In recent years, the delivery of prophetic ministries has undergone significant changes, with new generations of prophetic voices emerging.
Some of the well-known characters who have all recently gone to be with the Lord represent a different generation of prophetic voices compared to those heard today. They cultivated a unique perspective and gifts that are less prevalent among contemporary prophetic voices, particularly a sense of the awe of God, but I think things can change…
A new day brings renewed challenges and perspectives, and the past, as far back as you may venture, offers ample food for thought and consideration. Many wonder what God is doing with the prophetic ministry these days. Some suggest that Micah 3:5-7 holds the answer, making it worth addressing the elephant in the room and raising a few eyebrows.
We must endeavour to do everything to prevent anything that brings the valuable gift and ministry of prophecy into disrepute, whether it’s issues about social media, pointless predictions, or pay-per-click prophecies.
In the words of Howard Marshall in his commentary on Acts, “The possession of any kind of spiritual authority is a solemn responsibility rather than a privilege, and its possessor must constantly be aware of the temptation to domineer over those for whose spiritual welfare he is responsible; he must also beware of the danger of using his position for his own ends, whether as a means of making money or bolstering his own ego.”
The gift of prophecy is given and inspired by God – not on demand, but as and when He chooses to disclose or reveal His word. We shouldn’t be flippant or take the prophetic ministry lightly; but at the same time, we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously either. Remember, God can speak through a donkey.
It’s difficult to tell whether we’ve made any real progress in our understanding of prophetic ministry in recent years. One would think there would be a greater emphasis on holiness, grace, and obedience, and that we would have made more headway in terms of accountability by now. But has it all come to a screeching halt? Is the take-it-or-leave-it, “you can be a prophet if you want to” attitude towards the things of God bringing down the curtain on something once precious and essential for the life of the Church? Has the canker worm of nominalism found its mark? When the cry goes up, “Where is the God of Elijah?” some perhaps are asking, “Who is Elijah?” It may prove a valid point but I have a different viewpoint – God is profoundly at work! We don’t build His Church, but we are co-workers with Him in all that He is doing today. This is a day of remarkable opportunity and promise and anticipation, both of revival and more glorious, Christ’s glorious, long-awaited return.
We are a different generation, to those before us, but there is no scripture-honouring evidence that God speaks differently to His Church nowadays. It’s more of the same – devotion, prayer, signs, dreams, visions, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, it cannot be suggested that prophetic ministries were at a loss in the past because they lacked the resources we have today. If anything, today is not a ‘find your mountain’ time (as per Elijah), but instead is a time for prophetic ministry to be fully-engaged, involved, and part of the vision, ministry, and outreach of the local church.
Prophetic Standards Statement
Interestingly, a few years ago, a group of ministries released a “prophetic standards statement” to address the concerns that were being raised about somewhat ‘rogue’ prophets – personally, I consider it a needless exercise, given that the Scriptures already provide clear guidelines for the use of the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy in its various forms. This is where accountability in a local church, exegesis, and theology prove their worth! One of their comments read:
“At a time when there are many questions in the Body concerning the gift of prophecy and the ministry of the prophet, and in light of the needs of local pastors as well as individual believers to have practical guidelines for processing prophetic words, as Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders, we felt that now was the opportune moment to produce this current document… our purpose is to help provide scriptural guidelines for the operation of the gift of prophecy and the functioning of the ministry of the prophet, while at the same time affirming the importance of these gifts and ministries.”
No matter how you approach the ministry of the prophet, God continues to speak as He always has. There are no shortcuts, secrets, or improvisations; God clearly reveals His purpose to the Church through His Word, through preaching, and through the mouths of His prophets.
God uses us in His timing and for His sovereign and providential purposes.
Some may question whether our modern churches reflect what the Holy Spirit intends for post-modern church life, especially concerning the roles and dynamics of the Holy Spirit. There are also questions about the gifts of the Spirit and prophecy and how we have lost the understanding of God’s timing and His use of us in His timing for His sovereign and providential purposes.
Another consideration is that we haven’t fully grasped that prophecy and prophetic words, while not equal to Scripture, are essential to our walk with God and each other as a people of hope. The broken world we live in today clearly and desperately needs Jesus, and that’s where the church including prophets, apostles, evangelists and a multitude of other ministries comes in. Prophetic ministry simply has to be comfortable in its own skin, not rattled by rejection, or suspicion, questionable agenda’s or the ‘mute’ button activated.
Intimacy with God
Prophets need to pick themselves up and remember what God has already done in their lives. Looking back on the interventions, blessings and encouragements of God is (unlike for financial investments) a guarantee of the future. When we reflect on our past, we see how much we’ve grown and learned, often through challenging experiences. We can see how God was always there, coaching us through tough times and helping us understand more about who He is. It’s easy to miss these lessons when we’re in the midst of them, but looking back, we see how much God has been teaching us all along. God is with us and for us in ways we cannot comprehend. We don’t know what we don’t know, but God is knowable, and His engagement with us in the deep recesses of our lives is with that in mind. The more we know Him, the better equipped we are to worship Him.
Responsibility
Life is a huge learning curve. The prophetic ministry has a significant responsibility to present itself with humility, transparency, and unquestionable integrity. Isn’t that what prophets are meant to be like? The prophetic ministry reaffirms and asserts not so much fresh revelations, but at its heart, it continues to assert the message of the gospel and the grace of God. Sooner or later, our learning curve brings us to a fresh consideration of the Cross and all the wonders of grace extended to us.
Genuine words of knowledge and prophetic utterances can stir the heart of the Church, but the gospel gives you a rock to stand on when the storms of life rage around and underneath you. Authentic prophetic ministry always stirs you to pursue God with all your heart, to make Jesus the magnificent obsession of your heart.
In Christ, guilt is gone, shame is removed, and the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us.
When we look back on our lives and up towards God with an understanding of the good news of the gospel and what Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross, we realise that our sins have been forgiven and we are reconciled to God. Guilt is gone, shame is removed, and the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. We are holy. We sin, but we are no longer sinners. Our new default position is that we are the righteousness of God in Christ! Everything has changed!
A Few Questions
The learning curve for all of this is immense. What shall separate us from the love of God? How far is the East from the West? How new is a new creation? If you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, what does the world look like? There is so much to learn, but look at what you have already learned – it is an immense learning curve!
God is always at work in our hearts and lives, and sometimes we have no idea of the incredible work He’s done until we review it on the final day. Trust that He’s always working for your good and His glory, even when you can’t see it.
