By Simon Chan
(This article is originally published by the Centre for the Development of Christian Ministry of Trinity Theological College, Singapore, in periodical Church and Society, issue 6.3 [2003], p.41-46, and reproduced at Church and Society in Asia Today website.)
Introduction
The topic I have chosen might appear at first to be rather narrow in scope. Why only discernment of prophecy? Surely more things could be said about this important subject than just discernment? Indeed, more things could be said, but I have specifically chosen to focus on discerning prophecy for good reason.
Of all the gifts in the NT there is reason to believe that prophecy occupies a special place. The NT scholar James Dunn goes so far as to suggest that prophecy may be considered the central charisma in Paul.[1] It occurs in all the three lists of gifts mentioned by Paul (1 Cor 12:7-11; 12:27-31; Rom 12:3-8). It could also be seen as the basic means by which other gifts are expressed. Prophecy is first and foremost speech, and speech is the means by which a good many other gifts are exercised, e.g., word of wisdom, knowledge, encouragement, even preaching under special circumstances. There is evidence to suggest that in a special sense prophecy is not just one of the gifts of the Spirit, but the gift of the Spirit for the entire church. The Spirit, who is the gift of God for the “last days”, is seen, especially in Luke, as the “Spirit of prophecy”. To the extent that the church is viewed in Scripture as the community of the last days, the community oriented towards the future fulfillment of God’s purpose, the community in which the word is given, received and proclaimed in the power of the Spirit—to that extent, the church as a whole could be described as a prophetic community.[2]
