xdisciplex
A lot of people have had the same questions you do.
I suspect a lot of prophecies are just people's thoughts. Sometimes they were in Old Testament times, too, and the OT rebukes these kinds of 'prophets.'
But there are also genuine prophecies. The Bible teaches it is a real gift. I also think sometimes real prophecies can sound just too obvious. I mean, quotes of scripture, sayings of encouragement. That doesn't mean they aren't from God, just because they sound obvious. God can say whatever He wants. Sometimes, what sounds like something you could make up off the top of your head could be an answer to someone else's thoughts or their prayer for the week.
I remember once when I was a teen, we were singing this song in church, "Give glory, and honor, and power until Him, Jesus, the name above all names." Being the type of person that I am, I thought "How is it possible to give power to Jesus?" or maybe I asked" ....give power to God?" I did not realize that line was taken from the book of Revelation at the time. Someone either prophesied or their was a message in tongues and an interpretation. Anyway, the message in English was something like this, 'You ask, how is it possible to give power to God" or to Jesus, and went on the comment further on this issue. That really got my attention.
I've also witnessed a lot of words of knowledge about things that the person who got them did not know by natural means. Like words that mention details of another person's life. I've also had a couple of friends who had the experience where they got the interpretation to a tongue, and before they gave it, someone else gave the same message. I know someone who has had this experience with prophecies before, too.
But on the other hand, you have the people who say the same things every week in church which are just quotes from scripture or strings of religious sayings. These things don't look nearly as supernatural. That doesn't mean they aren't from God. It doesn't mean they are true prophecies either. If they are just scripture quotes, then they have inherent value.
The Thessalonians probably heard some false prophecies. They obviously had heard or read some false end-time teachings or prophecies because Paul mentions something along these lines. If you get 'burnt' with false prophecy, or if you just see a lot of flakiness, you might be tempted to be overly skeptical or just reject prophecies. The Bible forbids this. It says, 'Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things.'
Proving, testing, or judging prophecies is not easy. A lot of people would rather avoid prophesying so they don't have to determine whether they are real. One test is if a spirit says that Christ is come in the flesh. Some people say reject a word if it is not confirmation, but that does not line up with the Bible, since there were a lot of OT words that do not seem to have been confirmation. What has helped me deal with this is to realize that I am responsible before God for whatever decision I make. If I were to follow a false prophecy, I would still be responsible for my decision. If I disregard a true prophecy, I am responsible for that. Knowing this helps me make a decision. Not that I have gotten a lot of 'directive words' in my life....
On the issue of control, yes that is a concern I suppose. But a lot of people get words for each other over the course of time and know how to deliver them without trying to sound more spiritual than the other person.
As far as weirdness goes, I can relate, too. Not all churches are weird like that. It irritates me too when I have visited conferences or churches where dancing weird, talking weird, or acting weird is common. I don't like that, and I don't feel comfortable taking someone to a place like that either, especially unbelievers. Some of this is just church culture. Some evangelicals who aren't into Charismatic stuff are kind of cookie cutter, with the same hairdos, etc. from the perspective of unbelievers. If it becomes the culture to be really weird in church, then people act that way, or the church draws that kind of crowd.
Sometimes prophetic people are weird. Some are very normal, but every once in a while, you meet someone who is just kind of weird. I remember that verse where Jehu said of the prophet who anointed him to be king and ran away, 'You know those mad men and the kind of things they say.' He was trying to get out of telling the soldiers what the prophet had said. But maybe there was a general impression that prophets were crazy, or seemed to be so. Think about what prophets did in biblical times, burning their hair, walking around naked for three years, preaching in the desert in camel hair clothes and eating locust....
As for singing in tongues, if it is isn't interpreted, I don't think people should do that in church gatherings. If it is interpreted in a Biblical and orderly manner, then that's fine. Depending on the nature of your house group, studying I Corinthians 14 in depth may help on this issue. Can you suggest passages to study?
Should you find another church home?
