Core Community Church of Omaha

I am still a young man – kind of (age 29).  So, as a young man seeking to serve young men, I think it would be helpful to highlight one of the sinful problems many young men have.

Wanting the Wide Door…
In 1 Corinthians 16, we read a litany of personal comments from Paul.  It’s like one of those never ending Facebook status updates, except it is Holy Scripture.  He is essentially giving updates to his friends, attaching a bunch of postscripts to an email.  In verses 8-9 he says that he will stay put because a wide door for effective work has opened to him.  Isn’t that what we all want?  A wide door.  We want the perfect job that pays well right out of college.  We want the hot girl who thinks we’re the stuff.  We want an obvious sign from God that tells us what to do.  Or, if we are more spiritual about it, we want a perfect ministry opportunity that uses our spiritual gifts and satisfies the longings of our heart.  Isn’t that what we all want?  We say, “Well, Paul got a wide door.  So I’m gonna wait for my wide door.”

…Before the Hard Work
Here’s the problem.  We fail to recognize how Paul got there.  He got there by being like the others he commends in this chapter:

• Timothy, who did the work of the Lord,
• The household of Stephanas, who devoted themselves to serving the saints, and
• All the other workers and laborers.

Paul’s wide door didn’t fling open while he was playing a video game and putting back Taco Bell before he went to watch Grown Ups for the 10th time.  Paul’s wide door flung open after he had worked hard, confronted adversaries, and spent himself for others.  Timothy worked hard.  The household of Stephanas worked hard.  That’s what God’s men do: they work hard.

If you are a young man, your problem might be that you refuse to work hard.  You are waiting for that sweet company that makes cool products to call you up and offer you a $60k out-of-the-gate position, so you refuse to get a lesser paying job.  You are waiting for the hot chick to come knocking at your door, so you refuse to clean up your place, put on some decent clothes, and learn about being a godly husband.  You are waiting for that leadership position in the church that is a perfect match for your gifts and calling, so you refuse to get dirty until then.  You won’t teach in Children’s Ministry because it isn’t cool enough.  You don’t want to help the set-up team because it’s too early to wake up.  You think that magically one day you will be a new Home Community leader or church planter or elder because you can talk theology or sound smart or be nice.

Go Ahead and Repent
If that is you, go ahead and repent now.  There is a crew of young men in our church who have already started doing this.  One guy signed up to serve in the nursery twice each month!  He is going to be an awesome dad.  Another guy started coming up to the office and asking how he could help.  He is about to be an intern.  Others have grown to be Home Community leaders.  One became a deacon.  They all have one thing in common: they worked hard before the wide door.

My prayer for the young men in our city and our church is that they would work hard with Paul and Timothy and Stephanas.  That they would work hard because Jesus worked hard for them.  Jesus didn’t halfway die by crucifixion.  Jesus didn’t sleep in while he was sacrificing his life for yours.  Jesus didn’t aimlessly play around with his life.  Jesus worked hard, so that you might work hard, too.  So work hard!  Usually then, the doors tend to open wider.  Get your Walmart job instead of snoozing until 10am.  Learn how to treat girls like sisters who are worthy of kindness and purity.  Learn how to serve until you’re tired, love until you’re exhausted, and work until your wide open door shows up.

So you have listened to the sermons, read the blog posts, and God is opening your heart to the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues.  What do you do now?

How do you practice the interpretation of tongues? I have limited experience with this, but I would suggest the following for any group of Christians that wants to begin practicing the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues:

1. If someone feels like they have the gift of tongues and is being led to speak/pray aloud/sing/give thanks in tongues, let them acknowledge that to the group (if it is small) or to a leader of the group (if it is large) in English.
2. Together pause and ask God in advance for an interpretation before the person speaks in tongues.  Do this in English.  This is an added step, and isn’t always necessary.  But I have found that it helps protect Christians from a lopsided sense of awe when they hear tongues spoken.  Sometimes that sense of awe makes us forget the need to interpret what was just heard.
3. Let the person speak/pray aloud in tongues.  The goal here isn’t to see how weird the person sounds, but to listen to God for what he might be saying through this human, imperfect person.
4. If anyone feels like they have an interpretation, they should speak it in English.  As noted above, this might be a very literal translation or simply a gist of what was just spoken in tongues.  It might be that a person is strongly drawn to a passage of Scripture while they hear the tongues.  Or they might hear English words internally while they are hearing an unlearned foreign language externally from the tongues-speaker.
5. If there is no interpretation, simply stop.  This could mean a few things: (1) the tongues was meant to be only private, and it should stay that way; (2) a person did receive an interpretation but was unwilling to share it with others; or (3) it was fake, in which case the tongues should be ignored, and the person who “spoke in tongues” should be graciously and pastorally corrected so as to honor God in future instances.
6. Paul acknowledges that there might be 2 or 3 who can speak in tongues.  So there might be more to follow.  It is wise to limit tongue speaking to only 2 or 3 so that tongues doesn’t become the main aspect of the meeting.  The Gospel alone should be the main aspect of any meeting of Christians – not any particular spiritual gift.
7. Let this time lead to an expanded time of praising God in English as a group – whether that be through prayer or singing.  This is an excellent way to make sure the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues truly serves Paul’s overall goal, which is to bring glory to Jesus – not the gift.

This rhythm of practicing these gifts is not totally outlined in the Bible, but I believe it honors and submits to the clear teachings of 1 Corinthians 14.

Just as mysterious as the gift of tongues, can be the gift of interpreting tongues.  When I taught on the spiritual gifts of tongues this past Sunday, I asked for questions.  Here are a couple of them:

1. Have you ever met anyone who interprets tongues?
2. What about the interpretation of tongues and how that can be used with tongues and a group of people?

These are fantastic questions, and, thankfully, Paul helps us with the gift of interpretation of tongues.  He clearly says there is such a gift (1 Corinthians 12:10, 30).  He tells those who pray in tongues to ask for this gift (1 Corinthians 14:13).  He acknowledges its place in a meeting of Christians (1 Corinthians 14:26), whether that be a large gathering or small group.  And he says interpretation is required when others are present (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).

I propose the following definition for the gift of interpreting tongues: the Spirit-empowered ability to translate a public utterance of tongues into the language of the local church gathered. By “local church gathered” I simply mean a gathering of Christians somewhere – not necessarily a Sunday morning gathering or a Home Community meeting.  It might be a morning prayer time with a couple friends or something similar.

This gift may or may not be similar to the gift of interpreting dreams, vision, and other revelations.  For example, Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, clearly had a gift for interpreting dreams and visions, but there is no mention of him ever interpreting tongues.  Furthermore, this is not the same as the natural ability to translate a foreign language, though that can be helpful in cross-cultural contexts for preaching the Gospel.

What is the sense or feel of an interpretation of tongues? The Bible is not clear on just how specific or literal an interpretation must be, so I tend to agree with Sam Storms who says that an interpretation might fall anywhere along the spectrum below.  I believe it is significant that Paul chose to use the word interpretation of tongues instead of the more specific translation of tongues.  The word Paul uses has a dual meaning in Greek: (1) to unfold the meaning of what is said, and (2) to translate into one’s native language.  This dual meaning essentially serves as the bookends to the spectrum.

What is the content of an interpretation usually? It is usually a praise, thanksgiving, or adoration to God.  This is directly connected to the nature of the gift of tongues, which is usually to God, rather than from God.

Many times people wonder why the gift of tongues even exists.  What is the point of it?  It seems strange, weird, and awkward to many Christians.  And it might even be harmful to those who are not Christians.  So why might God give this gift to Christians?  I would suggest 5 possible reasons:

1. Speaking in tongues is a form of prayer (1 Corinthians 14:2).  All Christians agree that prayer is a way of communing with God that brings transformation to their hearts.  Just as prayer has a purpose (to glorify Jesus in our dependence on Him), so tongues also has a purpose.
2. Speaking in tongues is a way of encouraging yourself (1 Corinthians 14:4).  Many of us listen to sermons, read books, call friends in our Home Community, and pray in private in such a way that encourages us.  This can be done in a self-centered way, but this can also be done in a God-centered way.  We can encourage ourselves through intimacy with Jesus so that we can overflow the grace of Jesus to those around us.
3. Speaking in tongues is a way of blessing the character and works of God (1 Corinthians 14:16).  Anyone who has labored in intercessory prayer or spent long nights seeking God in prayer knows there is a point you come to when normal words just won’t do.  Our hearts are bursting and earnestly desiring to praise God and commune with God in a deeper way, but our human faculties of mind and language are a limitation.  The gift of tongues is often given to intercessors to break past this limitation to praise God more deeply.
4. Speaking in tongues is a way of giving thanks to God (1 Corinthians 14:16).  As a friend recently reminded me, “There is nothing that stirs up joy in my heart more than gratitude to Jesus.”  This just might be true.  Jesus is worthy of our thanks, and tongues is one way that some Christians express their gratitude to Him.
5. Speaking in tongues is a way of compensating for our weakness and ignorance in praying for ourselves and others (Romans 8:26-27).  Often we do not know what to pray or how to pray.  We are weak and limited.  We only know in part and see in part.  At times, God chooses to give the gift of tongues to help us in this weakness as we pray.

In summary, God bothers with the gift of tongues because He wants us to praise Him, and our praise of Him births genuine joy that overflows to others.  Or, to put it another way: in giving the gift of tongues, God is passion about His glory in our joy in Him.

Relating to the gift of tongues can be strange.  You may have a friend who claims to pray in tongues.  How are you to respond?  What if you don’t have the gift of tongues, but you desire it?  This is a question that many Christians ask, especially those from cessationist backgrounds.  The whole thing seems so new.  What to do?  Consider the following:

1. You don’t have to be afraid. God is eager to give you good gifts (Matthew 7:7-11), and one of those might be the gift of tongues.  Remember that the gift of tongues is simply a spiritual gift – just like giving or administration or serving.
2. You will not lose control in a bad way. Honestly, some Christians need their idol of control dethroned, and God has been known to do that sort of thing.  But that isn’t what I am talking about here.  I am trying to address the fear some people have that speaking in tongues is going to make them do things they don’t want to do – like flopping around on the floor like a fish.  Remember that God’s heart isn’t to humiliate or embarrass you.  It is to draw you near to Jesus and encourage you.  He may do that in surprising ways, but not against your will.
3. You have leaders and friends in Core who can sympathize with you. You don’t need to be held high and exalted if you have the gift of tongues.  Nor do you need to be looked down upon.  God is stirring up a culture in Core that can help with this.
4. You don’t have to put your brain on ice. Speaking in tongues doesn’t mean you are stupid, immature, and unbiblical.  In fact, most people who receive the gift of tongues report that the first “side effect” is a ravenous appetite for reading the Bible.  In the same breath that Paul says he is glad he speaks in tongues more than the Corinthians, he also tells them to be mature in their thinking (1 Corinthians 14:18, 20).
5. You don’t have to prime the pump by repeatedly saying banana backwards. We must be careful here because any spiritual gift usually starts in a relatively less developed fashion.  Someone with the gift of teaching doesn’t automatically deliver a Billy Graham sermon the first time he teaches.  Someone with the gift of tongues doesn’t usually go for 30 minutes in a foreign language the first time they receive the gift.  So starting out can be awkward.  Still, it often isn’t helpful when someone is trying to force you to say weird things against your will, whether that be a group of people surrounding you in prayer or just yourself in a prayer closet.  Simply wait for the Lord and speak the words He brings to mind, when (and if!) He brings them.
6. Persevere in prayer if you are asking for this gift. Don’t be ashamed of wanting this spiritual gift, but make sure you want it for the right reasons.  Spiritual gifts of all kinds have a unique way of revealing our heart’s motives.  Why do you want the gift of tongues?  Is it for Godward reasons?  Is it for selfish motives?  If your heart is desiring Jesus and you feel led to ask for tongues, then keep on asking.  Persevere.

In the sermon this past Sunday, I defined the spiritual gift of tongues as the Spirit-empowered ability to pray, sing, give thanks, or speak in a language other than your own or one you might have learn in school.  Paul speaks of tongues in different ways:

• In 1 Corinthians 12, he talks about various kinds of tongues
• In 1 Corithians 13, he mentions tongues of men and tongues of angels
• In 1 Corinthians 14, he talks of praying in tongues, singing in tongues, giving thanks in tongues, and speaking in tongues.

Clearly there is diversity to this gift.  But how God Paul reign in the gift of tongues so that it is helpful?  As we welcome diversity, how do we still stay close to Scripture?  Here are 7 guidelines from 1 Corinthians 14:

1. Tongues-speech is primarily directed or addressed to God – not to men (1 Corinthians 14:2, 28).  Tongues, whether spoken or sung, are fundamentally worship, intercession, and communion with God.  This means that tongues are not evangelistic.  Even in Acts 2, the people heard the tongues-speakers praising God in their own languages.  It was the preaching of the Gospel that lead to people placing faith in Jesus, repenting of their sin, and being baptized.  The preaching of the Gospel should always have primacy in any gathering of Jesus’ church, and tongues can never replace that.
2. Tongues-speech is not understood by others without interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:2).  In light of this, Paul absolutely requires interpretation when tongues are spoken before others.  More on the gift of interpretation in the later post.
3. Tongues-speech is uttering mysteries about God (1 Corinthians 14:2).  As a gift from the Spirit, it isn’t gibberish and pointless.  It is an opportunity to praise God, speaking of His mysteries to Him.
4. Tongues-speech primarily builds yourself up (1 Corinthians 14:4-5).  And, yet, Paul encourages them to do it!  Just because it primarily builds you up doesn’t mean God doesn’t want us to practice it (Jude 20-21).  For example, we listen to sermons, read books, talk with others in our Home Communties, spend time in private prayer, and more as a way of edifying ourselves.  Tongues can be quite the same way.  Paul says he prays and sings in tongues when he is alone (1 Corinthians 14:14-15), and he thanks God that he speaks in tongues more than all of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18)!
5. The person who speaks in a tongue should also ask for the gift of interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:13).  This does not mean that only the tongues-speaker can receive an interpretation.  It is just one more way of Paul highlighting that the point is building up others when the church is gathered.  And building up others requires intelligible, able-to-be-understood language.  Within the same chapter, though, Paul also teaches that praying in tongues in private is fine without interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:28).
6. Uninterpreted tongues-speech is a negative sign to unbelievers and does not draw them towards faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 14:21-23).  The Old Testament passages quoted here, along with Paul’s admonitions basically say that uninterpreted tongues will only create more stumbling blocks for unbelievers, hardening their hearts to the Gospel even more.  Uninterpreted tongues are the opposite of drawing unbelievers to Jesus.
7. Tongues-speech in a church gathering should be done orderly, one-by-one, with a required interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:27).  If there is no interpretation, tongues-speech should be stopped (1 Corinthians 14:28).  Some people assume that speaking in tongues means you lose consciousness.  This isn’t true.  Paul trusted that someone speaking in tongues could stop and start as led by a leader.  It wasn’t out of control.  Instead, it was orderly and peaceful.  This no more removes the supernatural power of the gift of tongues than being aware of listeners removes the supernatural power in the gift of teaching.

When someone begins asking God to speak to them, one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking first steps is actually sharing a word with another person.  During a time of prayer and Scripture reading, God may have taken you to a verse and brought a person to mind.  So you prayed for them, but now you feel like you should share that verse with them.  Maybe you are praying with a friend and God brings an image to mind.  You aren’t for sure what it means, but you want to share that with your friend.  How can you do that?

BEFORE SPEAKING: First of all, don’t say, “Thus saith the Lord God Almighty on High.”  Remember that the gift of prophecy is the human report of something God spontaneously brought to mind.  And your human mind has affected things.  Don’t be overbearing and forceful.  At the same time, it isn’t helpful to downplay things so much that the moment loses it’s significance.  The hope as you begin to share a word of prohecy is for you to be obedient to God in an atmosphere of faith.  Hype isn’t necessary, but we should still remember this might be significant.  Here is a spectrum to consider as you seek to strike a balance before you speak what God spontaneously brought to mind:

WHEN SPEAKING. Now that you have touched base with the person you are sharing with, prefacing that you want to share something with them that might be from God, what do you do next?  Here are a few suggestions:

• Prophesy in your normal voice.  God, in his loving sovereignty, has chosen to use you to share his message with the person or group (1 Corinthians 14:32).
• Let your emotions reflect what God might be saying without being overbearing.  It is right and even helpful to be physically affected by what you are saying.
• I have found it helpful to say, “I think God might be saying to you…” or “I think God wants you to hear…”  This phrasing acknowledges that a word of prophecy is a human report (I think) of something God has brought to mind (God wants you to hear).
• When in doubt, don’t not speak.  Maybe you don’t take the prophetic word to a person right away, but please submit it to a wise, Bible-knowledgeable friend or church leader somehow.

AFTER SPEAKING. Once you share a prophetic word, it is important to not simply leave the person hanging.  There is a balance to strike here, just like there was before speaking the word of prophecy.  On the one hand you don’t want to over-explain what you just shared because then it becomes about you and your knowledge and your experience.  Yet, at the same time, you don’t want to under-explain and provide no follow up at all.  Somewhere in between you want to point them to Jesus, helping them connect with Him in this moment.  The most practical words in this time are, “Does this mean anything to you?  Do you believe this might be significant from God?”

• If the person agrees that this is significant, then the work of evaluating the word of prophecy continues, taking it to Scripture.  Depending on the weight of the word, others may need to be involved for discernment, shepherding, and theological clarity.  Over time, one should interpret and apply the word of prophecy as God leads.  Many times, the person who spoke the word of prophecy is not involved in the interpretation and application.
• If the person has no idea what it means, then it might be they could pray about it for a season.  God may later reveal some significance or bring a level of clarity.
• If the person has no idea what it means, then it might have just been all the caffeine you drank that morning.  Paul tells the Thessalonians to test each word of prophecy, holding fast to what is good and tossing about what isn’t.  If you need to toss out a word of prophecy, then just toss it out.  Fight against the pride to force something that doesn’t need to be forced.

Often when someone hears about the New Testament gift of prophecy they hear stories about amazing breakthroughs when God showed up in huge ways and someone passed along a message to a random stranger who then proceeded to start crying like a baby.  As amazing as this is, it can also sound a little intimidating.  One might wonder, “How can I get started?  Do I have to start with a person crying once they hear what I say?”

START WITH GOD: The beginning of practicing the gift of prophecy is simply relating to God.  Cultivate an intimate relationship with God through Scripture and prayer.  But make sure prayer is not merely you talking to God, but you also listening to God.  Through this, you learn the voice of God (John 10:1-5, 16, 27).  Furthermore, this birthplace of intimate relationship with God keeps you grounded to Paul’s repeated command to love one another.  The gifts aren’t nearly as important as the Giver when you know Him intimately.  This is the best place from which to practice a new spiritual gift like prophecy.

LEARN GOD’S LANGUAGE: Flowing out of an intimate relationship with God, the next step is learning God’s language for you.  It sounds odd, but consider all the different ways that God speaks to his people.  Start writing down in a journal what you believe God is saying to you – the little, the big, and the in-between.  Some examples of how God speaks include:

• He may bring a Scripture reference, Scripture phrase, or Scripture passage to mind connected with the image of a friend or coworker or neighbor.
• He may talk with you in symbols, like showing you an apple and an orange or flying wheels or a valley of bones or a pile of burning crap (Ezekiel 1, 37).
• He may show you visions in your mind, mental pictures that may mean something (Amos 7:1-9).
• He may use tangible, touchable things you work with.  In Amos 7:7-9 God spoke to Amos using a common construction tool, the plumb line.
• He may paint a visual image of a letter to you or an email to you where you read the words on the page or screen.  Consider Moses on the mountain who received a written message (Exodus 24:12).
• He may whisper words in your ears that form a simple, short sentence.  For example, remember Elijah, the desperate prophet in the wilderness after the wind, earthquake, and fire (1 Kings 19:9-18).

However you hear the voice of God and learn God’s language, be sure to develop a habit of taking what you hear personally from God to the Scriptures for confirmation, clarification, and correction.

RELATE WITH GOSPEL-DRIVEN COMMUNITY. As you seek to practice the spiritual gift of prophecy, make sure you surround yourself with men and women who will speak what you need to hear – not just what you want to hear (1 Corinthians 14:29).  In particular, this should be someone who is well acquainted with the gospel, so that they can keep you grounded to the Bible and tethered to the gospel as you “hear things” along your journey.  When you share a word of prophecy with someone, always ask for feedback on what it meant, if it was it biblical, and if it was it timely.  And be sure to never prophesy to someone you are offended against.  First, forgive and reconcile.

As God gives this gift to you, it is usually best to begin sharing with Christian friends first, in small groups.  If you only ever share a prophetic word in a small group or with one individual, that is totally fine.  God isn’t as concerned about the largeness of the audience, as He is with your heart being obedient to Him.  It is obedience that please the Father – not bigness.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the primary setting he had in mind for the gift of prophecy was the gathering of Christians.  The Corinthians may have been meeting in houses in smaller numbers.  Most likely they weren’t having stadium conferences in front of the masses.  Nevertheless, the context is of a gathered church.  What parameters does Paul set in place, then, for practicing the gift of prophecy in a church gathering?  These parameters can be helpful for a Home Community, a prayer meeting, or even a Sunday morning gathering.

1. We are commanded to desire to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1).  While Paul had to pastorally slap the Corinthians in the face because they weren’t loving one another through the spiritual gifts, he did not shut down the practice of the gifts.  In fact, he told them to desire them.  This doesn’t mean there must be a word of prophecy in every meeting of Christians.  Certainly not.  Instead, Paul is getting to our desires and our posture towards God.
2. The purpose of the gift of prophecy is to build up, encourage, and console others (1 Corinthians 14:3, 5).  While prophecy is revelatory in nature, it is not meant to be harmful or hurtful.  One of the ways that some Christians have misused this gift is by trying to figure out all the bad things about others, thinking that God is out to get people in trouble.  One way that a mentor practices this principle is by never prophesying something negative in public.  Instead, he only shares that in a more low-key, safe environment for that person, especially in light of the fact that he might be wrong or wrongly motivated.
3. In the context of the gathered church, prophecy is far superior to tongues (1 Corinthians 14:18-19).  This is simply because it can be understood by others.  If tongues are interpreted, they, too, can be helpful.  Nevertheless, Paul says that he would much rather speak in an intelligible word than in a tongue when he is gathered with the church.
4. Prophecy can be used by God to convict those who don’t know Jesus (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).  The gift of prophecy is powerful even for non-Christians.  It strongly points to the fact that our God is living, active, and speaking.
5. Practicing prophecy should be done orderly, one by one (1 Corinthians 14:29-33).  It is not helpful to simply have everyone spout out prophecies.  There should be an orderly flow to people sharing what they think they are hearing from God.  This necessitates leadership, and the leaders may not have the gift of prophecy.  This helps us remember that God distributes gifts in such a way that we need one another.
6. Each prophetic word should be weighed carefully by the church (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).  Just because someone thinks they “heard something from God” doesn’t mean that is true.  Any prophetic word must be evaluated in the light of Scripture.  Anyone can sound off with stuff that sounds cool.  Sam Storms weighs in on this issue when he writes, “The most urgent need is a church that is theologically literate and sufficiently familiar with the Bible so that it can effectively judge and evaluate both the source and meaning of dreams, visions, and subjective impressions.” I couldn’t agree more.
7. The weighing of prophetic words bears distinct complementarian qualities (1 Corinthians 14:33-35).  I believe this is the best way to understand Paul’s strong words about women in this chapter.  In light of 1 Corinthians 11 and other Scriptures, he is not that saying women must be mute.  Instead, I believe, Paul is aware that once a prophetic word is weighed by Scripture and local elders, it takes on some pastoral significance to various measures.  It can’t be ignored or brushed aside.  Because of this pastoral significance, I believe Paul is saying that leading men – such as husbands and fathers, Home Community leaders, and elders – should take responsibility.  Clearly, both men and women can and should prophesy (Acts 2:17), but we must remember biblical gender roles even in spiritual gifts.  This isn’t to squelch women or men, but to protect and nurture healthy, loving practice of spiritual gifts.

FAQ #1: What is it? The Bible uses the word prophecy to talk about quite a few different things.  In the Old Testament, God would inspire the writing of Scripture through prophets who prophesied.  These writings are part of the fully authoritative, truly inspired written Word of God.  We are commanded to obey them, believe them, and submit to them.  In other parts, the word prophecy might refer to events in the future – what might happen when Jesus returns.

The New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy is neither of those.  To help illustrate how the spiritual gift of prophecy is different from Old Testament prophetic Scriptures, and how the spiritual gift of prophecy is different from false prophecy, consider this table of comparison ( jpeg | pdf ).  I tried to load it up with Scripture references.  Enjoy studying!

In short, the New Testament gift of prophecy is the speaking forth in human word what God has spontaneously brought to mind.  This definition is flexible, allowing for diversity.  It also acknowledges that fallible, imperfect humans are involved, along with an infallible, perfect God who graciously speaks to us and through us.

FAQ #2: How do I evaluate a “word” to discern if it is from God or not? This is a great question.  Many Christians feel like they may hear from God in different ways, but how can you discover if that might be God’s voice, your mind playing tricks on you, the bad food you ate last night, or some sort of deceiving, demonic voice?  I would suggest 6 tests for a word of prophecy:

1. The test of Scripture (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 14:37).  Is this word agreeable and submitted to the teachings of the Bible?  Obviously, this requires a knowledge of the Bible, so if you don’t have that, then start with reading the Bible right away!
2. The test of building up (1 Corinthians 14:3).  Does this word build up and strengthen, or does it tear down/create disunity/fear/doubt/self-contempt?  This doesn’t mean the gift of prophecy is always cheesy, Christianese sayings, though.
3. The test of love (1 Corithians 13:4-8).  Is this word and the manner in which it is communicated agreeable to Jesus’ love for his people?
4. The test of community (1 Corinthians 14:29).  When this word is shared with others, do spiritually healthy Christian agree that it is fitting, helpful, and loving?
5. The test of leadership (1 Corinthians 14:29, 38).  Do the biblically qualified and appointed elders of the church agree that the word is fitting, helpful, and loving?  This doesn’t mean that every word of prophecy needs to be passed through the elders, but based on the scope of who the word might affect, church leaders should be involved.  The key issue here is one of submission to others, instead of independent spiritualism.
6. The test of personal experience (Acts 21:3-4, 10-14 and Acts 20:22-23).  Does the application of this prophetic word look the same to you as it did in the mind of the original hearer?  Are we comfortable with the application possibly being different?