12 FOUNDATION STONES - CLASS 4B PROPHECY IN ACTION HEARING FROM HEAVEN, PART 2.1 ------------------------------------------ Introduction ------------------------------------------ * "Make Cars!" What would happen if you'd take a large number of unskilled laborers, suddenly place them in an automobile factory, and say: "Make cars!" Without training, experience, guidance, or instructions this would be impossible! It would be nothing but chaos, every man with his own ideas, going his own way and doing his own thing, and you'd probably end up with a crazy contraption. It might even be a very elaborate, intricate, and complicated machine, but without coordination, purpose, or guidance, it would get nowhere. But if you would tell these factory workers: "Now, see here! You don't know anything and you never made a car before, but if you'll just listen to the instructions from our central computer through your earphones on your little radio sets, each one of you will know exactly what to do and when and how to do it! Just listen and obey instructions!" - And they might actually be able to make a car with a little time, patience, and experience! - For the computer knows how! But if the workers decided they didn't need the computer, they'd rather figure it out for themselves, and they turned off their radios and laid aside their headsets, because they were so busy and didn't want to be bothered with having to listen, they would soon have nothing but confusion, frustration, and failure. To consider: Have you been going to the Lord for His instructions? Have you heard from the Lord since your last class? ------------------------------------------ Section 1: Prophecy Pointers ------------------------------------------ > Why get prophecies? Prophecy gives you guidance for specific questions. Psalm 73:24a - You will guide me with Your counsel. Psalm 143:10 - Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. You should let the principles in the written Word of God guide you as much as you can, but there are things that the written Word doesn't tell us about some situations that we need to know specifics about. The printed Word gives you the fundamentals, the basics, but often the Lord wants to give you specifics for your particular situation through speaking to you directly in prophecy. If possible, share some examples of when you have needed and received the Lord's guidance for a specific question. In addition, you may like to read either of the following examples. Examples of prophecy giving specific guidance Example 1: Witnessing We know from the Word that we're supposed witness (share our faith). Mark 16:15 - And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." But to whom are you supposed to witness? Where should you witness? Should you give out literature? Should you try to talk to strangers on the street or should you knock on people's doors or should you talk just to your colleagues and relatives? There is a whole range of ways to fulfill what Jesus told us about witnessing. But to find God's specific plan for you, you might need to hear from the Lord about it. Example 2: The Cookie Story By Aaron It was near Christmastime in Belgium. We had a few orphanages that we were bringing supplies to. We wanted to bring cookies and snacks for the children but didn't have the money to buy them, so we prayed asking Jesus to show us what to do and what He would do to supply this need. In prophecy He told us to follow the first truck that we would see and that that would lead us to where we needed to go. We opened our eyes and looked. A truck pulled up right in front of our car. We started the engine and we followed by faith, having no idea what the truck did or where it went or anything. We followed it and followed it for about 20 minutes around different areas of town until it finally arrived in front of a factory. By faith we went into the factory, and lo and behold, it was a cookie factory! When we asked to see the director and told him why we came, he immediately said, "Who told you to come here?" We said, "Well, we prayed and we asked the Lord to direct our path and He told us to follow the first truck we saw." He was in shock. He said, "This is a miracle! Saint Nicholas' Day is past and I have about 50 boxes of cookies from the holiday that I don't know what to do with and it's my pleasure to be able to give them to you." - And off we went with a car loaded down with boxes and boxes of cookies for our Christmas gift to the orphans and other needy families in Belgium. > How wonderful to have the Lord's help! It's often the case that when things seem difficult and muddled and we can't seem to find any kind of solution, or when things look complicated, if we'll just go to the Lord and desperately seek Him, He gives us the simplest answer. We may look at it in amazement and say, "Why in the world didn't I ever see that? Of course I should have seen that! - How dumb of me!" The Lord often allows this to happen just to show that no matter how clear things should be, if we don't seek Him for the answers, and if we try to do things in the "arm of the flesh," which means without relying on His help, we can't really do anything. John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ------------------------------------------ > Keys for hearing from the Lord ------------------------------------------ We've established that prophecy is helpful. It's encouraging. It's a gift that we want to have and use. Now let's look at some keys for receiving prophecies: * Earnest desire Psalm 119:2 - Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! Jeremiah 29:13 - And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. If you're seeking with your whole heart and are asking Him, He'll answer! * Concentration As we discussed in our earlier classes on prayer, concentration is important. Try to focus on the Lord and clear your mind from other thoughts. Look at the map Taking time to hear from the Lord about your direction is like using a map in order to find the easiest, safest, and smoothest route to your destination. But you can't look at the map while you go speeding down the road. You've got to stop and study the map, just like you have to stop and get quiet and listen in order to have close communion with the Lord and get your directions from Him. * Have an open heart Ask the Lord to help you have an open mind and heart, to be ready to accept whatever He gives, even if it is not what you were expecting, or completely to your liking, or you don't understand it fully. * Carefully word your questions The answers you receive will depend on the questions you ask. Be sure it is clear in your mind what you are asking the Lord, so that when you get the answer, you'll know what He is referring to. Sometimes it helps to write out your question. * More tips! Be sure to study over Hearing from Heaven (Get Activated! booklet) for more keys. The chapters "Basic Operating Instructions" and "General Maintenance" are very useful. * God speaks at any time Many of us find that we occasionally wake up in the night, unable to sleep. During such sleepless hours, it is a good time to pray and think about the Lord and commune with Him within your heart. ------------------------------------------ Section 2: Judging Prophecies ------------------------------------------v > Two terms to understand: Judging prophecy is the act of discerning if a prophecy was given by the Spirit of God. Interpreting prophecy is the act of coming to an understanding of what a prophecy means, and knowing how to apply it. > How can you tell if a prophecy is truly inspired by God? Over the centuries, many people have claimed to hear from God. In some cases, their lives bore good testimony through their deeds of love and righteousness. But in other cases, the fruit it bore in their lives or their subsequent actions makes you wonder, were they really being inspired by God, or were the ideas their own, or even worse, were they deceived by the Devil? Perhaps you too are wondering how you can know whether a prophecy you receive is from God, whether you've received it directly through your own prayers or through another source. Or perhaps you have prayed and it seems the Lord has given you His Words, but you do not understand how to apply what He has said or even what He means. We'll look at these questions now. It is our prayer that the guidance we share and our own experiences in hearing from the Lord will be a help to you. "The voice that tells me to do something good" Prophecy is one of the ways that you can find the will of God, one of the ways that He can speak to you. But how can you tell if what you have received is really from the Lord? Let's take a look at this question. There's a story told of a young boy who accepted the Lord. The old elders of the church seemed skeptical about his conversion and asked him, "How do you know you're saved? How can you tell? How are you going to know what to do when the Devil comes and tells you to do something bad? How are you going to know the difference between the voice of God and the voice of the Devil?" The little boy had a very simple answer. He said, "If the voice tells me to do something bad, I'll know it's the Devil! If it tells me to do something good, I'll know it's God!" It's that simple! If you love the Lord, what you receive from Him is good and ministers faith, joy, hope, love, and praise. > Jesus told us to judge prophecies by their fruit Jesus gave the basic criteria for judging a prophet or a prophecy when He told us to look at the fruits: Matthew 7:15–20 - Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (16) You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? (17) Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Therefore by their fruits you will know them. ------------------------------------------ > How to tell the difference between a prophecy that is from God and one that is not ------------------------------------------ To judge a prophecy, check these points: * Is it in harmony with the Bible? It should not contradict the written recorded Word of God, though it may fill in "gaps" in our understanding. Is it according to the written Word in the Bible? The Word is the measurement, the standard by which prophecy should be judged. Isaiah 8:20b - If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. You can recommend they read page 53 of Hearing from Heaven for more on judging prophecy. * Is it helpful? Does it motivate you to do good? Does it encourage you to follow God's way? What are its fruits? Matthew 7:20 - Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Galatians 5:22–23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. * Does it bring peace and unity with your fellow-believers? A godly prophecy usually flows with and confirms what God has already said. It brings unity and peace, never confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. * Does it result in humility? It should not lift you up in pride. 1 Corinthians 1:29 - That no flesh should glory in His presence. ? You can read pages 51–52 of Hearing from Heaven for more on this. * Does it encourage you? It should not condemn you or others. Revelations 12:10b - Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. * Does it bring faith to your heart? It should not bring fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 1 John 4:18a - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. * Does it provide helpful instruction? Proverbs 9:9 - Give instruction Wto a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. ------------------------------------------ > Warnings about false prophecy ------------------------------------------ We've talked about being able to judge whether the things you personally are receiving are from the Lord or not. What about other people? How can you tell if somebody is a true prophet of God? The same criteria apply (as explained above), and here are a few additional points to ponder: * A false prophet leads you away from God. Deuteronomy 13:1–3 - If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, (2) and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" - which you have not known - "and let us serve them," (3) you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. * A false prophet will not lift up Jesus as the only begotten Son of God 1 John 4:1–2 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. * False prophets claim greatness for themselves; some even claim to be the Messiah Matthew 24:4–5,11 - And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. (5) For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. …(11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." * A false prophet may perform "great signs," but not by the Lord's power. Matthew 24:23–24 - Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There!" do not believe it. (24) For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ------------------------------------------ > Review ------------------------------------------ Judging prophecy is the act of discerning if a prophecy was given by the Spirit of God. Interpreting prophecy is the act of coming to an understanding of what a prophecy means. How can you tell if a prophecy is truly inspired by God? - "The voice that tells me to do something good"; Jesus told us, judge by their fruits. How to tell the difference between a prophecy from God and one that is not: Is it in harmony with the Bible? Is it helpful? Does it bring peace and unity with your fellow-believers? Does it bring humility and not pride? Does it encourage you? Does it bring faith to your heart? Does it provide helpful instruction? Warnings about false prophecy: A false prophet leads you away from God; a false prophet will not lift up Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. False prophets claim greatness for themselves. A false prophet may perform "great signs," but not by the Lord's power. (continued in part 2)