A WORD FOR TODAY, June 13, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, June 13, 2024
“Follow after love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation. He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly. Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages, but rather that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up.” 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, WEB
The term soapbox has come to mean an improvised platform that is used by a self-appointed speaker to make an impromptu or nonofficial speech. The term comes from early in the twentieth century when the platform was actually a wooden crate that had been used for soap. Now our soapboxes are often imagined, as seen on often on social media, but we still make those speeches and often end with the statement, “I will get off my soapbox now.”
There was a time when those soapboxes were used by street preachers who went out into market squares or along main street to proclaim the coming of the end of the world, to call for the repentance of the people so that they would be saved. They were much like the Old Testament prophets that seemed to have only bad news to share. Most of those soapbox preachers spoke well of hell and damnation, scaring folk into a very shallow faith that was easily destroyed when they experienced disappointment or persecution. They were self-proclaimed prophets, determined to change society one heart at a time. Those street prophets were false prophets. Their predictions never came true, and the faith that accompanied their word was not true faith in Jesus Christ. Prophecy is still a very real gift, because it is through the proclamation of God’s Word that people are saved.
Old Testament prophecy was different than New Testament. Jesus Christ was only a promise then, a glimmer of what God intended and what God would do. For prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel, there was only the hope of the coming Messiah. They could only point forward to that day and persuade the people of their need to turn to God so that they would know Him when He came. The purpose of prophesy changed after Christ. Now, we don’t have to point to something that will happen in the future, but rather we point to Jesus who brings forgiveness in the here and now. This is something that we should all be doing every day. That’s what the soapbox prophets got wrong: they warned of coming wrath without focusing on the incredible grace of Jesus Christ that truly changed the world.
We don’t need false prophets who stand around on soapboxes in the market square (or preach on social media) warning that the end of the world is near, predicting some future day of wrath. What we do need is every Christian willing to speak the Good News of the Gospel so that those who have not yet heard might know Christ and be saved through faith in Him. We are called to prophesy in the world today, but we don’t need to act like the Old Testament prophets running around screaming hellfire and damnation to the nation. Rather, we are gifted with God’s words in our hearts and on our tongues so that we can bring the grace of God in Christ Jesus to one heart at a time. Fear never saved a soul, but God’s Word has the power to transform the most horrible sinner into a forgiven saint who will live with God for eternity. Let us go out and be the prophetic voices through which God can bring His salvation to the world.
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