Mon 25 Aug, 2008
Saturday evening, the church where I attend hosted a prophetic ministry team from Covenant Fellowship Church of Glen Mills PA. CovFel is a sister church in the Sovereign Grace Ministries family. The team was led by Mark Prater, a pastor at CovFel.
The evening was divided into two parts. The first part was a time of teaching on what is New Testament Prophesy and the second part was a time of ministry. At Sovereign Grace Church of Central PA, New Testament prophesy is an integral component within the church and as such it is earnestly sought and prayed for during Sunday meetings or other times of corporate gathering. It was a great encouragement to see many people blessed with this gift, ministering to people in our church, my wife and I included.
New Testament Prophesy was new to my family when we were introduced to Sovereign Grace Ministries about 2 years ago. However from our first encounter with people who have this gift, we knew it was a special ministry from the Holy Spirit to the church.
Mark Prater spent time explaining New Testament Prophesy, and its role and governance within the church. Here are few highlights of what he said.
Prophesy is a gift given to some believers by the Holy Spirit. It is a report of a revelation from God. It is not new revelation but a word or impression from God that is meant to edify or build up the church. It is a sign of God’s care for his children. As such, it is a tool of the Gospel.
Prophesy is never to be given the same authority as scripture but in all, it is to be governed by and tested against scripture. It is meant to encourage believers or confirm the Godly desires of one’s heart; not to set direction or for decision making.
Many people were ministered to Saturday evening. My wife and I received words of encouragement that we sincerely believe were from God and spoken by the Holy Spirit through the team. Others were encouraged publicly which further encouraged us. Our Pastor and his wife were encouraged in their pastoral service. As further encouragement, on Sunday, a man whom I just walked up to on the street 3 months ago, with whom I shared the Gospel showed up at church for worship. He drove 40 miles to come that day!
I would say that Saturday and Sunday were certainly days where the Holy Spirit was moving in Altoona PA.
Here is an edited version of the talk by Mark Prater on August 23. It contains portions of the teaching he led on 1 Corinthians 14. New Testament Prophesy MP3
