I Believe In Prophecy

Dear Pastors

I Believe In Prophecy

Shortly after my conversion in the late 60’s I was introduced to all things ‘Charismatic’ including the gifts of Prophecy and Word of Knowledge. Just in the last few days, God gave me a ‘word’ for a young pastor I am mentoring. It was timely and appreciated and I was grateful to God for this gift and even more grateful that he would use me. And to be honest it has never ceased to amaze me how God does this. But He just does, Hallelujah!

Over the last 50 years I have seen and heard many ‘weird and wonderful’ things in the name of prophecy. I don’t think I am on my own. But the last 12 – 18 months it has become distinctly more weird IMHO.

My friend (and guest writer), David Collins and I, were talking about this last week and I loved his insights and the way he described his concerns. I asked him if he could write it up as this week’s blog? Here it is.

What Happened to the Prophetic Movement?

Something happened last year that resulted in a number of American ‘Prophets’ apologising and confessing that they got it wrong. What they repented of was their erroneous predictions that Donald Trump would be the two term President they claimed God had ordained him to be. These claims were also disseminated in non-Charismatic evangelical churches in ways other than through so-called ‘Prophets’.

The repenting was not universal, some doubling down and adding other bizarre claims.

Consequently, a very vocal part of the American Prophetic Movement lost their credibility and brought much derision upon the churches with which they are associated.

In 1969 a Prophet prophesied over me. He didn’t know me, but what he spoke confirmed a call and a course for my life that saw me in 45 years of pastoral and missionary ministry. A fulfilling life of service from which I retired in 2017.

This was the first of several encounters with Prophets that were important enough to convince me of the validity of this ministry. For four decades I marvelled at this gift flowing in the Church, but last year in America something awful happened.

The setting is important. The American evangelical and pentecostal churches are far more politicised than their New Zealand equivalents. I saw it when I lived in the US many years ago, but in recent years, the belief has reached new levels that - a particular political party or President being in power is essential to
(1) a hoped for revival,
(2) a Godly morality in the nation,
(3) freedom of worship, and/or
(4) the hastening of the Biblical end times.

It’s a phenomena not seen in the early church. We know they had Prophets for St Paul had included them in a five-fold ministry given by Christ to the Church (Ephesians 4:11); and we read of them in the Acts record (e.g. Acts 13:1).

However, we never see the prophetic gift being used to predict or promote the ordaining of earthly rulers, in fact none of the topics that became the favourites of the 21st century Western Prophets of which I write.

The early Church had good reason to engage in matters of government - they were under the despotic reign of Roman Emperors and an occupying military that ruthlessly imposed their totalitarian rule. Immorality was rampant, and famine was but one symptom of economic gloom. If ever Prophets had a stirring cause to speak politics it was in the first century Middle East - but they didn’t.

Oh, they did in the Old Testament. Prophets appointed Kings, announced national blessing or judgment, and predicted rulers and empires to come. But the New Testament Prophets? They didn’t! They were to be different.

They were to do something far greater than predict and appoint Presidents! They were given …

“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12-13 NRSV

What happened to these American Prophets? They left their New Covenant mandate, and supposed themselves back in an Old Covenant era.

They lost sight of the glorious vision of Christ’s NEW nation being raised up in the earth “all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”(Ephesians 4:13 Message)

Somehow they thought to predict and influence a political outcome, to “anoint” an American President, was more important, more glorious than that!

And we should note that despite the woes of being subjugated by Roman despots, the early Church experienced explosive growth, touching every sector of the society including the palace elite in Rome itself.

Dear friends, there is so much more we could say when asking “what happened to the prophetic movement?” But my singular hope that is that ‘2020 in America’ serves as a warning for the New Zealand Church, and that our glorious New Covenant privilege completely and purely fills our vision.

Thanks David and Blessings Everyone
Alan

Announcement:
Revitalise is a half day gathering for Pastors and Christian leaders in Hamilton on the 18th March 2021. Don Barry is the Keynote speaker. Information and Rego details can be found here