As we open up 1 Corinthians 14 this week at Church you might be surprised to hear Paul in verse 1 encouraging everyone to take up prophecy. Isn’t prophecy just for people with crystal balls and tarot cards? Or crazy guys from the Old Testament who did strange things like Ezekiel lying on his side and cooking his food over cow dung?
No – prophecy is speaking Gods word into a persons life. It’s taking the unchanging truths of God and applying them to the particular circumstances of our lives so that we can live it out. This is one of the greater gifts (1 Cor 12:31), this is something we should all eagerly desire to do (1 Cor 14:1) and it’s something we CAN all do, with practice.
Here’s a tip from me: this week as you read your Bible, find an interesting verse and think about how you could share it with someone else. In particular, think about how that verse helps you or challenges you to live for God in your daily life. If you share that with someone else on Sunday at Church, then you are a prophet.
And if we are sharing God’s Word with each other and encouraging each other to live it out in our daily lives, that’s when Paul says unbelievers will ‘fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’ (1 Cor 14:25).
And won’t that be exciting to be a part of!
Yours in Christ,
Ben
