"Something Has Changed. The argument is very simple. Michael Brown has a chapter in his 2018 book Playing With Holy Fire: A Wake-Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church on the problems and pitfalls of prophecy. He simply says that the standards of 1 Corinthians 14 show that other prophets and leaders weigh prophecy in the New Covenant, and there is no hint that there is a penalty for making a mistake. Obviously, something has changed. It is simply to note that the consensus of the charismatic and Pentecostal world (and its scholarship) is that New Covenant prophecy does not function in the same way as the Mosaic covenant standards. It is that all might learn to hear from God and that leaders would be responsible to confirm (or not).Because they did not have the Scriptures in the way that we do today, the word of the prophet was much weightier. A missed word could be the difference between life and death. With the New Covenant and the deeper revelation of Yeshua and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are less dependent on prophets today--though they are needed--and more dependent on hearing God through His word and in personal time in prayer." -- Ron Cantor
The assumptions and conclusion are always in favor of their presuppositions. Dr. Brown is completely compromised in the area of Charismania. There is nothing or no one he will speak against. He supports the sneaky squid spirit of Jennifer Leclaire for heaven's sake! He takes an unbiased fact that 1Corinthians 14 does not indicate a penalty for false prophesy and concludes that it means there is none? It does not indicate one way or the other so Brown's conclusion is that something has changed after thousands of years of biblical accuracy. Something has changed all right. The Charismaniacal world has simply stopped following the bible. Cantor is right that the new breed does not think prophecy follows any of the norms set up in the Old Testament. That is the heart of the problem because the bible gives no indication that should be done.
"Need for Accountability. Indeed, there are many self-proclaimed prophets who do damage and take advantage of the Lord's people. There is a horrible lack of accountability when it comes to public prophecy. We must do better! Please do not take this writing as an excuse for the plethora of silliness that is out there when it comes to prophecy and prophets. But we cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater (or drown him for being a false prophet). So, are we going to take the position that anyone who is not 100 percent accurate is a false prophet? Or can one make a mistake, repent and ask God for forgiveness, and seek to grow? Does not God forgive such things? Or, are we then disqualified for life? We are for mercy, but that should not be interpreted as taking prophecy light. It is no small thing to declare that you are speaking for the Lord. And one who does so presumptuously in public should submit to discipline by other leaders." -- Ron Cantor
Too late Ron. I take this as a defense for the silliness because you cannot see how you are part of it. I am not trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I am just trying to get the sharks out of the tub. This is the point that Ron keeps missing. WE are not setting the 100% accuracy standard -- God did! More disturbing is the constant mixing of the gift of prophecy with someone who is claiming the office of the prophet. If someone proclaims a prophecy and is wrong of course they can repent! The sobering notion that they lied on behalf of God I pray leads to a serious repentance. That of course ends their prophecy career. That is the fruit in keeping with their repentance. To Ron they should get back on the horse and try again. This is not a joke beloved. Real people have their lives ruined every single day by phonies and snake oil salesmen casting themselves as men of God.
"Tone it Down. One thing we can do is tone down our proclamations. We rarely, if ever, say, "The Lord told me...," but use language like, "I sense that God might be saying...," "The Holy Spirit bore witness with my spirit," or, "I felt led of the Spirit." Making proclamations such as "Thus says the Lord..." places one in a precarious position and will rightly invite rebuke if you are wrong. It is always better to tone down the way in which we deliver prophetic words.
Accept for the account of Agabus in Acts 21, we do not see New Testament prophets saying "This is what the Lord says..." Rather, James' tone, and he was the most senior apostle, is more low key in Acts 15 when he says, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28a)." -- Ron Cantor
Yes, the real problem with false prophecy is how it is packaged and marketed. Ugh, can we get anymore carnal? If someone ever said to me "I think the Lord is telling me this" I would tell him to keep it to himself until he is sure. It is important to not miss the dynamics of what is going on. The new breed is taught a version of contemplative prayer to lose oneself and listen for the "still small voice." The first thing that pops into the head is deemed a prophecy from God when all it is in reality is backwash from their wickedly deceitful hearts. I kid you not. I saw a video from Bethel where worship leaders were taught this technique because Bethel believes all worship leaders are prophetic.
"Function of the New Testament Prophet. A prophet can know things by the Spirit (Peter knowing that Ananias and Sapphira lied (Acts 5)). He can sense one's calling by the Spirit (Ananias to Paul, Acts 9; prophets to Barnabas and Saul, Acts 13:1). Strengthen the body (Silas and Judas, Acts 15, Eph. 4). Proclaim the word of God in power (many examples such as Acts 2, 10). Predict the future (Paul predicts that the false prophet Bar Jesus will be blind, Acts 13, or Agabus predicts a famine, Acts 11:28). Proclaim judgment on a believer or unbeliever (with Ananias and Sapphira , Acts 5 and Bar Jesus, Acts 13). Weigh the prophetic words of other prophets and non-prophets (Acts 14)." -- Ron Cantor
