Kennystix's podcast
Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 1
The following message is by Pastor John Piper. More information from Desiring God Ministries is available at www.desiringGod.org. Good, solid, Bible, believing, even, reformed people disagree about the meaning of the gift of prophecy. You see right there in verse 6 we are beginning now probably what will take a few weeks with a break here for missions week to work our way through this list of gifts and the first one is the gift of prophecy and as we undertake to talk about that this morning we're up against pretty significant disagreements among very, very godly and Bible believing people. For example, Richard Gaffin has written a book called Perspectives on Pentecost, New Testament Teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and he takes one view and then Wayne Grudom, who I think was a student of Richard Gaffin at Westminster, wrote a book called The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and today and it takes another view. So these are pretty different views and what I'd like to do is describe them and then tell you which one I agree with and then walk you through Bible verses to show you why and then show you the strongest arguments on the other side and then how we can all be happy together. And I believe use this gift in a biblically appropriate way that won't get us into craziness and trouble. Before I do that, I make sure that I take away from your misconception when I say prophecy in my mind probably most of you, a lot of you have in mind mainly prediction, prediction. That's not all that the prophets in the Bible did if you're reading through Jeremiah, Isaiah, they gave serious moral analyses of what were going on in their day. They indicted sin, they commended righteousness, they called for repentance, they warned of judgment, they offered mercy. The prophetic life was more than just making predictions as though you only had a glass ball and we're going to tell people what was going to happen to them tomorrow. That is not even I think the main function of an Old Testament prophet. So just open up your mind a little bit to a broader picture of what prophecy was. Now Gaffan's view is that the gift of prophecy in the New Testament was that it was fully authoritative, divinely inspired, inerrant, on a par with apostolic teaching and if it was spoken, could go into the Bible. So when a prophet spoke, a prophet was not to be questioned but obeyed the same way an apostle was and therefore he views the gift as ended with the New Testament and it doesn't exist today as it did in the New Testament. If it existed today then we would take our Bibles and we would be adding page after page with every time a person gave a prophetic word. We would write that down and stick it and our Bible is getting bigger and bigger because absolutely authoritative, divinely inspired, inerrant words are being spoken and so he doesn't believe that and rightly so that there are no more people speaking like the apostles spoke with that kind of authority. We stand upon this book, it is closed, it's not being added to, there are serious warnings about adding to this book in the Bible, it's finished, it's closed, the canon is here, we stand on it, that's where we are as a church and I believe that's right. Groodham's view, however, in this book, they have different covers now if you want to get them at the bookstore I got them years ago so you can get these, Groodham's view is that the gift of prophecy was not like that in the New Testament, it did not have that kind of authority, it was not inerrant and needed to be questioned, tested, qualified, some of it was true, some of it was false, it didn't have the same apostolic authority, it rather was, he would define it as a report of something that God spontaneously brings to mind and that can be perceived wrongly by the hearer, it can be thought about wrongly, it can be reported wrongly and therefore should always be tested and may be very profitable and some of it may be misleading and therefore he thinks it's valid today, that same thing happens today and he would call that the gift of prophecy and that we should use it and use it carefully, so those are the two basic views, it doesn't exist, it does exist and if it exists it's not that kind of scripture level authority, it is subordinate under the Bible, must be tested by the Bible, give you some examples of what Groodham means that have actually happened in history and maybe in our own church, for example he would use this, you have a small group meeting and one of you in the group says I'm not sure why but I feel a tremendous burden right now that our church, our missionaries and the little band of believers in Guinea is in real big trouble right now and they need our prayer, could we just stop and pray for them and you stop and you pray earnestly for them and get an email in the morning that there was this big crisis and could have been awful and God broke in, came through and Wayne would call that a gift of prophecy, whoever spoke that word did it because God had brought something spontaneously to mind, offered it, didn't claim any biblical authority for it and thus they acted on it and God blessed in response to their prayers. Another example, these are two historical examples that Spurgeon tells from his own ministry, the London pastor from the 19th century, he was preaching one time and suddenly he looks up into the gallery and he says young man, the gloves in your pocket are not paid for, out of the blue just and it was true, the man came up to him at the end of the service just kind of trembling and repented and returned the gloves and then a second time this happened, he's preaching and he looks out on his 3,000 person congregation and says there's a man sitting here who is a shoemaker, he keeps his shop open on Sundays, it was open last Sunday morning, he took a 9 pence and there was a 4 pence prophet on it and his soul is sold to Satan for 4 pence and it wasn't because he, at least he said it wasn't because he knew anything about that but that's just what came to his mind and the man came forward and repented and so a prophetic word like that penetrates through reveals the secret things of the heart like 1 Corinthians 14 says and the person falls down and says God is in this place or take this example from last Sunday morning's message, you judge, I can't remember whether I said this in all the services so I don't know whether it came over the video but I think I probably did but I, in one or several of the services I said ministries of mercy are not, and then out of the blue I say they're not meeting with well-to-do business men for a Bible study on the 36th floor of the IDS tower and I pointed toward the IDS tower that way because that's the way it is downtown and I said that's good, that's beautiful, that's glorious, that's necessary, that's not what we're going to call mercy ministries, was that on last week's tape, something like that, okay, good. So I'd say it Saturday night, well I forget which service but I think it was a Sunday morning service, a woman came up to me and she said I'm a visitor here and on Thursday I had a meeting with some well-to-do business men on the 36th floor of the IDS tower to talk about a ministry possibility and I was just coming here looking for some encouragement this morning, so I mean that could be a coincidence, right, it could be a coincidence, I don't claim any, you know, piper's, you know, some guru or something, that could be a coincidence but maybe not, right, maybe not, maybe God just had a gift for her, it's called a gift, they're called spiritual gifts and that's Wayne Grutam's view, that that sort of thing happens today, that's what was happening in the New Testament and it's a good thing, it's healthy for the church, it doesn't have to make us crazy and so let me give you some biblical evidence, I've already tipped my hand, I do agree with Wayne in this book, I do think it's valid today, I do think God does that sort of thing today and I think we should ask Him for it and use it carefully, so let me give you biblical pointers to why Wayne Grutam and I think that, then I'll give you Richard Gaffin's difficulties with that and I'll understand if there are people who have the different views in this church and we can live with that, we really can. Acts chapter 2 verse 17, I'm going to walk you through some passages and I don't know whether we'll go slow enough for you to look them up but you can write them down or just listen as I quote them. This is Peter talking on the day of Pentecost and he's explaining this strange phenomenon of God being magnified in these tongues on Pentecost morning and he explains what's happening by saying this is Joel 2, this is Joel 2 and then he quotes Joel 2, so let's read verse 17, Acts 2, 17, he says and in the last day, so he's calling his own time, which means all the time up until now his last days, soon as Jesus the Messiah came, the last days started and in the last days it shall be God declares, I will pour out my spirit that's happening all around the world, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams, now I take that to mean that throughout the last 2000 years that sort of thing has been happening, men and women have been having these experiences, dreams are happening and visions are happening, I have no sense that they have to be really prevalent one time and really absent another time, I just say in this period of time these sorts of things are prophesied and Peter said this is what's happening this morning on Pentecost and then through the history of the church they happened, 1 Corinthians 14 verses 1 to 4, Paul says to the whole church in Corinth pursue love, we'll come back to that at the end especially, that's the note that needs to be struck in all gifts, pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, so are you, I will just ask are you earnestly desiring spiritual gifts and then he says especially that you may prophesy, that's remarkable says to the whole church earnestly desire gifts especially that you may prophesy, then he says for the one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him but he utters mysteries in the spirit, on the other hand the one who prophesies speaks to people for their building and encouragement and consolation, the one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, the one who prophesies builds up the church, that's why he put the lid on public tongue speaking where there wasn't interpretation, Paul wasn't a big fan of public tongue speaking, it was just causing chaos in Corinth, he didn't forbid it entirely, he just kind of settled him down said look this is not the main gift, don't get too excited about this, nobody's understanding what you're saying, this is about edification, if there's interpretation we can handle one or two but I'm not excited about this, this is a problem, I wish you all could speak in tongues like I do in my prayers which is an amazing thing to say but publicly he was concerned, chapter 14 verse 29, let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what he said, if a revelation is made to another sitting there let him be silent for you can all prophesy by one by one so that all may learn and all be encouraged and the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, so let me point out two things there, one, prophecy is different from teaching in that prophecy is based on immediate revelation, you see that in verse 30, if a revelation is made to another sitting by let the first one be quiet let him talk, revelation which is why Wayne defined it and I would define it as something God spontaneously brings to mind, I'm a preacher, I do believe I have a gift of teaching, I try to base everything else I say on the written Word of God which is our final and absolute authority, not anything that pops into my head, what pops into my head has no divine authority because I'm fallible, my report of it you have no way to know, therefore you will judge but my teaching is based on a scripture and insofar as it conforms to a scripture it has authority, make that distinction that ideas that pop into our heads may be from God may not be from God and as we report them they must be tested which is the second thing to notice in this little section I just read, notice that word way, verse 29, let the others way, what do you say, this way mean, that Greek word you look up all those examples in the New Testament regularly it means doubt, probably doesn't mean doubt entirely here but I would say listen with some care and decide how much of this is helpful, useful, we'll come back at the end I'll give you some examples of very unhelpful prophecy today, so two things it comes from a revelation and it is to be weighed, that sounds strange doesn't it, well if it's from God you don't test it, it's God but the trick is that between God and you there's this me and I'm a sinner and I'm fallible and I'm finite and all this brain and this mouth and these affections which are all sinful is the medium by which this thing is coming and you better not assume that it's straight from heaven no matter what I say, the apostolic word is decisive not what is coming to the minds of the prophets you see that in verses 36 and 37 or 37 and 38 I'll read, right here in first Corinthians 14 listen to how Paul talks, if anyone thinks that he's a prophet or spiritual he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord if anyone means any prophet does not recognize this he's not recognized you see where the bottom line is in the New Testament the bottom line authority is the worthy apostles they were the ones commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus they were the ones guided by the Holy Spirit to provide foundation for the church and give infallible teaching for the church the prophets were these charismatic spontaneous speakers for encouragement and for conviction and for consolation and they would be tested by what the apostles said same thing in first Corinthians 5 20 do not despise prophecies I find that a remarkable statement for Paul to make because I don't think he would have made it had we not been prone to despise them somebody at Thessalonica had been despising prophecies do not despise prophecies and you know what I'm really tempted to despise prophecies I have had such horrible experience with this gift that I am tempted to despise this gift I really am I have had terrible experience with this gift and I'll give you some examples at the end but but Paul knew that would happen evidently and he said don't despise prophecies and then he adds wonderfully thankfully but test everything and hold fast to what is good prophecies not in the same scrap the same category with scripture never would Paul say test the Old Testament and hold fast to good parts and reject the bad parts he would never talk like that first Corinthians 13 is a indication of whether this is valid today this is the love chapter no accident that the love chapter comes in in the middle of the spiritual gifts chapters because this is easy to make war on churches get into such awful fixes when they when they don't handle the spiritual gifts carefully and so he puts the love chapter 13 right between 12 and 14 and in verses 8 to 10 he says something that tips us off as to the duration of this gift love never ends as for prophecies they will pass away as for tongues they will cease as for knowledge I think he means the gift of knowledge there because of what he says in verse 12 you see as for knowledge it will pass away for we know in part and we prophesy in part to hear that this is partial but does that go on when is that but when the perfect comes the partial will pass away that's verse 10 now when is that when does the perfect come answer is in verse 12 I think pretty clearly now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known that's the second coming of Jesus right when will you know fully even as you have been fully known when Christ comes and we are changed in the twinkling of an eye and the partial is taken away and our sin is removed and our proneness to error is taken away we know him as we ought to know him and we are known fully as we've always been known which means that the gift of prophecy tongues knowledge are valid until Jesus comes back to chapter 14 verse 1 or forward to it in the text pursue love earnestly desire spiritual gifts especially that you may prophesy I find it really hard to to think that Paul is saying in the Gaffen view earnestly desire that there be among you a small number of people who have apostolic level authority scripture writing level inerrancy so that they can join with the apostles and provide the teaching that's the foundation of the church it just doesn't read like that it reads like all of you pursue love all of you earnestly desire spiritual gifts and all of you earnestly desire especially that you may prophesy not they you so I think verse one really does suggest that it was a pretty widespread phenomenon it could come to anybody in any small group at any time it's not like well as there's 15 people in this room right now that have bug gift of prophecy it's that at any given small group meeting like tonight somebody might be given a gift that penetrates right through to the heart of another person by saying something that that they don't know where it came from but they feel led lovingly to say and wammo somebody's heart is exposed and good wonderful sanctifying loving things happen so I am there as a pastor of this church let me define it for you once more this is one of these longer definitions a spirit here's the gift of property is a prophecy is a spirit guided expression of something we otherwise would not know or say but is valuable powerful for that particular moment that particular situation brings conviction exhortation consolation awakening of building and faith in other words it's just one of God's ways to love his people and make them stronger and I don't think at all the spookas as though it's something uncontrollable it's very interesting Wayne argues strongly and you can see it right off the bat know where is the church put under the governance of prophets the church is put under the governance of elders clears a bell in the New Testines elders are there to protect the church from kooky prophets and to empower godly prophets to do their work biblically that's what elders elders of the steady people they're the teachers they're the bible saturated people they're the preachers they're the governance people and then all the rest of you have gifts and you'd be using them powerfully in each other's lives and the elders are not there to squash anybody but to release and equip and free and to love protect like shepherds do prophets are never called separates so keep that distinction in mind as you wonder about how does the church really work we're here we elders are here to release and power equip and the ministry just surges by the power of the spirit in small groups and gatherings at least I pray that it would that God would come in great power and you administer to one another in need so many needs now 1 Corinthians 1228 is one of the problem texts give you the two problem the main two counter arguments to what I've just said 1 Corinthians 1228 gaffin if he were here would would begin by this one probably and he would say look at the order here God has appointed in the church first apostles second prophets third teachers john piper third elder teacher pastor then miracles then gifts of healing helping administration various kinds of tongues and you would argue why do you think that prophets are put right after apostles and before teachers looks like they have a kind of role or authority that's above the teachers pastor teachers elders so what do you make of that Piper that that the order here doesn't fit with your understanding and my answer is I do not know what to make of that order I don't know and my conclusion is the order of these gifts whatever it means and I don't know what it means doesn't override all those texts I just read I mean I just I can't let an order I don't understand undermine all those texts that I think I do understand I've read alternative interpretations of why he would say apostle prophet teacher and so on putting tongues last but whether or not this is a proof that the prophets were like apostles and spoke with scripture level authority maybe maybe not I think it's a pretty good argument against my view which is why I want to find a way for those who disagree on this to to live together and I'll try to get there in just a minute here's the second argument against the view that I just developed Ephesians 220 says the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone so apostles and prophets church built on them that's more than this stuff you've been describing now two responses let's just make sure that we understand that's not referring to Old Testament prophets everybody agrees on that because of the use of the phrase in verse five of chapter three just a few verses later the mystery of Christ was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed now been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets now been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets those are prophets alive when Paul is speaking so you've got apostles and prophets and the church built on them that's what Gaffin would argue he'd say that seals it for him this is not a repeatable gift this is foundation like the apostles therefore this view that John Piper and Wayne Goodham have just developed is a misunderstanding of the gift of prophecy in the New Testament my response to that is to say it is possible at least and in view of all these other things I'm inclined to think this is not just a possibility but the case that the phrase apostles and prophets refer to one group of people namely the apostles who are prophets like Noel is a wife and mother I don't have two wives one wife one mother they are not two women wife and mother Noel is wife and mother we use and that way apostles and prophets same person wife and mother same person but in the text you have an a use of that in chapter 4 verse 11 where it says God gave some apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers and everybody agrees pastors and teachers is one group of people they're not pastors and then different people are teachers teachers and different people are pastors because of the way the pronoun works there that's one group pastors and teachers so if Paul can use pastors and teachers to refer to one group maybe he can refer to apostles and prophets who are one group and then you've got apostles functioning as prophets and we have one foundation for the church namely the apostles who are prophetic in their ministry that's a possible interpretation it would keep me from having to say again I don't have a clue but to make out of this but if you find Gaffin's observation they're compelling namely that New Testament prophecy was not this kind of thing that Piper's just described like 36th floor of the IDS tower and a woman sitting here saying whoa that must be for me then then you will either reject the experience or just reject the name and you don't have to reject the experience just don't call it prophecy then that's why I think a lot of reformed people are who want to keep the word prophecy for something more authoritative and allow for this experience and call it something else let me close by giving you three suggestions for how I think we should live with this as a church call it what you will because I think most of you would agree God in his free sovereignty can make that sort of thing happen whatever you call it I'll call it the gift of prophecy and you can just understand I don't agree with calling it that if you're on Gaffin's side but you don't have to say God can't do that sort of thing in this day he's free he certainly can if he wants to and I think most of us will agree he does now here are three things and I'm drawing your attention to the last phrase of verse 6 now of chapter 12 we're back at chapter 12 he says use this gift of prophecy in proportion to your faith and I want to say three ways that happens number one using the gift of prophecy as I've tried to describe it in this church will mean that we use it to exalt Jesus Christ because faith is in Christ magnifies Christ exalts Christ if you're using something in proportion to faith saving faith in Jesus you're using it to exalt Jesus not yourself but Jesus so here's my pattern you need to know this I'm down here praying while the text is being read thirty seconds before I come up to preach what am I praying I work my way through apt at usually APTAT admit I'm helpless pray for help act see trust act thank so when I get to pray APTAT I pray Lord humble me under your word empower me by your spirit make me bold to speak your word without fear of man or consequence grant that I'm faithful to your word that it's accurate and tells what the Bible really says give me love for my people as I speak and grant me the gift of prophecy so that you would bring to mind in addition to all my preparations on the basis of my gift of teaching and explanation bring to my mind anything that would be unusually helpful for those in this particular service at this particular moment I pray that I asked for the gift of prophecy you'd say oh you shouldn't call it that but that's okay but I asked that in every service while I'm looking and things are kind of coming to my mind I have a manuscript here I know where I'm going but I'm open as I look at you for God as I look at you they see different situations in this church I see some people asleep maybe or I see some people crying or some people rolling their eyes or some people doing this you know what whatever I see it affects me it affects where my mind goes and I'm just praying that where that mind goes is godly it's just guided by God so that what comes out of this mouth is not just not just the blessing of the Holy Spirit yesterday and the day before but the blessing of the Holy Spirit this morning that's all I mean by that things will come out of my mouth that for this service at this time in this place and sometimes they may be extraordinary and other times they may be quite ordinary but God appointed for this people at this time in this service so that's one example and I'm just saying when you drive to your small group tonight or Thursday or Tuesday ask God to do that ask Him to bring to your mind in the car or in the discussion things that will be so powerful when you share them into people's lives that it will change everything something wonderful will happen that God would just do that and you don't even have to be aware that he's doing it he might be second illustration or suggestion using the gift in proportion to our faith will mean using it humbly and boldly by humbly I mean you will not use words that put people in a compromised position of not being able to test it you won't say God told me to say to this small group we should study Matthew because as soon as you say God told me to say you've made it almost impossible for them to obey the scriptures test all things whole fast what is good because you you just made it a God thing how can they even say you know you might be wrong because you just said God said it rather say I sense or I think or I believe God might be leading us now the reason that's not just wishy washy is because if God is really in it then those who have God those who are led by the spirit will sense God is in it God God does not need a loud voice in order to make his power known a still small voice commending a possible behavior or a possible attitude change will be felt with power if it's really coming from God you don't need to put some big label on it must set the Lord small group move to Tuesday night when I can come but I do say along says humility be bold in this don't be so afraid that if if you just have this burden for your group or for somebody in your group or some situation in the society or just you know there's just something that you sense is of the Lord speak it and if you speak it humbly if we have this common understanding then we don't have to be like afraid of oh I guess I boo that one huh there's no blowing if we're all testing and just loving each other with what we believe God has for us so that's my second suggestion humility and and boldness the last one is use your gift in proportion to your faith that is make love the measure of what you say and I say this is acting in the measure of your faith because faith acts through love Galatians five six so you're not acting in faith you're not prophesying in faith when you're not prophesying lovingly so I told you I'd tell you some of these bad experiences I'll just give you one 21 years ago we were talking about this at Bethlehem briefly and there were some women in the church one in particular who began to circulate speaking prophecies over people and I was trying my best to be biblical about this and to be open and to be understanding and and to be a good shepherd of the prophets and she came to me and she said in writing she read it to me she said the Lord gave me this last night had it written down showed me this is the handwriting I use when the Lord gives it to me it's a little different and she said your wife is pregnant which everybody knew and she you're going to have a daughter and your wife is going to die in chopper I looked at her and I said thank you and I'll think about it and I went into my study and bawled like a baby because I was trying so hard to be open to this I didn't want to blow her off I didn't want to get in her face and say what I felt was is what good is that what am I supposed to do with that well when Barnabas was born and Noel is alive I pointed to her last night in the service that there she is she's alive and so this was a false prophecy this is wrong but I couldn't test it she came on to me with such force so my my criterion there is that's not helpful what could I do with that that was just her out of control she just out of control they left the church eventually went to California and not that everybody like that goes to California let's love each other with this gift if if love is your guide I don't think you'll say to things thing you're not sure about and that can't be helpful but rather love each other so I end by just quoting this great passage though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love I'm a noisy gong or a clanging symbol and though I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love I am nothing let's pray so father it's really clear what Paul's priorities are what's this to love each other build each other up help each other he has given in his scriptures guidance on how to use these unusual works of the Lord in our lives and I pray that we'd be open to them we'd handle them with care with humility and with courage that we would be biblically saturated people so that we renewed in our minds and contest what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God sometimes deduced in a logical way from circumstance and sometimes it arrives in our lives with some extraordinary circumstances and I just pray that as a church we would be steady faithful have our feet on the ground of scripture and be able to love each other in all these ways both the seemingly normal and the more supernaturally obvious Lord bless Bethlehem in all these ways I pray and all the people said in man thank you for listening to this message by John Piper pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis Minnesota feel free to make copies of this message to give to others but please do not charge for those copies or alter the content in any way without permission we invite you to visit desiring God online at www.desiringgod.org there you'll find hundreds of sermons articles radio broadcasts and much more all available to you at no charge our 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