17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: Acts 2. 17/18
The Book of Acts declares that Jesus Christ is in heaven until the restoration of all things takes place. God is restoring back to His Church EVERYTHING the Church lost through tradition, apathy, indifference and even apostasy. The glorious Church of the last days is beginning to take shape as God is restoring the power, the glory and the passion of the early Church.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1 Cor. 12.27/28
God established each and every ministry in the Body with the specific purpose of sustaining it and providing order in it.
The apostle executes and governs God’s plans and purposes for His Church, the prophet reveals them, the teacher imparts their knowledge, the evangelist equips it for outreach, the pastor feeds and oversees the flock, the intercessors wage spiritual warfare, the psalmists and worshippers open up the heavens.
7Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his secrets unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3.7
Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Cr. 20.20b
The Hebrew word for believe is AMAN.
I understand that the prophetic ministry has been abused and misused, some of you may have been wounded by ministry that has done more harm than good, However, when you have experienced the blessings of the prophetic as I have, I firmly believe that God’s is restoring the private and corporate hearing of HIS voice to HIS people.
One of the primary reasons for these abuses is that the church leaders have failed to follow biblical direction, lacked knowledge to mentor and nurture the prophetic and therefore we have an abundance of immature prophets. Robert Stearns in his book Prepare the Way writes about some humorous examples of this.
Some prophecies out of Pentecostal Bible College:
Yeah, hath not I the Lord said unto you that a bird in hand is worth two in
the bush?
Yea, my children, as I was with Moses in the ark when the waters rose, so shall I be with thee, Oops. I meant Noah.
Yes my children, I say unto thee yea, verily, yea um yes amen.
O my children, I know that you are tired and wearied down. You are weary, discouraged and ready to give up, I know because I, the Lord your God feel the same way myself sometimes.
There are at least 10 reasons why the prophetic ministry is needed in the Church:
1. The Prophetic Word brings REVELATION. Acts 13. 1-4
We find here in Antioch the ministry of teachers and prophets. The prophets receive revelation from God, the teachers confirm and validate the word and then communicate it, and the apostles execute and carry out that which has been revealed by the Sprit of God.
Revelation is the fountain of prophecy, knowledge is the fountain of teaching and wisdom is the application of that which has been revealed and taught.
Apostolic passion is that of seeking and praying for God’s people to receive revelation, wisdom, knowledge and Spiritual intelligence so that we may walk worthy of God’s calling.
2. The prophetic word brings Transformation. 1. Samuel 10.1, 5/6, 10/11.
1Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
10And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
Samuel anoints and prophesies over Saul and David and radically transforms their lives. Saul prophesies and is TRANSFORMED into a different person.
The prophetic ministry recognizes the calling of an individual and anoints that person to their calling.
14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1 Tim. 4.14
God’s revelation lays the foundation for God’s Church. It was the revelation given to Peter that Jesus said was the rock upon which He would build His Church.
3. The prophetic word brings encouragement and confirmation. Acts 15.32
32And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. Acts 15.32
1 Cor. 14. 3 says that those that prophesy speak for three reasons:
• Edification
• Exhortation
• Comfort (Encouragement)
Proverbs 29.18 says that ‘Without vision the people perish’ other versions read “without prophecy people lose hope”
4. The prophetic word shakes the heavens and they shake the earth. Ezekiel 37.7
7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. Ez. 37.7
Puebla, Mex May 15th 1999
5. The prophetic word brings LIFE. It produces life to resurrect the dead, removes Sterility and brings REVIVAL by making it FERTIL. Ez. 37.10/12 and 2 Kings. 4.13/17
13And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. 2 Kings 4.13/7
(Gary’s Secretary 11 years married, Rich & Lynnae 7 years Married, Couple in CA 5 years married.)
Mary the mother of Jesus conceived the child when she received the word given by the angel and she declared ‘Let it be done unto me according to your word”
6. The prophetic word removes the Mountains. Zac. 4.7, Ez. 6.1/4
7Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
The mountains represent the obstacles of life. Jesus said that if you prophesy to the mountains and have no doubt in your heart that they shall be removed, you shall see them come to pass.
7. The prophetic word warns us of sin or judgment. 1 Samuel. 12 (Nathan to David), Jonah.
Word given by ACPE on Jan 25th 1999. Re Terrorism and Violence in Schools in USA.
8. The Prophetic word brings healing. 2 Kings 5.1/14
And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 2 Kings 5.3, 10, 14.
9. The prophetic word is sent to warn us of impending danger. Acts 20. 22.24, Acts 21. 4,9,10/12,14
Cesar Castellanos in Colombia.
10. The prophetic word brings prosperity. 2. Cr. 20.20b, 1 Kings 17. 9/16
When God gives you a word He is challenging you to battle for it to come to pass.
The prophetic word is a seed sown that will NOT return void. The prophet Isaiah understood the power of the spoken word as he declares in Isaiah 55.11
So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 2 Peter 1.19
The New Testament is full of dramatic accounts of people receiving supernatural revelation about the people they were ministering to in order to make their ministry more effective and to reveal God’s love for them . It is no different today.