Nougat 14

Mirrors can be interesting devices. If the glass on which the mirror is painted or fixed has a flaw, that is presented as part of the reflection. We see this presented in a light way at amusement parks when we enter the House of Mirrors. Between the kaleidoscope and the warps and wefts we can’t discern what’s true or the way to go. We are called to mirror Christ. And like the glass the reflection we offer can be a little distorted. Especially with the gifts of God’s Spirit. Today’s Holy Nougat offers us solid food for thought:

“Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well … So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.” Romans 12:3b, 6 NLT

The Pauline writer spent considerable time addressing spiritual gifts to the Roman and Corinthian churches. This was a spiritually maturing congregation, so it was important for their witness to point to Christ, as there were all sorts of other faiths and gifts at work in the society. Likewise, as children of God and believers, it is important that we represent God’s Spirit appropriately and not ourselves, knowing that there’s a proliferation of ‘gifts’ all around.

For the Roman church the concern about spiritual gifts included Prophecy. When transliterating from the Greek; the Strongs Concordance proposes that Prophecy is the ‘gift of communicating and enforcing revealed [divine] truth’. It is also described in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as ‘discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.’

We recognize that Prophecy on the whole, requires speech or language of some kind. So one who prophesies imparts information. This is the case whether the prophecy comes from God’s Spirit or other sources. Furthermore, it is information provided by a divine source and does not tend to comprise public knowledge. And, according to Strongs, what is shared ought to be proven true. If the information revealed can be proven wrong, even if it was about the future; according to Strongs it isn’t Prophecy.

When understood in light of Thayer’s thesis, it is recognized that Prophecy ought to reflect God’s purposes, which may change if the word shared was conditional. A case in point; God’s Word to the Ninevites from Jonah. Having heeded the warning, Nineveh was spared from destruction and God’s purpose – that is, the salvation of the Ninevites – was fulfilled. What Jonah prophesied however, was the fact of destruction IF (that’s the conditional link) the people didn’t repent.

Prophecy can be personal (like Peter’s prophecy to Ananias and to Sapphira, or Eli to Hannah); but may also be directed at a small group (John’s Revelation to the Seven Churches), an unspecified number of people (the Book of Revelation itself) or a nation. It may reflect on the future in light of current events (Jeremiah’s Word from God to the exiled Jews in ch 29); or be a stand-alone Word about the future (Jesus’ description of Peter’s death); or even reflect an unknown truth of someone’s past/present as part of a more extensive communication (Jesus’ telling the Woman at the Well about her marital status). Above all, the prophetic Word MUST reflect God’s purpose or bring glory to God rather than the one who delivered the utterance.

I pray God’s discernment as we seek to be the mirror of God’s Spirit that we are called to be. If it be through prophecy; Lord grant us grace to do so according to Your purpose.

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May all we seek be found in Christ