Speaker 1: 0:14

Well, we're continuing this series on the Holy Spirit. We've been having scripture readers every week to read the scripture for the day. This week, my buddy Ben is reading the scripture for us. We took this from Acts, chapter two, verse one talks about how a violent wind came over the disciples were and like tongues of fire came down and they were able to speak in different languages that represented every kingdom under heaven, and they heard it in their language, and some of you may not know this. We have many kingdoms under heaven in this faith community, people from all different origins and spaces and communities, and so it's been fun having someone read from their original language where they've come from scripture, because we all get to hear from the word of God in these different languages. And so today Ben's going to be reading to us in Romanian, so go ahead, buddy Morning.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Northgate. All right, we're going to be reading from 1 Corinthians. We're going to be in chapter 14, verses 1 through 5. I'm going to read it first in English and then we'll read it in Romanian, and then we'll read it in Romanian, verse 1. He speaks mysteries, but he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comforts to men. He who speaks in tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied, for all who prophesy is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets that the church may receive edification. This is the word of the Lord Urmați dragostea umblați și după dărurile duhovnicești, dar mai ales să prorăcioriți.

Speaker 3: 3:10

Let's read it, verse 2. This is the word of the Lord. Come on, just a little bit more. Will you celebrate them for a second? Who's excited to be in the house of the lord this morning? Anybody in here? Let me check this side. Who's excited to be in the house of the lord? There you go. Uh, do do me a favor. Look at the person beside you and say you look good today. Look at the person on the other side and say I showered for this. I didn't get much interaction in the first service, so that may be the mustier service. So if it smells a little bit, worship got a little active in the first service.

Speaker 3: 3:47

We're in the middle of this sermon series called Holy Spirit. Right, come on, who's enjoyed this series so far? And this week we're going to talk about prophecy or the prophetic. And if you're like me and you grew up in my generation, you kind of know the prophetic in some ways from waking up at 1 in the morning. Maybe you saw television and on television there's somebody at 1 in the morning trying to sell you some holy water and they're like call this number, you're going to get this holy water and I'm going to give you a prophetic word. And there I was, 13, and nothing good in my heart. Then I was just like maybe I should call and just see what's happening. But I knew if I called I'd need the holy water. But I would also need it because my mom was going to get the bill for me calling and I was going to need that holy water a little bit later. But for some you may hear a word like prophetic and it may throw you off a little bit, because perhaps you've encountered somebody that said they were a Christian but they were just a little bit on what you would call extra side of being prophetic and they just said no, no, if that's what it is, I don't want any part of it. Or maybe you've had a healthy encounter with the prophetic and you've encountered someone who's giving you a word that changed your life. You know the idea of the prophetic for some can be paralyzing and for some it could be a paradise. It opened you up to the impossibilities of the world of what God wanted to do and for others it put you in a cage of saying world of what God wanted to do. For others it put you in a cage of saying no, I'd rather not get into that. Just leave me with the comfortable stuff.

Speaker 3: 5:24

First, corinthians what was just read? Paul gets into this conversation where he's writing this church of Corinth while he's totally at another church, and you got to understand the church of Corinth at that time. These were new believers who were excited about the idea of I can hear God and I can share, but there was no standard of how to really use this gift. Imagine you getting a brand new 2025 car as a gift but trusting it to your child who's four and saying have your way, there's a chance that kid's going to do something with that car. That's unexpected, right, but we don't swear off cars. We just raise them up to understand the value of what's in their hand and how to use it properly. Is that okay with you?

Speaker 3: 6:05

So, paul, he's reading this and says follow the way of love. Everybody say love. Love is all you need to start this whole journey. You got to have a little bit of love in your. That's what the song says. Put a little love in your never mind.

Speaker 3: 6:18

Okay, follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy, for anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to people, but to God. Indeed, no one understands them. They utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort Anyone. Okay, let me say it again Strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Okay, let me say it again Strengthening, encouraging and comfort Everybody. Say strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in tongues edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who speaks, who prophesies, is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets. So that way, the church may be edified.

Speaker 3: 7:00

We were in the back and my friend who read this in Romanian. He kept saying it and I said how do you say that one word? He taught me this word it's proroceste, proroceste, which means how to prophesy. Say it with me. Say it, proroceste, say it. Oh, no, no, you're going to have to come on. Here we go, procheste, say it. There you go. Now you got it. You spit on the person in front of you a little bit. They said I didn't come to church for all this.

Speaker 3: 7:29

In the beginning, god had this vision for humanity. He said I really want to partner with humanity. So if you begin to read the Bible, you see God starting from partnership. From the very beginning, the Bible opens up and it unfolds and it says and God looked out into nothing and he decided I want to start making some things. So this incredible God the Bible says that God breathes out stars and the same God who breathes out stars starts all this stuff and he looks out into nothing and he speaks and he says, says let there be, and there is, god is speaking out things and it's starting to happen. It's getting really, really cool. It's almost like Marvel Comics God is taking over. God is speaking some things and they're coming into fruition, but at the next point he says let us make man in our own image. Let us partnership, make man in our partnership own image.

Speaker 3: 8:20

You have been serving a God who believes in partnership From the very beginning and that God begins to. He spoke everything else into existence, but you were formed quite differently. The person sitting in your seat is so valuable that you weren't just formed from words. God took his hands that were divine, put it in the dirt that was dirty and started forming man out of nothing. And you look up and by the end of it, his hands that touched dirt had formed this thing that he called man. And then he gave man something. He didn't give anything else. He gave it his breath. He breathed into man. He breathed into man. He breathed into him, and the Bible says that when he breathed into him, he gave him his spirit.

Speaker 3: 9:05

God is all about partnership. Partnership is a convergence of alignment. That means that I partner with God, because whatever he pours into me, it's not just coming to me, but through me it's going out of me. So there's partnership. He says. Let us make man in our own image. Now, this whole thing about the prophetic is actually tied in throughout the Gospels. It's actually tied in from Genesis to the Garden, from the Garden to the Gospels, from the Gospels to the end. As a matter of fact, jesus was a compass. They would decide when the Messiah was coming by knowing the prophecies that sat in front of them. So they'll be able to tell the Messiah is actually here.

Speaker 3: 9:42

And in the Old Testament, prophecy only fell on the people that were exclusive. The good folks got it. The ones who were chosen got it. The ones who were called, the ones who were separated. So you have a guy like Moses. Everybody in here heard of Moses before. Yes, moses, moses is chosen.

Speaker 3: 10:00

The Bible says that God came down to meet with Moses. There was a cloud of glory. Moses is there. He talks to Moses. Moses is so filled with the Spirit. Moses goes and talks to the people that he's leading. And the Bible says when Moses spoke to them on behalf of God, they too began to prophesy and they began to share what God was speaking to them behalf of God. They too began to prophesy and they began to share what God was speaking to them. That lets me know that the word prophecy or prophetic simply means a message from God that I deliver to others. So I'm now taking it out of the pie in the sky of what we probably have heard of it as which, for some of us, we thought this whole thing is weird. No, it's not weird, it's for the willing. So it's not something that's beyond you, it's something that's in you. So, moses, he prophesied. But the Bible says something unique. It says that those people that prophesied, they never prophesied again.

Speaker 3: 10:51

Now you go over to King Saul. Everybody remember King Saul. He became the king. Then he ended up raising up a guy named David, but then he tried to kill the guy named David. It was just all bad. It was Game of Thrones God style, because King Saul and David were added all over the place. And so King Saul, before he was actually working and functioning as a king.

Speaker 3: 11:10

The Bible says that when he got around, this group called the company of Prophets that he started prophesying, just like that, so much that people begin to see oh my God, you mean to tell me that Saul is a prophet? No, he wasn't a prophet. He just hung around people who did prophesy. He began to take on the gift that was with them. That lets you know that if you can hang around the right people and the right thing starts stirring up on the inside of you, have you ever hung around the right people and the right thing starts stirring up on the inside of you? Have you ever hung around somebody at your job that was better than you at your job? And because you hung with them, you started seeing the job more differently than you did before. It's because something stirs up on the inside of you. When you hang with people that have a different vision than you, you can begin to see what they see. So you have God, don't forget.

Speaker 3: 11:53

He put his hands in the dirt and he began to form man. That, for me, was the first time I ever recognized that God wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when it came to my mess. Is anybody in here ever? Do you remember God ever getting his hands dirty by coming into your life and putting his divine hands into the place that you are? I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about that because that lets me know that, no matter what my resume is, god still wants relationship with me. And so when I think about this idea that now here's Moses. He's prophesied, saul has prophesied moving forward to Jesus.

Speaker 3: 12:25

The Bible says in Revelations that Jesus is the spirit of prophecy that makes me excited. That means that all prophetic words have to point to Jesus. It is not just me saying random things, it is me giving somebody or gifting somebody out of this thing that God put on the inside of me that points them to Jesus. And so if I'm pointing them to Jesus, that lets me know that I'm operating where Jesus wants me to be, because Jesus goes, he dies, he gets out of the grave, he's about to go to heaven, but right before he goes to heaven he looks back at the disciples like one last time. He turns to them and the Bible says and he blows the breath of life, he blows his spirit onto them and they receive the spirit of God. This is what Pastor Larry was talking about a few weeks ago, that Jesus had to go to heaven so that way Holy Spirit could come to us. And it's not just Jesus in one place, it is Jesus every place. And so Jesus is every place now and that's because he breathed his spirit on them. And the Bible says and they received it.

Speaker 3: 13:27

I love this. That means that the person sitting in your chair is not ordinary. The person sitting in your chair is extraordinary. You thought you were just ordinary. No, you're extraordinary. You just happen to do extraordinary things on an ordinary day. So now, this is your norm. Don't you love when things become your norm that weren't your norm before.

Speaker 3: 13:48

As you can tell, there's a few places I love. Has anybody here ever heard of a place called Waffle House? Has anybody here ever eaten at a place called Waffle House? You didn't go there because it was clean. You grew in there because it was good. You didn't go in there thinking, oh, I don't want it, no, no, you go to Waffle House not for the waffles, but it's the eggs that are undefeated. And so one night, you know, I've been trying to ask the Waffle House cooks how do you get the eggs like this? And it's like they were signed to a contract. They would never tell me anything. Well, one night the Lord spoke to me I'm joking.

Speaker 3: 14:23

One night I was on TikTok. Oh, he can't speak to me through TikTok. What's going on? No, let me go over here. One day I was because this is judgmental over here. One day I was on Ticket's Tockets. Is that better that more King Ticket's Tockets?

Speaker 3: 14:41

And there's this one brother up there who is live at one in the morning and he happens to be a Waffle House cook. God, you love me so much. He's a Waffle House cook and there he is cooking eggs at one in the morning, showing us all the ingredients. This brother had one viewer watching your boy, your boy. And so at one in the morning. There I am totally conflicted because he's given me the recipe and I'm caught in a conundrum. Fam, let me just talk to you. Here's the conundrum. It's do I actually get up at 115 to cook eggs? But I don't want to be embarrassed because my wife, I don't want her to wake up and walk in the kitchen at 130 and see me cooking eggs at 131. I have to explain myself why I'm actually cooking at 130. But this guy gave me the science to the secret sauce of the thing that I actually liked. Jesus told them I'm going to give you the secret sauce to the thing you've been looking for. The secret sauce is not just me, it is my spirit. So I'm going to wake you up at one in the morning and remind you. My spirit is in you While you're driving home from church. My spirit is in you While you're driving home from church. My spirit is in you While you're sitting in the chair listening to this guy who looks so good with the gap on stage here. My spirit is in you. And so why is that so important? Because you have all the ingredients that you need to change the world. You have all the ingredients that you need because Jesus gave you authority.

Speaker 3: 16:14

Everybody say authority. Say it one more time. Say it like you got authority. Say authority, there you go. I heard you way in the back. Somebody's like authority, there you go. And so authority. We have this thing called jurisdiction. That means that I can walk into a territory that God has already told me about, and I have jurisdiction. What is jurisdiction? Juris means authority. Diction means the ability to speak. That means I have the authority to say something and watch it become my reality. What is the thing that you have? I'm starting to get excited. Now you have the authority to say something and watch your reality change. Do me a favor nudge the person beside you, say you got to say something. There you go. Y'all are getting a little bit too rowdy up in here. Now Let somebody else say you better say something. This crowd is so. Y'all better say something.

Speaker 3: 17:11

Prophecy means the ability to speak on behalf of God. How do you do that? Let me move out of the way. It is by foretelling, which means to speak what's next, or foretelling, which is to speak what is now. You will hear God in some instances, begin to speak to you and begin to share something to you that maybe is for someone else and not you, and it would either foretell them what's next. Hey, you know what the Lord told me. You know, when you go to work tomorrow, be looking out, because there's an open door your way, and that person leaves with the future knowledge and don't look for good things, or you speak to them now. Hey, I saw you walking here and God says he's about to just breathe some peace all over your situation.

Speaker 3: 17:49

You may think that the biggest message that someone needs to hear when they come here for church is from this platform, but it's really from the person sitting beside them. You have the same spirit of God on the inside of you and, as a matter of fact, he wants to use your voice through your scenarios that you've gone through. If you would just believe your resume didn't discredit you. Paul says that this prophecy is for strengthening, to encourage and to comfort. You know my wife who's here with me. What's up, girl? Over there on the peak I see you looking all good and stuff. See you, girl looking good.

Speaker 3: 18:31

She watches these renovation TV shows, which means I watch these renovation TV shows and so we'll be late. I mean I watch, I'm listening, but I'm watching, I'm listening, and so when she's in bed and she's watching these shows, normally they are renovating a home where the home looks good on the outside but some of the wood is rotted on the inside, and not because the homeowner did anything wrong, but sometimes the wear and tear of the weather, of what it's gone through has taken a toll on the house. It is not that they built it wrong, that the owner did anything, but how many guys know that if you've been living life long enough, there will be some wear and tear? And what they do is the engineer will walk in and say I think it's about time that we reinforce the framework of this home. And what prophecy does?

Speaker 3: 19:16

Prophecy has the ability. When you speak with God coming through, you gives you the opportunity to walk into somebody's world and to restrengthen the framework of their home, restrengthen the framework of their soul, restrengthen the framework of their marriage, of their lens, of their thoughts. And there's somebody sitting beside you that walked in weak and they just want to know can anybody help me restrengthen the framework of my weakness? Because I'm seconds from throwing in the towel, but if somebody strengthens me, I believe I can live again. You are called to strengthen somebody. Oh, that's good. You can give God some praise on that one, because you're strengthening. Come on, come on. Here's another one.

Speaker 3: 19:55

Prophecy also encourages people. Encourages means put some courage into their heart. That's like taking the IV and you bypass their mind and you've gone straight to their heart and you said can I just put a little bit of encouragement in you? Can I loan you some courage that you can make it through this? Can I loan you some courage that God wants to use you in the middle of your story? Can I loan you some courage that you will finish school? Can I loan you some courage that that relationship will heal? Can I just loan you some courage? Here's what God is saying about you. God is looking at you and saying you're going to make it, you're going to be all right. You, in saying you're going to make it, you're going to be all right. Here's a third thing. Is that also prophecy points to comfort and it says to bring you closer. You ever notice, if we're honest, if this is family, I call you guys my cousins, all right, is that okay? If I could talk to my cousins for a second, my cousins, okay, good, okay, cousins, everybody, you got the family reunion style.

Speaker 3: 20:52

There are moments when you go through things and have you ever been a person that, when you go through, you isolate yourself? Oh, we're talking, real talk. Now here we go. I should pull up a chair. It's going to be therapy for all of us. Are you an isolator? Where you isolate yourself, you go quiet, you try to put a little bit of distance, you stop confirming on planning center, or you confirm but you don't show up because you isolate. Touch your neighbor, never mind, don't do that, okay. But you find yourself needing some comfort. It's okay to be preached to or to be shared the gospel from the platform, shared the gospel from the platform. But somebody walking in here today needs to hear from someone else who looks just like them or sounds like them and they just want to know can you help me find some comfort? Can you pull me just a little bit closer? Don't let me stray away. Pull me a little bit closer.

Speaker 3: 21:51

Sometimes that prophecy or that word from the Lord remember prophetic simply means a God message coming to you and through you, and let me help you. It does not have to be profound, it does not have to be, for the Lord was saith that thine hath sateth in that chariot and gone. No, no, no. It simply looks like this hey, I'm happy to see you today. You're supposed to be here. You're going to live that right there, or it could be. Hey, you know what? I believe things are going to change for you. Or, as small as this. I'm so glad to see you. That smile just changed my day. That small thing right there. You just put some strength and courage and comfort into people.

Speaker 3: 22:33

The Bible says when Paul was writing this, he said you should be eager in this. Eager means to burn with zeal. I should be zealous about this. I should have some energy about this. I should have some passion about this. I should have some strength about this. Maybe for you, one of the prayers to pray is Lord, will you show me where my zeal is? Will you allow me to walk in my zeal? Will you show me my zeal in my mind, in my heart, in my home? Will you give me zeal at work? Will you give me zeal while I'm driving? Father, I'm not asking you to make me a fake, but what I'm asking you to do is to help me to walk in faith and rediscover my zeal.

Speaker 3: 23:10

Does anybody in here want to get their zeal back? Where are the people at? You're like. I used to be zealous about something. I'm speaking over you now. May you find your zeal. You will get your zeal back. You know what You're going to prophesy. Turn to the person You're like. You're doing a whole lot of touch your neighbor? I sure am, because I want you to walk in jurisdiction, authority and diction You're going to have. Look at your neighbor and say person beside me, you will get your zeal back. I love talking to your neighbor. Unless you and your spouse had an argument that day. It gets real weird. It gets real weird when the last thing you said was don't talk to me and the next thing you're saying it's neighbor. You're going to never mind.

Speaker 3: 23:51

Walking in the zeal is not a passive thing, it's pursuing. You go after it. Paul is saying go after this thing From the garden to the gospel. Go after it. Point number one I want to give you this You've got access. You have all the access that you need. In the Old Testament, being able to prophesy was an exclusive thing. In the New Testament, being able to prophesy is an expected thing. That means that God didn't just hand this gift to the perfect. He handed it to all of those who said I'm a son or I'm a daughter. So that means, if the person who's sitting in your seat is here which you are here that means that you have the ability to prophesy. It's not for the cool people, it's not for those who have it together. It's not for those who feel like, oh, I got my whole resume together. No, as a matter of fact, no perfect people allowed in prophecy. He's looking for people that have said yes to Jesus and that's enough. You cannot mess this up. He's saying you've got access.

Speaker 3: 24:51

First, corinthians 14, follow the way of love. If you're going to do anything, you got to put a little love in your heart. Anybody know that song Put a little love in your heart. You sing it. Be a choir. Come on, put a little love in your heart. Just a little bit louder over here, Say it. Come on, Put a little love in your heart Y'all. Oh, we get. Where's Pastor Larry? We're going to record an album. We're going to record an album. This is it right.

Speaker 3: 25:20

Here you have to follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. Every believer has a job. Lord, I don't want to be weird, I want to be willing, and because I'm willing, will you help me to with love. Eagerly desire prophecy, use me. Somebody on aisle 13 at Safeway needs to know what God is thinking. Love and prophecy this is a gift. It's a gift. It's not earned, it's inherited and it's fueled through intimacy, intimacy, intimacy, intimacy, intimacy, intimacy. See into me. That's intimacy. God, I'm spending time with you, asking you to see me and let me see you. Will you show me how to speak to somebody on your behalf? Will you show me how to talk to somebody on your behalf? Why? Because the prophetic is for everybody.

Speaker 3: 26:34

When my wife and I we've been married 27 years and then when we thank you, we've been 27 years. But back when we were dating, like 29 years ago, I was working retail in this suit shop and she came to see me on my lunch break. I think I may have asked her to come and see me, but it's my story. So she came to see me on my lunch break and she walked in there looking all good and stuff, and then, you know, when she was leaving, there was a lady who was a seamstress for the suit shop. She was in the middle of sewing. She never lifted up her head. She said Courtney. I said yes, ma'am. She said the Lord said that's your wife. I know I got excited too.

Speaker 3: 27:13

I ain't hear none of the fellas say ooh. I heard the lady say ooh, and so when she said that's your wife, I said how do you know that? She said this. She said I heard it in my ear. I said what do you mean? She said I just heard like a little whisper. I said that's his wife and so I'm telling you that that's your wife. I'm so glad she did that because she gave me a word from her looks and I started looking at also destiny. I can actually do something with this woman. We can conquer the world, we can share Jesus, we can share the gospel. When we unite, something bigger happens than what we desired and that's because somebody handed me a lens. When you speak prophetically to somebody, you help them to change the lens to their glasses so they can see what God is saying. One of my friends always says this say what you heard so you can see what you said. Isn't that good? Say what you heard so you can see what you said.

Speaker 3: 28:05

Prophecy starts with compassion, not comfort. You're never going to be comfortable your first time walking into the prophetic of saying something. Point number two we listen and we don't judge. Everybody, say it with me. We listen and we don't judge. Say it one more time go. We listen and we don't judge. So if we listen and we don't judge, will you please take you off the witness stand, because when God wants to speak to us, sometimes we have ourselves on the witness stand and we'd rather badger the witness of us, our past and our deficiencies, as opposed to saying yes, god, use me, we listen and we don't judge.

Speaker 3: 28:50

It says this in verse 2, for anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them. They utter mysteries by the Spirit, but the one who prophesies speaks to the people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Being willing to walk in the prophetic is not just a risk, but it's also your responsibility. I didn't say this in the first service, but can I just release you to take a chance and even be willing to get it wrong?

Speaker 3: 29:21

I believe somewhere on the refrigerator of heaven is my terrible little drawing of me and God, and it looks nothing like me and nothing like God, and God, like a good parent, still puts my picture that I drew on the refrigerator and said will you look at Courtney? Will you look at his attempt to try to get it right? No one in here has ever, I hope, looked at their kid who drew a terrible picture of you, and you looked at it and said this is terrible. Try again. No, you put that picture up on the refrigerator for all of your friends to see, and all of your friends come over and lie with you. That looks just like you see. And all of your friends come over and lie with you. That looks just like you. You got to be willing to get it wrong to figure out how to get it right.

Speaker 3: 30:05

And so I remember one time, as a young worship leader, I was leading worship but you know, you got to talk in between the songs or something. You got to exhort and all that stuff. And here's what came out of my mouth. The song ended and I said there's somebody here who didn't want to come to church today because your hair was falling out. But God says I'm happy to see you and he's been waiting for you to come into the presence of the Lord. And as soon as I finished, I just thought that was the dumbest thing you could ever say. And I said for sure, I'm not going to be invited back to lead worship in this church and I grew up in that church. I just said that's it. Over 20 years, they're going to throw me away For a few weeks. You could ask my wife. I beat myself up, probably for a few months. I beat myself up to one day. There I am walking through a random JCPenney's and the lady stops me and says, hey, you don't you sing at that church around the corner? I said, yes, ma'am, I do. She said I need to talk to you and I thought, okay, she don't tell me shit. I'm like the songs we're doing, so you know, we'll figure it out. And she says I woke up one day and came to church with my daughter and I told my daughter I didn't want to come to church that day because my hair had been falling out and I didn't want anybody to laugh at me.

Speaker 3: 31:10

And you stopped service and pointed me out. You didn't say my name, but you said what I told my daughter and that right there gave me strength that God sees me right in the middle, where I am, and I was supposed to be there. Come on, you better give God some praise. In that moment I said thank you, jesus. I thought I lost my mind. I really thought I'd embarrass my church or embarrass somebody. I had no clue that God was working in me and through me and developing my gift through taking a risk to say something, and that God was working in me and through me and developing my gift through taking a risk to say something, and that lady was able to know God sees you. Here's what I realized.

Speaker 3: 31:43

For many of you, hearing the voice of God, it will often sound like a voice that is familiar first. For some it may sound like you, for some it may sound like Pastor Lawrence, for some it may sound like a friend or someone that you really honor spiritually. How do I know that? Because in the Bible, in the Old Testament, you have a young guy named Eli who lives basically at the church and he's there serving under the prophet named Samuel, and three times Eli wakes up because he hears his name, eli. He goes and says, hey, did you call me? And he says no, I didn't call you. Go back to bed. He hears it again hey, did you call me? He said no, no, no, I didn't hear you. Go back to bed. Third time he says did you call me? And the prophet says, oh, I get it now. That's not me, that's actually God trying to speak to you. Go back and say Lord, I hear you. What do you want me to do?

Speaker 3: 32:35

And for many of you, you feel like you've been hearing. You've called it women's intuition. You thought it was just knowing how to make great business decisions. You thought it was just flowing into wisdom. You thought it was just something handed down through your family and through that relationship. No, god has been trying to get a message to you and through you for your entire life. It is just you realizing this is just not a gift that I have that flowed through my family. This is something I inherited through Jesus. Prophecy isn't about control. This is about care. Here's what you do to create a prophetic culture. Prophetic cultures are built on grace, humility and accountability. Point number three here's the last one. Point number three here's the last one.

Speaker 3: 33:19

When it comes to prophecy, practice makes prophetic, practice makes prophetic. Do me a favor. Look at that other person who you've ignored all the way down your row and just say one kind word to them. You can say peace, you can say love, or you can say favor, or you can say joy. Find one person on your row, look down at them real quick, like you're going to buy them a waffle house later, and just say one word to them Go ahead, go ahead. Do it, go ahead, do it Come on, come on, come on. I know it's odd, I know it's odd, I know it's odd, I know it's odd wrote peace, that's your word over here. Find one other person, find one other person's sanctuary. Or just look at me and say a word Ready, one, two, three, go, come on here. That's you flowing in the prophetic. It is you operating in your jurisdiction. You put your authority with your words and say God, use me. Point number three practice makes prophetic.

Speaker 3: 34:12

Anyone who speaks in tongues edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. Guys, here's why we need you to prophesy. I'm getting so excited, I'm sorry. I need you to prophesy because we are building the church to the next level. That means you have to edify the church. And guess what? I can't be everywhere at once, pastor Lawrence can't be everywhere at once. But if we equip hundreds and thousands of people like you and you go out to places, that's what you can do Be the church out there. You are called to edify the church. Maybe that trip to Starbucks is not just you giving your order next time, maybe it's you pausing and saying I wonder if this person taking my order needs to hear one word from God. And you just pause and listen and you hear God say tell them I love them. Hey, just so you know God loves you. It says I would like for every one of you to speak in tongues. I looked up that word, that phrase, everyone. In the Greek it literally means everyone. Okay, I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that way the church may be edified. Here's what I want to give you.

Speaker 3: 35:20

The prophetic clarity comes through your intentional repetition and through grace. You have to test drive it. How do you know when you're standing in a prophetic moment? How do you know? Some of you will feel prompting. Prompting means like that lady. You heard something. You heard something.

Speaker 3: 35:44

For some of you, you may dream dreams. I spent a lot of time right now with the Gen Z generation. They are dreaming and hearing God like crazy. Here's another thing you may have visions or a picture. You may see something really quick. That happens to me. I'll see something really quick. Here's another way you have an inspired thought or a word that keeps jumping out at you. Maybe you saw a billboard or something and the word, one word, jumped out at you and it just kind of stuck with you. That's the Lord, or the last thing.

Speaker 3: 36:13

You were reading through some scripture and it grabbed a hold of you. When that happens, you just pray. Lord, I hear you from me, but who is this? For? You have a responsibility. When you prophesy to be ABC, which is to be affirming biblical and Christ-like, does anybody in here, do you celebrate that? Is that all right with you? Come on, come on, come on All across the building. Come on, practice your jurisdiction. Practice your jurisdiction. That's good. Will you stand on your feet with me? Come on, you have jurisdiction, you have the authority and the ability to speak.

Speaker 3: 36:55

God has put something in you that's greater than your story, greater than your resume and greater than your experiences, and he wants to turn the key to it and turn it up, and louder than you ever imagined. So here's what I want to do I want to pray over you that your ears would open, that your eyes would see. So if you're here and you're like Pastor Courtney, that's me, and I want to be able to hear God. I want to be able to hear God. I want to be that person who's able to walk out this idea of prophecy You're telling me. This is not for the weird, this is for the willing. That means that I'm willing to lean in and be the mouthpiece of God whenever he tells me at those moments like that If that's you, just lift your hands up high, come on, come on, just lift them up.

Speaker 3: 37:30

There you go. Come on, do me a favor. While your hands are up, look around the building. You're not by yourself. You're not by yourself. What happens in the city when we all say yes, like this, and I want to pray over you, father, leave those hands up, come on, in Jesus' name, that hand is like an IV. That hand that's stretched up is stretched up in surrender. Father, right now, by the power of your spirit, we just unlock their eyes to see, their ears to hear, father, their spirits to receive and, father, we take off shame, we take off embarrassment or everything that says that we cannot do this. The devil is a lie. I can do this because Jesus has set me free and, with that being said, use me, use my story, use who I am. In Jesus' name, we pray. Would you take 10 seconds of worship and rip the roof off this place? Come on, come on, use your jurisdiction. Come on, let me hear you. Come on, come on church. Come on church. Come on church. Come on church, come on church, use it, thank you.