Thoughts on the prophetic
The prophetic, things I think about:
FOUNDATION:
I believe the prophetic gift given to the body of Christ functions both locally/regionally with a unique and often overlooked focus, one that emphasizes the church's foundation.
When the Ephesian 4 equipping gift of prophet functions locally...it is in residence, it is not a pilgrim spirit wandering into a community with a "word" but it dwells among and brings words out of fellowship in the body...words maybe like Dwell received about the coming year and the "two essentials"...where "in 2012 we would move into a greater revelation and more faithful expression of Christ the Head and His body the church, with an emphasis on foundation". The prophetic and apostolic are, at least in part, "foundational" building gifts (I Cor.3:10, Eph.2:20-22). The sending or "going" aspects of the apostolic and the predictive element of the prophetic often diminish an essential function of both...which is BUILDING, of setting things in order. Agabus in Acts 11:27-30 and Acts 21:10-14 moved in prophetic prediction. By the Spirit he predicted a famine and saw that Paul would be imprisoned. But though important, just as you can tell the value of something by its cost, you can also recognize the value of a STRUCTURE by the quality of its foundation.
The church is built on a ROCK or foundation that Christ Himself lays through genuine apostles and prophets the purpose, of course, is that it produces stability and growth in maturity that the gates of hell CANNOT prevail against. For instance, an ongoing revelation of Christ is brought, anchoring the church on solid ground. With the equipping of His church, there is a certain way and ORDER that God builds; that is, from the bottom up, beginning (not surprsingly) with foundation. Paul says in I Cor.14:30, “But all things should be done decently and in order”, especially as it pertains to the building of His house (see also I Cor.12:27,28). You don't put up dry wall before foundation is laid. A lot of people might get together but they won't take on the characteristics of His church unless it is built on the right foundation. This is how foundational gifts serve the body and it's often a neglected function of the prophetic...
THE EYE:
The prophetic gift functions as an "eye" to the body, (some folks like to use the term "seer", ugh) locating cracks and fissures in the foundation that if overlooked (or seen as inconsequential) would eventually cause the house to weaken and eventually collapse (Mt. 7:24-26). The idea is to bring to maturity "living stones", men and women of stature, immovable...a witness to the world of confidence and stability in the face of adversity (Eph.4:12-16).
The prophetic is also about casting vision with the apostolic, casting or imparting vision to the body, making the vision "plain". Jesus said "The eye is the lamp of the body. So if the eye is single (sound), the entire body will be full of light" (Matthew 6:22). In addition, the prophetic will bring "the word of God in season" recognizing and in synch with shifts in emphasis; the times and "kairos's" of God. A crucial part of the churches' present task is to understand what the Spirit of God is saying to the body...as Ecc.3:1 says, "For everything there is a SEASON, and a time and a purpose for every matter under heaven". And the prophetic also equips individuals in the body with eyes to see changing seasons in their own lives. The goal is to gather around what the Lord is saying, united, joined together, tethered to His word, discerning and receiving from the body of Christ.
And lastly the eye, the prophetic, brings forth revelation from the heart of God, from the Scriptures (see Luke 24:32, the two on the Road to Emmaus). This includes revelation of Christ...of Christ the Head, His surpassing greatness, more of His "unsearchable riches" and the mystery of His church. Too many have not had a recent, fresh unveiling of Jesus: that is, what is unshakable, tangible, life-giving and real. No wonder Paul prayed, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of REVELATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM, the EYES of our understanding being flooded with light".IDENTITY:
When this gift manifests, the Spirit also starts fanning into flame gifts in others, "The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward". There are gifts lying dormant needing to be activated, Paul said, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you...acknowledged by prophetic utterance" (I Ti.4:14, II Ti.1:6). Everyone can’t be everything, that’s not the way He set it up. But when gifts are activated it brings nourishment and health to the entire body. That’s why we reject independence and operate in mutual dependence in community ...we need each other’s supply of Christ. The equipping gifts are called to help the rest of the church become competent in their particular measure of grace, the prophetic also helping to confirm calling. Here you'll also see gift and calling in context with corporate vision and mission. We hear a lot about the general idea of "being a Christian" but not much about being discipled/equipped into our unique and specific calling, embodying the gift in maturity and humility. This gift helps form Christ in us (Gal.4:19), compelling us to forsake all that would hold us back and follow Him, serving Him by the Spirit in the context of community, with passion, love and renewed purpose.
ASCENSION ORDER/DESCENSION ORDER:
As you know, the Eph. 4:11 prophet should not be confused with the "motivational gift" of prophecy (Romans 12:6), which some believers have, or the gift of the "Spirit" of prophecy (I Cor. 12:10). Paul told us to DESIRE spiritual gifts, with the realization that without these spiritual endowments we are going to have to rely on our own abilities and strength to do the work of the ministry, meet the demands of everyday life, leaning on our own understanding, on mission, trying to help others. But the "ascension order" gifts (Eph.4:8,11) are the result of Christ ascending and delegating His spiritual authority to His appointed leadership to help equip and empower the church for its task. It is authority by gifting; a divine "measure of grace" given according to responsibility and function. He "captures" men and gives them to the church. Others may have the message (rhetoric) or method but God gives the measure; that certain "measure of grace" and rule in order to equip and empower the saints for the work of the ministry. (Eph.4:7,8,11, II Cor.10:13, I Cor.15:10). Though there isn't hierarchy, there are different gifts and where we find that authentic, recognizable ascension order grace of God...the fruit and life of Jesus, it is here that solid foundation is built and spiritual growth accelerated.
COMMITMENT:
The apostolic and prophetic inject commitment and faithfulness into a community's foundation. They are "prisoners of the Lord", walking in a manner worthy of their calling setting the tone for the rest of the body. Their role is to spearhead a wedge of commitment which inspires the saints to follow and use their own unique gifts to move forward. Prophetic gifting doesn't go with the flow, they create the flow. They "....transmit and entrust as a deposit to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also. (II Timothy 2:2). Paul set an example saying, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I WORKED HARDER than any of them, though it was not I, but the GRACE OF GOD that is in me." This helps to form a community into a "culture of commitment", one we see in Acts 11 in the church in Antioch. The prophetic imparts its commitment into foundation ala John the Baptist who, Jesus said, was a prophet of prophets, a true example, one not swayed by the wind or dressed in soft garments; no, here was heroic prophetic commitment, one who would forge a way for the Lord against impossible odds (Matthew 11:7-10). At any rate, there is an unmistakable legacy: a seal, or mark of commitment brought to the body by foundational gifts, Paul said, "Am I not an apostle? Are you yourselves not the product, proof and seal of my workmanship in the Lord?" We receive the Eph.4:11 deposit...the investment Christ has made in them, "considering the outcome of their way of life, and duplicating their faith.” Hebrews 13:7. They serve others "Christ in them", the treasure in the earthen vessel, what they themselves embody. People who are saved and never trained miss this foundational aspect of discipleship and there is often a negligible outcome, a never ending wobble in their walk...we can avoid this.
HEARING GOD:
There are so many voices. The prophetic gift is therefore given to help train the church to listen and recognize the voice of God, the voice of the Spirit. When the church is absent of the prophetic emphasis and without a prophetic voice, it is absent of the "ear" of the body; of hearing God. As a result there's little familiarity with the ability and reality of recognizing God's voice individually/corporately through Scripture; through teaching, in meetings, preaching, prayer, prophecy and the myriad other ways God speaks...hearing God working within you; in your spirit, in the inner man, hearing something. Jesus said in John 10 that "the sheep know my voice, a strangers voice they shall not hear". If that's not happening, if there is no community emphasis on it, you’ll be sitting there thinking, "I can’t say what I believe I heard. If I do, they’ll laugh. I’ll sound foolish. They won’t believe me. I’ll be ridiculous."
Meanwhile, this is FOUNDATIONAL to our faith...faith comes by hearing. If you had been exposed to the function of the prophet, what you would have noticed is somebody who confidently declares as normal that we can hear God, that they are hearing from God in some way every day of their life. And there is such assurance...the prophetic carries the weight of this without boastfulness or arrogance. And hearing God results in the body coming out of its silence, folks begin to speak, to see, to know...to report on what they are being impacted by out of relationship with God...there's excitement. Proverbs tells us that "where there is no ongoing prophetic revelation people perish", they get bored, they are distracted, they get lazy or become tainted by other voices and cast off restraint. But as a prophetic COMMUNITY...we get a corporate sense of the church functioning as “prophet” to the world in all sorts of different (creative) ways. I Sa.10:5,6, "After that you shall come to where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man".
There will be the distinguishing between the voice of God, the voice of the Spirit of God who speaks to the inner man and that voice that is NOT of God and tries to shout down the other. If a community is exposed to the prophetic it will never be at a point in its process where its members don't believe that they can hear from Him.
More to come....
