There were some instances where I found the author’s use/communication/application of certain terminologies difficult to process. One of the terms that he spoke at length about is “revelation”. In textual analysis, two statements can help guide you in the process of deriving the author’s intended meaning from a text. They are “context is king” and “meanings are not in words, meanings are in people”. Both of these statements point to the fact that a word might mean nothing unless properly situated in the intended context by the reader. Which means one word can mean different things in different contexts. This is the case for “revelation”. The term comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, which simply means a disclosure or an unveiling. For our discussion, we will look at 3 different contexts within which the word can have a slightly different meaning:

1. Revelation in the ordinary sense: It is used to signify the uncovering or divulging of information that was previously hidden or unknown. 
2. Revelation in the theological sense: It is used to refer to what God has made known about himself. Dr. Otabil refers to this context as the specific canonical meaning of the word in relation to scripture.
3. Revelation in the prophetic sense: This refers to the uncovering of spiritual and physical information to a man or a woman by God. 

All three are valid and legitimate; the same word but different contexts, hence it is always important to state or clarify the context within which the word is being used. In the book, we see the author use the word revelation both in the theological and prophetic contexts. The theological definition and usage can be found on page 9, and the prophetic usage can be found on page 19 when he said that “prophets received visions, dreams, and revelations…”. Here, he was referring to “revelation” in the prophetic sense. We see Paul also use the word in the prophetic sense in 1 Corinthians 14:26 to signify the uncovering of the mysteries of God, secrets of men, and future occurrences. Hence, when Dr. Otabil stated that the word ‘revelation’ “… is often used more loosely in present-day prophetic discourse”, I didn’t agree with it. Referring to the use of the word in the prophetic context as “loose” downplays its legitimate existence and usage in any other sense apart from the theological one. Every single contextual meaning of a word is valid so long as the context is properly defined and communicated. One context (the theological one) should not be given undue prominence over others. 

Secondly, from the book, I get the sense that Dr. Otabil believes that “Pastor” is a more humble title for any man of God to take on as compared to “Prophet” even if the said man of God is called to be a Prophet. I am not quite sure of this, but there are some statements he makes on page 92 that give me this impression:

1. During the early years of the Pentecostal movement, church leaders were typically addressed in HUMBLE, relational terms such as brother, sister, pastor, or reverend minister.
2. Such restraint guards against potential spiritual abuse, preserves the primacy of Scripture, and upholds the humility and servanthood characterising true Christian leadership. 

He argues his point by referencing historical church practices and what he refers to as classical Pentecostalism. For these reasons, he concludes by saying, “given the biblical witness and the broader experience of the Christian church, it is WISE for ministers of the Gospel to avoid adopting the title ‘prophet’”. 

Of course, if you are a Pastor, you must be called one; there is no need to assume a title that doesn’t holistically define your God-given calling. But my point is, “Pastor” is an office on its own and should be treated as such. It shouldn’t be regarded as a generic title for every man of God. I believe that, so far as there were people identified in the New Testament as Prophets, we should have absolutely no qualms with contemporary Prophets being called “Prophets” in the church today -especially if they are called of God to be Prophets. Acts 13 opens by informing us that there were two distinct groups of ministers in the church in Antioch: Prophets and Teachers. Again, in Acts 11, we are told that some Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, including Prophet Agabus. He was singled out because he gave a prophecy that came to pass about a famine coming over the whole world. The precision exhibited in the bible, in calling ministers by their actual title, is also a demonstration of doctrinal precision. The bible doesn’t mince words, and we shouldn’t either. The bible calls prophets “prophets” because they are prophets, and for those who just had the prophetic gifts, we are told so. In the case of Philip’s daughters in Acts 21, we are told they prophesied, but it was never said that they were Prophetesses. That is precision. So I expect that if someone is a prophet in the contemporary church, they should be called so, regardless of what practice was predominant throughout the history of the church after the closing of the canon of scripture. Additionally, positing that “Pastor” is a more humble title to assume somehow suggests that “prophet” is a prideful title to accept. I might be reaching, but please bear with me. What I do think is this: if God calls me to be a Prophet, then a Prophet I am. Pride is when I change my title to something else for whatever reason. 

There is one more quote from the book that I respectfully disagree with. On page 107, Dr. Otabil had this to say about contemporary prophets:

Their words do not give direction to the believer, in their day-to-day walk with God. Instead, a prophet’s ministry serves as confirmation of the direction a believer has received, either through God’s written word or the inward witness of the Holy Spirit.

I agree strongly with the first part. I believe that believers must strive to live a life daily led by the truth of God’s word and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. Some are so dependent on their Pastors and Prophets that they are unable to make decisions and take actions without first consulting their man of God and getting confirmation to proceed. I find this to be wrong and inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible in the New Testament. Prophets are not omnipresent or omniscient, but God is. Therefore, we must all strive to know God in a way that is deeply rooted in his word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. However, the point of disagreement in this quote for me is when the author says a prophet’s ministry is to serve as confirmation of the direction that the believer has already received. I believe this to be true and important, but it is not always the case. We are aware of prophecies in the New Testament that came as a confirmation of what the believer already knew; case in point, the story of Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem. In his farewell message to the Ephesian Elders, Paul states that the Holy Spirit had testified to him in every city he had been to that imprisonment and afflictions await him (Acts 20:22-23). This message will be subsequently prophesied by people in two other cities he visited:

1. Tyre: Some disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4)
2. Caesarea: Prophet Agabus also prophesied the impending arrest of Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:11)

In this case, the believer, Paul, knew this because he had already been told by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, you can say the subsequent warnings that came had more details – but from what we are told, at least, Paul knew affliction and imprisonment awaited him. But there are some cases in the book of Acts where a prophetic word comes, and the believers involved seem to have no prior knowledge of it. Here are two examples:

1. When Agabus prophesied global famine, we are never told that the other believers already knew by the Spirit that it was going to happen. But rather, they heeded the Prophet’s warning and determined to send relief to their brethren in Judea (Acts 11:28-29).
2. In Acts 13:1-2, we are told that a group of Teachers and Prophets in Antioch met and spent some time worshipping and fasting, and the Holy Spirit instructed them to separate unto him Paul and Barnabas. This prophetic word didn’t seem to come as a confirmation of what any of them knew. It seems this group of believers received the word as a direction from God that they needed to act on, and so they did. 

I guess what I am trying to say is, in my perspective, a prophetic word can come as a confirmation of what the believer already knows from scripture and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. But I believe there are times when the word might come as a fresh prediction or directive from God that the believer would have to pray about, then act on. Perhaps Dr. Otabil holds this view too, but it wasn’t clear from my reading of the book, or it wasn’t stated at all.

I really loved reading this book, and writing this review allowed me to re-read my favourite parts. It is an essential document every Christian must have on their bookshelves, especially in these times. It takes a more critical and theological look at the prophetic ministry, and this is exceptional because we are often told not to look at the prophetic like that. We are told not to subject the prophetic ministry and prophets to sound theological scrutiny. That is why I loved reading this so much – the author shares no experiences, just a strict adherence to the counsel of God through scripture on the subject, and I loved it. So I hope you grab a copy, read it, and do share what you learnt. 

I intimated to those close to me that I wish Dr. Otabil would do a series on the topic – you know, a classic Otabil-style 16-part, 16-week teaching on the prophetic ministry. I was looking forward to this because I wanted to understand his perspective properly and the basis for the statements he was making. So imagine my joy when I heard he had written a book on it instead. I got a hold of it the very week it came out, dug into it, and decided to do a review of the book detailing the lessons I took from it, as well as areas I need further clarification on.

The book opens with an introduction explaining why it is necessary for this generation and beyond. The author states categorically that in the past few decades, there has been a significant growth of the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. But just like in the other parts of the world that saw the sudden and prominent rise of Christianity, there is a lot of cause for concern regarding matters arising. Specifically in Ghana and Africa at large, we see an emphasis, Dr. Otabil refers to it as an over-emphasis, of the Spiritual Gifts, especially prophecy. This, in itself, is not bad, only that there is a need for doctrinal clarification on how the gifts are wielded and administered in the body. This, coupled with the menace of sexual immorality and other ethical issues identified amongst people in these movements, makes it an even more critical issue that requires immediate attention. The background at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the book in a way that convinces the reader that it is important that this book exists in our time to address, head-on, the current state of the prophetic. 

Dr. Otabil proceeds to define the following terms that were used extensively throughout the book: the word of God, scripture, bible, canon of scripture, revelation, and prophecy. These are all terminologies that could be loosely defined by any serious Christian, but for the sake of communicating a single and effective message to readers, the author offered definitions at the beginning. This helped me to read the book with clarity and understanding; I enjoyed the read because of this. Personally, one of my greatest takeaways from the book is “language”; ie, the author’s use of language and apt terminologies. Many times, we know what the word of God says, but lack the appropriate language to frame our thoughts and communicate them in a way that will be fully understood by our listeners. I have personally benefited from the rich, theologically sound language used in this book. When Dr. Otabil stated in the book that “… the church must strive for clarity and doctrinal precision”, he meant it and demonstrated it in the way that he authored the book with such a high regard for precision of language.

The author defines prophecy as the “divinely inspired communication of God’s will, purpose, or plans to humanity”. Prophecy can be “forth-telling” (inspired speech about the present) and “fore-telling”(predictive) as well. From scripture, we can tell that it is not always predictive, for there are times when people extolled God and it was still referred to as prophetic – case in point, Zachariah’s prophecy in Luke 1:67-79, which is a combination of both. 

There is one prophetic utterance that Dr. Otabil refers to as the turning point between the prophetic patterns of the Old Testament and the New Testament. This is the prophecy of Joel, indicating that in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-30). This is in sharp contrast with the norm in the Old Testament, where individuals like Prophets, Priests, and Kings were the only recipients of the Spirit of God. Joel’s prophecy signified that anybody at all, regardless of age, gender, and social status, could receive the Holy Spirit in the last days (a term the author says is synonymous with the “New Testament”). We see the fulfilment of this prophecy at the dawn of the New Testament and the new prophetic era on the day of Pentecost. The bible makes us understand that 120 people were gathered in the upper room where they were waiting for the promise that Jesus made to them. The Holy Spirit fell on them, and they all began to speak in tongues. This manifestation of the gift of tongues was specifically the speaking of foreign human languages as confirmed by the crowd of Jewish men coming from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). The crowd also confirmed that they could hear them speaking about the “mighty works of God” in their own languages. It is unimaginable to make a direct connection between this event and the prophecy of Joel, essentially because Joel said nothing about tongues. It is when Peter took center stage to address the crowd that he connected the event to the prophecy of Joel in a way that commemorates the commencement of the new prophetic era, which is more congregational than vocational (I will explain subsequently). In the New Testament, the Spirit of God is poured out on all flesh, and regular folks who may not have any titles or positions in the church are filled with the Spirit of God and able to prophesy. Herein lies another proof that prophecy is not always foretelling or predictive. Peter claims the day of Pentecost was the commencement of the fulfilment of the Prophecy of Joel. However, all the 120 people didn’t foretell future events but rather they spoke about the mighty works of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is forth-telling and not foretelling. 

I have always classified the prophetic ministry from a biblical perspective into two categories: Old Testament and New Testament prophets. This is because of the clear distinction between the two groups of prophets. In this book, Dr. Otabil categorizes prophets and the prophetic ministry into two sets of two distinct groups, both valid and interesting.

1. Vocational and Congregational Prophets: This classification, in my view, emphasizes access to the prophetic gift and the level of participation. Vocational prophets are those whose prophetic gift defines their divinely ordained calling or office. It is predominant in the Old Testament. Some are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, and Amos. Congregational Prophets are those who did not receive a special calling from God to become prophets before they started prophesying. You will often find them within the covenant community of people who revere God. They may not have any leadership or special positions amongst God’s people, yet they have been given the gift of prophecy to speak forth the word of God. Congregational prophecy is more predominant in the New Testament and can be seen in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, when the 120 people gathered in the upper room all spoke in tongues, prophesying the mighty works of God. The interesting fact about this classification is that, although there is a concentration of each of the groups in either the New or the Old Testament, it does not mean there are no overlaps. Which means, there are congregational prophets in the Old Testament just as there are vocational prophets in the New. 
2. Canonical and Contemporary Prophecy: Canonical prophecy refers to the ministry and prophecies recorded as scripture, while contemporary prophecy refers to what is portrayed in 1 Corinthians 14 as the prophetic ministry that continues after the canon of scripture was closed. The author calls it post-canonical prophecy (again, the language). It is purposely for edification, exhortation, and encouragement. Dr. Otabil states categorically that “unlike canonical prophecy, this contemporary form is not infallible (exactly what Paul taught in 1 Cor 14). It is not preserved as scripture”. This classification is especially important to me because of my interest in the cessationist and continuationist debates. Our cessationist brethren have always refuted the continuation of the gifts of prophecy because the canon of scripture is closed. Meaning, the existence of the bible makes the prophetic gift redundant. To this, Dr. Otabil had a few things to say:
   • Prophecy has not ceased entirely. What has ceased is the kind of prophecy that produced the Word of God. 
   • Therefore, contemporary prophecy is not inherently permanent, but its discontinuation is tied to Christ’s return, not the canon’s closing.
   • Contemporary prophets do not write scripture, reveal new doctrine, or speak with the infallible authority of Moses, Isaiah, or Paul.

The existence of Contemporary Prophets raises a lot of questions that need addressing. One of such is, does their operation in the prophetic and the prophetic office qualify them for a position in the hierarchy of the local church? I was particularly interested in this because over the years, I have heard a few statements Dr. Otabil has made in connection to this very subject and have always sought clarity on it. I’m glad he takes the time to offer an explanation on this matter in this book. On page 66, he says, “while spiritual gifts are distributed throughout the congregation, they do not determine formal leadership roles, which in the early church were pastoral: elders, bishops, and overseers, not prophets or even apostles”. Although this is new to me, I agree. My view has always been that, so far as there were prophets in the early church in Acts, then all prophets should be recognised and called “Prophets” in contemporary churches as well. This is true; however, it doesn’t mean the prophetic ministry is a determinant of formal leadership roles in the church. It also implies that somebody can be a prophet, and because they preside over a congregation or church as an overseer, they would be formally referred to as an overseer, bishop, or even pastor. And it is fine! The conclusion is that such people can operate in the prophetic ministry as an office, but can have a different title depending on their formal leadership role in the church.

Finally, I want to highlight two things that the author referred to from the story of the Prophet Samuel. First, he points out the need for mentors and fathers in the faith to step aside for their proteges to have direct communion with God throughout their ministry. He used the relationship between Eli and Samuel as a reference point. When Samuel was mistaken in the dead of the night, who was calling out his name, Eli didn’t assume the position of the “Caller”. He rather pointed Samuel to God and asked him to request that the LORD speak to him directly humbly. The point here is that nobody is called into ministry by another man. God calls people and uses them. Therefore, mentors in the faith must always step aside and allow their mentees to heed the “divine summons” (as Dr. Otabil calls it, beautifully) as Eli did. 

Secondly, Dr. Otabil pointed out the fact that “the prophet’s character is as vital as his calling”. He said this to point out the need for prophets to exude the fruit of the Spirit and live a life that is God-glorifying because of their calling. This is important to point out, and it is even more useful to cite Samuel as a reference because in 1 Samuel 12:3-5, Samuel challenged the people to come up with instances where he either cheated them or administered his gift for personal gain. They couldn’t, and that speaks of the Prophet’s integrity. Prophets must recognize the exceptional calling on their lives and know that their character is as vital as that calling. 

This is the first part of my review of the book. In the next one, we will delve more deeply into points of disagreement or areas where I require further clarification. I trust that you learnt a thing or two here, and if you haven’t already, do grab a copy of the book and read it. It is good stuff!

One of the topics I am very interested in is the status of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church today: whether the gifts have ceased or whether they continue to exist. The body of Christ is divided on this subject; there are cessationists who believe the gifts have ceased since the death of the apostles in the New Testament and continuationists who believe that believers can still operate in the gifts even today. The gifts here specifically refer to the charismatic gifts: prophecy, speaking and interpreting tongues, healing, working miracles, word of knowledge etc. The term “charismatic” comes from the Greek word “charisma,” which means “gift of grace” or “gift of God’s grace”. I am a firm believer that these gifts continue to exist in the body of Christ today for a number of reasons. I won’t go into much details today. This is a topic that I wish to take my time to address extensively as time goes on, so you can call this my initial thoughts on the topic and not a conclusive one. 

Admittedly, it is very appalling to see how these gifts have been abused and used to exploit people in the church. Charlatans have crept into the church, distorted the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and led many astray because they parade themselves as prophets, healers and deliverance ministers. It is understandable and actually necessary for us to be alarmed about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit are abused in the church today. I have often said that there is not a single good gift, that the Lord gives, that human beings haven’t abused. I believe, as the scripture says, that all good and perfect gifts come from above (James 1:17). In my study of the bible, I see how human beings or the children of God (both in the old and the new testaments) have abused every good gift God gives. Kings and judges have abused the authority and power given to them; prophets have abused the anointing God gave them etc. It is almost as if the abuse of good gifts is inevitable. However, I think our attitude towards the abuse of God’s gifts should align with God’s. So long as the LORD hasn’t ceased giving gifts to men, we dare not cease believing there are genuinely and divinely gifted people out there who have a specific assignment in this generation. In any case, the bone of contention regarding this topic is if the LORD still gives charismatic gifts, isn’t it? I will tackle this question from one angle: the universality and timelessness of the words spoken by Jesus and confirmed by his apostles. 

The opening verses of the book of John tell us that Jesus is the Word of God and this same Jesus is God. This idea presupposes that Jesus in himself is the eternal Word of God and is at the same time the message God wants to communicate to this world and especially to believers. In fact, nothing was created without the Word of God, hence our entire existence and experience on this earth is made possible by the eternal Word of God. For this reason, I am very particular about Jesus’ words dotted all over the New Testament. I believe he came to live a life that is exemplary and compelling for all Christians in whatever stage in human history to emulate. I also believe his message is a universal and timeless one, which means he came to speak to all people and for all time. Did Christ ever deliver a message to a specific group of people that was ONLY relevant to them in that time in human history? Certainly! However, even those statements have existential and eternal value for all people and for all time. Let’s take a close look at what Jesus said in Matthew 11:21 to understand this issue, he said:

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes

In this story, Jesus was addressing the unrepentant people in the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida who had been witnesses to many mighty miracles he had done. Despite the fact that Jesus wrought mighty works amongst them, they still didn’t believe in him. Therefore, he rebuked them and stated that people living in other cities (Tyre and Sidon) would have repented if they had been witnesses of those mighty works. Here, we can clearly say that Jesus was speaking to a specific people at a specific time in human history. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida being the primary recipients are also the main subject of this message: their unrepentant hearts  was the reason Jesus said what he said. However, what Jesus said has some serious value and application even in our world today on a collective level and on an individual level as well. Meaning, this portion of scripture can be applied to individuals and groups of people who have witnessed many mighty works of Christ yet refuse to repent. 

On the other hand, there are statements that Jesus made that are for all people and for all time. We will look at one of such statements recorded in Mark 16:17-18:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Coincidentally, prior to this passage, Jesus had rebuked the apostles for their unbelief and the hardness of their heart. Similar to what he told the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida. 

Although the primary recipients of this message are the apostles, Jesus opens this message up for all people and for all time by using the phrase “those who believe”. “Those who believe” are not a specific group of people trapped in a specific time in human history. These are individuals who believe in Jesus Christ as the saviour of the world and have accepted him as their LORD regardless of what point in human history they exist in. These individuals are the target group of God’s rescue mission executed by Jesus on the cross and finalized in his resurrection. The statement of Jesus in the passage under discussion is a portion of what Christians call the Great Commission which is Jesus’ instructions to his disciples, after his resurrection and before his ascension, to propagate the gospel globally. The apostles are dead and gone, however, the Great Commission is still being carried out today. Although the apostles were the primary recipients of the message, Jesus was saying these things to the hearing of all people and for all time. Therefore, we need to take the words of Jesus seriously even in this day and age – as  seriously as the apostles did.

The reason why I have stressed this point is that two of the signs that Jesus mentioned will follow “those who believe…” are spiritual gifts: speaking in tongues and healing the sick. If this is so, then how did our brothers and sisters come to the conclusion that the gifts of the Spirit were for a specific group of people for a specific time in the ancient world? “Those who believe…”  as a universal and timeless statement reminds me of the “whosoever…” in John 3:16. This verse in John is arguably the most popular bible verse. I doubt the right interpretation of the verse is “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him in the ancient world, will not perish but have everlasting life”. It is erroneous to read John 3:16 with this understanding. Jesus spoke to all people and for all time in both John 3:16 and Mark 16:17-18. Jesus stated categorically in the latter passage that two of the signs that shall follow all who believe in him are speaking in tongues and healing. For this reason I do not subscribe to the cessationist doctrine. I believe strongly in what Jesus said and its implications to the world and the body of Christ today. 

On the day of Pentecost, Peter addressed all who had gathered after hearing the 120 in the upper room speaking in tongues. The bulk of Peter’s message was a prophecy recorded in Joel 2. In fact, he didn’t just quote the passage but he explained to his audience that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost is actually a fulfilment of what the Prophet Joel prophesied:

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 

Acts 2:16-18

God has said he will pour out his Spirit on all flesh. “All flesh” here signifies that the outpouring of the Spirit of God will not be the reserve of any special group of people, for God does not discriminate. The outpouring of the Spirit of God will not be limited to a specific gender, age bracket, race, social class etc. What we do know is that the prophecy was expected to be fulfilled within a specific time in human history called “the last days”. The last days, span from the day of Pentecost until Christ comes. It is a term that is widely used in scripture. Often in the New Testament, a lot of signs and global events are stated that will characterize these last days. This is the conclusion I drew from Peter’s address: if Peter claims the day of Pentecost is a fulfilment or the beginning of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy, then since we are still in the last days, we should expect that the same manifestations of the Spirit will be seen in the body of Christ. Since the outpouring of the Spirit is characterised by prophecy, then it isn’t consistent with the timelines of Joel’s prophecy when we say the gift of prophecy ceased at some earlier point in human history. So long as the last days remain, we will still see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit characterised by the signs prophesied by Joel, which includes spiritual gifts. 

The Apostle Paul also made a lot of statements that communicated at least the universality of spiritual gifts to a certain degree. “Universality” here refers to the fact that the gifts are not reserved for a special group of people: which is exactly what Joel prophesied and Peter confirmed on the day of Pentecost. In writing to the church of Corinth, Paul said in 1st Corinthians 14:5 that “now I want you ALL to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy…”. Paul expresses his desire for every single member of a church, regardless of their background, to speak in tongues, better yet, to prophesy as well. “ALL” means all; no one left behind and no one excluded. Paul expected the entire church of Corinth to manifest the gifts of the Spirit, especially speaking in tongues and prophecy. Later in the same chapter, while instructing the church of Corinth on the need for orderly worship, Paul again stated in verse 31 that “For you can ALL prophesy one by one…”. Again, “ALL” means all. Everybody in a single church can prophesy and it shouldn’t be described  as “charismania” but it should be seen as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy and the practising of sound doctrine.  

Cessationists have coined the term “charismania” to describe individuals, movements and denominations that emphasize the widespread use of the gifts of the Spirit. I have also coined the term “Pharismania” to describe the excessive scepticism of those who constantly deny, disapprove, misjduge, doubt and question the existence and use of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ today. This is because their actions remind me of the Pharisees in John 9 when Jesus healed a man who was born blind.The Pharisees, instead of rejoicing at the news of this miracle, rather commenced an investigation to be sure, not for good reasons, that the man was indeed born blind. They interviewed his friends, family and the man himself in the process. All that mattered that day was that a blind man was healed. But the sceptics concerned themselves more with the non-issue of the day than the miracle. This is the level of scepticism that cessationism brings to the table. It is sad to say that cessationism is adorned with the same level of hyper-scepticism that the Pharisees opposed Jesus’ ministry with. Hyper-scepticism is not a sign of maturity. Hyper-scepticism is not discernment. Hyper-scepticism is a sign that you lack faith in the word of God and the person of Jesus.

There is the tendency for believers to think that once a prophetic word goes forth then it is reason enough to go to sleep or literally sit and wait for the word to come to pass. However, a careful study of this chapter (1Kings 18) and other passages in the bible would reveal that a prophetic word is actually ‘a prayer topic’ or a prayer guide. As Paul told his spiritual son Timothy in 1st Timothy 1:18:

 “ This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare’’. 

The phrase ‘good warfare’ in the verse quoted above almost implies that without the prophetic word released on Timothy’s life, he was going to wage a bad warfare in prayer. A ‘bad warfare’ could also mean a warfare that lacks direction, probably not in the will of God and therefore would yield minimal or zero results. But when a prophetic word is pronounced over one’s life, this person is empowered with divine insight concerning future matters to know what to pray for and what to pray against because he/she has received a prophecy that indicates what to expect in the near or distant future. 

In the chapter under discussion, the word of the LORD came to Elijah saying: “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth’’. This prophecy can be divided into two parts: the first one is the responsibility that Elijah was given by God and the second is God’s responsibility towards fulfilling the word. The instruction God gave Elijah was for him to go and present himself to Ahab. The assumption is that once Elijah has carried out his responsibility then what is left is for God to move and send rain on the earth. But that wasn’t exactly what happened.

Later in the same chapter, after Elijah had proven to the people that the LORD was more powerful than Baal, this is what he told King Ahab, “go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41). The prophet was simply telling the king to go and make merry or celebrate the fact that there was rain coming. His exact words were ‘… for there is the sound of abundance of rain’. Prophets are known to be people specially gifted with heightened spiritual senses. Hence, if Elijah said there was the sound of abundance of rain, then maybe he could hear this sound with his ears (spiritually). This was enough proof that the rain was surely coming and that he had every right to probably join the king to eat and drink in anticipation of the end of the drought. But no, that wasn’t what happened.  

After Ahab left the presence of Elijah, the prophet travailed in prayer in such a posture that it appeared he was petitioning God to do that which the LORD hadn’t intended to do. The bible describes Elijah as bowing to the ground and putting his head in between his knees. That is a very uncomfortable position to be in. However, this was the prophet’s prayer posture. He sent his servant 7 times to check if the rain had started. This indicates wrestling in prayer; it indicates determination and persistence in prayer until the desired result manifests. This should be our attitude towards praying about prophecies we receive. It is not the time to go to sleep. It is time to wage a good warfare. I hope you noticed that the prophet told the king to go and eat and drink in wait of the fulfilment of the prophecy but he didn’t join in the merry making. This was because the primary recipient of the prophetic word was the prophet and it was his responsibility to wage a good warfare until the prophecy came to pass. 

Earlier, I mentioned that Elijah proved to the people that God was more powerful than Baal. This is how he did it. Elijah threw a challenge to 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mount Carmel. The challenge was for them to slaughter a bull and call on their gods (he would do the same) and whichever ‘god’ responded by sending down fire to consume the ‘sacrifice’ was to be regarded as the true God. He called for this challenge because the people had become divided on the issue of which god to follow. Elijah posed this question to the people, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21, NKJV). I found the ESV’s translation of this verse to be more interesting. It said “how long will you go limping between two different opinions?”. This paints a perfect picture of lukewarmness. It suggests that these people were neither here nor there by deceiving themselves that they were both here and there at the same time. By not choosing one position, they had chosen both positions at the same time, which is no position at all. Because of this, Elijah had to prove to them that God is greater than Baal so that they could make up their minds. 

The prophets of Baal, prepared their bull and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon and there was no response. They limped around the altar on which the bull was laid in a bid to get the attention of Baal, also to no avail. Elijah began mocking them. He asked them to shout louder for Baal was probably meditating, busy, on a journey or asleep. The part where Elijah states that Baal might have been busy doing something else is translated differently by some versions of the bible. Some actually quote Elijah as saying that Baal was probably relieving himself at the time his prophets were trying to call on him. If it is so, then, it appears Elijah resorted to crude joking and sarcasm just to make the point that Baal was no god at all. 

When it was his turn, Elijah prepared the bull and put it on his altar. His altar was made up of 12 stones: each representing one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He dug a trench around the altar as well. He asked the people to fill four jars with water and pour it on the altar 3 times. At this point the bull was probably soaking wet and according to the account the water filled the trench he had dug around the altar. After all this, then Elijah said a very short prayer. In comparison to what the prophets of Baal did, it seems Elijah spent more time preparing the ‘sacrifice’ than he spent praying and calling on the LORD. The words he said in the middle of this prayer are of great interest to me and of grave importance to the topic under discussion. He said, “let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word”. This implies that every single thing Elijah did in this contest he heard it from the LORD. The confidence he exuded while taunting the prophets of Baal was because he had received a sure word from the LORD that indicated that he was going to win the contest. Therefore, the procedure he followed in preparing the altar for the bull and even the water that was poured on it were all prophetic instructions from the LORD. Despite this fact, he still prayed before the fire came down. 

Receiving prophetic instructions from God and carrying them out alone didn’t produce the desired results. Elijah still had to pray for fire to come down after obeying the word of the LORD that came to him. 

When you receive a prophecy, you have received divine insight to assist you in waging a good warfare. When you receive prophetic instructions, it doesn’t always mean you will receive your heart’s desires right after you carry them out. You need to pray, give thanks to God, and ask him to do that which he has promised to do. The idea that receiving a prophetic word means it is time to go to sleep while the word automatically comes to pass is not consistent with scripture. In the Bible, people prayed earnestly for prophecies to come to pass and we should learn to do the same.

Credit: Feature image by @frankfmx on Instagram

This is quite complicated don’t you think so? It is difficult to understand with the human mind and understanding. This is why most people make a mockery of tongues. Speaking in tongues has always attracted mockery from people who don’t understand its place in the church. The first time it was spoken, onlookers thought the apostles were drunk.

As already stated, speaking in tongues dates back to the day of Pentecost. In fact, speaking in tongues was the evidence of the gift Jesus Christ asked the apostles to wait for. That being said, it is crucial that I state that the speaking of tongues was not recorded anywhere in the Old Testament. Neither are we ever told Jesus himself spoke in tongues. However, Isaiah, the same prophet who prophesied the birth of Jesus, prophesied about tongues. He said in Isaiah 28:11 that ‘… by men with stammering lips and strange tongue will He (God) speak to this people’. Paul confirms that this verse was in reference to the speaking of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:21. Is it not amazing that Isaiah did not only speak about tongues, but he emphasized the point that it will be a means through which God will communicate to people? Speaking in tongues is a language through which God himself speaks to either the speaker or a group of people. To buttress a point I made in the first paragraph, tongues is spoken by a person who doesn’t understand what he is saying, in some cases, God picks it up and sends the meaning back to the person or to a group of people gathered.

A careful study of the subject of tongues, especially in the book of 1st Corinthians, reveals that believers can experience tongues in two major ways. The first of which is to use tongues as a prayer language, the second is to use tongues as a way to enter into the prophetic. A good understanding of this fact will put an end to most of the controversies surrounding tongues. In 1st Corinthians 14:13, Paul said that anyone who speaks in tongues should pray that God would grant him the ability to interpret it. He said this right after he made the point that it was his wish that every believer spoke in tongues and more importantly, prophesied. However, speaking in tongues and interpreting it is equal to the gift of prophecy. He also went on to state that, anybody who speaks in tongues openly to a congregation must be in the position to interpret it or there must be someone in the congregation to interpret it. If there is no one to interpret the tongues, the speaker should sit down and speak to himself and to his/her God. All these tell us that one can experience tongues as a prayer language and in other cases as a means to the prophetic. The latter is very much encouraged by the Apostle Paul. We can all speak in tongues. We can all prophesy. The key here is to have a strong desire for these gifts and God will honor the desire if it stems from faith in him by granting us graciously what we so desire.

The question is often asked, is speaking in tongues the sole indicator that one has received the Holy Spirit? Before I make any emphatic statement, I would like us to examine three events – all in the book of Acts. The first time that the apostles, together with the other believers spoke in tongues, the bible says the Holy Spirit had descended on all who were in the room and there were visible cloven tongues of fire on their heads. They spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The second event is the story of Peter’s visit to the house of Cornelius. This was a total shocker because Cornelius was a Roman centurion, and hence, he was the least likely candidate to receive the Holy Spirit. However, in this story, while Peter was still expounding the word of God to Cornelius and his household, the spirit of God fell on them and they all began to speak in tongues and prophesy. The last event is recorded in Acts 19, where we see Paul interacting with some disciples at Ephesus. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, they said no. So he laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues and they also prophesied. What is the point here? From all indications, it seems in the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit comes upon a believer or when he/she is baptized in the spirit, he/she first speaks in tongues and in some cases prophesies. Primarily, the individual receives power when the Spirit comes upon him/her; the power to do what the spirit leads and this includes speaking in tongues. However, I am not saying one cannot interact with the Holy Spirit or encounter him unless he speaks in tongues. In the Old Testament we see the spirit of God come over so many people and yet none of them spoke in tongues. However, in some cases, when the spirit came over some people, they prophesied. Case in point, when the Spirit came upon King Saul and he prophesied.

I was astounded to hear Dr. George Arthur say in a sermon that for 1600 years, the speaking of tongues was prohibited in the church. Nevertheless, there were a few individuals who did speak in tongues. Therefore, the Pentecost experience lasted for only 200 years. This shook me. The question is why and how did this happen. I believe some verses in the Bible, taken out of context in their interpretation, contributed to this. I am going to do my best to share a few of such with you:

Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? … 1st Corinthians 12:30

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease… 1st Corinthians 13:8

In the first verse, Paul was talking about the fact that not all of us operate in the same gifts however, our individual gifts come together to edify the church. That is why he asked, ‘do all speak in tongues?’. The tongues Paul talks about here is the special gift of tongues. We all should speak in tongues however, there are people with a special gift of tongues which is often characterized by the ability to interpret it. The second verse is also often quoted to support the assertion that tongues ceased right after the era of the early apostles. I have one response to both arguments. My response is found in 1St Corinthians 14:39. In that verse, Paul says ‘So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues’. This implies that tongues-speaking must not be prohibited by any believer or denomination of the church. In the second verse, the apostle mentions that tongues shall cease. It isn’t clear what he means or when this shall happen, but one thing I do know is that we are in the same covenant with God as Paul was. Therefore, if he said nobody should forbid speaking in tongues, then this instruction very much is relevant to us today. It couldn’t be that the apostle contradicted himself in the same epistle to the Corinthians.

Paul is not the only one who emphasized the need for believers to speak in tongues. Jude in Jude 1:20 also said believers must build themselves up in their most holy faith, praying in the spirit. Praying in the spirit is another term for speaking in tongues. This can be seen in Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians where he told the believers to pray in the spirit at all times (Ephesians 6:18) and also in 1st Corinthians 14:15.

Speaking in tongues is highly relevant in our walk with God today. It launches us into the realm of the manifestation of the spirit like nothing else. Just as Jude said in the verse above, we build up ourselves in our most holy faith when we speak in tongues. This is to buttress what Paul said in Corinthians about how speaking in tongues edifies the believer. Speaking in tongues is intimacy with the Most High God. It is like you and God have your own secret love language. I will urge all of us to desire and ask God to grant us the ability to first speak in tongues (those who don’t speak it) and (those who speak it) the ability to interpret it which is equal to the gift of prophecy.

One thing that I have realized Christians rarely talk about is the faith and humility required to speak in tongues. The truth is, the Holy Spirit gives you utterance when you speak in tongues, therefore you must have faith in him that he is addressing the burdens of your heart accurately or better than you would if you prayed in any human language. It is difficult to appoint another person to make an appeal on your behalf unless you believe that that person will better articulate your grievances than yourself. This is why it takes a lot of faith to speak in tongues. It takes a lot of faith in the Holy Spirit. The truth is, we are not ever articulate enough to communicate our own burdens and desires to God aptly. It says in scripture that we don’t know how to pray as we ought to so the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. See? The Holy Spirit is a better prayer warrior than you are. If you can understand it, then you can muster the humility and faith that is required for one to speak in tongues.

Tongues is also a unifier of the body of Christ. It brings people of different cultural backgrounds together by giving them a common language. Again, Dr. George Arthur said, “tongues is the antithesis of Babylon”. Meaning, tongues is the direct opposite of what happened during the construction of the tower of Babel. While in those times God gave the people different languages to cause disunity, in our time he has given us a strange language to unify the church. The first time the believers spoke in tongues, there were people from different parts of the world represented there. And all of them could hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. Some of the people came from Cyrene and Lybia (Africa), Judea, Cappadocia, Rome, Pontus, Asia etc. They all drew near to the upper room and were later addressed by Peter. That day 3000 of them gave their lives to Christ. Now, this reminds me of another controversy surrounding the speaking of tongues. Most people are of the view that it is not tongues until it is a human language spoken by someone somewhere in this world. For example, if I’m Ghanaian, my tongues should probably be in Italian. This assertion is based on what happened on the day of Pentecost where people from different parts of the world could hear the believers speak their own language. Concerning tongues, Paul said in 1st Corinthians 14:2, that “one who speaks in tongues speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit”. Therefore, tongues are not supposed to be understood by human beings. However, we see that on the day of Pentecost people could hear the believers speak their own dialect and language. I believe this was supernatural and it may happen in some instances especially when the Holy Spirit wants to use tongues as a sign to some unbelievers. However, it is not always the case that when you speak in tongues then you are speaking some foreign human language. It doesn’t always work like that.

There are a 1000 and 1 more things I could share on speaking in tongues but space and time won’t allow me. When I set out to write this, I only wanted to prove that speaking in tongues was highly biblical and still relevant in our time. But while writing it, I was convicted to pray for all who read this to either start speaking in tongues if they don’t already, and to those who speak, to ask God to help them interpret tongues and prophesy. I pray that we all have an encounter with the spirit after reading this article.

With the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains.

It is like faith and actions are an inseparable pair. But how about those times when faith actually requires that you don’t act? How about those times when acting is rather a sign of fear and lack of faith? Faith can actually expect you to stay calm and not move. Inaction is still an action. Therefore, the saying still holds: faith without works(action) is dead.

Accompanying your convictions with actions seems the most logical thing to do. But when you voice your belief and that same belief system in itself requires that you stay put and don’t move, dear friends it is hard to cope with. You automatically start fidgeting. It is just like being told by the doctor to wait outside his consulting room till he calls you in. Watching the hours literally slip by coupled with no notifications from the said doctor concerning how many minutes more you would have to wait for him can kill! The temptation to believe he might have fallen asleep or forgotten about your appointment will weigh heavy on your mind. Your best bet is to knock the door to give him a gentle reminder. But how would he take it? Could he be irritated by you assuming that he had forgotten about you or would he welcome the gesture? It is just an overwhelming feeling but you would have to endure the emotional roller coaster and either walk up and down the hallway or even hum your favorite song hoping he would hear you and be reminded of your presence. When you think about it, you will realize that you are just impatient. You will also realize that if you did exactly what he asked you to do – wait – you would not have to go through that trauma. Did he state categorically that he would call you in? If yes, then your actions show that you don’t have faith in him and what he said. Impatience is indeed the strongest indicator of a lack of faith.

In the bible, a rather short story is told of a man called Uzzah during the reign of David. The Ark of the Covenant had just returned to Israel and as expected there was a lot of jubilation and merry making. The Ark rode on a cart attached to oxen. The oxen stumbled, hence it appeared the Ark could fall off and the worst could have happened to it. The Ark represented the presence of God; the Ark was God in their midst. The command was, ‘nobody should touch the Ark of the Covenant’ – absolutely nobody. We are presented with a very interesting scenario here. The untouchable Ark is about to crush on the ground, what do you do? I won’t lie; I would have done what Uzzah did. Uzzah went ahead and held the Ark in an attempt to save it from crushing on the ground. God struck him dead there and then. Uzzah wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t attempted to save the day. The absurd thing is he was trying to save God. How on earth do you do that … to give God a helping hand? In this case, a person who was full of faith in God wouldn’t have made this mistake. As I have stated already, in some cases, faith requires that you don’t act. Sometimes faith doesn’t require actions but inaction. But in faith inactivity is sometimes recorded as activity; inaction is sometimes the expected action.

As hard as it seems, this is the truth. That sometimes God requires that you be still and know that He is God. He does this especially on occasions where He has spoken already. Sometimes He speaks and requires that you take an action which will yield some tremendous results for you. Nevertheless, after honoring your side of the covenant He appears quiet or totally ignorant of your plight. The pain! The feeling of betrayal! In times like that, please know that faithful is He who has said it, and He is faithful and more than able to perform it.

The moment when you think your actions could save the day but God requires that you wait for him is one painful experience. After Jesus’ death, the apostles’ lives were in danger because the Jews were after them to prosecute them too. But Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the father (the Holy Spirit). The dilemma: to leave Jerusalem and be out of harm’s way or obey the command of God? Waiting on God is not easy, but from the experience of the Apostles, it is worth it a million times more because they reaped tremendous benefits by waiting in Jerusalem. The story is also told of Simeon an elderly man which is quite similar to the story of the 84 year old prophetess, Anna. These two waited with great patience for the birth of the promised Messiah (this is faith). Note: the birth of the messiah was prophesied many centuries before their time by Isaiah and many others. How silly they must have looked to their friends and families, waiting for a prophecy that was many centuries old. Anna was known to be always fasting and praying in anticipation of the birth of the promised Messiah of Israel and the world. We should all learn from this, that while waiting it is best to be prayerful and thankful. Simeon desired to see Jesus and then die peacefully. Only God knows how many years they waited. Guess what, their waiting wasn’t in vain because they were waiting on God. Waiting on God is worth it.

Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to their lifespan?

This is a question Jesus asked in Matthew 6. Anxiety and impatience are a strong indication of a lack of faith in He who it is you are waiting on. If it is God you are waiting on, be rest-assured that He will show up. Maybe not at the time you would have wanted him to, but at the end you will realize that it all makes sense; the wait will make sense. You might just realize you weren’t even ready for your desires when you thought you were.

REFERENCES: LUKE2, 2nd SAMUEL6:7A