Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Week 7, July 19, 2026

LESSON 7

Evaluating Prophecy

Lesson Text:

Jeremiah 28:1-17; Acts 21:4, 9-14; 2 Corinthians 14:29-33

Memory Verse
"Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge."
(1 Corinthians 14:29)

Key Terms
consensus • a general agreement.

evaluate • to determine or fix the value of; to assess.
yoke • a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.

Suggested Emphasis

In a section of 1 Corinthians where the apostle Paul offered practical teaching about spiritual gifts, he provided a general protocol for the expression of the prophetic gift in the church. "Let two or three people prophesy and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God's holy people" (1 Cor. 14:29-33, NLT). In effect, Paul outlined the benefit of a company of prophets, where the individual participants have their pronouncements moderated by the wisdom of the group. At first look, this procedure may seem to clash with our impressions of the Old Testament prophets. We may view narratives about Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, and many others as "lone wolf" stories. So often the biblical narrative seems to present God's man acting solo, declaring the Word amidst almost universal opposition. But there are a few Scriptural examples of prophecy being offered in a communal context, where the prophets evaluated the pronouncements of their peers.

Emphasis 1:

Jeremiah Doesn't Despise
a Prophecy, But Tests It

Let's look at an example from the experience of the prophet Jeremiah. In chapter 27 we read an account when Jeremiah made an object lesson of his own life. God told the prophet to construct "bonds and yokes" to be worn around his neck (Jer. 27:2). His being harnessed that way was a physical representation of the political bond and yokes Nebuchadnezzar would place upon Israel and their neighbors. But while Jeremiah labored to warn Jerusalem of the impending judgment of God, a contrary word arose from the ranks of the court prophets. Hananiah, identified as the son of a prophet, appeared at the temple declaring that Nebuchadnezzar's yoke on the nation would soon be broken (Jer. 28:1,2). Hananiah even had the audacity to remove the yoke Jeremiah was wearing and destroy it to illustrate his point (Jer. 28:10). Jeremiah's response to Hananiah shows us the proper evaluation of prophecy. Jeremiah expressed his pleasure at the notion that God would soon end the domination of the Babylonians (Jer. 28:6), but he withheld his full endorsement of the prophecy because it was a reversal of previous messages he and other prophets had been given (Jer. 28:8). Here, Jeremiah was operating with a Pauline principle: he didn't automatically dismiss Hananiah's prophecy, but he tested it against revealed truth (consider 1 Thess. 5:20,21).

Emphasis 2:

Paul Judges That His Friends Misinterpreted a Prophetic Word

Another instance when we see this degree of prophetic evaluation is recorded in the Book of Acts. Paul himself was a practitioner of his own principles while he was concluding his Third Missionary Journey. The apostle was returning to Jerusalem but making many stops along the route to encourage the Saints. As he told the Ephesian elders that he met at the port city of Miletus, ""I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead" (Acts 20:22,23, NLT). However, when he landed back in Syria, disembarking at Tyre, he dwelt with a group of local disciples for a week. "These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem" (Acts 21:4b, NLT). These brethren probably had the same vision of persecution and imprisonment in Jerusalem that others had shared, but they interpreted the prophecy as a warning not to go. A similar incident occurred when Paul's party reached Caesarea and stayed with Philip the evangelist. The prophet Agabus arrived and prophesied that the Jews in Jerusalem would bind Paul and deliver him to the Gentiles (Acts 21:11). Agabus didn't expressly claim that Paul shouldn't go to Jerusalem, but that was the consensus of the other brethren. However, Paul felt constrained by the Spirit to attend the holiday in the Holy Land (Acts 19:21). He evaluated the interpretation of the Saints in Tyre and Caesarea, and judged them to be mistaken, given what he knew God was telling him.

Emphasis 3:

We Should Test Prophecy

In the modern Church, we should be willing to test prophecy. First, we should measure prophecy against the yardstick of revealed truth. Again, this is what Jeremiah was doing when he recalled the previous predictions of war and suffering. Second, we should expect any prophecy to be confirmed by the Lord. If the Holy Ghost actively contradicts the prophetic word we hear—as in Paul's experience—we ought to believe God. Ultimately, we should not be hasty to either embrace or reject a prophetic word. It is wise, instead, to petition God for wisdom and discernment.

Missions Application Questions

Have you ever witnessed "a company of prophets"? If so, describe your experience.
How do you know to stand on your beliefs when others say that you should divert your plans?
When and how should one test prophecy?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray that churches and Christian organizations develop prophetic communities where prophets can keep one another accountable.
Let us pray to not be hasty in embracing or rejecting a prophetic word.
Let us pray to evaluate prophecy by revealed truth and to seek confirmation from God.