Here’s another one of those subjects i just keep coming back to over and over again:
“But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation” 1 Corinthians 14:3
It does not take a prophetic spirit to identify the faults in a person or a system. Faults and failings are plain to see. It requires a prophetic spirit, however, to look at the faulted and failing one and edify, exhort and console them. Now you can see why this is a spiritual gift! It can only be done by the Holy Spirit. Our flesh hates this stuff. Our flesh wants to tear down, discourage, and disturb. But not the Spirit.
What does it mean to edify, exhort and console?
Briefly, to edify is to build up, strengthen, promote the growth of another.
To exhort is to “call near”, to summon, to persuade. The word also contains notions of encouragement and comfort.
To console is to calm and comfort, but the word also contains notions of persuasion and stimulation to action.
If we want to be prophetic people, then we need to go beyond the identification of faults and failures. We must speak to people for their encouragement, strengthening, and growth; for their calming and comfort; to persuade them to rise up and follow Christ’s leadership in their lives.
Let us surrender our words to this purpose.
I worry that you're making the text say more, or less than it wants to.
In context, this verse is contrasting prophesies made "unto men" with tongues which cannot be understood by the same.
SOME faults and failings are plain to see, and if a person is pointing them out in the name of "prophecy", that person is trouble. On the other hand, a lot of prophecy does come in the form of bad news, although the news is ultimately good for those who are born again---exhortation and edification are not always simple matters. Some things need tearing down--things and systems.
Prophets get killed, remember?
Think of it in light of 1Kings22. Here's verses 7 and 8:
"And Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so."
There are people who speak falsely in the name of the Lord. And yet, not despising prophecy, we shouldn't make the mistake of telling the Lord what to say when He does speak.
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