I am firmly convinced that the current prophetic empowering is intended for the many, for the rank and file “ordinary” members of the Body of Christ, not just the few, the prophetic “superstars.”
Successive waves of God’s Spirit will continue to unfold until Christ’s Church has been saturated with the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him (see Ephesians 1:17).
Our Father God will not let up until His people are filled with the revelation of the loveliness of His Son.
If that sounds inviting, you will know it’s for you!
Moses came into this understanding in his day. The pressures on this anointed man were tremendous as he tried to lead his complaining people into the Promised Land.
His cry to the Lord is found in Numbers 11:14, where he lamented, “I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.” But God had a solution to Moses’ dilemma:
“Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting and let them take their stand there with you. Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone” (Numbers 11:16–17).
So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the tent.
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and He took of the Spirit who was upon Moses and placed Him upon the seventy elders. Verse 25 tells us, and it came about that “when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.”
Is Anybody Hungry?
What a beautiful depiction, yet what an unfulfilling outcome!
With a stroke of the Master’s hand, the prophetic presence that rested upon Moses was distributed among the seventy and they prophesied, but after that they did not do it again.
Thank God this was not the final word on the matter.
Two men had remained in the camp, Medad and Eldad. They had not shown up at the right place at the right time.
Nonetheless, the Spirit came upon them as He had done upon the elders, and they released the Spirit in the camp.
As I envision this scene, I see two desperate warriors, so hungry for the Lord’s anointing that their heart cry to a compassionate God was “Give me all you’ve got! More Lord!”
God answered their plea. There is no indication that Medad and Eldad ever quit prophesying. Perhaps they went wildly through camp laying hands on people and declaring God’s mighty Word.
Maybe it seemed a little unusual and out of order, because a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” (v. 27). Joshua also got into the act, adding, “Moses, my lord, restrain them!” (v. 28).
Isn’t this reaction similar to those who through the ages have wanted to control the activity of the Spirit?
Are You Jealous?
But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” (Numbers 11:29).
God’s heart is revealed through Moses’ answer. The prophetic spirit is for the many, not the few.
The seventy elders at the tent prophesied only once. God’s yearning is for a generation of faceless people to arise with a continuous abiding of His prophetic presence.
Centuries later the prophet Joel picked up God’s trumpet and declared that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (see Joel 2:28). Peter, on the day of Pentecost, took up the baton from Joel and proclaimed, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).
Do you see? Prophecy is for the many, not the few!
Reach out and lift your own cry to Him: “Father, pour out Your Spirit upon the Body of Your Son to such a degree that we will be propelled beyond the tent of meeting into the marketplace of our day. As You did with Medad and Eldad, release the abundance of the spirit of wisdom and revelation and enable Your many people to give the testimony of Jesus through the Spirit of prophecy.”
Ultimately, that is what the gift of prophecy, ministry of prophecy and the office of the prophet are all about—capturing the heart of Jesus and speaking forth His thoughts even as you continue to become grounded and established with a firm biblical foundation.
May the testimony of Jesus shine in your life!
Blessing to Each of You!
James W. Goll
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