Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

The Apostolic Church of Great Britain

The pendulum has tended to swing to the opposite extreme, away from an open prophetism. The devotion and allegiance given the original eleven tenets of faith (see endnote #6 of this chapter) has transferred over to include the methodologies gradually introduced through the years. As in most movements, the methods gradually assume the claim to infallibility once reserved only for the prophetic. Part of the problem connected with institutionalizing is the difficulty the original leaders have in sharing leadership. Others must be called and assume responsibility, and this usually involves more transfer of infor mation and natural management skills than prophetic gifting. So one day the organization wakes up and wonders, "What happened to the Ark of His Presence" ? 33 The community of the Spirit has successfully become the Organization of Human Endeavor. 7. A prophet tends to settle for the manifestation of the gift of prophecy rather than maintain the higher level associated with the ministry of prophet. Connecting with the process of institutionalization would be the change in the prophet himself. Not wishing to break rules, offend leadership or be spiritually presumptuous, the cooperative prophet finds that the original high level of prophetism is easily exchanged for a watered-down version of simple prophecy that any believer should be capable of delivering. I found this comment by Worsfold very interest ing: "It is the observation of this writer that since the 1950s the function of the prophet in the Apostolic Church around the world has, in many instances, settled for a manifestation of the gift of prophecy. It would have needed in this movement a minister (who was also recognized as a prophet) to receive a charism of exceptional spiritual boldness to rise to the level of prophetic ministry that was given in the first twenty years of the movement's life." 3 4 8. Religious movements should learn lessons from the movements that precede them historically and be willing to relate to the new order with fresh insights and vitality. The Apostolic Church came 86 years after Edward Irving entered Church history, and the AC began some 32 years before the Latter Rain Movement. All three movements emphasized prophecy and believed in prophets. In a sense these three groups looped the rope of Scripture around the Church to pull her out of her quagmire of unbelief. With great effort and prayer-and in spite of many mistakes and problems-they have successfully restored to the Church universal, with the help of others, the awareness of the need for spiritual gifts in today's churches. I find this comment on Edward Irving and his associates offered by D. P. Williams, founder of the Apostolic Church, both interesting and 283.