"I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy."
“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. (1 Cor. 14:1-3)
One commentary notes that a key word Paul noted often in this chapter was edification. This commentary notes, “A worship service should lift up the Lord and build up the saints, not puff up the participants.” [1]
The Corinthian church was zealous for spiritual gifts and using them in church. However, the use of the gifts was disordered because they were seeking their own interests over building up the body of Christ. Paul was bringing them back into alignment. He did not want them to stop desiring spiritual gifts, but that they would desire the gifts for the right reasons – to build up others.
“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” (1 Cor. 14:12)
Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “Let all things [when you gather together] be done for edification.”
The church in Corinth was especially abusing the gift of tongues. They were speaking in tongues in gatherings because it brought attention to themselves and made them look spiritual. As John Maxwell notes in commentary, “The Corinthians were abusing their gifts and calling attention to themselves rather than Christ.” [2]
Paul tells the believers in Corinth, “But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching” (1 Cor. 14:6).
He encouraged the church to focus on gifts that edified the body when they gathered together. In 1 Cor. 14:23-25 Paul told them, “Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”
At the same time, Paul was not prohibiting people should speak in tongues. He told them in 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
There are times for praying in tongues where one is speaking mysteries to God and also edifying oneself (1 Cor. 14:2,4). Tongues is also a sign or evidence of the Spirit (1. Cor. 14:22, Mark 16:17). What he was saying was that there needed to be some order to using the gifts so that God is glorified and the people are edified when they are gathered together as one.
In 1 Cor. 14:5 Paul tells the believers, “I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied;” Prophesy connects others with God. At times prophesy can have to do with predicting the future [3]. However, for the most part, it is speaking from one's heart what they hear God speak to them for the person they are with. It is words spoken by divine inspiration [4]. It has the power to reveal what is in someone's heart that only be God could know (divine revelation) (1Cor. 14:25). Paul encouraged all the believers in the church in Corinth to desire prophesy because he told them it would edify, exhort and comfort others around them (1 Cor 14:3).
Exhortation, Comfort and Edification
Exhortation is the Greek word paraklēsis. One source defines exhortation as “a message of warning or encouragement, designed to motivate persons to action.” [5] It can be corrective when someone is going down the wrong path, providing them warning to change, or it can encourage someone on the path they are heading or thinking about. The key is that it motivates the person to take action. In Romans 12:8, exhortation is listed as a separate gift of the Spirit.
Comfort is the Greek word paramythia. It means consolation and refers to speaking closely to someone with a great degree of tenderness. [6] One source notes that it comes from a place of deep empathy and defines it as sighing with one who is grieving, or experiencing regret. It notes, “it is like 'weeping with those who weep,' or actually 'sighing with those who sigh.'” [7]
“Para” in both these words means to come beside or “near” as the same that is used in the word “Paraclete” which refers to the Holy Spirit. To comfort and exhort are both characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
Edification is the Greek word oikodome. It has to do with building up others [8]. It comes from a heart of love rather than seeking ones own interest. It is opposite of tearing others down to look good. Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
Love and edification are tied closely together. In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul says that while knowledge puffs up, love edifies. As Paul was outlining for the church at Corinth, edification of others (love) needed to be the heart of their use of spiritual gifts.
Prophesy always edifies others. Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:4-5, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”
Paul looked at everything he did through the lenses of if it edified others. Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:23-24,31-33, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each other's being... Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they many be saved.”
There are spiritual gifts given to believers for the edification of the body of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one in the body of Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 4:7, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” And as mentioned last week, when each person comes in line using their own unique gifts to serve each other, the whole body is built up for the benefit of all."
One article writes, “Knowing and using your gifts will lead to the edification of other members of the body of Christ. As you exercise your spiritual gifts, you will play a substantial role in building up other Christians and leading them into maturity (Eph. 4:12-16). If you fail to develop your gifts or let them decline through disuse, your brothers and sisters in Christ will actually be hurt because they will be deprived of the unique ministry that only you could perform in their lives.” [9]
Paul says in Ephesians 4:16, “...Christ --from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
It is in the place of using our spiritual and natural gifts to build up others that we find meaning and our greatest contentment. Brene Brown notes that we all have gifts and talents, and as we cultivate them, we create a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. She goes on to write, “Sharing our gifts and talents with the world is the most powerful source of connection with God.” [10]
Another author notes, “Knowing and using your gifts will give you an understanding of the unique and indispensable ministry you have been called to accomplish in the body of Christ. You will discover a significant part of your purpose for being on this planet and realize that God has made you competent to produce something that will last for eternity. You will have a sense of fulfillment and joy in the service of others as you become an available instrument through which the Holy Spirit can work.” [11]
While we all have been given gifts and talents [12], what happens is that, just like the church in Corinth, we too easily get derailed from cultivating meaning in what we do because we fail to make love the foundation of our actions. We spend our energies comparing, competing and/or conforming to others.
Also, Brene Brown notes that self doubt, “letting our fear undermine our faith” can undermine our ability to share our gifts with the world. [13] Paul says in Romans 12:6, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them... in proportion to our faith.” We must have a measure of faith and be willing to step out in trust in order to exercise spiritual gifts. We have no power to control the gifts so we can only trust God that He will manifest Himself. And the more we exercise our spiritual gifts, the more we come to grow in our faith in using them.
Paul tells the church, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). John Maxwell writes about 1 Cor. 13, “Love was the foundation and motive for the leaders' actions... While leaders indeed possessed great gifts, their gifts took second place to serving out of love.” [14]
And when we use our gifts to build up others out of a heart of love, it brings glory to God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Empowered to be Witnesses
“Pour down on Your people Your glory and Your life” sings
When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” In this case the manifestation of the Spirit of speaking in 'tongues ' was not the same as that Paul spoke of in 1 Cor. 14:2.
The tonges spoken of in 1 Cor. 14:2 is designed to edify oneself and cannot be understood by others. Paul notes in 1 Cor. 14:2 about this 'tongues', “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”
Rather, the tongues they were referring to in Acts 2:4 was other languages. The believers were empowered to speak in the differing languages of which the people (unbelievers) of the area were born. The manifestation of the Spirit empowered believers to connect with the unbelievers in a way that made God unmistakable and that the unbelievers could clearly understand.
Acts 2:6-7 says, “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?”
This manifestation was similar to (or a form of) prophesy as it included divine revelation of only what God could know – the language they were born with and was spoken by divine utterance. Through this gift by the Spirit, the believers were able to speak the language of the people and then point them to God.
The purpose of this manifestation was to empower the believers to be bold witnesses to unbelievers. Jesus had told the disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
When the unbelievers were wondering about how it was that the believers could speak to them in their own language, Peter stood up and explained to the people in Acts 2:16-18, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.”
As a result of God empowering His people supernaturally to be His witnesses, unbelievers became open to listen to the gospel message. And when Peter preached the message of Christ to them, about three thousands were baptized and became Christian that day.
John Maxwell writes about this manifestation in Acts, “When we have a genuine encounter with Jesus, when He transforms our hearts and minds and empowers us and emboldens us, we have no choice -we must preach the gospel, we must speak the Word of God. [15]
Acts 2:19-21 continues with the prophesy from Joel, “I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor and smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
As many articles note, the 'last days' spoken of in Joel begin at the time of Christ's first coming and end at the time of His second coming. Christians are living in the 'last days' that Joel spoke of. The outpouring on the Day of Pentecost was not to be a one time event where people were empowered with the spirit of prophesy to be witnesses for that specific season. Rather God desires to pour out His Spirit on all his menservants and maidservants, empowering them to prophesy in these last days.
As we desire and ask for the spiritual gift of prophesy, we are freely given it. Paul does not encourage all believers in the body of Christ to earnestly desire prophesy while it is only reserved for the few 'special' Christians. It is within the body's reach to prophesy – edifying, exhorting and comforting other believers.
And this same empowerment by the Holy Spirit enables us to be witnesses to unbelievers, speaking words that reveal God and point others to Christ. Just as we can count on His promise that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, we can count on Him to meet us in those places we step out in faith to witness Christ with the empowerment of His Spirit.
“Rain on Your sons and daughters, bring Your rain again, let Your water fall down, bring Your rain again now” sings.
Lord, we long for the fullness [from] the outpouring of Your Spirit. We long to see all believers fully empowered to prophesy, building up the body of Christ and being witnesses to unbelievers. Forgive us where we, like the church in Corinth, have had the wrong heart towards the manifestations of the Spirit, wanting to use them for our own advantage. And forgive us where we have not fully embraced the gifts of the spirit or believed they were for us. Give us hearts that hunger for the manifestation of Your Spirit, a genuine desire to edify others in the body, and a longing to see unbelievers come to know You.
Just after I wrote this, I had a dream last night: I was sitting in a classroom with others in the body of Christ. The teacher wanted us to answer two questions. We were watching a film of the history of the world and we were to answer the question: What are we here for? A student sitting in front of me turned around and helped me. We decided that if you take everything else away, we are created for relationship with God. It was really hard for me to get this so I was glad to have his help.
Then the teacher took us out in the world and we were waiting for something to happen so the teacher could show us this. We were looking and waiting for this phenomena to occur and for this glorious light to shine. While we waited, it appeared like it could happen as we wait but then we discovered it may have already happened some time ago. Then people began to understand and step out. They stepped out over this area that looked like it couldn't uphold them but it did. As they stepped out, they smiled and got it, the love of God upheld them. It was an amazing site. I was driving by and watching person after person, smiling, getting it and stepping out into this territory that looked like it could not sustain them and God supernaturally upheld each one of them. I woke up and the clock read 555.
1, 7. Wiersbe, Warren W.: With the Word Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1991, S. 1 Co 14:1
2, 14, 15. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Second Edition. NKJV. Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, Tennessee. 2007.
2-4,6. Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G4395
5,7. Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995
8. Hayford, Jack W. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Hayford's Bible Handbook. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995
9, 11. Boa, Kenneth. “The Gifts of the Spirit.” Bible.org. Located at: http://bible.org/article/gifts-spirit Last Accessed: 6/21/11.
10, 12, 13. Brown, Bene, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Hazelden. Center City, MN. 2010.
One commentary notes that a key word Paul noted often in this chapter was edification. This commentary notes, “A worship service should lift up the Lord and build up the saints, not puff up the participants.” [1]
The Corinthian church was zealous for spiritual gifts and using them in church. However, the use of the gifts was disordered because they were seeking their own interests over building up the body of Christ. Paul was bringing them back into alignment. He did not want them to stop desiring spiritual gifts, but that they would desire the gifts for the right reasons – to build up others.
“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” (1 Cor. 14:12)
Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “Let all things [when you gather together] be done for edification.”
The church in Corinth was especially abusing the gift of tongues. They were speaking in tongues in gatherings because it brought attention to themselves and made them look spiritual. As John Maxwell notes in commentary, “The Corinthians were abusing their gifts and calling attention to themselves rather than Christ.” [2]
Paul tells the believers in Corinth, “But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching” (1 Cor. 14:6).
He encouraged the church to focus on gifts that edified the body when they gathered together. In 1 Cor. 14:23-25 Paul told them, “Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”
At the same time, Paul was not prohibiting people should speak in tongues. He told them in 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
There are times for praying in tongues where one is speaking mysteries to God and also edifying oneself (1 Cor. 14:2,4). Tongues is also a sign or evidence of the Spirit (1. Cor. 14:22, Mark 16:17). What he was saying was that there needed to be some order to using the gifts so that God is glorified and the people are edified when they are gathered together as one.
In 1 Cor. 14:5 Paul tells the believers, “I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied;” Prophesy connects others with God. At times prophesy can have to do with predicting the future [3]. However, for the most part, it is speaking from one's heart what they hear God speak to them for the person they are with. It is words spoken by divine inspiration [4]. It has the power to reveal what is in someone's heart that only be God could know (divine revelation) (1Cor. 14:25). Paul encouraged all the believers in the church in Corinth to desire prophesy because he told them it would edify, exhort and comfort others around them (1 Cor 14:3).
Exhortation, Comfort and Edification
Exhortation is the Greek word paraklēsis. One source defines exhortation as “a message of warning or encouragement, designed to motivate persons to action.” [5] It can be corrective when someone is going down the wrong path, providing them warning to change, or it can encourage someone on the path they are heading or thinking about. The key is that it motivates the person to take action. In Romans 12:8, exhortation is listed as a separate gift of the Spirit.
Comfort is the Greek word paramythia. It means consolation and refers to speaking closely to someone with a great degree of tenderness. [6] One source notes that it comes from a place of deep empathy and defines it as sighing with one who is grieving, or experiencing regret. It notes, “it is like 'weeping with those who weep,' or actually 'sighing with those who sigh.'” [7]
“Para” in both these words means to come beside or “near” as the same that is used in the word “Paraclete” which refers to the Holy Spirit. To comfort and exhort are both characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
Edification is the Greek word oikodome. It has to do with building up others [8]. It comes from a heart of love rather than seeking ones own interest. It is opposite of tearing others down to look good. Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
Love and edification are tied closely together. In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul says that while knowledge puffs up, love edifies. As Paul was outlining for the church at Corinth, edification of others (love) needed to be the heart of their use of spiritual gifts.
Prophesy always edifies others. Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:4-5, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”
Paul looked at everything he did through the lenses of if it edified others. Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:23-24,31-33, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each other's being... Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they many be saved.”
There are spiritual gifts given to believers for the edification of the body of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one in the body of Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 4:7, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” And as mentioned last week, when each person comes in line using their own unique gifts to serve each other, the whole body is built up for the benefit of all."
One article writes, “Knowing and using your gifts will lead to the edification of other members of the body of Christ. As you exercise your spiritual gifts, you will play a substantial role in building up other Christians and leading them into maturity (Eph. 4:12-16). If you fail to develop your gifts or let them decline through disuse, your brothers and sisters in Christ will actually be hurt because they will be deprived of the unique ministry that only you could perform in their lives.” [9]
Paul says in Ephesians 4:16, “...Christ --from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
It is in the place of using our spiritual and natural gifts to build up others that we find meaning and our greatest contentment. Brene Brown notes that we all have gifts and talents, and as we cultivate them, we create a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. She goes on to write, “Sharing our gifts and talents with the world is the most powerful source of connection with God.” [10]
Another author notes, “Knowing and using your gifts will give you an understanding of the unique and indispensable ministry you have been called to accomplish in the body of Christ. You will discover a significant part of your purpose for being on this planet and realize that God has made you competent to produce something that will last for eternity. You will have a sense of fulfillment and joy in the service of others as you become an available instrument through which the Holy Spirit can work.” [11]
While we all have been given gifts and talents [12], what happens is that, just like the church in Corinth, we too easily get derailed from cultivating meaning in what we do because we fail to make love the foundation of our actions. We spend our energies comparing, competing and/or conforming to others.
Also, Brene Brown notes that self doubt, “letting our fear undermine our faith” can undermine our ability to share our gifts with the world. [13] Paul says in Romans 12:6, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them... in proportion to our faith.” We must have a measure of faith and be willing to step out in trust in order to exercise spiritual gifts. We have no power to control the gifts so we can only trust God that He will manifest Himself. And the more we exercise our spiritual gifts, the more we come to grow in our faith in using them.
Paul tells the church, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). John Maxwell writes about 1 Cor. 13, “Love was the foundation and motive for the leaders' actions... While leaders indeed possessed great gifts, their gifts took second place to serving out of love.” [14]
And when we use our gifts to build up others out of a heart of love, it brings glory to God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Empowered to be Witnesses
“Pour down on Your people Your glory and Your life” sings
When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” In this case the manifestation of the Spirit of speaking in 'tongues ' was not the same as that Paul spoke of in 1 Cor. 14:2.
The tonges spoken of in 1 Cor. 14:2 is designed to edify oneself and cannot be understood by others. Paul notes in 1 Cor. 14:2 about this 'tongues', “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”
Rather, the tongues they were referring to in Acts 2:4 was other languages. The believers were empowered to speak in the differing languages of which the people (unbelievers) of the area were born. The manifestation of the Spirit empowered believers to connect with the unbelievers in a way that made God unmistakable and that the unbelievers could clearly understand.
Acts 2:6-7 says, “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?”
This manifestation was similar to (or a form of) prophesy as it included divine revelation of only what God could know – the language they were born with and was spoken by divine utterance. Through this gift by the Spirit, the believers were able to speak the language of the people and then point them to God.
The purpose of this manifestation was to empower the believers to be bold witnesses to unbelievers. Jesus had told the disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
When the unbelievers were wondering about how it was that the believers could speak to them in their own language, Peter stood up and explained to the people in Acts 2:16-18, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.”
As a result of God empowering His people supernaturally to be His witnesses, unbelievers became open to listen to the gospel message. And when Peter preached the message of Christ to them, about three thousands were baptized and became Christian that day.
John Maxwell writes about this manifestation in Acts, “When we have a genuine encounter with Jesus, when He transforms our hearts and minds and empowers us and emboldens us, we have no choice -we must preach the gospel, we must speak the Word of God. [15]
Acts 2:19-21 continues with the prophesy from Joel, “I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor and smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
As many articles note, the 'last days' spoken of in Joel begin at the time of Christ's first coming and end at the time of His second coming. Christians are living in the 'last days' that Joel spoke of. The outpouring on the Day of Pentecost was not to be a one time event where people were empowered with the spirit of prophesy to be witnesses for that specific season. Rather God desires to pour out His Spirit on all his menservants and maidservants, empowering them to prophesy in these last days.
As we desire and ask for the spiritual gift of prophesy, we are freely given it. Paul does not encourage all believers in the body of Christ to earnestly desire prophesy while it is only reserved for the few 'special' Christians. It is within the body's reach to prophesy – edifying, exhorting and comforting other believers.
And this same empowerment by the Holy Spirit enables us to be witnesses to unbelievers, speaking words that reveal God and point others to Christ. Just as we can count on His promise that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, we can count on Him to meet us in those places we step out in faith to witness Christ with the empowerment of His Spirit.
“Rain on Your sons and daughters, bring Your rain again, let Your water fall down, bring Your rain again now” sings.
Lord, we long for the fullness [from] the outpouring of Your Spirit. We long to see all believers fully empowered to prophesy, building up the body of Christ and being witnesses to unbelievers. Forgive us where we, like the church in Corinth, have had the wrong heart towards the manifestations of the Spirit, wanting to use them for our own advantage. And forgive us where we have not fully embraced the gifts of the spirit or believed they were for us. Give us hearts that hunger for the manifestation of Your Spirit, a genuine desire to edify others in the body, and a longing to see unbelievers come to know You.
Just after I wrote this, I had a dream last night: I was sitting in a classroom with others in the body of Christ. The teacher wanted us to answer two questions. We were watching a film of the history of the world and we were to answer the question: What are we here for? A student sitting in front of me turned around and helped me. We decided that if you take everything else away, we are created for relationship with God. It was really hard for me to get this so I was glad to have his help.
Then the teacher took us out in the world and we were waiting for something to happen so the teacher could show us this. We were looking and waiting for this phenomena to occur and for this glorious light to shine. While we waited, it appeared like it could happen as we wait but then we discovered it may have already happened some time ago. Then people began to understand and step out. They stepped out over this area that looked like it couldn't uphold them but it did. As they stepped out, they smiled and got it, the love of God upheld them. It was an amazing site. I was driving by and watching person after person, smiling, getting it and stepping out into this territory that looked like it could not sustain them and God supernaturally upheld each one of them. I woke up and the clock read 555.
1, 7. Wiersbe, Warren W.: With the Word Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1991, S. 1 Co 14:1
2, 14, 15. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Second Edition. NKJV. Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, Tennessee. 2007.
2-4,6. Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G4395
5,7. Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995
8. Hayford, Jack W. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Hayford's Bible Handbook. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995
9, 11. Boa, Kenneth. “The Gifts of the Spirit.” Bible.org. Located at: http://bible.org/article/gifts-spirit Last Accessed: 6/21/11.
10, 12, 13. Brown, Bene, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Hazelden. Center City, MN. 2010.
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