“Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
Acts 2:18 (NIV)
The prophet Joel knew that when the Spirit came at the dawn of the age of grace, men and women would receive the ability to prophesy. The apostle Peter uses Joel’s prophecy to explain to all of us what this new age (this age of grace – this age of the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who call on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ) would be like. We know that Joel saw this time as a new age because of the language of the sun and moon and stars- it is the apocalyptic language of the end of an age and the beginning of a new age.
This age would be the age of prophecy, where all God’s children prophesy, not just a select few.
As you read 1 Corinthians 14 and try to determine what Paul meant, he tells us that he would rather have all of us prophesy - remember that this word prophesy describes an activity that belongs to an entire age, not just a generation of 40 years. This age of grace will end when Christ comes back in glory and until He comes back in glory, each of us should seek this gift from God. We should seek to be able to speak intelligible words that edify others, that build us up, strengthening each other, encouraging each other and comforting each other. Words from God through us to each other.
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