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Scripture Reading: 1, 1 Cor. 14:3, 4-5, 12, 23-24, 31, 39
The Bible is great, profound, mysterious, spiritual, and divine. After I was saved, I began to love the Bible and to study it. The more I studied it, the more I realized that the Bible is exceedingly profound and that no one can fully understand it.
At the end of the first century, after the departure of the apostles who wrote the New Testament, the second generation of Christians began to study the New Testament. This was the beginning of the history of the study of the New Testament. From that time through all the centuries, the study of the New Testament has never ceased. Out of this study many spiritual writings have been produced. Among mankind, no other school of thought has produced as many writings as Christianity. Christian writings may be grouped into four main categories: the Bible, expositions of the Bible (which also portray the history of the study of the Bible), church history, and biographies and autobiographies of the saints.
Much has been written on certain portions of the Word, such as Romans 3 through 6 and Galatians, but before the Brethren were raised up over one hundred fifty years ago, very few expositions were written on 1 Corinthians. The Brethren touched 1 Corinthians very much. They especially touched chapters 12 through 14, which constitute a section on the spiritual gifts. Chapter 12 concerns the gifts in a general way, whereas chapter 14 concerns the gifts in a particular way, comparing prophesying with speaking in tongues. In chapter 14 Paul indicates that prophesying is the excelling gift, the “head” of the gifts, whereas speaking in tongues is the “tail” of the spiritual gifts.
After the Brethren the Pentecostal movement was raised up. The Pentecostal movement began in the middle of the nineteenth century in England and moved first to Massachusetts at the beginning of this century and then, later, to Azusa Street in Los Angeles. On Azusa Street the Pentecostal movement “burned” like a wildfire, and many of the spiritual, seeking Christians throughout the country were attracted to it, including A. B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. The Pentecostals developed further the understanding of 1 Corinthians 12—14. However, they made a number of mistakes in their interpretation of these chapters. They interpreted prophesying in chapter 14 as foretelling, and they practiced this kind of prophesying in their meetings. Usually their prophecies began in a similar way and ended with, “Thus saith the Lord,” in the style of the Old Testament prophets. While I was in China, I heard this kind of prophesying, and after I came to the United States, I visited various Pentecostal groups and heard the members prophesying in the same tone and style as I had heard in China. In the 1960s several prophecies were given predicting that a great earthquake would take place in Los Angeles at a certain time; however, these prophecies were never fulfilled.
Beginning with Brother Nee sixty years ago, we have come to the clear understanding that prophesying in 1 Corinthians 14 does not denote foretelling or predicting. To prophesy in the sense of 1 Corinthians 14 denotes to speak for God and Christ and to speak forth God and Christ. To speak forth God and Christ is to minister and dispense God and Christ to people. We minister God and Christ to people in the same way that a waiter ministers food. To dispense God and Christ into people may be somewhat different from ministering to them. It is possible for a waiter to offend people in such a way that they will not eat the food that he ministers to them. Such a waiter ministers food but does not dispense it into people. Likewise, a minister of the Word may minister Christ to people but not dispense Christ into them. A nursing mother, on the other hand, not only ministers food to her babies but dispenses it into them. Babies sometimes do not want to eat the food given to them, but mothers have a way to compel them to eat. We must learn not only to speak for God and Christ but also to speak forth God and Christ. Moreover, in speaking forth God and Christ, we should not only minister God and Christ to people but also dispense into them what we are speaking forth.
Experienced doctors are skilled at dispensing medicine into their patients. Often, by the mercy of the Lord, I have the assurance that when people listen to my messages, they receive a dispensing. Even if they go away opposing, criticizing, and rejecting, they have received an “injection.” I have the assurance that I will eventually see the result of such a dispensing.
To speak forth implies to dispense. Paul was the top dispenser. He knew that while he was speaking to people, he was dispensing something into them. In Ephesians 3:2 he says that “the stewardship of the grace of God” was given to him. In Greek, the word for stewardship in Ephesians 3:2 is the same as that for economy in 3:9. The Greek word here, oikonomia, denotes an arrangement for dispensing. The word economy refers to this arrangement, whereas the word stewardship refers to the service of God’s dispensing. When we read any portion of Paul’s writings, something is dispensed into us. He had a particular skill in dispensing by speaking forth Christ. While he was speaking forth Christ, he was dispensing Christ to people. The Lord’s ministry today also is a dispensing ministry. When we read a page of the ministry, we cannot avoid receiving an “injection” of Christ.
To prophesy is also to foretell, to tell beforehand, to predict. In the Old Testament, Isaiah, with sixty-six chapters, and Jeremiah, with fifty-two chapters, are two long books of prophecy. However, only a small percentage of these two books consists of foretelling. Most of the chapters consist of speaking for God and speaking forth God. With other prophetic books it is the same. There are some foretellings in the book of Zechariah, but it contains mainly the speaking forth of Christ. In the writings of Paul there are some foretellings, but most of Paul’s writings consist of speaking for God and speaking forth God, that is, speaking to dispense God and Christ into the believers.
In 1 Corinthians 14 to prophesy does not include to foretell. This is proved by verses 3 and 24. Verse 3 says, “He who prophesies speaks building up and encouragement and consolation to men.” Building up, encouragement, and consolation are not predictions. Building up is for the church, encouragement is for the work, and consolation is for our daily life. For the church we need the building up, for the work we need the encouragement, and for our daily life we need consolation. These definitely are not predictions.
Verse 24 says, “If all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is examined by all.” In this verse to prophesy is not to foretell but to convict and examine people, to make their situation clear to them. When an unbeliever or unlearned person comes into a meeting, he may be confused, mistakenly thinking that he is right with God, but by listening to the prophesying, he is made clear. The prophesying convicts and examines him.
Prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 is carried out in the church meetings (vv. 23-24). Verse 23 says, “If therefore the whole church comes together in one place...” This refers to a church meeting, not a home meeting or a small group meeting. Moreover, the prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 is for the building up of the church (vv. 4-5). According to our experience and observation, the best way to build the church is to prophesy, that is, to speak for Christ and to speak forth Christ, ministering and dispensing Christ into people. For one man to speak while all the others listen is a form of prophesying, but it is carried out in a wrong way. The proper prophesying should be carried out by each attendant in the church meetings.
Prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 causes a seeking one to excel for the building up of the church. Verse 12 says, “So also you, since you are zealous of spirits, seek that you may excel for the building up of the church.” It is good to speak in tongues, but it is not excelling. However, for one to give a short message as a prophecy is excelling. To prophesy is the highest gift, causing the speaker to excel. We must learn to speak not only so that we can excel but also so that the church can be built up.
First Corinthians 14:31 says, “You can all prophesy one by one.” This verse is one of the clearest verses in the entire Bible. It says that all the believers have the capacity to prophesy. Capacity denotes an ability by birth. Dogs do not have the capacity to speak human language; they have the capacity only to bark. Human beings, however, have the capacity to speak. We, as members of the Body of Christ, all can prophesy one by one. Romans 12:6-8 mentions seven gifts, including prophecy, and says that these gifts differ according to the grace given to each member. These verses, however, refer to the exercise of the gifts outside the meetings. In the Body of Christ we have different gifts and functions outside the meetings. The gifts in Romans 12 are not the gifts exercised in the meetings. In the meetings all the members can prophesy (1 Cor. 14:24, 31).
Many saints among us may feel that all can prophesy except them. However, there are no exceptions. We may not be eloquent, but we can still prophesy. Verse 31 does not say, “You can all prophesy eloquently.” There is no such adverb in this verse. It simply says, “You can all prophesy.” It does not matter how we speak; it is sufficient simply to speak. The Lord wants all of us to speak. For over five years we have been ministering on the new way to meet and to serve, but our progress in the new way has been very slow because we do not all speak. If we all would speak, immediately the practice of the new way would be among us.
To my observation, only a small percentage of the saints regularly speak forth Christ. In each Lord’s Day morning meeting, many saints do not speak, but after the meeting they have much to say. We do not need to be concerned with how well we speak; we simply need to speak. Even if our grammar is poor, people will understand us. Many times we like to “save our face.” If we do speak, we desire to be the top speaker. However, we do not need top speakers; we simply need speakers. We all can prophesy one by one.
It is not difficult to practice the new way. If we go to visit people for the gospel and are not able to speak well, we can simply say, “I love Jesus because He is so good. Jesus is also good for you, so I have come to pass Him on to you.” Everyone can at least say this. If we go to people and give them a five-minute message, they may not listen to us, but if we go with a simple word like this, they may receive our speaking. We all can go to speak to people. First, we all need to go in order to gain people; then, we all should go in order to feed those whom we gain. Third, we all must bring our new ones together to form a group for fellowship, mutual care, shepherding, and mutual teaching. When one person in such a group does not understand something, all the others will teach him by speaking to him. Almost fifty times a year all the members of that group will come to listen to each other’s fellowship. Each one will be taught, and all will learn how to rise up to prophesy. If we go to people in this way, we will be carrying out the new way.
Verses 23 and 24 say, “If therefore the whole church comes together...if all prophesy...” The phrase if all prophesy indicates that all the believers have not only the capacity but also the obligation to prophesy. We owe something to the Lord, to God’s grace, and to the saints. For many years the ministry has spoken to the saints, but many saints have not responded to the speaking. We receive the benefit of others’ speaking, but we often forget that we also are obliged to speak for others’ benefit. We all owe much. We have the gospel and salvation, and there are many sinners around us, but we still may not go to them. We also owe something to them (Rom. 1:14-15). We owe something to Christ, to God, to the Lord’s servants, and even to the sinners.
All believers should pursue, seek, and desire earnestly to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1, 12, 39). Dear saints, the speaking of the Lord concerning the new way has continued in the recovery over the past five years. After hearing all this speaking, are you pursuing, seeking, and desiring earnestly to prophesy? We all have the capacity and the obligation to prophesy, and we all should pursue, seek, and desire earnestly to prophesy.
The composition of a prophecy according to the way in 1 Corinthians 14 comprises, first, the knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things. If we are going to prophesy, we must have some knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things.
Second, the composition of a prophecy comprises the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced of God, Christ, and the spiritual things. First we need the knowledge and experience; then we need the utterance, that is, the word and the expression. We can compose a brief prophecy and then practice speaking it to ourselves at home. We may even speak it to ourselves ten times. After speaking it several times, we will know how to correct and improve it. Through this kind of practice we will have the proper utterance.
The composition of a prophecy also comprises the sight under the divine enlightenment concerning the situation and environment in which we are. Many among us are not clear about the intrinsic contents of the present turmoil in the Lord’s recovery, and some prefer not to be clear. Their attitude is that others should be clear about the situation but that they should take care only of enjoying Christ. Such an attitude is wrong. The church is our home and our family. If there is a turmoil in our home among our family, we cannot say, “I do not want to know about it. I simply want to enjoy.” We must have the sight to see the things taking place among us and the situation of all the saints. If we cannot see clearly, we need to pray, “Lord, show me the real situation. Shine over me and enlighten me. Give me the full enlightenment that I may know the intrinsic contents of the present situation.” We must know what is happening in the church, not so that we may take sides with one group of saints against another but so that we may know the real situation.
The knowledge and the experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things, the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced, and a clear view concerning our situation and environment are the basic preparation for our speaking. In addition, we need the instant inspiration of the indwelling Spirit that stirs up our spirit to speak. We are different from the Old Testament prophets. In the Old Testament the saints did not have the Spirit indwelling them. They had to wait until the Spirit came upon them before they could speak for the Lord (2 Chron. 15:1; Ezek. 11:5). However, the New Testament says, “The Lord be with your spirit” (2 Tim. 4:22). We do not need the Spirit to come upon us, because we always have Him in our human spirit. Therefore, we should not wait for the Spirit to come upon us; rather, we should exercise our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, the Holy Spirit who is indwelling our spirit will be moved by us, and we will have the inspiration. It is not He who moves us, but it is we who move the indwelling Spirit. If we remain clear with the Lord by confessing our failures, we will have a direct, open fellowship with Him. He is in our spirit, and we are in Him. When we come to the meeting, we need only to exercise our spirit and say, “Lord Jesus, I want to speak.” Then He will rise up, and we can speak according to our experience with the utterance that we have gained and with the enlightenment that we have. If we do this, everyone will have something to speak in the Lord’s Day morning meeting.
We need to practice composing a prophecy according to the way in 1 Corinthians 14. To help us in this matter, we have prepared the book The Holy Word for Morning Revival. If we use the contents of this book with the knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things, the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced, the sight under the divine enlightenment concerning our situation, and the instant inspiration of the indwelling Spirit through the clear and open fellowship with the Lord in the exercise of our spirit, we can easily compose a prophecy and speak it in the church meeting.
