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The Nature of Prophecy ...continuedExamples of Prophecy and their problemsBy William Kay (used with permission) Practice and theory about modem Christian prophecy can be best illustrated by examples. Read the words in italics and then take a few minutes to think about the problem. You may wish to write down your answers on a piece of paper before looking at the answers I have suggested. Of course the situations outlined are often complex and there is not always one correct way to solve them. 1. You are a leader of a local congregation and
one Sunday a stranger comes in to worship with you. He prophesies half way
through the service in these terms, "Have you realised it? I am wanting you to
know that the force of the infernal is too much for Apostleship, is too much
even for the prophetical ministry: is too much for even faith; is too much even
for miracles. The force of the infernal must be met by the combined action,
oneness, unity-action of the body in the heavenly realms. Storm the strongholds
of Satan! Why, my people, why have you not taken hold, even in the hint that I
gave. I want you to wind up the age. You may say, 'We believe that there is a
certain hour, and it must come to then!' But I tell you; you can become
co-workers with me even to speed up, to wind up. But oh! Humanity! Humanity!
Humanity! I am wanting even to wind up the age." 2. A woman in your congregation has had a disagreement with a
member of the ministry team in your fellowship. After a few weeks, when you
have nearly forgotten the incident, the younger sister of the woman concerned
attends your morning service. She comes up to the ministry team at the end and
says privately and graciously that she has a word from the Lord. This word is,
"Let the one whom the Lord has anointed to lead be given his rightful place. Do
not hold on to the reins of leadership but give them up so that God's true
leader can come forth". 3. You are a pastor and your congregation is thriving. You have
been considering for some time the opening up of a branch work on the far side
of your town. This is not something that you have told your congregation. One
day, in your private devotions, you read that "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a
fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall" {Gen 49.22) and
you wonder whether the branches going over the wall is God's way of confirming
your desire to work on the other side of the town That Sunday, one of the
Sunday School teachers stands up and says, 'The Lord has shown me a lovely
picture of a vine which is growing and growing. It is growing up a wall and
then over the wall and it has many grapes on the branches".
4. A series of prophecies by a member of your congregation over
a period of several months begins to stress the unreality of illness and the
illusory nature of pain. True faith. it is said, can discern that only health
is real. Members of your congregation begin to throwaway their medication or to
feel condemned if they fail to do so. 5. A fellow minister writes to you and tells you that the Lord
has revealed to him that he is one of the two witnesses in the Book of
Revelation (11.3) 6. A woman in your congregation plays the keyboard and in your
opinion attempts to control worship Services by making use of her instrument
and microphone. She is the wife of a member of your pastoral team and he is
very pleased with her ministry. Two older members of the congregation, however,
become upset and begin to resist having to sing the same songs again and again
at the leading of the keyboard. The musician begins to resent their opposition
and one morning brings a prophecy saying, "Many in this place are not seeking
to go on into the sanctuary and worship me, says the Lord, and they must repent
and praise me for only in so doing will they be released from their bondage and
their fear. You must praise me to the uttermost, says the Lord. You are
resisting my will and will lose the blessing of your salvation. Look to your
ways". 7. A man member of the congregation stands up one morning and
says that he sees a flower growing and nearby is a horse trying to jump a
fence. The horse keeps on approaching the fence and eventually treads on the
flower. He does not know what the vision means. 8. Your church is considering a building project. A visitor
comes and stands up one morning and says that he saw through the Spirit a large
building thronged with people. He does not know what this means. 9. A meeting of leaders has gathered for a few days of , prayer
and quietness and to "recharge their spiritual batteries". During this time, a
prophecy is brought which names two men and says that they are to begin a new
stage in their ministerial work. 10. A woman in your congregation is seriously threatened with a
miscarriage. She desperately wants another child. An older woman in the church
says that God has given her the Scripture Joel 2.22 "the tree beareth her
fruit" and so the miscarriage will not take place. The baby will be born.
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