One of the main cauldrons where prophetic ministries are formed is the local church. Prophetically gifted people do tend to be different, and to fit into a local church setting can be one of the most difficult of all tests for them. Few understand them, and therefore, few will trust them, usually for a long time. This is one of the most helpful things that can challenge young prophets, and if they can remain faithful and endure the misunderstandings and rejection while growing in love for those who misunderstand and reject them, their maturity and trustworthiness will fashion...

     One of the main cauldrons where prophetic ministries are formed is the local church. Prophetically gifted people do tend to be different, and to fit into a local church setting can be one of the most difficult of all tests for them. Few understand them, and therefore, few will trust them, usually for a long time. This is one of the most helpful things that can challenge young prophets, and if they can remain faithful and endure the misunderstandings and rejection while growing in love for those who misunderstand and reject them, their maturity and trustworthiness will...

     The cauldron where prophets are made, as well as every other ministry, is the local church. We need all of the irritations and frustrations of local church life to mature in Christ. Those who run from these challenges have their growth and potential usefulness stunted at best.

     Often I hear prophetically gifted people complain that the church they are in is not open to this gift or to them personally. Excluding issues with the prophetic person that has caused their local leaders to distrust them, they are obviously either in the wrong church or this too...

     Many of the mistakes that have devalued the spiritual currency of prophetic ministry have come from the failure to distinguish between the calling and the commissioning. As we see in the Book of Acts, Paul was called as an apostle many years before he was commissioned to that ministry. Estimates of how long it was between Paul’s calling and his commissioning range between eight and fourteen years. It is clear in Acts and from Paul’s letters that this time was spent in preparation, and that during this time, he ministered as a prophet, or a teacher,...

      Last week we discussed some of the basics on how to recognize the prophetic burden of the Lord. This week we will discuss how to be misled into thinking that a burden is prophetic when it is really our own concern or a burden someone else has put on us.

      Many have a hard time understanding and some are even offended by the principle that prophecy is rarely intended to be “an exact science.” It is not a science and cannot be learned by certain principles. It is all about relationship. There are principles...