I have a physical heart condition (ventricular ectopic and bigeminy). Surprisingly, as I lay awake at night there is something profoundly reassuring about hearing my own heartbeat, I’m not aware of the missing or dropped heartbeat, but I do notice the occasional pause.

I marvel at the ticking beat, count it and listen to it. It’s mine. More than that it is me. I know the sound of my own heartbeat.

I don’t think it is a sound that is only ever heard by me, I know that God hears it too. He hears it in the natural, but he also knows the depths of my spiritual heart, its beat, what moves, motivates and drives it – and ultimately he knows what exists there.  Jeremiah, God’s weeping prophet, steals a glance at the human predicament and offers the profound insight, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Jesus’ encouragement that we should first take the plank out of our eye before we offer to take a splinter from a brother’s eye, is most meaningful when we consider what the agenda and motives are, for someone else’s heart.

We have to understand our own heart first. Difficult questions produce the richest fruit and the greatest change and transformation. What are our motives, where are we looking for profile, recognition, position? What ministerial jealousy is scarring our heart, or where is bitterness, resentment or rejection jeopardising what God wants to do in and with us?

Why  include this topic on a web page about the prophetic ministry? We all need to watch out walk before God, to guard our ways and proactively make sure that we are living our lives in a way that is honouring to God. Prophetic people can easily and accurately discern issues in the hearts of others, but if they are not careful, fail to attend to the more important issues fossilising, hardening and smouldering in their own heart.

Sometimes the prophetic person needs leaders and those they are accountable to, to ask difficult, diagnostic heart-condition questions. It is important because it out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come-sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person. (Mark 7:21-22)

Jesus makes it very clear, these are the things that defile a person – He is inclusive to us all, apostle, prophet, and evangelist – everyone in the kingdom must watch their heart.

Spend some time today asking God to speak to you about your heart, not the heart of the Church, or God’s heart – your own. And remember, above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)

It has been said that God moves in seasons, and that like the sea, the outpouring(s) of His Spirit come in waves.

The Bible however, does not limit God in such a way - instead it speaks of His powerful, majestic ways as being limited by nothing either in heaven or earth. God is sovereign, all-knowing and all-powerful and present everywhere, at once.

The enemy is not like that. The silliness of pictures on facebook that show Jesus arm wrestling with satan only confirm that we have wandered far from a strong biblical understanding of the person of Christ. Pictures of a man with thorns on his head, meant to represent Jesus, are not helpful either, and portray the wrong message so essential for the Church at this critical hour of world history. The Bible does not focus long on the terrible crown of thorns – but it does linger long and deliberately on the resurrection of Christ and the empty tomb. We worship and serve a living Christ who is engaged in building His Church in this very day and age.

Let that message thump home in your heart, right now, Jesus Christ is building His Church.

The claims that God is not going to bring revival until we do ‘this or that’ are just not true, and are an example of the rampant legalism that has gripped many in the Church, tearing down hope and faith. Let’s be clear, revival is not directly promised by Scripture. Revival is not the hope for the future for our nation, Jesus and His glorious gospel is but we can ask for revival!

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Revival is a great hope and aspiration – but it is not the main agenda. Jesus said that He would build His Church and that nothing would be able to withstand it. There has never been a generation in world history that God has not been at work in one way or another, and that certainly is the case today.

God is always at work. What is seasonal is our ability to distinguish and discern His activity. God may be at work and we just don’t realise or sense it, sometimes God hides it from us, testing our hearts thoughts and attitudes. But He is at work. Our task is to respond to what God is doing and to cooperate with the leading of the Spirit walking in the discipleship triplets; faith, obedience and holiness.

What I believe is perhaps the greatest move of God in world history, is happening right now. It’s not something that is coming and yet to break upon us, it is already here – and God is calling us to walk in it.

What is the calling? To live our lives in ferocious loyalty to Him. It is an initiative of God that was placed in our hearts the moment Christ forgave all our sins, taking our judgment away and giving the very righteousness of Christ to us, making us holy in His sight. Can you say that you are loyal to God? It’s a crushing challenge. Has God got your heart? All of it?

There is a move of God under way and this is it. It is a life of commitment to walk in faith and obedience to Christ, but also to walk in love. They are the key ingredients of what honours, pleases, blesses and brings exceeding glory to God. But it takes God to help you live that life that pleases God. You can’t do it by yourself and in your own strength – if you know the gospel then you will already be aware of that! There will not be a single thing in heaven that was produced by you! God strengthens and inspires us to live a life pleasing to him. What is emerging in us is a ferocious loyalty to God, and we need to encourage one another to continue in it-until death. It’s as extreme as that!

We depend on God’s love. If we know God we will love one another, care for one another. That love for God, and for one another is the greatest sign of who we are – it defines us.  A ferocious, church-wide loyalty to God is significantly better than revival. Revivals come and go. What God plans for us is something far longer lasting, permanent, rewarding and Christ-exalting. At the heart of it all is a resolute passion to see Jesus set in place as the magnificent obsession of our lives. That will not just touch friends, villages and cities, but it will spread the gospel like wild-fire across the nations and continents.

It sounds simplistic, but it really is the greatest thing the Church will ever experience, and out of that most ferocious loyalty to Christ and His Word, will come astonishing signs and wonders, miracles and healings and most of all, countless salvations as people turn to Christ as we live our lives in humble, willing and joyful obedience.

May that ferocious loyalty to Christ grip your heart.

Passengers on the RMS Titanic witnessed a beautiful day on the open ocean on April 14th, 1912. A gentle breeze cooled off the passengers as they emerged from the decks after the church services held in several places throughout the ship.

Captain Smith ordered the last boiler lit, and the Titanic steamed ahead through the Atlantic. The warm afternoon soon gave way to a chilly evening, and iceberg warnings were sent from all over to the Titanic. Six messages in all were received by Marconi wireless radio on the Titanic, although only one of these warnings ever reached the bridge.

At around 11:30 p.m., lookout Frederick Fleet stared into the mind-numbing darkness. It had been a miserable night in the crow’s nest, scanning for something that would be nearly impossible to notice because of the calm sea. Normally, there would be small waves breaking against the sides of the icebergs, but the sea was so calm tonight that there were no waves.

Also, the lookout’s binoculars had disappeared after the ship departed from Southampton, so the visibility of the feared icebergs was limited even further. Suddenly, he spotted a haze on the horizon. He and his fellow lookout discussed the small hazy patch in the distance, and then several minutes later saw the telltale pale white color. That could mean only one thing… icebergs.

He rang the warning bell three times and then called the bridge. First officer Murdoch, in command at the time, had only 37 seconds to react before the iceberg scraped along the hull. The rest is painful history.

The events of the Titanic tragedy made a blockbuster movie. The chilling scene as survivors lay in the water waiting for the rescue team is one that is not quickly forgotten.

It’s a great way to introduce a simple question, “What do you do when you have seen something in the life of the Church that can be vocalised in no other terms than, ‘iceberg ahead!’”

Who do you speak to when you feel that you have seen something wrong in terms of the church?

The reason we have stressed accountability so much throughout this site is to say that sometimes there has to be real transparency in our dealings with one another. Sometimes it may be the prophetic person themselves that are the concern to everyone! Sometimes things just go wrong – very wrong.

We’ve all probably known someone who was a real fire-brand for God, full of zeal and enthusiasm only to suffer a major stall in their lives through sin. The issues of sin are dealt with elsewhere on this site, here we the concern here are problems in the Church that prophetic people feel that God has shown them.

· Who’s in charge?
If you, as a prophetic person feel that God is showing you something that is a problem in the Church your first recourse is to speak with one of the leaders of the Church.

There are many ‘what if’s’ here. Essentially, out of your growing relationship with the leadership seek opportunity to share graciously  the things that are on your mind. Share with them how you came to the conclusions you did.

If God spoke to you in a dream explain why or how this particular dream was clearer than others – not all dreams are from God, and many of them need interpretation. Just because someone appeared in a dream doesn’t mean the dream was about them! If it was a thought that came to you say so, don’t try to add authority to what you have by insisting that God has spoken to you, when actually it was something that occurred to you!

Don’t hold it back either. Pray about it and then speak to the leaders of the Church. What you have might not be so much a revelation to them, but a confirmation and may be very helpful to them, especially when dealing with difficult situations.

Eagerly desire the gifts, especially that you may prophesy – it is such a valuable Church-building gift!

I found it interesting that when I looked up the subject of interpretation of tongues on the internet, that most of the explanations come bouncing off of the screen with a fair degree of legalism.

It has to be said that rules and regulations grip the heart of many, even those who are moving in the gifts of the Spirit.

With that in mind, I want to share with you my take on the gift of interpretation – I’m not going to defend my position, but I will let you decide.  This is a more casual approach than I normally take on this site, but then, the issue really is not that critical, even for Pentecostal/Charismatic churches there are not always supernatural manifestation of tongues that need interpreting.  In some Churches to have just one person give a message in tongues with an accompanying interpretation, is considered to be a good day!

And there we have it, our beginning point is contained in that superb word, ‘supernatural’. Just because you have been baptised in/by or with the Holy Spirit, does not mean that every utterance you give is what that bible speaks of as, ‘a message in tongues’.

[Now,  before some smart, spotty Greek-enabled theology student comments below about the word 'gift' not being in the Greek, and some of the other nuances included here, I want to say, I know! Relax, and breathe!]

I have to point that out because if you have the idea that you just ‘speak out’ in tongues that that is what Paul calls a gift of tongues, then you also are free to say the same about interpretation.

Paul makes a distinction that ‘to one’ is given this gift, and to another something different. Not everyone has this gift of tongues that is going to be used to build up and edify the Church.  Please God, don’t let tongues or interpretation be everyone’s primary gifting! There are fantastic gifts of the Spirit available and rarely seen, workings of miracles being one of them. (Seek it!)

Tongues with interpretation does not equal prophecy. I used to believe that, but then it occurred to me, if we are told to weigh prophecy, then how comes we are not told to weigh interpretations? My guess is that any interpretation that speaks about the goodness, kindness and greatness of God, that blesses God or brings thanksgiving to Him, hardly needs weighing! The Bible gives us an insight, the man speaking in an unknown tongue, speaks not to men but to God! He’s not prophesying to or at God, he’s praying, blessing, thanking and marveling to Him and about Him.

Here’s the reason that interpretation is supernaturally enabled; no one has a clue what the person speaking in tongues is speaking about! Not even the one doing it, even though they may add various tones, dramatic pauses and inflections to what they say. Don’t listen to those inflections as to a clue to what is being said, they are not inspired and are generally as reliable as asking a foreigner who has never visited London for directions to Westminster Chapel!

Mysterious? It should be – the one who speaks in an unknown language speaks not to men, but to God – and he speaks mysteries! The enabling of the Spirit in the message in tongues (it is after all a message) carries with it the capacity and ability to express mysteries that the speaker is not aware of! That is reflected in the interpretation (we’ve finally arrived!).

Interpretation is a SUPERNATURAL gift of God by His Spirit. It is not simply ‘pray a prayer that you think reflects the tone of the person who prayed’! It has depth, life, hope, passion and vision about it!  Something that is beyond visual range is being seen here.

My feeling about the gift of interpretation is that sometimes the prayers that it interprets will produce some of the astonishing insights that Jesus own prayers had.  Over my 30 years as a Christian I have heard many tongues and interpretations, some of them good, some like David Fellingham are astonishing. There are times when I have thought naughtily, “If that is the interpretation I can pray better in English!”, but regardless of our experience, we need to press in to God for the authentic.

You have to seek the gifts, they are freely available, but you get them by seeking. If you have been used by God to interpret then you have had a breakthrough, go back to God and ask Him to develop that gifting in you.

We don’t want to hear the prayer that anyone can pray, we want to hear from someone speaking to God about mysteries of grace, kindness and favour with a thankful God-blessing vigour that sets our hearts on fire for our wonderful God.

Read all about it here: 1 Corinthians 12 / 1 Corinthians 14

Do you know how to deal with obscurity as well as profile?

Paul Cain warned a prophet once about the dangers of becoming famous. Some years ago the Lord laid it on my heart to visit him and Paul was coming with me. The man was so busy with his books, ministry and travel. When I mentioned this to Paul he remarked again at how famous the man had now become. He had not taken the advice.

One of the things I see on the horizon is that some folks I know will enter into a time of obscurity and others will find a new sense of profile. A bit obvious really! We were never meant to be in the full glare of the public gaze in a prolonged manner.  God does speak in and through others, and during such times we can be out of sight, out of profile and seemingly forgotten.

There are a lot of foreign prophets coming to the West. These prophets really know God. The secrets of the Lord are with those who fear Him, and these prophets know, love, fear and cherish Him with all of their hearts. He is the magnificent obsession of their hearts, without doubt.

Obscurity is not a place of denial. Neither does it mean your are forgotten or overlooked. It means NOTHING to your sense of self esteem, or your relationship with Christ and His wonderful Church. You are accepted in Christ for who you are and not what you do. Sometimes it may be that obscurity comes because the prophet needs to know these things as a reality for themselves.

• Obscurity can also be a time of restoration and recuperation. Restoration from heart attitudes that may have subconsciously crept in alongside the profile that the gift brings.

Exaggeration, pride and ministerial jealousy are often small plants that grow into jungles, and need extracting early. This applies to all of the prophetic ministries, without exception – and I am sure they would agree.  We really are not 24/7 fully mature in Christ. That is why accountability to each other and to God is so valuable.

Things do slip in. Some prophets teach others to not take themselves seriously, but take everything they do very solemnly. These things are not ‘trite’, God is always watching!

Obscurity can often come with a call. You can be ploughing a field, unknown and alone, when the call comes. The greatest prophet of all was in the wilderness when the word of the Lord came to him. John the Baptist then emerged from the desert and started to call Israel to repentance and to Christ.

Obscurity – away from profile and recognition gives you a chance to show the Church that you are more focused on Christ, and being with God’s chosen people, more than your ministry. It shows character. It’s also painful.

Profile is a different creature. God gives favour and profile, you don’t have to ‘go get it’. If you do, it will be short-lived.

Remember always in whatever profile you have, that everything is only ever about Christ.

Some have used their profile to get money and job security on the back of their ministry. For prophets especially, if God is calling you into some profile of ministry let Him provide your finances. Don’t be enticed by the wisdom of man, “God helps those who help themselves”, God helps the helpless – be dependent on Him. Don’t sell dream interpretations or charge fees for a revelation that God may bring. The gift freely came to you-give it away freely. Don’t profit from your anointing. If God really has called, He really WILL provide.

If you have paid for a ‘word from God’ from someone, I would be tempted to put it straight in the bin and not let your spirit be tainted with it!  That sentence alone will cost me a few friends.

• Whatever profile you get, remember the example of John. ‘He must increase – I must decrease’.  That does not always mean false humility and demeaning words or acts, what it does mean is, make much of Jesus. Make so much of Jesus that people confidently, with faith and hope, put their full trust and confidence in Christ alone as the true, faithful and eternal hero of their lives.  Lift Him high!

Profile or obscurity – our eternity is sure, safe and protected in Christ. Let’s be keen to do all that Christ is calling us to and nothing more or less.

We serve an awesome God, who sometimes says, despite our protestations, ‘have a rest’.

[The first of our open house' guest articles, written by Hazel Flood]

For almost all of my Christian life I have had dreams and heard from God, but not really.
Well, you’d think it was ‘but not really’.

I’ve often known him speak to me clearly and also intervene in such dramatic ways that honestly you’d think anyone would get the message, ‘Yup this is God speaking, quite often, and rather clearly, do you think this might indicate something of what he wants to do with you?’

Not necessarily.

However, he is remarkably patient. He has spoken, nudged, had people speak over me, etc. until, eventually it sinks in, a bit. Then it may well fade off again, you get the picture.

So how does God get through to such a dunderhead?
With persistence it would appear. No wonder Jesus tells stories of persistence to encourage us in prayer, he knows what he needs to do to get through to us sometimes.

How have I grown in this?
A lot of growth has happened almost imperceptibly, but being engaged in pursuit of him in it, rather than about it, the growth seems clearer and faster.

I’ve known him be keen on communicating in the past, only to seem to go quiet later, this I’ve comforted myself about by thinking that’s just the way it is, but not had the attitude of let’s push and see whether he would speak if I was more intentional about it and less passive.

I’ve found it really quite easy to hear from him a lot of the time so to make too much effort hasn’t been essential. Amongst other things having input from others around me has made me realise I could be more use if only I’d put greater energy into this.

A gift is one thing but to become skilled in its use is something else.

So what makes all the difference?
Simple really, as I’ve said elsewhere, all of life comes from the secret place, and as it is my favourite place it isn’t hard for me to hang around there, but now there is more of a focus for growth in how he wants to use me.

Honestly, clueless isn’t the word, what if this had sunk in earlier? Well, no point going there.

So my answer to overcoming passivity is prayer, then more prayer.
Spending time with him is the way forward in developing sensitivity to him, becoming more responsive, and so building intimacy.

If you thought it was going to be something exotic, ‘How I activated my gift’… then I’m sorry to disappoint you, but in reality, no one should feel let down by the thought that it is this simple a way forward.

What else could it be? He’s done it all.

_______________________

Hazel Flood is married to Paul and they have two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren. All of the family are involved in their local church, Citygate Church, Bournemouth.

Together Paul and Hazel head up the student and twenties work and Hazel disciple lots of women. She loves to see people grasping the truth of the gospel and being transformed by it.

Hazel’s blog can be found at thequietstreet.wordpress.com

Billy Graham is perhaps one of the best known evangelists in the Western world.

His message is an uncompromising one focusing on the love God in sending Christ to die for the sins of the world, reconciling man to God.

He is convinced about the message he brings declaring with confidence and conviction, “The Bible says…”.

Regaining a confidence in the Gospel

Prophetic ministry, especially in the so-called “prophetic movement” needs to embrace a renewed confidence in the gospel. The mistake that many prophets make is to assume that their role is about speaking into a ‘already saved, gospel-saturated community’, and so they don’t need to reference the gospel behind what they think, say and do, because someone else has done so. Nothing could be further than the truth.

If there was just one message that God would bring to both the Church and to the world it is the Gospel. Old testament prophets knew something about this and their passionate message was for Israel to return to God, put away idols and look to God alone for their salvation.

Prophets today however, have a far greater message to declare.

People who think that they operate in the same anointing as old testament prophets are missing out on the benefit of living in a better covenant, a richer anointing and a greater intimacy and relationship with God. If I was asked to invite Agabus or Elijah to speak at our Church on Sunday I would choose Agabus.

Agabus? Yes, because Agabus, exposed to the preaching of the apostles understood what the gospel was about. Elijah would have told you what you had to do, what the law required, his ministry was based on observation of law, and how it had not been fulfilled.

  » Legalism says; God will love us if we change.  The gospel says God will change us because He loves us.”

What would Agabus have used as a foundation for all that he did? It would be the emerging revelation in AD 70, as the teaching of Paul began to circulate the Church; “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)

The gospel, not law and regulations, is the very power of God. And it works salvation.

That salvation is not just about being saved from sin, or even from God’s judgment. That massive, unlimited voltage power of God is at work in our lives. The powerful foundation and platform of prophetic ministry is captured in the gospel.

Tullian Tchividjian’s insight on the gospel is perhaps one of the greatest exhortations to teh Church in this century so far, “Jesus + Nothing = Everything“.

And with that, Tullian has nailed it. That is the gospel. Nothing extra, Christ alone!

Christ died for us, took the penalty we deserved, removed our guilt and shame, fully reconciled us to God, imputed the righteousness of Christ to us and made us holy in God’s sight. And there is more.

When we become Christians we don’t have to pray, read our bibles, pay tithes (ever) wear suits and ties to Church, and attend prayer meetings. We do all these things because we want to. It is the out working of God’s grace in our lives. We want to speak to God, read about Him and let His word embrace our heart. We give because we know it pleases God, and that He loves a cheerful giver.

We died to the law, tithing is dead, something better is here.

  » God’s capacity to forgive is greater than our capacity to sin; while our sin reaches far, God’s  grace reaches farther.

But that is about grace not the gospel?
The gospel is the grace of God, and the grace of God is manifest in the gospel. They are like identical twins!

So now, when you prophesy, it is about helping the saints know and experience the gospel that impacts their lives at every level, encouraging obedience not demanding it. The gospel strips away performance, it annuls the exploitations of delusional or misguided prophetic ministry that speak of and offer levels of anointing, shifts, activations, visitation and other such stuff and nonsense.

We are already seated with Christ in heavenly places, already declared Holy and blameless, already with an anointing that is sufficient to the task at hand, and already with gifts at work in our heart as we step out in faith and willing-heart obedience.

The gospel is irrelevant to society, and counter-cultural, but it is the very power of God unto salvation, and it breaks through the iron walls of sin, rebellion, discouragement and despair.

Let everything you prophesy have of the gospel at its foundation.

Source: The Big foundations of the prophetic ministry
http://propheticreformation.com/topics/theGospel.htm

What can you do to be an armour bearer to the prophetic ministry?

Do they really need such a thing, or more properly what do I mean?

Prophets are no more special than they folks who may serve you coffee at the end of Church. They have all the same temptations as the rest of the Church, and contrary to very fanciful teaching, are not more prone to a certain sin because they are prophetic.

So what can you do to be a so-called armour bearer for the prophetic folks?

Pray
Pray for the prophetic folk (and yourself) that they will hear God clearly. Remember that those engaging in prophetic ministry are not seeking God so that they will have profile and recognition – that really is not their agenda! They are not focused on their own profile or recognition, or even take it seriously, there is one hero in their life – Jesus.

The truth is they are seeking God for you. Sometimes they have prayed for hours. If God speaks to them, it will be a blessing that is passed on to others. Pray especially for them to have wisdom, and that God will deliver them from sin and temptation.

Encourage
Encourage them if they have been a blessing to you. Sometimes it is good to ‘leak a story’ of encouragement that you may have heard. Very often prophetic people feel that their gifting that they have prayed much for, studied much and invested time and energy in for others, is not that appreciated or needed. You will be surprised how much the prophetic person will be encouraged by the smallest token of encouragement.

Provoke them.
Sometimes the prophetic ministry needs to break out of the status-quo or the boredom of what may be happening in Church. Ask them what God is showing them. They don’t have to say it in public. It could be shared in Starbucks over a nice cappuccino and as a leader, some of the things they say may be of significant encouragement to you.

Proactively Ask!
Here’s one that many have often longed for but never encountered. The person leading the meeting could come up and just ask simply, “Is God showing you anything, give it a few moments, if not fine – but if He is great, share!”  This is where integrity is needed – If God is not saying anything then neither should they!

You can tell the prophetic folks that you are meeting in two months time and ask them to see if God will show them anything for your leadership meeting. This will give them time to pray and even fast.

Let’s understand something here – authentic prophetic ministry may appear strange, extrovert or introvert, they may seem eccentric, but they really want to see the Church break through into all that God has for them. They really DO hear from God!

Ask wrong questions!
Don’t be afraid to ask them what their motives are, why they do things in the way that they do, how they hear from God. Ask them what they mean! When they say that God spoke to them, interrogate them! Was it an audible voice? An impression? A picture? A dream? And don’t be afraid to ask – ‘did God really say that too you!’

The more you encourage them – the more they will move out in their gifting!!

/ With thanks to one of my own ‘armour bearers’.

Much has been written about ‘Team.’  Our ability to work as part of a team has been understood to be critical as a factor of our success.

Definition of Team: A group of people that work together toward a common goal.

The Wonder of ‘Team’!

The dynamics of team work achieve great results, bring unity and synergy and can result in tremendous personal empowerment and development. There is a massive focus today on coaching, mentoring and developing the team spirit at every level of human activity.

Essentially, ‘team’ is about results and cohesiveness – working together and getting the job done. You cannot underestimate the power and value of working together as part of a team. Hospitals, workplaces, industry, school, emergency services, social groups of every type need and value team membership and participation.

Nothing highlights the great value of team more than contrasting it with the internal focus of individuals doing things in isolation, or as ‘loners’.  In teams people tend to have greater vision, and because of the support and encouragement,  take greater risks. Such risk taking and competitiveness results often in greater accomplishment.

With teams, people tend to stay focused longer. Where there is failure, because of the comradery, rise to the challenge quickly to attempt great things again. No surprise then that Church sees the results of team and ventures to incorporate it into its own values. We do however live in a tension of needing to have teams (cleaning, coffee, etc) but when it comes to prophetic ministry, things are different.

The problem with teams

Teams can at times be convinced of their invincibility – and when failure comes it can result in massive disillusionment and blame shifting. Should we really be focusing on teams as an expression of how we work together in the Church, and also in prophetic ministry?

Is there a better option? There is an alternative and radical answer to the way we work together as team…

The biblical focus of teams – There isn’t one!

Scripture records one or two instances of team work, that is, people working together with a common objective, the most notable being the team of oxen that were driving the plough that Elisha was working with when Elijah gave Elisha his mantle!

What about the relationship that Jesus had with the the disciples, wasn’t that an expression of teamwork? On the surface of things it looks like it was, but it was actually something far greater.

One of the problems with team work is that at times the team can become an end in itself. A radical rethink is needed here. Teams that exist for themselves take away the element of choice for the individual with people feeling a responsibility to continue with something that is floundering because people are depending on them. They can become hostage to a failing vision by reason of coercion and legalism.

Grace!

God likes us working together, having a shared and common vision. The liberating truth is that God works in us and through us to accomplish His Will. He empowers, provides, cares and calls us to be a part of the things that He is doing.

He is the initiator and we joyfully cooperate with His Will and call on our life but a single truth dominates everything we do; nothing we can do will make Him approve of us more, or make Him love us more. And more amazingly it works the other way too – nothing we can do will make Him disapprove of us or love us less. Everything we have, is because of His great Grace and His glorious Son, Jesus.

So what is the answer to ‘Team?

There is an alternative and radical answer to the way we work together as team…

The answer is in the DNA…

Where can you take risks, but be encouraged that when things go wrong, or you encounter significant adversity, to pick up the pieces and start again?

What way of working together attracts God’s blessing and is a more complete expression of His blessing for mankind that is seen as early as the opening days of creation?

The clue to the answer starts in God’s initiative, ‘sonship’;

•     For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” \The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.    (Rom 8:14-17)
• But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal 4:4-7)
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Eph 1:3-6

Sonship is the very start of the journey, but the final answer to what God sees as the fuller and fuller picture of team is FAMILY.

God puts us in a family. It is not competitive, driven, task focused or legalistic. We want to do things together because we want to do the things that please Him and bring pleasure to Him. It is a place where we are there for one another giving support, encouragement and real practical help no matter what, or how terrible the circumstance.

God’s family is the greatest picture of team, but not all teams are God’s wonderful family.

We corporately long for God’s glory and power to be demonstrated in the earth through the gospel. The great commission is our mission as a family, and together, Jesus is the overwhelmingly magnificent obsession of everything we do.

As a family we want to reach out and draw others to the wonderful table of fellowship that we share together. Family is more than team, much more than team.

There is a saying that blood is thicker than water. When it comes to our relationship as a family, what we have, is far superior to team, but for those who need it, we are essentially a team, but the the bigger picture of being ‘family’ is far more empowering and encouraging.

If you know Jesus as Lord then you are part of the family not of a team!

In terms of prophetic ministry it means that we are prepared to be tolerant, to encourage people to step out in God not to prove themselves or build profile, but to encourage the Church.

As a family we are never looking for perfection and always accept those who struggle in life, encouraging them at every level to look to God and put their trust fully in Him.

As a family we have a wider perspective of the Church. Praying for other churches, assisting them in their evangelism, giving practical help and assistance are all the characteristics that family has over teams.

I think that our expression is generally that of family, but for convenience we call ourselves team. Encourage the family spirit in your church – the results will be warmly encouraging.

New wine has to go in new wine-skins and it may be that the prophetic movement as it is currently known, is about to be eclipsed and displaced by an emergent prophetic ministry unlike anything experienced by the Church before.

In 1996 I wrote the draft of a book, “The release of the dread champions” in which I shared my  vision for an emerging prophetic community.

Like many at the time, I was already disillusioned by what I saw on the banks of the ‘prophetic river’. What I could see was prophetic ministries that were looking for public recognition and profile more than they were looking to make Jesus famous.

The amount of merchandise that is sold to propagate these ministries is phenomenal. To be sure, many of these ministries need your money to support their massive ministry costs(and some ministries around today will do everything in their power to get you to make contributions to them – be careful!).  Just turn on the God-channel and you will see some queuing up to tell you of their gift that you can have for a small donation, but is that really a gift? These ministries need this money because it may be that God is not with them to the extent that they think He is! Imagine if Gos was to say that you could have his free gift of eternal life, if you sent a small donation!

At this point you have probably taken a big breath! What I have written is a bit naughty, but there is lots of evidence for it (and still is).

The good news is that there is however, a prophetic ministry emerging  with a heart for Christ with an authentic scripture-honouring and Christ-glorifying ministry that will stand the scrutiny of scripture, and is accountable to the Church and committed to sharing the message of Christ.

The Church exists to display the staggering and marvelous news of the gospel, and to be sure, if there is one inextinguishable flame in the heart of God’s servants it is that single vision, the Supremacy of Christ in all things. Without being triumphalist (but it is a reality you cannot ignore) the prophet’s message in the church as the world faces uncertainty and perilous times is for the Church to actively experience, know and enjoy God’s superiority in all things.

What it means to you
What words might the Holy Spirit use to open someone to the truth that their inferiority to God is good news?

Perhaps this:

• What if we asked someone, “Would you want to watch a football game where all the players were no better than you?
• Or watch a movie where the actors could act no better than you and were no better looking than you?
• Or go to a museum to see pictures by painters who could paint no better than you?”

Why are we willing to be exposed in all these places as utterly inferior? How can we get so much joy out of watching people magnify their superiority over us?

The answer is that we were made by God to get our deepest joys not from being superior ourselves but from enjoying God’s superiority.

All these other experiences are parables. God’s superiority is absolute in every way, which means our joy in it may be greater than we could ever imagine.

Declaring truth

The emergent prophetic ministry in this postmodern world is standing with the Church declaring truth. All of its revelation is that the Church, in the face of the most trying times in mankind’s history, can find safety, security, salvation and purpose in the person of the Living Christ. The prophet’s insistence that the Holy Spirit is at work in this hour, and that God is bringing history to its final climax in His determined will, is one that will be seen more and more as time passes.

The prophetic message

The supremacy of Christ is expressed from heaven over all principalities and powers, without the declarations of man. Nothing needs to be overthrown for God to assert His will and dominion, He speaks and it is.

The Cross of Christ demonstrates and exerts Christ’s matchless victory at every level. He is totally the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent One. There is no one that slightly compares with Him.

Our God is an awesome God – and this is the message that the emergent prophetic ministry focus on!

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19

The internet is crammed full of what can be loosely called ‘prophecies’ about the imminent judgement of God that is about to fall on the nations, particularly America. Most of these are written by American authors decrying their own nation for not agreeing with everything that Israel does, no matter how corrupt, violent or aggressive Israel’s action may be. Across the world there is a hunger from self-proclaimed, angry prophets to see the judgment of God fall on the guilty, particularly on pro-choice activists, homosexuals and and a few other morally lapse deviants.

Let’s be clear, that is going to happen, one day – but in a day when God decides, and in a way of His choosing,

One thing is clear, there is a murderous, self-serving, hypocritical legalism that hides in the human heart, and we are all capable of letting off steam and venting our own frustrations as if we were God at times. But we are not God, and we have to continuously learn, and relearn what it means to live in grace.The idols of our hearts are deceptive, and in the words of Luther, our hearts are idol factories. Guard your heart, and don’t be so foolish as to assume you would never fall under the exceeding deceptiveness of sin.

How can you guard your heart?

• Absolutely be accountable to the local Church.
  This is a website directed to those who are prophets or are looking more closely at prophetic ministry. If you are not going to be accountable to the local Church and its leadership, then you have no rights whatsoever to be speaking into the life of the Church. If you want to guard your heart be accountable to others so that they can speak direction, guidance, correction and encouragement into your life. This approach will guard your heart because what you say and do will be visible and correctable by people who are not intimidated by your gift or ability.
• Stay in prayer and the Scripture.
  This won’t change you into a religious zealot, particularly if you do it, but don’t tell anyone how much you are praying or studying scripture. Obviously you have to live a life, cook, vacuum and do the dishes. You also have to find time to check your facebook, email friends and be normal – but do set aside time to place yourself under the scrutiny of God both by the Bible and in prayer. If you don’t pray much or read much you will hear little from God. Respond immediately to the conviction of the Spirit!
• Don’t be religious.
  The Church doesn’t like religious prophets, and God probably disowns them (especially when they claim that God has spoken to them about His forthcoming judgement, when He hasn’t – basically lying!) There is a difference for someone who is gently urging people to follow after God and leave questionable lifestyles, actions, thoughts or deeds. Legalism achieves nothing of lasting value, but grace does!
• Get hold of the gospel in your own heart first.
  The gospel is the power of God toward your salvation! The brilliant good news of the gospel is your great hope. Every morning it roars into your life like an tsunami, it’s unstoppable, immeasurable and fantastic in its incalculable dimensions. When it is in your heart it is the fullest expression of “Christ in you, the hope of glory!”
• Search your heart.
  As the day finishes consider your day and ask yourself,
  “Is there anything I need to repent of?”
  “What do I need to give glory to God for”
  “Where may God have been at work in my heart today and I wasn’t aware of it?”
  “Where have I partnered with God today, and what did I learn?”
  “What can I do to treat someone tomorrow – cakes, chocolate, notes, encouragement?”

What about the vengeance of God? Leave that to him and concentrate on His great and marvelous goodness – especially to you!

Read about the vengeance of God here!

The question, “Do angels have feathers?” is not something that you may have considered before but it is a valid one, and with good reason…

It is an intriguing time that we live in. There are many reports on the Internet of significant signs and wonders that include gold teeth, gold dust, oil, mist, angelic presence, angelic singing, signs, wonders and miracles. And in some places, feathers falling during times of worship. Lots of them.

I say ’significant’ because if these things are true – then the implication is that God really is doing an astonishing thing in our midst, and some of us may be missing those signs.

One report on the ‘glory of God’ in a certain church reveals, “We are witnessing a supernatural manifestation that we call ‘the feather glory.’ During our prayer meetings, we are honoured to have a cloud of feathers hover above us as we worship the Lord.”

Hence my question, “Do angels have feathers”? Is this really God? Is it only God if we understand exactly what it is and means? Does God always have to do things that we understand and can explain – such as Peter walking on water, even though our greatest theologians can’t do it?

Believe and see?
I ask the question because we are told not to quench the Spirit, not to despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21) That can be a bit difficult when what you are encountering is out of your normal paradigm of theological understanding and experience.

One caveat is that we do not dismiss everything we hear about these phenomena because of our own preferences or suppositions. The experience of all of Jesus’ miracles leaves people astonished and amazed – and sometimes angry!

Consider the event where 5,000 gather before him hungry and he takes just a mere five loaves and two fishes and feeds every single one of them, with bread and fish still left over. The maths on that miracle could mean that all Jesus would need to feed 600,000 people in the city of Sheffield where I live are 500 loaves and 2 hundred fish. But then you are confronted by the wonder of it all that actually, and it is not logic but faith – Jesus could feed my entire city with but the same 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

The gospel is all our generation needs - but implicit in that gospel is the truth of the narratives about Christ’s life and ministry by Matthew, Marl, Luke and John; that with God ALL things are possible, miracles happen when God is at work, and that ominous punchline that  when Pharisees demand signs and wonders and answers, heaven is silent.

Soberly…
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). That is a very sober warning, but in the places where these genuine signs and wonders are happening, people are worshiping, serving and magnifying Christ as Lord of their lives. And it is not for us to say smugly, ‘Ah yes, but which Jesus are they glorifying?’ How offensive, judgmental, and patronising!

I call for a prophetic reformation because there is abuse and wrong teaching that circulates that is a real distraction from some of the glorious truths of that Scripture teaches, but the answer is not to strip out of the Church everything except the preaching of the Word of God. God is at work and only a fool would suggest otherwise.

God really is at work
Some of the things that are happening in the Church today truly are an expression of the Holy Spirit. These unusual signs and wonders lead us nowhere but to Christ, and He freely, without constraint, pours out His Spirit wherever His Presence is welcomed. Sure, there is the fingerprint of man in what God is doing, but God moves amongst His people, through His people, and the DNA signature of God is diagnosed by the fruit that is produced.

Some things are just not helpful and good leadership knows how to discern them and redirect our focus back to God. Let God be the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God that He is! Better still, realise that whether you allow Him or not, He will do what He wills, when He wills, and how He wills. Even if you are in the way!

It’s time to see the unprecedented power of God demonstrated in our midst as the Church gathers to worship Him, and as they take the gospel to the streets of the world.

And that, is God’s profound agenda for 2013.

False prophets
The false prophets are speaking into the world and the message they bring is very obvious and distinct from true gospel message, the false message is enticing but the elect, staying close to God’s word, are wise to it. And nothing matches the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a gospel of grace not of legalism, rules and control.

I don’t know if angels have feathers.
It is intriguing and like many signs and wonders, beggars the question, “what is it for, what does it mean?” And without context I do not have the answers, but signs and wonders are here to stay and even increase. Our concern is to ensure that the focus of the saints continues not on the signs and wonders, but on the author of those manifestations – Jesus Christ.

Concerning such miracles, signs and wonders, Billy Graham says,

“And today when the gospel is proclaimed on the frontiers of the Christian faith that approximate the first century situation, miracles still sometimes accompany the advance of the gospel. As indicated by both the prophets Hosea and Joel, as we approach the end of the age we may expect miracles to increase… as we approach the end of the age I believe we will see a dramatic recurrence of signs and wonders which will demonstrate the power of God to a skeptical world. Just as the powers of Satan are being unleashed with greater intensity, so I believe God will allow signs and wonders to be performed.” ~ Billy Graham

I’m sure this not addressed the concerns of the cessationists either, but my deep and absolute conviction from what I have seen in Scripture and experienced in my life, is that God does indeed send amazing signs and wonders.

He is a wonderful, amazing and astonishing God, both in word and deed.

We are living under a new, and better covenant than Old Testament days, and the message that flows from the prophet Joel is both encouraging, and challenging.

The inspiring message from Joel was that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The manifestation of this great outpouring of the Person of the Holy Spirit, would be dreams and visions, signs and wonders, and great salvation. (Joel 2:28-32)

It was an inclusive message that determined that the outpouring of God, would touch men and women of all ages, regardless of their place in society.

In other words – everyone upon whom the Spirit of the Lord fell, would be capable of hearing, discerning, seeing and speaking the mind, will and intent of God. It was to be an extraordinary, powerful event – and those days are with us, but we have become somewhat familiar with what is happening and have lost the wonder of the moment, that God is revealing Himself.

A prophetic people, but not necessarily a people of prophets.

Israel had a significant encounter that would show how different they were in the Old Covenant to the days we live in now, with a limited flow of revelation through but a handful of people, as opposed to God speaking through and to the entire Body of Christ.

The narrative is found in Numbers 11:24-30 and speaks of how God told Moses to separate 70 of the leaders of Israel, whom Moses then placed around the tent where God would meet with him.

The Lord came down in the cloud and took some of the Spirit that was on him and placed it on the seventy elders. Literally, the moment the Spirit of God came on them they prophesied. King Saul had a similar encounter.

Sounds familiar? Up to this point yes, but the story unfolds a little more. Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad had remained in the camp, away from all the excitement and activity of the Tent of Meeting. But even there, right in the midst of the camp, the experience was the same. The Spirit fell on Eldad and Medad and they prophesied.

Moses’ servant Joshua raised an immediate challenge based on ministerial jealousy. Surely this event was only for those who gathered in the special place around the tent?  Moses’ response was a generous one, claiming ‘Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ The encounter showed that location did not matter, God is the God of the entire earth and not dependant on ‘portals’ as some teach. Did this insight inspire Joel in his prophetic utterances hundreds of years later?

And now we see where the difference lays.

The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. (Numbers 11:25) They prophesied just the once, and that was it – they didn’t continue doing it.

One prophesy doesn’t make you a prophet. They were similar to Moses but not quite the same as we shall see. He was a prophet and they prophesied.

There is a similar vein of truth that runs through the Church in our day. A prophetic word or two doesn’t make us prophets (there is much more to the role of the prophet than that), but unlike the 70 elders of Israel, we do continue to prophesy.

Something very significant has happened to us in this day! The apostle Paul’s admonition is to eagerly desire the greater gifts, especially that you may prophesy! ( 1 Cor 12:31 | 1 Cor 14:1 | 1 Cor 14:39) and the truth is, the opportunity is there to hear God, and continue to hear God as He reveals Himself to the Church through individuals in the days to come.

Don’t let your heart become overly familiar with what God is doing that you miss the exciting prospect of all that this means, and begin to think that nothing is happening! God is speaking, you can hear Him. One prophecy doesn’t make you a prophet – but really is wonderful to hear Him again, and again!

You might be asking that very question because of the difficulty of the situation that faces you, or because you just need to know that God is near, very near.

We’re built to hear God, to know His approval and to grow in him, not to muddle through life on our own, with a book about God – but never hearing Him. God has given prophets as a gift to the Church and they are there to help you.

Seriously.  Even if you don’t believe in ‘that stuff’ anymore. Even if skepticism has ripped the heart out of your preaching and left you with gut-wrenching disillusionment. Listening to the prophetic message could change your life, your ministry, your marriage, everything. Authentic prophetic ministry will restore hope in the heart of the believer, it will restore vision and strengthen the weakest believer.

For those who say that prophecy is not for today I would ask a simple question. The Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.  Are you really saying that Jesus is doing nothing, when you say that prophecy is not for today?

Why on earth would God stop speaking?

I am going to guess at your evangelical answer. And it is a good answer. The Bible.

As John Wimber used to say, “God’s got a book out”. I will let you into a secret. Genuine, God-sent prophetic ministry may have a higher regard for the infallibility, inerrancy and total inspiration of scripture than you do. Prophets are convinced about the immutability of God. They are stirred in their spirit with the vocabulary defying glory of God that is being displayed in the heavens and earth, and the Shekinah glory that will be like the light of a hundred thousand Sun’s when see the Son of God in full view in the age to come – that is not so far away.

God speaks through His prophets. That’s not really a new concept or idea but His.

The Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets.

I have been around men and women with prophetic ministry long enough to know that there is a genuine, godly, Christ-glorifying and inspiring ministry in evidence today. In our churches we are so impoverished if we do not allow God to speak to us that fresh direction, affirmation and encouragement that comes from His initiative in the authentic, Spirit-led ministry of the Prophetic.

Ask yourself a question about this website. We encourage you to read books by Piper, MacArthur, Keller, Driscoll, Bruggemann, Calvin, Stott, Fee, Virgo, Grudem… why????

The answer is that we value greatly the wonderful work of God in the Church and the great riches of Scripture. Our starting point for prophetic ministry is a deep understanding of God’s inspired Word. It alone can change nations.

Buried deep in the scriptures is the encouragement that you and I need in this day and age.

The prophetic ministry brings it to the surface and plants it deep in your heart.

The question is – what are we going to do with some of the prophets that you are thinking of right now? Let’s encourage them to press on to maturity in God, develop relationships and be accountable to the local Church.

Should we then just ignore the so called prophet that does not belong to a local church or have relationship and accountability to them? Absolutely! We have got to have prophets that we can trust. Prophets who know God, are accountable not just to God (they are the worst of all misguided prophets) but to their local Church leadership, and to friends. We are not on a single mission with our own agenda, we are a people on a mission together.

Prophets that eat, laugh, worship, cry, and play-fight together with kingdom friends and family are not just friends for life, but prophets with life.

Where are the prophets when you need them? They are nearby, probably mindful of you and your circumstance and God’s kind response to it.

Speaking from experience, prophets like cake. If you want to get their attention…

Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham, is one of my heroes – when he makes the unequivocal statement that ‘Jesus+nothing=Everything’ something inside of me erupts with truth-affirming joy. 

Prophets have to realise that as they set out their conferences and seminars, that those events are not a means to an end of establishing their ministry or making their name known, it is about Christ alone.

It doesn’t matter which name I cite, be it Paul Cain, Jon Paul Jackson, Larry Randolph or a myriad of others who want or feel the ego-driven need to be recognised as prophets, we are all in the same boat together sharing the same common weaknesses that come in different subtle ways.

None of us are sinless, and all of us without exception are holy not because of what we have done, but because Christ alone has made us holy. Let me emphasise something to you that might bring the grace of the gospel to bear on your heart; if you get to heaven on holiness that you yourself have obtained, then you walk eternity demonstrating that you personally, of yourself, had the capacity to fulfill what God provided. You provided your own holiness. That itself, would have further dire consequences. We are to walk in holiness – but that walk is a walk in all that someone else has done for you and on your behalf. It is all about works, but not yours – Christ’s!

Someone I know recently had a vision in the night. They found themselves standing in a field without any trees, hedges, plants or shrubs – just grass.  The field went into the distance as far as their eye could see, just one big field. Jesus stood next to him in the field, silent. Apparently, it didn’t matter what colour the grass was, it could have been bright pink with hues of blues – all that mattered was Jesus. There was nothing else in the vision, no signs, phenomena or angelic activity, there was no words either, just the person of  Christ alone. 

It is easy to reflect on such a vision and say, ‘is that it?’ but the staggering truth is that when you are gazing at Christ alone you have it all. Away from the bombardment of the senses by media, people, work, pain, triumph and time, things look different and eternity begins its passionate work to make those things look different by drawing us to the the full consequence of eternal salvation. Nothing has real meaning and value except in Christ.

Not all of today’s prophets, prophesiers and flake-jobs are getting that but some are, but it’s not the  big names that are leading the way.
If you want some advice on how to see your prophetic ministry really take off here it is;

• turn people’s focus onto Jesus
• teach them to trust Christ alone for their salvation
• Urge them to look to Christ alone for their holiness and righteousness – then they will never struggle with acceptance, affirmation or whether they are loved.

It was because God so loved the world that He sent His Son, He did not send His Son to die for us and then He would love us. It is all about what Christ alone has done for us.

Prophets should focus on sharing the amazing truth of the gospel that points to Christ alone, not to revelations that they want to sell on mp3′s, videos and DVD’s to give them a salary because God isn’t providing for them! If God has really called, he’ll provide.  (When Saul of Tarsus was Tent-making it wasn’t a service he was selling to the Church!)

Let’s get back to the message of  ‘Christ alone’ – which incidentally is being preached with great passion and with God’s rich anointing in much of the Church, usually by preachers not the prophets.  It will thrill the heart of the Church and bring a focus on the true gospel that will inspire, encourage, restore and draw the hearts of people to Christ.

It’s not about your revelations, fastings, activations, dreams and any other thing that you or your website talk about to validate your ministry – it’s about Christ alone, and to Him alone belongs all the glory.

Prophets do hear God, have revelation and have the ability to speak into situations and circumstances in a way that is greatly helpful to the church, but foundational to every single thing they do, and  at the heart of every authentic prophetic ministry is this great battle cry, challenge and urgent plea and whisper of the Spirit – Christ, and Christ alone!

I have a significant word for the Church in 2013.

It is easy to look at what is happening in the world today and assume that we are going through times of trouble in a way that perhaps no other generation has done.

Questions abound. Will the American economy finally be revealed as the most bankrupt in world history, revealing that the nation is in reality perhaps one of the poorest on the planet?

Will Israel engage Iran in conflict over Iran’s self-proclaimed peaceful nuclear programme? What about the Church? Will the Church see the long sought after revival that they mistakenly long for more than the Lord’s return?

10,000 more questions wait eagerly in the shadows, but for all of them God has an answer.

In response, God has something to say to the Church, and he also has a task for her.

What God has for us is excruciatingly simple, but if the Church commits to it so much will change. If God asked for arduous activity, a frenzy of works, toil and sweat the church would respond immediately.

I can tell you now – you are not going to do what God says, but you will defend yourself, justify yourself and possibly blame shift.

That is why, before I tell you what it is I want to tell you about grace, and that is revealed nowhere better than in the gospel.

The gospel is God’s fantastic works and provision for us. It speaks volumes about God doing things for us, and in us that we could never do for ourselves. It speaks of righteousness imputed to us so that we can spend eternity in the presence of a God so holy that heaven is aflame with majesty and glory.

What God wants from us is not coerced obedience, but a willing heart sustained with a passion to do what pleases  God. That is what Jesus was like, He did what He saw the Father doing, because he wanted to honour the Father whom He loved.

So this word is a word that will be calling to you throughout the year – calling you back to God,  to intimacy,  obedience and will be testing your heart whether you will look to your own hand and to the gods of this world to assist you or whether you will look to God. It is a radical call because your heart will defend you and tell you that you need to adopt common sense, it will mislead you that God helps those who help themselves, anything other than do what you are called to…

Devote yourselves to prayer. Colossians 4:12

Don’t think, “Is that it?”. All through the Bible God makes it clear that he hears and answers prayer, that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. He urges us in those pages that if you ask you will receive, that there is a reward for those who persist in prayer.  God hears and answers prayer. Even the fantastic gift that God gave to the Church on the day of Pentecost was one that was to bring us closer to the heart of God; a prayer language. God so values prayer and the intimacy that it brings that even now in Heaven, the Son ever lives to make intercession for us – not Mary or any so called saints, Jesus!

You can’t sustain this in and of yourself, ask God to help you to pray as you should. It is not a taskmaster burden, but an encouragement from God. Will you make your magnificent obsession in 2013 the relentless pursuit of God – and Devote yourself to prayer?

If you do things could change radically in our world. If you pray in an unprecedented way, you will see unprecedented results.

And anytime the practice slips just start again – remembering that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him . . .

Devote yourselves to prayer.

“The Church faces great challenges in this postmodern day, none of which are insurmountable.

The gospel is as relevant today as it has always been. New forms of communicating and contextualising the gospel have been developed and embraced by those who see the great commission as a mandate for a missional church – eager to reach the lost and make disciples of nations.  The prophetic ministry fits this like a glove, bringing vision, inspiring hope and turning battle-weary hearts back to God.”   /incontext

_____

“The awesome truth is that God does not love us because Jesus died for us, but more soberly, God so loved us, that Jesus died for us. No questions asked, obedient even unto death on the Cross. That is breath-taking.”  /incontext

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“No one will ever arrive in heaven wishing that they had spent less time in prayer. No one.”   /incontext

_____

“Everything we have from God comes from prayer, but the enemy draws us into the lie that somehow, what we need can be accessed through other means, usually our own common sense. That single lie from hell leaves us lethargic, disillusioned and apathetic. And that apathetic condition then unwittingly turns our hearts against the wonderful Savior as we begin to question His willingness to hear and answer prayer! Guard your heart!”    /incontext

More to come…

Have you noticed that people have a tendency under pressure to go to extremes?

You have probably noticed it with healing, the belief that God heals all, to the sad position of believing that God doesn’t do that kind of thing nowadays. The same can be said of prophecy, the gifts of the Spirit, faith, dreams and visions, and indeed about God Himself.

The area that particularly saddens me is where, not understanding the value of doctrine or theology, the prophetic person then runs with whatever comes to mind and then finds single verses here and there to justify their particular stance.

Depending on how it is dealt with, such practice can unfortunately lead the Church into confusion, indifference, disillusionment and heartache. Promises that are ‘not really promises’ can sometimes be embraced with false hope for many years. That is why integrity with what God has said is really important. People trust what the prophetic person is saying.

Theology and doctrine are really important – the Bible is inspired in a way that even the most anointed prophet is not. I don’t want to give you examples of the gross error I have heard and read over the years from some of the most prominent prophetic ministries, but I do want to say something positive; it doesn’t have to be what you are like! You can be different. Prophet Daniel was found to have an excellent spirit, and you can too.

One of the things I have noticed over the years in Church life is a changing emphasis in the prophetic with a swing from focusing on the Cross of Christ, to the Resurrection of Christ. What folks needed to grasp, as may anyone reading this, is that the acceptable middle ground is the law fulfilling life of Christ which is the forgiveness of our sin, the removal of our guilt, and more gloriously, the imputation of Christ’s very own righteousness to us. God freely forgives us and removes our uncleanness. The awesome truth is that God does not love us because Jesus died for us, but more soberly, God so loved us, that Jesus died for us. No questions asked, obedient even unto death on the Cross. That is breath-taking.

There is a legalism built in us in regard to repentance that if we are not feeling guilty and shameful then we are not truly right with God. No guilt and no shame is the good news of the gospel. There is a difference between conviction and guilt for the Christian. All of this is not just the remit of pastoral or apostolic ministry; it is at the very heart of what the prophetic ministry at its core is all about.

Prophetic ministry making these declarations and attending to these truths brings staggering hope to those who have given up, need courage or are returning to a renewed passion for Christ. The Church has a real enemy who accuses relentlessly, day after day. The principle work of the enemy is not temptation but accusation; he wants to paralyse us with guilt and shame. That’s where you come in, to proclaim freedom to the captive.

Don’t reduce your theology and your prophetic emphasis to just the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Yes, I understand your hesitation, it is all about the Cross, but the truth is that Christ Himself is central to the message of the Cross, not the crucifixion itself. We are saved by Christ who fulfilled the law on our behalf, died for us and rose again.

Our prayer meetings can often focus on the Cross, not the risen Saviour who stands amongst us. Our prophetic ministry focuses on bigger issues than we sometimes imagine, and God would rather (in my opinion) have us learning to listen to the questions of the world, and the answers of the Word.

No matter where we look in the Bible, it tells one story, namely Christ, who saves, redeems and justifies. Don’t be distracted into imitating other ministries whose emphasis is on the firework factor (Woo and Ahh!!) everything is about the supremacy of Christ in all things.

We are here for His glory alone. God loves His own glory, and is exceedingly jealous for it. He delights in His own glory, but be careful that we don’t find ourselves arguing for the glory of God in an unglorious manner!

Let your extreme be that in your prophetic ministry, and in the lives of your hearers, that you want to see God glorified in all things!

Two things alone spoiled my recent 6,000 feet paragliding descent jump from the side of Babadag Mountain in Fethiye; there was someone with me, and it didn’t last long enough.

The view above the clouds was phenomenal. As we entered it the encounter was a unique, almost sacred moment, the cloud wrapping me in a thick curtain of bright whiteness and almost whispering silence.

It was a moment of moments, a time when God was there and my response to the majestic view that affronted me as I broke through the cloud and saw the sea, the mountains, the beaches, the countryside and the villages all in one glance. Someone was with me, and it wasn’t just God.

The Turkish man that kindly took me on the tandem paraglider (at a price!) enjoyed the same view as me, but wasn’t aware of God.

I muttered under my breath to God, delighted in His creation, wondered at the spectacle, my insides churning with excitement at having escaped the clutches of the earth, and then, for a brief moment, knew what joy the birds of the air encounter daily.

I tell that story because we all live in the same mutual tension in life when it comes to the challenges that the Bible brings to us. The apostle Paul’s encouragement in Colossians 4:2 is an imperative; “Devote yourselves to prayer”. Other translations say, “Continue in prayer”.

Both translations are a challenge, especially to those who don’t pray! Devote yourself to it, continue in it. But why?

It is easy to see that we have distractions when we come to prayer; some like my paragliding friend are unavoidable (and sometimes essential in life!).

But prayer is essential because without it you just will not grow in God. The only way that you will develop intimacy with God is by coming to Him in prayer. It is absolutely essential that you devote yourself to prayer.

And so that it is not ambiguous, God specifically says so in His Word. He tells you because He wants you to demonstrate your dependence on Him by coming to Him, frequently.

Why should God speak to someone, and reveal His secrets to one who doesn’t even want to talk to Him?

Paul Cain told me about his prayer life in the 90′s – it amounted to six hours a day! I know that is beyond the scope of most, but I think most people when they finally arrive in heaven will wonder why they allowed themselves to live such short prayer lives.

If you are convinced that God is the who provides everything for you, protects you, directs your paths and upholds you – then it will be reflected in your prayer life. In effect, your prayer life is like a mirror reflection indicating the true state of your heart.

If you spend just brief moments in prayer your preaching and ministry will be just dull and uninspiring (even though you don’t realise it, the Church will).

You owe it to yourself to pursue this; no one will ever arrive in heaven wishing that they had spent less time in prayer. No one.

From the first week of creation where God would walk through the Garden of Eden with man, God has sought intimacy with mankind, by them talking to and with Him. Even at Pentecost, the gift of the Spirit could have been a multitude of things, but it was tongues – a prayer language! Jesus even took time to address prayer with His disciples telling them what to do, what could happen if they prayed (mountains moving, all things possible, healing, deliverance etc.). Elijah heard from God that it was time for the rain to come, and went up to the mountain and prayed, and prayed and prayed. After the seventh time the answer to prayer had arrived. A cloud the size of a man’s hand had appeared on the horizon. Elijah prayed and God sent a rain cloud.

What do you need? What does your country, city, village or family need? Don’t pray just five times – give yourself to continuously looking to God in prayer.

It is almost as if in the DNA of the Bible God has written a secret message to mankind, “TALK TO ME!”.

Devote yourself to prayer and this time next year your life will be far different than what it is right now!

“During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the Church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterised by a restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches.

In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, ‘This is the great revival.’ But the Lord says, ‘No, neither is this the great revival, but both are steps towards it.’

When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed, the world, has ever seen.

It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years.

The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to the mainland of Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

— Smith Wigglesworth, 1947

Have you ever noticed that life in church and as a Christian can at times be difficult?

At a baptism service recently in my home church, one of the parents was sharing about how as a family they had looked at some bible stories together on “what to do when you feel sad.”

There are many things in life that the basic wisdom of “stick with it – things will get better” is appropriate. In Church sometimes we have to adopt a similar stance, however things are different, the element of faith is involved.
We need the Scriptures to see clearly a perspective of heaven on our circumstances. There is no sense of fate involved in our decision making.

We know that all things work together for our good in Christ. We understand that God is not using sickness, pain and grief to ‘teach us a lesson’, and we also know from scripture that God does not simply tolerate us – having reluctantly forgiven our sin. He loves us.

It is against this backdrop that the prophetic ministry sometimes is so valuable. Bringing prophetic input, a ‘now’ word from God in the context of scripture, insight and application. Prophets seeing beyond visual range, and sharing the good news that this time of trouble or difficulty will not be forever, the days are coming, there is an end in sight… the tide is turning. It is not a time to give up! God isn’t giving up – don’t you dare!

Conviction
Things may be difficult in the life of your church right now. Or even in your own personal life.

God knows. 
You have not been forgotten.

It is a certainty that if you will seek God, you will find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart (Jer 29:13) Coming to God with no agenda, but believing in faith that the promise is sure, you will find what you are looking for. Another promise echoes along side that, Ask, Seek, Knock…

Some of the prophetic folks in your church may be about to give up and go find another church. As much as they need to grow in maturity and realise that very often opportunities are more about God giving favour than the pastor recognising them, they still need encouraging. They need to know that the tide is turning. The plans and things that God has for the Church are coming.

These are a few reasons why biblical theology is such a wonderful discipline for the prophetic person. It gives an understanding of key issues like the doctrine of the Church, Scripture, God, Man – sin… Prophets studying doctrine have an ability to have a much fuller grasp of God’s redemptive purposes for mankind, the awesome gospel, God’s majestic providence and sovereignty and the magnificent supremacy of Christ in all things.

Help the prophetic folk in your Church to see that the tide is turning and I guarantee, after they have taken a second look they will tell you of a view in the distance that is too breathtaking for words.

“And when they (the sons of the prophets) came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed”.

Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.”  2 Kings 6:1-7

Life in context 
The sons of the prophets is a term used to mean either the company of the prophets, or as Freeman suggests, ‘the pupils or disciples of the prophets’. It is not a term that necessarily implies extreme youth, since sometimes they are married  (II Kings 2:12) and more likely indicates discipleship. The ‘sons of the prophets’ are men training for the ministry. They have the gift of prophecy, but the gift needs developing, and so does the character of the men who have it. This is what Elisha is doing, helping the men grow in the grace and knowledge of God.

One thing for certain was that these pupils, willingly or unwillingly were about to learn a difficult lesson. It is almost certain that most, if not all the students were prophetically gifted or motivated to one degree or another. The name of the disciple prophet is not disclosed and his identity is not hinted at. The focus of the story is about the recovery of the axe head.

Here is a question. Among all the prophetic men gathered, with their various perceptions, discernment or visionary abilities – is it only Elisha that could have measured up to the challenge of the moment?

True to life, we often need someone to make decisions or take a course of action that we often in hindsight, would have taken. This event would have made an impression on all who saw it, especially the one who encountered suddenly and without warning, the miraculous provision of God through His servant.

This kind of thing happens in life and puts life in context. We are God’s servants and He cares about the mundane things in life. And the day started just like any other day.

Responsibility? 
“Alas, my master! It (the axe)was borrowed.”

Can you feel the anxiety in this young prophet’s exclamation? It seems one of real concern. What is the issue here? Were Axes hard to come by? Was it that the person who lent the axe was imposing? Had the young man made a certain promise on oath to return the axe? We simply do not know. All we know is that there was considerable anguish at the loss of the axe.

To you and me, this is no more than a nuisance. But it’s a lot more than that to the young prophet!

Because blacksmiths were few and far between, iron tools were expensive, the prophet had no money, and the axe head was borrowed. In fact, it was more than ‘borrowed’.  The Hebrew says it was begged.

It was lent to the man, it seems, rather reluctantly, and only after he had promised and sworn to bring it back. But now he couldn’t. And the neighbor he borrowed it from would be both very mad at him, and stuck! Assuming he was a farmer, how does a man make a living without an axe? In a time of deep and widespread poverty, losing the axe head was a big deal!

But why did the axe head come off its handle? Whose ultimate responsibility was that – the owners? Maybe the young man was felling a log, maybe enthusiastically or even recklessly. Other things on his mind he paid no attention to the ‘feel’ of the axe as he chopped away. He may have even decided that he just needed to take one more chop at the log, and so took the risk and ignored the loose leather strips that held the axe head in place.

We can be so focused on the task before us in terms of church life and activity and not pay due attention to the practical and demanding world, in which we live. There are consequences to things we do, and the things we neglect. The encouragement for us is greater than the young prophet experienced. In our distress we can also cry out, “Alas master!” and know that God will hear us. Maybe you will never use those words, but in your moment of distress, the cry will be similar – help!

The relentless chopping away of a pursuit of ambition, profile or recognition . . .

The young prophet pours his heart out to Elisha—Alas, master, for it was borrowed! This tells you something about Elisha, the young prophet, and the Lord.

It says Elisha was not judgmental; he was the kind of man you could talk to. Had he been a hard man, he would have scolded the preacher for his carelessness. But he doesn’t do that.

The young prophet was a man of faith. He couldn’t retrieve the axe head, and he knew full well that Elisha couldn’t either. But, in asking the man of God for help, he was appealing to the Lord. This means He believed the Lord cared for him personally—not just for the nation, but for him! He also believed God cared about the smaller things in life and not just the big, earthshaking ones. The Lord cares as much about axe heads as He does about empires.

This means we can pray about the little things in life and expect the Lord to help us in them. If He doesn’t, we’re sunk. Because the little things make up 99% of our lives, and if the Lord doesn’t care for the little things, He doesn’t care for us! But He does care for us. To people prone to worry, He said,

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

His Apostles pick up on the same theme. First Paul, then Peter,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. We don’t pray because our needs are always big, but because God is always big!

Speaking of prayers, the young man’s plea is answered. A stick is cut down, stuck into the water, and the axe head rises to the surface. The young prophet picks it up, thanks the Lord, and takes it back to the owner. Safe and sound. It wasn’t just that Elisha did something, but that the young man also had a role to play. We’ll follow this up later.

• Significance

What did the Israelite living way back then get out of this story? He learned two lessons.

First, the Lesson of Lordship.

God is Lord over nature. Physics will tell you that axe heads do not float. There is a law working against them: the law of gravity, which axe heads always obey.

But not God! He is not subject to natural laws and, when it pleases Him, He puts them on
hold, reverses them, or does whatever He wants to with them! We see that here — and not only here!The Bible contains a long list of Nature Miracles. Think of the sun and moon standing still for Joshua, or the sun-dial going back ten degrees for Hezekiah, or the earthquake that swallowed up Korah and his gang, or the fire that didn’t burn up the Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-nego, or the ninety year old woman who had a baby!

God even seems to take special pleasure in asserting His Lordship over water. He parted the Red Sea to get His people of Egypt. He parted the Jordan River to get them into the Promised Land. In the Wilderness, He brought water out of a rock. He opened springs for Hagar and Samson, He stirred up the Mediterranean to get His Word to Nineveh. When His Son came into the world, He walked on the Sea of Galilee and rebuked the waves: Peace, be still! All this of points to His mastery over nature.

This was the first lesson it taught Israel: the Lordship of God over nature. The Creator of all things is also Lord of all!

Therefore, don’t worry about earthquakes or tsunamis or germs, either. God is in control of them all, and if He sends them your way, He will also work them together for your good.

In the second place, there is the Lesson of Recovery.

Israel had lost most of what God gave them. If He gave them a garden, they now had a desert. If He gave them a king, they now had a tyrant. If He gave them unity, they now had division. If He gave them a Temple, they now had the Golden Calf. Like the Prodigal Son, the Jews had squandered their inheritance.

• Lost things

But what does the story say about lost things? It says they can be gotten back; it says God can retrieve them for us, and, by His grace, He will.

This was the hope of Israel. Under the Old Covenant, they lost everything—their nation, land, priesthood, king, and temple. But under the New Covenant, everything would be gotten back for them.

The little nation would be more numerous than the stars in the sky; the ribbon of land would become the whole world; the priesthood would be revived and purified; the king would rule in justice and grace forever; and the Tabernacle of God would be with men; He will dwell with them, they will be His people and He will be their God.

Nothing good will be lost! Everything will be gotten back, more will be added, and this time, the people of God will keep it all.

Why?

Because the New Covenant will be ratified by a Blood more precious than the blood of bulls and goats, and the People of God will be faithful to the New Covenant because their sins will be forgiven and their hearts will be changed!

There is a distinct, shared passion that is shared, and highly evident among mature prophets when it comes to prophetic ministry.

More than that, it is unequivocally the raison d’être of their ministry, and not only theirs, but the entire church. Prophets do well especially to model that passion with tenacity, tirelessness and courage.

Exactly what that passion is, can be demonstrated by Samuel

1 Samuel 3:2-3 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

Samuel sleeps next to the very Ark of Covenant that in recent history had been touched by human hands with terrible results. We don’t know exactly where Samuel was sleeping, but the Bible does tell us it was where the Ark was. Samuel was close to the token Presence of God.

That is the passion that seems to be stirring in the hearts of many. To be close to God. It’s a passion that embraces the whole of the magnificent Body of Christ. Those who have gone on ahead of us already do so with joy and bliss that passes all of the superlatives of human communication. Being in God’s presence is full of unspeakable joy.

For all the prophets I would encourage a resolute and magnificent passion for closeness to three things.

1. Stay close to God – Everything you do is about Him. You can’t even add a single hour to your life – such a simple thing to God, so let your entire focus be on Him and not about your profile, position or reputation. Some of the biggest names in the prophetic movement today will be easily overshadowed by some of the saints from the last  century. It is never about us. Love God and seek to make Him more famous than ever! (Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Amos 5:4)

2. Stay close to the Cross – everything about the prophetic ministry centres on the Cross. What Jesus did for us on the Cross is central to everything we do. Keep the Cross overshadowing everything you do. The gospel is the very power of God unto salvation. Keep pointing people back to the work of the Cross and what God achieved there for us – so that we do not have to. The wonder of wonders is that everything we could not do – God did for us, on our behalf. And nothing, but nothing has to be added. It is never, never, the work of Christ on the cross and something else. There is no x-factor – Christ is all we need. Urge people to follow after him with all their hearts, never because they have to or have a responsibility to, but because they want to. Grace upon grace!

3. Stay close to the Church – God is passionate about the Church, died for her and has set her as the hope for the nations. God’s great glory is in the Church. Learn to see the dazzling glory that God has set upon the Church – an alternative community from every nation under heaven, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ – and yes, full penal substitutionary atonement is her portion!!

These three are worthy of your greatest affections.
___________

raison d’être:
n 1: reason for being
2: the purpose that justifies a thing’s existence

Assuming that you are a Spirit-filled Christian who speaks in tongues, are you aware how awesome the private use of tongues in prayer is that God has given to you, and are you using it to your greatest benefit?

Millions of Christians alive today are baptised in the Holy Spirit, and speak in a supernatural language that the bible calls tongues.

Here are just three reasons out of many to get stirred up about this most remarkable gift.

1. It is God’s great gift.

Joel prophesied about the days when God would pour out His Spirit with the accompanying signs and wonders that would accompany it. Pentecost was the fulfillment of that event and was accompanied by signs and wonders, and tongues – a prayer language directly from God! In the midst of God’s visitation, the apostle Peter quickly recognised what was happening and boldly announced to crowds that had gathered that they were witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit spoken of by prophet Joel. (Joel 2:28; Acts 1:8)

It was God’s blessing for His people, flowing from promise and grace. And so it is today. You simply can not earn it, it is entirely a gift and promise of God! (Acts 2:39)

The Holy Spirit gives power to live a godly, righteous life, to be a radical witness to His saving grace and mercy. But, He also gives the ability to pray in a supernatural language. God gave the blessing of tongues because of your need – it is not about personal choice and preference! God only gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17) and it it is foolish for us to take a casual approach to what God wants to bless us with! And what a blessing it is!

2. It’s God’s great initiative and quest for intimacy.

Being able to pray to God in a heavenly language is God’s idea for all who love Him. (Mark 16:17) He thought of it, initiated it and empowers you to do it because you couldn’t do it of and by yourself. From the days of the Garden of Eden where God came down to speak with Adam and Eve on a regular basis, through to the events of the wilderness wanderings and throughout the accounts of the Bible narratives, God wants all men and women, boys and girls, to be dependent on Him and look to Him in prayer.

God’s gift is a prayer language – why do you think that is? He wants to hear from you!

3. It is extremely valuable.

Paul valued the gift of tongues so much that he makes a very bold claim in his letter to the Corinthians, “I thank my God that I speak in tongues more that you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18). It is an audacious claim. If no one is thanking God for the ability to speak in a heavenly prayer language, Paul is! And he doesn’t stop there, he is emphatic in his revelation and understanding of the value of tongues as a prayer language, “I wish you ALL spoke with tongues…” (1 Corinthians 14:5)

When a believer prays in an unknown tongue, the Holy Spirit is supernaturally directing the believer’s prayer – it’s being able to pray when you can’t pray.  When words fail you you can still pray!

Just like in the Lord’s prayer where Jesus tells us how to pray a prayer that God answers, God makes it mind numbingly easy for us to praise and worship Him because through speaking in tongues He tells us exactly what to say to Him that He wants to hear. (Romans 8:26-27)

Personally speaking

I personally have found the ability to pray in tongues invaluable, and as far as I can remember, have used them in prayer every day for the last 32 years.  Whether praying for a short time or for longer,  I haven’t always known what I am praying about but am assured by God’s word that it is blessing him, being thankful, edifying myself and what intrigues me most, I have been speaking mysteries!

I’m thankful to God for this wonderful gift.

I need help to pray and God has answered that prayer by giving me a supernatural prayer language. I would be foolish to ignore God’s great provision.

Read more: 1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 1:20; 1 Corinthians 14:2; Acts 2:11; Acts 10:46; 1 Corinthians 14:4; 1 Corinthians 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:3

There is a chance that Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian may be wrong when he states that between the time of Malachi and the birth of Christ that there was 400 years of prophetic silence. 

Between the cannonical prophet, Malachi and the birth of Christ there was a long period of silence, but It is important for us to realise that not everything that God says through, and to the prophets, is done so under the full gaze of public scrutiny. The Bible tells us that God reveals His secrets to the prophets, and as any child will know, the rule of a secret is that you can’t tell until you are given permission. Sometimes God reveals His intentions, but the time to tell, may be afar off.

Eight days after the birth of Jesus we are introduced to a humble, unassuming character in the narrative of Luke who negates Josephus’ assertions.

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption  of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38

The prophetess Anna makes a brief public appearance in the Bible. Like Elijah, she emerges from the shadows of obscurity, although a little more is known about her. She is an eighty four year old woman who is finishing her days well, seeking God - worshiping, fasting and praying. Her sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit is evident, as is her discernment. Out of all the hundreds of children over the years that are carried to the Temple in parents arms to observe the law of dedication, only one attracts her attention.

Jesus.

This is the one that the prophets are pointing to, and before John the Baptist is even able to sit unattended or feed himself, Anna recognises Him.

There are a few things that we are told about Anna that might prove both encouraging and helpful.  You don’t have to look far to see the signs of true prophetic calling in the life of anyone called to prophetic ministry, prayer. Prayer is never easy. Anna knew something that few today know – the persistent, relentless approach of God through worship, fasting and prayer.  There is something else to consider too, she never the left the temple, worshiping night and day. If you give yourself to God in prayer you will see remarkable things, amazing things. It may take a few years, but when you learn to seek his face, you will see his hand.

The temple was the place of prayer, of sacrifice, holiness and the presence of God. During the very days that Anna was seeking God, worshiping Him and giving Him her full, abandoned worship and adoration, nothing of immediate importance was happening in the temple. No powerful manifestations of the Presence of God, no thunder or lightning and little to be excited about. You never know when God is about to show up.

In the business of life, not everyone can give themselves to being in the temple, but the baton is extended.

Everything we have from God comes from prayer, but the enemy draws us into the lie that somehow, what we need can be accessed through other means, usually our own common sense. That single lie from hell leaves us lethargic, disillusioned and apathetic. And that apathetic condition then unwittingly turns our hearts against the wonderful Savior as we begin to question His willingness to hear and answer prayer! Guard your heart!

But not so Anna! Nothing more is said of her. Even her prophetic words of encouragement to those who gathered around the baby Jesus are vague, but you are left wondering. What did she know, what did she say? What we do know is that she had a thankful heart – she gave thanks to God. How do you measure up? Your thankful heart is a benchmark of the elementary work of the Spirit in you. It is very easy to be thankful when things are going well. Anna’s husband had died some years before. We are not told of the circumstances, but she had pressed through the heartache and grief and was now found in the temple, with Jesus, and with a thankful heart.

And the final mark of Anna’s prophetic ministry is the most staggering one of all in terms of her sensitivity, discernment and level of revelation. She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption  of Jerusalem. There was nothing ambiguous – she knew!

That profound, deep relationship with God, nurtured over the years left her knowing God, worshiping Him, and telling others about Him.

There’s quite a lot more I could say about Anna. If you are a prophet read between the lines and see that Anna is still speaking, she still has a message to speak.

Anyone who is wise enough to imitate Anna’s lifestyle shouldn’t be surprised that one day, all of a sudden and unexpectedly, they will see something that others have just longed for and dreamed of – first hand.

What does it take to be a Prophet – with a capital P?

There are many contenders – but the truth is, despite all the formulas of man’s best intentions, all of the prophets miss the mark when it comes to perfection. that includes the  nominations of Samuel, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah and all the present-day prophets that you can name in this small chapter of world history.

Character issues are the biggest factor in determining the stature of prophetic ministry rather than gifting. I know how some of prophets with the greatest reputations in this day and age hear God, and I too have heard God speak – with an audible voice, But the fact is, that gifting without character is of little consequence. Didn’t a donkey once speak because the prophet was cruel, hard-hearted and arrogant?

There is a reason why we are not to approach prophetic ministry with a formula built by our own doctrinal presuppositions and theological, three-legged stools of of convictions, and it is simply this; prophetic ministry flows from, and out of relationship with God. Such relationship has a deep conviction of many things, but chief of them all is that Christ alone is the sinless, perfect one.

Don’t expect the prophet to live a life more holy than you. If you do that you are not as close to God as you think you are – and you need to pursue Him quickly, and with due diligence. Never expect anyone, whether they are an elder, apostle, evangelist, prophet, or hospitality team worker, to be more holy than you. That is just foolishness on your behalf – and dishonouring to God.

From my perspective and experience, Prophets have a capacity to easily hear God, to have authentic inspiring dreams and see visions that allow them see into the realm of the Spirit where the activity of God is evident. But they are also very normal. Every one of us comes to the throne of Christ’s rich grace with the same predicament, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All of us.

Let that penetrate your heart for a moment.

Yes, we do expect prophets to live a life worthy of the Lord. But we also expect that of everyone that loves the Lord, without exception. Prophets don’t have to prove themselves. They do however, have a duty of care as it were, to live righteously and to lead by example. Whilst we judge the prophet by their fruit, it is not by their sinless perfection. It is by what is evident from their lifestyle, character and reputation.

There is one sinless prophet. Every prophet you know and have heqrd about is not the one – it’s Jesus alone! He is more than a prophet, He is our Lord and Saviour, no-one compares with Him.

Jesus is our great example and in everything we do, we want to be like Him – not because we have to, but because we want to, of a free heart, to honour Him in everything. We won’t become perfect prophets, but we will at least be like the Prophet David, of whom it was said by God, “here is a man after my own heart”.

With all of it’s imperfections, controversies and complications, there is one formula alone that is the bedrock of the prophetic ministry, and one that puts us all in a good, solid and future-embracing place, and that is the promise of Isaiah 66:2;

“These are the ones I look on with favor:
    those who are humble and contrite in spirit, 
    and who tremble at my word.”

Sometimes God uses prophets to speak into what appears to be for us, a time of fog and mist. In such times it is easy to lose your direction and focus.

Not everything about the prophetic is foretelling, a vast measure is about what God is doing now, bringing explanation, comfort and understanding to present circumstances. Having a fresh set of eyes looking with clarity at difficult situations can be so useful.

Sometimes the encouragement that prophetic ministry brings is by pointing to issues that have already been raised by others. That can be frustrating to say the least, but there seems at times to be an added dimension of authority as those issues come under scrutiny.

I am not suggesting that every time that we have a problem making  a decision or establishing what the Will of God is, that we should seek out the advice of prophetic ministry. This was a an acceptable mode of enquiry in Old Testament days but as John Piper says, the main way that guides us is through the scriptures,

“Nothing I say about today’s prophecies means that they have authority over our lives like Scripture does. Whatever prophecies are given today do not add to Scripture. They are tested by Scripture. Scripture is closed and final; it is a foundation, not a building in process.” (John Piper -  The authority & nature of prophecy 1990)

Interestingly, following Piper’s comment, scripture is very often the resource that prophets will bring to bear on a given situation – they already know that the answer very often, is the Bible. Sometimes people just need help seeing it.

Another aspect of prophetic ministry is interpreting such moments where God seems to be far off, or where things do not seem to be going well. One interpretation that may be the discernment of the prophetic person is that you need to see things in the light of scripture and not experience. Looking at things with a Biblical view-point, reminding one of Biblical truths and affirming what Scripture already says. This is particularly important when looking at issues of self-esteem – looking at who God is first, and then our place in Him.

Alternatively, another interpretation a prophetic person may bring may be that the struggling person may have got to a place of being like Samson who, not knowing that his strength was gone, got up to do things as before. Disaster was imminent.

Some people think that because the hand of God is not lifted immediately in their lives when they are living recklessly or without concern, that God must not be troubled by their behaviour. The favour of God sometimes takes a while before He finally removes it. Prophetic input at this point usually calls for repentance and also brings hope for the future.

Discernment in these areas is so crucial, and is a key reason that prayer is the main activity of the prophetic ministry. The question is always, ‘what is God really saying’…

Prophets, artists and musicians all have one thing in common – they need inspiration to work at their best.

Anyone can function to some degree without inspiration, but the results are lackluster, dull and unimaginative, and lack the ability to inspire others.

Being pedantic, prophets are not attempting a performance, and so being ‘at their best’ is perhaps not the best term to use, but the inference is still appropriate. Not everything that comes from the heart of musicians and artists is from God, but much is. Prophets too, need to make sure that their inspiration is from God and not from a quest for profile, recognition and position.  So when you find yourself in that moment where God is saying nothing to you how do you find inspiration?

Here are a few considerations:

• God may not be saying anything, or showing you anything. 
  For many that is a difficult area of life or ministry to be in. God is not always speaking, and we are not the sole messengers of God.

• God does not have an obligation to reveal Himself to you!
  But the good news is that He does, and often. There is a confusing teaching that prophetic people can prophesy at will, which is simply not true.God himself is the source of inspiration and revelation and if He is not showing, the prophet cannot tell!
• It’s not your fault you are seeing nothing, or maybe it is!
  Sometimes you just need to go to work, dig your field, fix the car and get on with life and like Amos the prophet gathering figs, the word of God will come to you.Sometimes you are not hearing from God because there are things you need to put right. Some of the prophets I know can be mean-spirited, controlling and manipulative. They do this inadvertently and not in an evil or malicious way, but in the way they deal with issues, particularly in times of stress or anxiety.Those character issues are more important than areas of gifting to God, and apply to everyone that you can think of, without exception.
• Sometimes God want you to just come to Him, and rest. You may be clearly exhausted to God, but involvement, profile and a huge number of other psychological elements may be playing in your heart, and your greatest need is not to continue but to rest awhile.

When the moment is right, as always throughout the Scriptures, the Word of God will come. Just be patient. And wait.

Christians have an unfair advantage in life when it comes to facing the challenges that the future hold.

That advantage comes by the way of knowledge – knowledge that no matter what they face, God is with them, and for them.  The greatest message of the prophetic is not the foretelling of the future, but the encouraging declaration that God is already there waiting for us, and watching over us.

The future belongs to God who gives us a place in it – and in doing so gives us promises. Those promises fill our lives with hope, courage but most of all, peace.

What do you see?
It is easy for prophets to mistakenly focus on the gloom and doom of what they see before  them, but more mature prophets will be quick to bring the focus of the future not on to the events coming, but on to Christ. The conviction that the supremacy of Christ above all things is God’s wise intention is one that puts everything in our small lives into a lasting perspective. And it is the bigger picture.

We face difficult times ahead (but then, who hasn’t!) but we are never alone  – the Bible encourages us;

• Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
• Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. ( Ps 55:22)
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Don’t worry – just don’t!
It’s easier said than done. The truth is that we live in a fallen, cruel and harsh world. It’s a world where we do make a difference, changing and transforming lives as God gives us favour and success.

But amidst all of our jubilation, joy and worship of God there are things that cause us concern and anxiety. Christians will face hardship, suffering, difficult times, tears and great sadness in this world, but there is comfort in knowing that our eternal future is safe in God’s capable hands.

Worry adds nothing of value to our lives, and the answer is for us not only to not worry, but to proactively look to Godand take those worries to Him. To all of our problems He is the only true answer. God is with and for the Church in a way that few people can grasp.

We do worry, but Not only is He our Immanuel (God with us), but He reinforces that promise by saying that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Take a stance of trust
The Bible gives us glimpses into the lives of others who faced threatening circumstances beyond their control. Confronted with a situation that could possibly mean their imminent death, three young Jewish men faced a fiery furnace with the determination that; “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  (Daniel 3:17-18)

Testimonies reminding us.
All these things are very important because need to be reminded to keep looking to the Lord as our Shepherd. Simply put, we forget – but once reminded we run to God with willing and thankful hearts. That’s why we need to hear testimonies of God’s grace, mercy and kindness because the people with the stories, act as living-monuments in our lives pointing to God’s gracious provision.

Whether we face a gathering storm or celebration, things may not always go the way we thought or hoped for, but our lives are in very safe, strong and capable hands.

This truly is the radical message of the gospel, unfortunately it is not one that is preached in all churches – but it should be.

Fanny Crosby knew what was at the heart of the gospel, and it came across in her great hymn, ‘To God be the glory’ written in 1875. 

It is interesting to note that in the account where Moses appoints seventy elders for Israel and brings them before God for God to anoint them with the Holy Spirit, that only two of them are named – the ones who are in the camp, Eldad and Medad. (Num 11:16-29)

The incident is interesting because there are a number of indirect observations about the prophetic ministry that may be made and that will prove useful to us as we engage in the prophetic ministry.

We pick up the story in Numbers 11:16-29; “The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone…

… Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.

 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”  But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:16-29)

God speaks to this one and that one, not the ones you choose!

When one considers the epic events that were happening in the life of Israel and the dramatic ‘out of the comfort zone’ transition that was happening, it quickly becomes apparent that the Israelites face another significant paradigm shift – don’t limit God to speaking to the ones you choose, all can prophesy as He enables. And it is only as God enables.

Sometimes people never prophesy again – but it was good that they did!

An interesting comment is easily missed in the excitement of the story here, they all prophesied as the Spirit came upon them, but unlike the prophets the experience of these men was a short but significant one, having prophesied, ‘they did not do so again.’

Even today that is the experience of some – but it does not negate the substantial value and encouragement of their contribution.

Be careful that in your need for ‘decency and order’ that you don’t quench what God is doing in your midst

Eldad and Medad had been summoned, along with all the other elders to stand at the Tent of Meeting. No reason is given as to why they declined the invitation, but we can be pretty certain that it was not a stance of defiance or rebellion. These were Moses’ chosen leaders that were recognised by the various tribes of Israel in their leadership capacities. We cannot argue from the silence of scripture, but one thing is certain, despite their reputation, profile and standing in the ekklesia of Israel, Joshua, Moses’ personal assistant, is shocked to receive news that these two men who have not gathered at the Tent of Meeting, are now prophesying. And it is so shocking that Joshua goes straight to Moses to report the apparent ‘outrage’.

Joshua’s concern is not with the 68 men prophesying as they stand by the Tent of Meeting, but with two men who do not appear to be filling the criteria that has been set before them, and Joshua’s response is hardline, controlling and undiscerning. It is also a stance that many have taken in this day and age, ‘Moses, tell them to stop!’.

Joshua’s heart is immediately discerned by the Prophet Moses, “Are you jealous for my sake?” Have you ever had a similar response as you look at others that are ministering outside of the boundaries of what you perceive to be their calling? Moses’ response is an encouraging one for those innocently stepping out into the opportunity that suddenly faces them, “Would to God that ALL of God’s people were prophets’ and that His Spirit would be put on them”.

The generosity of Moses is a prime example to many leaders today.

It really is not about you and your ministry, God has so much more to give, and so many people that He wants to give it to! God’s extravagent grace knows no bounds, bear in mind that if He wants to stir His gifting in others and it is likely that you are the one that may receive blessing!

Joshua was more concerned that the ‘prophetic elders’, Eldad and Medad were in his view ‘illegitimately functioning in God’s gifting’ than he was about hearing the encouragement that they were giving to all who would hear. You can sense legalism doing it’s foul work here, under the guise of concern.

And the outcome of the story is that despite the circumstances and Joshua’s concern, Eldad and Medad’s names were written down with far more profile and recognition than their sixty-eight other contemporaries. 

This is a strange day we live in. Many think that we have never had it so bad and have been tempted to give up on the Church – not a good idea! Agreed, the Church is imperfect and not without various problems; but what vibrant relationship is free from conflict?

The comforting truth is that in God’s grace we can all overcome the differences that afflict us and come to maturity, doing what God has called us to do. It starts by learning to be the people that He has freely elected and designed for us to be. (Ephesians 4:13)

The life that faces us as God’s glorious Church is not one of complacency, but one of determined surrender to God’s purposes. We are not only giving of ourselves, but we are also recipients of God’s kindness expressed through others, receiving gifts, love, hospitality and care from one another. And we do it without getting hindered on the way by wrong motives or getting tied up with pride.

The vibrant faith that God gives each of us in the Church(and not apart from each other) builds on, is tightly centred on not just our relationship with Christ, but also on our relationship with each other and is necessary for our personal growth. Even the private aspects of faith building in our lives, require mutual efforts, support and encouragement, so we need church to keep us growing. God is building His Church – it’s an active, focused and determined ongoing action of the Holy Spirit.

We just can’t build an authentic, dynamic and growing faith on our own with out a church family. Scripture warns us against negating our spiritual development or neglecting what God gives. If we refuse to allow His work, allow the dynamics of Church life to touch our lives, then our faith and the future He has for us will not be fully realised, along with the all joy that He has for us.

If we leave the Church, our salvation (if it was for real in the first place) is still intact, but we limit our sanctification and cut ourselves off from God’s reward for being faithful. It’s just not good news and it is a very sad position to be in. We are the worse for refusing His guidance or the fellowship of others (Psalm 137: 5-6; 147:2; Isa 62:5; Gal. 6:24; Heb. 10:10; 13:9-25; Rev. 21: 2-4, 9-27).

Everyone without exception, needs to be a part of the Church. Jesus gave Himself for the church,  not the para-church! Para-church leaders of any substance need to be part of the local Church.

The challenge for us is to be committed to our purpose of presenting who we are in Christ, personally and mutually, telling each other what He has done for us, and responding to Him with passion and conviction, letting go of the fears, anxieties and concerns that hinder us.

Church is the place where the mundane gives rise to excitement, the boring develops into  challenge, despair translates into exuberant hope, and the disease that causes cutting, idolatrous division ceases.  It’s as simple as that. Church is the most exciting place on planet earth. It may not be your experience – but it can be! God is with His Church, and He has a glorious plan for it.

Your local church may have betrayed you, hurt you, underused or overused you – but when you see the glorious Head of the Church you will not let go. The Church IS (no matter what your experience of it may be), the Body of Christ, and in it He is the One who leads, equips, and guides us-as we all desperately need.

It is as we gather as God’s people that we experience and learn how to hear His voice and obey what He calls us to do. We also discover what it is to have an intimate relationship with Him as we hear teaching, testimony and words of encouragement. It can be said of us in the Church that we know Him, He knows us, and we do what He says. Not only that, we are concerned with what concerns Him, and we act accordingly. We want to do the things that please Him, not because we have to, but because we want to – that’s grace at work in our hearts!

For those who don’t belong to a Church the analogy is an easy one, despite their arguments to the contrary; like sheep, we can’t lead ourselves or others with out being for ever lost and unfed (Psalm 23; Isa. 63:11; Jer. 23:1; 31:34; Ezek. 34:6-16, 31; Hos. 6:6; John 10:1-8; 16:13-15; Rom. 10:7).

There’s a good Church somewhere near you – pray and ask God to lead you there!

Prayer – Intrigue [Short notes that get straight to the point!]

I have been fascinated over the years to see and hear how people deal with the difficulty of prayer.  At times we all struggle with it. Mostly I think it is a struggle because God does not answer immediately in response, unlike a conversation with friends.

Some refer to prayer as work, hard work. The only problem with that stance is that such an approach will have meant that no law-observing Jew could have prayed on the sabbath! Prayer is how we talk to God.

But this is what I find intriguing, in the Garden of Eden God comes down in the cool of the day. Guess what? God wants to talk – and talk He does until one day Adam and Eve decided it was time to hide from God. And the conversations were difficult ever after.

God always steps in to draw man back to intimacy, friendship and relationship with himself.

God always steps in to draw man back to intimacy, friendship and relationship with himself. Prayer is so important to the middle-aged Moses that he sets up a tent and goes there daily to meet with God. And God responds to that initiative.

Much later in history, Jesus walks the earth, gives us direction on prayer. The only One that really knows what prayer is about and what God is looking for from us, teaches us what to pray – and it really is the disciples prayer and not His. After all, when did Jesus ever have to ask forgiveness for a single sin that He committed?

Shortly after His death and resurrection something awesome happens. And for all the reformed evangelical Christians that are in denial today, this is a challenge. Of all the gifts that Jesus could give us out of His extreme wealth and generosity, what He gives as He pours out His Spirit at Pentecost is what? A prayer language!!

How absolutely amazing! No wonder the Apostle Paul said, “I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all!” What a bold claim, but what understanding of the extreme preciousness of what God has given.

Some of the most painful moments in life are when one is required to answer the awkward question that comes at an inconvenient moment – especially when there is nowhere to hide.

King David must surely have squirmed uncomfortably at the interrogation of the prophet Nathan, that produced the now famous, “Thou art the man!” outburst. Hard, question, hard answer, brave prophet.

But, turning the tables on your expectation, I want to ask not, “What question would God ask of you?” but, if you suddenly found yourself in front of the Lord, what question would you ask Him?

That is, assuming your heart didn’t freeze with fear, dread and terror at suddenly coming face to face with the Sovereign Lord.

It’s a hypothetical question, and because it’s hypothetical it gets you out of all sorts of mess.

Nevertheless, lets face the question.

Solomon’s answer, in asking not for riches but for wisdom, was a brilliant one and showed that he already had a substantial amount of wisdom. I’d like to say that given the same situation that I would ask for the same thing, but to be honest, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind in the slightest way.

Recently I had to face the question for real.

Not that the Lord suddenly appeared before me, but in prayer it suddenly seemed that the Holy Spirit wanted to do some redemptive work in my heart. In the few times that has happened for me it involves a probing question of the Spirit as he gently nails me with pinpoint conviction. But God is very creative. This time I felt God say to me, “Ask me a question.”

Ask me a question! ~ God

That’s when all my questions disappeared like a puff of smoke, and I was left with a numb, blank void.

What do you ask God?

Simon Peter is an excellent model, but his encounter with Jesus was but an exclamation, not a question, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Oh Lord.” (Luke 5:8) Peter’s brother Andrew, asks what may be one of the strangest (and almost hilarious) questions imaginable, “Where are you staying?” (John 1:38-40)  Thomas encounters Jesus after the resurrection, but again, no question – just an exclamation, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

Every question I could think of at first, reflected the true nature of my heart; selfishness. It would have been nice to have more anointing, greater this and that, and more enhanced skills that would make even spider-man jealous. But the fact remained, it was all about me.

Even a potential question of, “what is God’s deepest will for my life?” was a selfish distraction. I was wanting God to do the work he already gave me, to find out what is the will of God for my life, and do what is pleasing to Him (Romans 12:2,  1 John 3:22).

After nearly an hour the question I should ask, came from the Holy Spirit Himself.

It is not a question that featured normally in my top 10 things to ask God, when you see Him. God does have all the answers, and He knows the best questions too. And He also knows what questions will get answered – and answered quickly!

And in His grace he gave the shortest question, so that I could remember it!

“Lord, will you help me to live my whole life for your great glory?”

I’ve asked the question, and though He never said anything audible but internally I  believe that He said “Yes!” – it was His idea after all…

Your question may, and probably will be much better than mine – but this question raises a ‘yes and amen!’ both in my heart and God’s.

It’s a perfect question.

When the estimated 130 million Christians in China and other various parts of the world look at the prophetic movement on the internet, they can very easily get the wrong, and discouraging message that God’s redemptive purposes are focused on what He is doing in America and the UK.

And it simply is not true!

One person emailed me to tell me that England was about to experience a shift and enter revival in 2010 for ‘standing with America in the war with Iraq!’ Such lunacy is prevalent in our times, and especially in the ‘new year’ prophesies that abound every year – and we didn’t enter revival or experience a ‘shift’, whatever that is.

There is nothing cynical in such an observation we have simply got to break free from the religious baggage and nonsense that is turning the prophetic ministry in its various forms, into something of a ‘Titanic’.

I think our mistake (and by that I mean the prophetic movement in the West) with this issue, begins with our misaligned focus on prophetic ministry as being something that is over and above everything that happens in the Church – its correct place at the table of Christian fellowship is not profile, fame or recognition, but as a serving servant.

To restore our real mandate in these very difficult days to be a prophetic Church that makes people aware of the Presence of God in the ‘here and now’ (and to have confidence that God is already waiting for them tomorrow), requires that we first define the ultimate purpose of the Church. Only then, can the prophetic ministry realise its fullest, and most encouraging and valuable contributions to the bigger picture.

A beginning would be to say that;

• The purpose of the Church is to serve as an outpost of Jesus’ kingdom that makes the invisible kingdom visible by the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit.
• The Church belongs to God alone as His self-chosen means by which to serve and save the world through the gospel message to the glory of God.

Seeing the Church as God sees it, makes a difference to our contribution to it. God’s story on planet Earth is simply huge, but to lay all the emphasis on what He is doing in the West as being the focus of it all is to rob God of His glory and demean much of what He is doing.

God is profoundly at work – let’s encourage each other across the continents to keep looking to God, trusting Him and worshipping Him. And where we can, make a profound effort to let it be matched with mission and action, not just with words (although at times these can be so valuable).

Our confidence is in God’s great providence, provision, power and astonishing grace - always keep that in mind as you look at the Church, this fallen world and our future.

God is already waiting in the future with all that we need – and that includes the entire Church across the world.

Prophets sometimes lose their place in the purposes of God. Discouragement can get the best of them, resulting in them hiding in caves, wondering about the overwhelming purpose for their lives.

Despair and discouragement do terrible things to the heart that is not fixated on Christ, but that discouragement has to be faced head on. The question has to be asked, ‘just where do you find your encouragement when discouragement has extinguished the fire that once ravished the heart?’

It is a pressing issue.

Mature prophetic ministers are not ministering to the saints to be noticed, but sometimes profile and recognition are, as it were, side effects. When you tell someone by revelation the secrets of the heart in a public setting, you are going to get called names. The name and titles of ‘prophet, man of God,etc’ do strange things to people, but probably not as much as when those close to them in leadership give little feedback – or misunderstand their calling or motives.

In most of the prophets is a need that is not unlike any other individual in the kingdom, the need to be accepted, affirmed, recognised and loved. Everyone has those needs. Being someone stepping out for the first time in the gifts of the Spirit, or being a prophet speaking at the largest conference in the USA – the essential emotional needs in life are no different. But how those needs are met is.

I recently saw a documentary on the Amish Christians sharing their faith. I was very moved to hear a young lady mention that whenever she felt sad or down, that the answer for her was a simple one. She prayed.So simple and yet, so deeply mature.

Our relationship with God makes all the difference – and the more real, dynamic and authentic it is, truly makes a significant difference. Before prophets can restore a blazing fire of passion for Christ in the hearts and lives of others, that fire must be blazing on the altars of their own discouraged and life-tested heart.

And only Christ can light that vehement flame. You can’t light an enduring, blazing fire in your own heart – but you can feed the flames. We’re talking about passion for Christ here, not about stirring up gift. Feed the flames of devotion by devouring the scriptures and seeking God in prayer. Where there is no passion or hunger to do so – ask.

It has been said that you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Actually you can – you give it salt tablets! If you ask God to help you hunger after Him, He knows just what to do…

Let God reignite the fire of passion for Christ’s glory and passion for His purposes in your own heart, let it roar and blaze, then let that most ferocious flame impart tongues of fire into the hearts of those around you. Don’t let discouragement get the better of you. Stir up that gift.

What do you consider to be the fundamental focus of the prophetic ministry? What is always at the heart of authentic, trustworthy and legitimate prophetic ministry?

Surprisingly, the answer is a simple one – but one that all of the prophetic ministries functioning in the wider Body of Christ today would be wise to remind themselves of regularly. And controversially, it is a real litmus test to whether any given prophetic ministry truly is from God.

The absolute focus, and core value of God-commissioned, Christ-exalting and scripture-honouring prophetic ministry is the Work of Christ on the Cross.

Everything God has done for us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, is captured by He did for us on the Cross. At the Cross we see the full penalty for our sin being met by the willing personal sacrifice in our place, for us. Nothing merited it, nothing we could or did do earned it. Christ paid a terrible price, surrendering His own life as our substitute to atone for our sins in the fullest meaning of the word.

At the Cross we see God’s love, compassion, justice, wisdom, grace and overwhelming holiness being displayed openly. And it is an awesome sight.

The problem so often with prophetic ministry, is that it can appear that the focus is on what God wants to do for individuals and their own needs and reassurances, rather than calling for a determined focus on God and what He has already done for them.

It is very easy(with God’s help!) to call people out from a crowd and tell them some of the things that God is revealing about the state of their heart, his intentions for their lives, some of the issues they have been facing.

At such times of ministry the individual may be greatly encouraged – but much much more will be accomplished if the Church begins to increasingly realise that the dynamic focus of prophetic ministry is not so much the valuable, edifying and up-building work of revelation alone(and that is both useful and helpful), but a call to focus on the only thing that can give them real hope in this day and age; Christ’s finished work on the Cross.

And the Work of Christ at the Cross is the very gospel that we all need to encourage ourselves with on a daily basis. The gospel is not just for the lost on a Sunday evangelistic meeting – it is our great eternal joy.

As we begin to grasp the gospel with all it’s implications of God’s overwhelming grace, favour and loving-kindness for those in Christ, it works deeply in our heart by reminding us every day that God is with us, for us, will care for and protect us.

That awesome gospel reminds us that He is our provider and keeper. In the gospel we see in our most dismal, storm-filled day that out of more than 6,billion others on planet earth that he chose you personally, saved you, cleansed you, justified you, forgave you and with express intent, glorified you – and none of it was because of your behavior, goodness or bank account!

IT IS ALL CHRIST!

Prophetic ministry that points the Church to the Cross honours God profoundly and directs people in every station of life to come to Christ, who alone has the power to transform their lives and situations.

Don’t give up sharing what God reveals to you – but be mindful of our core values as the people of God; the Cross of Christ and His glorious resurrection.

How we do this in a practical way is something I will address at a later day.…

One of the questions that is raised often is whether the prophetic ministry should necessarily be a member of the local church. That question is perhaps better answered by asking the question as to whether Church Membership is Biblical. If it is, then by virtue of being in the Church, the prophetic person needs also to be a member.

For some, this may start by proactively finding a good church!

In this excellent article, Matt Chandler asks the question, “Is Church Membership Biblical?” I believe it is a useful start to a much needed conversation…

Matt writes;
“The spouse of Christ cannot be adulterous; she is uncorrupted and pure. She knows one home; she guards with chaste modesty the sanctity of one couch. She keeps us for God. She appoints the sons whom she has born for the kingdom. Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress, is separated from the promises of the Church; nor can he who forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger; he is profane; he is an enemy. He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.”

— Cyprian, Treatise on the Unity of the Church, 6.

I was 28 when I became the pastor of Highland Village First Baptist Church (now known as The Village Church). I had had a rough go early on in my church experience, and at that time I was not fully out of my “disenchanted with the local church” phase.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure at the time that church membership was biblical. Despite that, the Spirit had made it all too clear that I was going to be pastoring this small church in the suburbs of Dallas. That was one of the many ironies of my life in those days.

Highland Village First Baptist Church was a “seeker-sensitive” church in the Willow Creek mold and had no formal membership process, although they were actively working on one and wanted the new pastor’s input. I had a strong understanding of the church universal but wasn’t well versed—and, as I said, somewhat skeptical—about the church local. We started growing quickly with young and oftentimes disenchanted 20-somethings who usually had no church background, or bad church backgrounds. They liked The Village because we were “different.” This always struck me as strange because we weren’t doing anything but preaching and singing.

In conversations with these men and women I began to hear things like “The church is corrupt; it’s just about money and a pastor’s ego,” or “I love Jesus, it’s the church I have a problem with.” My favorite one was, “When you organize the church it loses its power.” Although something occasionally resonated in me with these comments (I, along with most of my generation, have authority and commitment issues), I found them confusing since they were being made to me by people who were attending the church where I was the pastor.

TWO QUESTIONS FROM HEBREWS 13:17

With conflicts already brewing over other doctrines that I viewed as far more central, I wondered if we should let this church membership thing slide and come back to it later. I was preparing at the time to preach through the book of Hebrews and “happened” to be in chapter 13 when verse 17 leapt off the page: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Two questions occurred to me. First, if there is no biblical requirement to belong a local church, then which leaders should an individual Christian obey and submit to? Second, and more personally, who will I as a pastor give an account for?

These two questions started my search for a biblical understanding of the local church, and they began around the ideas of authority and submission.

Regarding the first question, the Scriptures clearly command Christians to submit to and honor an elder body (Heb. 13:17, 1 Tim. 5:17). If there is no understanding of local church membership, then who are we to submit to and obey? Is it anyone with the title “elder” from any church? Should you as a Christian obey and submit to those loons at Westboro Baptist? In order to obey Scripture, must you picket soldiers’ funerals, as the pastor of Westboro seems to imply?

Regarding the second question, the Scriptures clearly command an elder body to care for specific people (1 Pet. 5:1-5; also, Acts 20:29-30). Will I as a pastor be held accountable for all the Christians in the Dallas Metroplex? There are many churches in Dallas that I have strong theological and philosophical differences with. Will I give account for what they teach in their small group, how they spend their money, and what they do concerning international missions?

WHAT ABOUT CHURCH DISCIPLINE?

After considering questions of authority and submission, the second issue that came up in my study of the local church was the biblical teaching on church discipline.

You see it in several places, but none so clearly as 1 Corinthians 5:1-12. In this text Paul confronts the church in Corinth for approving of a man walking in blatant, unrepentant sexual immorality. The Corinthians are celebrating this as God’s grace, but Paul warns them that this type of wickedness shouldn’t make them boast, but rather mourn. He calls them arrogant and tells them to remove this man for the destruction of his flesh and the hopeful salvation of his soul. In verses 11-12, he pulls no punches: “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?”

It has been my sad experience that very few churches still practice church discipline, but that’s another article for another day. My question out of this text is simple: How can you kick someone “out” if there isn’t an “in”? If there is no local commitment to a covenant community of faith, then how do you remove someone from that community of faith? Church discipline won’t work if local church membership doesn’t exist.

LOTS OF OTHER EVIDENCE FOR MEMBERSHIP

There are other evidences to support local church membership in the Scriptures.

We see in Acts 2:37-47 that there is a numerical record of those who have professed Christ and been filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 41) and an acknowledgement that the church was tracking the growth (v. 47).

In Acts 6:1-6, we see elections take place in order to address a specific problem and accusation.

In Romans 16:1-16, we see what appears to be an awareness of who is a church member.

In 1 Timothy 5:3-16, we see a clear teaching on how to handle widows in the church and in verses 9-13 we read this:

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

In this text we see criteria for who would or would not qualify for Ephesus’s widow care program. The local church in Ephesus is organized, and they are working out a plan.

We could go on and on here, asking questions about how we could be obedient to the commands of God in 1 Corinthians 12 or Romans 12 if we aren’t connected to a local covenant community of faith. But to unpack all the possible texts would require longer than I have for this article.

GOD’S PLAN IS THAT WE WOULD BELONG TO LOCAL CHURCHES

When you begin to look at these texts it becomes clear that God’s plan for his church is that we would belong to a local covenant community of faith. This is for our own protection and maturation, and for the good of others.

If you view church as some sort of ecclesiological buffet, then you severely limit the likelihood of your growing into maturity. Growth into godliness can hurt. For instance, as I interact with others in my own local body, my own slothfulness in zeal is exposed, as is my lack of patience, my prayerlessness, and my hesitancy to associate with the lowly (Rom. 12:11-16). Yet this interaction also gives me the opportunity to be lovingly confronted by brothers and sisters who are in the trenches with me, as well as a safe place to confess and repent.  But when church is just a place you attend without ever joining, like an ecclesiological buffet, you just might consider whether you’re always leaving whenever your heart begins to be exposed by the Spirit, and the real work is beginning to happen.

What’s the bottom line? Local church membership is a question of biblical obedience, not personal preference.

Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of the Village Church in the Dallas, Texas area.
Read the article online here

When God said that he would shake everything that could be shaken so that our confidence would rest in Christ alone, he clearly meant it.

And for those with wisdom, such shaking, be it on a personal, national or international scale, is for our good. God is with the Church in a way that she does not understand or perceive – and is at work deep in the heart of the Church.

Looking at the world we live in, and the shaking that is going on in every sphere of life, including the Church – it is not surprising that some raise the tentative question as to ‘where the Sons of Issachar are – those who understand the times and know what to do’. ( 1 Chr 12:32)  It is a good question and one that deserves answering.

What is behind the story of the sons of Issachar?
Issachar was one of the 12 tribes of Israel whose name meant ‘He will bring a reward’. Some may find it amusing that Jacob refers to Issachar as ‘a strong ass crouching down between two burdens’! (Gen 49:14)

The tribe of Issachar were not the largest in Israel, and at the time of this incident in the life of King David, were considered to be around 87,000 warriors (1 Chr 7:5), but of all these, it is the 200 chiefs alone that had the reputation of  ‘understanding of the times and what to do’.

Not all of the tribe of Issachar were so gifted, 86,800 people remained, but they did have a degree of courage, bravery and to some extent, the wisdom to follow those who were leading them. And they were being led with wisdom, but the difficulty as always with mankind, is that even the 200 with their ability of understanding the times they faced and what to do,  had shortcomings – and that is seen in 2 Chr 30:18 where Hezekiah had to pray for them because they approached the Passover feast with presumption, not observing the call for purity before participating in the feast.

Such short sightedness is prevalent throughout the Bible, the encouragement that we are to take care if we think we stand, less we stumble and fall, is a timely one for every generation of those whose hearts reach out for God.

Prophets or civil servants?
The bible introduces or refers to the prophets whenever they are mentioned using the titles, messenger, man of God, seer  or Navi (prophet). The sons of Issachar are not mentioned in that way, and no predictive word, direction, correction or revelation is given by them to indicate otherwise. This was a time of political tension for David and Saul. The tribes were in a tremendous conflict and transition. The government was changing. And the prophets who do appear at this time are named, particularly Nathan and Gad.

They were moving from the government of the house of Saul to the government of the house of David. David was of Judah. Issachar could give great insight on how to make this shift. The Jewish teachings point to Issachar being a tribe having  religious scholarship and intelligent men, well versed in political affairs, and knew what was proper to be done in all the exigencies of human life; and who now perceived that it was both the duty and political interest of Israel to advance David to the throne.

Do we need the a return of the sons of Issachar today?
We are careful to not go beyond what is written (1 Cor 4:6), but it is very clear as we look into scripture that something greater is with us today.

Instead of a minute number of people being able to clearly see what is going on, we are confronted by the majestic truth that Jesus has called us all into a place of privilege.  Jesus has made things very clear to the entire Church on planet earth today, whether they choose to listen, read, hear or obey, how to know the times that we live in, and what to do (Matthew 24). Jesus points to all the things that are happening and says, that when all these things occur, ‘look up, for your redemption draws near’.  We are truly living in the end times.

So much has happened in 2011, rapidly and swiftly. We are truly seeing signs of the end times, but for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened. It’s a call to be facing heaven, putting away sin – living resolutely and passionately for God.

Chuck Peirce, Bob Jones, Paul Cain, John Paul Jackson and Rick Joyner (and many others!) have referred often for the need for us to be like the Sons of Issachar in these days – and what they mean is obvious and needful, but there is something more that we need to grasp. We are not merely a people looking at a world shaking and quaking under all that is happening, and we are certainly not just seeing the obvious, but we are above all else, a prophetic people – hearing from God.

The bigger picture
In these last days (and you cannot get any later than the day that you freshly read this!) God is pouring out His Spirit on all people, resulting in signs and wonders, dreams, visions and prophetic revelation. Why? Because God is looking at the times that we face and is revealing Himself, His will and His purpose to the Body of Christ so that we know what HE wants us to do! And not only that, but because He has adopted us (the Church) as sons we are called to work alongside Him as co-workers with Christ. The great commission is our ‘awesome co-mission’ with Him!

And every day, thousands more people on every continent of the planet join in this marvellous adventure – so much better than being just a ‘son of Issachar’!

If there is one thing that the prophetic ministry will bring both to the Church and to the individual, it is the realisation of the nearness of God. It is one thing to hear great encouragement about God’s intention to bless, restore or intervene, but to hear the assertion that God is with us, is another thing.

To know that the Lord is our ‘Immanuel’ is profoundly good news, and what courage it brings to the weary heart to know that they are not alone.  Sometimes however, there is another profound revelation that can cause vast oceans of joy to erupt in the human spirit. It is the disclosure of God in the deepest recesses of the heart that He is with you, really with you – and it comes in what I call, “the Jacob-thought”.

Genesis 28 tells us of Jacob’s encounter with God. The Bible tells us that when he had reached ‘a certain place’, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. The next morning he would name that insignificant, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary place, Bethel. In the seemingly insignificant place he found himself in, unawares of the astonishing event that would shortly take place, he took one of the stones there for a pillow and lay down to sleep. As he slept he had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. The next morning, profoundly shaken by his encounter with God, he named the place Bethel (House of God), exclaiming “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it”. And there is the exciting truth that comes when we encounter God, He is there!

How excellent is the truth that can liberate our heart in this day and age, that the Lord may be so very close to us, and we are not aware of it.

The Jacob-thought is so precious. No matter what you face in life, no matter what mountain you face, wall you must climb or discouragement you must conquer – the revelation that God is with you and in your circumstance and you might not be aware of it, is an encouragement from the heart of God Himself.

We walk with the truth that all things work together for our good, that God is with us and that nothing can separate us from His wonderful love – but we also have the great joy of reminding ourselves both in the great times and the hard times, of the Jacob-thought.

Are you aware right now that the Lord is geographically with you, at this very moment!

Remind yourself often of this wonderful truth that the place you are in may look very normal, and unexceptional, but it has the potential to become a ‘Bethel’ to you.

It may not always feel as if God is with you, but no matter who you are, the Lord is in your place and you are not always aware of it!

Think the Jacob-thought!

No matter how you look at it, the 1990′s were times of unprecedented excitement when it comes to the realm of prophetic ministry.

It was a time that so many well-known ministries came to the surface of what had been a long-drawn season of prophetic drought.

It had been a long time since America has heard from the likes of William Branham, Oral Roberts, A.A. Allen, Jack Coe, T.L Osborne, Aimee Semple MacPherson and Kathryn Kuhlman – and in the United Kingdom it had been a long, dry period since the ministry of George & Stephen Jeffries and Smith Wigglesworth.

Despite seeing something of a time of refreshing and renewing in the things of the Spirit in the early 70’s,  for many it was the first time they’d come across the likes of some of the strongly gifted prophetic characters such as Paul Cain, Bob Jones, David Parker and John Paul Jackson to name but a few – and of course, standing alongside them the fatherly figure of John Wimber.

People would talk about those days for years to come, and still do – days when there was great excitement, and the anticipation amidst all of the activity of the Holy Spirit so powerfully of work in the heart of the church, was approaching revival. It was of course, a time of great controversy too – and even more controversial days would follow.

No matter how excellent your approach is to kingdom life, there is always the sense that in retrospect and with hindsight, a better way that some things can be done.

The sudden rise of the prophetic ministry in those days was something that would bring hope and vision to thousands of people in this day. There were lots of lessons to learn, especially the old chestnut topic of ‘character over gifting’, accountability and more latterly, basic honesty – but there is something that was prevalent then, and it is so today, a surge in expectation, anticipation and faith that God is about to do something extraordinary.

It is very easy to focus on a few weeds here and there and miss the greater spectacle of the greater picture that is breathtaking. Authentic prophetic ministry stirs the hearts of the disaffected with hope for the future, as well as the present. Prophets remind us of great truths and of the comforting and strengthening truth that God is all powerful, omniscient, sovereign and deep at work in the life of the Church and the nation. Prophets really do hear from God, and really are a blessing!

If there is something that can be said about today it is that the nations of the West, and in particular America and Britain, it is that we are spiritually bankrupt and so ready for the judgement of God.

We desperately need God’s grace and mercy, and yet there is a sense that God is about to move on the nations, not in judgement but in mammoth revival. This could well be the precursor for a huge and devastating wave of God’s judgement, but that is not our focus. Our gaze is on the Christ who alone can deliver, heal, restore and renew man in, and from his broken, sin-ridden life to a life of Christ-exalting, scripture-honouring, God-fearing new life.

Rumours of a fresh move of God around the world abound – take courage and seek His face.

Don’t despise the day of the small things that we are seeing in our midst, greater things are coming!!

It has often been said that a picture can speak a thousand words. Artists and story-tellers know this fact well and exploit it well with creativity and flair. When it comes to the realm of prophetic ministry a well described image that has come through dream or a vision also is something that can touch the most stony heart with profound emotion.

I loved the photograph that my friends John & Erica Norton posted on their facebook of their daughter Naomi, sat with a local pastor’s daughter in a village in Kenya, Africa.

The picture speaks vast volumes of friendship, trust, play, laughter and innocence. The more you look at the picture, the more you begin to see. It goes beyond colours and shape and the tears and pains of life.

And that is how it can be with the  prophetic vision – whether it be a dream, a vision or the sudden flash of an image on a worshiping mind. If you will take time to look, to investigate the hues and tones, the colours, shadows and shapes you will see more than first came to mind.

Take time to ask God what He is showing you. Don’t worry about what God is not showing you – only what he is showing you, and not what you imagine.

For all you know, this could have been a picture of Naomi and her friend in some city in the heart of America. Imagination can lead you astray. Keep your eye on what God is showing you and not on what He is not showing you, and use the vast tapestry of scripture to help interpret accurately and wisely what you see before you.

Anyone can see and tell a vision, but prophets have an ability to speak out only what God is showing. That spares lots of tears and disappointment.

After a while God will begin to show you parts of the picture that no-one else can see, like Naomi holding a tennis racket. That would mean you seeing something accurately that is beyond visual range!

Naomi’s father is a tennis coach.

Have a closer look at what God is showing you, and don’t be in such a rush to tell-a-vision!

You can tell the depth of profound intimacy that a prophet has with Jesus, by taking a look at the way that they approach the subject of getting their timing right with prophetic words, messages and revelation.

It is written that God reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets – and for the most part, when it comes to retelling those mysteries, secrets and disclosures of heaven the prophets of old got their timing right, down to the nanosecond.

One lesson that is not up on the blackboard of the Shiloh School of prophecy is timing. Comedians are taught that the secret of their success in getting the best laughs is timing. If you have it then success is yours!  Prophecy is so similar in that single one sense – the timing is something that is often ‘intuitively felt’, it is not something that you can learn in a single lesson from a book or a DVD.

Good preachers and communicators know that one element of timing that can be easily embraced is pause. The best story-tellers know how dramatic and essential pause can be, and in the greatest narrative ever, God paused at the Cross and the shuddering drama of Calvary shook time and eternity.

Most, if not all prophets have struggled with the issue of timing. Is God showing me something for now, another day, another time or just for me to know? How many days, weeks, months or years should I hold on to what God has spoken without telling another soul? And is the reason that prophets tell another prophet they have something for counsel as to when to share it, because deep down they want others to know that they too are hearing God?

It is a difficult question and lots of legalistic responses will make the insecure feel a lot better!

Personally I think my opening remark carries the kernel of the truth of the matter. Intimacy with Christ will give us a fair degree of understanding about the timing of a matter. The Old Testament prophets gave no hints or teaching about the timing of their utterances – but they were moved by the Spirit as the Spirit gave them revelation.  They knew the right timing for what they had because they were in dynamic relationship with God. They were seeing, feeling and knowing things and instinctively knew when and where to share them as God’s Spirit moved upon them.

Today people feel that God will be angry with them and not give them more words if they do not readily dump everything they have in one huge pile, on the day they receive it! Slight bit of humour there, but I hope you can see what I am saying.

It would be far better often if prophetic people learned to wait on what God was showing them, asking for clarity, praying for favour, opportunity and the right timing for them to minister. Such an act would prove the depths to which the prophetic person took the responsibility of the prophetic ‘burden’. It would also help give them time to minister truly out of grace and not with a religious, legalistic spirit that controls and has no real fruit.

God’s timing is always perfect, it is never at the last minute because whatever the deadline God can extend it!

How do you know when is the right time to share what God has shown you? Ask him – and be ready to wait for the answer.

Even if it is a long time, God will probably tell you something else in the meantime!

Dieticians all over the world assent to the obvious truth that you can’t live by bread alone.

It seems a strange thing to focus on, but the account in the Bible where God feeds the hungry, and somewhat desperate nation of Israel with Manna for 40 years is more important than first impressions allow.

It is good to have the miraculous interventions of God in life – and as the Exodus narrative shows, the prolonged daily occurrence of God’s miraculous provision was essential and crucial.

The daily bread of Israel was important to them, but in providing the manna God had a powerful lesson to teach, namely that in the very moment that God was providing them with the bread of heaven, they couldn’t live on that alone.

What is required for life is God’s Word itself. But what does that mean? Miracles may bring relief and a welcomed intervention in life, but the real sustenance comes from what God has to say to us. Familiarity can bring contempt and for the Israelites that was very clear from their outburst, “But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna”. Right there is the heart of the matter – God was teaching them to hunger for more than bread.

The discontentment they were feeling was intended to drive them to the face of God, and not for them to be just looking for the hand of God. It is a difficult tension – everything we have comes as the provision of God’s kind and gracious hand, but what is really important to us is that we live off of the words that proceed from the mouth of God.

There are two things to consider here. The first is that all Scripture is breathed out, inspired and given by God. Scripture teaches us how to live our lives, what is required of us and how to find, know and live by God’s wisdom. In short, Scripture teaches us to look to God alone, not fear the face of man and to be confident in our God.

The other important thing is that God speaks to us. Perhaps, this is a profound part of what it means to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Perhaps the biggest message we need to hear today amidst the still gathering storms we face, is that God hears and answers prayer.

The letter from Paul to the Colossians urges them unequivocally, “devote yourselves to prayer”. In fact Paul takes it even further, pressing the issue more and more with the Philippian saints, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.

Everything you need will come by prayer, and God is still speaking in response today. When God says ‘let there be..’ it happens, but we do need to learn how to persistently ask. What God has already done for us is wonderful – but in His extravagance God calls for us to keep on relentlessly coming to Him in prayer.

You don’t live by miracles alone, but by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth.

Sounds exciting doesn’t it?

Matthew 4:4 | Deuteronomy 8:3 | Numbers 11:6 | Colossians 4:2 | Philippians 4:6

Comparison is not always a good or healthy thing – especially when it comes to comparing the prophets of today with those that have gone before us. Comparison always draws us to the conclusion that we are either better or worse than another. It’s not really a good foundation for humility!

Personally, I was born just in time for my fingertips to touch with one of the most famous (and controversial!) prophets in recent history. I am privileged to be friends with some of the most well-known prophetic figures alive today, but I wonder if we have yet to see the best that God has in store?

One of my prophet-friends loves good shoes, but who will fill the shoes of those who have gone on before us, and those who are among us for a short time longer? Is there a vacancy in the Church for prophets?

I think this is a time for a realisation that Prophets are a gift from God to the Church. (Eph 4:7-13) We don’t volunteer for the position, prophets are nurtured by God and will benefit from some direction and encouragement from the Church, but essentially the initiative is God’s alone. There are no vacancies, but lots of opportunities for people, young and old, to step out in faith in the gifts of the Spirit as God leads – comfortable with the understanding that a gift is not the same as a ministry calling. And with the gifts of the Spirit there is great opportunity because you are actively encouraged to seek them!

I’m convinced that God has His hand on the Church in these days - we don’t need a new church to arise, a new Pentecost, or a new level of the anointing. For the most part such talk is religious nonsense, but sells books! What God has put into place is working, but not always according to what we want, desire or appreciate – but it is God’s Church, and Heis building it – and it grows only as God causes it to grow. (Col 2:19)

No-one is required to fill the empty shoes of departed prophets because in the grand plan of God, it is already in hand. There are no vacancies, or successful volunteers for the role of prophet in the Church, but very clearly (Eph 4:7-13) God’s personal call, inspiration and setting apart of prophets are at His discretion alone. God has it all in hand and is already training, nurturing, teaching and discipling those who may emerge in the days and years to come.

Taking such a stance removes all the need for performance, role-playing, arrogance and legalism – although certainly, you will see those traits in young or immature prophets. The hallmarks of a prophetic ministry should be seen by the indicators of humility, grace and servant-heartedness. That taken into consideration, makes you wonder about some of the prophets that are known  to be a pain to work with, that don’t pay their staff, and that continuously depend on book and dvd sales and course attendance for their ministry to survive. When God calls, appoints and anoints – He also provides.

It’s an enigma, but there are no vacancies – but lots of opportunities! Be faithful in responding to, and cooperating with what God is doing in your life!

I read this article by Marc Dupont, and felt a real sense of excitement and something of a compulsion to relay this important message to whatever little audience I have here on this website.

The excitement I felt is not so much because it is a wild message, but because I discern that this has the signature of God all over it.

Please take time to visit Marc’s website.
_____________________

Three Dangerous Phenomena within the current prophetic movement
Marc Dupont – Used by permission

I have had the opportunity of being involved with prophetic and apostolic ministry and ministries internationally for close to 3 decades. I count myself the richer and wiser for this privilege of rubbing shoulders with many men and women who God has spoken through to the body of Christ in wonderful ways with wonderful messages of encouragement and exhortation.

Unfortunately, over the last decade, or so, I have also seen the current prophetic movement both become more extreme and, more extremely irrelevant to true Biblical Kingdom purposes. I believe there are three specific harmful phenomena that have emerged which are much in evidence today. They are:

1. A Phenomenal focus on self promotion
2. A Phenomenal lack of self accountability
3. A Phenomenal emphasis on phenomena, to the cost of de-emphasizing the Lord Jesus

Dangerous Territory
For the sake of not unduly loosing anyone too quickly, allow me to discuss the last point first. I have absolutely no problems with Holy Spirit caused, or induced, manifestations. Whether it is Holy Spirit induced laughter, weeping, shaking, or such things as gold dust appearing, or even gold teeth. My concern is rooted in the hunger for these things as opposed to hungering and thirsting for the person of God and His righteousness. As my friend Loren Sandford has written “In the church today there is a trend toward seeking ways and means to generate these experiences by our own initiative”

The danger of seeking after spiritual phenomena is really two fold: Firstly, it ends up becoming a downward spiral of deemphasizing the Person and lordship of Christ in one’s life and ministry. Secondly, it opens the door for demonic deception in a huge way. The devil can, and will, appear as an angel of light if that’s what you’re hungering for. My fear regarding this current hunger for phenomena is summed up by the apostle Paul’s words found in 2 Corinthians 11.3: “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Ministries which continually emphasize extreme phenomena and revelation do so to their own, and others, destruction. There is absolutely nothing more extreme than the love, the compassion, the power, and the majesty of God Himself. The moment we begin to emphasize His gifts, or manifestations, more than He, Himself, we are headed down the same track of those carnally obsessed lost souls Paul spoke of in Romans. They chose to exchange the worship of creation for the worship of the Creator!

Until we have truly grasped and realized the height, the width, the depth, and the breadth of God’s love let’s not settle for focusing on anything less than that. If, as we journey with God, He sovereignly causes phenomena to happen and releases paradigm shaking revelation then let’s grow in our sense of amazement and wonder of His goodness. But to digress from seeking Him and allowing Him to lead us and guide us as He sees fit is a demonic digression.

What’s being built- the Kingdom of God, or the empires of man?
Earlier this year (I won’t say when, or where) I spoke at a conference with two other speakers. One of the speakers took one of the night sessions and spoke 3 hours and mentioned the Lord Jesus twice in passing. The Bible was never once referred to. His whole message, and his whole ministry I suspect, is all about… his ministry.

God wants to heal us of all woundedness, but there is such a thing as a Godly brokenness which David sang about in Psalm 51.16 & 17: “You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise”.

This ‘godly brokenness of David’s is evident in his prayer in Psalm 27: “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

Jesus’ whole ministry on earth was to restore people to a vital relationship with the Father. (John 17.3). His protein, what nourished Him, was to do the will of the Father. He was so fixated on pleasing the Father He walked away when the crowd wanted to crown Him- it simply wasn’t the Father’s time. Too many ministries today, however, run to any opportunity at all of being crowned before men.

Speaking for myself, I love to tell testimonies of God healing, delivering, and revealing Himself to people. And I thoroughly enjoy the privilege of being able to be part of the process. But there is a huge difference between telling stories in such a way that glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as opposed to glorifying me, myself, and I. Much of the self-promotion being done today on websites, book covers, and presentations is at the very least self aggrandizement and at worst demonic in that it, again, deemphasizes the wonder of Jesus. And what seems to be a bigger problem is the willingness of many Charismatics to chase after ministries that are preoccupied with themselves.

After nearly sixty years of the countless moral failings of supposed giants of faith with midget sized character the Charismatic and Pentecostal church is still hungering for the next hero. This speaks volumes of our lack of discernment due to a lack of experience with the real thing- Jesus. At the very least let’s take hold of Paul’s wisdom regarding reputation; “For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” (2 Cor. 10.18) Let’s live and breath for the commendation that comes from God. That commendation is often far from the conference crowd.

Does Truth Matter?
Two presidencies ago (in the U.S) the president was caught in a very public lie regarding martial infidelity. At one point while being questioned he responded to a particular question with the question: “what does ‘is’ mean?”. Essentially, with one swell swoop, the truthful meaning of words was, to a large degree, thrown out the window. And while politicians have always been politic to the point of saying the right things to the right crowd, in today’s arena of public speaking, whether political, or otherwise, truth is now largely seen as negotiable. In a demonic Machiavellian manner the end justifies whatever means are utilized.

This almost absolute disregard for truth has, in turn, infected some contemporary prophetic ministries. When I say prophetic ministry I am more speaking of the ministry of prophets as opposed to the ministry of prophetically gifted people in the local church. These are two very different ministries with two widely differing spheres of influence.

The first red flags I began to notice were back in 1998 and 1999. At that time it was quite fashionable, albeit, unanoited, to prophetically jump on the Y2K bandwagon. A lot of the ‘whose who’ in the prophetic arena prophesied that global economic destruction was going to take place as we entered the new millennium due to the computers not being able to handle the digital change. While I have certainly made my share of prophetic mistakes I heard the Lord say quite clearly that not only was the Y2K catastrophe not going to happen, but the false prophecies were actually going to derail many churches which were quite focused on prayer and outreach to their communities.

To a certain degree this did happen. Many, many churches began to focus on the supposed inspired message to buy generators, store up food, water, and supplies and get ready. Well, the catastrophe never happened. And a lot of the church members who were part of those ‘get ready for the worst’ scenarios ended us very disillusioned with prophetic ministry. I saw first hand how the number of churches in North America, Europe, and the UK who were beginning to grow substantially in intimacy with God and seeking to know His voice began to view prophecy today with real skepticism.

As bad as all of that was, that in and of itself, was not the worst part of the problem. The big problem was the lack of accountability. Very few, indeed, of the big voices who had given the false words ever came back in a public way and said “sorry”. For the most part no one is expecting prophets to be perfectly accurate. The weight of New Covenant priesthood is for the hearer of a word to correctly weigh the word and see if it bears witness with his or her own discernment from the Holy Spirit, as well as ascertain the Biblicality of it.

But to the level that God grants visibility accountability must be in evidence, or else the whole of the ministry comes into disrepute.

A friend of mine who pastors an influential church on the East Coast confronted one of the loudest voices of the Y2K message. When he asked for a mere public acknowledgement of being wrong that prophet responded “oh no, because we prophesied the warning the church prayed and the problem never happened”! The problem with her justification, how ever, was it was simply dead wrong. The prophecy had not been “if My people pray”. It had been “this will absolutely happen and God will use the chaos to birth revival”.

Now 10 years down the road many so called prophetic ministries used this sort of ‘open ended’ theology as a loop hole for false prophecies. Any evidence of humility and authentic accountability has been thrown by the wayside. The reality of this can be seen in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections when so many prophetic ministries cooked up wrong predictions as to who would win. And only a few of those I know of who falsely predicted the outcome have publicly acknowledged their mistake.

In order for the body of Christ to take seriously a critically important God given gift there must be accountability within the context of grace. Since many prophetic ministers head up their own ministries the weight is doubly on them to regard accountability as a context for the operation of the gift. Other wise the gift of God speaking will continue to be devalued in the church at large and those ministries will end up kings of ‘anointed entertainment’. There will be a degree of revelation and power but it will not have the true kingdom fruit God desires.

If we are going to represent the truth of Jesus, in truth, then that begins with our hearts and motives being focused and absorbed with the Truth, Himself. Let’s take heed of the prayer from the ‘man who shook the world’: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Marc A. Dupont
September 28th 2010

http://marcdupontministries.org/

With just the smallest glance at some of the prophetic writings of scripture (such as Ezekiel’s primary vision of the wheels within wheels), the question easily arises as to the role of the imagination in prophecy. The question is a necessary one because of the implications that it brings;

1. If the imagination is involved in the role of the prophetic, then hard questions need to be asked about the source of such ‘imaginings’ and to what extent divine inspiration affects, or moderates it.

2. If the imagination has no role what are the implications for the creative arts, music and other present-day writings that are engaged as valid forms of prophetic ministry and communication?

It has been said that the prophetic must be imaginative because it is urgently out beyond the ordinary and reasonable. The task of prophetic ministry in the days of Israel was to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the culture around them. It carried with it a fervent anticipation of the newness that God has promised and would surely give.

Society by itself, even today (in its unconscious state of weakness), is unable to grasp by itself the revelation that God is actually the answer to all of its problems. The Church today, as God’s alternative society, is called to express this through its ongoing mission of preaching the gospel.

The key issue about the role of the imagination in prophecy is not its role in prophecy, but its role in the communicating what God has chosen to show. Such revelation is completely the work and initiative of God.

The Grand Design of God’s Will and purposes are never revealed as a result of human imagination, revelation comes only from God and imagination is a valid tool to help communicate the expression, idea or intention that God has revealed, after He has revealed it.

The implications for the creative arts and music as valid forms of prophetic ministry and communication are ones that have to be seriously considered because of the inability of some to discern, understand or acknowledge what is being communicated.

Not everyone understands the art forms, or understands what is meant to be said by someone waving a flag or banner in an annoying way, just inches away from their face!

The more serious thinker will be asking the question about how artistic work, dance, flag and banner waving can ever submit to the biblical scrutiny of ‘being weighed’ against scripture by other prophets, unless of course they were also artists!

More questions have been raised than answered, but they are worth musing over.  Imagination has its part for certain, but only ever proceeds from the inspiration of revelation, it is never revelation of  itself.

Which means there may always be better ways of communicating it than the way that we sometimes use!

Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 40 is a breath-taking one that deserves our full attention, particularly as we urge those who are worn down by the abuse and discouragement of the enemy and life. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

God never leaves us to our own devices to find our encouragement, hope and promise – everything we have comes from His gracious hand alone.

Even encouragement that comes from others, does so because God stirred their heart to do so. He passionately loves His people, more than we than all of us can dare imagine.

We grow up in life with our own set of filters and assumptions about what we believe about life and faith, sometimes refered to as a paradigm. The paradigm is the way we perceive the world, it explains the world to us and helps us to predict its behavior…

A paradigm is a set of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two things:
1) it establishes or defines boundaries;
2) it tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be successful.

Isaiah’s famous prophecy in chapter 40 reaches a magnificent climax promising that those who wait on the Lord will rise up with wings as eagles.

It is a prophecy of immense promise, bringing courage to many, especially to those who demonstrate prophetic ministry or gifting.

Simply, if you want to hear from God and know the restoration of strength and courage then you need to spend time with God. But the promises contained in these magnificent verses go further than that.

Isaiah sets an age-old paradigm not a new one. There are established and defined boundaries already in place. If you wait on God you WILL renew your strength.

The Hebrew unlocks a new challenge to those who will respond, the real way to understand Isaiah 40:31 may be that we are not to come to God only when we are weak or downcast but that God should be the continuous affection of our hearts.

The promise would then seem to be that those whose affections are set on Christ will renew their strength. Life flows lavishly from the throne of grace continuously towards the saints.

The Hebrew translation of the verse starts by saying not so much, those who wait on the Lord but, “and the ones expecting God.” Relationship, faith and promise all meet in the place of constantly prepared hearts. Staying with our hearts fixed on God now, prepares a place where we can hear God in the difficulties of life later.

The heart of the prophetic – BE EXPECTING GOD in all His providence and sovereignty to reveal Himself, right in the midst of life.

What is so amusing is that the Hebrew translation also states that the word for eagle here is, vulture! To be fair, the same word can be used for eagle.

Those who wait on the Lord will rise up with wings as vultures!

We understand that we have defined boundaries and we know what behavour we should adopt because the Bible is clear about it, and God by His Spirit leads us into fullness of life – this is our glorious paradigm! Have faith in God!

Hebrews 11:6 already sets in place the understanding, that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This ties neatly with Isaiah 40.

Keep waiting on, believing, and expecting God to hear and and speak as you confidently call to Him in prayer…
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When did you last hear God speak to you – for you?  One of the most contentious points for anyone stepping out in the prophetic ministry is that very often they may have words, impressions, visions or dreams that God is disclosing in revelation for others, but few encouragements come their own way.

This can cause discouragement, especially if you are seeking God faithfully, reading the Word of God and are passionate about God’s purposes with the Church.

Why is God speaking to others and not to you?

There are a number of reasons that you may not be hearing from God for yourself:

• God hides himself from you for you.
  Sometimes God hides himself so that we will seek after him, (Isaiah 45:15) and the promise is that when we seek him we will find him, with the proviso, ‘when you seek Me with all your heart’(Jer 29:13). The writer to the Hebrews also tells us that, ‘God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ (Heb 11:6). God never hides himself from you that you might not find him, he always intends for you to find him – it is almost like a game of ‘hide-and-seek’, go searching for God and you will find him, it may take a while, but it will be worth it. Remember, you can’t find God by yourself – when you find him, it is because he has revealed himself!
• God is speaking to you but you are just not listening.
  There is none as deaf as those who do not wish to hear! Sometimes God may be speaking but it is more convenient that we do not hear his voice, particularly when God is addressing an issue of character that causes us pain to address. One of the things God may be addressing is the sin of covetousness that many people feel is extinct, but in reality has laid seige to many of the saints, particularly in the West.
• Some slander God with their Pizza dreams!
  God speaks volumes to His people in dreams, but few actually take things they dream seriously, or care to even record the things that God may be showing them seriously. We can be very quick to take something we don’t understand and call it a ‘Pizza dream’, dismissing it completely. It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out (Pro 25:2). Not everything we dream is from God, but you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that if you take your dreams seriously, seek God for the interpretation, that God will speak more and more to you through them.
• Understand your riddle!
  Sometimes God speaks to you in riddles. These can be things that happen to you to show God’s intention or will for you (Numbers 12:6-8). I have no basis for saying this other than it is my perception in life, that God’s ‘riddle-talk’ is for the more mature and perceptive prophetic ministry.
• Are you giving your treasures away?
  This is the main reason that you may not be hearing God for yourself – you are, but you are giving what God is speaking to you to the Church! All prophetic ministers need to take this onboard with some degree of urgency. You may be hearing God very clearly because God is actually speaking to you, about you! How many times have you shared words with the Church encouraging them not to be discouraged, to keep trusting the Lord, to stir up the gift that is within them, to believe God with resolute passion and courage?

God’s got your number and He is speaking to you – for you. Don’t give away the treasure He is giving you! You can share these things with the Church, but be sure to apply them to your own heart first, rejoicing over the fact that God is speaking to you.

The New Testament is cram-packed with stories of miracles, healings, signs and wonders.

It is almost as if the Old Testament was full of encounters with the awesome, majestic and jaw-dropping holiness and uniqueness of God.

It seems as if every chapter you turn is about thunder and lightning, flashes of unimaginable disclosures of God, exceedingly great glory and unfettered power. And then you stagger into the pages of the New Testament where Jesus is healing the sick and diseased of every single person in towns and cities. Mercy, grace, miracles and majesty flow from the pages of scripture like torrential floods.

What on earth has happened to us today?

Have we abdicated the challenge of Matthew 10:8 to the early Church and the disciples that gathered around Jesus?

We certainly are better preachers than they were, and our sermons are weighty – after all, we know the true meaning of the Greek and Hebrew words employed in the text!

Our homiletics are perfect but few preachers among us have ever healed the sick, and even fewer have ever raised the dead or even believe in demons, never mind cast them out! How far have we fallen from God’s bigger picture for us?

Do we know lots about God but don’t really know God that well?

There is a massive challenge here.

I don’t intend for this to be a well balanced article – I just want to throw it open for you to think about. We highly value carefully crafted, scripture-honouring, well exegeted sermons that lead people to maturity and a deep knowledge of our precious Lord and Christ.

But there has to be more, much more – and there is…

Take a long look in the mirror and you will see your miracle.

• It’s a miracle that Christ came and chose you out of the nearly 7,000,000,000 people on planet earth at this time.
• It’s a miracle that you are able to worship God with clean hands and a pure heart.
• It’s a miracle that you can pray in an unknown language that is fully comprehended by God in heaven and that at times, others are enabled by God’s Spirit to interpret it.
• It’s a miracle that when you call out to God He is near you, and attentive as you pray!
• It’s a miracle that you have open, unfettered, unrestricted access to God, that you have been reconciled to God through Christ’s physical body through death, and now are presented before Him as holy, without blemish, and free from accusation.

Makes you want to worship doesn’t it?!

Miracles are still here, you may not be seeing the physical things everyday, but deep down, the miracle is continuing inside of you.

There is an area of concern at large on the internet that have grave concerns about the accuracy of prophetic words that are being given. It suggests that among some of the most well respected prophetic ministers that as much as 80 % of a given prophetic word being accurate, leaving 20% of what they share to to be off the mark – or false. The percentage rates fluctuate, but it is still a serious insinuation.

Is the Church seeing something of a prophetic Pareto principle in action – or are there other factors that need to be taken into consideration?

By way of explanation – the Pareto Principle takes what is known as the 80/20 Rule and applies it to wider issues of life, business and commerce. It is a generalised, unproven rule that suggests loose-cannon facts such as  80% of your customers are going to come from 20% of your marketing, 80% of your troubles will come from 20% of your customers. 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your sales. They sound interesting stats, but but good business sense would dictate otherwise.

What should or stance be about prophetic words that seem at face value to be accurate for the most part – but contain error in other parts?

For the Old Testament prophets, starting with Moses who was to be a standard for all prophets and prophecy (Deut 34:10), the commission was to pass on the the precise words that God intended. Verbal inspiration by the Holy Spirit meant that the verbal inspiration that He brought would enable the prophet to say exactly what God Himself would have said had He chosen to speak directly of His own person. The words that the prophets used, while typical of their own personal vocabulary and style of speech, were nevertheless the very words that God Himself imparted.

The New Testament registers the same claim for the apostolic word ( 1 Cor 2:12-13) and ultimately for the whole of Scripture (2 Tim 3:14-17;  2 Pet 1:16-21).

The Old Testament picture of the prophet demonstrates that they got everything right. There is some contention about Jonah, but in the light of the affirmation that Jesus gives to Jonah’s life and message it would seem to fair that he too, was an accurate prophet.

Today, things seem to be a little different for a few reasons. When David Pytches interviewed the ‘Kansas City prophets’ it is suggested that they all agreed that they had all often been proven wrong – sometimes their revelation was right, but their interpretation or application was wrong. Mike Bickle at that time suggested that the prophets were proven right too often to be ignored.

In the old order of things, Deut 18:20 called for the stoning of false prophecy but the Apostle Paul urges greater caution and calls for grace, and that visions and prophecies should be weighed by others ( 1 Corinthians 14:29).

This is an area of massive contention – but we must not, absolutely must not, allow ourselves the shame of hardening our hearts and despising the prophetic and all the massive encouragement it brings.

It seems to me that a number of points need to be considered;

· The prophetic ministry appears to have clearly changed after John the Baptist. The focus of the OT prophets was on upholding the law, NT prophets no longer call for judgement but appeal to the hearers to respond to the grace of God that is available to them.

· There is a different emphasis for prophetic ministry in the church that was not prevalent in the Old Testament; OT prophets did not weigh each others contributions, or prophecy according to the measure of faith, but spoke the very words that God gave them.

· Prophecy is so valuable that the Apostle Paul urges the Church, (including the Churches today that have stopped believing the gifts exist today, based on historical experience and not the authority of Scripture)to eagerly desire that they may prophesy.

· Prophets today, are led by the Spirit and respond to revelation that comes through various means of impressions, dreams, visions, an audible voice and so have to make decisions based on their discernment of the Spirit’s leadings. Sometimes they get it wrong.

Prophets don’t want ever, to get their revelation wrong.  They are not trying to deceive the Church – but they may hold their hands up to being in a place where they are looking for profile, recognition or acceptance by ‘proving they have the gift’.

To be honest, I do not know how we can be accurately hearing some things – and get other things wrong. That is why I am thankful for a culture of grace that prevails in my Church. It is a culture of life and family friendship where my capacity to step out in the realm of the Spirit is encouraged openly, and people are not expecting me to be perfect before I can contribute. It is a learning environment, and over time our discernment of God’s revelation grows and grows. Nothing shuts the voice of prophetic ministry down faster and more ferociously than legalism – and nothing stirs it like a culture and environment  of encouragement and grace.

I have not answered the issue successfully, but I do urge that we put the brakes on grumbling against prophets that are investing their lives in huge amounts of private prayer, intercession and devotion on behalf of the Church – proactively seeking God for words of encouragement and direction that would equip the Church to fulfill its glorious commission.

What would help is for prophets to spend more time looking at doctrine and theology with well respected Bible teachers such as Grudem, Motyer, Keller, Fee, Piper, Mahaney et al, being openly accountable, and having meaningful relationships with the Church leaders that they fellowship with. And of course my old chestnut, don’t prophesy unless you belong to a Church.

The painful question that church leaders may sometimes have to ask is, ‘why don’t people listen to the encouragement that we bring to them?’.

It is a particularly good question because it is something the prophetic ministry has to engage with often. In the face of adversity and great difficulty, the encouragement to, ‘Fear not – because God is with us’ goes for the most part unheeded.

What’s going on?

It is easy to assume quickly that either the people do not trust what you are saying, or plainly they are not listening. That can raise insecurity in the leaders heart because after all, if you really are a leader then surely people should be following – and that starts with them listening to what you have to say!

But there is something of an answer.

If you are a good leader you will already know that in caring for those you lead, you also need to know some of the issues that they face in order to help them counter the pressure of culture, indifference or cynicism.

In the early days of leading the Israelites out of Egypt Moses walks into a towering wall of indifference and resistance. Moses had spoken to Pharaoh with the request for the Israelites to be given their freedom. It was met with great disapproval, and instead of releasing Israel, Pharaoh increased their workload dramatically. His venture was met with cold hearted disdain by the Israelites.

God doesn’t allow us to read between the lines of Scripture and come to our own conclusion about why the Israelites did not hang on Moses’ every word, he makes it very clear;   “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery”. (Exo 6:9) Another version adds to the picture, ‘they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage’.

• Broken spirit
• Discouragement
• Harsh slavery
• Cruel Bondage

These are things that some of the people in the church face today – and it’s why they may not be listening.

While not many in the Church face harsh slavery and cruel bondage in the way that the Israelites did in that day, they do nevertheless, often face unrealistic demands in the work situations that can be both harsh and cruel.

Some people don’t live in nice, cosy middle-class neighbourhoods like the Church leaders, some of them face neighbourhood hostility, violence, intimidation and difficulty at the very time that pastors may be settling down to a time of quiet meditation in the book of Psalms!

The answer is in finding our own place in the historical narrative of Scripture. Learning to see things differently, and to remind ourselves to be different; “I am in a time of discouragement and seemingly cruel bondage to a circumstance, but I will listen, I will hear the encouragement God brings to me. Despite everything that happens – I AM going to listen to God, and those He sends me to help me”.

And if you are the one that is being sent to such a person, there is something that you can do – Ask God for wisdom!

Perhaps sometimes people are not listening because you are not giving very wise advice! Don’t assume you will have wisdom – ask God!

If there is anything that is a signature of prophetic ministry it is first a love for God and secondly, a passion for the purposes of God and the manifestation of God’s glory.

It certainly has to be said that amidst all the controversy that surrounds William Branham, he was a man that loved God.

Branham has a huge following by those who admire everything that he said and did. Such people include those who are prepared to overlook some of the very misleading teaching that came from Branham in his latter days.

There are others who want to put the world to rights and sadly, their criticisms of Branham, though doctrinally and insightfully correct, are full of a venom which belies their Christian faith.

I appreciate that anything written about William Branham invites criticism and hostility from some, but what has to be said is that despite some seriously wrong doctrine and teachings, William Branham loved God.

There is a reason for me drawing your attention to this.

Branham trusted Jesus Christ alone for his salvation and redemption. We can see that everywhere in all his recorded sermons. There are many on the prophetic platforms of the Church today that likewise teach many things that simply are error, and do not bear up under the scrutiny of Scripture – but do those false teachings taught by those who clearly do love God, make them false prophets and an enemy of Christ?

There are a lot of ‘ghost-buster’ Christian ministries that exhaust themselves trying to discredit these ministries but are they particularly demonstrating their measure of love for God in the way that they treat these people?  Very often they speak harsh words and accusations on hearsay, against people they have never met – and they often come across as just mean-spirited and angry, not at all Christ-like.

I’m not at all trying to justify Branham’s misleading teachings – he possibly is one of the worst preachers I have heard, but he did know how to minister in the anointing of God!

We need to bring loving correction where there is error, but we must endevour only do so in grace and kindness with the intention of winning someone over to the truth.

I know some get annoyed at Branham and I don’t have all the answers, but I do think that we need tread carefully, kindly and sensitively. Anyone that loves Jesus Christ, and looks to Christ alone for their redemption and salvation is a brother or sister.

Branham has finished his race and in separating the precious from the vile, there are a lot of things that can bring great encouragement to us today – especially his faith and boldness.

I’m looking forward to meeting Branham in heaven. He was a lover of God.

It is thought by many that prophets have a mandate from heaven to discern the mind, will and intention of God.  Realistically, the mandate if any, is to be listening for God’s voice as they attend to Him in a life style of prayer.

If the former idea was true, it would carry the idea that God is to be interrogated by prophets until He reluctantly unveils His divine, and eternally protected secrets. Perhaps this is why some teach that prophets can prophesy at will, at their own discretion and timing.

When God speaks we can hear Him, and discern the mind and will of God – beyond that, if God is not choosing to be manifest then He can simply hide Himself in thick darkness  and be beyond visual and audio range! (Ps 97:2, Exodus 20.21)

Biblically speaking, prophets have only ever heard what God is saying because He has actually spoken, if He has not spoken then none can hear! Jeremiah and many of the prophetic writings often talk of this, ‘And the Word of the Lord came to me saying,..” The writer to the Hebrews makes it clear in his opening statement that God clearly has communicated with us, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”. (Heb 1:1-2)

Such a revelation is the very certain heart of God. God has spoken to us so that He may be heard, and that we may discern His will and intention, and all this because God Himself, chooses to reveal Himself.

And the reason He chooses to show Himself in a multitude of ways is that, as already mentioned, we may know the certain sound of the heart of God. God is not the author of confusion, and in a world where chaos seems to be the norm, and where everything is subject to decay and change – He Himself is the same, yesterday and forever. His heart for His people in their moments of triumph or in the valley of deep distress, is one of tenderness and affection, God is strong, and He is loving.

It’s easier said than done, but learn to sense the certain sound of the heart of God – that is the real mandate of the prophetic. If you love God and love people you really can’t go that far wrong!

RT Kendall says of the prophetic ministry, ‘You can’t turn it on, and you can’t turn it off!’

But can prophets prophesy at will? It’s a good question and one that deserves some consideration.

The prophets were raised to positions of extraordinary privilege and dignity as the personal agents of the very words of the Lord. The Lord himself used Moses and Aaron as figures of the true. Moses urged his hesitant speech as a reason why he should not go to Egypt, and the Lord graciously condescended to this acknowledged deficiency by providing Aaron as the spokesman, but this is the way he put it: ‘He, for his part, will be a mouth for you and, as for you, you will be God to him’ (Ex 4:16, lit).

In other words, it is the part of God to give the words; it is the part of the prophet to speak them.

Yet prophets were never masters of the word but always its, and the Lord’s servants. The Lord was their master in that they could not, so to speak, turn on the word at will like a tap.  No technique was put at their disposal whereby they could command a word; they could only wait until a word was given.

When the word was given, it became their master. Micaiah the son of Imlah when urged to do himself a favour by conforming his word to popular whim, replied, ‘what the Lord says to me, that is what I will speak’ (1 Kings 22:14, lit) – a commitment not of arrogance but of subservience.

The word is the master of the mouthpiece. Jeremiah, out of distaste for his prophetic work and message, tried silence only to find that  ‘it is in my heart like a fire burning, shut away in my bones, and I am tired of holding it in, indeed I am not able’ (Jer 20:9 Lit).

I’m aware that in the ‘professional’ prophetic culture that faces us in these days, that this topic is not a welcome one, but we must always stray towards what the Bible says and not use circumstance to create a doctrinal stance.

Speaking what God has already revealed to us in the past at the ‘right’ time, is a matter of maturity and wisdom, but God is the author of revelation, and we in honesty, can only speak when He reveals or discloses himself to us, not as and when we want.

Holiness and the glory of God seems to be the topic of many excited discussions today, and not without good reason. During the Toronto outpouring in 1994 there was considerable prophecies of a coming wave of the Spirit that would be manifest by fire and holiness.

Have those days arrived? If they have not yet arrived there is certainly the conviction among many, that a new move of God is dawning.

The Bible is very clear about its stance on holiness; “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord .” (Heb 12:14)

It is useful to make some current observations about holiness before pressing the theme of holiness and glory any further

• God is taking the Church into a new, deeper understanding, expression and experience of the Holiness of God.To be correct, God is not taking us into anything that he has not already demanded of the historical Church – his intent is always that his Church should be holy and pure, and without spot and blemish. Each generation at some point hears the call of God to a renewed, consecrated and more sanctified walk before God, often in response to the manifest presence of God, demonstrated in his unique and unsearchable holiness.
• We’re called to live holy lives – the holiness of God is a demand of us, put in place by our lifestyle. (1 peter 1:13-16)Whilst God requires us to be holy, holiness itself is a work of God in our own hearts put into effect by his grace. God does not bring about a great work of salvation and regeneration and then expect that we fend for ourselves trying to be holy of our own strength or merit. We need God’s help – and he is pleased to give it. All we contribute is the willing cooperation of our hearts with the ongoing work of the Spirit, and even this is not because of duty, but because we delight to serve Him.

The great challenge
Many great books have been written on the subject of holiness – but perhaps one of the greatest expressions of what it means to meet the holiness of God is seen in Ps 51. David staggers under the weight of an encounter with the prophet Nathan who has just confronted him about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

It is an uncomfortable, but honest and vulnerable moment. In your own dealings with God you may have encountered similar moments about areas of your own life (though perhaps not about an affair but certainly about other heart issues).

Holiness is not something you see but something you encounter. For David, as he stands in the presence of God he is encountering the heavy, holiness of God, and the thing that he is overwhelmed by is his own sin and guilt – but notice there is no condemnation.

Perhaps the most important thing to David, is the need to deal with his sin to restore fellowship with God – but he is aware that his sin cannot be dealt with lightly. God is terrible in his holiness, absolutely perfect and when it comes to righteousness, in a category of his own with no contemporaries. Whoever comes before God must be holy, the trouble is only God can make something holy, and for mankind, such holiness means belonging to God and becoming like the God to Whom we belong.

Nothing in us makes us holy; belonging to Him makes us holy. We have been set apart for Him, for His pleasure, and for His purpose.

David desperately wants relationship to be restored. It’s not about what other people may think about him – that is nothing but the giant idol of pride. No, David is clear, “Restore a clean heart in me – don’t, don’t, don’t take Your Spirit from me” The most precious anointing of God’s Spirit is so valuable – but is accompanied by holiness.

The basic idea in holiness is not moral purity(just being right with God) but relationship – set apart for God. Belonging to God we cannot belong to the world; being dedicated to Him we cannot be devoted to anything else.

If we are separated to God then we are also separated from the world. If we are called to be holy even as He is holy, then the character of God must be considered. Thus the character of God becomes the standard of our own character, we become like the God to Whom we belong.

King David’s approach in Ps 51 is perhaps one of the greatest prophetic messages to us in our day and age – and it is banging on the doors of the church. How can anyone stand before God? David knows the answer is clean hands and a pure heart. (Ps 24) The only thing we can do to clean our hands and have pure hearts in the Church today is to acknowledge in repentance the affairs and flirtations of our heart with the things of this world, and receiving by faith God’s lavish grace and free gift of salvation. The real purpose behind God’s saving grace is holiness, not heaven, and the gospel does not just bring hope once – we live on it as the very bread of heaven.

This will have been a difficult read for many because there is so much that needs to be said. It is my express opinion that a tangible expression of the unsearchable, majestic holiness of God is going to sweep through the church in an unprecedented manner in coming days, but here is a further challenge. All through Scripture, whenever we see the holiness of God being fully realised, we see staggering, majestic, unspeakable glory. The church is about to see the most amazing outburst of God’s glory.

Read, fast and pray through Ps 51, it’s your conscription to see, experience and encounter the holiness and glory of God as it thunders across the earth.

The days are coming.

At some point, as you come to a profound, deep life-changing discovery of the holiness of God, you will inevitably have an encounter with Him.

That expression, ‘encounter’ is something of a blatant understatement. Take Jacob for example, who wrestled with God all night. As day breaks on an entirely new day, Jacob, who had previously lied to his father about his true identity, not content with being himself, now faces his future with God’s question, “Who are you?” It was a single question that will affect the entire Middle East for the rest of history. This time Jacob answers truthfully, no longer intimidated by his past or circumstance. His response draws  a breathtaking response from God, who then turns the table, and gives Jacob a new name, Israel.

Encounter with God brings revelation, and that revelation is always God’s self disclosure of His sovereign intention and plans. But it is more significant than you may imagine.

How well do you know God? You might think you know God, but there is an encounter with God’s holiness that will change your perspective entirely.

Jesus had three best friends, Peter, James and John. John especially, was very close to Jesus and that was no more apparent than at the night of the last supper when Peter told John to have a word with Jesus and ask who it was that would betray Jesus. John had the ear of the Messiah, so to speak. He had seen the miracles, heard the wisdom of Jesus, seen the glory appear at the Mount of Olives when Jesus was transfigured alongside Moses and Elijah. He had known the heart, vision and passion of Christ, and then there were the private conversations, laughter, tears, jokes, hugs and counsel with Jesus that are not recorded in scripture. These were the stuff of life  that came with three years of walking together with the Messiah in the rugged hills of Israel. If anyone knew Jesus, John did.

Years later, at the Isle of Patmos, John encounters the risen Christ again. It would make for an emotional story, two old friends reunited with stories to tell. The same old John and the same Jesus – but that was not to be the case.

In a sudden, unexpected and alarming moment of encounter with Christ, John’s perception of Christ is going to change, dramatically. And what a massive encounter it would be. (Rev 1:13-18)

“I saw one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead”.  The sheer inexpressible and unsearchable holiness of Christ manifest in full majestic glory right in front of John made his life seemed to ebb from him, and he fell down at the feet of Jesus as though dead.

What went through John’s mind at that moment none can guess,  but you can imagine him considering, “I knew about the miracles, the wisdom, the glory – but I never knew you like this, as you really are”. We don’t know what Christianity is until we worship God and love him for what he is and not only for what he gives or does.

There was a holiness that Christ had that John was not familiar with, and in his accompanying walks with Jesus, had not fully realised or even suspected was there.

John was encountering Jesus as God in all majesty, and in so doing met with his terrible holiness.

Personally, I am not obsessed with holiness because I am holy. I love the holiness of God because it is my only hope. Without his mercy and holiness there would be no restraint to my wickedness.

RC Sproul says of holiness,

If God’s holiness doesn’t turn you on, you don’t have any switches. Even the dumb structures of wood and stone have the good sense to shake in God’s presence.

In part 2 we take a look at the subject of holiness and ask some pointed questions, “If God is taking the Church into a new, deeper understanding of Holiness, then what is that about?  Where does grace come in to the picture, and who is the author of our holiness – God or us? Can legalism be seen as false holiness, and then for that legalism itself to become an idol?”

The Litmus test
The question for today is, “have you seen Jesus for who He really is – and how has that affected your life?”  I trust that you will have a good answer! If you are seeing Jesus rightly, then the  answer will greatly gladden your heart – but his holiness will provoke you, we cannot only love him for his holiness. We must also know and love him for his loveliness and his excellency in his holiness.  What an awesome Saviour!

Your lake is full, even when your net is empty! In the remarkable account of Jesus’ instructing the disciples to recast their nets in a different location, the greatest price is paid by the fish!

The lessons come thick and fast in the narrative, (John 21:1-15) and certainly an opening message is that Jesus often will encourage us to learn to fish in a new place. Clearly, the disciples could not have caught a thing if Jesus had not turned up. Even when Jesus called out to them, the turning point was obedience.

The story is an intriguing one.
The lake, like our lives, is teeming with life and promise and we often just cannot see it. We’ve all encountered barrenness, emptiness – nothing in our nets, and had to continue. And in some cases people are tired, the way these fishermen were tired after fishing all night. Some are tired of life, tired of trying. Nothing ever seems to happen for them. It happens for everybody else, but not for them. Their lives are empty and unfulfilled.

And yet, we live in earshot of the encouraging instruction of God. And if we follow the advice He gives, we will be surprised at what happens to us.

It’s amazing what obedience will bring.
Fishing all night without a single catch is challenging, but when Jesus says for you to cast your net on the other side, it may sound patronising and simple, but what if he’s right? What if there’s something tremendous and exciting down there merely waiting for you if you make a little adjustment in where you’re letting down your nets?

What if it’s only a matter of learning to fish in a new place – that is not that far away?

Life, like the lake, is filled with possibilities that are  rich beyond all imagining.  The lake is deep. It has far richer resources than we usually imagine. It is never completely fished out, not for any of us. We only need to learn to readjust, to let our nets down in a new area, to rediscover the riches.

And when we do, we pull up our nets full of fish again, then we suddenly realize the presence of God in our lives.

It is after the fishermen let down their nets on the right side and pull them in teeming with fish, that they suddenly recognize Christ on the shore and realize there is a connection between him and what has happened. “It is the Lord!” exclaims John. And then they can’t wait to get to shore and spend time with him.

It takes God to reveal God
Some of the most life changing and astonishing encounters are not far from us – but it takes God to reveal God, and Jesus is breathtakingly brilliant at doing just that. He does all things well! (Mark 7:37)

Have you spotted the connections in your life and ministry between obedience and your encounters with God?

It doesn’t really matter how many fish there are to be found suddenly in the net, what matters is that things have changed. Obedience breaks the status quo.

One challenge leads to another. Jesus would shortly ask Peter to bring the fish he had just caught and join him in a fish breakfast at the beach fire He already had burning.  Peter for a moment will enjoy the meal, and then as Scripture reports, when they had finish eating will ask Peter the hardest question that he will ever face. (John 22:1) In the providence of God, the wonderful encounters we experience today, may lead us deeply into challenging, and life changing encounters shortly after.

But it all starts with obedience. Whatever He tells you, do it. (John 2:5)

The prophets agenda for a Sunday morning is a simple one. So simple it can easily be missed! If you encourage these 3 key factors, you will certainly experience something of the richness of God’s blessing in a tangible, and meaningful way.

As we gather as God’s community on Sunday morning we’re keen to see God in action. We’ve come, not to talk of our own wearisome week, our struggles and calamities (there is time for that though later)but to celebrate the greatness of God, His wonder, majesty and awesome deeds in our lives.

Three key elements will draw God’s blessing for sure, not that this is a method to ‘get’ God to do something though – it just happens that as you do these things from the heart, God comes! Encourage the Church;

• Key #1 Be inclusive. Everything that happens on a Sunday morning is not about the elders, leaders, worship band or the extroverts – God wants us all to be involved, and for all to be included! He is the inclusive God! Sons & daughters, young & old, rich & poor – God includes us all! Include your visitors with a great sense of excellence! Some of the visitors you speak to and invite to coffee or lunch may be future leaders and evangelists! Don’t miss a moment of opportunity to include people in what you are doing!
• Key #2 Centre everything you do on Christ. Christ is the focus of everything that happens. If you are enduring the meeting to just get to the coffee and chat, then something is seriously wrong! Lean into God – let Christ be the prime object of the gaze of your heart!
• Key #3 Encounter the Presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just being together in an inclusive way, looking to Christ – welcome His Spirit! Even if you don’t sense His Presence let your heart be tender towards Him. By faith reach out to Him. Everything you do is by faith anyway – so nothing has changed! Recognise that He is at work in your heart and ask for more of His help, assistance and the empowerment of His Spirit. And don’t be in a rush – God’s not! Take your time and just loiter in His Presence!

3 simplistic keys, but they are at the heart of God’s desire for us. They are applicable to your small Church groups too!

God be with you this Sunday, and may it be a ‘key time’ for you!

The crowd-pulling roar of Church history unfolding with phenomenal signs and wonders, healings, miracles and powerful demonstrations of the Spirit’s power in the days of the early church, suddenly undergoes a crunching gear change to introduce seven new characters to the God-story in the Acts of God.

Six verses are set apart to introduce previously unknown men to us as we peer into the pages, and yet in that briefest of introductions we see that not only is God at work in the early church addressing issues of character, gifting and leadership, but He is preparing to surprise us. (Acts 6:1-6)

Philip? Really?
Who are you looking for as emerging men of God in your church? Perhaps top of your list would be the fiery Elijah or maybe courageous Joshua, warrior David or weeping-prophet Jeremiah. But Philip?

Philip wasn’t even named first, he was piped to the post by Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

And of Philip nothing else is said. In fact, Stephen rises to the fore as the man of the hour with the stories and legends building fast around him, “full of grace and power, and was performing great signs and wonders among the people.” (Acts 6:7)

Some of us are Philip.
Apparently there is a tradition during Yom-Kippur that the Jews relate to the story of Jonah and in realising how they go astray from God, collectively announce “We are Jonah” recognising their predicament before God and looking for His great mercy. For many of us in the Church today there is the recognition that, at the heart of things we have a tendency to see ourselves as Philip.

My analogy at this point falls over. Philip had been recognised as having character and part of the process of his selection was that he was a man with good reputation, full of the Spirit of God and of wisdom. Great character issues. But the point I am moving towards, is that at first glance Philip rises to the opportunity to serve tables. Serving tables was not the starting point for Philip, at this point of his life it was the high point. I’m not sure that he was disappointed – in fact he probably saw it as an honour.

How different for us today. Serving does not come easy to all of us. Even Elders and pastors don’t always excel at this! But it is a starting point for Philip and it will lead to other things. God is at work in Philip’s heart.It is almost as if God prepares us for greatness by training us to be servants. The focus of being a servant however,  is never to attract greatness, but to serve. But a servant-heart does seem to be a precursor to bigger and better things. And as you learn to serve God observes your heart. Heaven is always watching.

And so the story unfolds.
Saul is going berserk in the Church, arresting, persecuting and killing the saints. So much has been happening in the early Church. And in the midst of it all, a surprise emerges. Philip begins to rise to the opportunities that God puts before him. (Acts 8:5-8) Philip is found in Samaria preaching with signs and wonders, healings and demons being cast out. The city is ablaze with great rejoicing. When was the last time your heard that, if ever?

And my guess is, that they love Philip! How things are changing for Philip. And how things can change for you.

Even then, Philip’s life begins to unfold more and more. Philip, the unknown character who served the apostles and the Church in the launch of the church now begins to emerge even further. (Acts 9:26-40) Philip hears the angel of the Lord speaking to him, leads a high ranking Ethiopian official to Christ and then is snatched away by the Spirit of the Lord to Azotus where he continues to preach the gospel. Awesome! And I bet you would attend his conference!

Philip is inspiring. Between the lines of Scripture you can read passion, conviction, character, hope, trust and obedience. It is a long time since our cities rejoiced in God like they did for Philip, a very long time. But it all started with being a servant.

Who do you want in your Church? I have my hand up for Philip. God give us thousands of Philips.

[Written with my friend Philip in mind…]

It’s time we dispelled a myth.

We don’t just want our leaders and churches to be filled with excellent, godly character alone – we also want them to have gifting.

And the Bible makes it clear that it requires it of us!

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8)

When it comes to character, Jesus’ disciples were in a league of their own. Even in the closing period of the severe trauma that Jesus faced at Calvary, the disciples were arguing over who was the greatest. Peter stepped up to the mark by denying Christ three times, having previously refuted the fact that he ever would. The rest of the disciples did the same.

And yet, they were gifted. Having been on their own mini-missions Jesus had reported the startling fact concerning them that what His disciples were doing was already having an impact on the spiritual realm, “I saw satan like lightning fall…” (Luke 10:17-18)

“Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece—by thought, choice, courage and determination.” – John Luther

Whilst we want leaders and people around us to have good, solid, God-honouring character, we also want people to have gifting that will stir, encourage and build the church. The character issue is a dominant one and the Bible is very clear about the sort of people that Elders and Deacons should be. Character reflects Christ-likeness, demonstrating how much Scripture has impacted our lives, and is essential.

Character is something that we learn to grow and develop over years as we follow, obey and grow in the Scriptures, but gifting is something that God gives. Man doesn’t have anything except it is given from Heaven. (John 3:27)

“Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them.” – Winston Churchill

The Apostle Paul makes no quibbles about it, the gifts of the Spirit have been given to us according to His grace, and they are amazing gifts. They have been given to us not because of our character but His grace! Paul stresses that the best way for them to function is in the context of character – love.  (1 Cor 14:1)

Whilst we value character, we must also be concerned with the person that demonstrates excellent character but little gifting, as well as the person with little character but lots of gift.

Jesus is certainly not building His Church out of character-perfect people, but as He builds His Church He is certainly and purposely refining it. So if your character is lacking, then work on it – get someone to help you, pray with you and hold you accountable. And if you are lacking in gifting and ability then do exactly the same. You have so very much to offer.

The perfect picture (apart from Christ) is the one at the top of this page. Don’t disqualify those that God doesn’t disqualify. If you are a leader, don’t wait for people to be perfect like you before you let them  do the things that God has called them to do in the Church! They probably don’t have the character flaws that you do?

Encourage people to grow in God and obey the leading of His Spirit, and let’s trust people to do a good job, after all – they’re doing it for Jesus and his Church!

Have you ever sat down and worked your way through the years of the first few generations of mankind (Genesis 5)? It’s a few minutes work, but it is worth it. There are a few surprises that grab your attention straight away.

And one of them is a particularly sobering one – Methuselah.

Biography
Methuselah comes onto the scene in world history with what seems at first to be an outrageous claim by Moses that Methuselah lived to the ripe old age of 969 years, the oldest man in history by a long margin. The remaining information about his life in the Scriptures is that at the age of 178 he became the father of Lamech and then later, had a few more nameless, sons and daughters.

And that seems to be it. Not much to say for such a long life – and not much to inspire the generations that would follow.

But there is more that can be read between the lines without going into spurious claims and myths.

A great name to live with?

My name, Jonathan, means “Gift of God”. I don’t always feel like that, but essentially as far as a name goes that is what it means. Imagine then the pressure of living with the name given by Enoch to his first son, Methuselah. Methuselah has 2 variations of meaning; “Man of the spear”, or alternatively “when he dies it shall be sent”.

Imagine life as the years roll on and on, and the promise overshadowing you, but yet passing others by as they also grow old and die, that when you die, it shall come. But not knowing what was to come.

Methuselah would be 250 years of age when Adam dies. Methuselah has walked with Adam and no doubt knows all about the Garden of Eden and what life was like having uninterrupted access to God before the days of the fall. He’s also privy to the mystery concerning Enoch. He knows all the stories, he’s met all the the main characters of history, and yet, it hasn’t deeply and profoundly affected his walk before God.

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8

Methuselah receives no commendation by God, and it is his grand-son alone that finds favour in the eyes of God.

And so for Noah, a 100 year project gets under way to build the most important ship in history, and painfully, Methuselah is never mentioned once as standing beside Noah and his family as they obey the command of God. And all the time, the man called “When he dies, it shall be sent”, carries a prophetic message, but does not benefit from it.

Jewish teaching has it that Methuselah died 7 days before the beginning of the great Flood, and the 7 days were given by God to allow for Noah to mourn his departure. Whether or not that is true, is of no real account to us. What we do know is that as the great flood arrives, maybe days before, Methuselah dies.

And as Methuselah dies and the waters of the earth begin to rise, a new day dawns on the earth that is going to be a transition to new discoveries. The day of Adam and those who knew him has passed, and history moves quickly to a new set of characters, Noah and Abraham.

Sounds of silence
The weakness in all of this is that we are arguing from silence here – it may be that Methuselah turned to God during the days that Noah was building the Ark. we just do not know, but we do know what God had said in the above verses.

There are many in our generation that know all about God, they have heard the stories of revival, they have listened excitedly to the tales of dynamic stories of signs and wonders and miracles – but yet deep down, are untouched and unaffected by those encounters.

It is to them that God again and again, comes with the message of the gospel. I urge you that if you feel that you have heard all these things before and feel unmoved, to be wise. Ask God to help you not to be like Methuselah, but to turn your heart to Him.

God is always very, very gracious to all who call on Him.

It seems that the answer for developing a framework for a prophetic convergence is a simple one consisting of 3 elements.

And whilst I am laughing hysterically, I’m also reliably informed that a framework is a basic conceptual structure used to solve or address complex issues, and convergence is the approach toward a definite value, a definite point, a common view or opinion.

You may wonder where on earth this is going! Don’t give up – it gets better!

In the prophetic movement there are a lot of phrases being used at this time that are just as confusing. They are a lot of hot air to say very little of meaningful, biblical consequence but they are said in such a way as to give some kind of credibility. ‘Prophetic mandates to secure end-time apostolic breakthrough decrees’ is just one of many that I have heard of recently.  January’s edition of the Revival Fires Magazine carries a similar emphasis, ‘Kingdom Alignment, Heavenly Alignment and Relational Alignment’. The prophetic movement love this kind of thing, perhaps a little more honesty about the real meaning would be immensely helpful to many. Jesus never made anything as complicated as this.

If anything, Jesus said things that were so simple that the religious community stumbled in unbelief and cynicism!

The Church is getting wearied by the catch-phrase marketing of ministries, their goods and magazines. It is almost as if there is an assumption that if you have the latest little phrase that you are on the cutting-edge of a dynamic ministry paradigm.  What considerable nonsense! Let’s learn to say things simply – like the Bible does!

God certainly is not impressed.

However, having started this charade, let me continue by saying that here’s my simple 3 element view of a framework for prophetic convergence!

Open accountability – That is for prophetic ministries to be accountable to God, man and the Scriptures. I use the term ‘open’ to mean willing accountability and not something under duress. Most visitors to this website will have no problem about being accountable to God and to the Word, even if they don’t do it. What many will have a problem with is being accountable to man. By man I mean being accountable to friends, leaders and others – particularly those who are not afraid to say no to you – or to probe your hidden agendas or quest for profile and recognition. Don’t be quick to assume that we are meaning heavy shepherding at this point! This is not ‘covering’ either!

A vision to serve – an unusual term. I am meaning more than a vision for ministry, but a vision for giving yourself to helping, serving and being part of the life of your local church and not just from the platform. This is one area that I have struggled with. Serving itself is not a problem, it’s remembering to serve that has been my downfall. Perhaps the biggest encouragement I have been given recently from those I am accountable to, is to focus on not pushing for recognition and to serve God in the local Church. That has a lot of wisdom in it.

Throne-room presence – A real prerequisite for prophetic ministry. And what I mean by that is that prophetic ministry of any form has to have a consistent ‘throne room presence’; that is, that they are often giving themselves to seeking God’s face, praying, reading scripture and waiting on God. Too many prophets spend minutes in God’s presence and rush off to prophesy God’s secrets. They are using God for their own purposes. Learn to spend time with God just enjoying His presence. In such times, you will be surprised how much the Father wants to reveal His warm, affirming, intimate, affection-filled presence.

It’s not really a framework for prophetic convergence – but between the lines are written the core value of prophetic ministry. Sure, the dreams, visions and encounters with God are wonderful, but so is His presence. In fact, nothing is of more infinite value and worth than the presence of God. And that is the place where commonly we all gather.

One of the biggest concerns in life for a Christian can be uncertainty about the future. Despite the multitude of promises from God about His care, provision, faithfulness and protection – Christians are still full of anxiety!

2012 is a year I picked at random.

There is a lot going on in that year, should we get to it.  The biggest event on the secular calendar, will be the London Olympic Games on 27 July-12 Aug 2012. You may well be looking forward to the Olympic games or even other events in the next few years, but the Bible gently reminds us to have a righteous and God-fearing view point about the future;

‘Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring’. ~ Proverbs 27:1

‘Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes’. ~ James 4:13-14

Christians can be very focused about the future and yet, live lives with no regard for it. It is an amazing  tension. We are convinced that God has provided for us in the past, that God is with us right now, in the present moment. But when we talk about the future, strange distortions of perception occur.

God certainly will continue to provide, protect and be all that we need as we face the future, but the way that it impacts the present, and the way that we behave is an interesting one. Particularly when it comes to finance. That is where the convictions wane a little for many of the Saints.

In the issue of giving, if you give financially now to the poor or your local church, it may mean that you are short tomorrow. Do you believe that God will be there to provide for your lack tomorrow (or next year)?   Yes you do – but the pain of the moment can seize your heart.

Prophets help us as we look to our future to focus on realising that God is in it. We need to see God more clearly.

True prophets don’t help us see the future; true prophets help us to see God. But what may be even more surprising is the reason why we need prophets in order to see God: We need them because we don’t want to see God ourselves. ~ Timothy B. Cargal

We need to hear the prophets and the reassurance (and sometimes the rebuke) that they bring.

In 2012 for all we know, the Olympics could be cancelled because of a war that is raging with Iran and Israel at the centre. America may have had the greatest earthquake they have ever known, and the economic recession may still be struggling to recover. Grim news indeed – but the absolute truth that brings hope and courage, is that God will be there. Immutable, glorious, holy and increasingly wonderful.

And by then, Jesus Christ will have delivered hundreds of thousands of men and women, boys and girls, from the very darkness of hell onto the glorious light of His salvation. What an awesome God He is – and will unceasingly continue to be.

Don’t worry about the future – press in to God’s presence.

The whole issue of ‘mentoring’ previously, produced a significant amount of responses. Understandably the problem is not in the concept, but in the various ways that this is carried out or understood.

The #1 barrier is not mentoring itself, but the experience that some have had, usually at the hands of legalistic leadership.

Something else that has to be considered too, is that sometimes only half a story is being told, and maybe, (who knows?) sometimes the problem lies with people who are insisting on having prophetic ministries not acting as servants, but as superiors.

I have met a few of these monsters!

But here is our first hurdle. We must never allow our experience to be that which defines our doctrine or theology.

Many of the people who object do not regularly attend a local church, have very little accountability and basically, the Church breathes a sigh of relief when they are away – but they can’t see it.

Prophets belong in Church, not outside of it,trying to speak into it. And now here come scores of objections – but not by people who are in meaningful relationships and accountability with leaders that they have worked hard with over time!

There are absolutely no short cuts – if you want to see things change then you have to be like Jeremiah and Daniel, prophets who stayed with the people of God when things got very tough. In Church life, particularly in the USA, when things get tough, then prophets go AWOL! We’ve got to rediscover  the encouragement of mentoring and being mentored. God has so very  much to bless us with through the dynamics of authentic, transparent prophetic ministry – and I believe that He wants for us to embrace it.

Although the Bible doesn’t use the words mentor or mentoring, it frequently refers to what we believe are successful mentoring relationships: Jesus and His disciples, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy, Naomi and Ruth, Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, Deborah and Barak, Elizabeth and Mary (the mother of Jesus), and many others. All are powerful examples of pairs
and the God-inspired actions they took to help each other develop.

But to take things further I need to deviate a little here, and mention something about accountability that you may not have considered before.
The accountability that comes through mentorship is a valuable one. Accountability, to ever work properly has to flow two ways.

1. It flows from the prophetic person to the one they are accountable to.
2. It also has to be required by the one, or team holding the prophetic person accountable.

Don’t get all hot and bothered about my terminology. The issue I have noticed is that if you are just ‘offering’ accountability to a leader then it is not long before all you are doing is reporting on what you are doing, and basically feeling a bit of a pain in the neck! It can become non-relational, legalistic and non-productive.

Leaders have to also require and distinctly draw accountability to themselves where there is a relationship of mentoring.

Such an act demonstrates that they are taking the process seriously.

My experience in two decades of these things is that very few leaders have required accountability (and very rarely ask what God is doing, has been doing in my life and what I have set my hand to), but are generally happy to hear when I tell them what has been happening. But at times it just seems like they are really not that bothered! I know that is not the case, but it is how it seems, and that itself is a gateway to rejection, despair and disappointment.

What would be nice in an ideal, Spirit-led life, is for a leader to be asking, leading and coaching the prophetic individual towards the greater fulfillment of what God has called them to.

And I think, for the most part – that is something we sadly have to dream about.

Encourage the prophets!

I would hazard a guess that 95% of prophetically gifted individuals would would function more confidently if they were given ongoing encouragement from Church leadership.

Instead, many face the challenge regularly, of how to break through discouragement, disillusionment and rejection. Feedback for the prophetic ministry is often rare. It is strange that pastors and leaders value encouragement and feedback themselves, sometimes feel that they lack that input from those they minister to, and yet do the same to others!

It is an emotive question, but do leaders really think that they are honouring God by treating prophetically gifted people in this way? In a sense they may be unwittingly demonstrating how much they value the prophetic ministry by the way they encourage it. But for many, this is an oversight and not the intention of their heart. Many leaders value highly prophetic input but are simply poor communicators when it comes to encouragement! Prophetic people need to be gracious in this area and take courage from King David’s testimony as a man who ‘encouraged himself in the Lord”. Encouragement from a friend goes a long way though.

But are Church leaders responsible for encouraging the prophets? In a clumsy approach to encouragement, some leaders find themselves uncomfortably scrambling for answers. In the process that follows comes the issue – should they be “mentoring or monitoring” the prophetic?

True, some prophetic individuals have dug holes for themselves by their bad character, and some of them need to be told clearly that they are not prophets! But many are genuine, and whilst only a handful might actually be ‘prophets’ the remainder do display a remarkable and encouraging capacity to hear from God. The gift of prophecy is alive and well in our churches, and it is worth all the encouragement that is given to it!

We do need to mentor the prophets.

1. The starting point for this is always trust.
2. Mentoring is not public recognition of gifting or ministry
3. Mentoring allows the leader to bring helpful direction and clarity to the way that prophetic people minister. Not everything that they do is done well – leaders, tell them when those moments exist, and how they can better communicate what is on their heart.
4. Mentoring allows leaders to bring greater accountability and transparency to the prophetic person. Relationship is fundamental to the process of mentoring.

Why mentoring and not monitoring?
Mentoring is about encouragement, direction and discussion and is personally empowering, and grace filled.

The same cannot be said for monitoring. Monitoring is about performance and rarely will feature the gentleness of grace. Someone being monitored knows that they are being watched to see where they fall short. In some churches where the prophetic is tolerated, this is the the experience that the prophetic person may encounter. It doesn’t bring any encouragement. Prophets don’t always know how to receive encouragement, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t receive it – and mentorship is a brilliant way for it to happen.

Encourage the prophets!

Here’s a good question for you.

Do you find it easy to see the ‘obvious’ in everyday life, whilst others just don’t seem to be looking where you are looking, or seeing what you are seeing?

Actually, it’s a misleading question, but many prophetic people today can at times, fall for the obvious and miss the very thing that God is showing them by His Spirit.

You need the Spirit’s help to see!
The things that come from the Spirit of God, are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14), that is, you don’t understand or discern them without some help from the Holy Spirit. In fact, without the Spirit we can do nothing – but at times people have a jolly good try!

If we are going to learn to see what God is showing us, then we need to develop our relationship with God in prayer, scripture and friendship. And more importantly, we need to have an understanding that we seek Him for who He is first, and not just so that He will speak to us.

But often before God speaks, He shows or reveals something.
This is clearly evident in the question that God puts before Jeremiah. It was a probing question, but after receiving God’s affirmation that he was seeing correctly he then discovered what God was saying;

“And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.”  Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”  The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” (Jer 1:11-13)

This same kind of encounter happened a few times in the Scriptures;  Jer 24:3-4;  Amos 7:8;  Amos 8:1-2   Zechariah 4:1-3;  Zechariah 5:1-2

Despite the wild claims you may hear about, there is not an ‘accelerated’ way of moving in the things of God. There’s no short cut to getting the revelation that allows you to discern or see things differently or more clearly. The only way that you develop your ability to see is by looking! (And that is a life-long learning process, nurtured by prayer, the Scriptures, and fellowship with God).

On a trip to Africa, I was convinced that I could see elephants in the distance. To my embarrassment I discovered that what I was seeing was a large, grey rock!

Seeing beyond visual range.
During the Gulf war I heard the account of a pilot who referred to shooting down the enemy 15 kilometres away, BVR – beyond visual range. Sometimes God wants us to look beyond the obvious, beyond circumstances into the realm of faith. So much happens in that realm, beyond visual range, out of sight – and often it is that as you see it, God will speak into that situation. No matter what that circumstance, be it economic collapse, earthquake or even an unexpected volcanic dust cloud, if God is sending it or showing it, He will let you see it beyond visual range – and let you know what it means!

As  you look at the church with all its problems, frustrations and difficulties – are you seeing the obvious? Or are you seeing ‘bvr’, to the place where, with God all things are possible and miracles happen, where God hears and answers prayer – and where God reveals Himself so that you can see what He is doing?

When you see the wonderful things that God is doing in His glorious Church, don’t be surprised if He asks you what you see, that He may yet speak to you even more.

Rub your eyes, and believe what you see!

How would you, or other members of your church vote for the role of prophets, if it was a secret ballot?

We all have internal core-values and when the box has to be ticked or not, the decision is based on either our understanding of scripture, presupposition or experience. But we do choose.

We mustn’t let our encounters and experiences, or  even our presuppositions determine our internal, core values, the Bible alone is our moral, ethical and spiritual compass.

Don’t let your experience, and disappointments in life, teach you wrong things about God. Some people have chosen to believe that because they have not encountered miracles, or the gifts of the Spirit in a way that satisfies them, that they must  have now ceased, and that God does not manifest Himself in that way anymore. And from there, a sad and disturbing doctrine emerges that does not honour the Scriptures.

Despite the abuse of the prophetic ministry in this day, we do need to put the prophets in their place. Some would love to do that – but I am speaking positively here of seeing the value of the prophet, their role among us and how they function among us.

• God has given prophets to the Church. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
  While some may think that certain prophets parade themselves as God’s gift to the church, the authentic prophets actually are! They are called by God to help equip  the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. The are not an elite force, but they themselves are part of the body. The prophets at their best are not speaking into the body, but speaking as part of the body of Christ, the Church. (Eph 4:16)
• Prophets belong in Church because prophets grow too!
  Everyone needs to hear the gospel regularly – when it is preached properly it is astonishingly good news. Many immature prophets think that the gospel is just about the issue of salvation. It is much more than that. It is about the entire catalogue of experience and riches in Christ – hope, courage, trust, providence, conviction, assurance, affirmation. The list is too long to mention, but you get the picture.
• Prophets – stop arguing about it, and ‘give’ yourself to accountability.
  Accountability doesn’t meant shepherding or being subject to a thug. But it does mean being accountable to God, the Church leadership and to our friends. Especially friends that are able to withstand us when they perceive that there is a problem.  Many people who see themselves as prophets have a problem in being subject to the leadership of the Church. If God really has given you a message for the Church you will have the favour for it to be received.

  Ultimatum prophecies are highly suspect to me – I would strongly encourage you to avoid them. God is building His church and not tearing it down, what is more, He died for the Church.Most of the time prophets have to just be patient, God’s timing is always perfect – and they are not responsible for making God’s word happen. More realistically, lots of church leaders may have it right and that some of those who are a real pain are not prophets at all. I would consider that 97% of Church leaders will at least listen to real prophets, if only because of their Christ-like character.

• Prophets are a real encouragement
  ’Scripture Alone’ is absolutely true. We have all the revelation we need to know God, His purposes and His plan for our lives. The prophets today are not adding anything to the Scriptures. But what they do, and they do very well, is draw from the Scriptures a fresh sense of hope, direction and courage for the Church and individuals, in their ongoing pursuit of God. The Church is built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets.These prophets are not Old Testament prophets as some may infer, for the Apostle Paul goes on to say, “the mystery of Christ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”  (Eph 3:4-5)

  The foundations are built by apostles and prophets. And they are still building, directing, encouraging and motivating the Church today. Sometimes they do bring warning, but most of the time they are stirring the Church to wholeheartedly give themselves to God, despite the trials and disappointments they may feel.

Much more could be said. It is time for meaningful conversations about the real focus, ministry, disposition and role of the prophetic to happen. I look forward to those conversations.

My vote is a big tick next to the question, “Are prophets relevant today?”

Our need for the ‘anointing’ is so profound, that at one time or another, we probably have all cried out to God for it. It’s not always a prayer that God answers! Is it the case that, the more we value it, the more God will give it?  In our quest for the seemingly ‘holy grail’ of the anointing, is it time to recognise that the anointing is not so much an event, but a lifestyle?

And do we need to learn to value the anointing, much much more than perhaps we do?

You may be desperate to encounter an anointing from God, but the truth is that many simply do not actually know what they either mean by the anointing, or what it will do. It has become something of a mystical, religious term,  particularly for the prophetic community.   The story of the man born blind in John’s gospel, offers some valuable insights and hope because, as you will see, the anointing is always God’s initiative. And with Nahum 1:7 as a truth over our lives, we can always trust that whatever we need, will be provided.

Our best day starts like any other day.

I wish the testimony we are looking at (John 9:1-7), started with the words, “It was a dark, dismal day in Jerusalem. Dreariness loomed like a thick, rolling storm cloud in the shadows.” But it doesn’t – however, for you that may be just the case.

There is nothing intentional in this story from the blind man’s perspective. It was a day like any other day, and the challenges were the same as he usually faced. And yet Jesus, who only did what He saw the Father doing, was passing that way. Some difficult questions are raised with Jesus as to why this man is not seeing things like they do. In fact, he is not seeing anything at all. Not a single disciple suggests that Jesus heal the man.

How did your day start today?

The issue is not what you are anointed with, but for what!

Jesus spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud (John 9:6) This was a very real precious moment for the man. There was not the fragrance of the anointing that came with priestly anointing oil of Myrrh and other spices. It was an anointing with mud – an anointing to see.

The word for anointing means ‘to smear’. Sometimes God will take the events of our lives, often the very elements of pain, suffering and circumstance, to smear our lives. What does that do that is of significance? It enables us to see that in everything, God works for the good of those who love Him, that he really does love us, and is with us, and is always faithful. It’s an anointing that enables us to see that our relationship with God is really all that matters.

Such a smearing anointing brings out the vibrant and powerful life of God in our hearts – and that is where the overwhelming fragrance of God’s presence is discerned!

The anointing is God’s initiative.

Blind man didn’t ask for this. The compassion, care and love of Jesus responded to the man’s obvious need. Jesus was anointed by the Father, (Isaiah 61:1) and now the blind man is in the good of that anointing and will be able to say that Jesus has anointed his eyes and that he can see things differently. It’s an anointing of mud – but who cares if now you can see? However God has anointed your life, do you value it – or are you looking for an anointing of Myrrh and spices so that everyone knows you are anointed, but it only produces fragrance and not vision? Sometimes we just don’t realise that we are not seeing clearly.(Rev 3:17)

The anointing requires obedience of us.

Jesus told the man to, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (John 9:7) The unusual anointing that the man received was nothing without the simple, very simple, act of obedience that Jesus required of him. God never requires complicated, arduous acts of back-breaking obedience that resemble the demands of a merciless task master. It is not a heavy burden. Do whatever he tells you to do. (John 2:1-5)

There is a cost to the anointing

Things can never continue the way they did, when we begin to see things differently. It is a life of simple obedience, but without all without baggage (profile, position, recognition and selfish ambition). The way of God’s anointing is, as Bill Johnson says, “to only make the sandwiches Jesus orders”. In reality, the value of the anointing that Jesus gives, far exceeds any cost that we may perceive. But it will mean lifestyle changes. Protect what God has been, and is doing in your life.

The most valuable thing you have is the anointing – don’t ever take it for granted.

Samson is an example of someone who did just that, living his life in a reckless manner and then falling victim to presumption. The biggest attack on this man for walking in obedience would come from the religious community. Pastors & Elders take note, welcome what God is doing in the lives of your people!

A sober moment

What has God been telling you for a long time now? If the man had not obeyed the command of Jesus it would have been a tragedy, and he would have remained blind.

It may be today, that you are struggling with the way you see some things, especially the church – and God wants to touch your eyes, even though you think you can see. Let Him. And then obey what he tells you to do – and do it with great grace and humility!

People often forget most of what you say, but do sometimes remember accurately your last remark. The last word of the book of Acts in the Greek New Testament is the word akolutos. The word literally means “unhindered,” though many translations render it with multiple words.

Others move the word from its final position for the sake of syntax. In both cases, it would appear that something is lost in translation. Luke was intentionally making a statement with this last word of his two volume testimony to the life of Jesus Christ. Luke may well have intended readers to pause at the conclusion of his words, leaving us with the provocative thought of a Gospel that is unhindered.

He concludes, “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered” (Acts 28:30-31).

Through prisons and angry crowds, the book of Acts traces the birth and growth of the early church. The book begins with a few hundred believers in Christ and a collective will to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth. Opposition to this witness is described at every turn. Persecution, beatings, death, and imprisonment all threatened the voice of the early church and ultimately the spread of the Gospel itself. But in spite of all this, Luke epitomizes the history of the early church and the spread of the Gospel by boldly describing the progression of God’s Word as going forth without so much as the slightest of hindrances.

The Good News of God to all the world, he seems to want us to remember, goes forth in power.

When we are pressed on all sides by variant theologies and distorted gospels, when the media delights in yet another conspiracy theory that promises to be the downfall of Christianity, we are to remember the great narration of which we are a part. The book of Acts is largely concerned with documenting the history of the early church within the context of the unhindered work of God from the beginning to the end.

“Indeed,” says Peter, “all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers” (Acts 3:24-25). We need not live defeated by every emerging plot to undermine Christ.

We are to live instead in his victory, walking forward as heirs of the great unhindered kingdom of God. We are a part of a movement that will not fade away. The Gospel was and is and always will be a testimony that exists without hindrance. No one can thwart the progress of the Gospel, for it is sealed by the Spirit that presses it onward.

Nothing can stop the ultimate victory of the story of God, for it is finished. We follow a God who spoke in the beginning and who will have the final word.

That is the authentic Prophetic Message – no matter what life brings, God has the final Word!

Don’t give up – keep looking to God, you’ll not be disappointed.

Much of what we do as young children is learned behaviour. We observe those in the world about us and replicate what we see. It’s a time of learning and decision, choices and consequences.

Prophetic folks get all excited about the idea of Shiloh – school of the prophets.

The problem is, there really is not a huge amount of evidence to support the idea of having a school of the prophets today. The incident referred to by Elisha is the only incident recorded in perhaps 2,000 years of OT history and the Hebrew is ambiguous in that it could refer to it as community more than School.

Will you really only ever do the things that God wants you to do if you get some training? This raises some very important issues about the individual and their walk with God. God’s call on the individual becomes subject to their training! And if you can’t afford the training then you miss your destiny?

You don’t need to know how to press into another level in God – He already knows how to reveal Himself in such a manner that you will clearly know. It’s about your personal, devoted, disciplined and consistent walk with God. Being friends with God.

It sounds cynical, but some folks are making a great deal of money out of marketing the need for you to attend a School of the prophets! Having said all that, my guess is that you simply have a heart to learn more about the prophetic ministry, and it is that desire, that we will make an attempt to address here, over the coming days.

As we study the scriptures there are many accounts where we have the opportunity to gaze into the lives of the prophets and make our own joyous discoveries.

In terms of a distinct definition of the prophet from a clinical old testament perspective the following is a general summary;

Hebrew: nabi, from a root meaning “to bubble forth, as from a fountain,” hence “to utter”, compare Ps. 45:1)

Nabi is is the first and the most generally used for a prophet. In the time of Samuel another word, ro’eh, “seer”, began to be used (1 Sam. 9:9). It occurs seven times in reference to Samuel. Afterwards another word, hozeh, “seer” (2 Sam. 24:11), was employed. In 1 Ch. 29:29 all these three words are used: “Samuel the seer (ro’eh), Nathan the prophet (nabi’), Gad the seer” (hozeh).

In Joshua 13:22 Balaam is called (Hebrew) a kosem “diviner,” a word used only of a false prophet.

The “prophet” proclaimed the message given to him, as the “seer” beheld the vision of God. (See Numbers 12:6-8.) Thus a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spoke in God’s name and by his authority (Exodus 7:1). He is the mouth by which God speaks to men (Jer 1:9; Isa 51:16), and hence what the prophet says is not of man but of God (2 Peter 1:20-21; compare Hebrews 3:7; Acts 4:25; 28:25).

Prophets were the immediate organs of God for the communication of his mind and will to men (Deut 18:18-19). The whole Word of God may in this general sense be spoken of as prophetic, inasmuch as it was written by men who received the revelation they communicated from God, no matter what its nature might be.

The foretelling of future events was not a necessary but only an incidental part of the prophetic office. The great task assigned to the prophets whom God raised up among the people was “to correct moral and religious abuses, to proclaim the great moral and religious truths which are connected with the character of God, and which lie at the foundation of his government.”

Some say that any one being a spokesman for God to man might thus be called a prophet. Thus Enoch, Abraham, and the patriarchs, as bearers of God’s message (Gen 20:7; Ex. 7:1; Ps. 105:15), as also Moses (Deut 18:15; 34:10; Hosea 12:13), are ranked among the prophets.

The seventy elders of Israel (Num 11:16-29), “when the spirit rested upon them, prophesied;” Asaph and Jeduthun “prophesied with a harp” (1 Chr 25:3). Miriam and Deborah were prophetesses (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4). The title thus has a general application to all who have messages from God to men.

In New Testament times the prophetical office was continued. Our Lord is frequently spoken of as a prophet (Luke 13:33; 24:19). He was and is the great Prophet of the Church. There was also in the Church a distinct order of prophets (1 Cor 12:28;  Eph 2:20; 3:5), who made new revelations from God. They differed from the “teacher,” whose office it was to impart truths already revealed.
__________
The Bible nowhere teaches that prophetic ministry would end during the days of the early Church.

/ excerpt from the Web Encyclopedia

All prophetic ministries know that there are three ways that God  speaks, excepting of course, for His audible voice.

And at times, He really does speak with an audible voice. But some prophetic people have other ways that they perceive that they catch the whisper of God . .  and to be frank, they are not good, and they’re not God. I want to urge you with three ways to hear God speak, but first – here are some hindrances to avoid, so that you don’t stop hearing God.

The German proverb is that all good things come in three. That is, except these, (but there are a lot more);

1. Don’t use the internet as a source of revelation.
Really? I know of one particularly well known prophet who expressed to me his concerns about Israel, and that God had told him ‘this and that’. I later discovered that he had read the Jerusalem Post website – and he admitted as much!

2. Hurricanes are a lot of wind.

How about this account of a hurricane: “The winds whipped up to 130 mph, snapping pine trees like pick-up sticks and blowing houses into oblivion. A surge of water, 21 feet high at its crest, engulfing victims as they desperately scurried for higher ground. The merciless storm, pounding the coast for hours with torrential sheets of rain, was like nothing ever seen before.

One observer predicted the damage would linger for decades. This wasn’t New Orleans in August 2005. This was New England in August 1635, battered by what was later dubbed “The Great Colonial Hurricane” — the first major storm suffered by the first North American settlers, just 14 years after the initial Thanksgiving celebration in Plymouth Colony.

The Puritans, after landing at Plymouth Rock, endured disease, brutal winters and battles with the natives. But their biggest test roared up the coast from the south, an unprecedented and terrifying tempest that convinced rattled residents the apocalypse was imminent.”  [USA today]

And still today, many revelatory people speak that God has shown them ‘this and that’ and that there will be a hurricane – in the hurricane season! But the hurricanes come every year, even when the Pilgrims landed – and there are many who would think that would be an excellent year for no hurricanes! It’s a lot more difficult to predict an earthquake, especially when it is not on a fault line! God would have to speak for you to get that one right!

3. Don’t Limit how you listen to God.

Who on earth would ever consider that prophetic people would take such an outrageous step? But it is what happens when presumption comes knocking at the door. Unless God is really insisting and speaking loudly (in which case you had better listen!) if you are not taking time to listen, you will not hear. Don’t assume you will. Remember Samson, he assumed that God would be with him and on him as at other times, and was unaware when the Spirit departed from him. Turning a deaf ear to God is also not a good idea, as Jonah discovered.How you are listening in this media driven, visually enticing, loud world can be a problem. Nothing beats silence and solitude where the only distraction is your mind. And that is where the discipline of authentic prophetic ministry helps; prayer, scripture and meditation.By meditation, the suggestion is that you spend time considering what God has shown you, consider what the Scriptures are saying. And heed the call that the Apostle Paul makes, to pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Cor 14:1)

God wants to speak to His people. Listen carefully for His voice and you will hear it. You will be surprised at how much the Living Word has to say to the glorious Bride of Christ.

In life generally, especially whilst driving, if you focus too much on what is behind you, trouble awaits you.

The Apostle Paul even gives us the stark warning, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:13-14)

It was a single minded focus on the future and for the wonderful things that lay ahead.In contrast to that though, is the understanding that not everything about the prophetic ministry points to the future or even the present. Prophets encourage us that no matter what the future holds, we can face it with confidence because God is there.But occasionally, they look backwards because there are things that God wants to remind us;

1. God has a history of being faithful
   True to His covenant to never leave or forsake us, God has been impeccably faithful to Himself and His wonderful promises. And by looking at the past, the prophet reminds the church so that they can look forward with great confidence and hope.
2. God has been at work
   There are things that God has been doing in the Church; preparing, providing, protecting and assisting, that we at times, are just not aware of. Such a  revelation, once revealed prepares hearts to willingly embrace all that the future holds (John 2:19-22).  God is very gracious and loves His people beyond their capacity to comprehend or understand. It is a matchless love.
3. God values our past
   This is a hard one for many to grasp, but there are elements of our past that mean a lot to God. Nothing motivates an individual like encouragement and commendation. It’s no different for God. There are certain things in the past that we have done really well and sometimes it is as if God wants you to know, “that was good! Well done!”.We are urged by Paul to find our what pleases the Lord, and even urged, “Children obey your parents for this is pleasing to the Lord”. bref1291291183′, ‘
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   (Colossians 3:20)The prophetic ministry looking backwards over the shoulder of our life together, sometimes sees these things, and it is God’s good pleasure to reveal them and remind us of them, so that we are not left guessing.
4. There are more lessons to remember than we realise.
   We have learned a great deal about God in the past. We have also learned many valuable lessons about what it means to trust Him. And not only Him, but God also wants us to remember that we can trust one another. Not all the time, but we are learning to live in a serving manner for one another, as unto Christ.There are many lessons to learn, but the profound thing is that there are many, many more positive lessons to learn than negative ones.

But just like driving in real life – don’t focus too much on the very small distance behind you. The future is in front, and in Christ, it is truly magnificent!

The transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain (probably Hermon) near Caesarea Philippi is interesting, not just because of the dynamics of the supernatural involved, but because of the valuable insights that offers. It would seem that it can offer more questions than answers.

Here in one complete account are the three contributions, and what is immediately interesting is that the Apostle John, an eye witness to the event, does not not contribute to this story, (but in his epistles there is a subtle clue):

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves, to pray.

And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white, white as light – his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him, who appeared in glory. And they were talking with Jesus, and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said.

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, my Chosen One, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

And when the voice had spoken, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.”

Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36

Only Christ shines brightly

What has to be said immediately about this narrative is that the focus is on Christ alone, others who are in attendance are incidental. This is a crucial issue for the prophetic ministry – everything that is done and said points to us setting our devotion and focus on Christ alone, not the minister. It is not said that Moses and Elijah had any glory of their own, only Christ is referred to in this way.

Have we really seen Jesus?

The transfiguration was a spectacular and intimate moment where Christ did not so much transform into someone resplendent with glory, but there was more likely the revealing of ultimate reality. Christ was seen for a brief moment as He truly is. The veil of human carnal discernment lifted momentarily revealing the presence of Christ’s blinding glory. The response of the disciples was an understandable one, and yet so distant from the testimonies of many in the prophetic community today who, in a carefree manner talk of encountering Jesus with little or no concern. (Selah!) The disciples were terrified.

Sleep well, the glory is coming!

Peter, James and John seem to have a particular trouble keeping awake when Jesus is praying. Here, as in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus prays heavy sleep seems to descend upon them. I wonder about this. Are they describing something of the weighty presence of God that the word ‘Chabod’ (glory) refers to? This is not a normal, dozing off that might happen on Sunday morning during a particularly dull preachers droning – they were heavy with sleep. There have been times that I have felt very tired during the day, and while succumbing to sleep have had insights from God into situations that others face. It is worthwhile considering the encouragement of Joel’s prophetic word that one of the principal ways of God’s revelation to mankind, particularly the old, is that they dream dreams.

Issues at hand

The focus of this transfiguration and the conversation that Jesus has with Moses and Elijah is Jesus’ departure which was shortly to take place in Jerusalem. Nothing of the content of that discussion is reported and none of the disciples allude to it in any apparent or indirect way. But it is the focus, and the gospels are keen to show that despite all the phenomena of Jesus’ ministry, in the background all of the time is the impending suffering of the cross. We do well to consider that behind all that we see happening in the Church in terms of preaching, salvation, signs, wonders and miracles is the magnificent call for us to ensure that Christ alone is glorified in everything we do. He alone is worthy of all glory.

Holding His Presence

I relate to Peter, I think it was a clever little ploy. As the glory seemed to be diminishing and the encounter looked to be ending Peter comes up with an idea that will last an hour or so, “Let me build a tent or tabernacle for you”. The Scripture says that Peter said this, not knowing what he said.

Peter must have felt at this moment, that he had done something akin to touching the Ark of the Covenant. A sudden bright cloud overshadowed them, fear gripped them and then a voice from the Father spoke resulting in them falling on their faces, terrified. And then suddenly everything was back to the normal way of life.

Touched by Jesus

Having heard the testimonial message of the Father concerning the Son, the disciples in their terror, will no doubt have been deeply impacted by the kindness of Jesus. As they lay on their face in terror He came and touched them and reassured them to ‘rise and have no fear’. He is a very kind saviour. Strict and fair, but very good.

Complications: There is a complication with these verses to do with the presence of Moses and Elijah. Some raise the issue of Moses being dead and yet is alive and talking to Jesus. The historian Josephus tried to explain away the issue of Moses’ death by saying that Moses did not die, but just wrote that he did so that the Israelites would not idolise him. That would be deception – so we can dismiss that. We must always keep Scripture and not reasoning as the authority for what we say and do. Josephus ignored the scripture where God says, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel”. ( Joshua 1:2)

Some say that we are talking of a vision and not a real event, but this limits God’s ability to do what is beyond our comprehension.

Not everyone will know what I am talking about, or what I really mean, but there can be those moments in our life when we wonder just what has happened. Later in life we may look on those times of pain as times of greatest transformation.

I have been involved in one way or another with prophetic ministry since 1979. That’s a lot of winter days, lots of fun and laughter, and a significant amount of tears.

It is very easy to find our identity and significance in what we do and who we are, rather than what Christ has done for us and who we are in Him.

Such a discovery is important because it is only when we discover who we are in Christ, that we realise that God has a purpose for us all.

We have to find ourselves in God.

What I mean by that is that there is an incomprehensible reality or expression of God’s friendship with us that few of us ever dare believe. It is one thing for us to be friends with God, but to know that God expresses deep, faithful and unswerving friendship toward us is heart-changing.

God is faithful. Always faithful. Always true. He doesn’t have a bad day, doesn’t get grumpy, and never feels that His world is out of control.

It may be that you have been through a hard year, feeling betrayed, forgotten and overlooked in many ways.

Personally, hand on heart, God has been very wonderful to me and His kindness has just won my heart, over and over. I am deeply in gratitude to God for His overwhelming love for me, and for being with me in my wettest and rainiest day.

I have found my self in God and I am not disappointed. When you feel that it is beginning to rain and look overcast for you, find yourself in Him.

In fact, find yourself in God today, no matter what your circumstance. That is wisdom.

And remember, cast ALL your anxieties on HIM, because He cares for YOU!

Jonathan Edwards, the great reformer, theologian and evangelist said that, “the task of every generation is to discover the direction in which the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, and then to move in that direction”.

Edwards was no stranger to the public manifestation and encounters of the Holy Spirit. However, in this profound declaration it may well be that he is not so much suggesting that we become ‘God chasers’, but instead discover and be involved with what God is doing in the local Church where we ‘know, grow & belong’.

In embracing this and pointing towards an understanding of the level of the Holy Spirit in our midst I have three convictions, each of them held in tension with the others.

The key to understanding them is helpfully presented in Jonathan Edwards’ statement, and clearly, signs and wonders, miracles, dreams and visions, are not the focus of our attention. We want them and we benefit from them, but these convictions are beneficial to us, and worth consideration;

Conviction #1 – The level of the Spirit at work in our midst is high.
Such an assertion is better articulated by the fact that the work, influence and activity of the Holy Spirit has never waned or diminished since the day that Jesus poured out His Spirit in the early Church. God’s Spirit has not increased since those days of Pentecost but neither has it diminished.

Our perception of His nearness is the issue, God hides Himself in thick darkness and reveals Himself always and only at His own discretion. But the glorious, omnipotent, majestic Spirit of God who reveals the treasures of Christ’s magnificent plans, purposes and manifest glory, is always with His people – you just don’t always sense Him. As you learn to walk by faith, you see Him more and more.

Conviction #2 God has a plan – It’s the Church!
If you are trying to discern the level or the measure of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst, then you cannot do any better than to look at the church. Where you see the Church in action, growing, giving, serving, loving, and even laughing, there you see empirical evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in action. Especially where the Church is learning what it means to live a life that excels in enjoying God’s rich and lavish grace.

Such a church is one where people feel free to worship God and make contributions publicly with joy, without the fear of failure, disapproval or distrust. The nation’s only hope is the Church! The focus of attention as people look to the Church is always Christ.

God is evidently at work by His Spirit in the Church today. There are many theological differences and doctrinal stances amongst us, but the middle ground is a substantial one; Jesus Christ is Lord – and He is building His Church that He loves and gave Himself for.

Conviction #3 – God is whispering the ‘R’ word!
One such word that you might consider is the word ‘repentance’. If there are things in our churches that grieve or quench His Spirit and lower the level of His activity amongst us, then there is cause for concern. God is not giving us a new radical call to walk in righteousness before Him, far from it – it is an old call that has often gone unheeded! Our ongoing challenge as we read the Bible and learn to be doers and not hearers only, is to be sensitive to His leading and direction.

Sat alongside the word repentance are ‘renewal’ and ‘restoration’, and to be sure, they are much needed characteristics, and even evidences, of an outpouring of God’s Spirit in our midst.

There is however, one ‘R’ word that comes to mind and it is the word ‘Revival’. Who possibly could deny that that single word is one of the most emotive words in the Christian vocabulary? There is a deep seated hunger in the hearts of nearly every Church, to see a staggering and profound move of God in the nations of our dark, fearful and fallen world. God wants more than revival though, and has in mind something far deeper. His intention is for something that impacts us in such a way that it transforms Church and our culture.

Revival is not be merely about the lost being saved, but also added to the Church and growing in wisdom and maturity in the knowledge of God. And such a Church, living in grace and truth, sharing the good news and being accountable to one another in the fear of the Lord, will positively infuse our culture with the truth of the gospel.

But the ‘R’ word that I believe God is whispering loudly is a Jewish word, “Ruach” which means ‘Spirit’. Joel 2 places us in our setting as a people of the Spirit. The prophetic community more than any should be reflecting this but familiarity can often bring its own contempt. Gifting may open many doors, but bad character will slam those doors shut in a heartbeat.

God wants to pour out His Spirit in the Church. May the Church be ablaze with an experiential encounter with the Spirit that demonstrates that His glorious work is redemptive, purifying, restorative, and lead us into truth that empowers us to live godly, righteous and holy lives.

If “the task of every generation is to discover the direction in which the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, and then to move in that direction”, then it certainly has to be that we zealously follow what the Spirit is doing in the Church in our day.

Go after Christ with all of your heart, without reserve or hesitation – and you will find to your great delight, the Spirit of God will take you out into the hidden depths of the stupendous promises of His never failing Word.

The level of the Spirit is undoubtedly, and truly, awesome. Keep in step with the Spirit!

[This is an article published in Plexus magazine entitled 'Understanding the Spirit Level' used by permission]

All prophets at some time or another suffer the painful anxiety and emotion of rejection. But rejection of itself, is not the problem of the heart – it’s how we deal with that rejection, and the reaction of the heart in response to it.

It is an issue that is constantly before us – and Mike Bickle takes it further pointing towards the devastation of, “rejected prophets and insecure pastors”.

As an illustration let me tell you about the Black Mamba.

The Black Mamba snake in Africa, is highly toxic and notoriously aggressive. It’s nickname is the “bottom up snake”; the victim supposedly has time for one quick drink before death. It is the dreaded snake species of Africa. Treat it with great respect and always stay away from it.

The Black Mamba is not only highly venomous but also aggressive and its victim has very little chance to escape from a bite, which is always 100% fatal if anti-venom is not administered quickly.

Hopefully you have got the message! If it bites you – then forget about tomorrow and your dreams and aspirations.

All of us suffer rejection in life. Sometimes it is the result of lack of opportunity – not being picked for the team. Other times it can be the result of harsh words or actions by others. In every instance, the venom that can strike the heart that is not responding in a right way to the assault of rejection, has the potential to be deadly. Forgiveness and a pure heart are the only way forward.

But you have to guard your precious heart against the false cure of skin-deep forgiveness.

Forgiveness means to no longer hold a situation or words against a person, or group of people. It doesn’t mean you forget. Love covers a multitude of sins.

I’ve had to press through difficult times of rejection over the years, some more horrific and painful than others. At times I thought that I had forgiven the individuals concerned, only to find later that the bitterness and unforgiveness were still poisoning my heart.

There are a few things that I have observed in my moments of suffering rejection. One is that the times I have felt rejection by God or others does not always necessarily mean denial. God has plans – and uses people to bring about the fruition and fulfillment of them. (Remember the Joseph story – ‘God meant it for good’.)

It is in the ‘stuff’ of life that we get to prove, define and hone our character. Iron sharpens iron, and very often the hardness of others brings about the oxymoron of a ‘soft sharpness’ to our lives and the things we do.

Something else I have observed in my limited wisdom of dealing with this is that often, those who have inflicted us with their words of discouragement don’t always know the full, true story of our intent, or our agenda. Only God could ever know that (sometimes, we have only got hold of half a story and are being needlessly too sensitive).

And that is why, the way to deal with the issue of our pain of rejection is not to focus on our selves in a bath of selfish self-pity, but to exercise grace and real forgiveness from the heart. What you do with the memories of the situation is to learn not to treat people in the same way.

But sometimes unforgiveness and bitterness ravages the heart and leaves one vulnerable, hopeless and critical. The poison begins to attack the heart. And the issue of the heart becomes the heart of the issue.

There is an antidote. Repent and forgive as Christ forgave you. And then ask God to help you with that situation.

I’ve felt the poison of unforgiveness and bitterness a few times. And it is never pleasant, and absolutely never achieves anything positive, godly, righteous or beautiful. Don’t let it affect you.

Incidentally – if you want to know what it feels like to be bitten by the Black Mamba then read here

I recently included on the main Prophetic Reformation site, a message by Paul Cain entitled, “Respectability vs. the Anointing.” Some people took the time to email me and tell me how encouraging it was.

So I thought I would post this message from the 90′s here too! Enjoy!

When God Hides His Face By Paul Cain

God has His own peculiar way of apparently disappearing at the times when we seem to need Him the most–times when He seems to hide His face. I have experienced the Lord hiding His face from me.

Years ago when I first began a public ministry, it wasn’t long before thousands of people were coming to hear me speak. Within one year, we had 26 healing and revival services in Los Angeles, and wonderful things were being said about me. It didn’t bother me, though, because my humility was intact. I was very proud of my humility.

Believing I was immortal, I would pray for hundreds of people in a single service, having had little or no sleep. I would fast from food or water for long periods of time. Proudly boasting one night about the accuracy of my discernment, I said, “I can tell every one of you what’s wrong with you. I know your names; I can tell you who your children are and where you are with God; whether you have been converted or not, and whether you are a spiritualist or a New Ager.” I was so proud.

When I began the prayer line, I said to the first lady, “I know who you are.” But I did not! The anointing was gone. God had hidden His face from me, and it was terrible. I looked at all of those hungry people lined up for prayer and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have made a terrible mistake. His anointing is gone, so I’m leaving. If He comes back, I’ll be back tomorrow night, but if He doesn’t, you won’t see me again.”

I stayed on my face before the Lord all night. He had withdrawn from me the intimacy of His conscious presence that I loved and along with it, the wonderful confidence and ability He had given me. He was there, but I didn’t have the benefit of knowing His presence or feeling Him. I think that John Newton understood this when he wrote these words in a hymn: “How tedious and tasteless the hours when Jesus no longer I see. Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers have all lost their sweetness to me.”

“Surely I Am with You”

In biblical terminology, the hiding of God’s face refers to this withdrawal of His conscious presence. Isaiah 45:15 says, “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.” David said in Psalm 13:1, “How long, O LORD, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” In Psalm 10:1, he said, “Why, LORD, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in time of trouble?” Psalm 44:24 says, “Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and our oppression?”

When there is no conscious presence of God, no visible means of support, no tangible way to see the Lord meeting our needs, then it is time for us to rejoice and acknowledge that this is an opportunity to trust the Lord to reveal Himself in an even a greater way when He shows Himself again. On such occasions, God is really there. Just because we cannot see Him does not mean that He is not present. He is with us all the time!

In order to survive the times when God hides His face, we need to know Scripture. The New Testament speaks of reaching out for God and feeling for Him so that we might find Him “not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). Perhaps we may not feel Him at first, but when we persist in reaching out and seeking Him, we will find Him.

The accuser of the brethren will always try to separate us from the Lord by telling us that God is not with us: this is not the truth. The fact is that God is present with us all the time. He is testing us to see how we will react and what we will do under the set of circumstances in which He has hidden His face from us. The Lord has said in His Word to us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Even when we cannot feel and see and taste and handle the sweetness of God, He is still there.

In Joshua 1:5-6, the Lord told Joshua, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous.” He says in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” God never withdraws His promises, His power or Himself from us; He may allow us to feel that He has withdrawn for a specific purpose. However, He is always with us even when we do not believe that He is there.

When I was a little boy, I would listen to “The Midnight Hour–Songs in the Night,” and God’s presence would fill the room. It was a wonderful feeling that reminded me of Psalm 77:7-9, when David said, “Will the LORD reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” The answer is, “No!” Regardless of how bad we may feel, the Lord is still there. He is omnipresent: He is here, there, and everywhere, all at the same time.

When Moses told Aaron and his sons how they should bless the Israelites, he instructed them to say, “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). The “face of the Lord” became the symbol of a smile, approval, or a sense of His presence. When it does not seem that the Lord’s face is turned toward us, the best thing for us to do is acknowledge that He is there, even though we may not feel Him. When the sense of His presence is withdrawn, we may not know the reason why, but God does not have to reveal His reasons. He is omniscient; He knows why He is allowing us to have this experience.

When God Shows His Face

Our desire must be to have His presence remain and abide. When His presence and His power come, they are worth everything. His presence is like having Jesus right there with us, just like a husband or a wife. When the Lord reveals His face and shows Himself, it is like when the Holy Spirit decided to reveal Himself and came on the day of Pentecost: the disciples were there together, and suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind came from heaven (see Acts 2:1-2).

In Acts 3, there is a man, lame from his mother’s womb, whom they carried and placed at the Gate Beautiful every day. When God decided to show His face, He healed him. Rejoicing, the man leapt up and went into the temple, shouting and praising and magnifying God. A crippled, mangled body was straightened out immediately. This is what it is like when God decides to show His face.

However, there is a warning in II Chronicles 7:19 that we must remember:

But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

It should not surprise us when we commit blatant sins and lose the sense of God’s presence. When we sin, we must repent and turn our backs on evil if we hope to experience His presence with us again.

Trials and Disappointments Will Come

Each of us will go through trials. Paul said in I Thessalonians 3:3, “So that no one would be unsettled by these trials, you know quite well that we were destined for them.” In his letter to the Philippians, he writes, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (1:29). The end of every trial is at hand, though, because every trial has a built-in time limit. “And no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). God knows just how much we can bear. In I Corinthians 10:13 we read,

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

The Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. He will not always withdraw Himself, nor will He harbor His anger forever (Psalm 103:8-9). We may think that God is never going to show up again or that He is never going to come through for us anymore. Trials or difficulties may seem like they will last forever, but they will not. We must understand that God our Father has compassion on us, His children. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust”(Psalm 103:13-14).

Many people only want the brilliance of God’s presence–the fun, the spiritual food and the fellowship. Christians tend to want to be happy and jovial all the time. When we are not, we sometimes lie about it and don’t want others to know that we going through difficult times.

Let us be honest with each other. Trials and disappointments will come, but Jesus is always standing nearby, ready to step in. Just when it seems we cannot bear anymore, He will say, Your shoulders weren’t built for more than you could bear, and I am going to shoulder this for you. I am going to take your problems; I am going to take your burdens, and I will carry them for you.

This is what happens when He reveals Himself. In a moment, everything changes. Our Father is merciful and loving. “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). Seeing Christ will make everything we have suffered worthwhile–all the midnight of the soul, all the pain, all the trials. We will realize that all the suffering and adversity we experienced were for a purpose; they will pay innumerable dividends in these last days as we meet our Lord and our Savior.

With joy, we can thank the Father for times of pain, the times of not enjoying His conscious presence, nor seeing His face. In all things, we must seek His face and not His hand. When we take Him for granted and believe that we should never feel bad or have a dull moment, we are acting like spoiled children. We can thank Him even for painful times or dull times, for the times when we aren’t gushing with joy or filled with happiness. At the end of our journey, we will look back and be able to say, “It was all for a reason. It was all for a purpose. It was all for my benefit, all to the glory of God.”

God is speaking to us in very clear ways through natural signs as well as the supernatural.

I recently visited the island of Crete, and whilst on a walk my attention was taken when I stumbled upon this scene as I walked down the hillside.

There is nothing surprising about the boat being by itself, 600 metres above the sea. People dump things in the strangest places!

What is surprising is the vast area of tinder-dry grassland that looks as if the slightest spark will set the entire hillside ablaze. It looked very unsafe.

It is a remarkable scene. And as I passed it I took this picture because I felt it reminded me of what stands before many of us in the West.

It would seem that we may be moments away from the fire of God igniting in our midst.

We have had other outpourings of the Spirit that have left folks, through their own actions and devices, stranded high and dry and now wondering if they would ever see a move of God again – all the while, unaware that the ground below them of is very, very dry.

I believe it is God’s intent that the holy fire of His Presence will come and begin to burn, not a furnace of renewal or refreshing, but of holiness and passion for the glory and honour of God. Repentance and a holy fear of God may be returning to the Church sooner than we think. It only takes a spark.

God is also at work in the lives of the lost – this may be an uncomfortable time for them as the judgments of God become more and more evident, but it may be a stark and radical call to salvation for many.

Rodney Howard Brown has recently seen over 130,000 decisions for Christ in just over 46 days. God clearly is at work there. But elsewhere, the ground is also very, very dry.

May the fire of God fall suddenly, unexpectedly and quickly.

And may it fall on my own heart first.

“See who people are in the Kingdom, without stumbling over who they are not.”

An underlying dynamic of a growing, developing and maturing prophetic ministry, is the ability and discernment to see beyond the surface level of the apparent and obvious.

Prophetic ministry, when flowing properly in the grace and kindness of God’s anointing sees things from God’s perspective. It is a perspective that is not always embraced by the casual observer.

Even Jonah neglected to see Nineveh from God’s perspective. He had a right perception that they were wicked and deserved everything that was coming towards them in terms of judgment, but did not have the insight to see the true heart of God – that God wanted to have mercy on them. Yes, to some extent he did see that, but it became clear how much greater God wanted to fully meet with the people of Nineveh at a real heart level.

Some considerations about this hint may help you.

1. Watch your expectations of those in leadership.
   A critical attitude will remove favour flowing from the leadership of your church towards you if you become entangled in dissention. Just because they are not what you believe they should be in terms of leadership, does not give you rights to ‘lord it’ over them. Learn to see who they are. Recognise the gifting that they do have and not just what may be missing. It may be that by relationship that you can encourage them to take up other elements that may be useful to them.
2. Realise that God may be addressing issues about your own life.
   Chuck Pierce, Bob Jones, John Paul Jackson, Cindy Jacobs, Heidi Baker to name but a few, all have character issues that at some point in their life have been, and will have to be addressed. No one is exempt. People in the kingdom may also easily look at your life and see what or who you are not, without seeing who you are in the kingdom. It works both ways! You may not be as brilliant as you think you are. But God is – and in Him we live and move, and have our being. We are only ever complete in Christ alone. So, recognise that about yourself – but also about others.
3. Watch for the critical spirit that deceives.
   Be Christ-like in the way that you look at others. Some of the people reading this website are angry, religious, legalistic folk. In urging you to be Christ-like in the way that you look at others, I don’t mean for you to be judgmental. You simply don’t have to be a prophet to see the bad in others. In fact, if you see this easier than anything else you may not even be prophetic – but critical! A critical spirit will close down authentic prophetic ministry in a moment. Guard your heart.
4. Be generous in kindness.
   See who people are in the Kingdom and encourage them to go after God and continue growing in God’s grace and kindness. It’s not rocket science. Encourage them, stir them, provoke them – and when opportunity comes, put your hand in your pocket and bless them in whatever way you can. If someone’s gift is preaching, buy them a commentary – if it is distributing hymn books, give them a box of chocolate! Be creative!

Let me ask a final question. Who are you in the Kingdom – and honestly, who are you not?

I know who I am, I also know that I am not often the most friendly, warm, kind or generous person in the kingdom. The Elders of my church will nod their heads, but not disapprovingly. They know that God is at work in my heart in the issues where I am short-coming, and they also are painfully aware, that they have their own short-comings. We all do.

See who people are, and bless them for what God has, and is already doing.

God is on the move, and He is very kind.