V. MOSES DESIRING ALL OF GOD’S PEOPLE
TO BE PROPHETS FOR PROPHESYING
Moses desired all of God’s people to be prophets for prophesying (Num. 11:29b).
VI. THE APOSTLE PAUL TEACHING
THAT WE ALL CAN PROPHESY
The apostle Paul taught that we all can prophesy (1 Cor. 14:31). God desires that each of the believers prophesy, that is, speak for and speak forth Him.
VII. PAUL CHARGING US
NOT TO DESPISE PROPHESYING
Paul charged us not to despise prophesying (1 Thes. 5:20). Those who have rejected the Lord’s ministry, the Lord’s speaking, today are despising prophesying. Some opposing ones have said that we can simply read the Bible itself without the help of the Recovery Version or the Life-study Messages. However, if you merely read the Bible in that way, you will not receive much. The Bible has been interpreted by the seeking saints for the past twenty centuries, beginning from the so-called church fathers, who spoke concerning the Divine Trinity. Without their interpretation, how could we understand the Trinity today? The words Trinity and triune are not written in the Bible; but the fact of the Trinity was discovered by the church fathers. They did a marvelous job concerning this matter, and through the centuries their interpretation has come to us. We need the interpreted Word.
The Recovery Version with the Life-study Messages can be considered as the crystallization of the understanding of the holy Word, which the seeking saints have interpreted throughout the past twenty centuries. This is the reason that I am burdened to have the life-study of the entire Bible. If we do not understand a certain part of the book of Genesis, we can go to the Life-study of Genesis for help. We may not be able to understand the Minor Prophets today, but once the Minor Prophets are properly expounded, we will be able to enter into the divine thought in these books.
VIII. TO PROHIBIT PROPHESYING
BEING A SIN BEFORE GOD
To prohibit prophesying is a sin before God (Amos 2:12b; 7:12-13; Jer. 11:21). Amaziah the priest charged Amos to stop speaking, to stop prophesying. Because of this, Amaziah suffered a curse. The Lord said through Amos that the wife of Amaziah would become a harlot and that his children would be killed (Amos 7:16-17). Those who stopped Jeremiah from prophesying also suffered calamity (Jer. 11:21-23).
(The Practice of the Church Life according to the God-ordained Way, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
