Despise not prophesyings. 1 Thessalonians 5:20
Suppose you and I could slip back in time to the year in which Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, and make our way into the company of Christians gathered in a large room in Thessaloniki. Of course, we would find many differences from a gathering of the Lord’s people today, such as the language they spoke, the clothing they wore, and the absence of all things electrical and electronic. But another glaring difference would be the absence of Bibles, as we know them. A few folks had scrolls of parts of the Old Testament. No New Testament books were available, with the remote possibility of Matthew. So how did these dear saints get their ministry?
At this point, the New Testament gift of prophesying was still in effect. Godly brethren were given messages from God, and delivered them orally during the Assembly gatherings. So Paul’s advice in today’s text was very important. As the years went by, this gift disappeared as the New Testament came into being. So prophesyings were no longer needed. But the principle of today’s text is still essential.
God has no new revelations for us today. His completed revelation to us is in our hands every time we open our Bibles. That includes at every meeting of the Assembly. But what is written often needs to be taught to the Lord’s people by someone who understands it. That is what we are not to despise today. If a brother has prayerfully prepared a message, we should respect his exercise. And we should thank the Lord for the message and for him. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/qtqh-tRfa6M