prophets and about prophets and Jesus himself is seen as the greatest prophet as promised by Moses, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your people; you must listen to everything his prophet tells you” (Acts 3:17-23 – see Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19). However, because of excesses and the anti-supernatural bias from the “Enlightenment” which still hangs over us we are often sceptical of the purpose and use of the prophetic gift in the Church today.
In these last two sermons in our mini-series on “Hearing the Word of God” we will be looking at this subject. Today we examine “The Purpose of the Prophetic Gift” and in two weeks time we will look at “Using the Prophetic Gift.” As I said at the beginning of the series, this is a follow-up to our prophetic weekend with Isabel and Ivan Allum last Fall. That event was pivotal for many and opened up both opportunities and questions. These sermons are an attempt to answer those questions and develop those opportunities to us as individuals and as a parish and to set forth guidelines that need to be in place in order for us to correctly hear what God is saying to us and then to act upon it. This morning, we begin with “The Nature of Prophecy” and then move on to “The Purpose of Prophecy” as we look at Paul’s discussion about prophecy in the church in 1 Corinthians 14.
The Nature of Prophecy
When I mention the word “prophecy” with respect to the Bible what immediately springs into your mind? Probably something about predictions of the end times or perhaps fulfilment of Old Testament predictions in the life of Jesus. Prediction or fore-telling is often uppermost in our minds when we think about prophecy. But when you look into the Bible, the predictive element is only a small part of what prophecy is all about. Throughout Scripture, it is the forth-telling aspect of prophecy that is uppermost. By “forth-telling” I mean speaking the word of God into a situation to reveal his will for us and his plan for the world. That may include an element of prediction (“fore-telling”) – what will happen if you do or do not follow God’s will – but its focus is more on encouragement and challenge to carry out God’s will.
We can see this by looking at the one book in the Bible people (mistakenly) associate most with predictive prophecy – the Book of Revelation. First, Revelation sees itself as a book of prophecy – “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it” (Revelation 1:3). But this is not prophecy in the sense of a timetable of events of the end – it is primarily an encouragement to early Christians to persevere under trial and to remain faithful in their witness to Jesus. As I explained in my series on Revelation a few years ago, it is not a book about escaping suffering but about enduring suffering. It shows that following Jesus in suffering witness is the only way to bring about the salvation of the world.
It begins with messages – prophetic words – to the seven churches of Asia Minor about how they are doing in their witness for Christ. They contain commendations and reproofs as we see in the “letter” to the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2. There is commendation: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary” (verses 2-3). There is reproof: “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (verses 4-5). Finally, there is prediction: “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (verse 5). The heart of the matter is that the church is called to bear witness to the truth about Jesus. We do this through our lives and doctrine, our love for Jesus and one another. That witness to Jesus is at the heart of prophecy
Thus, in Revelation 19:10, it says that “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Richard Bauckham comments that “This must mean that when the Spirit inspires prophecy, its content is the witness of Jesus.”[1] What is the “testimony or witness of Jesus”? This includes both what Jesus revealed to us and our witness to him. Jesus as “The faithful and true witness” (Revelation 3:14 and 1:5) reveals the truth about God – who he is and his plan for us. He also reveals the truth about us – who we are in his sight and where we fall short of his calling and need to return to the centre of his love. It is then our role as the Church to bear witness to Christ in the world. This two-fold witness is the heart and nature of prophecy
There are obviously various ways that prophecy is communicated. In the Old Testament, Moses, Elijah, and Ezekiel are all called prophets but each had a different type of ministry. Here are some ways that Christians down through the ages have seen as prophetic ministry – and some do overlap:[2]
- Preaching and teaching the Word of God – what I am doing right now!
- Being a critic of the times and speaking into social conditions – Jim Wallis and “Sojourners Magazine” would be a modern-day example of Christians doing this.
- The study of end times comparing present-day happenings with Scripture.
- Praise as prophecy – the Psalms and inspired worship come in this category.
- A revelation of God’s will and purposes or a word inspired by the Holy Spirit and spoken in a specific situation.
It is this latter category on which we will now focus and which is the subject of Paul’s’ teaching in 1 Corinthians 14.
The Purpose of Prophecy
For centuries the mainstream of the Church downplayed or even deliberately excluded the two spiritual gifts Paul focuses on in this chapter – speaking in tongues and prophecy. This was in reaction to excesses and abuses in the use of these gifts – but the church was much the poorer for it. The rediscovery or reclaiming of these two gifts (along with other neglected gifts of a more “dramatic” kind) for the Church through the renewal movements of the past century (Pentecostal, Charismatic, “Third-wave”) has been a great blessing. And it has also meant that Paul’s cautions and admonitions on their use here in 1 Corinthians 14 have regained their importance and significance.
- Setting the scene: First we need to briefly set the scene. As you may remember from our look at earlier chapters in this letter last Fall, there were many problems in the church at Corinth. The root of these problems lay in thinking and acting the world’s way rather than God’s. Status-seeking was one way cultural standards were impacting the Christian fellowship. At the beginning of the letter, Paul says that, “You do not lack any spiritual gift” (1 Corinthians 1:7). However, it appears the Corinthians were valuing some gifts more than others and seeing certain gifts as evidence of a superior spirituality. That is why Paul spends all of chapter 12 speaking about spiritual gifts and how every Christian is given gifts to build up the body and that no gift is more important than another. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). He then digresses in Chapter 13 to show that it is not the gifts that are of ultimate importance but love: “And now I will show you the most excellent way…” (verse 31b). He resumes his teaching on gifts in chapter 14, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1). He then proceeds to compare the gift of tongues with prophecy and in doing so shows the importance and purpose of the prophetic gift.
- Tongues: before we talk about prophecy, it is important to know how tongues were treated in Corinth. To speak in tongues is a supernatural ability given by God to speak in either an earthly or other form of speech, not previously known to the speaker, through which praise or prayer is made at a deeper level than in one’s own normal language. It appears that to speak in tongues was seen in Corinth as being really spiritual. Paul begins his argument for love by speaking about tongues, “If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). He continues in chapter 14 by highlighting the challenge of this gift, “For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit” (verse 2). He then continues to contrast the greater value of prophecy when compared to tongues simply because of intelligibility: “If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me” (verse 11). Now in showing the benefits of prophecy, Paul does not denigrate tongues – as he says, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues” and “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you” but then adds, “I would rather have you prophesy” and “In the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (verses 5, 19). To speak in tongues is good but to prophesy is better.
- 3. The benefits of prophecy: Paul says to prophesy is better because of two things – first it builds up the church; second, it blesses unbelievers.
a. Builds up the Church: Paul says, “Those who prophesy speak to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort…those who prophesy edify the church” (verses 3-4). Twice more in the chapter he affirms this, “So that the church may be edified” (verse 5) and “Try to excel in those (gifts) that build up the church” (verse 12). Michael Green offers a helpful description of both the nature and purpose of the prophetic word:
Prophecy is neither bizarre nor ecstatic. It is a perfectly intelligible word from the Lord through a member of his body inspired by his Spirit and is given to build up the rest of the body. It is a message that the speaker does not compose. It is borne in upon him. He has to speak it out. It is an act of faith. He or she does not normally know how it will end, only how it must begin.[3]
Linking this with what we said earlier about the nature of prophecy, we can say that the purpose of prophecy is to encourage and build up individuals and the Church by revealing “God’s word and will, his truth and purposes.”[4] As we have said before, prophecy is not Christian “fortune-telling” but speaking God’s word into the situation of an individual or the Church. Ivan and Isabel Allum comment, “Prophesying is not about ‘giving words’ to people but about sharing (God’s) heart with them so they can find him, see him, be drawn to him, and discover who he really is, so they can trust him.”[5] Jesus and his revelation of the Father’s love and will is at the heart of prophecy and this is what “strengthens, encourages and comforts” the believer and the Church.
b. Blesses unbelievers: But prophecy does more than benefit the Church – it also blesses unbelievers. As Paul says, “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” (verses 23-25). That sounds very logical and good but just before this, Paul seems to have been saying the opposite! “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers” (verse 22). What’s going on here? The problem comes because we think of the word “sign” as a positive thing. Paul is using “sign” in a negative sense. We can see that this is the correct meaning when we look at the previous verse where Paul quotes from Isaiah (28:11,12), “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord” (verse 21). The situation in Isaiah’s day was that God’s people had not listened to the prophets of their own land so he was going to send them foreigners to carry them off into exile to show them just how far they had strayed. In this way, the sign was a condemnation, a means to confirm them in their disobedience. In the same way, Paul says, for an unbeliever to hear everyone speaking in tongues, that sign will confirm their idea that Christians are mad and be the means of confirming their disbelief. Prophecy, however, is a sign or means of turning people into believers.
Prophecy both builds up the church and blesses unbelievers.
Conclusion
“Those who prophesy speak to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort” (verse 3). This was the experience of those of us who were able to benefit from receiving an individual word at the conference last Fall as well as the prophecy to us as a church which we will look at in two week’s time. The focus was not on ourselves but on God’s love and intentions for us. As we continue to look more deeply into the meaning and exercise of the prophetic here at St. Aidan’s, my desire is that all of us will be able to hear and receive God’s word to us in new and fresh ways through whatever means he chooses. I close again with Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Be open to hearing God speak to you today.
[1] Richard Bauckham, New Testament Theology: The Theology of the Book of Revelation. (Cambridge: University Press, 1993), pg. 119.
[2] Summarized from David Pytches, Prophecy in the Local Church. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1993), pgs. 10-11
[3] Michael Green, To Corinth with Love. (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1988), pg. 80.
[4] David Pytches, ibid., pg. 10.
[5] Ivan and Isabel Allum, Your Destiny. (Highlands Publishing, 2007), pg. 12.
