Gerald Coates had been invited to speak this evening and his subject was prophecy. It was interesting to hear his thoughts as he shared some history and truth with us.
As usual with Filling Station meetings we had a time of singing and praise first. At the end of this I had a word from the Lord and felt I should share it. He said, 'Sometimes my voice will be loud, but with you - my children - I will speak very quietly. But along with the words I will also shine a light on the place where you should stand next. Follow the light, always stand in the light, and listen very carefully for my small and quiet voice. I will lead you along the way you should go.'
Gerald Coates began by explaining that back in 1970 it all began with half a dozen people in his front room and this turned out to be the start of what eventually became the Pioneer Trust. He reminded us that back in those days terms like prophet, apostle, tongues and so forth were almost unknown in the wider church.Out of the early meetings one of the things that was widely discussed was prophecy. Although dispensationalism claims that prophecy is no longer available to us, nevertheless the truth is always true.
At this point (and again several times later) Gerald spoke directly to individuals in the room about their lives. He then continued the flow of his address, pointing out that prophets must speak truth over every situation.
He then touched on something that is very important, something I was glad to hear clearly expressed. Prophets must be very careful not to hurt people in what they say. It's not just a matter of revelation, it's also necessary to show love, patience, gentleness and self control. In other words the fruits of the Spirit must also be active when the prophetic gift is exercised. 1 Corinthians 14 is relevant and useful.
Gerald referred to the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-30); he explained that this is a very good example of prophecy at work. It is intended to edify, encourage and comfort. We should look for positive ways to deal with people and it is often useful to have at least one other person present as a witness to what is said. People respond well when encouraged. Gerald told us how well one woman had reacted when told she was the 'treasure' they'd been looking for while out treasure hunting.
We also heard about the floating axe head (2 Kings 6:1-7). This illustrates that the manner in which we leave our spiritual fathers determines whether we lose our cutting edge. The prophets hadn't left Elisha in a good way and they lost their 'cutting edge' (the axe head).
And here are a couple of points that stayed with me, 'Grief is the price of love' and 'The prophet sees in part and prophesies in part'.
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