Featured I am an SBC Member Who Wants to Teach a Biblical Way of Doing Prophecy

My name is Steven Yeadon and I have a rudimentary gift of prophecy by New Testament standards as far as I can tell. I know this might shock people, but I am also a Southern Baptist Convention member as well.

Now, at this point I must explain that I believe that revelation and prophecy have happened throughout Church history, but that it is generally rare. I’ll give you some names of people you can look up who have received real prophecy: I believe Perpetua had real prophecy as she awaited her martyrdom, I believe Samuel Morris had real prophecy when he was rescued from death in Africa, I believe Betsie ten Boom had real prophecy when she was dying in a concentration camp, and I believe the numerous stories from Christian martyrs, persecuted Christians, and Christian converts reveals more prophecies. In addition, my time in the International House of Prayer movement has shown me that some so called charismatic prophets do have real messages that ring true on a number of occasions, but oddly enough I typically found them to be the junior prophetic ministers and not the big name prophets with books and images.

I can tell you there really is supernatural stuff going on, as its easy to confirm by going to a supernaturally gifted charismatic church for a year. However, I was always told something very unbiblical in the House of Prayers: "Follow the power inside the church to know where God is and is working." Something which really means that those with supernatural power are God's special messengers and workers. Simply put, the bible does not tell us to go looking for power or signs and wonders to find those with vested spiritual authority in the New Testament. Instead the bible warns us that such people may be on their way to hell as imposter Christians (Matthew 7:21-23).

That said, I believe that the Azusa Street Revival to be a counterfeit revival and I stay away form it and its fruit. We can just read the wikipedia articles on the so called revival (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azusa_Street_Revival) to understand that they stood for two things that clearly violate the bible: women as pastors and disorderly conduct in church (1 Corinthians 26-40). A counter-argument may be raised that the Azusa Street's fruit over the years (Matthew 7:15-20) appears at first glance to be good in that it has spread to the far corners of the earth bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, from my own experience inside the International House of Prayer movement for a few years, I can tell you that it really is charismatic chaos inside Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity. Inside it you learn to value the bible less than in the SBC, you learn to get wrapped up with a cult-like culture of the end-times, you place prime importance on displays of spiritual power instead of where such "signs" should be leading us in our relationship with God, and you easily lose sight of having a relationship with Jesus Christ because the real fix is the supernatural.

In addition, the type of inaccuracy prone prophecy that the Azusa Street Revival and the Pentecostal Movement, and later Charismatic Movement, has created does not sound like my earlier historical examples at all or like the bible. Simply put God is the Sovereign LORD yesterday, today, and tomorrow and if He gives prophecy it will be accurate and correct prophecy.

Now I wanted to present for testing by my brothers, sisters, mothers, and elders my rubric for prophecy that I have been using to prove my prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). I know form the bible in Proverbs that as iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another (Proverbs 27:17) and I seek to be true to God and His Word in all I do. Thus, I am asking for help and input of any kind in helping me to be on the straight and narrow way, and to aid in the equipping of the saints with my gift. I know that such a gift is to work in tandem with teachers, evangelists, and pastors to equip Believers for good works and to help us all mature into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

My hope is to one day teach a new biblical way of handling the supernatural in evangelical churches that is utterly biblical in all ways.

The following are my guidelines on how to do prophecy:

1. First, the most important thing I could urge you to do is to have a strong and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ with daily reflection on the Word of God in order to be a Christian prophet.
2. Know the bible backwards and forwards and make an effort to study it every single day.
3. Test your prophecy against the bible at all times. If a prophecy seems to go against the bible at all, stop and assume it is likely untrue until you prove it is true through more bible study.
4. Test the spirits to determine if prophecy is real prophecy from the Holy Spirit using at least the the biblical test of 1 John 4:2-3. I caution you here that if it seems that you are hearing from the Holy Spirit or an angelic voice, but they never interact with you no matter how hard you try to talk to them, it may instead be a mental illness.
5. Expect real prophecy to be accurate prophecy.
6. Expect that all prophetic words will be the words of Jesus Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-14).
7. Be open to visions and dreams coming from Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and not just words, but be careful and pray for guidance when this seems to occur to make sure it is not your own imagination.
8. Obey the bible to the letter on how to interact with God with primary emphasis on the New Testament and interactions with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Remember, we talk to our Master, Creator, and God.
9. As you read the bible, be reticent of your prophecies and continue to test them as you discover or rediscover commands and verses that you were unaware of.
10. Be willing to admit you were fooled by your own imagination or the spirit of the antichrist if a prophecy comes up false eventually.
11. To prophesy during church you must obey the guidelines of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 and speak in an orderly way able to to be weighed and interrupted.
12. I avoid all big time prophets that I know of and their books because they always fail to have a biblical ministry that adheres to these previous points.
13. Be aware that we are greater than the Old Testament prophets as New Testament prophets (Luke 7:28). This should give us all great, great pause when you realize how these prophets lived their lives for God as people Jesus says are not as great as us. You can read about the Old Testament prophets in 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, the books of the prophets in the Old Testament, and also do not forget the most successful of the Old Testament prophets: John the Baptist, who is in the Gospels.
14. I always try and thank God for a prophetic message.

Now the most amazing thing may be that the Spirit that talks to me and claims that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh has no words on the future for me. Instead he encourages me in one of the darkest periods of my life, and he offers a kind of bread crumb trail of encouragement to good objectives and important knowledge on the way to serving others.

Thank you for any replies.

 

I am sorry to have upset you brother, because it sounds like you are angry with me. I have no wish angrily argue doctrine, instead I would like to just present my side and continue form there.

As for being a Southern Baptist Convention member, what you said about being a baptized member of an SBC church is what I meant. I erred in my language and am sorry if it came across as pompous. I didn't mean anything by it. I really thought that that those who are members of SBC churches call ourselves members of the SBC.

I wish to include a larger section in the bible, as it may help give my own understanding of the verses involved. I view them as eschatological affecting us when we die and go to God or when Christ returns.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (ESV)
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Now, to me verses 9 and 10 immediately go into verses 11 and 12. The reason that tongues, knowledge, and prophecy pass away is that we have grown into the perfect, and we now know the things of God fully face to face. A perfect understanding so fully known on our part that it is like having been fully known by God. I see this as only being possible in the light of eternity, either when Jesus returns or when we die and go to God.

That aside, if you can show me further and more concrete biblical evidence that God does not communicate to us in any special way today, I would love to see it and be corrected. It is just that I know of no such verses as of now. I am not kidding or being patronizing, I could be fooled by the devil in some way, and I really would value correction.

 

Ah, because the bible tells us to test our prophecy. The New Testament gives us some verses that relate that we must test our prophecy and even test the spirit giving us prophecy:
1 John 4:2-3
1 Thessalonians 5:20-22

As for the specific test of using the bible, obviously, a prophecy that goes against the bible is a prophecy that is untrue. The bible is the Word of God and as Jesus said in Matthew 24:35: His Words will never pass away.

 

I have not posted any prophecy of mine, so how can you have weighed the spirit who gives me prophecy? I have exclusively used biblical studies that you clearly disagree with, but which I believe baptists can disagree on.

-EDIT-

Oops I did post a bit on my prophecy in the original post in the very last paragraph to correct myself.

 

Ah ok, here elder, as you were a pastor, I just have to agree to disagree. We're still both baptists, but I see here we must part ways on understanding each other.

I only ask that you please be very careful due to 1 Thessalonians 5:20. I am not trying do a parting shot or be patronizing I'm just making a saying after the bible study discussion, as I get up to stretch and get food and drink, that I think you come down too harshly on what could be real prophecy. My genuine, heartfelt concern for you is that Jesus may will punish you in some way at the Judgment for blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. As there is a judgment of believers according to what we have done. Of course, if I am wrong then I have committed the same crime and I must be ever wary of not winding up in the hot seat before my Creator Who died for me having believed Satan was Him all along.

 

Baptist Brother,

I am sorry but this statement makes no sense to me as 1 Thessalonians 5:21a tells us to test everything just after 1 Thessalonians 5:20 told us to not despise prophecies. It would seem to me, then, that prophecy must be tested both by the prophet receiving the prophecy and of course by their churches, I must now add. This board has taught me that prophetic ministers must be in a fellowship weighing their prophecies in a biblical way. Any future ministry I would begin must take this to heart and at least create an online church community to share prophecy in according to biblical norms.

Also, I believe it important to say that prophets are different from apostles. The apostolic gift is gone. No one survives today who was personally commissioned by Jesus Christ to be His representatives. I think many big time prophets today who have images are in fact trying to be apostles and are in error for this. They act like church big wigs, when instead the bible tells us that prophets work with pastors, teachers, and evangelists to equip believers to do good works and grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ Himself (Ephesians 4:11-13). Prophets do this through Words from God that strengthen, encourage, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). Quite apart from predicting the future or writing scripture, prophets instead give Words from God that equip, encourage, and comfort on a more personal level.

Also, as for starting a ministry. I now know after a kind message from a poster, that I should check with my pastor, go over what I want to do in the parachurch realm with him, discuss whether this is a worthy effort for my time, determine what I need to do to get there, and realize that the internet allows me to do very concrete things for other people very quickly. I was thinking in terms of brick and mortar buildings for ministry and as such I thought I was years away from doing anything of substance. This thread has convinced me of something far different. Websites matter, especially if I can get the word out.

 

After much reflection, bible study, and prayer I have decided to stop prophesying and see what the fruit of this is over time. I came to the conclusion I may not be a prophet and may in fact be deceived by the spirit of the antichrist mentioned in 1 John 4:2-3.

I made this decision after doing internet research in which I was especially taken aback by the verse Ephesians 2:20. I do not see how I could be laying the foundation of the church in the 21st century. I was also taken aback by bible commentaries on the New Testament prophets that showed that their role differed greatly to what I had in mind based on where the spirits leading me have been taking me. I was also alarmed at a point when I seemed to doubt the resurrection of Jesus, which I decided to just have faith in blindly. My "prophetic walk" lately seems to have introduced the idea I had increasing evidence for God's existence due to supernatural encounters with spirits, which I did not handle well.

Thank you all. I believe that is all I will be up to on this thread.

 

8 months. I was an imposter Christian as far as I can tell for years at my church until I finally broke down and said that I had to take the bible at its word and exercise faith in Jesus' resurrection without using supernatural evidence or apologetics to cheat my way to what seemed like faith. Hebrews 11:1 condemned me and I came to saving faith about eight months ago and was baptized.

I know this is going to sound insane but I thought I -retained- a gift of prophecy from before my salvation. Of course it was a spirit of false prophecy going by the bible I now realize. I have no gift of prophecy. Instead I have times in my life where God led me to salvation by talking to me directly on rare occasion. I am writing a book about this journey currently.

I don't have a call right now, I just have the understanding that some people have real gifts and thus for such gifts to be used unbiblically something is deeply wrong in the church. I want to rush to do the work of the Kingdom even if I have no calls right now. However, I may be going way to fast as 8 months seems too fast for what I am doing even now given 1 Timothy 3:6. I come off as a wannabe leader at 8 months after conversion and I do not know if that is correct to do.

Also, 2 Timothy 2:25-26 was what happened here on this board. I will be taking further ideas for various initiatives of mine here for vetting since I now understand you guys and gals give godly testimony.

My decision for now is to fold any ideas of ministry until I talk to my pastor.

-EDIT-

Father in Heaven I am sorry for going along with Satan's will, I am just a lowly scum bucket sinner, please forgive me in the name of your Son Jesus who died in agony for me to be cleansed of these sins if I just confess them. I hate my arrogance, I hate my conceit, I hate my haughtiness, I hate my self-centeredness, I hate my laziness, and I hate my self-seeking.

I pray Father that if there is nothing but spirits of antichrist raising false prophets that you lead me to understand this and stand firmly in Your truth. I pray you teach me and all Believers Father, once and for all, whether this gift is really present today at all. In the name of your Son Jesus do I pray Amen.