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          "text": "I\u2019ve been grappling with what to say, because I feel like I\u2019m pouring over too many preachers at the moment, and I\u2019ve been battling, \u201cLord, what do you want me to say?\u201d And I really felt that this morning, that this was something I\u2019m going to be sharing on, and I\u2019m trusting it will be a key thing for us moving forward.\n\nSo the title of today is Demystifying Prophecy. Demystifying prophecy. And maybe just, I know this is Christmas time and I should look like Santa Claus or something, but we\u2019re not here to entertain you. We\u2019re here to equip you. Time is short. The Lord is coming back soon. So I\u2019m trusting that even today this will be a time of training and equipping, of teaching us what God says about prophecy and how it should function.\n\nI\u2019m going to look at a couple of different things. There\u2019s so much I could speak on, but I think these are key foundations. And one of them is, and I\u2019m going to be using the Bible. If people want Bible teaching, this is going to be solid Bible teaching, so take out notes. Is prophecy for today? And I\u2019ll explain what prophecy is just now. But is it for today? Should we see prophecy in our churches and in our homes?\n\nI\u2019m going to pick up on the difference between Old Testament and New Testament prophecy, because I think many Christians do not understand the vast difference between them. If a person\u2019s not 100% accurate when they prophesy, are they a false prophet? That\u2019s been bandied across Instagram and Facebook by those who are anti-prophecy. There is a massive attack on charismatic gifts, the charismata, in our day. It\u2019s probably the most militant attack, since I\u2019ve been alive, against what I think is biblical Christianity. So I\u2019m hoping this will bolster us, give us some defense and faith in the face of these things.\n\nAnd lastly, what the Bible says prophecy should mean to you. How should it apply in your life? So it\u2019s going to be an interesting little journey, which is going to need a miracle to get done in an hour.\n\nSo maybe to start off with, in 1 Corinthians 12:1, and again, this is the Scripture, the Word of God. But here we see God speaking to us through Paul the apostle. \u201cNow about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.\u201d Do you know that prophecy is a spiritual gift? And we are told here that we should not be uninformed about how these things work. How is it that as a generation we may have Bible teaching coming out of our ears, but we are so illiterate when it comes to the spiritual gifts, when the Bible specifically tells us we shouldn\u2019t be uninformed?\n\nWe need to know how this stuff works. We shouldn\u2019t be confused by the mumbo jumbo. We shouldn\u2019t be scared of it because we just don\u2019t understand it, which is often what happens. We must know how prophecy and spiritual gifts work.\n\nIn some ways, this is a bit of an apologetic. I\u2019m giving a strong defense here. I\u2019m trying to give you ammunition, Bible ammunition, to bolster your belief, to bolster you when you get attacked, because you will be attacked for believing in spiritual gifts. At some point, someone\u2019s going to think you did drugs or you lost the plot. And you need to know why the Bible says these things are important so that you can stand in that time.\n\nAnd then again, I want to show how we should see this thing used far more. We should see this gift operating. There is a move away from this toward cessationism, and churches, people are streaming out of charismatic churches, thankfully not ours because we train guys, but streaming out of charismatic churches into Catholic, traditional, or orthodox churches, because people don\u2019t understand these things and so they want to go to what feels safe.\n\nBut I want to say this: there is nothing about Jesus that is safe. There is nothing about Jesus that is safe. But we need to understand his ways so that we can follow them. Otherwise he becomes an offense to us and we actually resist him. And that\u2019s quite a common problem for humanity. When he came to his own, what did his own do? \u201cGet out of here. We don\u2019t like what you\u2019re saying.\u201d\n\nAnd let me just tell you, the Bible says in the end times what happened to the Jews is exactly what\u2019s going to happen to the Gentiles. We will see the great apostasy, the great falling away. You might look at America and say, \u201cWell, it\u2019s not happening on our watch.\u201d I\u2019m telling you, America is falling away in the middle of this because she\u2019s forming herself on a false Christianity. And it\u2019s not just America. It is now around the world. We are in what I believe is the great apostasy, the great falling away. And I\u2019ll get to that some other time.\n\nSo we need to know these things.\n\nWhat is prophecy? Let me try and define it. This is my own definition, but I think it stands up to biblical scrutiny. Prophecy is when God speaks through a person and reveals his thoughts, his will, or his intent in a matter, including foretelling future things or future events. In other words, it\u2019s when God speaks through a person into a scenario or to another person about what he\u2019s thinking or what he wants to do. It\u2019s quite a profound thing. And the Bible says, well, we\u2019ll look at that just now, that we shouldn\u2019t be uninformed about this.\n\nOne of the things that creates massive problems for Christians is that we confuse Old Testament prophecy and New Testament prophecy, and they are very, very different. So often people who attack Christianity, or charismatic Christianity, try to use Old Testament concepts. They say, \u201cWell, you\u2019re not doing that because actually in the Old Testament, if you got a prophecy wrong, you died.\u201d Anyone want the mantle to prophesy? That\u2019s a big shift. So we need to look at what the Bible says about that, and how come we are so comfortable with prophecy.\n\nIn the old covenant, there was a lot more fear and trembling around this gift. And actually there shouldn\u2019t be fear and trembling in the new covenant about this gift. It is a gift from God, and God gives good gifts.\n\nLet\u2019s start in the Old Testament, the old covenant. In other words, the people of God in the Old Testament were God\u2019s old covenant people. We now are new covenant people. We come into a different arrangement with God. He\u2019s the same God; we just have a different way of relating to him.\n\nIn the Old Testament, prophets were literally God\u2019s mouthpiece. You remember that in those days the Bible wasn\u2019t written, or was being written. They were literally the word of God to the people of God, which means when they spoke, it was a really big deal. That time was a covenant way of God leading his people. We are no longer in that time. Prophecy today is not like that.\n\nIn the Old Testament, when a prophet spoke, it was authoritative and binding. If you didn\u2019t listen to one of God\u2019s prophets, you were going to be in trouble with God. They were, in the old covenant, the highest authority on earth. They were higher than kings. Kings had authority, and then you had prophets who held kings to account. In other words, in a court of law, what\u2019s the highest court here? The Supreme Court. The prophet was the highest court in the spiritual land. There is no higher authority to appeal to. So when they spoke, Israel obeyed, and they spoke for God. You didn\u2019t mess with the prophets, or you messed with God.\n\nIn the Old Testament, you had these guys who would come down the mountain, and when they pointed their finger at you, you got shaky legs because they were speaking on behalf of God, and they were authoritative. To disobey was to disobey God.\n\nDeuteronomy 18:18\u201319 says, \u201cI will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to my people all that I command him.\u201d In other words, God says, \u201cI\u2019m going to raise up certain individuals, and they will speak my words to my people,\u201d the highest authority in Israel. Even kings would be removed or deposed if they didn\u2019t listen to prophets.\n\nIn 2 Chronicles 36:16, this is what happens when you don\u2019t listen to prophets in the Old Testament: \u201cBut they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.\u201d In other words, if you disobeyed the prophets, God\u2019s wrath would be poured out upon you, and there\u2019d be no remedy, no place for you to hide, because you disobeyed God when you disobeyed his prophets.\n\nSo it was like when he points the finger, you\u2019re like, \u201cYes, sir.\u201d It wasn\u2019t America where we could vote. God chose. And because of that, there were tests for a prophet. Everyone was kind of keen to be a prophet. You\u2019re the guy\u2014you could just say, \u201cThus says the Lord,\u201d and it was like, wow, everyone\u2019s going to obey you.\n\nSo there were very strong tests to make sure that in the old covenant what they said really was God, that they were hidden in God when they spoke, because a lot of people claimed to be prophets but were false prophets.\n\nHere\u2019s one of the tests. There are two.\n\nDeuteronomy 18:22 says, \u201cWhen a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.\u201d In other words, if he says it\u2019s going to happen and it doesn\u2019t, then we know he\u2019s false.\n\nIt\u2019s interesting, though, that the way you defined whether he was true or false wasn\u2019t by knowing intrinsically, because you\u2019re filled with the Holy Spirit like we are. It was by watching what happened. But in the new covenant something changes. We are filled with the Spirit. We know how to hear the voice of God. So we can test differently. We don\u2019t have to wait to see, is it going to happen? We who have the Spirit can sense, \u201cThis is God speaking,\u201d because we know God and we know how to hear his voice, and I\u2019m hearing his voice through you. So it\u2019s a big difference.\n\nOld Testament prophecy must come true. Again, it should come true in the New Testament too if it\u2019s God, but it\u2019s not a test that we\u2019re given in the New Testament.\n\nThe second test is interesting. The first is, does it come true? But what happens if it comes true and he\u2019s still a false prophet? And do you know that can happen? People say, \u201cWell, if it\u2019s...\u201d Yes, the Bible actually shows that this can happen. One of the tests is whether it came true. There\u2019s a second test if it does come true, because it coming true doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s God.\n\nIt\u2019s in Deuteronomy 13:1\u20133. If a prophet comes and prophesies something that comes true, and the sign and the wonder that he tells you comes to pass\u2014in other words, he actually prophesies it and it happens just like he said, and it\u2019s miraculous how it happened\u2014so this is not just some vague thing; this is miraculous. He said it and it came true. But then he says, \u201cLet us go after other gods,\u201d you shall not listen to him.\n\nIn other words, it\u2019s possible for someone to prophesy something but actually still lead you astray, to prophesy accurately. But if he starts pointing you to a different god, that\u2019s another way you\u2019ll know he\u2019s not genuine. He\u2019s got to point you to worship Yahweh, the God of Israel. He\u2019s got to teach you to worship God as he is, as he reveals himself, not some imagined god. It\u2019s been said that in the beginning God made man in his own image and in his own likeness. Unfortunately, mankind decided to return the favor. In other words, we want a God in our likeness. And when we have a God in our likeness, it\u2019s probably not the God of the Bible. He\u2019s pointing to a false god.\n\nThe consequence of getting it wrong is in Deuteronomy 18:20: \u201cBut the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.\u201d Who kills him? The people of God do. The people of God are supposed to kill him. You\u2019ve got to get rid of this guy. He\u2019s dangerous. He\u2019s going to lead people astray.\n\nSo it was a serious position. If you like power, it was kind of nice, but it was pretty serious. If you got it wrong, it was costly. Which meant there was a fear in Israel. And for a prophet, you had to make sure that what you said was what God was saying, not just your own presumption or imagination, because it could cost you your life. In some ways it was as authoritative and as binding as the Bible is to us today, because they didn\u2019t have the Bible. So as we obey the Bible, they were supposed to obey the prophets in the old covenant.\n\nThen everything changes in the new covenant because we see Jesus dying on a cross. We see the way into the presence of God break open. The temple curtain is torn. Suddenly God is no longer distant. Now he comes to live inside all who believe. We become the temple of the living God. One of the signs of the new covenant, one of the signs that salvation has broken out on a whole new scale, is in Acts 2:17\u201321. This is what happens on Pentecost, and Pentecost is the birthing of this new covenant. It\u2019s the birthing of the church. It\u2019s the birthing of what God is about to do. Everything changes from the cross, and this is just after the cross. This is the outworking of the new covenant. It\u2019s starting to show us what this looks like.\n\nHere\u2019s what we see will happen post-Pentecost. When the nations will come to Christ, when we come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, from the time of his death until now the Bible calls it the last days. The last days. You\u2019ve got the last days, the last 2,000 years, and then you\u2019ve got the last days, which we\u2019re probably living in\u2014the last days of the last days. But in the last days, this is what the Bible is telling us. God says, \u201cI will pour out my Spirit on all people.\u201d In the old covenant, the Spirit of God came upon the prophets. But now he\u2019s coming on all who call on his name. The anointing of God is given for each and every one of us, not just for some select few. We are now called a kingdom of priests. We are called and anointed by God as we come into the family of God. So actually the gifting now comes to all of us.\n\nAnd here\u2019s what it looks like: \u201cYour sons and daughters will prophesy.\u201d So now it\u2019s even the children among us who are going to start speaking the mysteries of God and prophesying. It\u2019s no longer just the guy who comes down the mountain with the Word of God. Now your sons and daughters will prophesy. \u201cYour young men will see visions,\u201d which is a form of prophecy, \u201cyour old men will dream dreams,\u201d which is another form of prophecy.\n\nNow everyone, old to young, everyone in the house of God has these gifts. \u201cEven on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.\u201d If you come into the new covenant and the Spirit of God is on you, one of the ways that will manifest is that you will prophesy. And it\u2019s for everyone.\n\nLet\u2019s carry on. \u201cI will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.\u201d Now he\u2019s moving toward things that are coming. Actually, these are some of the signs of the second coming. \u201cThe sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood.\u201d So he\u2019s talking about the time from Pentecost right through to the second coming of Christ, \u201cbefore the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.\u201d In other words, prophecy is going to be in the church from Pentecost until the day we see him coming in the sky. Christians will prophesy.\n\nSo why don\u2019t we see that happening? What\u2019s wrong? Have we believed a lie? Have we not understood the wonder of what God has for us in this new covenant?\n\nOld Testament: a select few got that kind of anointing. But now it\u2019s no longer like that. Now we all can prophesy. And that\u2019s what it said, literally, did it not? Everyone prophesying. And the whole of the New Testament is people prophesying, people having dreams, visions, people being told to go here, do that. The whole of our Bible from that point onward is that. It ends with John and the book of Revelation\u2014a prophetic revelation. The whole book is prophecy.\n\nIt\u2019s like prophecy is going to be in the church from Pentecost until we hear the trumpet and we see him coming in the sky. But prophecy changes now because a couple of things have changed. One of them is that now we all have the Spirit. Now we can all prophesy. Now we also have our Bible, which is a big deal. Something shifts, and we\u2019ll look at that scripturally. Even prophecy moves from the position it had, and prophecy no longer carries authority like it did because now children are doing it, women are doing it, everyone\u2019s doing it. So it\u2019s different. And I\u2019ll show you just now how different it is. Similar and different.\n\nSo the only scripture that people can use against this is this one. It\u2019s their best shot at trying to say it doesn\u2019t exist anymore. Let\u2019s look at it, because if they\u2019re speaking the truth, then we better not do it, right? I want to be a Bible guy. I don\u2019t care what culture we like. I want to be a Bible guy.\n\n\u201cLove never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away.\u201d Ooh, looking like they\u2019ve got a point at this stage. \u201cAs for tongues, they will cease.\u201d And they\u2019re going, \u201cI feel so good now,\u201d because those are kind of freaky gifts. So they\u2019re going to stop. \u201cAs for knowledge,\u201d whoops, \u201cit will pass away.\u201d Hang on. So then why are you teaching the Bible? Because what is the Bible? What is this knowledge? So what is being said here? You can\u2019t just throw away prophecy and tongues and say, \u201cWell, we\u2019re going to keep knowledge.\u201d Churches built just on knowledge are actually churches devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit. We\u2019ve cut God out because God is a God of power. So knowledge is going to pass away too.\n\nAnd then it tells us when this is going to happen: \u201cFor we know in part and we prophesy in part.\u201d What he\u2019s telling us is that when you prophesy, you don\u2019t know everything about the person. You can only prophesy what God shows you in the moment. So you are prophesying in part. But when the perfect comes\u2014when does the perfect come? When Jesus returns. Isn\u2019t that what Acts said? It\u2019s going to be there until we see the great and glorious day of the Lord, until the very last of the last days.\n\nSo when Jesus returns, the partial\u2014prophecy, knowledge, tongues\u2014these partial things are going to fall away because when he returns we will see him and we will be as he is, and we will know as he knows. So we won\u2019t need knowledge because we will know. It\u2019s not like I need knowledge; it\u2019s just that I know, like I know. It\u2019s inside of me. It\u2019s who I am. It\u2019s because I\u2019m made like God. And so I don\u2019t need prophecy when he returns because everything is known. I know as he knows. So prophecy falls away. Tongues fall away. Knowledge falls away when he returns.\n\nA few verses later: \u201cFor now we see in a mirror dimly.\u201d At best, by the end of this preach, hopefully you\u2019re going to think, \u201cOh, I get to see prophecy a bit better,\u201d like looking at a mirror. But the mirrors then weren\u2019t like our mirrors. Their mirrors were polished metal. It was like, \u201cI think I look good today.\u201d But then when the perfect comes, we\u2019re going to see him face to face. \u201cNow I know in part, but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.\u201d When is the perfect? When the Lord returns. And until the Lord returns, we need prophecy. We need tongues. We need not to be ignorant of spiritual gifts.\n\nAnd this is confirmed. People say prophecy is no longer. I\u2019ve even heard some significant teachers say that if someone prophesies, they\u2019re doing it by the devil. I\u2019m thinking, man, you\u2019re in danger of blaspheming the Spirit. You\u2019re doing the very thing they said about Jesus when he was doing things they couldn\u2019t understand: \u201cHe\u2019s doing it by Beelzebub.\u201d And the church is saying this about the church now. We\u2019re in terrible times. I think we\u2019re in the great apostasy, the great falling away. Brother will turn on brother and hate brother.\n\nSo John, in the book of Revelation, is looking forward from the end of the first century. He\u2019s writing this around A.D. 95. He\u2019s on the island of Patmos in prison, and he sees a vision of the future. As he looks toward the future, he actually sees the rise of the world against God, the compromise of the church, everything into our day and beyond. And as he looks forward, he tells us about one of the last things that will happen on planet Earth.\n\nPeople say there are no prophets anymore. The problem is the Bible says differently. In Revelation 11:3, John is looking forward, after our day, because this hasn\u2019t happened yet: \u201cAnd I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.\u201d\n\nWho are they prophesying against? They\u2019re prophesying against Babylon. They\u2019re prophesying against the church that\u2019s risen up. They\u2019re prophesying against the compromised people of God. And God says, if Revelation tells us, and John is looking forward 2,000 years or more, and he\u2019s saying there are guys who are going to prophesy in the very end, how dare we say that prophecy is gone when the Bible very clearly says that right at the end we\u2019re going to have guys doing it?\n\nIn Revelation 18:20, the background to this is that there are also apostles. Again, you wonder why we\u2019re so nervous of apostles because we don\u2019t understand the difference between a first-century apostle and a modern apostle. There are guys about the new apostolic reformation, which we are not a part of, by the way, because I do think there\u2019s some wack stuff in what they teach. But we need these gifts until we all reach unity in the faith and grow into perfection.\n\nJohn is looking forward, and he doesn\u2019t only say we need prophets in the last days. He actually talks about apostles in the last days in his vision. In Revelation 18:20, the church is being persecuted. And by the way, we are coming into a time of persecution where brother will betray brother, church against church. It\u2019s coming. We\u2019re in it. We\u2019re already brother against brother. The internet is filled with Christians against Christians calling each other out, fighting. We\u2019re in it now. I\u2019ve already had that happen to me in Africa. I was handed over to authorities because I believed basic biblical truth. We\u2019re in it.\n\nJohn sees Christians being killed and persecuted and chased from their homes, and he says this to the future church. We\u2019re not there fully yet: \u201cRejoice over her.\u201d Now God is going to destroy Babylon, and straight after this happens the Bible says it\u2019s the wedding feast of the Lamb. So we\u2019re right at the end, and finally God\u2019s breaking into creation again powerfully.\n\nIt says, \u201cRejoice over her, O heaven and you saints and apostles and prophets,\u201d note, these are not those in heaven; these are those on the earth. We\u2019ve just read about the two prophets. \u201cFor God has given judgment for you against her.\u201d\n\nShe has judged you, and now God will come and judge for you against her. Which means we actually should see apostles right through until Christ returns, which again fits with what you read in Ephesians 4. So how come we don\u2019t? Because we\u2019re just like Israel, because we\u2019ve fallen away from the truth. And because now that Christ wants to break back into his church, we\u2019re saying, \u201cWell, you can\u2019t come that way because that\u2019s not how we know you.\u201d\n\nI\u2019m being strong today, but this is the Word of God. This is the Word of God. This is future.\n\nSo do you see this? Right through to the end, we need to see prophecy. Let\u2019s break it down to us now as believers, because if we\u2019re going to have it right to the end, what does that mean for you? What does that mean for you? The Bible has things to tell you about what he expects from you and what he wants for you. Let\u2019s look at that now that we know it\u2019s relevant.\n\nWe\u2019re in it. In 1 Corinthians 14:5, \u201cNow I want all of you to speak in tongues.\u201d Did you get that? That was the Word of God. \u201cI want all of you to speak in tongues.\u201d So don\u2019t just say, \u201cWell, it\u2019s not for me.\u201d But even more than that, \u201cI want all of you to prophesy.\u201d Amen. Which means it\u2019s something God has for you. He\u2019s got it for little children, for goodness\u2019 sake. So how come you\u2019ve just settled with, \u201cWell, that\u2019s not for me\u201d? I\u2019ll tell you why: because you\u2019re rebellious, or you don\u2019t know. But you stand in defiance against the Word of God. You stand in defiance against the God of the universe. God says, \u201cI want you to prophesy.\u201d You better seek it.\n\n1 Corinthians 14:1 says, \u201cPursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.\u201d If you are not desiring it, you\u2019re in rebellion to God. Listen to me. Listen to the Word of God. This is not Andrew. This is the Bible. It doesn\u2019t get plainer than that. If it says, \u201cDo not murder,\u201d and you murder, you break the law. If it says prophesy, then wake up. Wake up. Wake up, O sleeping church. Wake up to what the Father has given you, what he died to give you.\n\nI know for some of us, we don\u2019t even know what that looks like. Good news. We\u2019ll train you in the new year because it\u2019s one of those gifts that all of us can do. And who wouldn\u2019t want to speak mysteries over another person that can strengthen them in their faith, that can build their faith, that they would know that God is here? It\u2019s for all of us.\n\nSo what is New Testament prophecy for? Because it\u2019s different from the Old Testament. In the Old Testament it was corrective pretty much: \u201cYou guys are messing up and you better stop it because God\u2019s about to come with a big stick.\u201d That was Old Testament prophecy. I do think he\u2019s coming with a big stick for the New Testament church too, by the way, because we are sons and he disciplines sons. I think we\u2019ve taught a Jesus who doesn\u2019t come with a stick. He comes with a big stick because he wants obedience in us. He wants our lives devoted and surrendered to him.\n\nWhat is New Testament prophecy for? 1 Corinthians 14:3 says, \u201cOn the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.\u201d\n\nDid you notice that the Old Testament is corrective, but there\u2019s nothing corrective about prophecy? There are other correctives. I\u2019m giving you a corrective today in some ways with the Word of God as an elder. But prophecies don\u2019t bring corrective in the new covenant. They don\u2019t have authority in the new covenant. In the old covenant, they were the highest authority. In the new covenant, they don\u2019t carry authority because everyone can do it. But they do bring something beautiful, and this is why we should desire it. They come to build us up, to encourage us, and to bring consolation.\n\nIn the old covenant, they had the sheriff\u2019s badge, and you don\u2019t mess with the sheriff. In the new covenant, they don\u2019t have the sheriff\u2019s badge, but they do still speak for God. And when God speaks through them, you will know that God knows you personally. You will know that he loves you. You\u2019ll know that there\u2019s nothing about you hidden from his sight. You will know because he will utter mysteries that that person could not have known. So it strengthens you. It builds you up.\n\nLast week we had MV here, and for some of us it was like, \u201cWhat was that?\u201d This guy singing over people, speaking over people, calling people out. He doesn\u2019t know people from a bar of soap. Some of you, yes, but certainly not the people he called out. And so why don\u2019t the two of you come up quickly?\n\nVitali was one of the guys. Both of these guys came to us. You came about four months ago?\n\nMay.\n\nAnd the first time you came, you were singled out and prophesied over. I\u2019m going to let you tell the story now. You came last week, and I think it was your second time?\n\nThird time.\n\nThird time. Wow. And did MV know you at all?\n\nNo.\n\nDo we know you at all? Are we still learning who you are?\n\nYeah.\n\nHe\u2019s coming in as a visitor. He\u2019s checking us out. He\u2019s obviously sensing something of God, hopefully, and that\u2019s kept him coming back. So what happened when MV singled you out, called you out, and started to speak and sing over you?\n\nI just want to give a little background about me. I come from a Christian family. I come from a very conservative background, but I\u2019ve never truly known God face to face. Last week when Murf called me out, I was trembling. I was sobbing, breaking down. In the weeks leading up to it, and even that morning, I was asking God to speak to me, asking him to please show me that you\u2019re truly who you say you are and speak to me personally.\n\nWhen he called me out, I just couldn\u2019t speak. My voice was quavering. I was sobbing. I truly felt God\u2019s presence and God\u2019s Spirit. I\u2019m not usually a crier, but in worship I was just breaking down. The whole rest of the day I was trembling and breaking down and listening to worship, and I was just like, Lord, why me? Out of all people, I\u2019m just a wretched sinner, but why did you choose me? Why did you tell me these things? It\u2019s amazing.\n\nYou got what happened to you?\n\nYeah.\n\nWe\u2019ve actually been friends for a long time. We grew up in the same background\u2014Slavic Baptist, very conservative and strict. I started going to a non-denominational church with my wife, Anna, and we just knew something was missing. So God led us to this church. The first time was in May, and I remember everything about the church we loved. We were like, \u201cOh my goodness, I think this is our church.\u201d\n\nAnd then Andrew comes up and he\u2019s like, \u201cHey, we\u2019re going to have a prophet test here.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat?\u201d My walls went up right away. I\u2019m like, these people are maybe crazies, I don\u2019t know. How do we end up here?\n\nBut I\u2019ve been changing my point of view on a lot of things, and I decided to wrestle through this with God. So we prayed, and we were like, \u201cGod, reveal to us if we\u2019re wrong in our views here.\u201d So we came one more week, and then we were like, okay, we\u2019re going to come to this prophet test event.\n\nWe were sitting on this side, and I remember thinking I\u2019m going to catch her repeating some stuff, and she definitely\u2014there\u2019s something wrong, right? So I\u2019m listening, just staring her down. She leaves our section and is somewhere over here, and I\u2019m still staring at her. She catches my eyes, and I\u2019m like, well, if she has these powers, can she read my mind right now? My thought to her was, do you know that I\u2019m doubting you? She thought about it and then comes back and invites my wife and I up here.\n\nAnd as we come up, she was so accurate on so many things. I think there was literally one detail she was off on, but the thing was true, and what she said leading up to it was true. And we were like, wow, what\u2019s going on? But the one thing that really stuck out to me was after she was done, Bill was talking. I\u2019ve been questioning, am I really chosen? How do you know that you\u2019re chosen? Like everyone thinks they\u2019re chosen, you know? So Bill was like, \u201cHey, you\u2019re not an accident. You\u2019re not a constant. God has chosen you.\u201d And that just freaked me out. Like, what? How do you know this? How does he know this? None of you guys know me. No one knows these stories.\n\nWe were just taken aback, and coming out of that and wrestling with the whole idea of gifts and how God put people in our lives and our families to actually bring out the answers as well, it made us more confident. We\u2019re like, wait, this still exists. We\u2019ve just been overlooking it. Praise God for that.\n\nThank you. Thank you guys.\n\nI love these stories because this is what the Bible says will happen when prophecy is moving. In 1 Corinthians 14:24\u201325, listen to what the Bible says and then apply it to what they said: \u201cBut if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s exactly what the Bible says, and that\u2019s exactly what they experienced. Do you see the Word of God? Do you see how God moves? We need prophecy. It is a testimony of Jesus. And I guarantee you, for them there was a testimony: Jesus is alive. He knows me. He loves me. He knows everything about me. What is man that you\u2019re mindful of him, God, that you would think of me? It\u2019s fear, trembling, worship, and awe. And people say it\u2019s from the devil. I\u2019m like, what are you doing? This is the Word of God. So it\u2019s normal. In fact, the Bible says our church services should see this in a very normative way.\n\nPaul\u2014it\u2019s so normal in the Corinthian church that Paul is actually trying to pull it back because everyone is just prophesying and it\u2019s chaos. So he\u2019s writing to bring a little order to the chaos. It\u2019s good that you\u2019re prophesying. \u201cI want you all to prophesy,\u201d is what he says. But you\u2019ve got to learn to do this in a way that isn\u2019t nuts. If everyone is just prophesying and all screaming at the top of their lungs, nobody knows what\u2019s going on. That\u2019s really what he\u2019s saying to them. But he says this to establish that it\u2019s normal. He\u2019s telling us how it should work.\n\n\u201cLet two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.\u201d Interesting. How do we test whether it\u2019s true? Because we all have the Spirit. Others can weigh it. As a person speaks, others go, \u201cI know the Spirit of the Lord. That\u2019s the Lord\u2019s voice. I know how to hear his voice. I\u2019m hearing his voice coming through you.\u201d But here\u2019s the thing: let two or three prophets speak, and let others weigh. \u201cIf a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and be encouraged.\u201d\n\nIn other words, in the New Testament we\u2019re all doing this, and we just need to do it in order. And we need to do it not so we can boast about how spiritual we are, because we can all do it. The children can do it. We do it because we strengthen and encourage one another, because the mysteries of their heart are suddenly unveiled as we speak God\u2019s heart and mysteries over them. So that should be normative in churches.\n\nHave you seen prophecy as being part of this church? Here\u2019s a question: do you see prophecy as normative in every church? Why? Bad doctrine, comfort, convenience, the traditions of man. Matthew 15:6 says the traditions of man nullify the Word of God. You\u2019re nullifying the very presence and power of God among you because you\u2019re not obeying what the Bible actually says.\n\n\u201cI want you all to prophesy.\u201d When you come together, we need to see these gifts moving. This one can get up and speak. That one can bring a word. We\u2019ve settled for the substandard for so long. And God\u2019s saying, \u201cI want my church back. I want it back from the boards. I want it back from the senior pastor who\u2019s the king. I want it back. I want to be King. I want to be Lord. And I want to move among my people. They\u2019re a kingdom of priests.\u201d\n\nI am gloves off today. I\u2019m sorry if I\u2019m offensive, but this is God\u2019s Word, for goodness\u2019 sake. You can\u2019t just ignore it. And it\u2019s clear. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m trying to play with Greek and Hebrew.\n\nThe normative should be prophecy. So what does that mean? We\u2019ve got to look at what that means. A few things. Prophecy now is not the Bible. It\u2019s not the Bible. We don\u2019t add to the Bible. People say, \u201cWell, if you could prophesy, then God\u2019s speaking, then it\u2019s like the Bible.\u201d No, man, for goodness\u2019 sake. Prophecy in the Bible told us the Bible. We don\u2019t add to the Bible. The Bible is the fabric and the foundation. We don\u2019t go beyond what\u2019s written. In fact, when we prophesy, we\u2019re just doing what\u2019s written. But we don\u2019t add to what\u2019s written. We just build on it. The foundation is laid. We just build on that foundation. We never add to Scripture.\n\nNo divine prophetic revelation is binding now or authoritative in itself. In other words, if someone says something to you, there is no authority in what they say. It\u2019s not binding. They\u2019re not Old Testament. Now you have the Spirit in you, and the Spirit inside of you is what must lead you. You keep in step with the Spirit because you\u2019re a son and daughter of God. And if the prophecy aligns with what the Spirit of God is saying to you, then it becomes authoritative. But the word in itself, if it makes no sense, if it doesn\u2019t give you peace, if it doesn\u2019t edify you, you just say, \u201cWell, thank you for that word. That was a great try. Good attempt.\u201d You don\u2019t have to correct them. Just thank them, and love them. Cover them in love. It was good that you were trying. I get that you want to encourage me. That\u2019s good. But it just didn\u2019t bear witness with me.\n\nWhat I do when I get a word I don\u2019t understand is I put it in my back pocket, because I\u2019ve learned that sometimes it makes no sense to me now, but give me a few months and I\u2019m in the middle of the biggest fire of my life and I\u2019m like, \u201cWhere are you, God?\u201d Oh. So I don\u2019t discard it too quickly. I just go, \u201cWell, Lord, I\u2019ve learned this: if I follow the Spirit, I fall into prophecy.\u201d In other words, I just follow what the Lord tells me to do. The problem is when I hear prophecy, humans want to be like God. So God says, \u201cI\u2019ve got this for you,\u201d and you go, \u201cWell, then I\u2019m going to go for it,\u201d and God says, \u201cNo, wait. I don\u2019t delight in the strength of a horse or legs of a man. I don\u2019t need your strength. I just need you to trust and obey.\u201d\n\nI\u2019ve learned that often God says he\u2019s going that way with me and then he starts the journey this way. I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t understand. But faith, Andrew. This is the story of every Bible figure. Joseph: \u201cYour father and brothers are going to bow down to you.\u201d That didn\u2019t look like it was going to happen for most of his life. It was prison, and he was literally bowing down to everyone. Then right at the end he falls into the prophecy. So when you get a prophetic word, don\u2019t follow it. Follow the Lord. You have the Spirit in you, for goodness\u2019 sake.\n\nProphecy is not authoritative anymore because we have the Bible and we have the Spirit. If it helps you, if it encourages you, good, because sometimes we do need prophetic encouragement, but it\u2019s got to be evaluated.\n\nWhat happens if a person gets some right and some wrong? That\u2019s the other thing people say now. \u201cWell, if it\u2019s not 100% accurate, then he\u2019s a false prophet. Let\u2019s stone him.\u201d Remember this: everything changed when sons and daughters started prophesying. Everything changed because we all carry the anointing, but we\u2019re not all prophets. We\u2019re not writing Scripture. God is not as precise with us as he was with them because they needed to get it exactly right. The Word of God is the Word of God.\n\nSo now when he comes to us to prophesy and speaks through us, it\u2019s not like that. It\u2019s not like, \u201cThus saith the Lord.\u201d I\u2019ll never forget hearing one man prophesy, and he goes, \u201cThus saith the Lord, as Moses built the ark.\u201d I\u2019m like, did God make a mistake there? And I heard a guy do that. I was in the meeting, and I\u2019m thinking, okay, I don\u2019t think God made a mistake. He knew exactly who built the ark. So what is happening?\n\nWe now find in the New Covenant that prophecy is still here, and we should all do it, but it\u2019s not as precise as it is in the Old Testament. So the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:20\u201321, \u201cDo not despise prophecy.\u201d Don\u2019t despise it, but test everything. In context, it\u2019s prophecy. As the word comes, I don\u2019t despise it. I receive it, but then I test it. I\u2019m listening and asking, does this bear witness with the Spirit? Does this line up with the Word of God, the Bible? And then it says, \u201cHold fast to what is good.\u201d\n\nWhich means when you go to prophecy, there\u2019s a percentage that hits, and there\u2019s a percentage where you go, \u201cI tested that. I\u2019m not sure about that, but I\u2019m going to hold to the good parts.\u201d It was interesting hearing Dennis; she kind of got one part right, but it was a little bit off. Well, that\u2019s exactly what this is saying, because we\u2019re all doing it now. We\u2019re not all Old Testament prophets, so we get it a bit wrong. It\u2019s not that we\u2019re not hearing God. It\u2019s that God is speaking through human beings, and we\u2019re not inspired the way they were. So when we speak, there\u2019s a little bit of us in this. Prophecy doesn\u2019t equal Scripture. It\u2019s not binding like Scripture.\n\nGod never gets confused. God never fails. If I speak something accurate, it\u2019s God. If I speak something confusing, it\u2019s just something else. God always speaks the truth. The fact is he\u2019s working through imperfect vessels.\n\nIn 1 Corinthians 13:9\u201310, our knowledge is partial and incomplete, which means even what I\u2019m teaching you isn\u2019t perfect. I hope it\u2019s close. But even the gift of prophecy reveals only a part of the whole picture. The problem with us humans is we don\u2019t like empty spaces. We want to make sense of things. So God gives something and we use our brain and start moving a little bit in the flesh because we want to make sense of it for the person. So we add to the prophecy. We embroider it. We fluff it up because that\u2019s who we are. And so the prophecy comes as something of God and something of us, because we prophesy in part.\n\nSome people will get to hone that and they\u2019ll get more accurate, and others of us will get it less accurate because we\u2019re all doing it. It\u2019s like if we all ran 100 yards right now, some of us would do that in a really good time and some of us would die at 30 yards. We can all run. It\u2019s just that some of us are going to do this better than others. And as we grow, we can...\n\nI can tell you some of my failures. Remember, prophecy is for edification. There are three sources of prophecy. When I prophesy, there\u2019s one of three voices you\u2019re hearing. The one is God\u2019s. There are parts I\u2019ll speak that are God speaking to you, and you\u2019ll hear God through me and I\u2019ll hear God through you, because we can all do this because we\u2019re filled with the Spirit of God. We are the temple of the living God. So we\u2019ll utter mysteries over one another, and the other person will hear God speaking to them, even though we\u2019re just the medium, the vessel.\n\nSecondly, some of it\u2019s God, some of it\u2019s me. As I mentioned, we add things, we fluff them up. And then there\u2019s a third possibility, and even for you as a Christian, there\u2019s this possibility that actually a demon speaks through you. 1 John 4:1: \u201cBeloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.\u201d\n\nPeople say, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d The thing is, I\u2019m uttering mysteries. I\u2019m trying to pick up the heart of what God is doing. I remember once prophesying, and as far as I know, it\u2019s only happened once, but I remember once doing this. I was with a guy\u2014I can say this. Primarily, you\u2019re going to hear God and a little bit of the person. That\u2019s normal. But every now and again the devil can get involved. And you know the devil did speak through Simon Peter, who was an apostle. So because you\u2019re in a position and even anointed doesn\u2019t mean the devil can\u2019t speak through you, right? \u201cGet behind me, Satan.\u201d So he can speak through me. I hate that thought. But if I think differently, I\u2019m deceiving myself.\n\nYou\u2019ve got to test everything against the Word of God. I can get deceived. I can get taken captive by Satan to do his will. I have in my life. There are times I\u2019ve done things I look back on and think, man, I was captive. Captive to my own anger, my unforgiveness. I was taken captive by the devil. True. Have you ever been taken captive? I know sometimes you sin because of your flesh. But sometimes we sin because of the devil\u2014we become a tool for the devil. That\u2019s a whole teaching in itself, which again I\u2019m probably rattling cages. I actually want to do a teaching on whether Christians can be demonized. I\u2019ll do that at some point. There\u2019s a lot of confusion, but I\u2019ll have to do that properly. I can\u2019t do that now. It\u2019ll mess with your heads.\n\nI\u2019ll tell you my story. I was prophesying over a friend, and there was a guy who was a fivefold prophet. I\u2019m not a fivefold prophet, but I can prophesy. This guy was a well-known prophet, and he called me up, so we began to pray for Milani. He started first, and I remember he started speaking something over her. Prophecy feels a bit like a river for those who\u2019ve done it. It feels like there\u2019s a river flowing, and he started flowing in a river and speaking over her. Then I sensed the river and climbed into it, and I started to speak in a similar flow. It was almost like climbing into a current and speaking.\n\nHalfway through, she starts looking very perturbed and anxious. I see her start to tear up, but it\u2019s not a good tear. I\u2019m thinking, hold on. I stopped and said, \u201cAre you all right? What\u2019s happening?\u201d She said, \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I feel like a heaviness coming on me as you\u2019re both speaking.\u201d And I immediately said, \u201cThis prophecy is for edification, encouragement, and comfort. We\u2019re not prophesying by the Spirit of God. Take it back. Please forgive us. We\u2019re missing it.\u201d\n\nAnd this guy said, \u201cHow dare you say that I\u2019m not speaking by God\u2019s authority?\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cDude, I\u2019m saying it for me and I\u2019m saying it for you because this is not the fruit of the Lord Jesus speaking.\u201d He got angry and actually left in a huff. And today I\u2019m still serving Jesus. He isn\u2019t. And he was a full prophet. We make mistakes, man, for goodness\u2019 sake. The apostles made mistakes. This is church. It\u2019s messy. We\u2019re not perfect yet. When he returns we\u2019ll be perfect as he is. I\u2019m looking forward to that day. But until then I am pressing myself to come on, Lord, I want to be like you.\n\nIt\u2019s possible to miss. I\u2019m going to show you in the Bible where that happens, not that this guy was doing it by the devil, but two places in the New Testament where people got prophecy slightly wrong.\n\nActs 21:10 says, \u201cWhile we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.\u201d A prophet. The Bible calls him a prophet. \u201cAnd coming to us, he took Paul\u2019s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, \u2018Thus says the Holy Spirit: This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.\u2019\u201d\n\nSo Paul is going to be bound by the Jews and then handed over to the Roman Gentiles. That\u2019s the prophecy, right? Let\u2019s see how it plays out.\n\nActs 21:30\u201333: \u201cThen all the city was stirred, and all the people ran together. And they seized Paul.\u201d Who is the \u201cthey\u201d here? It\u2019s the Jews. So the Jews grab him. So far we\u2019re good, because the Jews are supposed to bind him, right? \u201cThey seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort\u201d\u2014the Gentiles. So now the Gentile Roman hears about it, that all Jerusalem is in confusion. He took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him bound.\n\nWho bound Paul? The Jew or the Gentile? What did Agabus say? The Jew. He got it wrong. There\u2019s a big difference. In this case, it sounds like the Jews are going to bind him and then hand him over to the Romans, but the Romans actually bind him to save his life. So he kind of got it right, but he got it wrong.\n\nThat\u2019s what the Bible is showing us: sometimes in the New Testament prophets don\u2019t get it exactly right. Agabus was a New Testament prophet. His prophecy is not binding like that of an Old Testament prophet. Otherwise they\u2019d stone him.\n\nHe does get parts right. Paul is going to be bound, but he gets the details wrong. \u201cWe know in part and we prophesy in part.\u201d He\u2019s sort of getting it. And that\u2019s what prophecy does. We\u2019re knowing in part. It\u2019s like seeing through a mirror. It\u2019s like, Paul, if you go to Jerusalem, it\u2019s not going to go well for you. But the details aren\u2019t quite right.\n\nSo when someone prophesies and they don\u2019t get every part right, they\u2019re not a false prophet. They just want to\u2014everyone who\u2019s prophesying\u2014\n\nI\u2019ll give you another one. The great Paul, one of my heroes in the faith. In Acts 16:9, during the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, \u201cCome over to Macedonia and help us.\u201d So he has a vision of a man saying, \u201cCome to Macedonia. I need your help.\u201d\n\nSo he goes to Macedonia, and in Acts 16:14 the person who responds is a woman. He sees a man, but we see a woman. \u201cA woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul\u2019s message.\u201d He sees a man. The Spirit of God is saying, \u201cI want you to go to Macedonia to preach,\u201d and he thinks if he translates that literally, \u201cWhere\u2019s the guy?\u201d But it\u2019s actually not a man, it\u2019s a woman. He gets it right in that he\u2019s going where God wants him to go, but the details are not that important. He gets the gist of it.\n\nSo prophets will give you the gist of it. Some prophets are just going to hit it. Some prophecy is like that. You just know every word is God\u2019s word. Sometimes it\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, that was God. Not sure about that. Okay, I don\u2019t think that was him. This\u2014oh, this is God.\u201d Because they\u2019re uttering mysteries with their spirit.\n\nAmen. The Bible remains the Bible. We don\u2019t add to it. We don\u2019t subtract from it. Prophecy remains. We need to see it right through till Jesus returns. But it\u2019s different from the old covenant. And so, quickly in closing, under the new covenant, prophecy is a genuine Spirit-given disclosure of divine intention or outcome, but not a full or judicially precise declaration as under the old covenant. It requires testing, discernment, and it never binds the conscience.\n\nIf someone says something to you prophetically, it doesn\u2019t bind you. The Spirit of the Lord is the one who must bind you, your own conscience. But that said, when it comes, it\u2019s super helpful. In Acts 11:28\u201329, Agabus again stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world. And this took place, as in the days of Claudius. Luke tells us he got up and said, \u201cGuys, we are about to come into a time of crisis. There is a famine coming across the whole world.\u201d And Luke tells us it came just like he said. And what that foreknowledge did, because of prophecy, is the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. The church was able to respond and get ready and act appropriately so that when it came they were able to look after everybody.\n\nWe need prophecy, and it needs to be weighed. But prophecy in itself isn\u2019t authoritative. The church needs to decide that\u2019s God, and if it\u2019s God, we change direction. I\u2019ve been in meetings\u2014I remember once a four-year-old got up in a conference of about five thousand, or four and a half thousand of us, and said, \u201cI feel the Lord saying this,\u201d and all of us went, \u201cThe Lord just spoke through a five-year-old,\u201d and we turned the entire conference because God speaks through little children. That child had no authority in itself, but when we recognized the voice of the King speaking, every one of us went, \u201cWell, that\u2019s the Lord.\u201d It doesn\u2019t matter who he\u2019s speaking through. We weighed it and knew it was the Lord.\n\nIn some ways, that picture is what the church is supposed to be. We\u2019re not just here to come and listen to a teacher and sit in your comfortable seat. We\u2019re a people on a mission, on a journey together. We follow the crowd. The Bible says the Spirit of God will lead us. Christ will be at our head. And we follow. At times he speaks prophetically and says, \u201cGo this way. Do that.\u201d And we follow the Spirit because we are sons and daughters of the living God. We the saints bear witness that God is speaking. We weigh things, not critically, but to know, is this the Lord speaking?\n\nAnd we all can prophesy. So we the people of God start to have a sense that Jesus is speaking, Jesus is leading, and we go where he takes us because we are not here to pew warm. We\u2019re here to make disciples of nations and to bring people to the knowledge of the light of the glory of the King and become the church that literally is the light of the world. In other words, if you prophesy and you call an iceberg, you might not touch the steering wheel. The elders have got to do that. But if you don\u2019t call the iceberg, we might drown.\n\nI wish you\u2019d all prophesy, because if you\u2019re all prophesying, that means we\u2019re all hearing God. And if we\u2019re all hearing God, it means there\u2019s a better and better and better chance that we\u2019re going to hit what he\u2019s saying and not miss it. That\u2019s the beauty of the church. Do you realize how much more God\u2019s got for us? Do you realize how we settle for so little? So little. And the Lord says, \u201cI have such good gifts for you.\u201d\n\nNext year we\u2019re going to be training on prophecy, and I\u2019m trusting that all of you can prophesy just like Paul says. All right. So that\u2019s my preach for the day."
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