The Handbook for Prophetic Ministry

By Jeremy S. Witherow

The Handbook for Prophetic Ministry equips leaders and believers for prophetic roles in the Church today. It offers one of the most detailed treatments available of the biblical, theological, and historical foundations, and the practical concerns for prophetic ministry. It not only answers key questions regarding prophecy and the role of the contemporary Christian prophet, it is designed to bring the reader into their own activation into prophecy. Jeremy Witherow’s volume is the modern comprehensive classic on prophetic ministry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664217188

Jeremy S. Witherow

Jeremy is an experienced and gifted teacher from New Zealand who holds a Bachelor of Ministries and a Master of Theology degree. He previously served as a pastor in Singapore for nearly a decade, and now serves the Body of Christ through an itinerant teaching, preaching, and prophetic ministry.

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Copyright © 2021 Jeremy S. Witherow.

Jeremy Witherow Ministries

www.jeremywitherow.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-1719-5 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 02/17/2021

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: THE NEW

AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975,

1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture quotations are noted by abbreviation:

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1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of

Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights

reserved.

RSV for The Holy Bible: THE REVISED STANDARD VERSION, © Copyright 1946,

1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of

the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

REB for The Holy Bible: REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE, © Copyright 1989 by Cambridge

University Press and Oxford University Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NEB for THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE, © Copyright 1961, 1970 by Cambridge

University Press and Oxford University Press. Used by permission. All rights

reserved.

CEV for The Holy Bible: THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION, ©

Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ASV for The Holy Bible: THE AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION, 1901 by

Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

GNB for The Holy Bible: THE GOOD NEWS BIBLE TRANSLATION, ©

Copyright 1992 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights

reserved.

Permission has been secured from the publishers and or authors of works from which more than five

hundred words have been quoted. Each of these works is documented fully in the endnotes. The author

gratefully acknowledges the permissions granted for use in this book by these publishers and authors.

CONTENTS

Introductory Note

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part One: Theological and Historical Foundations of Modern Prophetic Ministry

Section I: Foundational Concepts

1. The Nature of God and Modern Prophetic Ministry

2. Countering the Cessationist Viewpoint

Section II: Recent Historical Developments

3. The Recovery of Charismatic Gifts to the Church

4. An Emerging Prophetic Movement

Section III: The Prophetic Nature of the Church

5. The New Covenant Age of Spirit Democratization

6. The Prophetic Possibility of All Believers

Part Two: A Survey of Biblical Teaching (Old Testament)

7. Who Were the Prophets?

8. The Prophets Message

Part Three: A Survey of Biblical Teaching (New Testament)

Section I: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

9. The Nature of Charismatic Gifts

10. The Revelation Gifts of 1 Corinthians 12

Section II: The Framework for Christian Prophecy from 1 Corinthians 12–14

11. The Charismatic Gift of Prophecy

12. The Functional Objectives of Christian Prophecy

13. Love as the Motivation

14. The Limits of Christian Prophecy

III: Prophets and Prophecy in the Early Church

15. The New Testament Prophetic Office

16. Categories of Prophetic Believers in the Early Church

Part Four: Teaching and Practical Considerations for the Reception of Prophecy

17. Preliminary Instructions for Receiving Personal Prophecy

18. Essential Virtues for Fulfilling Personal Prophecy

19. The Three Characteristics of Personal Prophecy

20. Important Considerations When Receiving Personal Prophecy

21. Prophecy and Decision-Making

22. Leadership Handling of Corporate Prophecy

Part Five: Revelation and its Attendent Platforms

Section I: Revelation and Modes of Its Reception

23. The Nature of Prophetic Revelation

24. Categories and Types of Revelation

Section II: Channels of Prophetic Revelation

25. Prophetic Evangelism

26. Prophecy in Prayer and Spiritual Warfare

27. Prophetic Healing and Deliverance

28. Prophetic Counseling

29. Prophecy in Music and Song

30. Prophetic Preaching and Teaching

31. The Prophetic Presbytery

32. Prophetic Actions and Symbolic Enactments

Section III: Dreams as A Gateway of Prophetic Revelation

33. Prophecy in Dreams

34. The Three Dream Sources

35. Dream Interpretation

Part Six: Principles and Practical Considerations for the Activation of Prophecy

Section I: Processes to Ministering Prophecy

36. Hearing God’s Voice

37. Steps and Guidelines for the Release of Prophecy

38. Establishing Prophetic Ministry in the Local Church

Section II: Guidelines for Ministering Prophecy

39. Practical Considerations for the Delivery of Prophecy

40. Protocols in the Prophetic

Part Seven: Teaching and Practical Considerations for Evaluating Prophecy

41. The New Testament Precedent for Evaluating Prophecy

42. Principle Tests for Evaluating Christian Prophecy

43. The Authority of Christian Prophecy

44. Leadership Responsibility in the Public Evaluation of Prophecy

45. Unmasking False Prophets in the Church

Part Eight: The Prophet in the Church Today

Section I: Tasks and Responsibilities of Christian Prophets

46. The Role of the Prophet in the Church Today

47. The Prophetic Call

48. The Process of the Prophet’s Development

49. Accountability and the Prophet

50. Mentoring and the Prophet

Section II: Spiritual Formation and the Prophet

51. The Prophet as Spiritual Leader

52. The Devotional Life of the Prophet

Section III: Character Development and the Prophet

53. Character Requirements for Prophetic Ministry

54. Character Challenges and Heart Concerns for Prophets

AFTERWORD

ENDNOTES

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

For Jesus, the testimony of prophecy

Do not quench the Spirit;

do not despise prophetic utterances.

But examine everything carefully;

hold fast to that which is good;

abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

I n 2014, I released a book, titled: The Voice of Prophecy: Reclaiming God’s Guidance for Today’s Church . My goal for its writing was to provide the Body of Christ with a single, comprehensive volume on prophetic ministry, covering its biblical, theological, and historical dimensions. Much of the material was also dedicated to the practical dimension of prophecy—its activation, including the necessary guidelines for its delivery and handling. By God’s grace, the book was well received, which has been very gratifying to me as its author. I am indebted to the precious saints who took the time to read what was written and to offer valuable feedback. Another objective of The Voice of Prophecy was to provide a strong defense for the continuation of prophets and prophecy in order to reach that segment of the church historically opposed to contemporary prophetic ministry.

This latest volume, is for the most part, a revision of my earlier one, but with sufficient modification to warrant a name change. The shorter format of this Handbook reflects my desire to provide the church with a resource with a stronger ‘equipping’ focus. I believe this to be in keeping with the current needs of the majority of Christians seeking resources on the prophetic—who are less concerned with the wider historical and theological dimensions of prophetic ministry, but who are rather, wanting to be trained and equipped for this precious ministry. This has enabled me to considerably reduce the content and produce a smaller book, without compromising on any of the essential teaching contained in the original one. My prayer for this latest volume, is that it will prove to be a timely resource for activating believers into prophetic roles in the church and beyond.

Further research and continued personal experience in the prophetic has only served to strengthen the convictions I expressed in my original work. I have not changed my view on any major point, though, some of the illustrations and material has been reworked and updated. I trust that these revisions and the shorter format will make The Handbook for Prophetic Ministry even more accessible to those seeking a comprehensive understanding of modern prophetic ministry for its outworking in the church today.

Jeremy S. Witherow

PREFACE

R ecent days have seen a surge of interest in prophecy and prophets within the church. This can be traced back to the very beginnings of the Pentecostal Movement in the early twentieth-century: a vivid expression of Christianity that held baptism in the Holy Spirit as central to Christian life and witness. Pentecostals viewed the experience of the early church recorded in the book of Acts to be the normative pattern for Christian life and worship; the ability to speak in tongues was seen as the primary evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

It was from Pentecostalism through to the Charismatic renewal and the later Third Wave Movement,¹ emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit regained prominence in the life and teaching of the church. With the emergence of a Prophetic Movement, the focus then moved to that gift of the Holy Spirit which the apostle Paul especially encouraged the Corinthian believers to desire—prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1, 39a).

Since Reformation times, Protestant theology has generally defined prophecy in post-apostolic Christianity as the faithful preaching of God’s Word in the power of the Spirit. Pentecostals, Charismatics, and those in the Third Wave camp agree that preaching can and perhaps should be prophetic. However, they have determined prophecy as understood by the New Testament writers to be both forthtelling and foretelling. To Pentecostals, Charismatics and Third Wave believers, preaching is the setting forth of scriptural truths; prophecy is the communication of revelation received from the Holy Spirit.

Preaching has for its theme either the Good News of Jesus Christ or the exposition of Christian doctrine as found in Scripture. Prophecy is the supernatural revelation of things to the one prophesying which could not be known by ordinary means. Prophecy may certainly allude to the teaching of Scripture or the promises of God, but true prophecy neither adds to nor takes away from Scripture.

As a gift of the Spirit and operation of God, prophecy is given for the benefit of the Body of Christ. As Christ is the Head of the Body, prophecy the Holy Spirit inspires will have the ultimate effect of drawing people to Christ and establishing them firmly in Him. A verse repeated throughout this book is Revelation 19:10c: For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. While prophecy does not always draw upon the Gospel, it will never suggest, imply, or teach anything that is contrary to Scripture, the lordship of Christ, or biblical truth; to Christ’s return; to the purity of our faith, hope, and love; or to the wisdom that is from above.

Later in our study, we will look closely at the matters of discernment and accountability in prophecy. For now, it is enough to say that Paul himself expressly commanded the Thessalonian believers not to despise prophetic utterances (1 Thess. 5:20). Taking the apostle’s words prima facie, while noting the absence of anything in the New Testament suggesting prophecy should be withdrawn from the church, it is our responsibility to affirm and uphold it.

This brings me to the reason for this book. It is my heart’s desire that credible, biblical prophetic ministry be restored to its rightful place within the Body of Christ: within a firm framework of accountability—not displacing or usurping the ministry of the Word, but serving alongside it; not functioning as a vehicle for novel, strange, and false doctrines, but for the edification, exhortation, and consolation of God’s people; not giving false prophets a platform from which to deceive, seduce, and draw believers away from Christ, but through Spirit-endowed counsel, pointing believers back to Him.

I have also written for the following reasons:

• Out of conviction: God has always intended for prophetic ministry to function throughout the duration of the church era—the last days of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:16–21);

• Out of the need to challenge the faulty historical view that prophets and prophecy ceased long ago;

• Out of concern over the confusions, misunderstandings, and assumptions often associated with prophetic ministry that have obscured it or led to its dismissal;

• Out of heartfelt care for the countless believers who are being denied the benefit of prophecy due to their leaders’ unchallenged assumptions;

• Out of the need for clarity and a biblically defensible theology of prophecy to govern its practice within today’s church;

• Out of the need of every believer for the comfort, exhortation, and edification that the Holy Spirit brings through inspired words of revelation;

• Out of concern over abusive, unaccountable, shallow, and counterfeit prophetic ministry, which often goes unchallenged and is detrimental to the cause of true prophetic restoration;

• Out of appreciation for the prophetic input I have personally received over three decades that has served as a tremendous source of encouragement and guidance in my walk with the Lord; and

• Out of prayer that the church, by understanding its prophetic identity and pursuing this superlative gift of the Holy Spirit, would be used by the Lord to bring many to Himself.

In writing this book, my goal has been to provide the Body of Christ with a handbook on prophetic ministry, covering all its key aspects: its biblical basis and theological justification; its history from Bible times to the present day; its practical dimensions and guidelines; and relevant examples drawn from its contemporary practice in today’s church, including examples drawn from my own ministry experience. Thus, I have attempted to present a biblically accurate theology of prophetic ministry for its modern expression.

This book is designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of people. An obvious audience is prophets and the prophetically gifted, and individuals wishing to explore and understand their prophetic potential. Christian leaders will also benefit. However, I trust it will also serve those who are thinking about prophetic ministry for the first time as well as those seeking a resource to validate the ministry’s existence.

I pray that this work will prove a useful resource for those responsible for educating God’s people. A particular desire of mine is to help pastors embrace prophetic ministry while minimizing and managing the associated risks.

This book is written with the core conviction that all Spirit-filled believers can prophesy on the basis of the Pentecost fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out His Spirit on all people … and they will prophesy (Acts 2:17–18, NIV; cf. Joel 2:28–29). This is why Paul could thus instruct the whole Christian assembly at Corinth, you can all prophesy one by one (1 Cor. 14:31). Thus, a definite purpose of this book is to equip the reader in their own experience of prophecy—whether receiving prophecy, ministering prophecy to others, or taking up for the first-time Paul’s challenge to desire earnestly to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1, 39a).

Bearing in mind that the people of God are the ultimate beneficiaries of prophetic ministry, I have tried to keep a pastoral focus throughout. This has required devoting time to expound on poor practices, the various pitfalls often associated with prophetic ministry, and the main character issues which hinder its healthy practice. Although each chapter follows a somewhat logical progression and builds upon previous ones, I have to some extent endeavored to present each in a standalone fashion to give the reader flexibility in approaching the material—a format that has made some repetition unavoidable.

Common questions regarding prophetic ministry I have addressed include:

• Can all Christians prophesy?

• I sometimes know things about people or dream about certain events in advance; does this mean that I am prophetically gifted or does it make me a prophet?

• How would I know if God had called me to be a prophet?

• What is the purpose of prophecy?

• Since prophecy comes from God, why does it need evaluating?

• How would I know if a personal prophecy I received is accurate?

• What authority do we assign to contemporary prophecy?

• How is prophecy to be spoken and what words are to be used?

• How would I know if God wanted me to prophesy?

• What happens once I receive a personal prophecy?

• Are there biblical guidelines for protecting and preserving a prophetic ministry?

• What is false prophecy? How would I know if someone is a false prophet?

• What are the biblical guidelines for assessing a prophet’s performance and effectiveness?

• How much does a prophet really know?

• How do Christian prophets differ from Old Testament prophets?

• What else do prophets do besides prophesy?

• Are prophets entitled to any special privileges as servants of the Lord?

• How are prophets to function alongside other Christian leaders? Do they have authority over them?

As to my own credentials, I was first exposed to prophetic ministry some thirty years ago as a newly born-again believer—the same time I began my journey as a student of the Spirit’s gifts. More than twenty years ago, I left my career as a chef to enter seminary, where I gained a Bachelor of Ministries and a Master of Theology degree. Since my graduation, I have served as a pastor in local-church ministry for a decade, and for the past five years, I have served the Body of Christ through an itinerant teaching, preaching, and prophetic ministry. A special passion of mine is conducting prophetic equipping seminars and workshops in order to activate believers into prophetic roles. Admittedly, I still have much to learn.

Finally, none of what follows purports to be the final word on prophetic ministry. It is my hope and prayer that in the days to come the Lord will raise up other teachers and prophets to bring greater clarity and light to these matters.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am especially indebted to the many servants of God who have gone before me and who have written and taught extensively on this important topic. I have built so much of what follows upon their labors.

I am also indebted to my mother Janice who greatly encouraged me in my writing endeavor; my brother Richard for his careful editing of the entire manuscript, and that brother in Christ who gave it some ‘polish.’ I also wish to acknowledge the friends and Christian leaders who cheered me along the way and who gave me precious feedback. Much love and appreciation!

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

My Own Story

I had been curious about spiritual matters from a young age. The idea that a spirit realm existed beyond that of the senses greatly appealed to me. I reasoned that it would surely offer something exciting, that would satisfy my craving to connect with the intangible. The Catholic Church I had attended until the age of fifteen had failed to offer a taste of the spiritual reality I hungered for, so I began looking for it in other places.

First, I began reading books on the paranormal, before experimenting with the Ouija board and a few other dangerous and occultic practices. However, it was not long before I realized that dabbling in the dark side came at a cost. So I turned instead to the New Age Movement—believing it to be more benign—embracing Transcendental Meditation and a host of other practices and techniques. I felt spiritually stimulated—but never completely satisfied.

My involvement with these things continued into my early twenties. However, the first sign of change came when my eldest brother Simon joined a Pentecostal church. One Easter I traveled to his city and found him full of Christian zeal. He immediately began sharing his faith, telling me about the massive changes he had experienced since turning his life to Christ. He spoke candidly about my New Age religion, telling me that the source of its power was not of God, adding that I needed to stop what I was doing. Later that afternoon, which happened to be Easter Friday, we had another conversation in which Simon began telling me in earnest that I needed to be born again—a phrase I had heard on occasion and associated with religious zealots—the type of folk I had little time for. As soon as he said this, he walked over to the television set and switched it on. Immediately, a scene from an old Gospel movie glowed on the screen: it was Jesus, talking to Nicodemus and telling him, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Needless to say, Simon now had my full attention!

I returned home after Easter, and although I now had strong doubts about my spiritual involvements, I stubbornly continued along my path of self-enlightenment, and life went on as before.

Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit began to tug at my heart over the next year. One night, I knelt by my bed and prayed the sinner’s prayer. The catalyst for this was a book I had come across on the end times. It had sufficiently frightened me into praying the repentance prayer shown in the book’s appendix. Although my lifestyle hardly changed, it seemed right to pray this prayer, since I was heading overseas the next day for the big Overseas Experience, a tradition undertaken by many young New Zealanders.

Though I was not aware of any immediate change after praying that prayer, it dawned on me a couple of months later while travelling that my heart had softened. I didn’t get as angry as I used to, and I began to feel a growing urge to pray. Although I had not consistently prayed for years except during times of crisis, I now discovered a deep satisfaction when talking to God each night just before I fell asleep.

Several months later, as I was making my way home to New Zealand via the East, I decided one afternoon to take a swim in the warm Indian Ocean. I had only been in the water for a few seconds when I found myself being dragged out to sea by a powerful rip current. At the same time, huge waves crashed upon me, one after another, tossing me around like a rag doll in a giant washing machine. I knew that unless I was rescued I would drown.

As my aching lungs grabbed for air, a thought came to me that maybe the God I had been talking to lately could help, since nobody on the beach seemed aware of my predicament. I had nothing to lose, and so in between gasps, I called out to God for help.

Amazingly, the raging waves began to soften and the deadly grip of the rip current relaxed around me. Even though I was weak, I found enough strength to swim back to shore, before collapsing on the sand.

Over the next couple of weeks, I tried to make sense of my brush with death. This led me to ask God what His purpose for my life was, since it had become clear it wasn’t my time yet. Then, one night in a ramshackle jungle hut on a small Malaysian island, while feeling sorry for myself, I began to pour out my heart to God for the first time in my life.

Suddenly, His powerful presence began to fill the room. I then felt what can only be described as the sensation of warm oil pouring over my head and down over my body, as waves of God’s love surged over me. Having lost all inhibition, I began to praise God in a way I had never praised Him before, before suddenly breaking out in a new tongue. I learned later that I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. His energizing presence saturated me and filled me with a joy I had never known. With this came the certainty of the reality of Jesus Christ and that He was the One I had been seeking my entire life. He was the answer to all my confusion and spiritual emptiness.

A few weeks later I was back in New Zealand, and God soon led me to the city where my brother Simon lived, who wasted no time inviting me to an evangelistic rally being held at a local high school. At the end of his message, the evangelist gave an appeal for all who wanted to receive Christ to come forward. Gripped by conviction, I went forward to publicly surrender my life to Christ. Straightaway I began attending my brother’s church and told my family and everyone around me that I had become a Christian. I immediately renounced all involvement with the New Age and quit my twice-daily practice of Transcendental Meditation.

A God Who Speaks

Several weeks later I was in for another surprise. The church I had begun attending invited an evangelist from another city to conduct a few meetings over the weekend. I would later find out that in addition to his gift of evangelism, this man had a strong prophetic gifting. It was during his visit that I first witnessed the revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation and came to learn that God was still speaking to people today.

I had witnessed the activity of psychics and mediums who claimed to consult with the spirits of the dead: who read people’s lives, telling them things about themselves and predicting events in their future. In fact, I had consulted one such man while backpacking through the East. Much to my surprise, he accurately revealed some details about my life and information about members of my family. He also made predictions about my future. I have since learned that the source of such knowledge is familiar spirits¹ that are neither from God nor speak for His good. Conversely, what I witnessed during my first encounter with prophetic ministry in that meeting was something of an altogether different nature from the counterfeit and deceptive guidance of the spiritual gurus.

I observed that while the evangelist was praying for people, he would speak to them of their life circumstances: mentioning things they had gone through and revealing where God was leading them. At first, I was completely surprised, since I had no idea that this type of phenomenon occurred in contemporary Christianity. I knew there were prophets in the Bible but had been led to believe they no longer existed.

The words of prophecy spoken through the evangelist also had a different tone from those of the diviners I had listened to or heard about. They brimmed with hope and promise, unfolding potential. They did not target their hearer’s love-life or promise them financial prosperity, nor did they instill fear by warning of calamity unless the individual followed the speaker’s advice. My mother’s life, for example, had been riddled with fear and put on hold years earlier following a psychic’s warning of a green truck that she needed to avoid when driving.

After the meeting, I was talking excitedly to a church member about what I had just witnessed and firing questions at him. He casually explained that what I had observed was the operation of revelation gifts given by the Holy Spirit such as prophecy and the word of knowledge. He mentioned that I should read the book of Acts to better understand these. He went on to say that the Bible contained numerous stories of God speaking to people. He finished by saying, Nowhere does it say in the Bible that God would one day stop speaking to people—He’s still talking today!

I could no longer contain myself and blurted out, Why hasn’t anybody ever told me this before? Looking a little surprised, he asked me what I meant. I began to explain how I had attended the Catholic Church and even Catholic schools for years and was taught that God no longer performed miracles or supernaturally revealed Himself to people as He had done in Bible times. That happened in the past, but not anymore, I was told as an inquisitive seven-year-old.

I went on to relate how I spent years trying to find some kind of spiritual reality because—and I had just made the connection—I was desperate for God to speak to me and to know my life mattered to Him. To know that there was an all-powerful Creator who was not impartial or unresponsive, but who really cared about me, and who wanted me to know that!

This was the beginning of what would become the most significant worldview shift in my Christian life. My new mission was to tell people that God still speaks today, an understanding that fit perfectly with what I had recently come to know about Him. Since God had rescued me from the waves, it made perfect sense that He would want some kind of relationship with me and would have things He wanted to tell me—a fact true of any two-way relationship. My conversion, my baptism in the Holy Spirit, and finally this astounding new revelation that God still speaks to us in a personal way revolutionized my outlook on life.

An Often-Overlooked Truth

To this day, I am deeply concerned that many Christian leaders do not adequately teach this basic truth of Christianity: that God continues to communicate with His people—even supernaturally. Over the years I have rubbed shoulders with leaders and believers from every major denomination, yet I am continually amazed at how many struggle with what appears to me to be a basic, biblical concept. I am also astounded at the unhealthy level of suspicion that persists among many who claim to be Bible-believing Christians. Their body language is telling when someone claims to have received a message from God: eyes glaze over, a smirk appears, and fidgeting ensues. In some circles today, to even hint that prophets and prophecy still continue in the church is to risk being labeled a zealot, unbalanced, or possibly some kind of heretic.

Sadly, the fixed and unalterable theological views of many churches have effectively cut people off from the possibility of encountering God’s prophetic voice for themselves. As a result, many of our churches are full of people who flounder in their faith year after year. They may have received thorough instruction in the doctrines of the faith, but their hearts still long to experience the God they have read about in the Bible—who made Himself known to everyday men and women through revelation and prophecy. God no longer does this, scores of church leaders tell their members. Countless leaders throughout Christendom have for centuries quenched prophetic ministry by conditioning their congregations to believe that the Bible replaces any need we have for prophecy and prophets today. The reality is that churches that have rejected the Spirit’s empowerment through charismatic gifts have become increasingly irrelevant and unable to reach the world, a fact attested to by their dwindling numbers. Churches that substitute religious activity for the Spirit’s power predictably take on a religious spirit, resulting in a form of godliness that is devoid of God’s power (cf. 2 Tim. 3:5).

When the truths of who we are in Christ and how much we are loved by Him are brought powerfully home to our hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit, we can respond to God with heartfelt love and faith. Yet how many who believe have ceased to feel the power and wonder of God’s love? How many stumble from day to day, weary, brokenhearted, defeated? This is where the ministry of prophecy can be so effective; for the one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation (1 Cor. 14:3). Whether it is a promise of God in Scripture that is powerfully applied to a hurting heart through prophecy; whether it is the reassurance in prophetic words that God knows what we are going through and is right beside us; whether it is the provision of inspired direction when we feel bewildered and lost; or whether it is through the revelation of our heart’s secrets that we are again brought squarely to the acknowledgement that God is with us and desires our repentance and faith. Words of prophecy can act as conduits of these blessings and more. What follows in the pages ahead is my conviction that God has established prophetic ministry in all its forms as a legitimate expression of His voice in the church and beyond.

My Approach for the Topic at Hand

I will explore the topic of prophetic ministry from eight angles in this book. In Part One, we will consider the theological and historical foundations of modern prophetic ministry. Part Two examines the prophetic tradition of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament, and the nature of the prophets’ message. Part Three consists of a survey of key portions of 1 Corinthians 12–14, from where we locate the revelatory gifts of the Spirit and the biblical framework for the practice of Christian prophecy. The concluding section of Part Three consists of a brief survey of the prophetic office in the New Testament, as well as identifying the various categories of prophetic individuals who ministered in the life of the early church. The topic of Part Four is on the reception of prophecy, which includes practical considerations for its handling and what is needed for its fulfillment. Part Five consists of a survey of prophetic revelation in the church age, looking at its nature, how it is received, and the channels through which it is communicated. The focus of Part Six is on the practical activation into prophecy and important guidelines for its effective delivery. Part Seven brings into view the evaluative requirement of Christian prophecy, along with the tests for discerning the source of revelatory speech in the church age. Part Eight completes our study, with an examination of the prophetic office in the church today. Here we will observe the roles and responsibilities of the Christian prophet, before turning our attention to the prophets’ ‘inner’ life, where we look at the spiritual and character requirements for prophetic ministry, and common pitfalls to be avoided.

The sum of the above eight parts is intended to facilitate responsible and credible demonstrations of prophetic ministry in today’s church. My prayer is that as you read this book, you will encounter the same life-giving Spirit who worked mightily in the biblical prophets and experience an activation into prophecy. May you receive it in the love, spirit, and concern in which it is written. God’s richest blessing!

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PART ONE

THEOLOGICAL AND

HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

OF MODERN PROPHETIC

MINISTRY

SECTION I

FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS

CHAPTER 1

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The Nature of God and Modern

Prophetic Ministry

I n its scriptural context, prophecy is essentially a message from God, received and spoken through a human intermediary, to a particular audience. In its New Testament context, prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit for the edification, exhortation, and consolation of God’s people (1 Cor. 14:3). Beyond this, and according to the apostle Paul’s own testimony, prophecy can even compel unbelievers to acknowledge the presence and reality of God where it is spoken (1 Cor. 14:24–25). It is the transcendent quality of prophecy—to extend the borders of God’s kingdom and to reclaim human hearts, which makes prophecy so important for today’s church.

Nonetheless, there are conflicting views within the church over the validity and necessity of contemporary prophetic ministry, making it is necessary to begin our first section with a defense of its existence. While those from within the Pentecostal tradition and its Charismatic and Third Wave offshoots have embraced the revelatory operations of the Spirit and believe prophetic ministry to be vital for the church, another segment adopts a staunchly cessationist stance, arguing that because God has adequately revealed Himself in the Bible, we have no need for further revelations. Still, other Christians are simply unsure about the matter, perhaps because they have never witnessed true prophetic ministry, and do not feel the need to pursue it further.

That the ministry of prophecy is intended to continue throughout the church age is evident from the following four points. Each provide compelling, biblical justification for the ongoing relevance of prophetic ministry—justification that proceeds from the nature of God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture and through the testimony of the Holy Spirit. This makes plain that God’s great love for those created in His image impels Him to continue speaking to humanity in this very day through the instrument of prophecy.

1. God Speaks Through Revelation

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet … you shall listen to him (Deut. 18:15).

Prophecy has been a consistent point of contact between God and humanity throughout the entire continuum of revealed history. From Genesis to Revelation, God communicated His will to the world through the prophets. He raised up these intermediaries to guide kings, to instruct military commanders, and to plead with His people to remain constant to the covenant. Through the prophetic word, God continually demonstrated His sovereign rule over history and time and asserted His power in and over creation.

God ordained the prophets to be mediators of His plans and purposes, information they received by standing in His holy council (Jer. 23:18, 22). As privileged onlookers, prophets had advance knowledge of what God would do before He acted in history. As Amos once stated, Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). Hence, the prophet maintained a holy familiarity with God and was, in turn, held close to God’s own heart. The emphatic warning given to Israel to do my prophets no harm affirms this (1 Chr. 16:22).

From the very beginning of the church, prophets were present, active in its Gospel mission, and pillars of its various assemblies. Jesus obviously expected prophetic ministry to continue under the New Covenant, for He states, He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward (Matt. 10:41). The primary significance of this proverb, however, is the way it simultaneously captures two important ideas: first, that a prophet has a reward, and so is highly esteemed by God; second, that those who receive a prophet will share that esteem and that reward. When believers value the ministry of the prophet, they become benefactors of a reward. They will not only reap spiritual riches from it in the here and now but also store up for themselves heavenly riches in the coming kingdom.

Prophecy Confirms, Affirms, Directs

Prophecy reveals something of the state of things from God’s perspective. It is capable of delivering a jolt of spiritual power that can turn lives around—or bring them back from the brink. This is especially true when prophecy is conveyed by a complete stranger, far removed from our personal lives.

A seminary student once told me about the uncertainty he felt over his future as his graduation drew nearer. Since he lived on campus, he was given the task of locking the library each night. While performing this duty one night, he noticed another student in the library and politely asked him to exit the library so that he could lock up for the night. Although neither men had ever spoken before, the student asked to leave replied, Yes pastor, I’m leaving now. Taken aback, the first student approached him, asking, What makes you think I’m a pastor? The second student said simply, I believe God wants to make you a great pastor, and then asked if he could pray that God would confirm this to him.

The man about to finish his studies was impacted by this encounter, since he had been asking God just that week about his life following graduation. Shortly afterwards, the senior pastor of his overseas home church called him to ask if he would prayerfully consider joining the pastoral team upon graduation. That simple dialogue in the library helped confirm his ministry calling, giving him the confidence to accept the post.

Provided they are believed and acted upon, prophetic words can transform lives. This is because a true prophetic word comes from God and houses His power and intent to bring about what it speaks of. A prophecy that declares God’s intention to restore a person’s damaged emotions carries with it not just the prescription but also the medicine required. Likewise, a prophecy that calls you to a congregational teaching role will not leave you searching for the missing talent to teach.

Although a personal prophecy may tell of events that are years in the making, the encouragement prophecy provides is often instantaneous. Like a light piercing the surrounding darkness, a prophetic word can rekindle hope where it had been extinguished, lifting the countenance as the power of the prophetic word takes hold.

For many Christians, personal prophecy is the answer to the legitimate need for affirmation and direction. On numerous occasions I have ministered to believers from non-charismatic churches, and most times God had something positive and often highly personal to say to them. One young man I ministered to was more than slightly suspicious of contemporary prophecy. But as I was praying for him, I was able to discern that he came from a longline of pastors and that he himself was called to pastoral ministry. The young man, a Bible college student, was amazed, as the information was accurate. He went on to mention that he needed to reevaluate his thinking about extra-biblical revelation. Indeed, a credible demonstration of prophecy is powerful enough to trump faulty theological mindsets.

2. God Loves People

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8).

While prophecy is a channel God has ordained through which His voice is heard, the reason for its existence is equally simple and profound—He loves people.

Humanity, broken by the Fall and cut off from a holy God, has become the object of divine goodness and mercy. This is supremely seen in the Son of God taking on flesh and offering His own pure and spotless life to the Father as the propitiation for the world’s sin (1 John 4:10).

Arguably the most famous of all Christian verses is John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This verse is sometimes referred to as the Gospel in a nutshell, because it succinctly captures what lies at the heart of the Christian message. The love of God is selfless, self-giving, unconditional, and sacrificial; this is how God loves people. God chooses to love in this manner, not because we are deserving of His love, but because He is love. God’s divine nature is best summed up by that one word. And God is unashamed to let the world know this fact. The very glory of creation reveals the boundless love of God. His love is written in the sands and carved onto the mountains.

Following his downward spiral into adultery, deception, and murder, King David repented and began to understand something of God’s immeasurable love. In Psalm 103, he acknowledged that God does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities (v. 10, NIV).

The apostle Paul received a similar revelation of the love of God: while he was living as an enemy of the cross, Christ died for his sin (Rom. 5:8).

What distinguishes God’s love from our own is that He freely pours it out, even while we are still His enemies. In human relationships, people expect a return on their giving; the phrase, what’s in it for me? is all-too-common. In fact, we are repelled by the idea of a relationship that demands more giving than receiving. For those caught in this dilemma, the accepted wisdom is to abandon that relationship altogether and look for another that requires less emotional drain. God, on the other hand, loves freely and without measure.

It is because God is love and does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9), that He still speaks, pleads, counsels, and guides through the prophetic word. In addition, God often uses prophecy to reveal His intention to restore, heal, build up, reconcile, and make new. It ministers to the Body of Christ through words of consolation, encouragement, and direction, drawing the hearts of His people back to Himself; it ministers to the world by revealing the omniscient God who calls all to partake freely of His forgiveness and fellowship through Jesus Christ His Son. Through each accomplishment of prophecy, God’s loving nature is affirmed and brought into view.

3. God Desires Relationship

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ (Gen. 3:9).

Deism is the belief that asserts the existence of God but denies His personal involvement with creation. It could be said to represent the best efforts of human reason to accommodate the idea of God in a world that appears to offer little direct evidence of Him. The Bible paints a different picture, however. Not only does it assert that God is actively involved and present in creation, but it reveals Him to be the leading character on the stage of world history.

The opening chapters of Genesis make plain that God’s intention for the people made in His image was that they maintain an intimate and constant relationship with Him. Immediately after fashioning man from the dust and forming a mate from his rib, God placed both man and woman in a perfectly balanced, abundant environment (1:28). The Garden was not only a place where the Lord was visibly accessible to Adam and Eve, but also where He initiated contact with them (cf. 3:8–9). This special privilege given to the first human couple was intended for all future generations to enjoy.

Further on we read how disobeying the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought sin and its shame into Adam and Eve’s perfect existence, rupturing their relationship with the Creator (3:6–24). With their exile from Eden, they also forfeited the ability to commune face-to-face with God, a precedent which has continued into every generation since.

However, Jesus Christ, the promised seed of the woman, has bruised the serpent’s head, destroying the body of sin in His own body, tearing down the wall between humanity and God (Matt. 27:50–51). Through His death and resurrection, the second Adam restores to those who believe what had been lost through Adam and Eve’s disobedience. The blanket of spiritual darkness obscuring the light of God is lifted in Christ (2 Cor. 3:14–16).

When we turn to Christ, our spirit comes alive to God, even though He is not visibly accessible to us in the way He originally was to Adam and Eve. Just because we do not physically see God, however, does not mean that He is distant or uninvolved in our lives. Rather, the invisibility of God is now a call for humankind to approach Him through eyes of faith, believing without physical eyes, a simple trust He has promised to reward (John 20:29; Heb. 11:6). Adam and Eve did not need faith to see God, as He was not hidden from their senses. Believers will not enjoy this kind of fellowship with God until they enter into His eternal rest. In the meantime, those who trust in Christ receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is intimately involved in guiding our lives: But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come (John 16:13).

The entire biblical record confirms God’s desire for relational intimacy with His people and His willingness to convey His thoughts to them. In the Old Testament, the Lord brought His word to all kinds of folk, from simple farmers to powerful kings. In New Testament times, Jesus Himself touched the lives of countless individuals, from the sick, destitute, and outcast to the learned and pious. Jesus Christ was God’s ultimate act of communication, the proof of His desire to draw near to each one of us.

The man after God’s own heart, David, carried a keen awareness of God’s presence and of His continual longing for intimacy, something he expressed in Psalm 139:17–18a: How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand (NIV).

Our Creator God is unceasing in His thoughts towards us; these emerge from a heart that spills over with love and compassion. Prophecy captures these thoughts and puts them plainly into words. Though, more than mere words, they encapsulate God’s life-giving power to bring all His redemptive promises into fulfillment.

Despite Satan’s attempts to deceive us into thinking that God is distant and uncaring, the message of prophecy, which culminates in the immediacy of God’s presence, testifies time and again of the Lord’s complete knowledge of us, and of His desire that we would draw near to Him.

4. People Belong to God

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine (Job 41:11).

When Paul needed to write to the Corinthians about the ongoing problem of sexual immorality in the congregation, he reminded them about divine ownership of their lives: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Cor. 6:19, NIV). The apostle concluded his caution with these sobering words: For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (v. 20). As Christians, we have been forgiven and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, and our bodies have become a temple—a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.

Since earliest times, God has formalized His ownership of His people through the covenant. The covenant represents God’s irrevocable promise to be our God; on our part, it calls for a reciprocal commitment of faith and obedience. As Christians, we do not live under a covenant of works with legal stipulations, like the Law of Moses; we live in Christ, under the covenant enacted by His precious blood. Every good work, every service, every gift, and every spiritual sacrifice is to be offered to God because we are already righteous in Christ, and through the presence of His Spirit, we delight to do His will. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

Throughout history, all of God’s covenants have had this in common: they bind God’s people together in an intimate relationship with Him. The covenant has always been God’s initiative and invitation for His people to participate in His love, grace, and provision. It is through understanding the nature of the covenant and its benefits that we gain a deeper appreciation of what it means to belong to God.

Under the New Covenant, God has called us to become the children of His adoption—sons and daughters of the Most High. He has given each one of us a special role and unique gifts within His family. In writing to encourage the Ephesian believers in the faith, Paul affirmed that they were people of purpose and destiny: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph. 2:10).

The Lord often uses prophecy to remind His people of the roles and responsibilities they have been handed, so they might participate in them, and in doing so, fulfill their destiny.

The Continuing Voice of Prophecy

When Jesus walked this earth as a man, He could only be in one place at one time. Following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Lord makes His home with every believer through the indwelling Spirit. Our privilege as Christians is we have continual access to the High Priest of our confession, who is always interceding on our behalf, whose voice may be heard at various times and ways through His Spirit.

Some may ask at this point: if God guides His children according to His direct voice, why is prophecy still needed? It is certain that if we are walking closely with our Good Shepherd, we will know His voice and His leading. Even so, there are times when God may wish to reveal something in our present or future in order to draw us closer to Him; to this end He may use prophecy.

Sometimes prophecy brings to light something completely new and unforeseen; at other times it simply serves to confirm what we have already come to know as a result of walking with the Lord. A New Testament example of the latter is found in the life of Paul. During his final missionary journey, the apostle received repeated warning through the inner voice of the Holy Spirit of bonds and afflictions awaiting him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23). A little later he met a group of disciples in Tyre who through the Spirit had also learned of his imminent arrest (21:4). This was followed by an encounter with the prophet Agabus, who intercepted Paul in Caesarea and predicted that he would be captured by the Jews at Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles (v. 11). While Paul already knew these things through the Spirit’s witness, the Lord used others to provide additional confirmation. It suffices to say that this illustrates the intimate voice of God, closely communicating with His loved ones by means of the prophetic word.

The four points briefly surveyed, provide sufficient biblical and theological justification for the continuation of prophecy for the church today. Since the dawn of creation, God has communicated His love to His people through revelation—making known His desire for relationship. This highlights the importance as well as the necessity of prophecy for the modern church.

CHAPTER 2

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Countering the Cessationist Viewpoint

You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours (Jer. 32:20, NIV).

A position widely held by the mainstream church throughout history states that charismatic gifts and offices ceased operating sometime in the first century. This doctrine or belief, commonly called cessationism or dispensational cessationism, holds sway in many churches and seminaries of traditional Protestant heritage. It is for this reason that many members of such denominations do not actively seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This chapter will be of particular benefit both to those who have been influenced by cessationist teaching as well as for those who have been tasked with validating the gifts of the Spirit in environments traditionally opposed to them.

What Cessationists Believe

The most common explanation for the apparent disappearance of the charismata (all the charismatic gifts) is that God intentionally withdrew them from the church because they had served their purpose and were no longer needed. Underlying this belief is the belief that these extraordinary gifts were given at Pentecost to the new-born church to launch it with power into a hostile world: to confirm both the testimony of the first apostles and the apostles themselves as ambassadors of the risen Christ. Upon their death and the passing of their ministry to those appointed by them, these special graces were withdrawn. In other words, they were commensurate with foundational apostolic ministry; the passing of the one necessitated the passing of the other.

Another variation on this theme holds that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit ceased with the completion of the biblical canon, either when its final form was fixed in the fourth century A.D. or some time not long after the final document was composed, in the first century A.D. According to this viewpoint, the Spirit’s gifts were never meant to be lasting for the church, but only to serve as a supernatural enablement for the infant church until the Word of God in its entirety was brought forth.

An Unbiblical Assumption

These arguments might well seem plausible in light of historical evidence, which seems to suggest that to a large extent the gifts of the Spirit disappeared or at least lose prominence among ordinary believers as the book of Acts and some of Paul’s writings indicate they once were. Scripture also makes it clear that they are temporary. But is it correct to draw the inference that because the gifts are temporary, they can never again be contemporary? This conclusion does not come from an impartial reading of the New Testament, but rather from interpreting Scripture according to the times. The passage most commonly put forward as evidence of their expiration is 1 Corinthians 13:8–12—which is ironic, inasmuch as this passage is couched within lengthy instruction on the proper use of the gifts in the church! As we will discuss below, this passage on love—perhaps the most famous of Paul’s writings—has a more plain-sense interpretation.

To stay true to their convictions, cessationists are required to dismiss any contemporary claim to charismatic manifestations such as prophecy, tongues or healing as psychologically induced, the manufacture of emotionalism—or even worse, demonic. The apostle John warned believers to test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). However, it is clear from the Lord’s own teaching that it is perilous to condemn or oppose a true expression or movement of the Holy Spirit. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day brought strong condemnation upon themselves for accusing Him of healing and delivering people from evil spirits through the power of Beelzebub (Matt. 12:24; Luke 11:15).

As a result of Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and to a lesser extent, the Third Wave Movement, long-held assumptions concerning charismatic gifts have been challenged, and in many quarters overturned and a fresh understanding of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit has emerged in their place. Manifestations of the Spirit’s power are commonplace throughout the church today. The following outline and rebuttal of cessationist teaching is intended to further reinforce the view that it has always been God’s intention for His gifts of power, including prophecy, to operate among members of Christ’s Body.

The Dispensation of the Church Age

Christian theologians and Bible interpreters have long divided human existence into distinct and definable periods of time called dispensations, a term often used synonymously with covenants and ages. The concept of dispensations, as epochs of history with unique features and characteristics demonstrative of God’s unfolding drama of judgment and redemption, dates back at least as far as the second-century.

Each dispensation represents a time frame in which God deals with humankind, in accordance to the revelation of Himself He has given so far. In order to enjoy close fellowship with God and participate in His plans and purposes, His people must believe what He has revealed and demonstrate their faith through loyal obedience.

For