Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24429 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Prophecy - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8

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#24429 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Prophecy - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live from Calvary Chapel in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace media, visit us online at Calvary
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Aurora dot org, or download our free app on all platforms.
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And now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen.
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Take your Bibles. Open them to Romans chapter.
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Chapter 12, Romans chapter 12. Now, we are in a verse by verse
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study, through the book of Acts and we've come as far as Acts
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chapter 6, and we've spent quite a few weeks, looking at what's
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happening in the early church and Acts chapter 6.
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You have the Widow's two different groups of widows.
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One group feels like they're being neglected in the daily
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distributions. They start complaining and
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gossiping and the church is at a Crossroads, it's very dangerous.
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It's a very dangerous and difficult time in the early
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church and we've learned a few things.
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The first thing we learned is that when everybody does what
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they're called to do, then the church progresses, very
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beautifully and powerfully. When you do what you're supposed
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to do, I do it. I'm supposed to do you guys over
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here, do what you're supposed to do in the will of God the church
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operates in unity and it operates in power and God uses a
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unified church. And one of the ways we learn
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that was the apostles, the leadership hears about the
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Difficulty. And one of the first decisions
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they make is we will not leave what we're supposed to do.
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This is a problem and it's a great difficulty but we will
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remain committed to what we've been called to do.
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And what were they called to do prayer.
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And the study of God's word that is what they were to do.
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However, there is a problem. And so they came up with a
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spirit, let solution find seven, men with these characteristics
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and qualities, and we're going to entrust them to take.
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Care of this problem, so that they'll do what we need.
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They need to do, we'll do what we need to do and we will
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continue to reach the city and Beyond obeying Jesus in the call
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of the church. And I felt like it was such a
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great time. I feel like the Lord was leading
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us to such a great time. Not only in the book of Acts in
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the way in the life that we're living right now, but in these
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spiritual gifts, you need to know your spiritual gift which
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leads us to the question. What is your spiritual gift?
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Do you know? Because our time through the
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book of Acts is bringing us to the place where?
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Okay, now, how does God want to use me?
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And how will God use me? And how will he train?
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And equip Us in learning what our gift is our primary
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motivational gift and then a lot of secondary things that God
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uses in our lives. So that we might be used greatly
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in the things, the Lord. So to me, this is a very
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encouraging time. I love teaching through these
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gifts, I love teaching through and that Revelation and then
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There was people all over this guy.
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Oh oh and all of a sudden the light goes on here like that is
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God's will for my life. So let me give you before we
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even jump in to the study today. Let me give you a few reasons
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why knowing your spiritual gift is so important.
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First of all, it will help you. Not waste time as a Believer,
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knowing your spiritual gift will put you.
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Sold laser focused on how God Made You and R.
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He wants, he won't be dabbling in things that God never wanted.
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You involved in because you'll be operating being led by the
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spirit. Secondly, when you know your
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spiritual gift, you'll be most effective, you'll be most
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effective, you'll be most efficient because you'll be
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doing things that you enjoy, that God will be blessing and
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they'll be fruit from your life. And you'll serve with more joy,
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you'll be more joyful when you are serving in the gifting that
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God has given to you, it won't be drudgery to you, you know, a
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People are afraid to serve God because they're like, well guys
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are going to tell me something, I don't want to do and make my
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life miserable. That's not true.
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He doesn't want your life. Miserable sin, makes you
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miserable. God gives you Joy.
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Don't forget that. And so when, you know your gift,
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you're going to be operating, enjoy.
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Not only that, you'll have less frustration.
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You'll be comparing yourself a lot less because you'll just be
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content with who God made you, you'll be less double minded and
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you'll, this is so important when you operate in your Virtual
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gift, you will experience less burnout.
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Now, it's too bad in the church today that burnout has become
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like a trophy. Well, you know, I'm just going
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to serve the Lord until I burn out.
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Can I just say on behalf of God, he does not want you to burn
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out. You are no good to the kingdom
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when you're all burn out and beat up and you don't care.
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Like he wants you to serve with joy and in the strength of the
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Holy Spirit. Now let me just be clear.
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When you serve God, You will get tired being tired and burned out
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or two different things. I mean the ministry is described
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in the Bible as a labor of love and one of the definitions of
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that Greek word is to labor to the point of exhaustion.
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You will be tired serving, you get involved in people's lives
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and their worst days. You get involved in their lives
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on their worst situations. You have resistance and fighting
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for the spirit like spiritual warfare, you will get tired.
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Tired. But it is not the will of God
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for you to burn out. That is no trophy say Hey you
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know, I'm new to this church and well what happened your last
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words I burned out. Well, I'm sorry it was never
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God's will for you to burn out. And, you know, the next step
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after burnout is you get all mad at God and then you just set
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your gifts aside and like I don't want ever serve like that
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again. You don't have to, it's not
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God's will for you to do that. We we tell folks here at
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Calvary, if you're close to burnout, take a break and then
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talk to us. And let's find You got there in
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the first place. It's different though.
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He go, all and I'm tired. I'm tired.
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Well, then the answer to that is get some sleep rest.
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That's why God gave us a pattern in life.
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A rhythm live, this Rhythm at the bare minimum 6 +, 16 + 16 +
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1, you'll wonder what is that? Well you work sick days and you
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rest the seventh and even in our culture they've changed it.
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They given you a bonus 5 and 25 and 25 and 2.
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And the whole point is this you were designed to work.
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You are, do you know work, proceeded the curse?
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I know some of you, I hate War gets part of the curse.
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Not true work, proceeded, the curse if you're with us on our
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midweek, Bible study, as we study verse by verse through the
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Book of Genesis, we learned that Adam was given responsibilities
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far long before sin entered in and he enjoyed them and he had
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fun working and so in redeeming from the curse, you want to know
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your spiritual gift. Because you serve in operate in
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the spirit. You won't be trying to
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accomplish things in your flush. So the as we go through, I want
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to lay out for you, how we're going to go in each study, we're
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going to follow the same pattern for each study number one.
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The first thing we'll do is Define the gift number two, then
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we'll see how it operated in the life of Jesus.
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Remember Jesus was fully man as well as fully God.
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And we'll see how the gift operated in his life.
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Thirdly, we'll look at a new testament example or two for
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each gift, and then finally, we'll look at some hazards and
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dangers or even some personality traits of the person that has
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this gift and that will help kind of clarify whether you
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operate in the gift or not. As you see some of the
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characteristics of the people that have this gift.
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And so let's start with the definition of the gift.
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Today's bye. Study is the gift of Prophecy.
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Let's go to Romans chapter 12 First, and read it, and then
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we'll look at the definition in Romans chapter 12.
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Beginning in verse 6, It says having then gifts differing.
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According to the grace that is given to us, let's use them.
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If prophecy then let us prophesy in proportion to our faith.
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If it's Ministry or we might Define that as service, then let
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us use it in are ministering, he who teaches and teaching he who
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exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who
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leads with diligence, and he who shows Mercy with cheerfulness,
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On this. And so the gift of Prophecy is
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our Focus today and each of the gifts fall into at least one of
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two categories. Sometimes they have both,
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they're either a verbal gift or a nonverbal gift and of course,
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some of the gifts would overlap and they can be both but just to
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list them out. So you can look ahead.
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Let me list them out and tell you, which is which, so the gift
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of Prophecy is a verbal gift. The gift of service is
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predominantly nonverbal, the gift of teaching.
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Teaching is a verbal gift. The gift of exhortation of
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verbal gift. The gift of giving is a
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nonverbal gift, the gift of leading or Administration is
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both as well. As the gift of Mercy, has an
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element of both we learn today. The gift of Prophecy, it's a
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verbal gift. And here's the deaf.
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And here's a small definition. The gift of Prophecy is
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declaring the truth. Declaring the truth.
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The word Prophecy part of the definition is to cause to shine
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the idea of Illuminating something and so with that in
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mind, God has given some men and women in the church.
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The supernatural ability to take his written word and cause it to
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shine. God has given some men and women
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in the church. The supernatural ability to take
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his word and cause it to shine jot it down in.
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Second Peter, chapter 1 and verse 19.
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It says. And so we have the prophetic
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word confirmed which you do well to heed as a light that shines
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in a dark place until the day Dawns, and The Morning Star
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rises in your hearts knowing this first, that no prophecy of
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scripture is of any private interpretation.
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Prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God
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spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
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Now, when we think of the word prophecy, we almost immediately
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think of the Old Testament definition, the old Covenant
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Office of the prophet and immediately associate prophecy.
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Prophet to this phrase, thus saith the Lord.
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And when we look at it that way, we have to remember that there
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was a time where God used profits to foretell the future
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to give words to people that were going to predict the future
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words of warning words of judgment that's for telling, but
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the Old Testament Office of the prophet and the foretelling of
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Prophecy has ceased it no longer exists.
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It has been replaced with the New Covenant.
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New Testament, gift of Prophecy. So nobody can come around here
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and go. All I am, the prophet and thus,
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saith the Lord. They have to change their voice
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for that in order to get your attention doll.
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Saith the Lord, no, no, no. That that has passed.
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That is over God. Now, moving in his Spirit, his
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Spirit dwelling in us, he has now given some men and women the
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ability to not for tell His word.
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But rather to forth, tell fo R th God's word is written and
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finished. We are not to add or subtract
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from it. And so now we have the privilege
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in the New Covenant to know what God has said.
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And then God gives a supernatural ability to make
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that word come alive in someone's life, very precisely
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and very focused and it's happened.
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To all of us, even if you haven't recognized it in your
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life and the definition turn over to 1st Corinthians chapter
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14, the definition or the answer to the question.
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Why? Why has God?
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What's the purpose? Why is God given this gift to
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the body? Notice with me.
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First Corinthians chapter 14 in verse 3.
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The definitions given to us right here, it says, but he who
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prophesize does three things and it could be all three things at
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once. It could be one at a time, two,
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at a time but three things come from a real true exercise of
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this gift speaks edification, exhortation, and comfort to men.
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We'll get to those in a moment. So the gift of Prophecy is
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speaking forth, the word of God, through the anointing of the
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Holy Spirit, someone exercising, this gift are not making things
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up in their own minds. They're not speaking on their
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own authority. However, the church world is
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filled with people today that take the title upon themselves
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and just make stuff up false prophets.
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And again, we'll get to that a little bit later as well.
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No, a person that's truly exercising.
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This Is speaking forth, the word of God with accuracy and factual
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intelligence, that God would give to them for the situation.
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Now, in describing a person that speaks with a prophetic, give
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that person often sees things in sharp contrast, sharp contrast,
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you might, we might describe a person like that today, that
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they live in a very black-and-white world for the
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person with the gift of Prophecy, there is no gray area.
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For them. As a matter of fact, sometimes
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they even say, gray, areas don't exist.
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It's black or white. And they usually don't see gray
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areas at all. And with, as a result of that,
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someone with this gift isn't really noted for their
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tactfulness or diplomacy instead, they're known by being
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bold or outspoken. They're known for being very
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persuasive. They're known in their
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leadership. Their often grieved deeply by
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sin. They are known as Serious.
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As people who don't hold back, don't mince words and many
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times. They aren't known much as having
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a very developed sense of humor. Very serious and having the gift
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of Prophecy does not mean you have the office of a prophet, it
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means it's a gift that you exercise.
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Those two things are very separate and Distinct.
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And many people in the church will have the gift of Prophecy
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is a very profitable important gift to exercise.
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In fact, Paul encouraged all believers to covet the gift of
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Prophecy by saying in 1st Corinthians, 14:1 pursue Love
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and Desire spiritual gifts but especially that you may
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prophesy, or you could say especially that you may use the
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word of God in a precise. Way in other people's lives.
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We are to desire. All the spiritual gifts, but
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especially prophecy, because it's so valuable.
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So valuable, let's take a closer look now at the three purposes
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of Prophecy. First of all, through prophecy,
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God speaks to the church to edify us for edification.
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The word means to be built up. It means to be strengthened and
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how many of us need a regular dose of strength in weakness, to
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be built up. In challenging times this also
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weird can also speak of encouragement.
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We need people in our lives that will come and speak to us.
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And encourage us to trust in the Lord, to encourage us to lay
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hold of the promises of God to secure a position of strength in
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Jesus. The spirit will speak forth his
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words that build us up and increase our faith and fortify
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our relationship with Jesus. That's the gift of Prophecy.
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Secondly, through prophecy, God exhorts us.
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And I want to give you a heads up going forward that Goes find
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that the gift of Prophecy and the gift of exhortation actually
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overlap. And so they sound a lot like
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they're the same but they're not prophecy has exhortation
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involved but it's not exclusive exhortation and then the third
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is that prophecy has the ability to comfort us.
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There will be words of comfort. Now, we all like the Comfort,
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amen. We like Comfort.
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We want people to, if we're going through it, we want words
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of comfort. We want to be encouraged some,
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we may want to To a shoulder to cry on.
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And there are times for that, we love Comfort.
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We're not so excited about exhortation.
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We're not so excited about the exhortation part of life.
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And usually, in the New Testament, the same word is used
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to describe, that's defined exhortation, it's the same word
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in the Greek that defines Comfort.
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They use the same word, different context and so
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exhortation actually is a form of comfort even though it may
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not feel that way. For example, comforting when you
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think of For you, think of God, sending you someone to pick you
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up to pick you up, you know, just a Build You Up, hit you,
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pick you up, you fallen down. You need someone to come
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alongside go down. Pick you up and help you and we
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like that. Oh, please come.
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Help me. Come help me.
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Come help me. But then, when you need
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something different than that, God may send you someone with a
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word of exhortation and while encouragement and comfort, we'll
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pick you up. You know, what exhortation, does
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it pushes you on and who in the world likes to be?
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Be pushed around. Nobody likes to be pushed
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around. But there are those seasons in
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your life where you need to be pushed on, it's no longer.
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Hey, it's going to be okay. We've been telling you that
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forever. It's time to get up and it's
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time to move on. It's time to lay hold of the
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promises of God. And so God using the gift of
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Prophecy will send somebody into your life so that you'll be
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moved on. It's not God's will for you to
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stay stuck. It's not God's will for you to
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stay in movable and at the same time Need comfort.
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We need people to come and tell us and remind us.
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That God is still on the throne. Amen.
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God is still on the throne that he's watching over us that he
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loves us. That things are working
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together. God is working all things
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together for the good, for those that love him.
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Those are called according to his purpose that God is in
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control that he Rules From Heaven.
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And we need both, I was just speaking with someone recently.
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I had handed them a book in their grief called Old beside
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Still Waters by Charles Spurgeon.
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It's a little devotional. I found many years ago after my
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son passed away and Spurgeon was a was a stellar Pastor in the
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1800's unbelievably Gifted Man. And as I was handing, this book
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over to him, I was warning them, I had to give them a little bit
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of warning and the warning went something like this.
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You know most of this book is super encouraging, most of those
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books going to just really minister to your heart but there
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will be those days when you turn a page And you get really,
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really mad at good old, Charles Spurgeon.
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Now, he doesn't really care because he's in the presence of
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the Lord, but you're still mad at him because he says something
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very hard to hear, and you don't really want to hear it, but you
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need to hear it. So, even after Charles Spurgeon
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has gone, home to be with the Lord, and has been there for
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many, many years, through his teachings.
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And his writings, the gift of exhortation is still operating
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through him because People in your life to tell you the hard
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things to share those things with you so that you can get up
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and move on turn over to Luke, chapter 4, let's move on to.
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How did this gift operate in the life of Jesus?
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How did this gift operate in the life of Jesus?
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Luke chapter 4 and beginning in verse 16 is a familiar passage.
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Jesus comes to his hometown and goes into the synagogue, and he
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takes the Scrolls and he opens them right to Isaiah 61, what we
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would know as Isaiah, T1, pick up in verse 18.
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The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
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Because he's anointed me to preach the gospel to, the poor
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sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach
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Deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind
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to set at Liberty, those who are oppressed and to preach the
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acceptable year of the Lord. After Jesus reads it, he closes
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the scroll, gives it back to the attendant and he sat down verse
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20 and all the eyes of all that were there in the synagogue were
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fixed on him and then he began to say speaking forth.
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A word of Prophecy today. The scripture is fulfilled in
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your hearing remember Jesus 100% human.
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Being led by the spirit here being in dwelt by the spirit,
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100% human, 100% God, he comes into the synagogue, he opens up
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the Scrolls, it happened to be, I believe the weekly reading in
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Isaiah, what we know is Isaiah 61 and he proceeds to read
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Isaiah 61 verse 1 and a portion of verse 2.
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He stopped. As you read in Isaiah, 61 to, he
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stopped at not reading. The whole thing.
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And I believe he stopped on purpose because it was the
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father's will for him to give a prophetic word to those in the
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synagogue and the prophetic word from God, that was built to
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exhort them that was designed to build them up, to bring them to
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the saving knowledge of Messiah. The prophetic word is this is
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now fulfilled. This is it, here is the word and
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it is fulfilled, but he stopped short at the rest of the verse
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because The rest of the verse talked about the day of the
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Vengeance of God. The rest of the verse talked
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about comforting though, who were mourning and I believe he
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stopped there because the prophetic word stop there and
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that this would be yet future. He was not only giving them.
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Messiah has come because, you know, the rabbi's of the day,
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they absolutely knew this was a Messianic passage.
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They knew this was speaking of the coming of Messiah, they
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knew, but what they weren't seeing was number one, they
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didn't see messiah in front of them.
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And number two, they they didn't see a duality in the coming of
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Christ. That, in his first coming, he
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would come to do all these things to preach, to help to
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save, to heal to bring Liberty. He would bring all those things
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and then he would Ascend into heaven, it would be in his
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second coming. That judgment would come that
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all of the, all of the world would commence and be completed,
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and the wonderful Ministry of Jesus comes in two ways and he
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sells them Look, this is the word.
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You hear it. You hear what?
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I read. Yes, it's coming to pass it
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right now in front of you and they either had a choice to
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believe it or to reject it. Now, number three, how did it
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operate in the New Testament to read?
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I'm going to give you a reference and then we're going
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to look at a reference. But the first one is in Luke
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chapter, 1 and verse 67. So you can just turn back here.
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We have a man by the name of Zacharias, who is operating with
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the prophetic gift and we his Speaking forth the word that
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hasn't he doesn't know that what he's saying right now is
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actually going to be New Testament words that are going
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to be contained in the Bible. Now, when you and I moving
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forward, now that the Bible has been completed, any prophetic
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word that comes through your life, will confirm what's been?
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Written will not add to it. You do not have permission from
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God to add to the word of God. You are forbidden.
24:45
He is not writing new scripture today.
24:47
So in the operation of this Give it is speaking forth.
24:51
The word, it is giving a light upon something that's already
24:55
been established to apply it. Very personally to the person
24:58
you're speaking to. But notice what he says in verse
25:00
67 now, his father, John, the Baptist, John the Baptist dad,
25:04
his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and he
25:09
prophesied and he spoke forth the word of God.
25:13
Telling everyone, how God would use his son, John very
25:17
encouraging turn over. To Acts chapter 2.
25:20
If there is a brother in the Bible that operated in this
25:23
gift, the most, I think it would be.
25:25
Peter, God used Peter in amazing ways.
25:28
Perhaps, the only other person that operated in the New
25:30
Testament, more would be Paul. So you have Peter and Paul using
25:34
this gift often and here in Chapter 2 of Acts, you have the
25:38
day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes down.
25:41
They accuse as the Holy Spirit comes on these Believers.
25:44
Those that were watching, accuse them of being drunk, and then,
25:47
Peter just gets up and In the spirit and speaking forth the
25:51
word and preaching the gospel and thousands, get saved.
25:55
And then notice here in verse 37 of Acts chapter 2, You have
26:01
Peter exercising. This gift once again and he says
26:06
in verse 37, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart
26:10
and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and
26:15
Brethren. What shall we do?
26:16
Then Peter said to them. Repent.
26:18
And let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
26:22
Christ. For the remission of sins that
26:24
you shall receive the gift of the holy spirit for the promises
26:28
to you and to your children. And to all All who are far off
26:33
as many as the Lord Our God will call.
26:36
You know, he's prophesying This Promise in the, your generation.
26:39
This Promise is your promise, this is for your kids.
26:42
This is for a little, I don't than that, I prayed for and her
26:45
brother and this is for your kids and your grandkids and your
26:48
great grand kids. That Peter is so sharing right
26:52
now for the people in front of him.
26:53
And speaking a word of Prophecy into your life, even today.
26:56
That's how powerful prophecy is then.
26:59
He says, in verse 40, with me, Any other words, he testified
27:02
and exhorted them that be saved from this perverse generation.
27:06
And then those who gladly received his word were baptized
27:10
and that day about three thousand Souls were added to
27:14
them. And here is the work of God on
27:17
this glorious day where Peter is exhorting and prophesying at the
27:22
same time. God using him in amazing ways.
27:25
I'm also reminded of another example with Paul.
27:28
You remember in Paul's letter to Timothy That young Pastor Paul
27:32
encourages Timothy, by saying this in 1st Timothy 4 verse 13.
27:38
Till I come give attention to reading to exhortation and to
27:43
Doctrine do not neglect. The gift that is in you.
27:48
Which was given to you by Prophecy with the laying on of
27:52
the hands of the eldership, meditate on these things and
27:56
give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be
27:59
evident to all. So, one of the things Timothy
28:02
was to hold onto is not just his calling but the prophetic word
28:06
of his gifting and calling, it was given to him, just don't
28:09
forget that Timothy. Not only do we lay hands on you,
28:12
but we spoke words of Prophecy over you, and it reminded me
28:16
because when I write prior to moving to the collar, Otto.
28:19
I receive many words of Prophecy to come here because I needed a
28:23
lot of faith to move. It was a very scary thing.
28:26
What God was calling us to do, and one of the greatest words of
28:29
Prophecy that came to pass at my life, was spoken over me on the
28:33
stage, as my pastor was praying over me, he had laid hands on me
28:37
and said, God bless Calvary, Chapel Aurora before it ever
28:41
existed and when we moved here, it was tested because it was
28:45
already something going on in Aurora and the past.
28:48
So I sat down with a pastor and say, hey, you know what, I came
28:50
with a word of Prophecy, God told me to come to a Roar and
28:53
plant a church. And his answer was, you need to
28:55
find another city. Oh, well, I don't want to stir
29:00
up any Strife, I don't want to stir up any difficulties, and so
29:03
we did find another city. We started a little bible study
29:07
in our house and Parker and started inviting people there
29:10
and yet God's word. If it's a true prophecy, it will
29:15
come to pass. And here we are 23 years later
29:19
and what God has desired to do and that's what Timothy was
29:23
there to be encouraged of. So how do we see it operating
29:26
today? How do we see it operating for
29:28
the person that may have that? Well often what comes to mind is
29:32
a strong impression or thought, especially when you're reading
29:36
the Bible or listening to Bible study, you have an impression or
29:40
a thought. God impresses you a word and
29:44
exhortation a An encouragement and you then are responsible to
29:50
be obedient to that two things usually happen.
29:53
You have the thought or impression and then you have the
29:56
person that God wants you to share it.
29:57
With this happens all the time. It happened to me yesterday
30:00
morning, as I was doing my morning, devotions God puts a
30:04
man, on my mind as I was reading the text, and as I was reading a
30:09
text, I felt like the Lord was saying, I want you to pray this
30:12
scripture over that, man. I don't want you to send it to
30:15
him. I don't want you to Him.
30:17
He doesn't really want to talk right now, so just pray over it.
30:21
And that's what I did. I prayed over that scripture
30:23
into his life and I fully expect it some time for the brother to
30:27
come back and go, you won't believe the scripture in my
30:29
heart and my mind I'm like, yeah, yeah, that was me know, I
30:31
wasn't me. It was the Lord.
30:33
It was a war. I prayed for you that morning.
30:35
I put it in my journal. I prayed for you this scripture.
30:37
I prayed over your life and I didn't call you because I didn't
30:41
tell me to call you and I didn't text you.
30:42
And God didn't tell me to text you but when God gives an
30:45
impression a word ask Rip chur. You know what happens?
30:48
You get the scripture you reading in some obscure passage
30:50
in the Bible and, you know, it's like, and, and Abraham saddled,
30:55
his donkey, and went up the hill, and the Lord says, I want
30:58
you to send that to. So, and so, you know, like, what
31:02
can I send, John 3:16 saddled his donkey, what does that have
31:05
to do? And the Lord says going, I
31:07
didn't ask you for your opinion. I want you to send it and your
31:12
only response is send it, and let the Lord sort it out.
31:15
What do you want? He wants to use it but that's
31:16
how it starts, like, you just like when you're expecting God,
31:19
I want to hear from you. That's what you're going to want
31:22
to hear from you. I want as you're ministering to
31:25
me and your word, it could be that you want your word to come
31:28
through me and being a verbal gift, you need to communicate
31:32
it. And as you obey the prompting of
31:34
the Holy Spirit, he leaves you in sharing the word with those,
31:37
he sent you and and it's very natural.
31:39
It don't go around. If you have this gift, please
31:42
don't go around as it goes. God has given me a word.
31:45
Thus, saith the Lord. That's weird.
31:53
And God is not weird. You might be weird.
31:58
God is not weird. He doesn't cause confusion doing
32:01
it that way. Put you in some old like, you're
32:03
so important and you're the only one that has a word.
32:05
No, that's not how this gift operates at all.
32:08
And I know people have modeled on and people are doing that on
32:10
YouTube right now. Like they're the only ones I
32:12
have a word most of the people there saying that have no word
32:15
from God at all, they're making it up telling you lies and all
32:19
kinds of weird stuff to get you to follow them.
32:23
That's not from the Lord. it's most of the time when the gifts
32:27
operate They operate supernaturally, very naturally
32:34
supernaturally, but very natural.
32:37
I don't need a raise my voice and put my hands up and yell at
32:40
you. You're standing right here.
32:41
And plus, I have a microphone, so now, some of your ears had
32:43
popped because I don't need to do that.
32:45
Do you know some people ask? Well, I don't see that gift
32:48
operating in this church at all. No, no.
32:50
Every time a Bible study is taught the gift.
32:53
Of Prophecy, is being operated. All the gifts are operated.
32:56
Anytime you listen to a Bible study, Like this, it is very
33:00
common. I mean, you think when a Bible
33:02
study is given to thousands and thousands of people that God
33:05
loves everyone of us individually.
33:07
So there is a part of the text we're going to be teaching but
33:09
then God has an application for you and you and you and you from
33:12
the interpretation and it's not uncommon for someone to reach
33:17
out to me. You know, they listen to a Bible
33:20
study and then they move on maybe move to another state and
33:23
then a couple years later they call and go Pastor Ed Pastor,
33:26
you will not believe what you said.
33:28
And That Bible study, transform my life.
33:31
I mean it hits so hard, I don't know and and and it's amazing
33:35
the life change that's happened since we moved in all and are on
33:38
the list goes and you know, my answer to that is pretty
33:41
predictable and part of my answer, will always include what
33:46
did I say? What did I say?
33:49
And sometimes it's not two years, sometimes it's a couple
33:51
weeks and when I asked, what did I say and they share it with me.
33:54
I'm like oh yeah I remember that.
33:56
And you know what? It was only in your service.
33:58
I didn't use a lot of those stration.
33:59
I didn't say that another service.
34:01
It was only with the service you were in and now we know why it
34:05
was just for you and that happens time and time and time.
34:09
We're all listening the same Bible study but God has a word.
34:12
He has a prophetic word that he will operate through the gifting
34:15
you turn on the radio. Listen to a Bible study.
34:17
There's a prophetic word, some of the Bible studies.
34:19
We are on abounding Grace are 10 and 15 years old.
34:23
And when you're listening to Pastor Chuck, those are 30, 40
34:26
and 50 years old Bible studies. And yet the Holy Spirit still
34:32
speaks through the teaching of God's word.
34:34
How does he do that through the prophetic?
34:37
He speaks into our lives. Now, talking about false
34:41
prophets as we wind down now because we're talking about
34:44
prophecy, I want to give you a few tests.
34:47
A test. Whether a prophet somebody that
34:49
claims to be a prophet is true or not.
34:51
Number one, is what they're saying is the prophecy.
34:55
They say, they're giving line up with God's word.
35:00
If God is inspiring someone to speak by his Spirit, then what
35:04
revealed will never contradict the Bible ever.
35:09
They will never say well, I know what the Bible says, but you got
35:12
to read this other book and that will be a tell, you really know.
35:16
It will never Contradict the word Deuteronomy chapter 18.
35:20
Secondly does the prophecy of the word they're sharing with.
35:24
You does it line up with the facts?
35:27
Is it the truth? Right?
35:29
Because God is truth. Jesus came in spirit and in
35:34
truth. And so if they share something
35:36
with you and it's not true, it is not from God.
35:40
You guys with me so far you guys on the radio online, you're with
35:43
me, stay with me because this is very important.
35:46
You know, when Were born again and you became a Believer and
35:49
follower of Christ. You don't, just lay your common
35:51
sense at the door. God, actually develops.
35:54
A deeper common sense. So, if somebody comes with you
35:56
with a lie, like it's not from the Lord.
35:59
And somebody says, well, I have a word from the Lord.
36:01
But what you're saying is just not true.
36:03
So I know it's not from Lord. I can reject it immediately.
36:07
You know, it's interesting with pastors, and you may even feel
36:11
this way with me. There's a couple of things
36:13
people believe about pastors that you need to understand.
36:17
And they believed, you know, incorrectly if you will.
36:20
One is many, many people think that I'll just speak for myself
36:24
as a pastor. Many people think that I know
36:27
more than I actually do that. I just, they just assume I know
36:32
everything that's ever happened on every single plant, like
36:35
everything that's happened. What I don't many times when you
36:40
share something with me, it's the first time I've ever heard.
36:42
It didn't know anything about it.
36:44
I didn't know that situation. I didn't know that person.
36:47
Sick. I didn't know that difficulty
36:49
and because of you you shared it with me but people just assume
36:52
the pastor's know everything and we don't we don't.
36:56
But there's a flip side to that coin to and the flip side is
36:59
that many people. Well, many people don't know.
37:02
Just how much I do know about a situation.
37:05
And that's important, especially when it comes to discipleship.
37:08
Whether God, supernaturally gives me that information or
37:11
because of the communication here, among pastors or whatever
37:14
it might be, many times as I'm sitting down with someone, they
37:19
have no idea what I know and that helps to my advantage in
37:23
serving you. Well, because as I'm serving
37:26
you, my responsibility is to get you connected to Jesus a, he's
37:30
the counselor, he's the one that's going to help you.
37:32
He is the one that's going to give you wisdom, but if you
37:35
don't Can the truth then you'll never get there because the
37:38
pathway to God is truth. Not deceit, not lies.
37:42
It is never a good thing to lie. Did you know that never not a
37:46
good thing to lie. It's not a good thing to walk
37:48
into seat, especially in relationships, especially with
37:51
our marriages. The seat is not from the Lord.
37:54
So as you're sitting there and this has happened, many times
37:57
and yesterday, when I was sharing this, it one example
38:01
came to mine, but as I'm sharing this as I'm sitting there with
38:05
View as you're talking it's important that my responsibility
38:10
is to get you talking and get you talking a lot.
38:13
Because through the information you give me I can pray over it
38:16
and see if the Lord might give me a work to help you and the
38:20
more you talk, the more you reveal your heart because Jesus
38:24
said out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
38:26
So listening is a very important skill in ministering to people.
38:30
And as you're talking I remember one instance in particular that
38:34
came to light, right to Our as the brother was talking, you
38:37
know, with this accusation and these things going on, he
38:40
obviously did not know that I knew a lot more than he thought.
38:44
I knew. And as he was talking, he was
38:47
blatantly speaking, falsehoods it was crystal clear, but I
38:52
didn't tell him that but the Lord impressed.
38:55
This Versa me with me and Nehemiah were Nehemiah says, no,
38:58
this is not true. You make these things up in your
39:01
heart. And I knew exactly what I was
39:04
dealing with, at that moment, I knew exactly that.
39:07
This was a manipulative situation that wanted to cause
39:10
division that he wasn't walking in the truth.
39:12
And God just said, stand your ground, and it was a room full
39:16
of Eden was a very difficult situation is very hard, lots of
39:19
witnesses there, but it's important that you realize that
39:22
if someone comes to you and says, they're speaking on behalf
39:25
of God, and what they say, doesn't line up with the facts,
39:28
they are not from God. They're not from God and whether
39:32
it's accusations or gossip or Barb's thrown you because we get
39:36
letters here all the time. You know, we get things coming
39:38
through, sometimes they're Anonymous.
39:40
And just in case you ever want to write an anonymous letter to
39:43
me or someone on Amis, DM on social media, or whatever.
39:46
Let me just tell you what we do with them.
39:48
We trash them without we don't got no time for that.
39:53
Like if you don't have, you don't have a real conversation,
39:55
you just want to give these. And I mean, sometimes we get
39:57
these letters, you have to open them just a separate to Them in
40:00
the shredder. Like there's so many and almost
40:03
always, it's does say it, the Lord.
40:05
If you don't do this, you're a horrible Pastor.
40:07
I'm going to judge your church, dude.
40:09
I don't even know who you are, so I don't even see them.
40:15
They go to someone else but but these letters come through with
40:18
these accusations these Barb's slander, even with people's
40:23
names on them but they don't line up with the facts and
40:28
therefore they're not accepted. They aren't speaking on behalf
40:31
of God. That's something you want to
40:33
look for. Thirdly, thirdly is the prophecy
40:37
honoring to Jesus Christ. Now that makes sense, doesn't
40:41
it? But I want to give you a way
40:42
where Jesus is Dishonored through false prophets that Mew
40:47
may or may not realize, but Jesus is Dishonored through
40:51
false prophets, through false, prophecies lies, deceit.
40:55
Yes, But he is also Dishonored where someone uses the
41:00
legitimacy of some gift to draw people after themselves, that is
41:06
dishonoring to Jesus. And that person is not to be
41:09
followed. They are to be rejected.
41:12
It is divisive and difficult. I mean not just let alone.
41:15
They're not telling you the truth, let alone that they were
41:18
false and the false prophets listening right now.
41:20
They know who they are, they know what they're doing, they
41:23
know in the shenanigans their into, they know the drawn, they
41:25
know it all. Not new to them.
41:28
And when you think of this, those that are prophesying
41:30
falsely trying to take authority over your life, trying to think
41:33
of thority over my life. God did not send them.
41:36
God does not use them, and we are to reject them.
41:41
I mean, obviously, if somebody tells you, oh, Jesus isn't the
41:44
way follow. Michael the Archangel, that's an
41:46
obvious one worship. This little I do don't follow
41:48
them. Any kind of idea, of course, but
41:51
it's also dishonoring to Jesus when a man or a woman says, Are
41:56
speaking on behalf of Jesus but they only call you to
41:59
themselves. So you can wait for the new
42:01
prophecy and you can wait for the new book and you can wait
42:03
for the new video. What are you talking about?
42:06
Go serve the Lord, share the gospel, and all the weird stuff
42:09
that they're sharing. All the, it's just not true.
42:12
It's just not true. And as a man that's going to
42:16
have to stand before God and give account for my Ministry.
42:19
I'm telling you right now, don't do it, repent from it, and come
42:23
back to the truth and plug into a church somewhere.
42:26
That's teaching the word of God and pointing you to Jesus
42:29
Christ. Okay, that's very important.
42:31
So you don't want to follow false teachers and they should
42:34
be thankful that we don't follow Deuteronomy 18 and 13 penalty
42:38
anymore. Because the penalty for a false
42:40
prophet is stoning. And yet now by the grace of God
42:45
God is patient with them to repent and that's a good thing.
42:49
The gift is wonderful in the church and I want to close today
42:52
with some characteristics of the person that has it like some
42:55
danger signs to look for some hazards.
42:59
It's a beautiful gift, we need more.
43:01
You know, if more of a more of you that have this gift would
43:04
operate in this gift, you know, they would be less than in this
43:06
church. Not just the church.
43:08
This church like God would reveal to you.
43:11
God, would reveal to you a word, you don't It's not necessarily
43:14
God would say that person I'll send that person a like we're
43:16
not creating a new ministry of sin sniffing, okay, that's not
43:20
what I'm saying but if you're just in your daily DeVos and God
43:23
says, send this text or call this person and you do it on the
43:27
other end God's work in to bring conviction on that person and
43:30
boom that text go. Oh my gosh, I'm busted, oh my
43:33
goodness, God's call me to himself, let alone the Lord may
43:37
give you a Word of Wisdom like that but this guy's making it up
43:40
and you just look at me like you're making it up and it
43:42
actually Travels, a whole life of sin, they been, in view, it
43:46
exercises given the biblical way, there would be less sin in
43:49
this church. However, you got to watch out in
43:52
your personality. So, let's look at a few of them.
43:54
Number one, for the person that has this gift.
43:57
Number one. You may lack sensitivity to
44:01
others feelings. You may lack.
44:04
Sensitivity to others feelings. Why?
44:06
Because you're a black and white person and feelings are in the
44:09
gray Zone. And so, in all, this isn't
44:11
feelings, don't follow your feelings known.
44:13
My friend, just do what's right? Just do what's right?
44:18
Which often? Can make things worse because
44:22
you've got the right information but you're delivering it the
44:25
wrong way. Remember what Paul told the
44:27
Ephesians he says? You need to learn how to speak
44:30
the truth in love and already. You're thinking ottoman love.
44:37
It doesn't doesn't seem that way.
44:40
Doesn't seem that way. So you want to be more
44:42
sensitive, other hazards surrounding sensitivity and you
44:45
might hear these things about your life.
44:46
You should pray about them but things like you too, judgmental.
44:51
Your hypercritical. You come off as very condemning.
44:57
You don't like the word compromise, any kind of
45:00
compromise like there's you know there's good compromise and bad
45:04
compromise. Bad compromises spiritual
45:07
compromise. You don't want to compromise in
45:09
your walk with the Lord compromise with send that's bad.
45:12
But in a marriage compromises needed every moment of every
45:15
day, learning how to die, to yourself, serving your spouse,
45:20
and singleness compromise may be needed in meeting someone in the
45:25
middle, not compromised. Spiritual life.
45:28
But meaning someone in any relationship, meaning someone in
45:31
the middle showing preference to someone.
45:34
Another thing about sensitivity is Yuri, don't you?
45:37
The bottom line is this? You really don't care how people
45:41
feel, or think you're just the messenger.
45:44
Don't Kill the Messenger. Yeah, but be nice.
45:47
Be nice. And if you don't care how people
45:51
feel, please start caring, it's not a badge to wear.
45:57
It doesn't, it's not you could be more useful if you cared more
46:01
and you consider the person in front of you.
46:04
Here's another one pride pride as a big issue since an
46:07
insensitivity creates pride and pride will Manifest this way
46:12
because you're giving words and God is using you at other times,
46:15
you are wrong, you are wrong a lot and what you shared But you
46:21
never really doubt yourself. Everyone else is wrong.
46:25
You're never wrong. Now, remember if you're
46:28
operating this gift, there's a difference between saying I'm
46:31
the prophet and that God is always speaking through me and
46:34
coming to someone and say, you know, I think the Lord has a
46:36
word for you. In that case you could be wrong.
46:39
You could share something wrong. You could have like, agabus
46:42
agabus, had a strong word. Don't go to Jerusalem, you're
46:45
going to die, you're going to die, you're going to die.
46:47
But you know what? God's will for Paul was to go to
46:49
Jerusalem and die. So he had part of the truth, but
46:53
he had the wrong conclusion. And so there are times when you
46:56
are wrong and if you go along, go, I'm never wrong.
46:59
I'm never wrong. I'm the only one that speaks
47:01
from God. You're going to jack yourself up
47:03
and a lot of other people that's not how the off.
47:06
That's not how the gift is operated.
47:09
And you also another thing to watch out for in sensitivity is
47:13
you have an attitude of always being right about everything and
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maybe you have been called by some as a know-it-all in the
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world and spiritually. Just got to watch out for that.
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And then the opposite gift of this.
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On the other side of the spectrum is Mercy.
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Mercy is very in tune with your emotions, very in tune, with
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others emotions. And for people that have the
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prophetic gift, they think, Mercy people are backslidden
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whiners You'll get to that in a second as we get into further
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studies. So which would speak to you
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being very judgmental, right? It all, fits number two, this is
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important. To realize, if you have to get
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the prophecy, you are, often discouraged.
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It can be a very discouraging gift to exercise why.
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Well, first of all people don't listen to you.
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Because they don't want to hear what you have to say.
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But since you're speaking on behalf of God, they don't want
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to hear what God has to say. That's all it is.
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They don't listen to you. You think of Elijah going on.
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No, nobody wants to listen to me, I'm all alone, he was very
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discouraged. People don't want to listen to
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you and that discourages you not only that, they may even start
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to despise you. Remember they like the Comfort a
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lot more than the excerpt Asian, maybe they despise you or even
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worse and this can be very discouraging, people may even
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start to purposely avoid you. And that's hard.
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It's like why isn't every why is nobody around why?
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When I show up everybody leaves. Well they don't want to hear the
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word and it can be very lonely and discouraging.
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Another thing that's discouraging is that when you
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share something nobody ever takes it, at face value though,
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is going to need to test it. I need to pray about it but you
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have to understand that they're doing what the Bible says.
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To do the Bible says in 1st Thessalonians. 5 chapter 20,
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don't despise prophecies but test all things and hold fast to
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what is good. People are testing what you say.
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That's a good thing, don't be discouraged over that.
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However, it can build up. And then thirdly the final thing
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to watch out. For, with this personality, is,
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you can get too excited in exercising, the gift losing
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self-control, which causes confusion confusion, one of the
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important things. The Bible says in First
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Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 32, is this the spirits of the
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prophets are subject to the prophets?
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It's and that is one of the reasons why we have an orderly
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service for the teaching of God's word, we have an orderly
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service because in this time period, we've set aside, it is
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the gift of Pastor teacher, that is being exercised among us.
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And that's why we don't allow someone over there to get up
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with a tongue and start yelling on and tongues.
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And we don't let this person over here, start to prophesy and
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start the yell and it gets all chaotic like it was happening in
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1st Corinthians. Or if somebody comes and says
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and says, I have a word in there, all careless and they're
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excited and they're hurting people and we go stop it.
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Brother. This is not the right time.
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Not the right place, not the right way, and if they caponata,
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20, I couldn't control myself to Spirit.
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Came Upon me. That's not true.
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That cannot be true. The spirit of God will not come
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upon you to hurt other people and to confuse every people, the
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Bible says God is not the author of confusion.
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Asian. So the conclusion is that you
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weren't in the spirit, you were in the flesh and then they'll
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say prove it to me, Pastor prove it to me.
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You just don't like the gifts. You don't think the spirit is a
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dead Church, dude. Read your Bible.
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The spirit of the Prophet is subject to the prophet, the
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fruit of the spirit Galatians 6, love, joy, peace, patience.
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Kindness goodness, gentleness and self-control.
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And if someone was to jump up with a tongue here today, which
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we believe in the gift of tongues, we would stop the
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service and wait for an interpretation.
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And if there is no interpretation, we say stop.
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If there is an interpretation, the elders will judge it and
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then we will ask that person with a gift.
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Stop it. The holy spirit is operating
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right now. Through the teaching of God's
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word, you are drawing all attention to yourself.
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There are other places to exercise those gifts here, you
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know, your personal private prayer closet, you can exercise
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I give to all you want but what This is such a demonstrative
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gift that people want to be known and seen by that gift, but
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God wants to be known and seen. Not you, when we come to the
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gifts understand this, the emphasis of the gifts is upon
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the giver, not the gifts, don't forget that it is all about God,
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and what he wants to accomplish in and through his church in
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these last days. And so, the recap is, God, has
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given some men and women in The church, the supernatural ability
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to take his word and cause it to shine so good.
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So good. Father, thank you for this word
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that you've given us today that we might be able to complete it
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and just soak it all in. I pray for those that are caught
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up under false pretenses and false teachers and they've got
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this YouTube guy and this YouTube gal and this email and
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this book and this guy that's always, I got something new.
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I got something new, I got something new.
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And your Bible says, there's nothing new Under the Son.
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But we want the true New Covenant expression of this
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gift. We need men and women to speak
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edification, exhortation, and comfort in our church.
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We pray for that. We pray that in Jesus name.
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Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
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sanctuary of Calvary, Aurora for prayer or a copy of the study,
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call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's eight 77304, 2:53 or visit us
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online at Calvary, Aurora dot-org, be blessed as you
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worship Jesus this week.