DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT
How to Prophesy and Not be Weird
(1 Th 5:19–22, ESV) Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
We believe…
- God is still speaking
- God desires to speak through his people
- The earth needs to hear what God is saying
Paul concludes his letter to the church of Thessalonica with 17 instructions and his five final thoughts give us a framework on how to operate in the prophetic and do so with a God-honoring heart.
1) DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT (VS 19)
“Where the Spirit is, He burns; therefore He ought not to be quenched, either in ourselves or in the case of others.” (Johann Bengel, 1687-1752)
Quench - to extinguish or put out a fire
You can extinguish a fire by cooling it, smothering it, or starving it
Some have had their fire smothered by encountering individuals who in their ZEAL, IGNORANCE, or ARROGANCE have prophesied from the flesh, prophesied falsely, or just prophesied strangely and created an offense
3 Ways to Quench The Spirit
a) Continue in Willful Sin (John 16:8)
b) Embrace Pride(James 4:6)
c) Invite Division through gossip and criticism (Ephesians 4:29)
“Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray! For prayer is a great deterrent.”
Leonard Ravenhill
2. DO NOT DESPISE PROPHECIES vs 20
Despise - to form a low opinion of
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Col 4:5–6).
Don’t…
- Don’t be weird (Heb 13:9)
- Don’t take the Lord's name in vain (Ex 20:7)
- Don’t get possessed by William Shakespeare (Rom 12:9)
- Don’t overstep authority or influence (1 Corinthians 14:33)
- Don’t predict political leaders, public events, or natural disasters (Matt 6:34)
- Don’t assume you know the application (Philippians 2:12)
- Don’t camouflage criticism or counsel with a prophetic word (Colossians 4:6)
- Don’t prophesy beyond your faith (Rom 12:6)
- Don’t prophesy personal things ie babies, marriages, moves (1 Cor 8:9)
- Don’t be led by a prophetic word (Gal 5:16)
3. BUT TEST EVERYTHING vs 21
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God... (1 Jn 4:1).
Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph 5:8–10)
Test means to examine or scrutinize
Good to remember that nothing we do or say today vanishes. Every word that is captured online lives
How To Test A Word
* Does It Pass the Lordship Test? (1 Cor 12:1-4)
* Does It Pass the Word Test? (2 Pet 3:16)
* Does It Pass the Authority Test? (1 Cor 14:29)
* Does It Pass the Inner Witness Test? (Act 15:28)
4) HOLD FAST WHAT IS GOOD.
" test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil"
Three Parts of a Prophetic Word
1. the divine revelation from the Spirit, which in all instances is inspired and infallible.
2. the human interpretation of what that revelation means.
3. The application to the person(s) involved.
A Good Protocol
- Capture the word. Have a way to capture or record what you heard God say. Strive to be faithful in your account. Don't add to or take away
- Examine the word. Ask yourself... What does it mean? Who is it for? What should you do? When is the time to share? How should you share it?
- Share the word. What authority or influence do you have through which to share? In what way will the word be best received? Remember you are just a messenger. Don't assume the application nor judge their response.
Hold It With An Open Hand!
The Example of Paul and Agabus
8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
(Ac 21:8–14).
Agabus received an accurate revelation
Agabus chose to interpret that revelation through a demonstration
The people reasoned the application was for Paul to remain safe
Paul reasoned the application was for him to face the persecution
Paul had to test the word and he determined the Lord's will was for him to remain steadfast in his mission.