Dr. Phillip S. Phinn, Contributor

PHINN

The very nature of God is loving, caring and compassionate. Everything that He says emanates from His heart of love. In Matthew 5 v 17, Jesus, the Messiah and prophet says, "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." So it waswhen Adam and Eve failed God, in making the wrong choice; eating of the tree of good and evil, He determined to put the prophetic word out through His servant Isaiah, and so it was, unto us a child was born, a Son given, and His name continues to be "Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9 v 6).

God's ultimate plan by sending His Son into the world was not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Since Jesus has left His saints within the Earth to take up dominion, our mandate is to "Save the World". This requires the maturity of the Body of Christ to fulfil Jesus' logos word to us, which is, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (St. John 14 v 12). One of such "greater works" is that of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit; the gift of prophecy. (1 Corinthians 12 v 10). This gift should be used to heal, touch and transform lives!

Edification, exhortation and comfort are the elements used to define prophecy, according to the Apostle Paul. However, prophecy can at any time carry the three aforementioned elements, with a hint of "positive rebuke". If there is positive rebuke, the prophecy may be considered uncaring, harsh and offensive to the receiver because it is an area he/she may classify as "off-limits" even to God, their maker.

Naturally, the messenger of God will need to "root out, pull down and destroy" if God gives the revelation for this to take place. At the same time, the Spirit of Wisdom should be upon the said messenger, to disguise completely what is being said so that only the person being ministered to will hear and understand completely what is being communicated by the Lord. Being made by God, the receiver's Spirit or inner man will bear one witness with the Spirit of the Holy One, thus, there will be a state of conviction, or encouragement, or both.

Positive rebuke

This is positive rebuke asGod has not chosen to embarrass the receiver with the prophetic word, but He has addressed an area, which He wants captive to His designated course. Positive rebuke may therefore be communicated through prophecy and its purpose is identified in Hebrews 12 v 5-7.

God's word to every Christian is for all to play a part in the prophetic. There are those called to be prophets, those who are ministers who are not called to be prophets, but nonetheless are called to become prophetic ministers, and thirdly, all believers have been called to move within the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to become God's prophetic people.