Increased Faith

Prophetic ministry since Jesus gave gifts to His body includes three works:

• Announcing the future (like Agabus predicted a famine in Acts 11:28)
• Interpreting current events based on something God has said to the person prophesying, either through Scripture or by His Spirit (like Peter, interpreting the events on the day of Pentecost by quoting Joel, or Paul, interpreting an opportunity and instructions when He was given a vision of a man from Macedonia)
• Commanding something to happen, or to stop happening (Like Jesus speaking to fevers and storms, or Peter speaking to the man at the gate called “Beautiful” and commanding him to stand up)

When Luke recorded Jesus’ disciples asking Him for more faith (Luke 17:5), he recorded Jesus’ response as three examples of prophesying: commanding a bush to be thrown into the sea, ordering your servants around, and being ordered around if you are a servant. A point Jesus made through those three examples of faith being exercised was that when we have authority, we should exercise it with faith, and expect to be obeyed.

We should expect to be obeyed, even when we are speaking to created things. Because the request is for increased faith, realize that He is saying that when they prophesied with what faith they had, when they spoke with faith-empowered authority, their faith would increase.