"The Gift of Prophecy" Kathryn Kuhlman Gifts of the Spirit talk 6 of 13

Today, for a few minutes again, we're going to go deep into the study of the gifts of the Spirit. I want you to get out your Bibles and follow me in the reading of a portion of the Word of God. Remember that nothing that I can say is as powerful as the written Word. The Word of God. And always remember one thing. If Catherine Kuhlman says one thing and the Bible says another, the Bible is right. If you have been taught one thing, if your church teaches one thing, if your pastor teaches one thing, if your priest teaches one thing, and the... Bible says another. The Bible is always right. Know that sometimes I think it's the hardest thing in the world for some folk to get rid of some of their preconceived ideas and come back again to the Word of God. It would be a wonderful day if all professing Christians everywhere, both protestant and catholic could get back to the word of god back again to thus saith the lord we have so much church ology we have so much theory there's so much creed there's so much of man's doctrine and so little And so again, I'm going to ask you to please get out your Bible. Follow me in the reading of the Scripture. The 12th chapter, 1 Corinthians. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There is only one Holy Spirit. And whenever I speak of the gifts of the Spirit, the one person, The Holy Spirit is the giver of these gifts that you and I are talking about. There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. There are diversities of operations, but it's the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of... tongues to another the interpretation of tongues but all these worketh that one and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will all right we can get right down to the meat of the truth of the word and for just a minute We're going to talk about this gift of prophecy. And we can look upon these gifts as being temporary gifts, but watch it not in the sense that it has been taught by some. Whenever I speak of these gifts as being temporary gifts, they will be in operation as long... as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is here on earth. These gifts did not cease. These gifts that the Holy Spirit gives will not cease. They will continue to be in operation as long as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is here on earth. They will only cease. When the Holy Spirit leads, the time of the great catching up, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is caught up with him. Don't let anybody tell you that these gifts and many, many more, which are not mentioned here in the Word, are in operation now and will continue to be in operation. operation in the church. You know, we have really sold ourselves short. Christians have really sold themselves short. Or should I say, they have allowed themselves to be sold. Little do you know what you're missing by having been sold short. For many a pastor stands his pulpit. and will say that these gifts ceased with the early church. Anything, my friend, that Peter received, anything that John received, anything that was given to the early church is for us today. And don't let... Anybody sell you short when it comes to the things of the Spirit. All right, here we go. We come to this gift of prophecy. What is this gift of prophecy? It's very simple. It's explained in 1 Corinthians, the 14th chapter, the third verse. He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification and... exhortation, and comfort. It's so simple. There it is. He that prophesied speaketh unto men to edification. Revelation is not mentioned. Sometimes I think we get very confused when it comes to the gift of prophecy. And there are those who have... hallucinations that they had been given some gift to prophesy beyond that which is in the word of god and that's when we get off into fanaticism beloved the holy spirit will never give to an individual he'll not give to any man any woman more than that which is written in the word. Know that. In Revelation, the 22nd chapter, the 19th verse, if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. He will not give to any individual lower than that which is written in the Bible. Know that. This may not seem vitally important to you. But it is vitally important because if someone should stand up and say that they've been given the gift of prophecy and would give something contrary to the Word of God or add to the Word of God, they are committing a gross sin. And the Holy Spirit has no part in that whatsoever. That makes, my friend, for false doctrine and false cults are born from that very thing. No? There can be no doubt as to what is meant by the gift of prophecy. He that prophesieth. speaketh unto men to edification, exhortation, and comfort. I think the simplest way of explaining the gift of prophecy is to say that it is a gift of communication. The word. The word, beloved. And I consider the gift of prophecy one... of the three greatest gifts that the Holy Spirit can give. And we know that there are gifts that are greater than other gifts because the word itself says, covet earnestly the best gifts. Personally, I consider the three greatest gifts the gift of the word of knowledge. Remember, he is perfect knowledge. And for him to give a gift to an individual, a part of his absolute knowledge, it is like giving us literally a part of himself, a part of the world. of his knowledge, he who is perfect wisdom, absolute wisdom, to have him to give an individual, literally a part of himself, the gift of the word of wisdom, of something that is absolute perfection. This wonderful gift of prophecy. Where you can stand and have the Holy Spirit so speak through lips of clay, where the Holy Spirit can so take the mind, where the Holy Spirit can so take the yieldedness of that vessel and commute and communicate. to those who are out there in the audience the true meaning of the Word of God. That is one of the greatest gifts that the Holy Spirit can give to an individual. Oh, beloved, I believe that of all of the gifts, including the gift of the Word of Knowledge, including the gift of the Word of Wisdom, I still believe... that i would personally rather that the holy spirit would give me that gift of prophecy where i could stand before men and women under the anointing of the holy spirit and could communicate through the holy spirit the word of the living God that it would become life to you and you could understand it and understanding you would accept the Christ as the personal savior through the understanding of the word you would seek to be filled with the holy spirit through the understanding of the word as the holy spirit gives it the Bible would open up to you. It would become alive, a living thing. Oh, to speak, to preach, and have men and women have an understanding of the Word of God. And that's what the Bible says. He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, exhortation, and comfort. Jesus had that gift. The Holy Spirit had given Jesus that marvelous gift. No one ever sat in the presence of Jesus. and did not fully understand everything that he said. So simple, children could understand. I can't begin to tell you this moment how I covet that gift. The word of God so profound that in the natural, the most intellectual person cannot understand it. They read it, they have no understanding whatsoever. Men of law, men of medicine, statesmen, brilliant people intellectually, and yet in reading the Word, the living Word, they have no understanding. The Bible is different than any other book in the whole world. Only the Holy Spirit, can reveal the Word. There is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives to certain people. And it is a gift. It is not their own natural ability. It is not their own talent. I told you before that talent and gifts of the Spirit are not the same. There is a... that the Holy Spirit himself gives to an individual where that one in speaking can communicate with the one who is listening and that one receives the revelation of the word and understanding of the word. And that one grows. That one goes deep into the things of God. That, I believe, is the gift that I covet more than anything else in the world. I know me. I know my own heart. Sure, it's wonderful to see bodies healed with the power of God. I thrill in every miracle service to see sick bodies healed. But there's something greater to have someone say, Oh, Miss Cooman, as I listened to the preaching of the word, as those words left your lips, I had an understanding of the word. That, my friend, is a gift that only the Holy Spirit can give.