The Prophetic Round Table

Prophetic Round Table

I love prophetic ministry, but I’ve been frustrated at times with the prophetic movement.  God wants to give us something real, but I run into a lot of hype and hysteria that calls itself prophetic and it tells me a lot of us are settling for something less.

I’ve been sending out a monthly article about whatever God was putting on my heart, and my wife JoAnn suggested that I start writing about reaching for God’s best in the prophetic.  I decided to do it, and to post the articles on a blog so I can field comments.

And as we tossed the idea back and forth, JoAnn got the vision for a prophetic round table.  Here’s how it will work.

The Prophetic Round Table is a collaboration.

I’m going to base my writings not only on personal experience but also on interviews with pastors and other leaders.  I’m beginning with a few leaders on California’s central coast, where I live.  As I travel, I’ll interview some of the leaders who host my ministry.

I want to include the perspective of pastors who are not open to prophetic ministry.  From time to time I am in minister’s gatherings and, as we introduce ourselves and tell what we do, I tell them I have a prophetic ministry and I travel.  I might as well tell them I am a leper.

In the past twenty years, churches and ministries have begun to learn that we need one another.  What blind sides hover in the eye of the prophets, causing us to offend many of God’s people?  What bridges need to be built between prophets and other offices in the five-fold ministry?

So this blog will be a blend of inputs.  I will write the articles, but I’ll base them on interviews with people whose perspective differs from my own.  To round it out, I’ll look forward to your comments.

About the author.

I spent the first ten years of my Christian life getting grounded in scripture, taught by people who made a point of blending the word and the Spirit.  In the next thirty years I have been in ministry:  first as a teacher, then for seventeen years as a pastor, and then for the last ten years or so as a traveling prophet.

The best moments in my ministry have always happened when I heard from God and acted on what He said.  I have always sought out the people who have a solid footing on scripture and a rich flow of the Holy Spirit, whether their gifts were in prophecy, glory, evangelism, or healing.

What is a prophet?  Part of the work is to give words to needy people; part of it is to bring vision to the church through preaching and teaching; part of it is to live the word God is speaking to our hearts; part of it is to equip the whole church to hear God’s voice and to be led by the Spirit.  The proportions of these ingredients will vary as God shapes each prophet for specific assignments.

I often am asked to serve in prophetic presbytery – by myself or as part of a team, to minister prophetic words to people one by one – and I sometimes wonder if people will know what to do with the words they receive.  I hope the writings on this blog will help.

The Online School Of The Spirit.

In late 2007, I was gripped with a vision to create an online school of the Spirit.  I’ve tried several formats and, as of early 2009, am revising the school again.  But for the past year, I’ve been posting articles about prophetic ministry on several blogs.  These articles deal with three ways we can use prophetic inspiration:

http://miraclelifestyle.wordpress.com — how to be led by the Holy Spirit in a lifestyle of ministering to people inside and outside the church.

http://propheticsong.wordpress.com – how to cultivate a flow of prophetic worship as an individual, a worship team, and a church.

http://cultureshapers.wordpress.com – how to apply prophetic inspiration to your art, your marketing, and the ministry opportunities it creates.

I’m still learning. I can’t and won’t claim to know it all.  But I have seen God’s faithfulness as He speaks to His children.  I have also seen man mess things up sometimes when we try to hear from Him.  So I’m going to pass on a few things that have helped me find and keep my bearings over the years.

I hope it’s a blessing to you.

Stan Smith  ::  ©2009, GospelSmith  ::  www.gospelsmith.com