Part 1: Training
In a little sideroom of “Revival Fellowship,” (a happening church in Town City, California), about two dozen people sat in a circle of chairs, talking and joking with one another. A little sign on the outside of the room said, “Prophetic Training, taught by Micah Smith.”
A young man in his early twenties sat and looked around the room nervously. He was white with blonde hair and wore glasses. He had a smooth complexion devoid of facial hair. His neighbor (an older black guy a coupld years his senior) turned to him, “What’s up. Your name was Tom, right?”
“Yeah,” Tom said slowly. “Have we met?”
His partner replied. “Yeah. I’m Bill. Don’t worry about it. You’re pretty new here, right?”
“Right. Four months, so far. I’ve really enjoyed this church.”
“Is this your first time at a prophetic training?”
“Yes. It’s something that caught my attention, so I wanted to see what it was like. Prophesy and all this is still really new to me.”
However, before that statement could be explained, Micah walked into the room with a wave and stood at an open end of the circle. He had arrived exactly three minutes late. Micah was a truly tall caucasian man in his fifties. He had a well-trimmed beard but a bit of a gut. He wore a huge smile. He quickly got the meeting started.
“I’m Micah Smith, for those who don’t know me. I lead the prophetic ministry here at R.F. Please refer to me as Prophet Micah.”
He paused awkwardly, as though expecting some kind of reaction. “Come on, that was a joke. Nobody better refer to me as Prophet Micah. One of the things you’ll learn today is that if you go around referring to yourself as a prophet, it actually harms your ability to minister prophetically. Anyways…”
He got a few other preliminaries out of the way. This was a six week class, two hours each Sunday afternoon, etc. etc. After a few minutes, he began teaching.
“I want to start with a correct definition of prophesy. Prophesy is simply hearing from God and speaking it out. It usually doesn’t relate to any future events and does relate to God’s heart in a matter. When you prophesy over someone, you’re trying to answer the question, ‘God, how do you love this person, today?’ Answer that, and you’re prophesying. Even if you’re just quoting a Bible verse to them, you’re prophesying.
“All Believers can prophesy. Here’s a few verses to back that up:
“I Cor. 14:1: ‘Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophesy.’ If we’re commanded to seek out the gift of prophesy, we should be able to find it. God wouldn’t command us to seek something out if he’s just withholding it.
“I Cor. 14:5: ‘I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would much rather have you prophesy.’ If Paul wanted everyone to prophesy, it’s for all believers.
“And one more verse for you (still in I Cor. 14). This one mentions everyone prophesying. Verse 25: ‘But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everyone is prophesying…’
“And if God is continually loving everyone, then why can’t any Christian deliver a prophetic word to anyone at any time by listening to Him and being filled with His Spirit?
“So, what does prophesy look like? Prophesy can take the form of images, specific words, Bible verses, or just about anything: God is creative. Sometimes a person gets an image that seems completely random: macaroni and cheeze. Yet maybe that means something to the person they’re supposed to tell it to. So, speak it out! Don’t be afraid. This is a safe environment for you to all learn in.
“One final word of caution. I Cor. 14:3 “But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening and encouragement and comfort.” Prophesy is never meant to condemn. That’s not communicating God’s heart. Also, when you’re beginning to learn to prophesy, don’t give a prophetic word that’s negative or confrontational. If you have something like that, run it by an experienced prophet first. Over the years, I’ve watched tons of young people get in trouble by ‘prophesying’ to people they’re angry with.
“Ok, let’s divide up into groups. We’re going to practice. Before we start, any questions?”
Tom raised his hand and asked, “Practice? Does it really make sense to practice prophesy? Where do you see that in the Bible?”
The teacher gently answered this familiar question, “Well, prophesy isn’t the only gift that we practice. People practice evangelism, teaching, and so forth. Does the Bible mention practicing those? The point is that we can’t expect someone to be instantly mature in prophesy. If that were the case, we’re have a fear-based congregation, and no one would prophesy. We’re learning to hear the voice of God, here, and that’s a process.
“By the way, that’s also why you don’t attach ‘Thus sayeth the Lord’ to your prophesies. We really want to respect God’s name and His Word, so as young prophets in training, it’s better to say ‘I’m getting a picture of…’ or ‘This is what I’m sensing.’ Speaking like that gives grace for being wrong or making a mistake. It doesn’t make you sound infallible. Anyways, everybody pair off. Try to pair with somebody you don’t know.”
The room quickly divided up and Micah gave more instructions. “Ok, we’re going to practice prophesying over the person you’re with. Take a moment of silence and ask God, ‘How do You love this person, today?’ Then sit there for a minute, and whatever comes to your mind, share it. We’re not trying to call out someone’s destiny to go to Africa as a missionary. You’re seeking an encouraging word or an image. And after you’ve delivered, ask them: ‘Does that resonate with you?’ And if not, try to be gentle with your answer, because you’re next.”
Tom paired up with a young girl named Jessica. She’d been a Christian for less than a year and wore a big smile on her face. They exchanged introductions.
“This is so awesome! I’m so excited to prophesy,” she said. “Ok, can I go first? Let’s see.” She sat silently for a moment, her eyes wide open but not focusing anywhere. Then she opened her Bible, closed it, and looked up to Tom. “I got two things over you. The first was Ephesians 7:4 over you, but I looked, and that’s not in the Bible. But I also saw that God has given you a lot of discernment and wisdom and maturity. You’re like an aged wine that’s better because it’s older. Uh… not that you’re old, but you’ve been a Christian for a while, and that’s good. Does that resonate with you?”
Tom thought for a moment. “Well, maybe a little, in a very general way, but not strongly.” The girl looked down in saddness, and the young man tried to cover his tracks. “But, well, thank you.”
“Ok, your turn,” she said, quickly recovering and smiling.
He bowed his head and folded his hands. How do you love this girl today, God? He asked. His thinking continued. I’m not saying I’m some amazing prophet. I’m not trying to speak for God. I’m just trying to encourage this new friend with something from the Spirit. He’s not going to smite me if I get it wrong, but man, this feels weird. “I think that God is really bringing about a lot of restoration and healing in your life right now, and this season is really important for that reason,” he told her. “Oh, and does that make sense for where you’re at?”
Tears formed on the edges of her eyes. “You have no idea how accurate that is right now!”
The young man couldn’t help but to notice how generic his “word” was. How strange. He started thinking. Our words were both pretty non-specific, but she almost cried when I said that to her. I guess we’re just really different personalities. Someone like this girl doesn’t see all the complexities and statistics of generic prophetic words. She just got encouraged and felt like I spoke something from God.
Around the room, people tried. “Well, I can see you’re pregnant, and God is going to minister to you so much through this child.”
“God says that He doesn’t look down on you for your past.”
“I see an Egg McMuffin.”
“Jeremiah 29:11 - ‘I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…’”
“…And there’s this huge, deep blue lake, and the swan is diving into it, and these snow-capped mountains are all around. And then swan dives off a waterfall, and into a green pool at the bottom, and there are thornbushes all around the pool, but the swan explodes through the thornbushes and flies into a beautiful sunset over the ocean.”
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