About that same time some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and spoke with the help of the Spirit. He said, “A very bad time is coming to the whole world. There will be no food for people to eat.” (This time of famine happened when Claudius was emperor.) The Lord’s followers decided that they would each send as much as they could to help their brothers and sisters who lived in Judea. They gathered the money and gave it to Barnabas and Saul, who took it to the elders in Judea.
Acts 11:27-30 ERV
It seems to me that these people were comfortable with a group of prophets dropping in on their worship. In this case, one of them gave a word about a coming famine, and the church responded by sending provisions to Jerusalem. Apparently, Barnabas and Saul were on board with this because they served as messengers to deliver the gift. The church at Antioch was an openly supernatural thing.
The New Testament describes a church that expected the supernatural. When Peter declared that the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2 was a fulfillment of the prophet Joel, he said that this was a day when sons and daughters would prophesy. The book of Acts speaks of both prophets and “ordinary” believers prophesying regularly. Agabus appears again in Acts 21 along with Philip’s 4 prophesying daughters. Paul and Barnabas were sent out from Antioch, where there were several in-house prophets (13:1). When Paul laid hands on the new converts in Ephesus, they all “spoke in tongues and prophesied” (19:6). You get the idea.
Our gatherings are supposed to be so much more than an encouraging talk and an amateur music concert. They are to be a living encounter with God. His Spirit is there to move through His people for the edification of the body. Why don’t we see these things? Paul gives us some clues in 1 Corinthians 14:
- Eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. (Verse 1)
- Come to church ready to share the overflow of what God has been giving you. (Verse 26)
- Tongues and interpretation as well as prophecy are to be welcomed and used in an orderly way so all can benefit. (Verses 27-31)
- Public utterances should be evaluated and corrected if necessary. (Verse 29)
- All can prophesy, but it should be done one at a time. (Verse 31- 33)
He closes this section with this beautiful summary that should be a theme for our gatherings:
So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 14:39-40 ESV
If you want a church that’s alive with the power of the Holy Spirit, try following these instructions: Ask God to let you prophesy. Don’t forbid speaking in tongues. If you’re a leader, take responsibility for providing order, direction, and correction. Jesus is alive, don’t let his church be dead.
pastorvirgil.com 