Apart from the gift of tongues, prophecy is misunderstood more than any other gift. One misconception involves the ability to predict future events:
Another debate is over the role of direct revelation in prophecy. The answer will be highly significant because those who claim to receive direct revelation from God may claim a great amount of authority as well, which can lead to abuses of power. John MacArthur, Jr. addresses the role of revelation in the gift of prophecy:
Frederick Bruner writes “Berkhof believes that ‘we badly need a study of the content and the theological relevance of New Testament prophecy. In this context I cannot say more than that in my opinion prophecy is the gift of understanding and expressing what the will of God is for a given present situation[4].’” Enough writers have agreed with MacArthur and Bruner on the role of prophecy to give us some useful descriptions of modern prophets. For example, John Packo lists the following motivations of a prophecy gift: “To preach openly against sin...To correct the wrongs of society...To take a strong stand on contemporary issues...To wake up an indifferent church[5].” Marilyn Hickey writes that a prophet can be represented by your index finger, because they are the ones who come to point and reveal[6].” The personality type which best fits these skills is the ENFP:
The prophet Isaiah represents ENFPs well in his response to God’s call. When God asks in Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah immediately replies “here am I, send me.” ENFPs have a strong desire to speak whatever message needs to be delivered in a given situation, and are the least likely to respect social conventions or sacred cows when it impedes the unveiling of truths that an individual, group, or a whole society needs to hear. Keirsey could be writing of a prophet when he describes an ENFP:
In his book on spiritual gifts, W.B. Godbey has an interesting comment on prophecy: “The original meaning of the word is to bubble up like a boiling spring or an artesian well[9]”, although this etymology is difficult to verify. The word certainly carries a lot of baggage in the form of both assumed definitions and Old Testament images. One scholar, though, relates another angle on prophecy: “It is, in fact, our impression that expressions such as ‘thoughtful speech,’ ‘testimony,’ or even ‘counsel’ better translate the word rendered now somewhat archaically ‘prophecy[10].’” ENFPs love small gatherings where a variety of “thoughtful speech” can be exchanged for the edification of everyone.
Summary: For each of the sixteen personality types there is a theme or set of related themes that run through the various descriptions of that type. A major theme of the ENFP is an advocate or champion of causes. It can be difficult to compare this to the gift of prophecy because there are so many competing images of prophets in the Christian world; but surely a champion of the cause of God would be a reasonable definition of a prophet. In the Old Testament, the cause would have been whatever message God had delivered, and for our own time the cause would be the whole counsel of God. The gift of prophecy, therefore, seems to be a fairly good match with the ENFP personality type.
References
[1] Donald Hohensee and Allen Odell, Your Spiritual Gifts (Wheaton, Il.: Victor, 1992), 77.
[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: I Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 303.
[3] Ibid., 303.
[4] As quoted in Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1970), 297, from Hendrikus Berkhof, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, “The Annie Kinkead Warfield Lectures,” 1963-1964 (Richmond, VA: Knox, 1964).
[5] John E. Packo, Find and Use Your Spiritual Gifts (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1980), 34.
[6] Marilyn Hickey, Motivational Gifts (Word of Faith Publishers, 1983), 3.
[7] Olaf Isachsen and Linda Berens, Working Together: A Personality Centered Approach to Management (Coronado, CA: Neworld Management Press, 1988), 316.
[8] David Keirsey, Portraits of Temperament (Del Mar: Prometheus Nemesis, 1987), 108-109.
[9] Godbey, Spiritual Gifts and Graces (Cincinatti: M. W. Knapp, 1895), 36.
[10] Bruner, 297.
There is a modern notion when one hears the word “prophet,” that the speaker will tell you something about the future, something that is not presently known. While prophets in scripture did make some predictions, their prophecies dealt mainly with the present; they illustrated them from the past. Prophecy has more to do with “forth-telling” than “fore-telling.”[1]
Like its Hebrew equivalent (naba’), the Greek verb (propheteuo) behind prophecy simply means “to speak forth, to proclaim.” it assumes the speaker is before an audience, and could mean “to speak publicly.” The connotation of prediction was added sometime in the Middle Ages.[2]
Another debate is over the role of direct revelation in prophecy. The answer will be highly significant because those who claim to receive direct revelation from God may claim a great amount of authority as well, which can lead to abuses of power. John MacArthur, Jr. addresses the role of revelation in the gift of prophecy:
The original terms, in fact, did not necessarily carry the idea of revelation. God revealed a great deal of His Word through the prophets, but much of their ministry was simply proclaiming, expounding, and exhorting with revelation already given...A prophet of God, therefore, is simply one who speaks forth God’s Word, and prophecy is the proclaiming of that word...Since the completion of scripture, prophecy has no longer been the means of new revelation, but has only proclaimed what has already been revealed in scripture.[3]
Frederick Bruner writes “Berkhof believes that ‘we badly need a study of the content and the theological relevance of New Testament prophecy. In this context I cannot say more than that in my opinion prophecy is the gift of understanding and expressing what the will of God is for a given present situation[4].’” Enough writers have agreed with MacArthur and Bruner on the role of prophecy to give us some useful descriptions of modern prophets. For example, John Packo lists the following motivations of a prophecy gift: “To preach openly against sin...To correct the wrongs of society...To take a strong stand on contemporary issues...To wake up an indifferent church[5].” Marilyn Hickey writes that a prophet can be represented by your index finger, because they are the ones who come to point and reveal[6].” The personality type which best fits these skills is the ENFP:
With their penchant for unveiling and disclosing, their interest in all that is going on around them, and their talent for communicating, they are particularly gifted in reporting and rephrasing events so they become more illuminating, interesting, and valuable.[7]
The prophet Isaiah represents ENFPs well in his response to God’s call. When God asks in Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah immediately replies “here am I, send me.” ENFPs have a strong desire to speak whatever message needs to be delivered in a given situation, and are the least likely to respect social conventions or sacred cows when it impedes the unveiling of truths that an individual, group, or a whole society needs to hear. Keirsey could be writing of a prophet when he describes an ENFP:
When they play their extroverted role the Advocates take up the task of unveiling the significant social events that effect our lives...The more extroverted, public, and outgoing Revealers [ENFPs] are, the more inclined to go everywhere and look into everything—everywhere and everything, that is to say, when something good or bad is occurring. It is not that they are snoopy, though they are sometimes so regarded; rather it is that they can’t bear to miss out on what is going on around them. They must know all that is significant for the advance of good and the retreat of evil...The strong drive to unveil current events can make them tireless in conversing with others, like fountains that bubble and splash, spilling over their own words to get it all out.[8]
In his book on spiritual gifts, W.B. Godbey has an interesting comment on prophecy: “The original meaning of the word is to bubble up like a boiling spring or an artesian well[9]”, although this etymology is difficult to verify. The word certainly carries a lot of baggage in the form of both assumed definitions and Old Testament images. One scholar, though, relates another angle on prophecy: “It is, in fact, our impression that expressions such as ‘thoughtful speech,’ ‘testimony,’ or even ‘counsel’ better translate the word rendered now somewhat archaically ‘prophecy[10].’” ENFPs love small gatherings where a variety of “thoughtful speech” can be exchanged for the edification of everyone.
Summary: For each of the sixteen personality types there is a theme or set of related themes that run through the various descriptions of that type. A major theme of the ENFP is an advocate or champion of causes. It can be difficult to compare this to the gift of prophecy because there are so many competing images of prophets in the Christian world; but surely a champion of the cause of God would be a reasonable definition of a prophet. In the Old Testament, the cause would have been whatever message God had delivered, and for our own time the cause would be the whole counsel of God. The gift of prophecy, therefore, seems to be a fairly good match with the ENFP personality type.
References
[1] Donald Hohensee and Allen Odell, Your Spiritual Gifts (Wheaton, Il.: Victor, 1992), 77.
[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: I Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 303.
[3] Ibid., 303.
[4] As quoted in Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1970), 297, from Hendrikus Berkhof, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, “The Annie Kinkead Warfield Lectures,” 1963-1964 (Richmond, VA: Knox, 1964).
[5] John E. Packo, Find and Use Your Spiritual Gifts (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1980), 34.
[6] Marilyn Hickey, Motivational Gifts (Word of Faith Publishers, 1983), 3.
[7] Olaf Isachsen and Linda Berens, Working Together: A Personality Centered Approach to Management (Coronado, CA: Neworld Management Press, 1988), 316.
[8] David Keirsey, Portraits of Temperament (Del Mar: Prometheus Nemesis, 1987), 108-109.
[9] Godbey, Spiritual Gifts and Graces (Cincinatti: M. W. Knapp, 1895), 36.
[10] Bruner, 297.
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