PrepareTheWayToday
A Biblical Perspective on Preparedness and Crisis
PrepareTheWayToday
A Biblical Perspective on Preparedness and Crisis
By Chuck Reber
The scripture commends a group leaders in the days of King David, called the Son’s of Issachar as “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chr 12:32). I have approached the task of mapping out these prophesies with that verse as my primary guide. I don’t want to simply look at these prophetic warnings and say, “Wow, this is intense stuff.” Rather, I sought the Lord for understanding of the why behind the what. The prophetic words tell us what is coming, but why?
God is warning America and the nations of the earth of numerous disruptive events that are coming, and has entrusted that revelation to His people, the church, through the ministry of the prophets. It’s become a responsibility issue for me. Meaning, how do I steward what is being said? Now that I’ve heard the warnings, as a messenger and intercessory watchman, I am responsible to the people in my circle of influence to share with them what the Lord is saying and urge them to respond to the Lord.
God Starts with the Heart
What kind of a response is God looking for? For the sake of simplicity, I am going to cover two basic responses I believe are biblical. There is a spiritual response that speaks to the human heart and our relationship with God, and there is a practical response that relates to loving our neighbor. In this article I am going to cover the practical response first.
The Church at Antioch
There are numerous words that are warning of natural disasters, which indicate the need of a practical ministry response, like food, water and shelter. Let’s look at a passage of scripture concerning a local church, with a visiting prophet, who gives a prophetic word about a coming disaster, and the church’s response to the warning. It’s found in Acts 11:27-30:
27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Here is a New Testament example of a credible prophet, Agabus, releasing a prophetic warning in the midst of a worshiping local congregation. The leaders recognize Agabus as a prophet and his prophecy is “by the Spirit” (v.27-28). The content of the prophecy reveals that there would be a “great famine” (speaking of its severity); and that it would reach “over all the world” (speaking of its magnitude). Then Luke, the writer of the Acts, records a historical note: “this took place in the days of Claudius.” Claudius was the Roman Emperor from 41 to 54 A.D.
A Biblical Response to Prophetic Warnings
The response of the church in Antioch to a prophetic word of warning gives us a pattern to follow for today:
1. They accepted the prophetic word through Agabus, a recognized prophet.
2. They leadership tested the word, acknowledging that it was “by the Spirit.”
3. They evidently prayed about how to respond because we see they took an offering and sent it to “their brethren” in the church at Jerusalem so they could buy food.
4. Confident in the accuracy of the prophecy, they sent the offering by Paul and Barnabas to the elders in Jerusalem.
There was no fear, only faith. They didn’t accuse Agabus of giving a negative word. They received it as a word from the Lord. They didn’t look out for themselves first, but turned their gaze up to the Lord then out to other in need.
Interestingly, Josephus, a Jewish historian, tells how Helena of Adiabene, a Jewish queen, brought grain and figs to Jerusalem and to Cyprus to feed the people suffering from the famine. (See, Josephus, l.c. § 5.)
Let’s apply it to our situation today. We are gathered in a public meeting and …
•We receive a warning through a prophetic ministry that a certain event is coming.
•We test the word and believe that it is a true warning from the Holy Spirit.
•We then call the leaders and intercessors together and seek the Lord about how to respond.
•The Lord speaks to us about a certain city and a specific church in that city so we ask, what we should do to help them prepare for the coming crisis?
•The Lord releases a strategy and we send resources or offerings ahead to the believers there to help them in the crisis.
•The result - God gets the glory and the people of God rejoice in the joy of serving in His name.
© Preparethewaytoday.com
I don’t want to simply look at these prophetic warnings and say, “Wow, this is intense stuff.” Rather, I sought the Lord for understanding of the why behind the what.
Why is God Sending Prophetic Warnings?
Friday, April 4, 2014