Prophesying is the excelling gift among all the gifts, making its seekers excelling (1 Cor. 14:12). The Greek word for “excel” in 1 Corinthians 14:12 can also be translated “abound.” The way this word is translated depends upon its context. When this Greek word is used for matters of quantity, it means to abound. When it is used for matters in comparison, it means to excel. First Corinthians 14 does not talk about matters of quantity. It talks about the quality of spiritual gifts in comparison. In particular, Paul is comparing speaking in tongues with prophesying. He talks about the superiority of prophesying over speaking in tongues. Comparatively speaking, speaking in tongues is very low, whereas prophesying is very high. The value of speaking in tongues is minimal. To prophesy is much higher and more valuable than speaking in tongues because prophesying builds up the church. Therefore, Paul tells the Corinthians that since they are zealous of spiritual gifts, they should seek to excel to the building up of the church. We become excelling when we seek to prophesy because prophesying builds up the church as the organic Body of Christ.
Prophesying is excelling in revealing God’s heart, God’s will, God’s way, and God’s economy to His people. When we prophesy, we speak what is on God’s heart, and we speak God’s will, God’s way, and God’s economy. Actually, all the Epistles written by the apostles are books of prophecy, not in the sense of prediction, but in the sense of speaking for God and speaking forth God into people. There are some predictions in the Epistles, but mainly they speak for Christ, speak forth Christ, and speak Christ into people, dispense Christ into people.
Some may consider that the entire book of Revelation is merely a book of prediction, but this book is a speaking forth of the Lord to His people. Whenever I read the book of Revelation, Christ is ministered to me. When I read this book, I have the feeling that Christ is dear and near to me, that He is so intimate and lovable. The more we read the book of Revelation, the more we will love Christ. If you read the book of Revelation, and you only receive an impression of predictions, that proves that you do not know how to read the Bible properly and that you do not understand the Bible. If we know how to read the Bible and understand the Bible, our impression from reading Revelation will not be of predictions, but of a dear One and a near One, who is so lovable and intimate to us. If we know the New Testament, whatever book or page we read, we will be impressed with the present Christ, the Christ today, the Christ this hour. Paul prophesied by writing his fourteen Epistles. Peter prophesied by writing his two Epistles. James, John, and Jude did the same by writing their Epistles. All the Epistles are prophesyings. In the Epistles, we can see God’s heart, God’s will, God’s way, and God’s economy.
Prophesying is also excelling in convicting people, exposing people’s real condition, and showing people their spiritual need. When people read the twenty-two Epistles of the New Testament, including the book of Revelation, they are convicted, judged, and all the secrets of their hearts are exposed, especially the evil secrets. Such speaking shows people their real need, not in material things but in spiritual things. This is why we encourage people to read the New Testament. The four Gospels plus the book of Acts may be considered as historical books. The twenty-two Epistles that follow these books are all prophesying. Each Epistle exposes our condition and shows us our real spiritual need in Christ.
Prophesying is excelling in speaking forth Christ to minister and dispense Christ to people for their nourishment. To prophesy is to dispense Christ into people just as a waiter or a waitress in a restaurant dispenses food to people. When we prophesy, we are dispensing Christ as food to others. What people receive from our prophesying is not a prediction but food for their nourishment.
Perhaps a brother would stand up and say, “Christ today is our portion. God has given us, His saints, Christ. This Christ has been allotted to all of us. He is our lot, our portion, and God has called us into the fellowship of this portion, the enjoyment of this portion. We all have been put by God into Christ, and God has made Him our wisdom. In this wisdom, God allotted Christ to us as our righteousness to cover our past, as our sanctification for our present daily walk, and as our redemption in the future so that our body can be redeemed in transfiguration. Thank the Lord for Christ as our portion.” This is a direct speaking of Christ. When a brother speaks in this way, he is speaking forth Christ and speaking Christ into people. This kind of direct prophesying dispenses, distributes, Christ as our enjoyment into all the believers. As we all prophesy in this way, we dispense Christ mutually into one another.
Prophesying is excelling in building up the church in the organic way that it may be built up as the organism of the processed Triune God for His fullness, His expression. The four factors which we have pointed out above show that prophesying is the excelling gift for the building up of the church, making its seekers excelling.
I have no doubt that the Lord is going to recover the practice of 1 Corinthians 14. Eventually, what the Lord spoke in 1 Corinthians 14 will be fulfilled. The fellowship printed in this book will exist for years to come. If what I am speaking here is not fulfilled in this century, it may be fulfilled in the next century. To the Lord one thousand years are just one day (2 Pet. 3:8). What I have spoken in this book will remain on this globe. Many of the saints will fellowship about this, will be brought into this, and will practice this because it is in the holy Word. Besides God Himself, nothing in this universe is more valuable than the holy Word. First Corinthians 14 is a particular chapter in the holy Word. Paul stressed the matter of all prophesying in this chapter, and he told us we need to pursue, desire, seek, excel, and learn to prophesy. We all have to receive the heavenly enlightenment. We should pray, “Thank You, Lord. Thank You for Your speaking. Thank You for Your revelation. Thank You for opening 1 Corinthians 14. Have mercy upon me, Lord. Bring me into the practice of this chapter. While I am living on this earth, I want to be a person who is always prophesying, speaking Christ.”