Editing Pentecostalism (section)

=====Prophecy=====
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Pentecostal Preacher.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|right|A Pentecostal preacher]] -->
{{Main|Prophecy}}

Pentecostals agree with the Protestant principle of ''[[sola Scriptura]]''. The Bible is the "all sufficient rule for faith and practice"; it is "fixed, finished, and objective revelation".<ref name=WritProph26>Robeck, Jr. 1980, p. 26.</ref> Alongside this high regard for the authority of scripture is a belief that the gift of prophecy continues to operate within the Church. Pentecostal theologians Duffield and van Cleave described the gift of prophecy in the following manner: "Normally, in the operation of the gift of prophecy, the Spirit heavily anoints the believer to speak forth to the body not premeditated words, but words the Spirit supplies spontaneously in order to uplift and encourage, incite to faithful obedience and service, and to bring comfort and consolation."<ref name="foundations340"/>

Any Spirit-filled Christian, according to Pentecostal theology, has the potential, as with all the gifts, to prophesy. Sometimes, prophecy can overlap with preaching "where great unpremeditated truth or application is provided by the Spirit, or where special revelation is given beforehand in prayer and is empowered in the delivery".<ref name=foundations347>Duffield and Van Cleave 1983, p. 347.</ref>

While a prophetic utterance at times might foretell future events, this is not the primary purpose of Pentecostal prophecy and is never to be used for personal guidance. For Pentecostals, prophetic utterances are [[fallible]], i.e. subject to error.<ref name=foundations346>Duffield and Van Cleave 1983, p. 346.</ref> Pentecostals teach that believers must discern whether the utterance has edifying value for themselves and the local church.<ref name=foundations354>Duffield and Van Cleave 1983, p. 354.</ref> Because prophecies are subject to the judgement and discernment of other Christians, most Pentecostals teach that prophetic utterances should never be spoken in the [[grammatical person|first person]] (e.g. "I, the Lord") but always in the third person (e.g. "Thus saith the Lord" or "The Lord would have...").<ref name=foundations355>Duffield and Van Cleave 1983, p. 355.</ref>