Are You Ready?
February 12, 2023
February 12, 2023
Dave Stephens
First three weeks: Return of Christ…Parable of the 10 Virgins (Luke 12, Matt. 25)
- We asked the question - are you ready personally?
Week 4: (Ephesians 4) the purpose of the church and the expectation of Christ’s followers.
- Role…Church: to equip Christ-followers
- Role…Christ-Followers: to do works of ministry
Week 5 (Last week): The harvest is ripe…people are searching for truth more than ever before.
Do we see people as Jesus did? Sheep without a shepherd?
- Are we ready to harvest?
Firstly…we believe that God still speaks to us today.
The primary way God speaks to us is through His
- …It is divine revelation to us about His character, and His love for His creation.
- “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
God also uses spiritual gifts to convey messages to us. He did it in the OT and the NT alike. The use of spiritual gifts is for today.
- The manifestation gifts are granted as the Holy Spirit works through believers to meet the needs of the Church and bring glory to God.
What I’m about to share with you is for our church…it’s for you…and I’m stepping out in faith this morning…and you’ll begin to see what I mean.
Record, Read and Meditate upon the
- Prophetic words should be recorded and/or transcribed and kept for future reference.
- When reviewing a prophecy, it should be noted that not every element of the word will be applicable to the recipient’s present experience.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, the apostle Paul writes, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good.”
- This Scripture warns us to prove and judge prophecy…against the word of God. It will never run contrary to God’s already established words to us.
Do Nothing
It is important that a person never make hasty changes until prayer, godly counsel and much reflection are made. Through careful prayer, counsel with spiritual leadership and cautious small steps of faith, God’s purposes can be established in the church.
Examples of caution in the face of a prophetic word:
- We see in 1 Samuel 16:13 that David tended sheep for many years after being told he would be king.
- Jehu received very specific instructions in his anointing as king concerning what he was to do in 2 Kings 9.
- King Jehoshaphat was shown in 2 Chronicles 20 to follow all the divine directives in detail.