Good morning people who partner with God’s building plan in people’s lives.

1 Corinthians 14:3 NIV But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 

It is true that prophecy means to foretell, and to speak under divine inspiration. Prophecy truly is a word from God to people.

But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening.

The word strengthening here means architecture, a structure, a building. It is a compound of two words that mean a dwelling and to build.

When God speaks prophetically to someone, He is not just speaking about who that person is now through a natural perspective. God has an eternal perspective, and because He is the Beginning and the End, He knows now where He is taking people and what He is building them into.

Prophecy is about us partnering with God in what He is building people into; a dwelling place for God. It’s beautiful and an amazing privilege to be part of God’s work on earth!

But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their encouraging and comfort.

Interestingly, the words encouraging and comfort mean the same thing. They both mean to come near and to comfort. I’m not sure why it uses the two different words, but I know Father wants us to hear His intention for His people.

Some things aren’t meant to be done from a distance. For example, God loved people so much that Jesus came near. The Holy Spirit loves so much that He comes near. We are to love so much that we come near, and when we do, we are to partner with God in supplying comfort to others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

Your words into other people’s lives matter greatly. Let’s partner with what God is doing.

Good morning people who value the gift of speaking in tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:2 NIV For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:5a NIV I would like every one of you to speak in tongues…

1 Corinthians 14:18 NIV I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

Paul spoke in tongues more than anyone else, and Paul stated clearly that he would like everyone to speak in tongues. This was not just his thoughts, but these are the thoughts and the heart of God through Paul. Speaking in tongues is for every follower of Jesus Christ.

Paul makes it clear that speaking in tongues is speaking to God.

If the Bible means what it says it means, why do we think that this beautiful element of speaking to God has ceased?

Paul makes it clear that speaking in tongues is uttering mysteries in the Spirit.

I truly believe that uttering mysteries is one of the things that makes speaking in tongues one of the most incredible and life changing gifts from God. The reality is that overthinking is often a huge enemy to many people entering into the fullness of God. Therefore, God has given us this incredible gift that is not limited to or reduced down to our cognitive function. Praise God for His kindness!

Mystery is an invitation into intimacy.

Is it possible that speaking in tongues is one of the keys of the kingdom that Father wants you to use more and more?

Good morning people who embrace all that God desires us to have.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 NIV Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

This Scripture mentions three things that will come to an end: prophecies, tongues, and knowledge.

The truth is that all of these three things have an element of incompleteness to them now. No one person has complete knowledge now. Equally no one person prophesies or speaks in tongues to the full level of what is available. God is God and we are not.

And yet, if we look at the whole council of God‘s Word and the many Scriptures on these three things, we can only come to the conclusion that God says these things are beneficial for us and others. Everyone needs knowledge, tongues build us up, and prophecy builds up other people. This is what the Bible says! All three are for the church today.

I want to strongly encourage us to stop making prophecy and tongues a denominational issue.

If we do this, why are we not making knowledge a denominational issue?

The answer is that there is a bias against prophecy and tongues due to poor theology and some bad experiences. I feel no judgement with this, but I do feel sad that so many people have missed out on the beauty of God‘s intentions.

There is an invitation for all of us today to go deeper into the mysteries and wonder of God‘s gifts!

Good morning people who honour God by desiring what He wants to give.

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

Scripture is filled with many commands that include two instructions. The word and is a common part of God‘s vocabulary.

Yesterday we looked at the imperative command of following the way of love. In essence, this is an instruction to follow God Himself as God is love. But the apostle Paul does not add a full stop after this statement, rather, through the Holy Spirit, he portrays God‘s heart and desire for all believers by adding an and.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

Those who follow the way of love should eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. These are not my words; these are God’s words. And yet, regrettably, there is much resistance to the gifts of the Spirit in the church of Jesus Christ today. There is some revelation, repentance, and reviving that needs to take place!

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 NIV Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

It is absolutely true that there will come a time when prophecies cease. But God is clear that that time is when completeness comes. This is not talking about Jesus coming the first time as it was written after He had ascended and the church was already in existence. This Scripture is talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ.

We desperately need knowledge today, and yet it says that knowledge will pass away. No one believes that it is meant to pass away now, but rather, when Jesus comes again, we won’t be thinking from a knowledge perspective as we will see Him face-to-face in full revelation!

We must not pick and choose Scriptures and try and make them mean what we want them to mean. What God says, God means, and God says we are to follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

As a disciple of Jesus, are you following this command of God?

Good morning people whose love for God is evidenced by your obedience to Him.

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

Follow the way of love.

The greatest command is to love God, and part of the evidence that we love God is that we will follow Him. Following God is not just a verbal declaration that we follow Him, but it is seen by our obedience to all that He has said.

People who follow God do not pick and choose the parts of His commands that they follow and obey. Selective hearing and selective obedience are not marks of a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is an all-in mindset for those who have received a revelation of what it means to follow the way of love.

Matthew 28:19-20 NIV “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Follow the way of love.

How fully do you obey what God has commanded through Scripture and through the Holy Spirit?

Watch my sermon: ‘Being a Disciple of Jesus’