Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy… But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.’ (1 Cor 14:39-40, TNIV)

Guidelines are to prophetic ministry, as railway tracks are to a train. They provide a way for the gift of prophecy, along with other revelatory gifts, to be released and fulfil their God-intended purpose.

The Apostle Paul gave clear guidelines for prophetic ministry to the Corinthian Church. He advised the church to put protocols into place for prophecy to operate in church meetings. (1 Cor 14:26-33)

Healthy guidelines don’t hinder; rather, they provide a way for spiritual gifts to flow, whilst ensuring they do so safely and effectively. [1]

What I Learned About Prophetic Guidelines

I have not always appreciated guidelines and leadership in church life.

Years ago, when I was in danger of going ‘off the rails’ altogether in my prophetic ministry, God intervened in my life. I tell the story of my journey, repentance and restoration in my book, ‘Prophetic People In A Changing Church.’ [2]

The most significant thing God did during this time was to teach me the value of honouring and submitting to church leadership in the use of spiritual gifts.

Later, as a prophetic leader in our church, this value was the single most important factor that enabled me to help grow a thriving prophetic/ prayer ministry.

It enabled me to lead and teach our team in such a way that the people on our team, and their spiritual gifts, flourished.

As a result:

• Opportunities for prophetic ministry increased when our pastor and leadership team were assured that it was operating within a safe framework

• Our prophetic people had the assurance of knowing what our protocols were, and experienced freedom within the framework of these

• And the congregation benefited from the exercise of a loving, and safe prophetic ministry that brought great blessing to the church.

Whenever situations came up in prophetic ministry that I was unsure about, I would talk it over with my pastor and clarify the particular guidelines of our church.

Guidelines are to prophetic ministry, as railway tracks are to a train. Too many times we have seen prophetic ministry derailed, sidelined and disused in church life. Sometimes this has followed a crash—some event involving misuse or abuse of prophetic gifts.

A major benefit of guidelines and protocols is that they help prevent these situations from occurring. Should an issue arise, they also provide a reference and guide for restoration—while enabling continuing freedom for the gift to operate in the church.

Why Have Prophetic Guidelines?

I actively encourage guidelines in church life. In fact, during my prophetic training sessions, I teach the importance of following general guidelines, as well as the unique protocols that exist in churches.

Here are 7 important reasons for having guidelines and protocols in place:

1.There is a Biblical precedent for them. The Apostle Paul encouraged prophetic accountability and protocols in the life of the church (1 Cor 12, 14)

2.They provide a framework within which spiritual gifts can be released and operate freely with accountability

3.They prevent the cycle that is so prevalent in church today: Gifts released…damaging event…gifts suppressed…gifts released…and so on.

4.Guidelines can be pointed to when something unhealthy or potentially damaging occurs that needs to be addressed

5.They bring everyone ‘on the same page,’ e.g. if a new person comes into the church who has prophetic gifts but has a differing perspective on their use, it gives you something to refer to

6.They help provide a safe environment for a. pastors and leaders, b. prophetic people and c. the congregation (and therefore builds confidence in prophetic ministry)

7.They provide a means of pastoring prophetic people and intercessors in the church

Guidelines for Other Revelatory Gifts

Prophetic people frequently gravitate towards prayer-related ministries, such as intercession, in the church.

I believe that prayer ministry areas particularly benefit from having a defined framework in which to operate in the use of spiritual gifts. [3] This is because intercessors and pray-ers frequently operate in revelatory gifts including:

• Discernment
• Intercession (revelation on how to pray, what to pray, the burden to pray, etc)
• Prophecy
• Word of knowledge

What Kinds of Prophetic Guidelines can a Church Have?

The following situations may benefit from having specific guidelines and protocols in place:

• Personal prophecies (given from individuals to individuals within the church)
• Prophecies or revelatory insights (discernment, etc.) concerning the church, its direction or vision
• Prophecies for the congregation, pertaining to particular church services
• What to do when an unhealthy or potentially damaging event occurs (e.g. someone brings an ‘off’ prophecy)
• What to do with a word that is not purely encouragement; e.g. is directional, a warning, etc
• A track for people who desire to operate and grow in prophetic ministry

If you are a person in the church who is gifted in prophecy or other revelatory gifts, be willing to allow your pastor and/or leadership team to adjust guidelines as the church changes and grows.

A Note for Pastors

If you are a pastor or leader, when communicating guidelines, I recommend that you share the reasons for them and particularly, the benefits of them. As you do, convey your vision and passion for the release and blessing of spiritual gifts in the life of your church.

Your protocols will be unique to your church and are affected by a number of factors. These may include:

• The unique vision and values of your church
• The size of your congregation
• Your desired outcomes for prophetic ministry
• The needs and history of your church

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Notes:

[1] I understand that there can sometimes be confusion between healthy guidelines that release ministry, versus unhealthy control that quenches the life of the Spirit. Feel free to leave any questions about this in the comments section.

[2] For key principles and my personal journey related to prophetic ministry in church life, see my e-book  Prophetic People in a Changing Church

[3] I have discussed the gift of discernment extensively in this blog. See the following post in particular:

6 Tips For Exercising The Gift Of Discernment In Church Life

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

One of our most valued partners during the years of our missions ministry was an elderly woman called Marge.

A prophetic intercessor and prayer warrior, Marge had an accurate ability to detect when we were experiencing severe trials or spiritual warfare.

At those times, she would phone us and simply say, ‘What’s going on?’

The most memorable of those times occurred when we were on the road, doing itinerant ministry with our young family.

The knowledge of Marge’s prayer support and her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit brought us continual encouragement.

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Leaders rely on intercessory prayer to support them in the areas of protection, blessing, guidance and God’s anointing in their areas of ministry.

Last week I shared about how to make the most of prayer support from the leader’s perspective, and how you can take care of your relationship with your personal intercessors. [1]

Today I would like to share my heart with those of you who function as personal intercessors or prayer partners in some capacity.

Over many years, I have been a personal intercessor, the leader of an intercessory prayer team, and a receiver of intercessory prayer myself.

Here are 8 things that I have learned along the way and would like to share with you:

1. Keep Your Prayer Commitment

There are differing levels of commitment when it comes to personal intercession.

At the lowest end of the commitment scale, you may have signed up to receive a prayer newsletter from a leader or ministry that God has put on your heart.

In this case, the degree of prayer support you give is over to you.

At the highest end of the scale of commitment, you may be one of only a few intercessors or prayer partners. You may be in a close personal relationship with the leader you are praying for.

It is important that you faithfully pray, as you are able and committed.

If you receive an email, pray immediately upon receiving it, and print it out.

You can put alerts in your diary, or on your mobile phone or digital calendar to remind you to pray for specific events.

2. Embrace the way God has Wired you.

It is amazing to me how many intercessors struggle with feelings of inadequacy in their prayer gifts.

Not everyone has the same prayer style. You have a unique gift of prayer.

Some intercessors are structured and pray at regular times. Unstructured prophetic intercessors tend to pray when they perceive there is a need or sense a burden to pray from the Holy Spirit.

Other prayer warriors excel when there is a crisis or an urgent alert to pray.

All types of intercessors are valuable and needed.[2]

Don’t be afraid to be up-front about the kind of prayer commitment you bring to the table.

3. Be Light on Expectations

Remember that every leader communicates with their intercessors differently.

Do not place expectations on your leader with regard to relationship, communication, or involvement in their ministry. The least your leader will do is communicate their needs with you regularly.

Don’t expect more than this, even though some leaders are more relational and do communicate more regularly.

4. Feedback

Occasional feedback to the leader you are praying for is an important part of your role.

This doesn’t have to be a prophetic word or vision—it could be an encouraging comment or scripture, or simply a ‘praying for you’ note. By communicating regularly with your leader, you are indicating that your ongoing interest and prayers are still in place.

Even the smallest feedback can be a great encouragement.

5. Prophetic Insights

Any prophetic insights you bring to your leader are most welcome and have the potential to be a great blessing when they are timely and encouraging.

Remember that your prophetic words and pictures are subject to being weighed up. (1 Cor 14:29, 1 Thess 5:20-21) Don’t place any expectations on prophetic submissions being responded to or acted upon. This is especially important to remember if you are an intercessor in a church.

6. Confidentiality

Treat all communication from your leader as confidential, even when the material appears to be common knowledge. Take great care to retain trust in this area.

7. Be Part of a Church Community

Personal intercession is a private ministry. I know, because there have been countless times that I have prayed alone, pacing a room or on my knees as the Spirit has burdened me to pray for a leader.

I also know that if it were not for my involvement in church life, I would not be where I am today.

The ministry of intercession may be hidden, but it is vital that we engage in a church community and have accountability and leadership in our spiritual gifts.

Involvement is more than just attendance. It means helping to serve in the church, being under leadership, and being part of the church prayer community.

There are no ‘lone rangers’ in the body of Christ. We are a body, with different parts and different gifts and we need each other (1 Cor 12)

8. Take Time out.

Personal intercession can be hard work and intercessors (depending on the relationship) can carry a great burden of care.

When our intercessory team carried one of our pastors in prayer during long weeks of life-threatening surgery, I was very aware of their labour in prayer and the emotional nature of their concern.

As the one coordinating the prayer effort, I became very tired, and eventually realised that I needed to hand the organisational responsibility over to someone else.

Do not feel that you have to be on prayer duty 24/7. As with any ministry, put some boundaries around your time and energy.

If you feel that you no longer carry a burden from God to pray, don’t be afraid to be honest and to step out from the prayer commitment.

You will be greatly relieved when you do—and the leader will respect your decision.

You are not indispensable. God is faithful, and will provide others to step into your place.

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Notes:

[1] See the post, ‘How To Increase Your Prayer Support Through Personal Intercession’

[2] A book on this topic that greatly blessed our prayer department is entitled Intercessors Discover Your Prayer Power, by FEMRITE, T; ALVES, E; KAUFMAN, K.  2000.  Ventura : Regal.

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

This week and next, we are going to look at personal intercession—or prayer partnering. Today I am sharing some tips for leaders to make the most of prayer support and next week will review some vital keys for those of us who are personal intercessors ourselves.

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I first encountered the ministry of personal intercession 16 years ago. At that time, the Hunk and I were ministering with a mission agency. We recognised the need to have prayer support, especially for his role as National Director, his frequent missions trips, and our itinerant ministry around New Zealand.

To this day, we reflect with gratitude on the significant role our intercessors played, as our ‘hidden’ partners in ministry.

More recently I spent 5 years leading prayer in our church, in which we organised personal intercession for our pastors and leaders. I have also been a personal intercessor myself.

Now in itinerant ministry again, I am again focused on nurturing significant prayer partnerships.

Personal Intercession

A personal intercessor is someone who prays regularly for another person.

At its simplest form, personal intercession can be the natural response of friends who support one another in prayer, or a prayer partnership.

Personal intercession can also be anonymous. For example, a person whose heart is moved upon by the Holy Spirit may pray once or continually for another, without the need of acknowledgement.

But the most well-known use of personal intercession occurs when leaders or ministers—recognising the need for prayer cover due to the nature of their ministry—seek those who will strategically partner in prayer with them.

The Power of Prayer

‘Brothers and sisters, pray for us.’ (1 Thess 5:25)

Personal intercession recognises that prayer is vital to the fulfilment of God’s purposes and plans (Matt 6:10). It also acknowledges that prayer is a means of spiritual protection (Rom 15:31, 2 Cor 1:10-11)

Throughout his letters in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul urged people and churches to pray for him and his ministry.

Paul’s requests for prayer give us an insight into the benefits and power of personal intercession. [1]

Tips for Making the Most of Your Prayer Support

Are you a leader who could benefit from having or increasing your prayer support? Here are some ideas that can help you:

Build Relationship with Your Prayer Supporters

Be specific about how you would like your prayer partners to pray. This empowers them and makes it easy for them to respond if they do not have a great deal of time.

Communicate in a personal way. Don’t just share your schedule and your prayer requests. Let them know what is on your heart and allow them see your humanness—they will relate to you and pray all the more. (2 Cor 1:8-11)

Express Appreciation. Thank them often and well—your prayer supporters are your hidden team, generous with their love and time.

Share testimonies and answers to prayer, don’t just send requests. Sharing the results helps them to feel part of your team and the stories cause them to praise God and spur them on to pray more!

Encourage feedback—let them know you would love to receive prophetic insights or scriptural words of encouragement. When you do receive feedback, respond to it, even if you can only manage a brief ‘Thank you.’

Pray for those who pray for you

Paul not only constantly asked for prayer, he also reciprocated it, earnestly praying for the people and churches on his heart. (Phil 1:4, Philemon 1:4, Eph 1:16)

This is the basis of true prayer partnership.

At David McCracken Ministries, we invite those who are praying for us to also share their own prayer requests. We make praying for these a priority as a team, together and individually. We also pray for our partners on a regular basis at our weekly meetings.

Recognise the Limitations of Email

Email is currently the most utilised means of communicating prayer requests.

However, these days, people are bombarded with requests and emails and we can’t assume that every person will read the email immediately—or read it at all.

Be creative with your subject header to pique interest. Make your email personal, concise and interesting.

For urgent prayer requests, or with a select group of prayer supporters who are close to you, SMS is a great way to gain immediate prayer support.

If you want your number to remain private, or have a large organisation, you can send bulk SMS (texts) via an online service.

Consider some other creative ways to gain prayer support, such as social media. Some, such as Facebook, have the capacity for closed (non-public) groups. I recently ‘tweeted’ a prayer request and had someone from the other side of the world stop and pray for me! [2]

Don’t expect all your prayer partners to pray the same way.

Appreciate the differences between your intercessors and take these into account. There are 3 main types of prayer partners. These are:

1. ‘Daily intercessors’ will pray for you most days, and may pray prefer to pray over a list.

If you have a large number of prayer supporters, consider having a general information sheet you can email or post out, with your photo, info about your ministry, your passion, your family (if you would like them prayed for), and general prayer requests.

2 ‘Alert intercessors’ will pray when you alert them to a particular need or remind them to pray.

Included in this group are some pray-ers have a special gift to pray specifically and powerfully in times of crisis.

3. ‘Prophetic intercessors’ will be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to when and how to pray for you.

These are most likely to feedback prophetic insights, and if they are gifted in discernment, will be of special assistance when spiritual warfare is occurring.

You don’t have to share the same information with all of your prayer partners.

If preferred, you can have levels, or circles, of prayer support. Your innermost circle will be those who are closest to you, with whom you can trust confidential information and personal requests.

An outer circle can receive general prayer requests, and information such as itineraries. Nurture both.

Don’t Rely Solely on Intercession by Others

We need to ensure that our own prayer life (as well as that of our organisation, church or ministry team) is active and that we ourselves are praying for the things we are asking our prayer partners to cover.

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A gift to my Prayer-Loving Readers

My e-book, ‘Pray for the Lost’ is available for free download at the David McCracken Ministries website for a limited time. It is my joy to share it with you.
Check it out at the DMM free resources page here: http://www.davidmccracken.org/Resources—FREE-This-Month.php

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Notes:
[1]

The Apostle Paul’s Prayer Requests:

• For help, for deliverance from external hardships, as well as internal pressures (2 Cor 1:8-11)

• For boldness and for God to give him words to speak as he preached the Gospel (Eph 6:18-20)

• For doors of ministry to open, for the ability to preach the gospel clearly (Col 4:2-5)

• For release from persecution, imprisonment and difficult circumstances (Phil 1:19-20, Philem 1:22)

• For protection and favour (Rom 15:31)

• For the rapid spread and reception of the Gospel message (2 Thess 3:1)

[2] To view my Twitter account, click here. I also especially recommend David McCracken’s Twitter account for daily inspiration.

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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Posts on the topic of Prayer:

Release The Resources Of Heaven Through Prayer

Pray For Those You Love And Unleash The Power Of God

4 Ways To Pray: Exploring The Wonders Of Prayer

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries

I was just 16 years old when The Hunk and I first met. An avid musician, he visited my little Presbyterian church in Auckland, New Zealand, whilst attending a local worship conference. I was a singer in our church’s worship team.

We were literally brought together by worship.

Up until our first missions trip, five years into our marriage, we had no real concept of sacrificial living or giving for Jesus’ sake. We were gifted in music, and ministry up until that time had meant doing something we enjoyed.

Of course, sometimes it was hard work, getting up early for pre-church service warm-up or putting in extra hours for practices. We even sang on the streets of Auckland, whilst a drunk hurled abuse at our team and kicked our speaker around.

Our music ministry was something we lived for—but we were to discover something we could die for.

A Cause to Lay Our Lives Down for

Close friends of ours had a passion for world missions, and for Asia in particular. They invited us to meetings they were hosting in Auckland. We agreed, not because we were interested, but on the basis that they asked us to minister in song!

I do not remember what the speakers talked about that night, but I do recall the display boards that had been erected for the meeting. I was drawn to one that said, ‘Church Planting in Asia.’ It captured my imagination. I did not know it then, but it was to be a cause we would give our lives to for many years to come.

During our first short-term missions trip, we met with Chinese pastors who had been imprisoned for 20-22 years; we sat in an illegal house church meeting; we met missionaries who were being harassed and abused by government officials.

In China, my strong husband broke down in cried. In the face of such sacrifice he felt that God was saying, ‘Would you do this for me?’ It was a question that shook him to the core, and not one that he could immediately answer.

A similar defining moment occurred for me days later. I had not eaten properly for days due to food poisoning, and was about to spend the night in a bamboo hut.

‘What on earth am I doing here?’ I wondered. That’s when it dawned on me. ‘I’m here because I love Jesus.’ For the first time in my life, I was doing something for God that had taken me outside of my comfort zone.

By the time we returned home, world evangelisation had moved from being a casual interest to a burning passion.

We had also discovered that at its deepest level, worship is a life of surrender and obedience for the love of Jesus.

Biblical Worship—More Than Music

The primary context in which we use the word, ‘worship,’ today, is that of music.

However, in much the same way that a rainbow consists of not one, but a spectrum of many colours, the vehicle of music and song is just one of many aspects of Biblical worship.

I long to discover all of these—or as many as I can!

What I learn about Worship:

…from Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve expressed worship through unbroken fellowship with God—in a simple and intimate love relationship with Him.

Selah—I could spend a lifetime meditating on, learning and practicing this one way of worship.

…from Abraham

It is significant that the first mention of the word ‘worship’ in the Bible is in the context of Abraham setting out to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. (Gen 22:3-5)

From Abraham, I learn the foundation of worship—surrender of my whole life to God, including my own agenda, passions and the people and things I love.

…from Moses

God instituted prescribed worship through the Law of Moses. This teaches me of God’s holiness.

It also reminds me of the unspeakable privilege that I have to enter His Presence by Jesus’ shed blood (Heb 10:19-22). I am awed at the price Jesus paid to restore us to face-to-face relationship with God, and the value He places upon true worship.

…from David

I long to have a heart of worship like David.

David housed the ark of God in an open tent, where—in addition to the prescribed offerings—the Levites surrounded the ark with a vibrant musical offering of praise and worship to God that went on night and day. (1 Chron 16)

David’s tabernacle is noteworthy in that it reflects and foreshadows throne room worship, where songs and profound exclamations of worship are given continually to God—24/7!

It is no wonder that there is a resurgence of this kind of worship in the church today!

…from Jesus

In the Gospels, Jesus Himself lived out every different aspect of worship. He led His disciples in songs of worship, lived in intimacy with the Father, and laid down His life—calling His followers to follow His example.

In Jesus’ teaching on worship, He reveals what is most important to God. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

From Jesus, a challenge: I discover that there are worshippers God the Father actually seeks after. (see John 4:22-24)

I want to be that kind of worshipper.

…from Paul

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul reiterates the role of the Holy Spirit in worship; that we are ones who ‘worship by the Spirit of God.’ (Phil 3:2)

And he brings us back to the very heart of worship—the offering of our whole lives to God:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.” Rom 12:1-2

Worship Now and in Eternity.

We have all of eternity to marvel at God’s glory, and participate in worship at the throne of God.

But there is a kind of worship that exists only this side of heaven.

• We have an opportunity to walk in intimacy and a love relationship with God when it is counter-culture to the world around us.

• We have an opportunity to sing songs of heartfelt worship in the face of days, months or years of adversity.

• We have an opportunity to surrender our whole earthly lives in love and obedience to Him.

• We also have an opportunity to lay down our lives for His cause—to fulfil the desire of the Father—that people from every tribe and nation and language may worship in eternity before the throne of God. (Rev 7:9-10)

Lord, teach me to worship.

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries