Participants: Hal Steenson (Host)
Series Code: HPOV
Program Code: HPOV000003
00:01 Hello, I'm
00:03 and I'd like to welcome you to Heaven's Point of View. 00:04 Our topic for this series is the gifts of the Holy Spirit 00:07 and I hope you are as excited about watching today's program 00:10 as I am about teaching it because on today's program 00:13 we are starting on the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. 00:16 We are going to take an in-depth look at the gift 00:19 to speak, starting today, with the gift of prophecy. 00:22 For almost 20 years I saw this gift grossly abused 00:26 by men proclaiming to be prophets of God 00:30 and all the while they were drawing glory to themselves. 00:34 Today I get to teach God's truth about this gift, 00:38 not just what I've heard someone else say about it. 00:41 So get your Bible and follow along with me from 00:44 Heaven's Point of View. 01:08 I was sharing with a Christian brother recently 01:10 about doing a series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, 01:13 and his question was this: What are the gifts 01:15 of the Holy Spirit? What does it mean? 01:18 Well, let me give you a definition. 01:19 The gifts of the Holy Spirit are spiritual endowments 01:22 beyond our natural mind and founded on the omnipotent God 01:26 we serve. These gifts are given to the church 01:29 to demonstrate the authority of the believer. That's us. 01:32 Various efforts have been made to classify, group, or show 01:37 how the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit actually complement 01:39 one another. As a whole, we can see how these gifts 01:42 fortify, guard, and edify the early church in the absence 01:47 of the revealed New Testament. They enjoyed miraculous 01:52 knowledge and the wisdom to apply it with understanding. 01:56 They had faith that could remove mountains 01:59 and the gift of healing. They could confirm the 02:02 spoken word with the working of miracles and miraculously 02:06 teach and foretell the future with the gift of prophecy. 02:09 They could determine a true and false teacher in the absence 02:14 of total revealed truth by the discerning of the spirits. 02:17 They were able to converse, teach, and have the language 02:21 understood to all present in languages unknown to them 02:25 because of the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation 02:29 of tongues. The gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed in 02:33 God's Word in I Corinthians 12:8-10 are this: 02:38 "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, 02:41 to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. 02:45 To another, faith by the same Spirit. 02:48 To another the gift of healing by the same Spirit. 02:51 Another, the working of miracles. 02:53 To another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits. 02:57 To another diverse kinds of tongues, 03:01 and to another, interpretation of tongues. " 03:03 Now, this is a good place to stop and let you know 03:06 that for years as a charismatic pastor, I heard this expression 03:10 from people that were not in this movement. 03:12 Well, the gift of tongues is the least of the gifts because 03:16 it is listed last. Excuse me, 03:18 the gift of interpretation is listed last. 03:21 So if you get a chance to say this to somebody, 03:24 please don't - because you might end up being 03:26 embarrassed over this. And besides that, in the 03:28 12th chapter of Corinthians he lists the gift of tongues 03:31 and the gift of interpretation last. And it can't be the least 03:35 of any of them because in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians 03:39 it plainly tell us that there is faith, hope, and love - and 03:42 love is listed last but Paul says love is the greatest. 03:45 So we have an expression in Alabama: 03:48 that dog won't hunt. So don't tell anybody that the 03:50 tongues is the least of the gifts because it's listed last, 03:52 OK? The gifts can be divided 03:54 into three categories with three gifts in each one. 03:57 First are the gifts to speak. This includes 04:03 Next are the gifts to know. 04:09 Then there are the gifts to do. 04:17 Now let's look at the gift to speak. 04:19 First, there is the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy. 04:24 I Corinthians 12:10 says: "To another prophecy. " 04:28 Now let me give you a definition of this, OK? 04:30 The gift of prophecy is by special ability that God gives 04:33 to members of the body of Christ to receive and to communicate 04:36 an immediate message of God to His people, 04:40 to a certain group among God's people, 04:43 or any one of His people individually, 04:46 through a divinely anointed utterance. 04:49 Now here are two Biblical truths concerning prophecy. 04:54 Truth number one: in the centuries immediately 04:57 preceding the first advent of Christ, the manifestation of the 05:02 gift of prophecy almost totally disappeared. 05:05 This is from Christian Experience and Teachings, 05:07 242, paragraph 1. In most Bibles there is a single 05:11 white page between the Old Testament and the 05:15 New Testament. That page represents 400 years 05:19 of intertestamental prophetic silence and oppression 05:23 visited on God's people. It was during this time 05:26 that the children of God sincerely cried out 05:29 for a deliverer. He came in the form of a child, 05:32 born in a manger in a little town of Bethlehem. 05:36 Truth number two: But the Scriptures, 05:39 while foretelling this dreadful apostasy, also plainly teaches 05:43 that just before the second coming of Christ, 05:46 many will be rescued from the darkness of error and 05:49 superstition. Once more the earth is to be lightened by 05:53 the glory of God. The pure truths will shine forth, 05:57 and in this time of heavenly illumination marking the 06:01 approaching end of the age, the gifts of the Spirit 06:05 are again to be manifest in the true church. 06:08 Christian Experience and Teachings, 242, paragraph 2. 06:13 Prophecy is largely rejected and despised by Christendom 06:17 as a whole. They fear what they don't understand 06:20 and blatantly reject what they have been taught 06:23 is not for today. Prophecy has been surrounded by 06:27 misunderstandings, confusion, and fear 06:29 yet from the standpoint of the Scriptures, 06:33 the gift of prophecy is the most important spiritual gift. 06:38 Paul considers it vital to the building up of God's church. 06:44 When Moses was finally convinced that God wanted him to delegate 06:48 his governing authority to a larger number, 06:50 he called 70 elders to a committee meeting 06:53 at the tabernacle. In Numbers 11:25-29 it says: 06:58 "And the Lord came down in a cloud and spake unto him 07:00 and took of the Spirit that was upon him - Moses - and gave it 07:04 unto the 70 elders, and it came to pass that when the Spirit 07:07 rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease. 07:13 But there remained two of the men in the camp, 07:16 The name of one was Eldad and the name of the other was 07:19 Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them and they were of them 07:24 that were written but went not out unto the tabernacle. 07:29 And they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man 07:33 and he told Moses and said, 'Eldad and Medad do prophesy 07:37 in the camp. ' And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant 07:40 of Moses, one of his young men answered and said, 07:43 'My lord, Moses, forbid them. ' And Moses said unto him: 07:46 Oh, I love it! 'In this thou for my sake? 07:49 Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, "Amen! 07:54 and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them. " 07:57 You see two of the elders failed to show up at the meeting. 08:01 The Spirit of God fell on the 68 who attended; however, the 08:05 Spirit came also upon the two who remained in the camp 08:09 who began to prophesy as well. Everyone wanted all of them 08:14 to stop, uncomfortable at the direct voice of God 08:17 and jealous for Moses to be the uniqueness as God's prophet. 08:22 They reported the incident to Moses and demanded that 08:25 he stop them. One could almost see Moses' concern. 08:29 And then reflecting on the blessedness of the Spirit's 08:32 presence in his life, he made this statement: 08:34 "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets - that the 08:39 Lord would put His Spirit upon them. " Numbers 11:29 08:43 Moses words began to be fulfilled on the 08:46 Day of Pentecost when the Spirit fell on an infant church 08:50 and prompted them to speak out in tongues the wondrous works 08:54 of God. Peter, still under the influence of the Holy Spirit, 08:57 explained this phenomenon with the Word of God. 09:00 He said: "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. " 09:04 God declared: 09:30 He is quoting from Joel 2:28. 09:32 Just what is the role of prophecy for the church today? 09:36 The New Testament Scriptures make it clear that the Spirit 09:39 is a universal gift to the church and that prophecy 09:45 is the characteristic gift of the Holy Spirit. 09:48 The apostle Paul indicated that the gift of prophecy 09:51 was for every believer. "For you can all prophesy 09:56 one by one. " That's I Corinthians 14:31 09:58 As we desire the renewal of the church - we need it - 10:03 this earnest expectation of the gift of prophecy among 10:06 God's people gives us great hope. 10:09 You see, if we take Paul's letter to the Corinthians 10:12 seriously, we must conclude that the gift of prophecy is 10:16 indispensable to the church. We can't do without it. 10:20 When we try to build churches without the gift being active, 10:24 any of the gifts being active, it's like trying to walk across 10:27 Illinois, or America, or Texas, on your hands. 10:31 It can be done, but it's certainly not the easy way 10:34 to do it - it's the hard way to do it. 10:35 The importance of the gift of prophecy is seen from Paul's 10:38 urgency for this gift to be used. He commands the 10:42 Corinthians to earnestly desire to prophesy. 10:46 I Corinthians 14:39 In all the various lists and 10:50 discussions of the gifts in Paul's letters, the only 10:55 constant gift is prophecy. Whenever Paul attempts to 11:00 classify the gifts in terms of importance, prophecy is given 11:05 preference over all the rest of the gifts. 11:10 says: "Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts 11:13 but rather that ye may prophesy. " 11:17 The immense value of prophecy to the church today is that it 11:21 is a current, current, current word of God, 11:24 current word from God, to encourage and guide His people. 11:28 The prophetic message is: "A word fitly spoken is like 11:34 apples of gold in pictures of silver. " 11:42 And this word comes directly from God Almighty Himself. 11:48 says: "Let no corrupt 11:49 communication proceed out of 11:50 your mouth but that which is 11:52 good to the use and the edifying 11:54 that it may minister grace 11:56 to the hearer. " 11:57 A specific revelation can be particularly powerful 12:02 in bringing conviction of sin and of God's presence 12:06 to unbelievers or backsliders who are present in the church 12:10 gatherings. Paul, the apostle, said, suggest to the 12:16 Corinthians how prophecy can work in this way. 12:19 "If all prophesy, and an 12:22 unbeliever or outsider enters, 12:24 he is convicted by all, 12:25 he is called to account by all, 12:28 the secrets of his heart are 12:30 disclosed, and so - falling on 12:32 his face, he will worship God 12:34 and declare that God is really 12:36 among you. " 12:40 For the outsider, prophecy can be a powerful sign of God's 12:44 presence among His people. We cannot afford to despise 12:48 the gift of prophecy nor can we allow it room for misuse 12:51 or misunderstanding and prevent us from embracing 12:55 and manifesting it. Rather we must diligently seek to control 12:59 its abuses by the guidelines of Scripture. 13:02 And be sure, be sure, saints of God - test all things. 13:11 says: "Despise not prophesying " 13:13 That's clear enough, isn't it? 13:14 "Despise not prophesying, prove 13:15 all things, hold fast to that 13:17 which is good. " 13:18 We must obey this scripture to allow the great constructive 13:23 value of prophecy to be experienced by our churches. 13:26 Through this unique spiritual gift, the church is able 13:30 to grow. It is able to mature. It is able to move forward. 13:33 And it is able to do it according to the Word of God. 13:38 says: "Follow after charity 13:40 and desire spiritual gifts. " 13:43 "Follow after charity and 13:44 desire spiritual gifts 13:46 but rather that you may 13:47 prophesy. " Why? "That the 13:50 church may receive edifying. " 13:53 Now here are some Biblical examples of the 13:55 gift of prophecy. Are you ready for this? 13:57 The beginning of the Christian era was marked by the outpouring 14:00 of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of various 14:02 spiritual gifts. Among these was the gift of prophecy. 14:05 In the Book of Acts we read of the inspired utterances of Peter 14:09 of Steven and of others connected with the early 14:12 Christian church. Also of the four daughters of Philip, 14:18 virgins, which did prophesy and a prophet named Agabus. 14:23 Acts 21:9-10 14:25 Christian Experience and Teachings 240, paragraph 1. 14:29 This is a powerful statement written by a prophetess. 14:33 Listen to this: The apostle had visions of the glory of heaven 14:37 and see II Corinthians 12:1-7. He wrote at length in the 14:41 12th chapter of I Corinthians concerning gifts of the Spirit 14:44 that were give not for one age alone. Listen, this is NOT FOR 14:49 ONE AGE ALONE but till we all come into the unity of the faith 14:52 and of the knowledge of the Son of God 14:55 unto a perfect man. Are we there yet? NO! 14:57 So they are still here. The gifts are still real. 15:00 They are still for today. He goes on to say: "Unto the 15:03 measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. " 15:06 Not the "partness," not the "sumness," but the stature 15:08 of the fullness of Christ. " 15:10 You will find that in Ephesians 4:13. 15:12 "God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily 15:16 prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, 15:18 then the gifts of healing, helps, governments, 15:21 diversities of tongues. " I Corinthians 2:28 15:24 And that's from Christian Experience and Teachings 240, 15:29 paragraph 2. John the apostle, the last 15:32 survivor of the 12 apostles of Jesus, was a prophet. 15:35 In the closing book of the Bible, Revelation, he tells 15:40 of the visions that were given him while he was in banishment 15:44 on the Isle of Patmos. In recording these visions, 15:47 he declares them to be the Revelation of Jesus Christ. 15:51 You know we hear a lot of teaching from other 15:54 denominations and other groups and everything, and they are 15:57 unfolding, supposedly, revelation. 16:00 But their unfolding of revelation so much of the time 16:04 does not reveal Jesus Christ. This is what I appreciate about 16:09 3ABN. The one that would counteract the counterfeit, 16:12 preach the undiluted three angels' messages. 16:14 All the teachings that we present and try to present 16:17 on Revelation reveal Jesus Christ 16:21 which God gave unto John to show His servants 16:25 things which must shortly come to pass. 16:27 And he says that Christ sent and signified it by his angel 16:31 unto his servant John who bare record of the Word of God 16:36 and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and all the things 16:40 that he saw. That's in Revelation 1 and 2. 16:43 That's Christian Experience and Teachings 240, paragraph 3, 16:47 and 241. You see the gift of prophecy helped shape the Bible 16:50 significantly. There are two general kinds of prophecy calls. 16:55 First, classical. 16:56 And then second, predictive or apocalyptic. 17:01 The classical prophecy deals with the contemporary situation. 17:05 The writings of Isaiah and the writings of Jeremiah are good 17:09 classic examples. These men received some messages 17:12 that were primarily directed to the people of their own time 17:15 and other messages that contained predictive elements. 17:18 Other messages that contained PREDICTIVE elements. 17:21 Now Daniel and Revelation contain much predictive 17:26 and apocalyptic prophesies. You see, the gift of prophecy 17:30 may function long term or short term - as in the case 17:35 of Ellen White. A person may receive a life-long call 17:40 to prophetic ministry. On the other hand, 17:43 the Holy Spirit may choose to assign the gift of prophecy 17:45 temporarily. Its His gifts and God gives them as He wills 17:50 often to resolve a difficult issue that needs clear 17:54 intervention by the Lord. This is why it's given. 17:56 Notice two special people at Jesus' dedication: 18:00 Simeon, a priest who had long prayed to live to see 18:05 the Messiah, was moved by the Holy Spirit and gave a short 18:09 prophecy about Jesus' life. Now you see that Simeon, 18:14 who was a short-term prophet, gave a long-term predictive 18:19 message. Then there was also Anna, a long-term prophetess, 18:24 who gave no prophecy of the future - but she witnessed 18:28 diligently about the Savior to all who would listen. 18:33 You will find this in Luke 2:25-35. 18:37 Now let's look right now at some purposes for the 18:41 gift of prophecy. Now this is vital, I hope you're taking 18:44 notes. If not, that you'll rewatch this or get the series - 18:48 however you need to. It brings life, 18:51 prophecy brings life to the Word of God. 18:53 If Ezekiel had not prophesied, oh, hear this, 18:56 saints of God hear this, If Ezekiel had not prophesied 19:00 over the valley of dry bones, it would still be a 19:05 valley of dry bones. That's pretty simple, isn't it? 19:11 "The hand of the Lord was 19:12 upon me and carried me out 19:13 in the Spirit of the Lord 19:14 and set me down in the midst 19:16 of the valley which was 19:18 full of bones. " 19:19 Nothing but bones, dry bones. 19:21 "and caused me to pass by them 19:23 round about and, behold, 19:24 there were v-e-r-y many 19:27 in the open valley. 19:28 And lo, they were very dry. 19:31 And he said unto me, Son of man, 19:34 can these bones live? 19:36 And I answered, O Lord, thou knowest. " 19:39 If more of us would answer that instead of trying to give 19:42 some quick fix answer. If we would just answer, 19:44 "Lord, thou knowest. " 19:45 "Again he said unto me, prophesy upon these bones and 19:48 say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. " 19:53 It brings revival! Prophecy also brings revival 19:56 and reformation. True prophecy reforms and revives. 20:04 says: "But this is that 20:06 which was spoken by the prophet 20:08 Joel. " This is that. "And it shall come to pass 20:11 in the last days, saith God, 20:13 I will pour out of my Spirit 20:15 upon all flesh, and your sons 20:17 and your daughters 20:18 shall prophesy, and your 20:20 young men shall see visions, 20:21 and your old men shall dream 20:22 dreams: and on my servants 20:24 and on my handmaidens 20:26 I will pour out in those days 20:29 of My Spirit and they shall 20:31 prophesy. " 20:33 You see, true prophecy can guide you 20:37 to your God-called place in ministry. Did you hear that? 20:42 It will guide you to your God-called place in ministry. 20:46 So many of you are looking for it. 20:47 True prophecy can guide you into that. 20:50 Prophecy, when spoken of the unction of the Holy Ghost, 20:53 can properly position you in Christ. 20:56 Pastor Hal, where do you get that? 20:57 Out of Act 13:1-3. 21:00 It says: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch 21:04 certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon 21:07 that was called Niger, and 21:09 Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, 21:11 which had been brought up 21:13 with Herod the tetrarch, 21:15 and Saul. As they ministered 21:17 to the Lord and fasted, 21:19 the Holy Ghost said, 21:21 'Separate me Barnabas and Saul 21:24 for the work whereunto I have 21:26 called them. ' And when they had 21:29 fasted and prayed, 21:30 and laid their hands on them, 21:32 they sent them away. " 21:34 Isn't that awesome? "The Holy Ghost said... " 21:37 The Holy Ghost didn't speak audibly, 21:39 He spoke through prophecy. 21:41 Next, the gifts of the Spirit may be used to build up 21:46 the body of Christ. I Corinthians 14:3 says: 21:49 "But he that prophesieth 21:51 speaketh unto men to edification - get this - edification, 21:55 exhortation, and comfort. " 21:58 Next, the gift of prophecy can be used to teach. 22:01 I Corinthians 14:31 says: 22:03 "For ye may all prophesy 22:06 one by one," - why? - 22:08 "that all may learn, and all 22:10 may be comforted. " 22:11 This gift of the Spirit can be used also to win people 22:14 for Christ. I Corinthians 14:23-25 says: 22:18 "If therefore the whole church 22:19 be come together into one place, 22:21 and all speak with tongues, 22:23 and there come in those that are 22:25 unlearned, or unbelievers, 22:27 will they not say 22:29 that ye are mad?" 22:30 [Ummm! I bet some of you have been into Pentecostal churches 22:33 that you didn't just think they 22:34 were mad, you thought their butter slipped off their bread] 22:37 "But if all prophesy and there 22:39 come in one that believeth not, 22:42 or one that is unlearned, 22:43 he is convinced of all, 22:44 he is judged of all: and thus 22:46 are the secrets of his heart 22:48 made known, made manifest 22:52 and so falling down on his face 22:53 he will worship God and report 22:55 that God is in you of a truth. " 22:57 Through the years I have witnessed the blatant 23:00 misappropriation of this wonderful gift 23:03 because most of the time it was not judged, and if it was, 23:06 it was judged incorrectly. 23:07 The correct way to judge any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, 23:11 is always by the Word of God. 23:13 When we come back right after this break, 23:16 we are going to give you some simple ways to 23:19 judge prophecy. Don't go away. Be right back. 23:23 If you've been confused about what the Bible says 23:26 about the Holy Spirit's amazing gifts for the church, 23:28 You'll want to order your very own copy of this 13-part series. 23:32 It's available on DVD or video cassette from 3ABN 23:36 at a very special price. This 13-part series 23:39 with Pastor Hal Steenson makes a wonderful gift for a friend 23:42 or a family member. Just call us at: 23:48 and we'll be happy to take your order. 23:50 You may also order it online at: 24:09 Now here are some simple ways to judge prophecy. 24:12 Does it glorify the Godhead or does it center in on one's self? 24:16 says: "Howbeit when he, 24:18 the Spirit of truth, is come, 24:19 he will guide you into all truth 24:21 for he shall not speak of 24:22 himself; but whatsoever he shall 24:24 hear, that shall he speak 24:26 and he shall show you 24:27 things to come. He shall glorify 24:30 me; for he shall receive of mine 24:33 and shall show it unto you. " 24:35 I John 4 says: 24:36 "Beloved, believe not every 24:38 spirit but try the spirits 24:40 whether they are of God: 24:41 because many false prophets 24:42 are gone out into the world. 24:44 Hereby know ye the Spirit of 24:46 God: Every spirit that confesses 24:49 that Jesus Christ is come in the 24:51 flesh is of God. " 24:54 Now, does it agree with Scripture? 24:57 Isaiah 8 says: 24:59 "And when they shall say unto 25:01 you, Seek unto them that have 25:02 familiar spirits, and unto 25:04 wizards that peep, and that 25:06 mutter: should not a people seek 25:08 unto their God for the living 25:10 to the dead? 25:11 To the law and to the testimony: 25:13 if they speak not according 25:15 to the word, it is because there 25:17 is no light in them. " 25:21 Now the apostle Paul makes it very clear that the gifts of the 25:23 Holy Spirit are for every believer and not confined to the 25:27 select of the elect or to a limited number of superstars. 25:31 God intended every believer to have access to and manifest 25:35 the spiritual gifts. 26:33 Do false prophets figure in the picture? Let me tell you. 26:36 Do false prophets figure in the picture? 26:39 We knew a lady in Lakeland, Florida, a pastor's wife. 26:43 Her pastor moved a man out of the church because... 26:47 he was a false prophet and could not get him to stop 26:53 prophesying in the parking lot [we call them parking lot 26:56 prophets] and in so doing that this "false prophet" encountered 27:00 this pastor's wife about six months later and she was 27:04 pregnant carrying their second child. And he walked up to her 27:07 in a meeting, and he said to her "The Lord would say unto you 27:12 that because your husband would not receive me as a prophet 27:16 that you are going to bring forth a deformed child. " 27:20 She was taken aback, but a little lady standing next to her 27:24 turned to her and said, "Mattie, were you edified? 27:30 Were you exhorted, were you comforted?" And Mattie said, 27:31 "No, I wasn't. " And this little lady, her name was Marty, 27:35 turned to that so-called prophet and said, "I rebuke you 27:41 in Jesus' name. " And that's what we need to do. 27:44 We do not need to embrace the fallacy of the gift of prophecy. 27:48 We need to receive the truth of it such as the gift that God 27:52 gave to Ellen White, be open to it, and understand the truth 27:56 of it and the error of it. So let's not lean unto our own 27:59 understanding but let's hear the Spirit of God and the 28:02 Word of God with our hearts and then speak if from our 28:05 hearts that others might be encouraged and exhorted. 28:09 In the name of Jesus. 28:31 On our next Heaven's Point of View, we will start on two 28:33 of the most controversial of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. 28:36 Tongues and the interpretation of tongues. 28:38 We are going to be on this subject for several programs 28:41 so check your 3ABN World for the dates and times. 28:43 See you there. |
Revised 2014-12-17