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Posted by Traci You had so much to say and I have been thinking about it all day. so, I will respond, but I just won't be able to follow the 2 minute rule. I hope you don't become bored with the post About God's calling and responding: It says in numbers 12:6-8 When a prophet of the LORD is among you, By indirect definition, God speaks to his prophets in riddles. If they never learn to interpret these riddles correctly and wisely, there can be such confusion and devastation. The revelation of the Lord is not clear. I wish it were, it would be a lot easier. I don't think the way God speaks to his prophets has changed just because of the resurrection. He is still a God that speaks through typology. That is why we still lay on hands, anoint with oil, get baptized, take communion, and hair is an issue. Sometimes God's prophets didn't understand what was revealed to them (Dan 10-12 and Zech 3). Sometimes the angels revealed the mystery to them, sometimes they didn't (Dan 11). Sometimes the mystery needed to stay hidden, sometimes God's prophets made huge mistakes. Zechariah was a prophet and he understood that the priesthood represented things to come (ch. 3), but he didn't understand the dream he had in ch. 4. But the angel almost makes it sound like he should know, "Don't you know what these things are?" David was a prophet, but why didn't he understand the importance of carrying the ark correctly? Moses was a prophet and spoke with God face to face, yet he did not understand why he couldn't strike the rock twice. I'm sure he never would have if he had known the consequences. The point I'm making here is that there is always something to be learned and even God's prophets make mistakes. If someone has a calling to be a prophet, they need to learn from someone about how to do it, what is typology, and they need wisdom. What about love? If we don't have love, then our prophecy means nothing! We also need to be taught to love in our ministry. I don't believe this comes naturally. It is something God does in us, but love is also a decision to be made and we learn how to do it. If it came naturally, then there would be no command about it. It is a choice, that is why it is the first commandment: to love god. Incorporating love into the prophetic ministry needs to be learned. Incorporating wisdom into the prophetic ministry needs to be learned. The prophetic ministry isn't a job that contains information only. Information alone can be dangerous. Nathan had information, but what he did with it in regard to David was (I believe) a product of learning. If God speaks to prophets in dreams, they need to be interpreted. It says in Daniel that he studied a long time to learn how to do this. And he still had trouble! Dan 1:17 Let's talk about Paul. I am going to make many inferences here, I admit, but they make sense. Paul says to seek to prophesy (1 Cor 14) and then goes on to to say that he wishes that they would all speak with tongues, but rather that they prophesy. so you could say that he wished they would all prophesy. (So might we even say, . . .have you prophesied since you believed? Eph 19) If you can only prophesy if God calls you, then how can he charge an entire congregation (or and entire city of believers) to do something that only a few are called to do? What about prophecy of scripture? So, when he wrote scripture, was it prophecy? It says that no prophecy of scripture came about. . ." so were Paul's writings prophecy of scripture? The word of God, the more sure word of prophecy? I believe they are, so I will continue on this line of thinking. If this is the case, then Paul would have learned and practiced his theology before writing it. It took time. He preached it, talked about it and checked it out with the Apostles in Jerusalem. He did not begin a formal, public ministry until he felt he had learned. He said that he received what had from God, but he leaned on the approval of the Apostles for his credibility. Could this not be construed as practice? He submitted to them what he had received and they judged. So, at least in Paul's case, prophecy of scripture was learned and practiced before it was written. Can we not do the same? Can we not submit what we receive to people and see if it is correct? Some people who try this a few times, should get the message - they don't have what it takes. But how will anyone ever know if they really do have it without stepping out and submitting what they have to others? This is what I call practice. Paul did this with the Apostles. Practicing is submitting what you receive to others in an appropriate manner, in an appropriate way, at an appropriate time, under the covering of a mature Christian mentor/leader/authority and in submission to the Word of God. This is a valid ministry. There is wisdom in learning and practicing. Every other ministry requires it. The disciples had 3.5 years before they became Apostles. Evangelists have to learn and practice. Pastors/teachers have to learn and practice. Musicians need to learn and practice. David needed to learn and practice. Samuel needed to learn and practice. He did not even know it was God calling him! There are some Christians like this! They need an Eli. As with this story, Eli will not always be the best example in all areas, (and neither will our mentors) but he taught Samuel how to recognize the calling of God. The reason this is so important is because I believe God wants many more people to prophesy than currently are. I believe he wants this ministry restored fully, with maturity and power in all of the churches. But if we say we can't because God hasn't called us, we negate Paul's encouragement to seek after it. I believe God wants mature, kind, loving Christians doing this. If we just leave it to those crazy, immature, self-proclaimed pentecostals, we will never establish credibility! I don't know how many of you are reading this, but all of you are the kind of people that could lend credibility to the prophetic ministry and take it back from the circus! So, I say what Paul said, "seek earnestly spirituals and especially (seek with effect, covet, move with envy, be jealous over and zealously desire - "zeloo," NT 2205) to prophesy!" I love you all and trust you! Traci
on 5/2/2006, 12:44 am, in reply to "Re: Two things"
24.16.245.241
Hi Gordy! 
If God called someone to be a prophet, how would they know? Samuel didn't. If they knew and it was obvious, what if they were a young Christian? What if the calling was a revelation they received at their salvation experience? They would need to learn before they could ever be trusted in the prophetic ministry. The prophetic ministry in both NT and OT leans heavily on scriptural principle, history and typology. All this would have to be learned.
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
7 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Just because Paul doesn't mention learning and practicing, doesn't mean the concept is negated.
In reading Galatians, we find that Paul went immediately to Arabia then back to Damascus. He later went to Jerusalem after 3 years. This whole chapter is talking about how he received revelation from God and not from men. However, it is impossible that he wouldn't have relied on all that he had already learned from the scripture. He was later to write the bulk of the NT.
About caution and those who wreak havoc:
Yes, caution is good. Yes, there are those who have given the prophetic ministry a terrible reputation. But we can't let immature, selfish, proud, and even evil men and women steal the truth.
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