Discerning True Prophecy: Gifts, Growth, and Prayer

"there was a little child in North India many years ago who when she was I don't know about I don't remember the age eight years old her soul began to speak about her former life about a previous life where she lived in another part of India and described everything in detail about some 80 year old woman who died on the day she was born eight years earlier and she could describe that person's life from childhood where she lived the house she lived in every little detail it's a true story and the Hindus presented that as an example is it now at least do you believe that you can be born again into this world after you die that's what they teach when you die you're born again in another form into the world here is an example and there are multitudes who swallowed it I didn't follow it because I say there are a hundred demons who know every detail about every person who lived on this earth from the time of Adam and they've got a record of it and they can go and tell anybody how somebody lived in David's time or Paul's time 2,000 years ago or 80 years ago when somebody died the only weight of the easy to fool a person pick up that person who died and the day this person was born and when this child is about seven or eight years old come into that verse into this child demon-possessed and that child can speak every single thing that happened to that other person and if you swallow that that's the type of prophecy I'm sorry to say some Christians are swallowing that's not prophecy as demonic it's not a now it's not Christian preachers who say such things even non-christians say that I'm just warning you" [00:11:00]

"and when he talks about the future the devil knows a lot of things that are happening here and there and he's a very smart person he can put a lot of those things together and predict that certain things will happen when if he knows that somebody's planning something and there's a very good chance of his success 99% chance of it is being able to do it he'll say there's going to happen tomorrow I've already planned it or so and so is gonna buy this home one week from now nobody else knows about it oh the devil does there are things like that that the devil doesn't know the future but he knows everything that different different people are planning and he puts them all together and he can even predict some things about the future so I'm not fooled by all this when God filled me with the Holy Spirit one of the things that happened to me was I became alive to realize that there's a spirit world which I was not as alert to it after I was born again so that's not prophecy in the Old Testament the Frog the prophets predicted something that would happen a hundred years from now two hundred years from now seven hundred years from now that was prophecy but in the New Testament prophecy is not predicting the future" [00:13:16]

"prophecy is mentioned here two verses later in acts 14 verse 3 when a person prophecies is speaking to men and women in the church or edification that is building them up spiritually or exhortation that is challenging them spiritually and for consolation that is comforting them so what is prophecy that you're told in verse 1 to seek for seek for a word from God that will challenge people little comfort people and thus build them up virtually and who should seek for it every single born-again person not for your own honor don't type prediction and all this type of stuff which is a deception exco by scripture everyone who prophesize challenges comforts or the and builds up so you don't have to do that only in a church you can prophesy when you're speaking to somebody on your phone two sentences at the end which can challenge that person or comfort that person or build up that person or when you write an email one sentence at the end can be a prophecy prophecy means challenge or comfort or build up is it so difficult to add one sentence at the end of your phone call or one sentence at the end of an email somebody you know well it's so easy but you must see God for the gift of prophecy" [00:16:24]

"do all of you earnestly desire to prophesy now I want to tell you something the church in Corinth was not a very spiritual church many of them were pretty even immature young believers I know you mature young believer seek to bless others with the gift of the Spirit and don't seek it for your own honor love does not seek its own sofirst pursue up to love and simultaneously don't wait till you become perfect in love that'll happen only when Christ comes so if you wait until you're perfect in love you'll never prophesy but as you're pursuing after love seek for the gifts of the Holy Spirit as well that's like your March left right left right left right you pursue after love seek for prophecy pursue out to love and seek for prophecy keep on growing and let both your legs grow simultaneously the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit all should be equally long you know how a little child is the legs are so small think of that the fruit of the Spirit may give us his spirit and as the child grows both leg grow equally has it been like that in your life or have you been only pursuing the fruit of the Spirit and even that you've not really got very far" [00:18:26]

"so why is he compares prophecy with tongues here so I want you to see that difference because it's very relevant for the time in which we live verse for one who speaks in a tongue builds up edifies means builds up holy self it's true when a person speaks in the gift of unknown tongues which God gives not some rubbish that he was taught in some Pentecostal church I don't mean that garbage I mean a genuine gift of tongues which not somebody taught him to speak but which the Holy Spirit gave him when he did not try to repeat what somebody else told him to do or which he heard some blabbering in some Pentecostal church and he began to imitate that that's rubbish renounce it and forsake it don't insult God by that type of imitation imitation currency is a crime and imitating tongues is a crime if God doesn't give it to you fine God doesn't give it to everybody but don't imitate it you don't have money don't produce counterfeit currency that's all I'm saying better to have little then they have counterfeit currency they don't seek for gift if you find it but notice this that one who speaks in tongue builds himself up there is a value in it and I can testify to that that the gift of tongues has helped me to build myself up for the last 45 years and but profit sighing edifies the whole church so if you want to build up the whole church what you need is not tons but prophecy and that's another thing charismatic Pentecostal people haven't understood that tongues does not edify the church but yet do you see them blabbering away in tongues in public with their deep eyes nobody because it's counterfeit I'm not fooled by it look at Paul's own testimony concerning speaking in tongues where's 18 and 19 I can say this with all my heart I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all it's Paul ashamed of it not at all he said I thank God he's given me this gift and he says more than all of you Corinthians but verse a 19 in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind that is prophecy then to instruct others rather than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue do a little mathematics here how much better than tongues this prophecy how much better than tongues is prophecy in the church ten thousand divided by five two thousand times always remember to share a word that will challenge or build up a challenge or comfort or build up someone in the church in your normal known language is two thousand times better than somebody who speaks in a tongue in a church if you believe that you will not be amazed and enraptured with people who speak in tongues in public you'll say the guy doesn't read the Bible Paul wouldn't do it he would not do it he say I'll speak rather five words with a known language it'll bless people more than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue how many people understand that" [00:19:50]

"and when we solar people will really want to do something to bless them not with just a little bit of money but something that will bless them eternally and so he kept on knocking he said I don't care how long you whatever you may say I'm gonna keep on I'm I love this man so much you have to give me these three loaves then he says this neighbor of his because he will not even give it as a friend but because he's persistence and disturbing him he will get up and give him what is he going to give read that wonderful phrase verse eight last part as many gifts of the Spirit as he needs it's a beautiful phrase as much as he needs I go to God and ask him to Lord give me something to bless these people with he give me as much as I need I can testify to that after 44 years of preaching in CFC and go to God like this say Lord I don't have what it is to give these people who are in need he'll give me as much as I need for the people according to their need which I don't know so I say to you verse 9 please take this seriously personally let me paraphrase his words ask like this man asked and you'll get why didn't you get so far you didn't ask like this man asked you gave up after some time seek like this man sought and you'll find knock like this man knocked and God will open the door for you why didn't you open the door so far you didn't knock like this you gave up after some time you prayed for something and I say oh well maybe God doesn't want to give it to me God said don't bother me okay go away and you lived like that for years not getting a number of things God wanted you to have you wanted you to make make you a blessing to so many people you've never succeeded because you went away too soon from God's door I'm saying that to everybody here and worse then everyone who asked every single person who asks like this will receive no exception no partiality with God and every single person who seeks like this man sought will find and every single person who knocks like this man knocked it will be opened what more promise do you want from Jesus why haven't you got them why on the door being opened I can tell you God has opened the door for me hundreds of times he's given me what I need for other people hundreds of times and I am no favorite of God any more than you are we are all God's favorite children I just went to this passage and said oh I'm not gonna give up I'm not gonna give up I don't care how long it takes I'm not gonna give up I love these people they must get the best it's like you would persist to get something for your children you want to get admission for your children in some school or college oh how you'll go boy you'll love your children so much you love people in the church like that to bless them or do you come lazily to the meeting and say hello to everybody that why we come says you must learn covet earnestly covet to prophesy then he says let me tell you something else he says to assure you how much God wants to give it you if your son asks you for a fish will you give them a snake if you ask the Holy Spirit really give you an evil spirit some people are afraid if I keep seeking I don't know what spirit I'll get uh-huh your father will give you a snake is it he's speaking against that very thing that some people warn others don't be don't be so crazy after seeking for the gift of spirit you may get an evil spirit your father may give you a snake imagine thinking that God you give me a snake when I'm seeking to bless other people in the name of Jesus Christ if you ask an egg will he give you a scorpion and then Jesus looked at the people and said you all are all evil compared to God now all fathers are not evil on the earth you've got many good fathers many of you are good fathers I believe I've been a good father but the best father on earth is evil compared to God in other words the light of God the love of God is so great that our love is so small there's like a drop in the ocean compared to God's law that's how great is love is that he'll never give a snake he'll never grow a scorpion he'll never give a stone hmm and if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children verse 13 how much more will your heavenly Father give bread what is the bread the gifts are the Holy Spirit not to everybody to those who ask him now do you understand why you haven't got it you didn't ask or you didn't ask like this you asked and gave up you thought I don't want all the foolish things the charismatic but I also don't want it but I want the genuine thing I don't want any counterfeit currency in my wallet what I do want genuine currency earnestly desire if said the Holy Spirit" [00:27:39]

"and then it says how should it be in your meeting first of all verse 29 two or three prophets everybody can seek for prophesy but everybody's not a prophet the Bible speaks in Ephesians 4 about verse 11 and 12 about God as appointed in the church apostles prophets evangelists shepherds and teachers but that is a gift a prophet is one who almost permanently has a prophetic word from God which penetrates people's hearts and reveals that inner condition but prophesying is something which person may just share two or three sentences or two minutes something that's Lord lays on his heart he's not consistent he's not God doesn't give him a word every single times a prophet so it says in a meeting is best at first of all those who have a consistent gift of prophecy many junior prophets in your prophet they speak first maybe two or three in a big church three small church maybe one or two and the others must pass a judgement verse 29 that means the others must not just swallow what this guy says because he's not an Old Testament prophet who says thus said the Lord he's sharing something which he says I think this is what the Lord has laid on my heart beware of those people in nowadays who say that said the Lord I have no respect for them Jeremiah 23 says beware of these prophets who say that said the Lord I have not sent them let me give you the example of one of the greatest prophets in the New Testament the Apostle Paul in the same book 1 Corinthians he gives us an example chapter 7 remember he's writing Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit without a doubt but what does he think of it himself when he's writing it 1 Corinthians 7 he says in verse 25 concerning virgins I have no command from the Lord but I give my opinion oh what a humble man brothers sisters I'm not telling you this of the Lord I'm giving you my opinion God has found me to be trustworthy I'm giving you my opinion I have much more respect for such a man than these people who say that said the Lord I'm zero respect for people who say the said the Lord further he gives certain advice concerning women and marriage and all that and then at the end last verse this wonderful section he says in verse 40 in my opinion she's happier if she remains as she is and I think I love that expression that's what I will always use I think I have the Spirit of God I would any day listen to a man who says I think I have the Spirit of God then these guys who get up and say that's at the Lord this is the Lord speaking through me never listen to them a really godly man will say like Paul I think I have the Spirit of God in the Holy Spirit says that is me and puts it in Scripture that's why I have more respect for such people and if you don't want to be deceived follow Scripture so coming back to seeking for spiritual gifts it says here in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 31 you can all prophesy in this way what is that word of words of comfort well it's a challenge building up and everyone can be challenged and everyone can learn and remember the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets it means you're the one who controls your spirit don't interrupt somebody's you know I have to say something now if you don't have self-control you're not under the control of the Holy Spirit the fruit of the Spirit is self-control I have been in meetings where there was an open time of sharing and you know some other meeting where I was not necessarily called to be a speaker but where everyone is given a chance yet and I felt I had a word and somehow there was no opportunity for it or you never invited me my spirit is subject to the prophets I didn't get up and say here fellas don't go wait till I given you what the Lord gave no thought you didn't give me an opportunity which means I'm not supposed to share that to hear maybe I'm supposed to share that another time you don't have that humility you will never be a prophet I guarantee that and you'll never prophesy the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets if God doesn't open a door keep your mouth shut don't try to push open a door and tell you something about God's doors they're like these automatic doors when you come near it it'll open if it doesn't open by itself don't try to push it that's not a door God wants you to open so the spirit of the prophets subject with prophets and if you don't listen to that there'll be confusion everybody thinking that he has got a word from God and God verse 33 is not a God of confusion but of peace and he especially asks the women to be careful I'm not saying a women cannot prophesy a woman is never called to be a prophet or a prophetess in the entire New Testament it's not a single prophet as mentioned in the New Testament even that acts 20:1 where it says Philip had four daughters you'd look up the NASB translation it doesn't say their prophet this is the prophesied the correct translation there's no prophetess in the New Testament there's no female apostle there's no female prophet this in the New Testament because there was our positions of authority God doesn't give woman woman Authority either in a home or in a church that would be subject but as in the Old Testament where they're individuals they were prophet this is Julio was a prophetess in Jeremiah's time Ana was a prophetess who came when Jesus was born out in in the temple when they brought Jesus to be dedicated so women are not called to be prophetess but according to 1 Corinthians 14:1 they can prophesy in fact earlier on in chapter 11 it says when they prophesy they should cover their heads so which means they can prophesy they are not called to be prophetess is 37 1 Corinthians 14 37 if any of you think you're a prophet or spiritual please recognize that the things which I am writing you are not just my own bright ideas they are the Lord's commandment what is the Lord's commandment pursue after love earnestly desire to prophesy and verse 31 you can all prophesy one by one and what happens if a number of people share a word from God even if it's briefly two three minutes each of course because of time factor you can't carry on forever we got to be reasonable God's given us common sense by the way common sense is as much a gift from God as any other gift of the Holy Spirit remember sometimes we just need to use our common sense don't ask for God some special revelation Lord which shirt shall I put on today don't wait for a revelation from God otherwise you'll come here without a shirt just use your common sense I'm just giving you a ridiculous example but listen where's for 24 1 Corinthians 14 24 if in a church first of all verse 23 if in a church everybody speaks in tongues people come in they'll say this be a bad have you seen mad churches I've seen a lot of mad churches a mad church is where everybody speaks in tongues have you seen them I've seen plenty of them why do I call it a mad choice it's not I'm not angry with anybody I'm just quoting scripture you all speak in tongues they say you're mad verse 23 but if people prophesy share a word of in a known language which will encourage challenge build up just briefly and a person who doesn't believe in all this comes in he's convicted I believe this is the result of prophecy that means verse 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed and he falls on his face and worships God and say God is here now the most important thing we desire in a New Testament church is that people must come into face to face with God not a great preacher they must encounter God in their hearts they must go away from the meeting saying we met with the Lord the Lord spoke to us I met with Jesus in the meeting today that is the best meeting and that can happen if people seek for the gift of prophecy and if people say Lord give me a word from above and maybe just two or three minutes or five minutes like some of you come here I'll get up and share for five minutes don't just share some bright ideas don't share something clever you can impress people with seek for a word from the Lord and what does it mean the secrets of his heart are disclosed that means he sits there and says this guy no I need I know my need today he spoke exactly to my need it can be prophetic articles that are circulated by a church can be exactly according to the need of the person who receives it we pray for this when we send out the weekly word for the week Lord let this go prophetically to people who are in need exactly according to the need or you get up here and share something we must pray that we be prophetic that means something which is in his heart which nobody knew he came there to the church with a need in his heart many people come to Sunday morning with a need in their heart and that need is met see how in the world did this guy know what my need was he didn't God knew God loved you enough to share something with him and he said boy I met with the Lord in the meeting today he had an answer for me amazing how God can speak hazing I've had some remarkable experiences of how God's fiction saves people from calamity seek God with all your heart my brothers and sisters so conclusion verse 39 earnestly desire to prophesy don't forbid anyone from speaking in tongues but everything must be done properly and in an orderly manner" [00:31:31]

"John chapter 7 this is the only time I read about Jesus shouting and he Pro preached most of the time he was very gentle we read in Matthew chapter 12 my servant will not raise his voice his voice will not even be heard in the street but here he shouted Matt John chapter 7 verse 37 on the last day the great day of the feast the only time we read of Jesus crying out with a loud voice anyone is Thursday come to me and drink not in writing everybody thought of people say whosoever will may come yeah but the Bible says you're thirsty come no no the place he says if you are weary and heavy-laden come what does that mean like I say if you are sick and tired of your defeated life come otherwise don't come you heard me say how somebody once came to me and said brother Zack I want to join your church because I'm fed up with this other church I belong to I say don't come don't come because you're fed up with that Church come when you're fed up with yourself because jesus said come to me those who are fed up with themselves that's the meaning of those are weary and heavy-laden are you fed up with yourself you're defeated life welcome to entries here and to any CFC Church anyone is thirsty desperately longing hungry and thirsting for righteousness will be satisfied but that's the first requirement thirst for this life I have been describing and faith verse 38 if you believe you'll keep on knocking my father loves me he will not give me a snake he wants me to persist it's the same story of the widow who entered the judge and kept on knocking till she got it the render man who went to the friend's house only took Maribel's Jesus spoke on prayer and both of them persistence is the pean faith what will be the result how do you know you got what Jesus wants you to give here it's here it is promised innermost being will flow rivers of living water if you ask the city cooperation or whatever you call it here City Council to connect your new building connect water supply to your new building and you wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote called make a phone call how do you know the answer when the water came the water didn't come you don't say well I have by faith I believe the water is here but that won't quench your thirst when you actually see the water coming out of your tap in and say hey I got the answer and if you find living water flowing out from within you blessing not only you but others what is the river a river is not meant for you a well is meant for yourself Jesus told the Samaritan woman if you come to me and give you a well that satisfies your own need but this is a river rivers are not meant for private water drinking it's for everybody a river will flow out from you that will bless others don't rest for whom is this you qualify if your name is here in verse 38 is your name here in verse 38 he or she who believes in me you've been timid you're one of those timid believers will not ask for too much your being drive not even a well that satisfies your own need and God wants you to make your River let me tell you what I believe you're a child of God you're born again and the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from all sin and you're honest and you keep a good conscience then I want to say to every such person not everybody but everyone was really repented of their sin as put Christ first in their life may Jesus Lord of their life wants to glorify Him and not see gone over yourself I want to tell you you believe in God's will that you should be a blessing to not one or two whether the river doesn't bless one person little by little more and more people every single person here in in humility see God thirst thirst is a desperate thing like it's not like saying well I like glass of water right now we're all a bit thirsty not like that if you've been wandering in a desert for seven days without any water in you're dying of thirst somebody offers you water ten thousand dollars a glass of water you take it that's the type of thirst Jesus speaking or I've got only one earthly life I've said that a lot many times I said Lord Holy One earthly life flips by every day it slips by some things I cannot postpone any things on earth can be postponed but not this his life is slipping by I want the rivers to flow I started praying for a girl really honestly that was about 22 years old I prayed for it frequently after that thought for the gift of prophecy when I was 22 years old what give me a word that will bless others aren't you pray and I was converted just for about three years then when you're after my baptism see God he's a rewarder those who seek Him know who seek Him diligently Jeremiah 29:11 2:13 you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart and other things on earth are a priority in your life forget it not find the answer but when this is a priority in your life will be fulfilled in your life for she ality with God" [00:47:51]