From the lips of our God in heaven, we have received a royal decree that mandates, through 1 Corinthians 14:1, that we are to do THREE things. As a priority. And whenever God works a work in us that has the pattern and the working of threes, it is so that through those three things, we can be perfect and entire, lacking absolutely nothing.

     And these are the three imperatives that God has commissioned of us all:

1. To PURSUE love!

2. To KEEP desiring spiritual gifts!

3. ESPECIALLY prophecy!

     Which, firstly, tells us that the wisdom of God — which is an all-seeing, all-knowing, omniscient and omnipotent wisdom, which is a wisdom that always sees the end of a matter from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) — has established a deliberate coupling and yoking between “pursuing love”, “pursuing the gifts”, and “pursuing prophecy”.

     Secondly, it also shows us that by pursuing love — which is to ensure that love is first and foremost, pre-eminent and prominent in both our agenda and priorities, and in our thoughts and our ways — that God will find a way for love to not only be found, but to have it’s perfect way through the working of the gifts, ESPECIALLY prophecy.

     For the imperative of “especially pursuing prophecy” tells us that even for God, that prophecy has a soft spot and special place in His heart. For in the pursuit of love, which is the pursuit of the two greatest commandments of all — together being the spiritual spine of the entire good works that is the entire Bible, for it is upon these two commandments that all the law and prophets hang — that prophecy brings the two greatest commandments of all together as one. In the way of the working of three cords that cannot easily be broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Just like the three persons of the Holy Trinity are a cord of three that work powerfully together as one.

     For in the pursuit of love, the prophetic CONNECTS the first and greatest imperative of "communion with the Father", being the commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul and strength, with the second greatest commandment, namely the imperative of "community with man", being the commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. For by nature, being the nature of perfect love, the second should always follow from the first, if love is to have its perfect say, and it’s perfect way, that it may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

     And ALL the gifts work just like this. They all CONNECT the first and greatest commandment together with the second greatest commandment, as a three-fold cord that cannot easily be broken. But "prophecy", in particular, is specifically singled out by the Father. Because prophecy is the realm of words. And is it not said that by faith we understand that the worlds were formed by the word of God, so that the things being seen have not been made from the things being visible. (Hebrews 11:3). Does that not encapsulate the nature and power of words?

     For prophecy operates and functions with the “living stones” that are the building blocks of words. For is God not THE Word? The LIVING Word? And are all His words not spirit AND life? (John 6:63). And when one connects the love of God with loving our neighbour as ourselves in order that perfect love may have its perfect way, is it not through the power of words that are both spirit AND life? For isn’t prophecy the operation of love that lets us speak, not with the idle and vain and empty words of men, but with the omnipotent words of God? (1 Corinthians 2:13).

     For, importantly, it's by "words" that are spirit AND life that God calls things into existence. (Romans 4:17). And like the army of dead bones in Ezekiel, being a type of all those who are called by the Word to life in Christ, it was through the spoken word of His prophet Ezekiel that life was given to the dead.

     Which gets us to the crux of the matter. In the same way, every attack of the enemy is first conceived with words, and then deployed with words. Words are at the heart of all that is both seen and unseen. Whether it be by the mouth of God. Or by the hand of the enemy. Which is why, in the pursuit of love, so that God’s people may be whole, being when their sins are forgiven and their lands are healed, that there needs to be a category of words with overall and ultimate authority. To countermand and overcome the words of men and the enemy.

     Which are the category of words spoken into a person’s brokenness and need, into their abject poverty and privation, into their heartache and illness, being the words of spirit and life, that are not the words of men, but the very words of God. Which are the category of words that have final say and overall authority. So that the love of God in heaven may connect with the needs of men on earth through loving our neighbour as ourselves. So that — in the end — perfect love may have its perfect way.