Michael Brown on Some Practical Thoughts on Modern-Day Prophetic Ministry

I believe deeply in prophetic ministry today. I believe God still speaks to and through His children. And I believe that some are specially called to serve as “prophetic” voices, both to the Church and to the world. How is it, then, that there is such a mixture in contemporary prophetic ministry? How is it that, in some circumstances, these prophets can be so accurate and right while in other circumstances they can be so inaccurate and wrong?

In short, I believe it comes down to the importance of staying in our proper lanes and use the prophetic gift properly.

What, exactly, do I mean by this?

Having been in Pentecostal-Charismatic circles for most of the last 48 years, I have personally witnessed or heard about some amazing prophetic words. In a few cases, they were spoken through me. At other times, they were spoken to me. In many other instances, they were spoken to or through friends of mine.

If I could recall every one of them today, it would make for a staggering, God-glorifying, Jesus-exalting collection. In fact, the collection of prophetic words would stretch all credulity. Did the Lord really do that?

Let me give you three illustrations.

A pastor had planted a church in his city, and little by little, it was growing. A prophetic brother who was well-known in the community told him one day, “When you hit 180 people, the explosion will come.”

The pastor kept that in mind, waiting for that explosion in numerical growth when their congregation reached 180.

Then, one Sunday morning, the pastor noticed that, out of the 182 chairs they had set up, there were only two empty seats. They had hit 180.

Later that afternoon, when the building was empty, a gas line ruptured and the building exploded. Yes, when they hit 180, the explosion came!

This was not what they were expecting, but it was a very literal fulfillment of the prophecy.

The pastor told me this story himself, with a smile. And, he added, they then moved into a much better, permanent facility, and the church took off from there.

Who would dare call this a mere coincidence?

Here’s another story I heard firsthand.

A powerful woman of prayer was asked to speak at a church banquet, and on the way there, she heard the Spirit say to her heart, “I want you to bring a prophetic word to each person there.”

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SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Brown