Prophecies, Dreams And Visions

by Rev David Devine

Have you ever said something like, “We believe Mary Smith is called to be a missionary in Burma”? Who called Mary? If your answer includes God, I would say you see a place for prophecy in the lives of Christians and Churches. Surely the same God who called Mary to Burma can call Martin to open a coffee shop or Smith Street Baptist to start a playgroup. By “prophecy” I do not mean adding to Scripture or telling the future. “Prophecy” is the sharing of what we believe to be a direct message from God to a particular person or situation. It flows from divine revelation rather than human reason (1Cor.14:30). This revelation may take the form of words, dreams, visions, pictures, scripture, etc. The form is secondary. The primary thing is that the speaker shares what he or she believes has been revealed to them by God. Prophecy is a gift of the Spirit.

There are several reasons why I believe prophecy should be part of Christian and Church life. First, personal experience. Over the years God has revealed some things relevant to my faith and ministry to me directly and through others. Prophecy happens! Secondly, prophecy is biblical. In both testaments we find that God seeks relationship and reveals his will to people in various ways. God speaks. Prophecy is a feature of this “Age of the Spirit” in which we live (Acts 2:16-18). It is a gift given to the Church (Eph.4:11) that is to remain active until Christ returns (1Cor.13:8-12). So we are urged to be eager to prophesy (1Cor.14:39). Thirdly, my Baptist ecclesiology leads me to be open to the prophetic. The church is the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ is not our honorary Head, but the Lord present and active among his people by his Spirit. If we want to do our Head’s will, we need to know what it is – not just generally, but specifically. God speaks not only through the Bible, but by the Spirit and through his people. We should listen to all three if we want to discern God’s will.

Being eager to prophesy is more about listening to God than seeking to speak for God. Prophecy depends upon revelation. It flows from prayer – being quiet before God. When Rowville Baptist is considering significant issues we are learning to be open to God revealing something to us. In some of our corporate prayer gatherings we give opportunity for people to share anything that has come to them during times of quiet listening – scriptures, pictures, words, etc. If a person shares something, we try to understand how it fits with what we have been praying about. We are novices in this and none of us would claim to be a prophet. We don’t declare: “Thus saith the Lord”. Rather we offer what we believe we have received, leaving the group to sift the wheat from the chaff. This reflects the fact that Christian prophecy is imperfect (1Cor.13:9). It is important to note that Christian prophecy is subject to the Apostles’ teaching (1Cor.14:37) and all prophecies should be tested by others (1Cor.14:29). In addition to the prophetic in decision-making, we seek to be open to God revealing things when praying for healing. In particular, our Prayer Ministry includes a group who specifically listen to discern if God wants to speak into a person’s issue or situation. Again this takes place in an attitude of humble service, with the focus falling on revelations that strengthen, comfort or encourage (1Cor.14:3).

In my experience a lot of anxiety about Prophecy has resulted from how people describe what they share. For example, “a word from the Lord” is sometimes presented as if it is as authoritative as “God’s Word”, which it isn’t. Others become preoccupied with distinguishing “words of knowledge” from “words of wisdom” etc. I believe the more important thing is to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Prophecies, dreams and visions are some of the “ears” God has given to the Body of Christ. We do well to be “all ears”, listening to God  - seeking his will so we can do it.

Rev David Devine is the Senior Pastor at Rowville Baptist Church.