Covet To Prophesy

The Bible is a supernatural book, our God is a supernatural God, and His church is a supernatural institution. Anything less reduces the church to a club. A born again believer has been supernaturally changed. Every act of God, from creation to the coming Rapture, and the return of Jesus Christ to this earth to reign as King of Kings was, or will be, supernatural. When someone says that God no longer performs miracles, he is duty bound to deny all of the future prophecies that require powers far superior to the natural realm. TodayÂ’s church world has become so man-centered instead of God- centered that most Christians think and conduct church only on the level of man and his humanity. The church must become God centered to grasp the mighty power available to His glory.

Spiritualism used to be purely secular or pagan, but today’s spiritualism is a brand of “Christian spiritualism.” It has driven the conscientious saints into retreat from all spiritual activities that transcend the flesh. Our retreat from the supernatural only serves to drive the hungry souls toward the spiritualistic movements. The fundamental church world must reclaim the high ground and welcome the God of supernatural powers to anoint us again with His glory. We must also clearly reject and expose the spiritualistic gurus. Benny Hinn, with a wave of his hand, can send hundreds falling backwards into a heap of flesh. This is nothing but spiritualism, and it has no purpose but to glorify the guru that operates from the stage.

We cannot regain our footing in the supernatural Scripture unless we allow His Spirit to reveal truth in us and to manifest the genuine redemptive powers of the gospel. The business of the Gospel is to glorify God and His Son and to meet the redemptive needs of our world. Our greatest task is the clear declaration of the great truths of GodÂ’s Biblical revelations. The Bible is supernatural food for the soul. It has the power to lift the weakest human being out of his bondage to sin and physical destruction into a meaningful lifestyle. The Gospel, when anointed by the Spirit, can utterly break the bondage of mind-destroying drugs or sexual deviation. There is no human bondage that anointed truth cannot transcend and redeem.

Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) To the church at Corinth, Paul added, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5) It wasnÂ’t religious psychology that shook the Roman world, and neither was it spiritualistic crusades by the leading gurus, it was the simple Gospel spoken by Spirit-filled disciples who walked right in the midst of the multitudes.

We are commanded “to covet to prophesy.” I am not talking about the new Charismatic fantasy where everybody has a pretty word from God for everybody they meet. I refuse to let them say their spiritualistic pronouncement over me because a saint of God knows God’s voice for himself. To prophesy is not to control the lives of others with pretty pronouncements, but to proclaim the wonderful words of God to our hurting world. The early church was out on the highways, in the marketplace, even in the desert, and went from house to house, speaking the anointed truth of God’s word to every soul. Phillip, chosen to serve the widows, went down to the rejected community at Samaria and preached the Gospel and healed the sick with such powers that demons departed their victims just by the sound of his anointed prophecies. He left Samaria for the desert by the leadership of the Spirit and baptized a eunuch from Ethiopia. The Bible said Phillip had four daughters who also prophesied. It’s evident the early church took seriously the command, to “covet to prophesy.”

It was Paul who gave this command. He said, “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy…”(1 Corinthians 14:39) He also declared what true prophecy is all about. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” (1 Corinthians 14:3) It is the foretelling of God’s mighty words, proclaiming the promises for the present and the future. The power of prophecy is not someone acting like they are in ecstasy but it is the sweet power of a spiritual life that has the testimony of walking with God. A true prophet or prophetess does not proclaim his or her own position. In fact, they reject all personal glory. The lifestyle of God’s chosen will be simple, pure, and unpresuming. They will quickly reject the Hollywood mystique and a flashy persona for the life that exalts the Lord alone. Our world is desperate to hear the glorious Gospel spoken by the saints of God that are empowered by His Spirit to speak wonderful words of life.