SPIRIT OF PROPHESY

Acts 2:14-17 – But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old men shall dream dreams.

And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

There is apparently a close connection between speaking in other tongues and the gift of prophesy. They are both obviously verbal and also supernatural being the direct work of the presence of the Holy Spirit. This manifestation associated with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was in the early church and when someone or a group of someones had not experienced this it was treated as error in need of correction. On the Day of Pentecost you see the prayer language put on display as the 120 responded in worship to the glorious presence of the Lord. We also see the gift of prophesy seen in Peter’s preaching. This was not a prepared sermon but a prophetic message given under the anointing of the Spirit. Here are some interesting comments from the Fire Bible about this passage.

“Peter associates the speaking in other tongues with prophecy. This means that speaking in other tongues is one form of prophesying, which basically is using one’s voice for the service and glory of God under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts: (1) the 120 “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”; (2) the Holy Spirit came on Cornelius and his household, and Peter “heard them speaking in tongues and praising God”; and (3) the disciples at Ephesus, when “the Holy Spirit came on them, … spoke in tongues and prophesied”.”

Speaking in tongues and prophesying were very common in the early church. As a matter of fact the leaders in the Jerusalem church used these gifts as their confirmation that the gentile converts were legitimate. In order for the church to have the kind of impact on our society that we all want we must see a return to the emphasis of the supernatural in our churches. This all starts with embracing the baptism in the Holy Spirit along with the heavenly language and the gift of prophesy. I believe this will happen in America and will have a huge impact on this next generation. It’s time for a true move of the Spirit of God.