The Architecture of the New Prophetic Dimension

Nairobi.

Part One

Introduction to the New Prophetic Dimension

Chapter 1

Introduction to Key Paradigms

We are living in a day of significant change and transformation. The Church across the Earth is being impacted by the Apostolic Reformation, a global move of God that is re-structuring and maturing the Church, preparing it for its final, victorious conflict against the powers of darkness. The Kingdom of God is powerfully arising across the Earth, impacting systems of thought and governance and producing massive advance and deep penetration in every jurisdiction and people group of the Earth.

There is no geographic territory, socio-economic class or ethnic group that is being excluded from this current reformation move of God. As it sweeps across every quarter of the Earth, breaking long entrenched imbalances and providing access to everyone, both small and great, people groups from perceived inferior jurisdictions are being deliberately and systematically included and incorporated by God into His vast global purposes.¹

Modern reformers are not marketing their message to fit within the ‘Christian’ global distribution network that originates in the perceived superior jurisdictions of the Earth. In fact, in breaking with the traditional operations, activity and philosophies of the existing church, the powerful reformation thrust within the ranks of these reformers has invalidated much of what is considered to be the acceptable activity of the modern Church. This present Reformation represents a new wineskin that contains the fresh initiatives released by God that will take us towards the Finish, a significant part of which is producing new definitions and realities of the Prophetic dimension. This book is written to provide insight into the shapes of the Prophetic dimension as it exists in the 21st century.

Restoration of Apostles

This global Apostolic Reformation has been initiated by the emergence and correct functioning of apostles. The terms apostle and reformation are now extensively used in the modern Church. In many cases they describe the same reality which existed before the terms became popularized and widely adopted. In fact the declaration of reformation and apostolic to describe very dissimilar entities and vastly different spiritual realities has filled the church with fuzz and a lack of clarity about the present speaking of God. Jesus clearly heard the voice of His Father and declared that His voice was for your benefit, not mine, but some said that it thundered whereas others said that an angel had spoken² — their perception was unclear and therefore they didn’t participate in the Divine initiative. Distortion of God’s speaking in the minds of people is one way the enemy opposes Kingdom advance.

Therefore, clear definitions that describe the work of these leaders must be provided, along with actual building activity that attests to and validates a new order of ministry. The use of the word apostle here refers to wise master builders who possess:

a) Power to breakthrough in the spirit realm and experience resultant territorial expansion;

b) Ability to build global relational networks and international entities unhindered by national or cultural norms that leverage the strength of many from across the Earth towards singular Kingdom purpose;

c) Insight into the mind of God regarding the accurate blueprints for correct human life, and the power to construct those designs in the lives of people;

d) Capability to leverage insight and building strategies into the wider expressions of the Kingdom of God and resultant influence into ex-church structures and systems of the Earth;

e) Powerful revelation capacity and the ability to open the eyes of the people and to build within them correct perception systems

f) Ability to strip the prophetic promises of their futuristic dimension and execute the will of God in the present.

This effective release of ministry through credible apostles has produced immense renovation in the Body of Christ and created a dramatically different framework in which the Prophetic functions. There are four key paradigms that have changed as the Apostolic dimension has been powerfully restored by God, and they must be understood for the Prophetic dimension to function correctly.

Key Paradigm 1:

Divine Order

The Apostolic Reformation has returned the Church to its proper arrangement, and this new divine order has revolutionized the context in which all other ministries function. The restoration and accurate operation of apostles enables the effective functioning of the Church as indicated by Paul in describing the design and the order of the Body of Christ:

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

The word appointed is the Greek word titheemi, meaning to set, to make, or to put in place. It also appears in Matthew 22:44 where the Father tells the Son, "Sit at my right hand until I make (titheemi) all your enemies your footstool. In both uses there is an ascribing of direct ownership of the action taken by God Himself, i.e., God has set and I will make. God has definite requirements regarding how the Body of Christ is to be arranged, and He has established and set ministries in the Church according to His own predetermined design. The initial thing we learn about this design is that apostles are first," the Greek word proton, which means first in time, place, influence, rank and order. The word can be understood from its use by John the Baptist in describing his relationship with Christ:

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before (protos) me.’

John 1:15 (NKJV)

Jesus came after John in time, but John recognized that He was actually before (protos) him. Used by John in this context, it can be understood as the prophet saying that Jesus was the first of me or first in regard to me. The words titheemi and protos indicate that God has set a law in place concerning the arrangement of the Body of Christ which places apostles as first in rank.

The first-ness of the apostolic is not to be understood as hierarchical in nature. In reality the presence of genuine apostolic headship exposes false forms of leadership such as hierarchy and the incorrect emphasis on apostolic authority as that which rules over every other ministry. First does not mean that apostles are more favored by God than the rest of the Body, or that that the apostolic is a more essential aspect of the expression of Christ in the Church. There can be no superior or inferior dimensions of Christ.

The emergence of credible apostles as first has required a significant re-shuffling of the rest of the Body of Christ, including an enhanced redefinition of the prophets who are noted as second. Let us imagine the five governmental ministries (apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, teachers) as an ascending staircase. If prophets (second step) are functional, but apostles (first step) not yet restored and existent, what does that make the prophet? Is the prophet now first? Clearly that cannot be because God declares that he is second. Is the prophet second? That was not a functional reality because the first was not yet in place.

The result was that in the last prophetic order, prophets operated outside of the parameters of operational apostolic ministry, which had not yet been fully restored. Prophets thus lacked key definition of their identity that the Apostolic was designed by God to provide. Since all other ministries existed before the first was restored and functional, a recognition and acceptance of the divine law of first apostles is not primarily a focus on a singular ministry, but an acceptance of new definitions and divine order throughout the entire Body of Christ. The resources of heaven are being released into a global Church which is finally being configured and ordered according to the laws of heaven!

Key Paradigm 2:

Sight of the Finish

My food, said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

John 4:34,35

In this passage three powerful realities are connected:

a) A core operational value of the apostolic is sent-ness; the word apostle means a sent one, or one sent forth with orders;

b) The clear implication that the one who is sent has a specific destination or point of accomplishment — Jesus called this destination to finish his work;

c) The successful arrival of a sent one is based on accurate sight, implying that it is deficient systems of perception that wars against successful completion of the Finish of all things.

Jesus had a specific destination (finishing the work), and the corporate Body of Christ has a clear objective to reach the place of immortality. The operational values and principles which empower a matured Church to move towards this ultimate destination is what altogether we are calling the Finish. This present Reformation is not simply another move of God meant to restore truth to His Church, but which will eventually become stale and obsolete. It is the ultimate movement towards the Finish that keeps unpacking itself and which requires mobility and migration of the people of God as we journey back to our correct state in God. An apostolic people are those who have sight of the Finish as their ultimate destination and who relentlessly engage in migration and a willing enactment of a process of death to self in order to get there.

Gifting vs. Sight of the Finish

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace."

Acts 20:22-24

There is a difference between prophesying out of one’s gifting verses having an expansive view of the reality of the eternal dimension which comes when Reformation prophets lift up their eyes and look. This was the issue faced by Paul during his travels to Jerusalem when he received a series of accurate prophetic warnings which repeatedly cautioned him of imprisonment and suffering. There is a direct comparison here: the prophets prophesied, but Paul was compelled by the singular motivation of the Finish.

A review of Paul’s route indicates stopovers in more than 12 cities where prophetic words were given in churches that Paul himself had planted, all of which predicted that he would suffer.³

In the city of Tyre some went so far as to prophesy that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Paul promptly dismissed this prophetic utterance, choosing to ignore it and indicate his disagreement by departing from his brothers and continuing his relentless trek towards Jerusalem.⁴

Agabus, a prophet with an established track record, made it clear that once Paul arrived in Jerusalem he would be seized by the authorities and cast into prison.⁵

Based on these multiple prophetic warnings and their care for the beloved apostle, credible leaders within the apostolic company begged Paul to the point of tears not to go to Jerusalem, but he unconditionally refused so they finally gave up and said the will of the Lord be done.⁶

Paul assessed the prophetic words within the context of the mandate to Finish, and he allowed nothing to divert him from the accurate destination implicit within the divine sending. After being arrested as the prophets had predicted, he wrote "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith".⁷

Sight of the Finish is the highest order of prophetic revelation, and one who sees the Finish is greater than one with an accurate prophetic gift.⁸ All prophetic insight must be understood within the proper worldview and context for life — the command to Finish. The danger is to be a very accurate predictor of events, but still function within a temporal view set within the false paradigm of mortality. We must have prophets who have seen the Finish as part of an apostolic company whose corporate process involves relentless movement towards the authorized destination.

Key Paradigm 3:

Clarity of Design/Architecture

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:10,11

The grace received from God made Paul a wise master builder, which is the Greek sophos architekton, from which we get the English word architect. By virtue of his calling to the Apostolic, grace was imparted to Paul that supplied him with: a) insight into the design of what God was building, and b) empowerment to construct what he had seen in the lives of others. Paul declared