About Prophecy - 1 Corinthians 14

Prophecy: 1 Corinthians 14

The apostle Paul follows up his exhortation on love (in 1 Corinthians 13) with a survey on some specific spiritual gifts. He starts this passage with “pursue love, AND desire spiritual gifts,” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul wanted to remind the church of the importance of spiritual gifts, but also the importance of decency and order, that the spiritual gifts may be effective in edifying the body and predicating truth. It seemed the Corinthian church had sought after self-edification rather than focusing on the building up of others. Paul makes it clear that prophecy is a great way of doing this.

How do we prophesy? One way of doing this is sharing Scripture with others when it pertains to their situation. This can help them overcome an obstacle or difficulty in their life. The Holy Spirit can illuminate Scripture to you when someone else is going through a difficult time. This is important because the Bible is God’s word, and the words written in it are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Speaking words in the Bible to others is a way of prophesying because you are speaking the words of God!

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He can communicate truth to you about others. It may be a sin that someone is struggling with and doesn’t see, or someone may need a fresh word of encouragement. Whatever it is, allow God to speak to you and lead you so that your prophesying may lead to the benefit of others! This is what it is all about. Remember, do everything in love.