I’m Duane Matz and
welcome to Today’s Living Word.
We’ve been talking about
spiritual gifts spoken of in 1 Cor 12, and as we look at them let us not forget
their purpose. They are given to exhibit the presence of the Holy Spirit amongst
believers, and are used to profit the Body of Christ. The presence of these
supernatural manifestations link individuals and congregations to the one true God of the
Apostles.
I think a close
examination of these “gifts” will show us that they were evidenced in the ministry
of the Apostles, and therefore it should not be strange that they would show up
in the church at Corinth then, and dare I say even in the church of America today!
These gifts are listed
for us beginning in verse 8 and the sixth is the gift of “prophecy.” – my Strong’s Concordance defines this word as “to
see completely.” It was this gift that allowed Paul to warn of the shipwreck in
Ac 27:10 saying, "Men, I perceive
that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo
and ship, but also our lives." 11
Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of
the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
The prophecy was to serve
as a warning, that went unheeded. Later Paul received another prophecy
concerning their fate; Ac 27:21 But after long abstinence from food, then
Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened
to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.
22 "And now I urge you to take heart, for
there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 "For
there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I
serve, 24 "saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before
Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25
"Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it
was told me. 26 "However, we must run aground on a certain island."
That island was Malta
where people needed to see a demonstration of the power of God and they did
through Paul’s survival of a deadly snakebite, and numerous healings that took
place!
The evidence of this gift
being active in the fledgling church was also on display in Ac 11:27 And in these days prophets came
from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and
showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all
the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Still another example
from Agabus is found in Ac 21:10 And
as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11
When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and
said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the
man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
Both of these events
happened just as Agabus said they would, he “saw completely.” In a sense, God
showed him these future events, thus proving he had this gift:
The litmus test for such a
prophet is found in De 18:22
"when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not
happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the
prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
You can see the value of
such a gift amongst believers as it prepares them for what is to come. You can also see the danger of abuses. So,
beware.
On one hand don’t despise
this gift, 1Th 5:20 Do not despise
prophecies.
On the other be sure to test them using the
Word of God as the standard. 1Th 5:21
Test all things; hold
fast what is good.
I was on the receiving
end of a prophecy years ago. My wife and I were attending a dinner event for a
Christian pro-life ministry, At the time, we were wrestling with a decision to
leave my radio ministry at WEMI and plant a church.
A young man came to our
table and asked to have a private word with me. He told me that the Lord told
him that I would have a ministry that would affect thousands of people. He also
quoted my life’s verse to me, (Ps 37:4) and I wondered how he could possibly know
that!
I took this as a green
light to plant the church. Long story short the church plant didn’t work out
and after 10 years of meager attendance, we closed the doors.
Was the young man off on
his prophecy or did my ticklish ears put my own spin on it? I won’t know that
answer until I’m in glory. In the meantime I will do what the Lord has called
me to do. Preach and teach His word! Whether I reach just one or thousands of
souls I don’t know. I’ll let Him worry about the numbers. In the meantime I
will take that prophecy as a sign to keep on keepin’ on as long as the Lord
wills.
I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.
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