Is the gift of prophecy, Evangelising? I think so.

[1Tonne]

1 Cor 14:1 says, "Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

So, we are to desire that we may prophesy above other gifts. I believe that in this verse, the word "prophesy" simply means to tell others about our God, that they will one day be judged, and that God gave us a way out. So, tell others the Gospel. Evangelise. When telling the Gospel, we are telling of future events that God has told us will happen.

The reason I believe that prophesying is to evangelise is because 1 John 4:1-4, it tells us what the opposite of a true prophet is. A false prophet draws us away from our God by telling us of a false god, such as Islam. These false prophets are evangelists for false religions. 1 John 4:1-4 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world."

So, if a false prophet is someone who evangelises and tells people of a false god, then a true prophet is someone who tells of the true God. God desires that none should perish, and He has told us to tell as many people as possible.
So, desire that you tell as many people as possible about our God and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Go and tell the Gospel to as many people as possible. Evangelise.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[tturt]

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Eph 4:11

Though the gift of prophecy "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." I Cor 14:3

So does evangelizing edify, exhort and comfort? It definitely could.

 

[Richard T]

I never really thought about why "prophecy" is the most desired according to Paul. Miracles would be far more compelling. Miracles are rare though and perhaps Paul is saying that prophecy is simply more accessible to all? As to your assumptions the prophecy is more about evangelizing. I would note that the gift of prophecy is not the same as the office of a prophet. It can't be since prophets and evangelists are listed separately in Eph 4:11. But this is the gift of prophecy not the office so could it still be dominant for evangelizing?

There are some who teach prophetic evangelism. By this they mean that when you have a word of prophecy, word of wisdom, or knowledge too, that if God tells you who and when to tell; it will be impactful. Jesus did this with the woman at a well. He gave a word about her husbands. She perceived him as a prophet and it opened the door to the whole gospel. I have seen this happen before. It is more than words too, it is God directing you to the right person, the right place, and hopefully even inspired words. At what level does it include the gift of prophecy, I am not sure.
One of the greatest things I saw God do for evangelism was being part of a group that shared on the street. One particular man who was a street performer was given the gospel. He did not receive Jesus that day but two weeks or so later, groups (YWAM) were assigned different subdivisions. The second door of the flats we knocked on was opened by the exact same street performer. This was ten miles away and he never gave us his address. He accepted Jesus that day. God sure was on his case, yet was there any gift operating? None I could specify but it sure got the job done.

i am taught and believe the gifts of the spirit and offices are kind of like a rainbow, that it is hard to determine sometimes when one stops and another begins. In some cases there is blending which would include at times the prophetic and evangelism. I see the prophetic as speaking the heart and mind of God for a specific moment. Even further would be if a word about past, present or future is conveyed. So the prophetic defined that way is a bit rarer in evangelism.

I like your use of I John 4, and the distinguishments you use. False prophets and teachers do lead others astray. Still, many false prophets today, and even in Jewish history had at least the appearance of being a believer. These false ones might preach Jesus for example but simply go to far in the flesh with other things sometimes some even prophesying something specific that never happens. Prophecy too seems more destined to the church so how far God intended to use it in evangelism leaves me wondering a little. Altogether though, if we are obedient and led of the spirit, we should cry out for and expect God to use whatever gifts that we have and one of our main thrusts should be evangelism.

My last point would be that many people do accept Christ just from hearing the gospel. Unfortunately, there is also a group of people that have more problems. They can't hear clearly, they have sins and addictions, or even demonic presence in their lives. Sometimes they might hit rock bottom and can be saved, but sometimes to win them God manifests through a gift to capture their attention and correct their situations. That exactly is what the Holy Spirit and the gifts are primarily for. Pierce through the darkness by demonstrating the power and knowledge of God. To occur regularly one has to be full of faith and power like Stephen. Evangelism too requires boldness, a compassion for the lost, a willingness to pour oneself out for the cause. Like many I have pulled back. Street evangelism is not easy especially in the Western world. I pray we all can be good ambassadors though and desire the spiritual gifts and the breakthroughs that others so desperately need.

 

[1Tonne]

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Eph 4:11

Though the gift of prophecy "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." I Cor 14:3

So does evangelizing edify, exhort and comfort? It definitely could.

Continuing from 1 Cor 14:3 to verse 14 it says, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church."
The word "edifies" in Greek is "oikodomeō". It means to build up (from the foundation, which is Christ). So, if we go out and share the Gospel and evangelise, this will build up the church. It will increase in number.

G3618 - oikodomeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (nkjv)

G3618 - οἰκοδομέω oikodoméō, oy-kod-om-eh'-o; from the same as ; to be a house-builder, i.e. construct or (figuratively) confirm:—(be in) build(-er, -ing, up), edify, embolden.

www.blueletterbible.org

The reason I started this thread is that I went to a new bible study last week and they were saying that we need to practise prophesying. They said that we need to listen to the quiet voice in our head and start telling people what it is saying. I pointed out that in Jeremiah 14:14 it says that this is what a false prophet does. They listen to that voice in their head and then say it is God speaking. I believe that if God is going to tell you something to pass on, He is going to make sure that you know it is Him and not simply your own thoughts. It will seem supernatural or amazing in some way. It will stand out.
Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds. Jer 14:14
If we practise the gift of prophecy, we could easily say something that was not from God. This would then make us a false prophet.
Their understanding was that you may get something wrong, but that was OK. I pointed out to them that if you said 99 prophecies and got them all correct, and then you said one that was wrong, then you are a false prophet.
I believe that God has already told us what will happen in the future regarding the day of Judgement. So, we can pass on His message to those who do not know. Hence, we would be passing on prophecy from God. He even told us to go and tell the Gospel to all creation. So, we should desire to go out and tell as many people as possible. For God's will is that none should perish. We should all be desiring to save the lost and we should all desire to prophesy/evangelise.

I would note that the gift of prophecy is not the same as the office of a prophet. It can't be since prophets and evangelists are listed separately in Eph 4:11. But this is the gift of prophecy not the office so could it still be dominant for evangelizing?

I would also note that the gift of evangelism is different from being an evangelist. An evangelist is someone who shares the Gospel with the lost. And this is what we should all be doing. We should tell as many people as possible. It should not be left to certain individuals who have more courage/love.
The gift of evangelism is different. It is for the equipping of the saints so that the church may grow. So, the gift of evangelism is an inward gift for the church so that the church and then go outward towards the lost and grow in number. Someone with the gift of evangelism will be able to teach others how to go out and share the Gospel.
"And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ" Ephesians 4:11-12

 

[Hawkins]

1 Cor 14:1 says, "Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

So, we are to desire that we may prophesy above other gifts. I believe that in this verse, the word "prophesy" simply means to tell others about our God, that they will one day be judged, and that God gave us a way out. So, tell others the Gospel. Evangelise. When telling the Gospel, we are telling of future events that God has told us will happen.

The reason I believe that prophesying is to evangelise is because 1 John 4:1-4, it tells us what the opposite of a true prophet is. A false prophet draws us away from our God by telling us of a false god, such as Islam. These false prophets are evangelists for false religions. 1 John 4:1-4 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world."

So, if a false prophet is someone who evangelises and tells people of a false god, then a true prophet is someone who tells of the true God. God desires that none should perish, and He has told us to tell as many people as possible.
So, desire that you tell as many people as possible about our God and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Go and tell the Gospel to as many people as possible. Evangelise.

What are your thoughts on this?

In a sense, yes. Paul defines the role of the apostles and prophets. Paul seldom fore-telling. Prophesying in NT era refers more to ministering.

 

[1Tonne]

I was just given another verse that shows how telling others the Gospel is actually what prophecy is. We need to prophesy more. So, go and evangelise and tell people the Gospel. Testify about what He has done on the cross.
Rev 19:10 ".......For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"
Amazing. So, desire to prophesy.

 

[DamianWarS]

1 Cor 14:1 says, "Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

So, we are to desire that we may prophesy above other gifts. I believe that in this verse, the word "prophesy" simply means to tell others about our God, that they will one day be judged, and that God gave us a way out. So, tell others the Gospel. Evangelise. When telling the Gospel, we are telling of future events that God has told us will happen.

The reason I believe that prophesying is to evangelise is because 1 John 4:1-4, it tells us what the opposite of a true prophet is. A false prophet draws us away from our God by telling us of a false god, such as Islam. These false prophets are evangelists for false religions. 1 John 4:1-4 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world."

So, if a false prophet is someone who evangelises and tells people of a false god, then a true prophet is someone who tells of the true God. God desires that none should perish, and He has told us to tell as many people as possible.
So, desire that you tell as many people as possible about our God and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Go and tell the Gospel to as many people as possible. Evangelise.

What are your thoughts on this?

As detailed Paul defines the role of prophecy operating as a spiritual gift discriminately given by the Holy Spirit, however in Acts these "gifts" in practice look different for example:

Acts 2:4 - All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 4:31 - After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 10:44,45,46 - While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 19:6 - When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied". This is the sort of language Acts tends to use

while the examples are few there is a strong suggestion that all receive the same which conflicts Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and is quite clear, the gifts are discriminately given out by the Holy Spirit and not all speak in tongues, prophesize, etc...

Because of this I have approached these passages differently. Paul's teaching is primarily about the edification of the church and seems to be a way of validating a gift by determining how it edifies the church and it makes sense since the epistles were written to the established church. Acts is not in teaching style, it is a narrative and matter-of-factly stated, a key difference is where Paul's epistles are about teaching Acts has more of an evangelistic approach to it as all these examples are evangelistic experiences outside the church. Acts is about the "dorea" of the HS (this is the proper greek word for "gift") where Paul teaches the "Charisma" of the HS which is translated into "spiritual gifts" but is not formally the word for "gift" (or "spiritual").

Charisma is linked to "charis" which is grace, the affix "-ma" has a meaning of the product-of and so takes on a definition of the products of grace. Since grace itself is undeserved merit the idea of a "gift" is consistent but it gets confusing in English as Acts and Corinthians both use the same English word "gift" even though their Greek words are not the same. It's important to note that in the book of Acts "charisma" is never used and in the book of 1 Corinthians "dorea" is also never used. These are perhaps overlapping concepts but I don't think they should be conflated as one experience.

this "dorea" of the HS as detailed in Acts seems to have an evangelistic goal to it, whereas the "charisma" of the HS as taught by Paul seems to be better suited operating within the church to edify and build up each other. Both have prophesy involved but their goals, although in sync with each other, are not mirror copies because their audiences are different. This might be controversial to bring up as the modern church has tended to sweep the events of Acts under a 1st-century rug claiming it was meant only for that time (which in-itself is outside biblical teaching). Leaving Acts in the 1st century creates an evangelistic void in understanding how the Holy Spirit operates today that we have absorbed into the 1 Corinthians text and I think it can make some odd theology because the teaching of Paul is not formally about evangelism. You can accept it as you will, but I do feel it important to point out the contrasts of how the Holy Spirit operates in Acts vs 1 Corinthians. If we were living in the first century the answer would be without dispute so why is it that it's no longer valid today? I know this is a digressed point but the bible does not point to a mystical arbitrary time when the HS withdraws himself so that his dorea loses meaning and is absorbed into the his chrisma. I missed that part of the bible that speaks of this event.