The book of 1 Corinthians begins with the enjoyment of Christ as our portion (1:9) and consummates with prophesying. In chapter 14 Paul exalts prophesying as the goal and consummation of this long Epistle. Because prophesying is such a great matter, we must endeavor to practice it.
Prophesying is the carrying out of God’s oracle, God’s divine speaking. Prophesying is different from the testimonies which we have given in the past. In the past, our sharing and testimonies were a repetition of a message which had just been given. Now we have much speaking instead of a message, but we must realize that the speaking should be divine. To prophesy is not to speak ordinary words. To prophesy is to speak something divine with and in the element of God’s divinity. Therefore, in our prophesying there must be the element of God’s divinity. Without the divine element our speaking is not prophesying.
Many among us have had a turn in our way of speaking, but we still need to pay much attention to the divine element for our speaking. The more of the divine element there is in our speaking, the more our speaking is prophesying. If I speak something without the divine element, my speaking is not prophesying. To prophesy is to speak something divine in the divine way with the divine element.
In 1 Corinthians 14 there are thirteen terms used by the Apostle Paul to encourage, charge, and compel us to prophesy. Paul uses five verbs: pursue, desire, seek, excel, and learn. He mentions six results when all prophesy: building up, encouragement, consolation, convicting, judging, and making manifest the secrets of the hearts. Finally, he says we need to use two organs to prophesy—our mind and our spirit.
In verse 1 Paul says, “Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy.” In this verse the verbs “pursue” and “desire” are used. In Greek the word for pursue has the meaning of persecute. Our pursuing must be like a persecuting. To desire earnestly means to be eager to obtain.
The Bible reveals that we must pursue and desire earnestly to prophesy, but this has been neglected and missed by Christians for centuries. In the Pentecostal movement, the manifestation of the gifts, including prophesying, is talked about, but prophesying is interpreted in that movement as predicting, foretelling. As we have seen, to prophesy, especially in 1 Corinthians 14, does not mainly mean to predict, to foretell, but rather to speak for the Lord and to speak forth the Lord to others. This is to speak God into others. In our prophesying we minister Christ into people, we dispense the very Christ whom we have received, experienced, and enjoyed to others. Thus, prophesying denotes the divine speaking, the divine oracle, not only in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament. As we have pointed out earlier, the foretelling in Old Testament books such as Isaiah and Jeremiah does not occupy many chapters. Most of the chapters in these books are the speaking for God and the speaking forth of God. Therefore, the Old Testament also is God’s oracle, that is, the divine speaking, with the divine element. If we only speak something ordinary and natural, we do not need to pursue. We have been born with the ability to speak, but in order to prophesy we must learn how to have the divine element and mingle it with our speaking in the divine way. This is why we have to pursue prophesying with the divine element, desiring it earnestly and being eager to obtain it.
Verse 12 says, “So also you, since you are zealots of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the building up of the church.” We pursue and desire in order to excel. Whatever else we pursue and obtain may be low. Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift, but it is a lower gift. It is not an excelling gift. However, to prophesy with the divine element in the divine way is excelling and high.
Verse 31 speaks of learning. It says, “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all be encouraged.” In order to know how to prophesy, we should study the words pursue, desire, seek, excel, and learn. Do not take this matter lightly. To learn to prophesy is a weighty lesson. We all have to pursue it, desire to obtain it, and seek after it. To prophesy is to excel, so we are pursuing an excelling matter. Therefore, we have to learn.