In this article:
The idea of encounter stewardship
A prayer meeting turned prophetic
A little history
Paul father’s Timothy concerning his prophetic words
An apostolic mandate
The idea of encounter stewardship
Let’s talk about 1 Timothy 1:18-19 from a stewardship perspective. I want to build a context for what stewarding prophetic words can look like. The apostle Paul wrote at least two personal letters to his spiritual son Timothy. The quote just below is from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. The spiritual truth found in these words from Paul help lay a scriptural foundation for the type of stewardship I am writing about. “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” 1 Timothy 1:18 This one sentence from Paul is key to building a foundation for stewarding personal prophetic words.
A prayer meeting turned prophetic
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.” 1 Timothy 4:14
This text is rich with background information. We shouldn’t gloss over what’s happening here. We know that Paul is writing a personal letter to Timothy. Paul reminds Timothy of the prayer meeting they both attended. It was at that prayer meeting that the elders prophesied over Timothy. Timothy received his first prophetic words at that prayer meeting. If you are part of a prophetic church culture then you have most likely received personal prophetic words. What I want to establish here is that just like you and I receive personal prophetic words, so did Timothy! We have a very clear picture painted for us in how Timothy received personal prophetic ministry.
This is important to understand because it makes the bible and prophetic stewardship relatable. We can imagine the prayer meeting Paul mentions was not unlike prayer meetings that we have today. Their prayer meeting turned prophetic. Our prayer meetings often turn prophetic. Paul says that the church leaders laid their hands on Timothy and spoke prophetically to him. This is when Timothy received personal prophetic words and these are the words Paul refers to earlier in this letter in the first chapter (1 Timothy 1:18-19).
In fact, the message translation translates 1 Timothy 1:18-19 in this way, “So Timothy, my son, I am entrusting you with this responsibility, in keeping with the very first prophecies that were spoken over your life, and are now in the process of fulfillment in this great work of ministry, in keeping with the prophecies spoken over you.” Paul is referring to “the very first prophecies” Timothy received. The Passion Translation makes that clear. No matter what translation you read, if you read in the context of the whole letter to Timothy, it is already clear that Paul is referring to the prophetic words Timothy received at the prophetic prayer meeting (1 Timothy 4:14).
A little history
At the point of Paul writing this letter to Timothy, however, about 15 years had already passed since Timothy received these prophetic words that Paul was referring to. We understand from Acts 16 that Paul met a disciple named Timothy and wanted Timothy to come with him. This was at the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey as we call it, and Timothy agreed to go with him. It was around A.D. 49 when Timothy began going with Paul to spread the gospel. And Paul likely wrote this letter to Timothy at A.D. 64. Paul is writing this letter to Timothy as an older man.
He knew that it was time to leave his earthly body and for Timothy to step into his identity and purpose at a fuller level than Timothy ever had before. The call of God on Timothy’s life was crystal clear to Paul and he had a high value for Timothy’s personal prophetic words. We don’t know what Timothy’s prophetic words were but we do know that Paul wrote this letter with Timothy’s personal prophetic words in mind.
Paul father’s Timothy concerning his prophetic words
This is why Paul reminds Timothy about the prayer meeting that they had with the council of elders (1 Tim 4:14). Paul explained to Timothy the power of the prophetic words spoken over him. Let’s take a look at that verse now and tease out what Paul is saying: ‘This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” 1 Timothy 1:18-19a There are two references in this same letter to Timothy about Timothy’s personal prophetic words.
Here in chapter 1, Paul mentions Timothy’s prophetic words in the context of moving Timothy towards his identity and purpose. Paul’s charge is “in accordance with the prophecies previously made about” Timothy. This is an important connection to make. The apostle Paul’s command is in alignment with Timothy’s personal prophetic words. In other words, Paul is saying, “Timothy, my spiritual son, I know the prophetic words that were spoken over your life and that are still active in the spirit. I know that you are going through some intense spiritual warfare. You know that I know what intense spiritual warfare is like. I’m giving you this command because I know that it is consistent with the prophetic words spoken over your life. That means that if you follow what I am saying to you, you will step into your authority in the spirit. You will wage the good warfare by engaging it with your prophetic words. You will discover that you will make much progress and that you will grow in faith and keep a clear conscience just as I have.”
Even though this was a personal letter from Paul to Timothy, we too can lean into this apostolic mandate by moving towards our prophetic identity in our prophetic words in a mature, wise way. Part of the mature, wise way has to do with understanding that we have a mandate to move towards our prophetic identity and purpose as revealed through scripture, prophetic words, prophetic dreams, prophetic trances, and any other type of prophetic encounter with God. This mandate is found throughout scripture, and, as we are beginning to see, the scriptures themselves provide a blueprint for our stewardship of all things prophetic. Afterall, what is the point of the prophetic if we are not supposed to move towards it?
An apostolic mandate
We need to understand that stewarding personal prophetic words is an apostolic mandate. Paul was called by God as an apostle of Jesus. That means that as Paul wrote this God-inspired letter to Timothy, everything he told Timothy has his apostolic anointing. So Paul’s command to Timothy is not a good suggestion but an apostolic mandate. That, in turn, means that when Timothy engages his life in alignment to Paul’s command, Timothy will have Paul’s apostolic authority and anointing backing him. Again, that, in turn, means that as we align ourselves to the prophetic calling, gifts and identity God has given to us, then we too can operated with apostolic backing.