FOUNDATIONS OF PROPHETIC MINISTRY
1. LOVE 2. EDIFY 3. PREPARE 4. PRAY 5. SUFFER LONG
I. LOVE: PROPHECY FLOWS FROM FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS & LOVE FOR HIS BRIDE
A. Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, to flow in it we must understand it is all for love.
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me;
for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and
these have known that You sent Me. 26And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me
may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:24-26)
B. There are secrets that are reserved only for the friends of God who pursue Him in intimacy.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37And He
took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38Then He said to them, “My soul
is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” (Matthew 26:36-38)
When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray
Me.” 22Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His
disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25Then, leaning back on
Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.”
And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. (John 13:21-26)
So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11)
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)
The friendship of the Lord (secret of the Lord in other translations) is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. (Psalm
25:14)
Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways; 32for the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, but His secret
counsel is with the upright. (Proverbs 3:31-32)
C. As friends of the Bridegroom we posture our hearts in love for Jesus’ Bride.
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:29-30)
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
(2 Corinthians 11:2)
II. EDIFY: PROPHECY MUST EDIFY THE BODY AND MUST BE PRESENTED IN HUMILITY
How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)
A. Paul calls us to express the spiritual gifts in a way that edify the entire body of Christ:
1. Each member of the body is entrusted with spiritual gifts that are for the up-building of the whole body. They are not ours to withhold
neither are they ours to flaunt and parade in a way that does not edify the other members of the body of Christ. The goal of exercising and
increasing in our spiritual gifts must be “for the profit of all.”
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of
activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. (1
Corinthians 12:4-7)
2. When we understand that the manifestations of the Spirit are given by God as He wills in order for the whole body to be edified
together, we are empowered to step past our fears and sense of inadequacy and rise up to all He will give us for God’s sake and the sake
of the people around us that we care for deeply.
3. The apostle Paul sets the standard that everything we do in expressing the gifts of the Spirit must result in edification for the entire
body, highlighting this theme six times in chapter fourteen of first Corinthians. (1Corinthians 14:3, 14:4, 14:5, 14:12, 14:26)
Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. (1 Corinthians 14:12)
B. Our goal together as a community must be that we honor the gifts of the Holy Spirit by pursuing them with fervor and administering
them with excellence. We desire to express prophecy in the Sermon of the Mount values, which Jesus calls His entire Bride to pursue
(Matthew 5-7).
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1)
Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy... (1 Corinthians 14:39)
Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21Test all things; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)
C. We must also keep our hearts in the right attitude in which we prophesy:
1. Humility - faceless: willing not to be personally recognized when the revelation is shared
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:29-30)
2. Teachability: willing to receive instruction from others in administering revelation
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.
31For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32And the spirit of the prophets are subject to the
prophets. 33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:29-33)
3. Patience: willing to be patient as the revelation is being discerned and confirmed
By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. (1 Corinthians 13:1)
D. We cultivate right heart attitudes as we consistently gives ourselves to four labors lived out by the apostles and prophets of the
early church:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but
the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
1. Labor in the Word (1 Timothy 5:17)
2. Labor in Prayer (Colossians 4:12)
3. Labor of Contending for Righteousness in Others (Galatians 4:11, 4:19; Philippians 4:3)
4. Labor of Working with Our Hands: physically wearying service within our community/family (Ephesians 4:28, 1 Thessalonians 2:9, 2
Thessalonians 3:8)
III. PREPARE: PROPHECY MUST RIGHTLY PREPARE PEOPLE FOR WHAT GOD IS DOING
A. Stand in the Counsel of the Lord
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? (Jeremiah
23:18)
B. Understand What God is Doing in the End Times
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury—a violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. 20The anger of
the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it
perfectly. (Jeremiah 23:19-20)
When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17So he came
near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision
is for the time of the end.” (Daniel 8:15-17)
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your
God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. (Daniel 10:12)
C. Declare with Boldness the Word of the Lord
“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22But if they had stood in My counsel, and
had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.”
(Jeremiah 23:21-22)
D. The dynamics of the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:31) leave those that prophesy in a dangerous place: we must
prophesy the true Word of the Lord or we will find out that we have become part of the problem in the body of Christ rather than the
solution. It is not enough to focus on the coming glory and revival; we must prophesy in a way that tenderly yet soberly prepares the body
of Christ for the tribulation that is coming.
E. On September 29, 2002 I experienced a powerful encounter where I had a vision of Jesus, and He spoke to me personally as well as
to our body corporately that we are called to stand in His counsel and bring His Word forth. In the encounter, the Lord rebuked me for
being unwilling to bear the stigma and cost of speaking the Word of the Lord concerning His judgments. In the encounter Jesus spoke from
Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 13. (“The Turn Word” is available at the IHOP bookstore)
F. These passages show the sobriety that we must have as we prophesy in a time of judgment:
Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4O Israel, your prophets are like
foxes in the deserts. 5You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.”
(Ezekiel 13:3-5)
“Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they
plaster it with untempered mortar— 11say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and
you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 12Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where
is the mortar with which you plastered it?’” 13Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and
there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 14So I will break down the wall you have plastered
with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in
the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. 15“Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it
with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, 16that is, the prophets of Israel who
prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’” says the Lord GOD. 22“Because with lies
you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he
does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. (Ezekiel 13:10-16, 22)
G. How can we know that we are prophesying rightly and that we are truly preparing God’s people for His coming? We must be certain
that the prophetic exhortations that we give bear the lasting fruit of righteousness, holiness, and the fear of the Lord. This does not mean
taking on a harsh tone or even that we will always in every instance prophesy about the coming judgment, but rather that we will seriously
assess the fruit of our prophetic ministry, making sure that it is producing a wholehearted turning to the Lord and a real and lasting
preparation for the unique dynamics of the end times.
H. Through prayer and study in the Word, we must understand and know Jesus the Bridegroom who has the day of vengeance in His
heart. We must reveal this forgotten face of Jesus the Judge.
Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of
His strength?— “ I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the
winepress? 3“ I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and
trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. 4For the day of vengeance is in My
heart, and the year of My redeemed has come. (Isaiah 63:1-4)
For jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35He will accept no recompense, nor will he be
appeased though you give many gifts. (Proverbs 6:34-35)
IV. PRAY: THE NUMBER ONE JOB OF A PROPHETIC PERSON IS TO PRAY
A. As we take on the task of prophesying in a way that prepares the body of Christ for the unique activity of judgment in the end times,
something becomes very apparent…a prophet’s first job is to pray! True prophets are always intercessors. Prayer is what we do when we
hear something from the Lord prophetically, and it is also what qualifies us to carry His Word.
B. Jeremiah judged false prophets based on whether or not their prayer life bore fruit and God answered their prayers:
But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels
which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon. (Jeremiah 27:18)
C. Prayer precedes encounter:
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for
the holy hill of my God, 21while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift
flight at the time of the evening sacrifice (Daniel 9:20-21)
D. Prayer can avert judgment:
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest
He destroy them (Psalm 106:23)
Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”
12Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God…Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self…”] 14So the LORD relented from the harm which He said
He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:10-14)
V. SUFFER LONG: THE PROPHETIC CALL TO FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD IN SUFFERING
A. Hosea: a marriage invaded by divine love and wounding
Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord. (Hosea 1:
2)
Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery JUST LIKE the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who
look to other gods (Hosea 3:1)
B. Daniel: physical weakness, inability to speak, hindering fear of God, and feeling alone
“I alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide
themselves. 8Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength retained in me…” (Daniel 10:7-8)
C. Elijah: The feeling of aloneness that came with the burden was go great for Elijah that he stumbled into actually thinking he was the
“only one”. A lie that led him into false isolation and fear of the enemy. (1 Kings 19:14, Romans 11:1-3)
D. Jeremiah: He reels like a drunken man, his bones shaking because of the Holy Words he received in encounter. His personal life is
completely disrupted (Jeremiah 16:2-8; 15:19, 20). He chooses to stay in Jerusalem even after it is burnt to nothing, and ends his life
kidnapped by his own brethren and carried off to Egypt.