UNDERSTANDING & ACCOUNTABILITY

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33

God’s Written Word is Our Final Authority:
God’s written word must always be our guide and final authority in all things (2 Peter 1:19). A prophetic word should never contradict the written word of God. It should be judged based on the FULL COUNSEL of God’s word, not just a single reference. For example: God is merciful, but He is also holy, righteous, and just. Scripture must be rightly divided and compared to other scripture and read within the context of the entire message.

We Prophesy In Part:
In I Corinthians 13:9 Paul says, “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.” It is important to remember that no prophet or person is all knowing. God alone is all knowing. It is God who chooses what He will reveal and to whom He will reveal and entrust His words. Our job is simply to obey Him and speak as He instructs. We must leave all the details and outcome in His very capable hands, remembering that He always judges righteously, because He sees the hearts, thoughts and intentions of man. He sees everything and we do not.

God’s Timing and Ways:
Using scripture as our guide for understanding prophecy, we see that often the prophets spoke of things years, decades and even centuries before they actually were fulfilled. In our culture we are conditioned to expecting things immediately, but God’s ways and timings typically are not our own, so, as we judge prophecy it is good to keep this in mind in regards to timing.

Seek and Pray for Understanding:
In John 2:19 Jesus told the Jews to tear down the temple and in three days He would rebuild it. He was prophesying His own death and resurrection, but to the Jews, on the surface it seemed He was speaking of the literal temple and they assumed He was a false prophet or crazy. When we hear and judge a prophecy, we must be careful not to judge it too quickly or with a surface meaning. The true meaning may have deeper significance. God wants us to search things out. Proverbs 25:2 tells us that it is the Glory of God to conceal a thing, and the Glory of Kings to search it out. Romans 11:33 says it so beautifully - O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

ACCOUNTABILITY

A Tremendous Responsibility:
There is a tremendous weight of responsibility on those called to the Prophetic Office. We cannot take lightly what God has called us to be or to do. For we cannot speak our own thoughts, feelings or bias, but as His spokesman we are accountable to Him to speak His Word only, the PURE Word of the Lord, untainted, untouched and unfiltered by human hands and reasoning (1 Kings 22:14). This we must do with godly fear and trembling. This requires that we be set apart in prayer, fully consecrated to Him, so that we might hear clearly what His Spirit is saying to His Church.

The Approval of God or Man?
There is a lot of temptation today to soften or change the Word of the Lord as well as the written Word of God to appease man and the flesh, and to make it more politically correct. Some ministries fear they will be rejected if they do not say what people want to hear. And, sadly some are willing to sacrifice the approval of God for the approval of man. When this happens the body of Christ suffers and the world suffers because the Pure Word of the Lord is not going forth. The church will never rise up in all her Glory until the five-fold ministry preaches, teaches, and speaks forth the uncompromising word of God, no matter what the cost!

Who do we fear – God or man?
Paul, the great Apostle said in Galatians 1:10 “If I live to please man, then I am no longer a bond servant of Christ!" Those called to the five-fold ministry must seriously ask themselves the question, “Who am I living to please?” If we are living to please ourselves or man, then we are not fit for the ministry, we are not His servants. Let’s have the faith and audacity that Paul had, if I perish for speaking His Word, I perish. If I am persecuted, stoned, whipped, rejected, so let it be, but I will not water down or change His Word. Our passion and purpose in life must be to know God and do HIS will, no matter what the cost!

The Five-Fold Ministry Will Be Held Accountable:
As a part of the five-fold ministry we understand that we stand accountable, first before God, and His Word tells us that those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). We take our calling seriously before God and do stand with a sense of fear and awe knowing that we have been entrusted with a great responsibility, and our prayer is that we be found faithful before Him.

We are committed to carry out the work and purpose of the 5 fold ministry which we find in Ephesians 4:11-14. We are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. We are not called to entertain the troops but to equip them for the works of God in the earth.

As a prophetic ministry we understand the Word we send forth to His Church must align itself with the purpose of God’s Word which we also find in II Timothy 3:16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

To accomplish this we devote ourselves to prayer and study of Holy Scripture according to II Timothy 2:15 which tells us that we must study to show ourselves approved to God, workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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Shekinah Today Ministries is an affilliate of the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministries International, co-founded by Gordon Lindsay, founder of Christ for the Nations.