Understanding the Gift of Prophecy in the Church Today
- Apostle Chad Collins
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
There is so much confusion around the gift of prophecy, and a lot of that confusion comes from people using one word to describe several different operations of the Holy Spirit at the same time. If we are going to be biblical, we need to slow down, open the Word of God, and define this gift clearly.
I want to deal with this plainly. The gift of prophecy is for today. It is a New Testament gift, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is given to the body of Christ. If someone says prophecy ended with the apostles, that does not hold up when you actually read the passages that deal with the gifts of the Spirit. Paul did not write about these things as museum pieces. He wrote about them as active realities in the church.
Table of Contents
The Gifts of the Spirit Belong to the Body of Christ
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists the gifts of the Spirit and includes prophecy right alongside miracles, discernment, tongues, and interpretation. He makes it clear that these manifestations come from the same Spirit and are distributed as He wills.
The source of the gift is not human talent. It is not personality. It is not emotionalism. The source of the gift of prophecy is the Holy Spirit.
Paul also places the gifts in the context of the body of Christ. That matters. If the gifts were only for the earliest believers, then you would have to argue that the body of Christ itself somehow ended with them. That is absurd. The gifts are not “the gifts of the apostles.” They are the gifts of the Holy Ghost, given to the church.
Why So Many People Misunderstand Prophecy
One of the biggest reasons people get confused is because when the Spirit of God is moving, more than one gift may be operating at once.
I often use a simple illustration. We call water “water,” but when you break it down, it is H2O. In the same way, people will say, “That was prophecy,” when what actually happened involved prophecy plus a word of knowledge, or prophecy plus a word of wisdom, or prophecy plus discerning of spirits.
So if we are going to understand this gift properly, we need to break it down and look at what prophecy is in its purest New Testament sense.
What the Gift of Prophecy Actually Is
The word “prophesy” means to speak forth. It is an inspired utterance by the Holy Spirit in a known language.
There are three vocal gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:
Prophecy
Diverse kinds of tongues
Interpretation of tongues
These are called vocal gifts because they are expressed through speech. The Holy Spirit inspires them, and they are released vocally.
Now here is where I need to be very clear, because this helps many people immediately.
Prophecy is not prediction in its purest sense.
Prophecy is not revelation in its purest sense.
That shocks people because they have been trained to think prophecy always means foretelling the future, calling out hidden facts, or revealing secrets. But biblically, that is not the simplest definition of prophecy itself.
What 1 Corinthians 14 Says Prophecy Does
Paul gives a direct definition in 1 Corinthians 14. He says that the one who prophesies speaks unto men for:
Edification
Exhortation
Comfort
That is the biblical core of New Testament prophecy in the church.
Prophecy is a Spirit-inspired utterance that builds people up, stirs them forward, and strengthens them with the comfort of God. It is an inspirational gift.
That phrase is important.
The gift of prophecy is an inspirational gift, not a revelation gift and not a directional gift.
It inspires. It edifies. It exhorts. It comforts.
Exhortation can sometimes include a corrective edge. It may urge someone back into alignment, stir them to obey God, or call them to respond rightly. But even then, the function remains within that framework of building up and urging forward under the inspiration of the Spirit.
Prophecy and Prayer Are Closely Related
This is where a lot of people suddenly realize they have been closer to this gift than they thought.
Paul speaks in a way that links praying and prophesying. They are not identical, but they are closely related. If I had to describe it simply, I would say they are like first cousins.
Prayer is directed to God. Prophecy is an inspired utterance from God to people. But the cadence, flow, and spiritual atmosphere can feel very similar.
Sometimes a person is praying out loud and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that prayer shifts. It moves from petition into utterance. It becomes first-person language from the Lord that edifies, exhorts, or comforts. That is where prophecy often begins to operate.
For example, someone may be praying:
“Father, bless her. Strengthen her. Open her eyes. Help her heart.”
Then suddenly the utterance shifts:
“I am opening your eyes. I am strengthening your heart. I am with you.”
That is not the same as ordinary prayer. It is a Spirit-breathed utterance. It is prophecy.
This is why I often tell people: if you are truly a person of prayer, especially if you pray out loud and are filled with the Holy Ghost, there is a real possibility that some measure of the gift of prophecy will begin to function in your life.
Why Vocal Worship and Prayer Matter
Many believers want spiritual gifts to operate, but they stay silent. That does not help.
When you become vocal in worship and vocal in prayer, you create room for vocal gifts to be expressed. Prophecy, tongues, and interpretation are vocal gifts. They are released through utterance.
That is one reason I push people to open their mouths in prayer and praise. Not as a ritual, and not to manufacture anything, but because the Holy Spirit often moves through yielded expression. A silent, shut-down posture can resist what God is trying to release.
What Prophecy Is Not
It helps to be just as clear about what prophecy is not.
It is not automatically prediction.
It is not automatically the revealing of hidden facts.
It is not automatically direction for someone’s life.
It is not the same thing as preaching.
It is not the same thing as teaching doctrine.
Some people can prophesy and are not preachers in the expository sense. That should not trouble anyone. The gift of prophecy is a manifestation of the Spirit. It does not require someone to be a pulpit teacher with formal theological training in order for God to use them to edify, exhort, and comfort.
Now if someone is going to teach doctrine, pastor people, or stand in an office that requires handling Scripture publicly and consistently, that is another matter. They need grounding, discipline, and sound understanding. But the gift of prophecy itself is a manifestation of the Spirit, not a seminary achievement.
When Prophecy Seems Revelatory
Here is where many people get tripped up.
They have seen prophetic ministry where hidden things were exposed, dates or details were revealed, dreams were interpreted, or personal situations were identified. They assume all of that is prophecy itself.
Not exactly.
Very often what is happening is that prophecy is operating alongside revelation gifts. Those revelation gifts include:
Word of knowledge
Word of wisdom
Discerning of spirits
A prophetic flow can include several of these at once. That is why it all gets lumped together and called “prophecy.” But if you want to understand it biblically, you need to distinguish the parts.
Word of Knowledge
A word of knowledge is a supernatural revelation concerning something in the present or past connected to the will of God. This is often what is happening when someone says, “I see this,” or “The Lord is showing me that.”
Word of Wisdom
A word of wisdom deals with divine insight concerning what should be done, or what lies ahead in relation to God’s will.
Discerning of Spirits
This is supernatural awareness of spiritual activity, whether angelic, demonic, or otherwise in the realm of spirits.
These are revelation gifts. Prophecy by itself is not.
A Practical Example of How the Gifts Work Together
Many times I will be ministering to someone and begin in prayer. As I pray, I may shift into prophecy. As I prophesy, a word of knowledge may suddenly emerge. Then faith rises in the person receiving ministry, and healing or deliverance can break through.
That whole flow may be described generally as “prophetic ministry,” but within that moment there are multiple operations happening.
Sometimes I may stand in front of someone and simply begin to say, “I see this,” or “The Lord is showing me that.” In a technical sense, that is not the gift of prophecy in isolation. That is a revelation gift being expressed vocally.
At other times, there is no revelation at all, just a pure prophetic utterance that builds and comforts. And yet it carries tremendous weight because the presence of God is on it.
An Example of Pure Prophetic Edification
I remember ministering to a young woman after a service. She was carrying something heavy emotionally, and I was asked to pray for her. As I began praying, I saw a picture of an apple. Then I heard myself say, “You are the apple of His eye.”
That was not a prediction.
It was not a deep unveiling of hidden secrets.
It was not some grand revelation of future events.
It was a Spirit-inspired utterance for comfort and edification. But because it came under the anointing, it carried the presence of God. Joy and freedom came to her immediately.
That is the difference between merely saying something kind and actually ministering by the gift of prophecy. The latter carries divine weight. The Holy Spirit breathes on it.
Why Presence Matters More Than Impressiveness
This needs to be said plainly. A lot of people are too excited about impressing others with revelation. They want to call out facts, names, numbers, and details. But if there is no presence of God on it, something is off.
When the genuine gift of prophecy is moving, there is often a felt sense of the Lord. People may weep, tremble, break, or become deeply aware of God’s nearness. Not because something sensational was said, but because the utterance was inspired by the Spirit.
That matters more than performance.
Why Order Matters in Prophetic Ministry
The fact that prophecy is real does not mean there is no order.
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul says:
Do not quench the Spirit
Do not despise prophesyings
Test all things
Hold fast to what is good
That gives us both openness and discernment. We are not to reject prophecy outright, but neither are we to accept everything uncritically. We test. We weigh. We keep what is good.
Then in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says to desire to prophesy and not forbid speaking with tongues, but also says that all things must be done decently and in order.
That means there is such a thing as prophetic order in the house of God.
Rank, Measure, and Maturity Matter
Not every operation of prophecy carries the same authority, and not every person is moving in the same measure.
Someone may have the gift of prophecy and not stand in the office of a prophet. That is important. A true prophet will certainly have prophecy operating, but not everyone who prophesies is a prophet.
There are also differences in rank, maturity, and measure. If someone with a simple prophetic prompting speaks out of turn or contradicts a stronger, more authoritative operation already in motion, that creates confusion.
Zeal is not enough. Discernment and humility are necessary.
Do Not Turn Prophecy Into a Directional Crutch
This is another area where people can get into trouble.
If someone tries to use the gift of prophecy to direct lives when they are not graced for that kind of revelation, they can step outside their jurisdiction spiritually. That is dangerous territory.
When people force revelation that God has not given, they can open themselves up to error and even familiar spirits. That is not meant to scare anyone, but it should sober us.
Humility protects you. Staying within the measure God has actually given you protects you. Letting the Holy Spirit be the source, instead of your ambition, protects you.
Why Prophecy Is Primarily a Church Gift
The gift of prophecy in its purest New Testament form is mainly a gift for the church. It strengthens believers. It comforts believers. It edifies believers.
Can God use prophetic ministry in evangelistic settings? Of course. But usually when ministering to the world, revelation gifts such as the word of knowledge are often more effective because they reveal the secrets of the heart and awaken someone to the reality that God knows them.
Prophecy, strictly speaking, is especially suited to strengthening the people of God.
What Paul Commands the Church to Do
Paul does not treat prophecy as optional historical background. He gives direct instruction about it.
He tells the church:
Do not despise prophesyings
Covet to prophesy
Do not forbid speaking with tongues
Do everything decently and in order
You cannot read those commands honestly and then say these things have no place in the church today.
How to Grow in This Biblically
If you sense that God wants to use you in prophecy, do not start by trying to impress people. Do not start by chasing manifestations. Do not start by trying to predict things.
Start here:
Become a person of prayer.
Pray out loud.
Stay filled with the Holy Spirit.
Learn what Scripture actually says.
Remain humble and teachable.
Do not try to operate outside your measure.
Let God add increase as He wills.
These gifts are not ultimately skill sets. They are birthed out of intimacy. They come out of prayer, communion, yieldedness, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
I am convinced of this: many believers who think they are not prophetic at all may discover that in seasons of sincere, vocal prayer, the Spirit of God begins to move through them in edification, exhortation, and comfort. That is not something to fear. That is something to understand and steward biblically.
The Simple Biblical Summary
If I had to condense the teaching to its essentials, I would put it like this:
The gift of prophecy is a New Testament gift for the church today.
It is given by the Holy Spirit.
It is a vocal gift.
Its primary function is edification, exhortation, and comfort.
It is closely related to prayer.
It is not, by itself, a revelation gift.
It can operate alongside revelation gifts such as word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits.
It must function with biblical order, testing, humility, and discernment.
When you understand that, you are already safer and stronger than many people who use the language of prophecy loosely but have never taken the time to define it scripturally.
Final Encouragement
I believe the church needs the gifts of the Spirit, and I believe the church needs understanding just as much as it needs power. Ignorance creates fear on one side and excess on the other. But Scripture brings balance.
So do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophesyings. Test what is given. Hold fast to what is good. Desire what God has made available to His church, and let the Holy Spirit teach you how to move in it with humility and order.
The gift of prophecy is beautiful when it is understood rightly. It is not hype. It is not theatrics. It is not a personality contest. It is a Spirit-inspired utterance that carries the presence of God to build up His people.
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