Has prophesying ceased? If not, why do we not have it in our churches today?

This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘Conforming our Spirits to the Spirit of God’ (2005).

It depends, my good fellow Christian, what you mean by 'prophesying'. To some people, prophecy is prediction, and there was that element in the early church. In Acts we read of a prophet who came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. He predicted that there would be a famine, and as a result the Gentile Christians took up a collection of money to ease the distress of the believers in Judea (Acts 11:27–30). The prophecy therefore was a very helpful prediction in the ancient world, and provoked that response in the believers to help their Jewish fellow believers.

Incidentally, those who claim to be prophets in that sense, and predict the future, will know that it is a serious thing to do. A prophet who predicts the future and his prophecy doesn't come true, the Old Testament has some very severe penalties upon that kind of behaviour. It is not something to be played at irresponsibly. If a prophecy doesn't come true, that prophet, said the Old Testament, must be executed.

But prophecy is more than that, isn't it? 'The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation' (1 Corinthians 14:3). I think that is exceedingly important. A teacher will teach you the facts of doctrine, and very necessary it is. But it is one thing to expound the facts of Scripture; it is another thing when God uses a servant of his, not simply to increase our knowledge of the facts but to speak to the heart, so that the believer knows, 'God has spoken to me today'.

I have known that kind of ministry happen in a church. Sometimes, unknown to the speaker, the Holy Spirit has laid something upon his heart and it has not only encouraged all the believers, but has spoken with powerful force to somebody there who knows personally that it is of the Lord. I hold that ministry of prophecy to be exceedingly important among the people of God. We must beware of all fanciful imaginations, but in my estimation that is one of the functions of the Holy Spirit's gift to the church in this present time. When I say that, let me add another thing.

Paul says, 'Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh [judge] what is said' (1 Corinthians 14:29). Sometimes I have been led to question my dear friends who advocate tongues and prophecy, and I say to them that we're told to judge. That is, in a friendly way, to criticize. Sometimes they respond and say that I should accept it as the message of the Holy Spirit.

So I reply, 'I am charismatic.'

They say, 'What do you mean, you're charismatic?'

'Well, 1 Corinthians 12 says that all these charismata are of the Holy Spirit, and one of them is teaching (1 Corinthians 12:28). I think, if I'm anything, that I'm a teacher, and therefore I'm charismatic.'

They say to me, 'No, you're not.'

They have the notion that straight teaching is not somehow charismatic. But it is one of the gifts, and I am in that sense charismatic.

Let us not get these things out of proportion, and my point in mentioning that is this. When I stand up and dare to teach in the company of my fellow believers, no one should ever say, 'Gooding said it, so it must be true.' Woe betide them if they take that attitude. You have to criticize what I say. Not in a carnal way, but you have to judge what I say by taking it once more to holy Scripture. 'Well, that bit he said was self-evidently of the Scriptures, but that other thing was very doubtful.' You must judge it, and you must judge the other gifts too. Just because someone says it's a prophecy, it doesn't mean that they are exempt from being examined very closely. We are to do it, says the Holy Spirit.