I remember as a brand new believer, I was called out of service, I probably hadn’t been saved a couple of weeks.  I was called out of service and they told me that my grandfather had just committed suicide.  I remember I walked right back into the church.  I remember as I walked in, I just sat down and a prophecy comes forth.  I can’t remember the exact words right now.  But the prophecy had to do with the fact that God was very aware of the circumstances in your life.  That He would take tragedy, and turn what the enemy means for evil to good.  That we would not be forsaken or comfortless, but the Holy Spirit was there to comfort in these particular moments.  Instantaneously, as I sat down.  That’s prophecy.  That’s how it works in our midst.  It’s supernatural and it can edify, exhort, comfort.  An exhortation, someone may be looking for direction in their life.  The prophecy does not give the direction; the prophecy points us to the one who does give direction.  The exhortation, a prophecy could come forth in a time that would have to do with confidence in the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, et cetera, et cetera, at a moment when we, more than one, might need edifying.  These examples are how these gifts operate to build the church up.

I won’t go into the specifics of words of wisdom and words of knowledge that are carried on the wings of prophecy.  They are not prophecy, edification, exhortation or comfort, they are words of knowledge.  For instance, we see that periodically faked in charismatic services today.  We always use the example that we’ve mentioned so often, of someone going, “I believe there’s someone here this morning that has a sore back.”  Well, let’s do this.  “The Lord saw you fall off that ladder yesterday, and whatever it might be, and how you injured your back and just at this very moment, if you’ll reach out in faith and trust that by the stripes of Jesus we’re healed, you’ll know the visitation of God.”  Okay, so the guy here that fell off the ladder, et cetera, that’s a word of knowledge spoken concerning his situation, that allows him to reach out in faith and receive what God has for him; amen?  “And they will then say,” Paul says here, “that God is in your midst.”  There’s a real need for these gifts to operate effectively, biblically in our midst.  It builds up the church.  Supernatural, all of them are supernatural in their origin and in their operation.

Father, we just thank You for Your goodness and Your mercy to us.  Covet the best gifts, desire spiritual gifts, we want to be used of You, Father.  We want to be able to move in the Spirit and allow the ministry to flow, that You might receive the praise that You’re worthy of.  That You might be exalted in our midst, that Your body would be edified.  Father, remove from us the anxiousness of being amiss.  You’ve placed elders in the church, judges that graciously, kindly, understanding the process of us all learning one by one how to move in this realm, can put us on course that we would not be in error, we would not damage anybody.  We’re ready to be used.  We want to see the fullness of Your Spirit.  You said we could all prophecy one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted.  Give us that rest, that confidence in the body, that confidence in the oversight that we can walk in the supernatural, decently and in order.  And for that, Father, we’ll give You all the praise and honor in Jesus’ name; amen.