From the desk of Roy Roden: every week I will be posting the PowerPoint teachings for the “Basic Training for the Gift of Prophecy course we are conducting at Beacon of Hope on the Hill in Belfast, Maine. Enjoy
1 - All Must Prophecy
It is the call of every believer to operate and function in the prophetic. There is a difference between operating in the office of the prophet and the ministry of the gift of prophecy.
The office of the prophet is a gift of Christ to the Church, while prophecy is a gift of the Spirit that empowers believers to prophesy.
The office of the prophet is to equip believers for ministry, while the gift of prophecy is a ministry that builds up the body of Christ in love.
The evidence of God pouring out His Spirit is always that of prophecy. Let’s look at the event that happened in Numbers 11:24-25.
The Lord gathered 70 men around the Tabernacle of Moses. He then took the Spirit that was upon Moses and placed it upon the 70 elders. “And it came to pass when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied” (V. 25). So did two other men that missed the meeting that were prophesying in the camp.
“Joshua said to Moses, forbid them.” Moses replied, “I would that all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would put His Spirit upon them all” (V. 29).
Out of the ache of his heart, Moses was prophesying the day that we live in.
The prophet Samuel foretold to Saul, that he shall meet a company of prophets, “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and you shall prophesy and be turned into another man” (1 Samuel 10:6).
And behold when he met a company of prophets, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied among them.” At this time “God gave to him another heart” (Verses 10:9 and10).
Notice three things that will happen when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon someone.
- They will prophesy. 2. God gives to them “Another heart.”
- Your life is transformed by the power of His Spirit.
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 that had gathered they spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance.
“And those that had gathered, heard them speak in their own language the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11).
Peter then stood up to explain to those who had gathered, “This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel,”
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, declared God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all people and your sons and daughters shall prophesy…” (Acts 16 – 17).
When the Spirit of the Lord rests upon someone, it is always evident by speaking the word of the Lord. In other words, the sign of the fullness of the Spirit is prophecy.
God’s Covenant
Listen to the Covenant God has made with His people. “As for Me, this is MY COVENANT with them, says the Lord, My Spirit that is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth… (Isaiah 59:21).
The Covenant promise of God is to put His words in your mouth. God’s Covenant established in time of old still continues in the New Testament as declared by the apostle Peter.
“Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken has foretold of these days.” “You are the CHILDREN of the prophets, and of the Covenant which God has made with our Fathers….” (Acts 3:24-25).
God says that you are the children of the prophets and of the Covenant which He has made with our fathers which is “My Spirit shall come upon you and I will put my words in your mouth” (Is. 59:21).
Again, the correlation of the Spirit of the Lord coming upon God’s people is they shall prophesy.
As much as we like miracles, healing, deliverance and all these things, the evidence of the Spirit of the Lord resting upon His people, must be the word of the Lord that comes out of our mouth.
As children of the prophets and of the Covenant of God, you are aligned with the rich inheritance to carry the Spirit of the Lord and speak His Words.
Now turn to your neighbor and tell them, “You are a child of the prophets.”
Time To Activate: In your Gift of Prophecy Manual see Activation called, “Front and Center.”
