UNDERSTANDING PROPHECY PART 1

UNDERSTANDING THE PROPHETIC

One of the greatest ability of a believer is his ability to see and know things. This ability many times is not harnessed because of many reasons like scepticism and ignorance. Many times because of the abuses of the prophetic, Christians are not ready to grow in it. Anything that has the fake must have original. For example, there is no fake 2,000 naira note because there is no original form of it. Instead of us to be concerned with the abuses, why not focus on the real and develop the ability in us.
In Numbers 11, Something happened  that the 70 elders of Israel prophesied and two of them, Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp. When this was reported to Moses. This was his reply.
Numbers 11:29  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
He wished that all of God’s people were prophets and that the Spirit is poured on them. This has been fulfilled in Christ. In that we have the Spirit, we can prophesy. We can be inspired by the Holy Ghost . In this series we would be looking at different things about the prophetic. We would look at what prophecy is, what it takes to prophecy, the validity of the office of a prophet, the new testament prophetic ministry, the essence of the prophetic, and how to prophecy.

WHAT PROPHECY IS
Prophecy means to speak inspired words. It has both element of forth telling and foretelling.  Forth telling is to speak words of power into the future. Foretelling involves speaking  and knowing what will happen in the future. The mark of prophecy is in foretelling. The believer has the ability both to foretell and forth tell by the Spirit of God. Prophecy deals with predictions. The word prophecy is from the Greek word prophēteia. Thayer defined it as a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events
Subsequently we will look at who a prophet is and different between a prophet and the gift of prophecy.

WHAT IT TAKES TO PROPHESY
Reading through from the old testament books of the Bible , you will always see that the people prophesied when the Spirit comes upon them. The first time we see a number of people prophesy  en masse in the Bible is in Numbers 11.
Numbers 11:  25  And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit thatwas upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when thespirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
We see that before they prophesied, The Lord took of the Spirit of God on Moses and put on them. It was through the empowerment of the Spirit that they could prophesy. In 1 Samuel 10, we see that Saul started prophesying  when the Spirit of God came upon him according to the word of Samuel.
1 Samuel 10: 10  And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them
This also happened in 1 Samuel 19. In fact, it was worst here. Saul sent messengers to bring David who has escaped to meet Samuel. The messengers came among the company of prophets headed by Samuel, the Spirit of the Lord came on them and they prophesied. The three times Paul sent messengers, they all prophesied because the Spirit of God came upon them. Don’t forget this messengers came with evil motive to take David so Saul can slay him. Even while Saul decided to come on his own, the Spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied till the next day.
1 Samuel 19
18  So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19  And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20  And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21  And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22  Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
23  And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24  And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? note
When you read through all the Old testament you will see the consistency of the Spirit of God came upon people and they prophesied. Even many of the prophets like Joel prophesied on how men will prophesy on the last day when the spirit is poured on them.
Joel 2
28  And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Therefore we can  see that what  takes a man to prophesy is to have the Spirit.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT YOU CAN PROHESY
Romans 8:
9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
When a man put faith in Jesus for salvation, such a man has received the Spirit. The person has become one with the same Spirit that was coming on the saints of the old testament. This receiving of the Spirit is what gives us ability to prophesy.
In Acts 2, when the Spirit was poured on the disciples, Peter referred to Joel’s chapter 2 as been fulfilled. 
Acts 2:
14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

 15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

 16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

 17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

The fulfilment of what the prophet Joel said is in the new creation. When a man gets born again, he has received the Spirit and he can prophesy.
But man of God, what if I don’t have the gift of prophecy? The gift is The ability of the Spirit who you have. The question is do you have the Spirit? If yes, you have the gifting and the abilities of the Spirit.

Does it now mean every believer is a prophet? No. Every believer can prophesy. How can they prophesy? What is the uniqueness of the office of a prophet? All these and much more will be addressed in the subsequent parts of this series.

Stay blessed and enjoy the prophetic

By OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY