What Pastors are Saying

A prophetic team visiting a church must bring impact and strength to the community of believers. That is what happened when an apostolic team which included two prophets named Judas and Silas visited the church at Antioch:

Acts 15:30
The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.

The result of the prophets ministry was that the people were a) Encouraged b) Strengthened. The word for “encouraged” is the Greek word parakaleo, and it means to call near, or to invite someone to come closer. Prophetic ministry should reduce the distance betweend God and the people; God should seem close not only because of His immediate presence, but also out of recognition that the accuracy of the prophetic ministry reveals that He knows us and is closely watching over us. This in turn must produce the fear of the Lord; the accuracy of a prophet speaking must never produce a sense of awe towards the prophet or a carnal exaltation of his gift. The Holy Spirit always leads to people being encouraged and a fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31).

The people in Antioch were also strengthened, which is the Greek word sterizo, which means to to turn one resolutely in a certain direction, to render constant, to secure and stabilize the mind.  The word describes the process by which a thing becomes structurally correct so that it can take pressure and not break.  The implication is of a pillar that can bear a load and not warp or break.

Prophetic ministry within the church must result in people increasing in the fear of the Lord through a recognition of His closeness, and being strengthened as they engage in a process that removes weakness and warp from within. That is the report the leaders carried back to the apostles who had sent them to Antioch, and similiar feedback must be normative for prophets in our day.

Click on the links below to hear pastors who have had a prophetic visit to their churches to hear of the impact.

CHAD GALLAGHER
GARY POTTER	CARMEN HONASAN
LARRY DANIELS	CARLOS SALAZAR
JENNIFER SANDY	IAN CHELLAN