Messages from the Body

Here is a sampling of some of the messages that have made a special impact at CCiPH, and that have been transcribed or written in manuscript.

Most weeks in our equipping assembly, at least one man has been asked to prepare a message that will build up believers. Often, the message is taken from the liturgical Gospel reading of the day, or it is a life message that God has been working into the fabric of that man. It is included here to build you up.

A Message delivered by Ken Read 2003-05-11

Background Scriptures

Acts 13:1 There were multiple prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. This is a model of structure for our congregation in Price Hill.

1 Corinthians 14 This chapter contrasts tongues with prophecy, and says that we should eagerly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that we may prophesy. It says that the purpose of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage and comfort the church. In fact, Paul says that if everyone in the church would prophesy, unbelievers will be convicted of sin, will have their secrets exposed, and will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” Of course, we want the end result found in this chapter; perhaps we should also desire the means to that end.

While 1 Corinthians 14 proposes that everyone comes ready to prophesy, it also provides some limitations: two or three prophets should speak, they should speak in turn, and others should carefully weigh what is being said.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 We are warned, “Do not quench the Spirit; do not treat prophecies with contempt.” But the next three verses also gives a warning to test everything and cling to what is good, but avoid every kind of evil.

There are many other passages, both in the Old Testament and in the New, which describe and give guidelines for prophecy. Yet, the topic (the “P” word, as Mark would say) is one of the most controversial in the church today.

The reason for the controversy is that there are two basic ways to define prophecy. The first is what you might call non-supernatural; it is proclaiming a studied teaching from the Bible. The second describes a more direct revelation from the Lord Himself, and includes dreams, visions, the interpretation of tongues, words of knowledge or of wisdom, prophecies or revelations. These acts are controversial, because the theology of many Christians teaches that these and other sign gifts disappeared from use after the generation of the apostles.

Our Basic Position

One of our basic beliefs in our statement of faith is “God is active today.” We do not pretend to understand all of the workings of the Spirit, but we recognize that often God directs us in very special and clear ways.

After months of consideration and careful study and prayer, our elders have decided to affirm that we are a prophetic church. While we discourage disorder, or public speaking in tongues in the assembly (following Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 14), we do allow and encourage prophetic gifts to be acknowledged in the assembly.

We believe in allowing open sharing in most of our assemblies, for several reasons:

1.      It’s good for us to hear from others, and to be encouraged by what God is doing in or teaching to those in our midst.

2.      The standard for the assembly is to have 2 or 3 prophets speak, not just one studied message.

3.      We are commanded not to quench the Holy Spirit, or to despise prophecies.

However, when this open sharing happens, there are some basic ground rules that we need to follow. We are still refining how to go about doing this, but here is what the elders have determined.

1.      Sharing testimonies is always open and welcomed, though we must be careful to maintain the pacing and be sensitive to the other people and events of the day. Remember ABC (Audible, Brief, Christ-centered)

2.      There is a spectrum of sharing that has a testimony or thanksgiving or insight into Scripture on the one end, and a dream or vision of biblical magnitude of inspiration on the other end. Most things that happen to us are somewhere on that spectrum. And it is apparently easy for us to be deceived or to mislead others, because there are many warnings about testing these messages. (1 John 4:1; 1 Corinthians 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)

Ground Rules

Here are some guidelines for those who feel they have received a word from the Lord:

1. If you have a word for an individual, you are free to share that word as the Lord leads. But do so with humility and love! (Some personalities are quick to attribute an authoritative message, and it is the most cruel of tricks to tell someone something, pretending that it came from God, in order to give you built-in authority.) We believe that we can never be fully sure that a message is from God while we are in these bodies of ours, so we advise that you always deliver that personal word seeking confirmation that your message is of the Lord.
2. Prophecy is for the comfort, strengthening and encouragement of believers (see 1 Corinthians 14:3). So if you have an encouraging word to share with the body, you may feel free to do so. We want to promote an environment in which the Holy Spirit choreographs the service as He wishes. If you feel it is from the Lord, then go ahead and share it. Even negative messages, if they are from the Lord, are for comfort, strength and encouragement. (“God has told me that you are going to go through great loss, but He assures you that He will give you strength and that much blessing will come to many through your loss.”)
3. Most messages should be shared with your small group first, and your small group pastor will test and (hopefully) affirm your word. Every matter should be confirmed by two or three witnesses, and if the message is important enough, God will do just that! Most of the time, He is speaking to multiple people to confirm the word, or even providing miraculous witness to the message that He gave you. When that happens, then you can speak with confidence and boldness.
4. Occasionally, you might be shown something that is negative; a call to repent, or some impending bad news. These relatively rare messages are the ones that really need to be confirmed. So, rather than sharing it publicly, please first run it past one or more of the elders. On Sundays, the elders will function as the first line of those who will weigh carefully what is shared. If you feel that you have had a message come to you, go to the front row and seek out one of those men, and they will advise you on whether to share it that morning, whether to wait a week for a more careful testing first, or whether it should not be shared.
5. During body life time, they will then call on you to share. Remember, the spirit of prophets is subject to the control of the prophets, so whatever advice they offer you (such as to keep it short or to limit your comments to one particular subject), you will be able to do. We will all have to trust the spiritual discernment of these men.

Testing the Spirits

Now, when we carefully weigh what is said, or when we test the spirits to see if they are from God, what criteria do we use to measure the message?

1. First, is it true, as measured by a correct understanding of the Scriptures? God will never change or contradict himself, and any message that He gives will bring more light to what has already been given. There will be no new revelation, no new covenant, no new direction; only the completion of what He already said.
2. Second, does this message hold the testimony of Jesus? (see 1 John 4:1-3; Rev 19:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-3). God’s Spirit will acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh, it will be centered on Christ, and in particular, it will focus on His death, His burial and His resurrection. Otherwise, it is suspect.
3. Third, does this message edify and build up the saints, including the deliverer? If the message is from the Lord, it will cause the person who receives it to be humbled, to repent, or to continue in love and good works. No message from the Lord will convict people of legalistic guilt, nor will it allow people to remain in sin, nor will it puff up the deliverer with pride or judgmental attitudes. And remember, the anger of man does not bring about the righteous life the Lord desires. Over the long haul especially, we look to the life of the deliverer of the message to see if God is making a change for the good, an increase in holiness and especially in humility. Many people get worked up, and some fairly froth at the mouth, being so full of the Holy Spirit, but if they are not radically transformed by the presence of God, then it was somehow a false spirit, perhaps a familiar spirit who uses the name of Jesus but leads the person astray. We must be on guard against such spirits in our midst. It is not just the content of the message, but also the spirit in which it is delivered, which is discerned here.

Receiving a Word

Now, how do you receive a word from someone?

1. First, be humble and receive it as if the Lord had spoken to you. Do not argue or resist.
2. However, do not act on anything until you have tested the spirit, to see that it was from God. (see conditions above) You may want to seek confirmation from trusted spiritual counselors, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter should be established.
3. If the message would affect your future plans, put it on the back burner and see if the Lord is continuing to confirm that this is His will. (For example, don’t move immediately to Nebraska just because one person told you the Lord told them you should! Though if a person were to tell me to immediately move to Hawaii, . . . . J)
4. Remember that we are often too hasty to “see” what we want to see, or to write poetic endings to a chapter in our stories. What God reveals to us doesn’t always make sense in this lifetime, and you may have to live with incongruity for years, waiting to see it fall together.