Like the book I reviewed on Tuesday, this one also presented me with new things to think about. Prior to now, all of the churches I once attended held a Cessationist belief about the Gifts of the Spirit.
That is, they believed that after the original apostles died, and especially after the canon was completed, the Gifts of the Spirit also ceased, because they were no longer needed.
But there is also a Continuationist tradition, which believes all of the Gifts of the Spirit are still in effect.
Indeed, there are prophets, or those with the gift of prophesy, in the church I now attend.
According to Mr. Lopez in
Releasing the Power of the Prophetic: A Practical Guide to Developing a Listening ear and Discerning Spirit, "there is a difference between those who have been anointed into the office of prophet as opposed to those with the gift of prophesy."
"Every true prophet was determined by God before the foundation of the world," he says, "whereas all believers are given all of the Gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of prophesy."
On the other hand, someone holding the prophetic
office is defined by a continued manifestation of prophecies. You can desire to prophecy, but you cannot desire the office of the prophet.
"The prophet helps," Lopez says, "along with the apostle, to build up the Body of Christ. He must be devoted to the Word of God, because he cannot prophesy beyond his knowledge of God’s Word."
He must be without character flaws, spend more time in study than the average minister, and spend an enormous amount of time in prayer.
Mr. Lopez says that "we develop faith in direct correlation with the time we are willing to spend on our faces before our Father God. Prayer is also a prophetic anointing. When you can hear what He is saying, you will begin to develop your prophetic ministry. As you come to know the voice of God in prayer, the people who hear you prophesy will say, “I know this is God.”"
"Prophets, like all other ministry offices, have varying degrees of anointing. The Church has prophets who are called to local churches, cities, governments, states and nations. Whatever level of anointing a prophet may have, he or she can increase it through prayer, study and holy living. But each prophet will be called to a specific group of people that God will burn into their heart."
"Prophecy comes in different ways to different people operating under a prophetic anointing. Although all prophesy to accomplish the same goal, the methodology may vary from individual to individual. Some prophets (or people operating in the gift of prophecy) will hear words within their spirits. Some will see an image or vision that speaks into a situation. Still others will have the words printed out for them, as if printed on a screen. People who seem to be visually oriented or artistic will often see pictures. Others will see or hear words or phrases passing through their mind."
So these are a few of the ideas I took away from this book.
If you're a churchgoer, is the church you attend of the Cessasionist or the Continuationist persuasion?
If it has prophets, or people with the gift of prophecy, are you one of them?
For me, I've never felt the urge to prophecy, but hearing corporate prophesies is one of the highlights of attending church each week. I especially enjoy hearing the prophesies given over the people who are being baptized, during Wednesday evening baptismal services.
Mr. Lopez's book taught me a lot about this very interesting phenomenon, this supernatural gift within the Body of Christ.
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