The building sounds of enticements, of hype, and to draw.
Then the climax.
Then the fruit.
Pathetic Prophetic
Prophetic Ministry in 2009
In 2009 and beyond, prophecy will begin to have much more serious levels of importance in western Christianity than in previous generations. Consequently, God is working intricately and intensely in many prophetic hearts to ready them for the coming years. 2008 has been one of many rewards for many Christians. However, for developing prophets, these rewards have been juxtaposed by ongoing deserts and gut-wrenching transformations. God is manufacturing a razor-sharp prophetic community to administer key graces to America and western society in the coming years.
There is a degree of prophetic maturity and credibility that must be for this to happen. I see four ways in which the Lord is moving prophecy from pathetic to truly prophetic.
(1) the imagination-revelation mix
Ezekiel 13 harshly condemns the false prophets of Ezekiel's day. Their defect? Proclaiming their own imaginations as the word of the Lord. Verse 2 (and 17) says they "prophesy out of their own imagination" and verse 3 says they "follow their own spirit".
Thankfully, New Testament prophecy has a slightly different tapestry than Old prophecy. Nevertheless, some of the same challenges remain. Prophets today are also in need of sifting and separating imagination from revelation. Less experienced prophesiers too readily accept the imagination's luminations as revelation. This is partly due to sheer inexperience, partly due to an impulsive Boanerges complex (Mk 3:17) that often marks developing prophets.
The imagination is the womb of creativity. It is our God-given likeness. With it we have created skyscrapers, theme parks, and almost everything we see. The imagination is just as capable of luminating us with ideas and impressions as the Holy Spirit is. In fact, imagination is something many Christians have depreciated and neglected. Nevertheless, distinguishing imagination from revelation is an aptitude every mature prophet has mastered.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Imagination typically reflects personality and environment, and therefore, contains such overtones and undercurrents. The false prophets of Ezekiel's day created lying visions of peace with their hyper-active imaginations (Eze 13). The people's itch for soothing prophecies only encouraged that imaginatory flow. We must rigorously address our emotional life to ensure our psychosocial issues do not overactivate our imagination and confuse us.
Revelation is typically foreign to our personal thought-patterns. It contains divine spins, angles, or wordings that are slightly different than ours. At times, it may even be totally opposite to our personality, circumstances, sound advice, or common sense. Imaginatory flow often seems like and sounds like the imaginator and his surroundings, while revelatory flow often has a distinctly foreign quality.
Even with such differences, the two phenomena can sometimes still be confused. For, at times, the Holy Spirit will inject His revelations into our consciousness with amazing subtlety. When we are unsure, the wise route is to wait/look for subsequent confirmations from other sources. Job 33:14(NIV) is one of the best scriptures pertaining to this: For God does speak--now one way, now another--though man may not perceive it. He will authenticate Himself by sending the same message in different ways.
Learn to separate and authenticate what is revelation and what is imagination. Have the temperance to wait it out if necessary. John the Baptist spent years in desert solitude before ever uttering a word. He had to determine whether Isaiah 40:3 really pertained to him or if it was his ambitious imagination making it all up. Great prophets speak accurately because they speak selectively.
(2) sensationalism
Many prophesiers expose their own babyhood through sensationalism. Insecurity and attention-cravings, identity crises and self-image concerns, are all at the root of melodramatic ministries. This does not mean these ministries are not genuine and used by God, but it does mean they are not yet mature and are forfeiting greater favor and power.
Emotion is vital to our spirituality. It cannot be amputated from the whole of our Christian experience, as some would imply. We are called to passion, zeal, and fervor (Ro 12:11), to weeping, mourning, and repenting (Jas 4:9,10), to dancing, celebrating, and shouting (Ps 150). Sometimes prophets need to illustrate their words graphically (Ac 21:10,11), and sometimes their words are accompanied by overwhelming emotion (Jer 20:8,9). This is basic Christianity and prophetic ministry. An emotionless Christianity or ministry is just as dysfunctional as an emotionless person.
What is not biblical, though, is manipulating a crowd's emotions through catchy gimmicks and tricks, forced and fabricated manifestations, pushing people down through force when praying for them, flaunting possessions to convey net-worth as equal to self-worth, or other ministry antics that are showy, theatrical, and egocentric. Is God a circus owner that He calls clowns as His messengers?
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Paul tells us what our ministry substance should be (2Co 4:2): We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
In 1Thessalonians 2:3-6 he addresses the same matter: For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you...we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. Listen to Paul! Friends, it's long past due we checked our egos, not at the door, but first thing every morning before the Lord and before our closest loved ones. It's long past due we chastised our egos and embraced lifelong humility. It's long past due we crucified our craving to be noticed and remembered. It's long past due we Christened our struggling self-image, and learned to minister with a down-to-earth authenticity. Friends, we must walk away from sensational antics to minister in even higher levels of prophetic precision and power. Great prophets don't need side-shows, they have the hand of God dropping bombs of blessing in and through them.
(3) prophetic individuation
Many prophetic words I hear/read are not at all prophetic, they are pathetic. They are simply a regurgitation of the current spiritual fad. The language, concepts, and catch-phrases are all similar. If you've heard one you've heard 'em all. These "prophecies" typically appeal to younger, ignorant, hurting, or bored Christians. They have a high flesh-mixture or imagination-mixture diluting or clogging the authentic word.
Authentic prophecies should complement or complete one another, but should also possess unique nuances. Prophets should be just as original and individual as Agabus was different from Judas and Silas. Prophetic individuation must and will flesh out in greater ways this final half of 2008.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Individuation means "the quality of being individual, distinct, unique, or original". The prophet's wilderness creates this individuation, but the process can be sped up by doing some homework to find one's own truest prophetic voices.
The first thing that must be peeled away is the wanna-be facade. Many developing prophets go through a phase where they try to be a great prophet. They force or fabricate prophetic words, or annoyingly attribute every good thought to the Holy Spirit (as if He were a chatterbox). They push themselves on others, albeit subtly, and continually assert their gift. These wanna-be's get really weird really fast.
No great prophet ever tried to be a great prophet. He or she simply loved God with unprecedented romance and matured in Christlike character. God, in turn, lavished gifts and rewards all over that prophet. Wanna-be prophets need to lay down the prophetic obsession and rediscover the greatest commandments.
Once a prophet does this, he will find himself in Christ. He will find his truest identity and design. He will find all the nooks and crannies of his own prophetic personality. He will no longer hop on the current spiritual bandwagon, but he will find his own prophetic voice that creates fresh movements of all kinds wherever his voice is heard.
(4) education
The more I interact with the church, the more I realize how much we need education concerning New Testament prophecy. I am not referring only to Christians within prophecy-practicing circles, but to all subcultures within Christianity. Because my ministry is cross-denominational, I get a neat panoramic view of what's happening all across God's church. And, I come across many Christians who despise or fear prophecy, not necessarily because they do not believe in it, but because they feel that we, prophecy practitioners, have failed to educate and explain legitimately what we're doing and why.
Many critics of contemporary prophecy are NOT religious spirits. They are solid Christians asking solid questions that demand solid answers. For example, how and why are Old Testament and New Testament prophecy different? What is the relationship between Scripture and prophecy...isn't there a conflict of authority? What should be done to prophets who "miss it"? What are the safeguards so prophecy does not harm or mislead? Does prophecy even matter?
Some books have been written to answer these and other questions (Wayne Grudem, Michael Sullivant), but there needs to be much much more until the church (all of it) is flooded with more than enough educational tools.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: We can begin by educating our constituencies. In my case, the Lord led me to develop a website that comprehensively addresses every possible aspect of New Testament prophecy. The website is http://www.jdmprophecy.com/. It is still developing, but some of the pages are finished. I encourage you to check it out. More resources are in the works from JDM.
We need to teach and explain well guys. Take the time. Back up and slow down. Educate the people you prophesy to, individually and corporately. Help them understand prophecy, how it should be tested and prayed through. Explain its blessings and benefits, as well as its limitations and shortcomings. Explain why prophecy is necessary, even amidst a completed Bible. Explain the supremacy of Scripture, even amidst prophetic ministry. As prophecy moves up to a better place in 2009 and beyond, we must be prepared to explain and educate excellently concerning all aspects of New Testament prophecy.
In 2009 and beyond, prophecy will begin to have much more serious levels of importance in western Christianity than in previous generations. Consequently, God is working intricately and intensely in many prophetic hearts to ready them for the coming years. 2008 has been one of many rewards for many Christians. However, for developing prophets, these rewards have been juxtaposed by ongoing deserts and gut-wrenching transformations. God is manufacturing a razor-sharp prophetic community to administer key graces to America and western society in the coming years.
There is a degree of prophetic maturity and credibility that must be for this to happen. I see four ways in which the Lord is moving prophecy from pathetic to truly prophetic.
(1) the imagination-revelation mix
Ezekiel 13 harshly condemns the false prophets of Ezekiel's day. Their defect? Proclaiming their own imaginations as the word of the Lord. Verse 2 (and 17) says they "prophesy out of their own imagination" and verse 3 says they "follow their own spirit".
Thankfully, New Testament prophecy has a slightly different tapestry than Old prophecy. Nevertheless, some of the same challenges remain. Prophets today are also in need of sifting and separating imagination from revelation. Less experienced prophesiers too readily accept the imagination's luminations as revelation. This is partly due to sheer inexperience, partly due to an impulsive Boanerges complex (Mk 3:17) that often marks developing prophets.
The imagination is the womb of creativity. It is our God-given likeness. With it we have created skyscrapers, theme parks, and almost everything we see. The imagination is just as capable of luminating us with ideas and impressions as the Holy Spirit is. In fact, imagination is something many Christians have depreciated and neglected. Nevertheless, distinguishing imagination from revelation is an aptitude every mature prophet has mastered.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Imagination typically reflects personality and environment, and therefore, contains such overtones and undercurrents. The false prophets of Ezekiel's day created lying visions of peace with their hyper-active imaginations (Eze 13). The people's itch for soothing prophecies only encouraged that imaginatory flow. We must rigorously address our emotional life to ensure our psychosocial issues do not overactivate our imagination and confuse us.
Revelation is typically foreign to our personal thought-patterns. It contains divine spins, angles, or wordings that are slightly different than ours. At times, it may even be totally opposite to our personality, circumstances, sound advice, or common sense. Imaginatory flow often seems like and sounds like the imaginator and his surroundings, while revelatory flow often has a distinctly foreign quality.
Even with such differences, the two phenomena can sometimes still be confused. For, at times, the Holy Spirit will inject His revelations into our consciousness with amazing subtlety. When we are unsure, the wise route is to wait/look for subsequent confirmations from other sources. Job 33:14(NIV) is one of the best scriptures pertaining to this: For God does speak--now one way, now another--though man may not perceive it. He will authenticate Himself by sending the same message in different ways.
Learn to separate and authenticate what is revelation and what is imagination. Have the temperance to wait it out if necessary. John the Baptist spent years in desert solitude before ever uttering a word. He had to determine whether Isaiah 40:3 really pertained to him or if it was his ambitious imagination making it all up. Great prophets speak accurately because they speak selectively.
(2) sensationalism
Many prophesiers expose their own babyhood through sensationalism. Insecurity and attention-cravings, identity crises and self-image concerns, are all at the root of melodramatic ministries. This does not mean these ministries are not genuine and used by God, but it does mean they are not yet mature and are forfeiting greater favor and power.
Emotion is vital to our spirituality. It cannot be amputated from the whole of our Christian experience, as some would imply. We are called to passion, zeal, and fervor (Ro 12:11), to weeping, mourning, and repenting (Jas 4:9,10), to dancing, celebrating, and shouting (Ps 150). Sometimes prophets need to illustrate their words graphically (Ac 21:10,11), and sometimes their words are accompanied by overwhelming emotion (Jer 20:8,9). This is basic Christianity and prophetic ministry. An emotionless Christianity or ministry is just as dysfunctional as an emotionless person.
What is not biblical, though, is manipulating a crowd's emotions through catchy gimmicks and tricks, forced and fabricated manifestations, pushing people down through force when praying for them, flaunting possessions to convey net-worth as equal to self-worth, or other ministry antics that are showy, theatrical, and egocentric. Is God a circus owner that He calls clowns as His messengers?
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Paul tells us what our ministry substance should be (2Co 4:2): We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
In 1Thessalonians 2:3-6 he addresses the same matter: For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you...we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. Listen to Paul! Friends, it's long past due we checked our egos, not at the door, but first thing every morning before the Lord and before our closest loved ones. It's long past due we chastised our egos and embraced lifelong humility. It's long past due we crucified our craving to be noticed and remembered. It's long past due we Christened our struggling self-image, and learned to minister with a down-to-earth authenticity. Friends, we must walk away from sensational antics to minister in even higher levels of prophetic precision and power. Great prophets don't need side-shows, they have the hand of God dropping bombs of blessing in and through them.
(3) prophetic individuation
Many prophetic words I hear/read are not at all prophetic, they are pathetic. They are simply a regurgitation of the current spiritual fad. The language, concepts, and catch-phrases are all similar. If you've heard one you've heard 'em all. These "prophecies" typically appeal to younger, ignorant, hurting, or bored Christians. They have a high flesh-mixture or imagination-mixture diluting or clogging the authentic word.
Authentic prophecies should complement or complete one another, but should also possess unique nuances. Prophets should be just as original and individual as Agabus was different from Judas and Silas. Prophetic individuation must and will flesh out in greater ways this final half of 2008.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: Individuation means "the quality of being individual, distinct, unique, or original". The prophet's wilderness creates this individuation, but the process can be sped up by doing some homework to find one's own truest prophetic voices.
The first thing that must be peeled away is the wanna-be facade. Many developing prophets go through a phase where they try to be a great prophet. They force or fabricate prophetic words, or annoyingly attribute every good thought to the Holy Spirit (as if He were a chatterbox). They push themselves on others, albeit subtly, and continually assert their gift. These wanna-be's get really weird really fast.
No great prophet ever tried to be a great prophet. He or she simply loved God with unprecedented romance and matured in Christlike character. God, in turn, lavished gifts and rewards all over that prophet. Wanna-be prophets need to lay down the prophetic obsession and rediscover the greatest commandments.
Once a prophet does this, he will find himself in Christ. He will find his truest identity and design. He will find all the nooks and crannies of his own prophetic personality. He will no longer hop on the current spiritual bandwagon, but he will find his own prophetic voice that creates fresh movements of all kinds wherever his voice is heard.
(4) education
The more I interact with the church, the more I realize how much we need education concerning New Testament prophecy. I am not referring only to Christians within prophecy-practicing circles, but to all subcultures within Christianity. Because my ministry is cross-denominational, I get a neat panoramic view of what's happening all across God's church. And, I come across many Christians who despise or fear prophecy, not necessarily because they do not believe in it, but because they feel that we, prophecy practitioners, have failed to educate and explain legitimately what we're doing and why.
Many critics of contemporary prophecy are NOT religious spirits. They are solid Christians asking solid questions that demand solid answers. For example, how and why are Old Testament and New Testament prophecy different? What is the relationship between Scripture and prophecy...isn't there a conflict of authority? What should be done to prophets who "miss it"? What are the safeguards so prophecy does not harm or mislead? Does prophecy even matter?
Some books have been written to answer these and other questions (Wayne Grudem, Michael Sullivant), but there needs to be much much more until the church (all of it) is flooded with more than enough educational tools.
LEAVING BABYHOOD: We can begin by educating our constituencies. In my case, the Lord led me to develop a website that comprehensively addresses every possible aspect of New Testament prophecy. The website is http://www.jdmprophecy.com/. It is still developing, but some of the pages are finished. I encourage you to check it out. More resources are in the works from JDM.
We need to teach and explain well guys. Take the time. Back up and slow down. Educate the people you prophesy to, individually and corporately. Help them understand prophecy, how it should be tested and prayed through. Explain its blessings and benefits, as well as its limitations and shortcomings. Explain why prophecy is necessary, even amidst a completed Bible. Explain the supremacy of Scripture, even amidst prophetic ministry. As prophecy moves up to a better place in 2009 and beyond, we must be prepared to explain and educate excellently concerning all aspects of New Testament prophecy.
Accountability
There is a spirit of truth that is coming that will expose the lies, the vain imaginations and reveal the hearts of men. There will be men raised up that we speak the truth and that truth will expose the lies, and those whom abuse the prophetic ministry for gain.
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