Growing in the Prophetic - renewgyn.com

1 Growing in the Prophetic is a valuable resource for indi- viduals and congregations who desire to mature in Prophetic ministry. Through Mike Bickle's deep and tested reservoir of knowledge and experience, many will find encouragement to exercise the spiritual gift of prophecy in balance and power. Francis Frangipane Pastor and Author Mike's journey in the Lord has been quite amazing. In the begin- ning, he was a young conservative, anti-charismatic, evangelical pastor. Now he is an intimate, passionate worshiper, moving in the supernatural and leading others into a powerful place in the Spirit. He has moved a million miles in his heart and experience of God. It is this authenticity that stands out in the man. He is not afraid to explore, to quest, and to pioneer. This book is a journey into the territory of prophecy, the Prophetic ministry, and the role of prophets. Developing Prophetic people is not easy. Pastoring a Prophetic community is not for the fainthearted. Cultivating a safe place of relational accountability for prophets is a tough job.

2 Only a leader who has been led into divine encounters with the Lord can undertake such a transitional process. Mike's book is real, pragmatic, and rich in experience and wisdom. To love the gift of prophecy as a church is a good thing. To develop a Prophetic community who can hear and act on the voice of the Lord is an altogether different proposition. Growing in the Prophetic is an important book to read and study. It will teach you transitional process. That alone is worth the investment. I loved the initial book of this same title. If Mike has found a way to upgrade and expand its wisdom, then I am definitely first in line to read it! Graham Cooke Brilliant Book House Gentle but firm. Compassionate yet incisive. Abounding in under- standing. Colin Dye Senior Pastor, Kensington Temple London, England Mike Bickle's practical wisdom will serve the body of Christ well. Terry Virgo Leader of Pioneer International London, England A man of transparent integrity shows us the way forward into areas where angels have feared to tread.

3 R. T. Kendall Author, Total Forgiveness Mike Bickle is a man with a remarkable teaching gift, quick to acknowledge past mistakes that he has clearly learned from. This is a book every charismatic should read if we are going to increase our ability to hear from God, speak to Him, and remain committed to Christ, to Scripture, and to one another. Gerald Coates Leader of Pioneer International London, England At a time when the Spirit is speaking strongly to the churches about the gift of prophecy and the office of prophet, Growing in the Prophetic is an extremely important book. Mike Bickle brings an enviable combination of maturity and transparency to his exposition of biblical principles molding the Prophetic along with valuable lessons learned, both positive and negative, through his ministry to the Kansas City prophets.. C. Peter Wagner Professor of Church Growth Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California Growing in the Prophetic mike bickle Most Strang Communications/Charisma House/Christian Life/Excel Books/FrontLine/Realms/Siloam products are available at special quan- tity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs.

4 For details, write Strang Communications/Charisma House/Christian Life/Excel Books/FrontLine/Realms/Siloam, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600. Growing in the Prophetic by Mike Bickle Published by Charisma House A Strang Company 600 Rinehart Road Lake Mary, FL 32746. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked nas are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked niv are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

5 Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked rsv are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. Design Director: Bill Johnson Cover Designer: Jerry Pomales Copyright 1996, 2008 by Mike Bickle All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Bickle, Mike. Growing in the Prophetic / Mike Bickle. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-59979-312-2. 1. Prophecy--Christianity. I. Title. 2008. 234'.13--dc22. 2008030850. 08 09 10 11 12 9 87653 4 21. Printed in the United States of America Contents 1 There's Been a Terrible Mistake .. 1. 2 Confirming Prophecies Through the Acts of God in 11. 3 Prophetic Administration: Revelation, Interpretation, and 4 Overview of the Prophetic 5 The Difference Between the Gift of Prophecy and Being a 6 Women Operating in Prophetic 61.

6 7 Seven Dimensions of the Prophetic 8 The Coming Great 9 Contending for the Fullness of the Prophetic vii Growing in the Prophetic 10 False Equations About Prophetic 11 God Offends the Mind to Reveal the 113. 12 Pastors and Prophets: Getting Along in the 13 Origins of the Prophetic 14 Embodying the Prophetic 141. 15 Common Abuses and Misuses of 16 Practical Ways to Grow in the 17 The Prophetic Word in Public 18 The Prophetic Song of the 19 Manifestations of the Holy 20 God's Strategy of viii P r e fac e W. hy another book on the Prophetic ministry? I've read many books on the Prophetic over the years. Some focus on the various biblical categories of prophets and the supernatural manifestations that occur through them. Others focus on how to prophesy and then what to do with Prophetic words. This book touches on those subjects, but it also frankly discusses the joy and the pain of Prophetic people in a local church context. I relate the perils, perplexities, and tensions involved in nurturing Prophetic people among nonprophetic people.

7 When Holy Spirit activity happens among weak people like us, the clash between selfish ambition and lack of wisdom is inevitable. Many tensions arise. Plus, we encounter Holy Spirit experiences that are foreign to us. All this makes for a challenging experience in our church life. I pastored in a local church context for twenty-three years until I began the International House of Prayer missions base in Kansas City in 1999. On September 19, 1999, we began a ministry of worship with intercession that continues nonstop, twenty-four hours a day. Our staff members view themselves as intercessory missionaries because they do the work of the ministry and outreach from a place of night and day prayer. Our staff raises their own financial support as missionaries in a way similar to other mission organizations like Youth With A Mission and Campus Crusade for Christ. Currently, God has graciously joined about fifteen hundred people to us full- time. About five hundred people are our ministry staff, and another one ix Growing in the Prophetic thousand serve full-time as students or interns.

8 They each are involved about fifty hours a week. In addition to these, approximately two thousand people join with us in our Sunday celebration services. Thus, about four thousand people make up what I refer to as the IHOP Missions Base family. We cry out daily for the release of the spirit of Prophetic wisdom and revelation from Ephesians 1:17. The Lord has given us glorious answers. Many have had Prophetic dreams, visions, and supernatural experiences. We have hundreds of people actively involved on our Prophetic teams. These teams give Prophetic words to thousands of people each year. It is important from the start of this book to say that we only receive Prophetic experiences that glorify Jesus, honor the Scriptures, and promote holiness and love for one another. This is the safeguard for subjective Prophetic experiences. My journey in pastoring Prophetic people began suddenly, in the spring of 1983. I admit that I have made many mistakes in this journey, but I have learned some valuable lessons.

9 I will share some of what I have learned in the last twenty-five years of being deeply involved with Prophetic people and movements. The future of the church is sure to be filled with people who operate in the Prophetic anointing. In the generation in which the Lord returns, the whole church will receive dreams, visions, and Prophetic experiences (Acts 2:17 21). This will be exciting as well as challenging. New dimensions of the Holy Spirit's ministry will certainly emerge that will demand faithfulness to the Scriptures as well as deep humility as learners (1 Cor. 3:18). This is not a good time in history for a know-it-all, but rather it's the proper time for the virtue of humility expressed in a teachable spirit as we go to greater depths in the Prophetic .. Chapter 1. There's Been a Terrible Mistake . J. ohn Wimber had set it all up. It was July 1989 when four thousand people gathered to a Prophetic conference hosted by the Vineyard Chris- tian Fellowship in Anaheim, California.

10 John had spoken a couple of times at the conference, then introduced me and others who were going to bring messages on the Prophetic ministry. I taught on the nurturing and administration of the Prophetic ministry in the local church and offered some practical advice on how to encourage people who were just beginning to receive Prophetic impressions, visions, and dreams. I told stories about how we had experienced God's use of dreams, visions, angels, and His audible voice to accomplish His purposes in our church life. I shared a few stories about how God confirmed some of these Prophetic revelations with signs in nature comets, earthquakes, droughts, and floods occurring at precisely predicted times. I guess I should have been clearer about the fact that seldom do any of these supernatural experiences ever happen through me directly. I had been mostly a spectator of the Prophetic ministry and, initially, a reluctant one at that. Yes, I was the pastor of a church that had about ten people who trav- eled full-time with a focus on Prophetic ministry, but I had only had a few Prophetic experiences myself.