Many of Paul's epistles are letters written to specific churches, with specific words of exhortation and direction. Look at his words to the church at Corinth.

"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you."
I Corinthians 1:10-11

"As I have brought you all together here, I move and breath upon this assembly. Do not lie prostrate upon the ground, but do the work that I've called you to do. And what is that work, you might ask? It is not just exercising your spiritual gifts, but it is in producing character. Some of you are new to my kingdom; stay here so that you might learn of Me. To others who have known Me for some time, I would say, to be one with your wives, for in being one with your mates, then you better understand my plans."
S. Hanson (used with permission)

Note how, just like Christ's words in Revelation and Paul's words in I Corinthians, this message is custom fit to a unique group of believers. God still cares for each part of His flock and knows exactly what He needs to say to encourage them.

Words to Individuals. Though growing in frequency and popularity in today's Church, personal prophetic words, or personal prophetic exhortations, are not easy to find in scripture - particularly the New Testament.

In the Old Testament, the most pronounced occurrence is found in the familial blessing. For example, in Genesis 27:28-29, Isaac blessed Jacob, believing he was Esau, and promised him fruitfulness and honor among his family. Familial blessings were commonplace in Old Testament culture.

We see a different type of personal prophetic word in the story of the prophet Nathan and king David following David's adultery and the murder of Uriah. Nathan told David a story about a rich farmer with many sheep who stole a poor man's only sheep. After David pronounced judgment on the sheep stealer, Nathan pulled the proverbial ironic twist, "You are that man!" he said, (II Samuel 12:17), and led David to repentance.

In the New Testament, we find that the greatest example of personal prophetic words can be found in the stories of Jesus' ministry. Here is a familiar passage:

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
John 4:11

Here are some more of Jesus' personal words to or about individuals:

To Peter and Andrew: Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19

Regarding Nathanael: Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
John 1:47

To Peter: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:18

Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist, spoke a blessing over Mary, pregnant with Jesus.
Luke 1:41-42

Simeon, spoke to Mary about her newborn Son, Jesus. Luke 2:34-35

Peter commanded the lame man to walk and he did.
Acts 3:6

Barnabas and Saul are singled out by the Holy Spirit for ministry together.
Acts 13:2

During fierce storm, Paul, a prisoner, told the centurion that his men must stay in the ship to be saved.
Acts 27:31

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, ...
I Timothy 1:18-19

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
I Timothy 4:14

In 1988, while serving as a worship leader at Manassas Christian Fellowship, God gave me an unusual gift. That Sunday our church had invited a guest speaker, a man named Travis Thigpen. Due to a previous commitment, I had to leave the service right after worship. Following the meeting, Travis approached my pastor. "Where is the man who led worship? I have a word from the Lord for him." Since I had left the building, arrangements were made for Travis to speak his message into the tape machine. The tape was later given to me. Here is an excerpt:

"... The Lord says, man of God, you have been called to be a prophetic voice in the land . . . And the Lord says, you will bring a word in season to him that's weary. The Lord says son, you will have my word, and you will have my heart . . . The Lord says, my son Mark, I've called you to be a prophet to the nations. I've called you with a prophetic voice ... "
T. Thigpen 1988

Can you imagine what happened inside of me when I listened to that tape? Let me tell you. My heart echoed with a resounding AMEN! Prior to hearing the tape, I already had a sense of a prophetic calling upon my life, even though I couldn't quite express it that way. What Travis' word did for me was clarify and confirm what I already knew deep in my heart. And the most fascinating thing about it--the word sought me out, I did not seek out the word! In the years which have followed, I have not tried to make the word happen. I simply let the word reside in my heart and continue to ask God to fulfill it through me.

How can a man, a total stranger, know about another man's calling without ever even talking to him? Personal prophetic insights such as the one described above are possible because of a gift from the Holy Spirit called the word of knowledge (I Corinthians 12:8). The word of knowledge occurs when God supernaturally imparts specific facts from His mind into the mind of one of His servants--facts which the servant would have no way of knowing in the natural realm. Among other things, God does this to strengthen the faith of the recipient by revealing His personal and intimate shepherding care through the word.

What about you? Have you or your church ever experienced a personal prophetic word? Can you think of other New Testament examples of personal prophecy? What are your thoughts and experiences with this phenomenon? Send us your comments.

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Next week we will look at another way in which God's prophetic people engage in His world when we explore Prophets as Prosecuting Attorneys.

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GroundWorks is an imprint of Reconciliation Press. The name has been chosen to reflect the biblical idea of roots and foundations in Christian life and culture. As you read these weekly articles, look for words and imagery in the text that illustrate these themes.

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