Westside Church Seattle

What about prophecy?

July 18th, 2008

Posted by: Jeremiah Siers

Alan Ross coming to Westside

This coming week our good friend Alan Ross is traveling all the way from Scotland to be with us here in Seattle at Westside church. Many of you have never met, or heard from Alan before, so I wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit about him and his ministry before he arrives. Alan has a powerful prophetic gift and ministers to people all over the world through the giving of personal prophecies and Bible teaching. Richard and Valerie were first introduced to Alan around 10 years ago on a trip to Ukraine where Alan spoke a powerful prophetic word over them that had a huge impact upon them personally and upon their efforts to launch the Westside church. Since that first encounter, Alan has made annual visits to Westside and is loved and well received every time he makes the trip across the pond.

What about prophecy?

No doubt many of you have questions about prophetic ministry and its relevance to the church today. Some of you may have had a bad experience with the prophetic and others of you may simply have had no exposure to it at all. I want to address a few common questions and concerns that you might have and try to clear the air, so that may be well received.

Does a prophet wear a robe, walk with a staff and live off of locusts and honey?

In other words, how does a prophet function in the church today as opposed to the prophets of old like Isaiah, or Jeremiah? Well, to put it bluntly, they are usually much more optimistic. There is no “Woe unto you” statements, or allusions to the “wrath of God”. The gift of prophecy in the post-cross world should emphasize God’s love and care for his people, it will be encouraging, it may be challenging, but only in order to inspire faith and hope for the believer who is endeavoring to overcome those challenges and live a victorious Christian life. The goal of all the spiritual gifts is to edify and build up the church (Eph 4:12,13). If the fruit of one’s prophetic ministry is condemnation, confusion, or self promotion, those are very strong signs of a false prophet.

If prophecy is a “word from God” does it have the same authority for my life as the scriptures?

As believers, we must be discerning and put all prophecy to the test (1 John 4:1). Even if one receives a prophecy from an honorable man, or woman of God, he/she must understand that human beings are not without fault and are prone to make mistakes. In light of this truth all prophecy is to be received with discernment of heart and must be submitted to God’s written word, the scriptures. The scriptures are the standard. God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path, so we can be sure it will expose anything that will hinder, or even distract us from God’s will for our lives.

What about False prophets?

Jesus warned us that False prophets would abound and that we should judge them by their fruit (Matt. 7:15-22). Clearly, they do not walk into a church building with a big “false prophet” sign hanging from their neck, so how do we spot these wolves as Jesus describes them? First off, do they have a home church, or long standing relationships with respectable leaders? Most false prophets have a trail of broken relationships and misconduct that is easily exposed with a just a few questions about their past. They don’t want to submit to leadership of any kind and rarely will they stay in one place for very long. Secondly, Do they promote themselves, or do they point to Jesus? False prophets will often try to promote themselves for selfish gain. They will often tell big stories of big faith to deceive people, or use their gifts to coerce people into giving money to their ministries (2 Peter 2:1-2). Thirdly, inquire of God and church leadership before receiving a word from a prophet. In being cautious, we are following the teachings of Jesus who taught us to beware of false prophets (Matt. 7:15). Also, we are trusting the leadership and oversight that God has provided. Many times God will use seasoned men and women of God to warn those who may be new in the faith, or less experienced to break off a relationship, or steer clear from someone who is giving off the false prophet vibe (Heb. 13:17).

Questions, comments?

This is just a quick overview of some common questions and concerns that come up regarding prophecy, but we’d love to hear from you. If you have anything you would like to add, questions, or about this subject, please post below and be apart of the discussion. Thank you!