Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
We don't need a gift of prophesy to prophesy, just like we don't need a gift of evangelism to evangelize.
1 Corinthians 14:31 says we may all prophesy one by one, for edification. This does not mean everyone has a gift of prophesy.
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1 Cor 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
1 Cor 14:37
If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.
The first verse of chapter 14 implies that we can realize gifts we don't have or don't think we have, especially if we desire for that gift. Towards the end of the chapter, notice the phrase "
If anyone thinks they are a prophet..." What Paul said here seems to indicate that his word about prophesying is directed at those who view themselves as having that gift.
So I still think there is a prerequisite to having that gift in order to use it. I remember an LC brother saying he had been a Pentecostal, and he had to practice tongue-speaking out of pressure. So in essence, whatever group he had been with was forcing people to practice tongue-speaking whether or not they had the gift. This is the same kind of criticism that I am directing at the practice of prophesying.
I think that people who feel they have the gift of prophecy should feel free to use it. But by the same token, having a specific meeting called a "prophesying meeting," naturally excludes those who don't have the gift or don't feel it their place to function in that way. Remember that Paul says that meetings should be conducted in a fitting and orderly way. That implies some kind of oversight over what is spoken and who is speaking.