God's Prophetic Gifting
In 1516, the year before he nailed his manifesto to the
Cathedral door and (unknowingly) began the Christian Reformation, Martin Luther
was teaching the book of Galatians at Wittenberg
University in Germany Wittenberg
At that time the Christian Church was worldly and corrupt
and did not look to Jesus, its Head
(Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18), instead it relied on Church
tradition and its hierarchical leaders.
Most Christians had no idea of the content of the Bible. The entire leadership of the Church appeared to be deaf to God's Word in any form.
The book of Galatians and the whole Christian Gospel came alive to Martin Luther, it was revealed to him by God Himself, by His Holy Spirit. Martin then felt convicted to publicise his insight by nailing a manifesto containing 95 perceived problems with the Church, to the Cathedral door.
Most Christians had no idea of the content of the Bible. The entire leadership of the Church appeared to be deaf to God's Word in any form.
The book of Galatians and the whole Christian Gospel came alive to Martin Luther, it was revealed to him by God Himself, by His Holy Spirit. Martin then felt convicted to publicise his insight by nailing a manifesto containing 95 perceived problems with the Church, to the Cathedral door.
This was God's prophetic gift at work .. God
using His people to share His thoughts with the world.
A similar "reformation" is happening among many of Jesus' people today, not just in
one central figure. Scripture seems to be speaking with a fresh clarity.
Christians are more alert to what Jesus is saying and doing .. the prophetic
gifting is coming more alive in us (1 Corinthians 12:8,10).
It is so encouraging to see how the Church is hearing from
God and growing .. this is not like a field of corn with every plant coming
along and developing like all its neighbours. No, it is more like a vast forest
or an ecosystem where some things are growing and multiplying really well while
other plants or species, or all of another region, seem not to be
growing or multiplying much at all, and may even be shrinking or dying off.
(See Note 1).
The parts of the Church where I spend my time seem to be
getting more "born again" and more "Spirit filled", which
is what Jesus' Word tells us to expect when the going gets tough (John 16:33,
Romans 5:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Hebrews 12:1).
Christian people seem to be assimilating more
into their "born again-ness" (Galatians 5:22-23) and showing more fruit
from being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:1-11),
particularly in their ability to hear what God is saying through Jesus and by
His Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:20, Mark 13:11, John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:13);
this can be called "hearing God's prophetic voice" and, Scripture
tells us, is a normative part of the
life Jesus wants for us.
Paul wrote "Follow
the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially the gift of
prophecy .. the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,
encouraging and comfort .. the one who prophesies edifies the Church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,
but I would rather have you prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1-4 abridged).
I am not suggesting that we will all be the Isaiahs and
Haggais of our time, but rather that we will more clearly hear from our Father
and from Jesus so that we can get on with doing our part to complete God's work
on the Earth: "For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).
We are being made ready for Holy Spirit to empower us and encourage us to act for theKingdom of God
We are being made ready for Holy Spirit to empower us and encourage us to act for the
Hearing clearly from our Lord Jesus encourages and enables
us to be more "totally available" for Jesus, and "radically
obedient" to Him.
Jesus grows us, not just a little bit, but amazingly, even
to being more and more Christ-like in our lives and in our abilities (Ephesians
4:11-13). People look at us and see something different, because what He has put inside us comes out (Luke 6:45,
John 7:38).
Over the years I have heard many preachers say that
"God has a plan for your
life" and "you have a
God-given destiny" and then going on to encourage us to seize the day,
straighten up and get on with what it is that God is desiring. I see this now
happening spontaneously in many of Jesus' people, (rather than coming from the pulpit on Sundays).
In my different careers I have been blessed with some truly
gifted managers. It is amazing how much difference a good manager makes; they
seem to have some kind of X-factor where they see more clearly and their people
respond better and more fully. The text books tell us this is to do with
communications and authority. Jesus clearly is such a one, In the Bible His
people became devoted followers with just a word (John 1:43). People gathered
by the thousand to see and hear Him (Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 25:38).
Now He
is the "manager" of the whole Cosmos, and particularly, of the Kingdom of God
I vividly remember when Jesus first came to me and took my
arm, (and have heard so many testimonies where people delight in telling about their first encounter with Jesus). At
the time Jesus said no word; He simply gave me a gentle tug on my arm as if to
say "come, I want you now". I did
come, straight away, and have never since doubted that He loves me and is always my champion. It is easy for me to
accept Jesus as my manager and my Lord.
"The one who
enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and
the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them
out. When he has brought out all his
own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his
voice" (John 10:2-4).
"My sheep listen
to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will
snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).
So this growing ability to hear God's voice, this increasing
prophetic gifting is wonderful for our world. The
millions of small sparks of Jesus' light pouring into our increasingly dark
world are making a difference,
particularly to the people near to where the light is shining, and to where our prayers are focused, to
the people, the families, to our leaders, and others' leaders, all around the
world.
Instead of looking on these times with despair and thinking
that things are hopeless, we are going forward with Jesus, making up ground ..
Thank you Jesus.
Favourite Scriptures
"Call to me and I
will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not
known" (Jeremiah 33:3).
"So faith comes
from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
"For the word of
God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the
division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts
and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
Amen.
NOTE 1: Church
Statistics Reflecting Today
Statistics tell us that Christianity world-wide is growing and is still by far the most followed faith or religion in the world. In some places the growth is rapid, though the West over-all is declining in numbers. Islam is growing, it is also a favourite of the media and is politically active.
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Praise Jesus.
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