WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPHESYING?

Prophecy is the inspired speaking forth of the mind of God.  Here are some scriptural standards by which prophecy should comply.

Prophecy will:

1.  Be in one accord with the scriptures. 

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2.  Glorify Jesus, God's Son. 

1 John 4:1-3 NKJV

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

3.  Edify, not tear down.  Build the body toward wholeness, not bring division or strife.   

Ephesians 4:12 NKJV

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

4.  Love the sinner, hate sin.   

John 8:3 NKJV

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,  they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

5.  Convict, but not condemn.  

John 3:17  NKJV

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

6.  Present the Lord as a solution, if it declares a problem. 

Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

7.  Be non-controlling.   

2 Timothy 2:24 NKJV

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.

8.  Be valid through the proof of time.   

Deuteronomy 18:20-21 NKJV

'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'  "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' --

9.  Be tested. 

1 Corinthians 14:29 NKJV

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

10.  Be a sign to the unbelievers.  

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 NKJV

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

11.  Exhort.  Gives invitation and entreaty.   

1 Corinthians 14:3  NKJV

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

12.  Comfort.  It consoles and encourages.  

1 Corinthians 14:3 NKJV

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

13.  Be given in proportion to the speaker's faith.   

Romans 12:6 NKJV

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

SCRIPTURE’S DEFINITION OF PROPHESYING: 

TO BUILD UP, TO INVITE AND TO COMFORT

The scripture says that to prophesy is to build up/confirm, invite/entreat, and comfort/encourage.  That is a simple and exact definition.

1 Cor 14:3 NKJV

But he who prophesies speaks edification {3619} and exhortation {3874} and comfort {3889} to men.

 

TO BUILD UP - Edify

According to the Greek, to build up is raising a structure that is built through confirmation.  For those of you who are confirmed in your walk in the Lord through reading the Words the Lord gives me, it means that you are being built up or edified.  It means that He is building His abiding house inside of you, where you will dwell together in peace and maturity.  It also means that together, He is also bringing us together to build up His corporate heavenly house.

 

TO EDIFY - Greek

 

oikodome

NT:3619 oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay'); feminine (abstract) of a compound of NT:3624 and the base ofNT:1430; architecture, i.e.  (concretely) a structure; figuratively, confirmation

KJV - building, edify (-ication, -ing).

 

NT:1430

 

NT:1430 doma (do'-mah); from demo (to build); properly, an edifice, i.e.  (specially) a roof

 

KJV - housetop.

 

Other scriptures using the same Greek word, "To Edify"

 

Matt 24:1 Mark 13:1 Mark 13:2 Rom 14:19 Rom 15:2 1 Cor 3:9 1 Cor 14:3 1 Cor 14:5 1 Cor 14:12 1 Cor14:26 2 Cor 5:1 2 Cor 10:8 2 Cor 12:19 2 Cor 13:10 Eph 2:21 Eph 4:12 Eph 4:16 Eph 4:29

Prophesying with the goal to edify is to build up people’s faith, their inner man, their character, their understanding, their identity in Christ.  Prophesying through edification is building the body of Christ into the image of Jesus. 

Eph 4:12-13 AMP

His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),  [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

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TO EXHORT - To implore, bring solace, invite, entreat

In the Greek, prophesying through exhortation means to implore and it comes from a root word meaning to call for or invite, perhaps even pray as in pleading.

TO EXHORT - Greek

 

paraklesis

NT:3874 paraklesis (par-ak'-lay-sis); from NT:3870; imploration, hortation, solace

KJV - comfort, consolation, exhortation, intreaty.

 

NT:3870

NT:3870 parakaleo (par-ak-al-eh'-o); from NT:3844 and NT:2564; to call near, i.e.  invite, invoke (byimploration, hortation or consolation)

KJV - beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.

 

NT:2564

NT:2564 kaleo (kal-eh'-o); akin to the base of NT:2753; to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety ofapplications, dir.  or otherwise)

KJV - bid, call (forth), (whose, whose sur-) name (was [called]).

 

Other scriptures using the same Greek word, "To Exhort."

Luke 2:25 Luke 6:24 Acts 4:36 Acts 9:31 Acts 13:15 Acts 15:31 Rom 12:8 Rom 15:4 Rom 15:5 1 Cor14:3 2 Cor 1:3 2 Cor 1:4 2 Cor 1:5 2 Cor 1:6 2 Cor 1:6 2 Cor 1:7 2 Cor 7:4 2 Cor 7:7 2 Cor 7:13 2Cor 8:4 2 Cor 8:17 Phil 2:1 1 Thess 2:3 2 Thess 2:16 1 Tim 4:13 Philem 7 Heb 6:18 Heb 12:5 Heb13:22

The gift of exhortation is the ability to inspire someone to move forward from the past.  It can touch a heart to begin again and move into action.  It gives hope and encouragement to see beyond the difficulties and onto a brighter future.

I know a special lady who has a vivacious personality, and loves to talk to people.  Throughout the years she’s had a "ministry" to people who are sick.  Visiting often, calling and sending cheer, she has been a real uplift to many people.  Whether she has ever thought of it as a ministry, I do not know.  My guess is that she just considers it a part of her own personality and natural life.  But it is obvious that her gift of cheer is God-given and is a wonderful uplift.

For some, this gift needs the balance of patience.  An exhorter has the ability to foresee the desired result and is greatly motivated towards helping one obtain it.  His zeal is so fervent he needs patience to slow down to the pace of the downhearted one.  Someone having this wonderful gift to encourage and motivate others may often seem insensitive to the pain of the moment, being misconstrued as a lack of compassion.  Yet, the Holy Spirit has so touched the one who has the gift to exhort, there is great motivation to do something about it.

The gift of prophesying through exhortation within Jesus' body is His heart, saying, "I believe in you." Next time someone reaches out with a smiling touch of words, listen for the Lord's great zealous heart to motivate you away from the "mully-grubs." Understand that He waits to see your tear sparkled eye look up and say, "OK Lord, I dare to try again." 

1 Thess 4:1-2 NKJV

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;

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TO COMFORT - To encourage, comfort and console.

To comfort is to give encouragement, consolation, and draw near to in comfort.

TO COMFORT- Greek

 

paramuthia

 

NT:3889 paramuthia (par-am-oo-thee'-ah); from NT:3888; consolation (properly, abstract)

KJV - comfort.

 

NT:3888

 

NT:3888 paramutheomai (par-am-oo-theh'-om-ahee); from NT:3844 and the middle voice of a derivativeof NT:3454; to relate near, i.e.  (by implication) encourage, console

KJV - comfort.

Other Scriptures using the same Greek word, "To Comfort"

Luke 2:25 Luke 6:24 Acts 4:36 Acts 9:31 Acts 13:15 Acts 15:31 Rom 12:8 Rom 15:4 Rom 15:5 1 Cor14:3 2 Cor 1:3 2 Cor 1:4 2 Cor 1:5 2 Cor 1:6 2 Cor 1:6 2 Cor 1:7 2 Cor 7:4 2 Cor 7:7 2 Cor 7:13 2Cor 8:4 2 Cor 8:17 Phil 2:1 1 Thess 2:3 2 Thess 2:16 1 Tim 4:13 Philem 7 Heb 6:18 Heb 12:5 Heb13:22

Our God is comforting.  He speaks ease and consolation to our pain.  When we prophesy God’s comfort, we are speaking His Words that console, calm, reassure, soothe, support and lift up those who are suffering. 

"As whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13 NKJV)