Spring
1993
The Spirit
of Prophesy
Tom Worth
Pinecrest Staff
Prophecy is the human articulation of what God is saying,
the combining of God's sovereignty and man's free will. The
Lord desires to speak, but without human expression, this
Word will never come to birth. To function prophetically is
to give God the freedom to express Himself through us, either
by tongue, deed, or pen.
At the core of each human expression of what God is saying
lies His supreme expression: "The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us" John 1:1. Behind a specific word
that proceeds from the mouth of God, is the eternally proceeding
Word who is our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the unveiling
of the Lord Jesus is the basis for all prophetic utterance.
John relates an experience in Revelation 19:20 that gives
insight into the motive and underlying principle behind prophecy.
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And
he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have
the testimony of Jesus: Worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy" Rev 19:10.
Here John's misdirected worship is turned toward God, and
the true nature of the prophetic state is revealed. Prophecy
is not simply a fore-telling of events, but rather the forth-telling
of the Person of Jesus.
The name of Jesus speaks of His nature and His character
as seen in the Gospels. As we behold Jesus, we see what God
is like. When we prophecy, the word of God comes to us and
finds expression through our humanity. Thus it bears witness
to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God expressed in humanity.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" John 1:1.
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:
and His Name is called The Word of God" Rev 19:13.
Prophecy is that combining of God and man which testifies
of that One who is both God and Man, Jesus Christ.
To exercise "The Spirit of Prophecy" is to move
in the same Spirit in which Jesus operated, where our attitudes,
words, and deeds are really those of Jesus Christ finding
their expression through us. The Spirit of Prophecy is the
compassion of Jesus finding its expression in us; it is our
obedience to God's will, an echo of that supreme submission
to the Father that was exhibited in Jesus. It is where our
lives become prophetic of the life of Jesus.
Consider the question asked in Isaiah 53:8,
"and who shall declare his generation? For he was
cut off out of the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people was he stricken."
There is a declaration yet to take place. The only begotten
Son who is in the bosom of the Father has declared God, whom
no man has seen at anytime (John1:18). The Holy Spirit is
moving on His people today to declare the life of Jesus to
this generation.
This probing question in Isaiah seems to say there must yet
be an expression of that life which was cut off from the land
of the living. Although Jesus fulfilled His mission and rose
again and ascended to the Father, He was cut off from the
earth in the prime of His human life. There must yet be an
expression of the rest of our Lord's life here on earth -
the testimony of Jesus to be declared in a generation of people.
Who shall declare His generation? We must answer this question
with our lives. For this question is in reality a commission
from God (for those who will answer (Isaiah 6:8)) to become
witnesses unto the Lord Jesus Christ, endued with power from
on high (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). This power is not a force
but a Person, the Holy Spirit, functioning in the spirit of
prophecy. In this way He enables us to declare the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Why did Paul say, "Covet to prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:39)?
Why did Moses declare "Would God that all the Lord's
people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit
upon them" (Num. 11:29)? Why did Peter and Joel proclaim
the following concerning the last days?
"And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will
pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall
prophesy" Acts 2:8.
Today, the Lord is dealing prophetically in His Church. We
are living the last days spoken by Joel the prophet, days
when the "Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall
the end come" (Matt. 24:14).
The Gospel of the Kingdom is not a set of divine principles,
but rather the living testimony of Jesus, the witness that
must be declared to all before the end comes. Arising from
our worship and adoration of the Lord, we will be ushered
into that combining of the sovereign moving of God and the
obedient response of man which results in our becoming a prophetic
witness.
"Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus
is the Spirit of Prophecy."
Tom Worth
Pinecrest Staff
Prophecy is the human articulation of what God is saying,
the combining of God's sovereignty and man's free will. The
Lord desires to speak, but without human expression, this
Word will never come to birth. To function prophetically is
to give God the freedom to express Himself through us, either
by tongue, deed, or pen.
At the core of each human expression of what God is saying
lies His supreme expression: "The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us" John 1:1. Behind a specific word
that proceeds from the mouth of God, is the eternally proceeding
Word who is our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the unveiling
of the Lord Jesus is the basis for all prophetic utterance.
John relates an experience in Revelation 19:20 that gives
insight into the motive and underlying principle behind prophecy.
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And
he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have
the testimony of Jesus: Worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy" Rev 19:10.
Here John's misdirected worship is turned toward God, and
the true nature of the prophetic state is revealed. Prophecy
is not simply a fore-telling of events, but rather the forth-telling
of the Person of Jesus.
The name of Jesus speaks of His nature and His character
as seen in the Gospels. As we behold Jesus, we see what God
is like. When we prophecy, the word of God comes to us and
finds expression through our humanity. Thus it bears witness
to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God expressed in humanity.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" John 1:1.
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:
and His Name is called The Word of God" Rev 19:13.
Prophecy is that combining of God and man which testifies
of that One who is both God and Man, Jesus Christ.
To exercise "The Spirit of Prophecy" is to move
in the same Spirit in which Jesus operated, where our attitudes,
words, and deeds are really those of Jesus Christ finding
their expression through us. The Spirit of Prophecy is the
compassion of Jesus finding its expression in us; it is our
obedience to God's will, an echo of that supreme submission
to the Father that was exhibited in Jesus. It is where our
lives become prophetic of the life of Jesus.
Consider the question asked in Isaiah 53:8,
"and who shall declare his generation? For he was
cut off out of the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people was he stricken."
There is a declaration yet to take place. The only begotten
Son who is in the bosom of the Father has declared God, whom
no man has seen at anytime (John1:18). The Holy Spirit is
moving on His people today to declare the life of Jesus to
this generation.
This probing question in Isaiah seems to say there must yet
be an expression of that life which was cut off from the land
of the living. Although Jesus fulfilled His mission and rose
again and ascended to the Father, He was cut off from the
earth in the prime of His human life. There must yet be an
expression of the rest of our Lord's life here on earth -
the testimony of Jesus to be declared in a generation of people.
Who shall declare His generation? We must answer this question
with our lives. For this question is in reality a commission
from God (for those who will answer (Isaiah 6:8)) to become
witnesses unto the Lord Jesus Christ, endued with power from
on high (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). This power is not a force
but a Person, the Holy Spirit, functioning in the spirit of
prophecy. In this way He enables us to declare the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Why did Paul say, "Covet to prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:39)?
Why did Moses declare "Would God that all the Lord's
people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit
upon them" (Num. 11:29)? Why did Peter and Joel proclaim
the following concerning the last days?
"And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will
pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall
prophesy" Acts 2:8.
Today, the Lord is dealing prophetically in His Church. We
are living the last days spoken by Joel the prophet, days
when the "Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall
the end come" (Matt. 24:14).
The Gospel of the Kingdom is not a set of divine principles,
but rather the living testimony of Jesus, the witness that
must be declared to all before the end comes. Arising from
our worship and adoration of the Lord, we will be ushered
into that combining of the sovereign moving of God and the
obedient response of man which results in our becoming a prophetic
witness.
"Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus
is the Spirit of Prophecy."