Prophecy in Action
Prophecy in Action
A personal testimony of prophecy and divine revelation happening now
A few days ago, I posted a verse from the Book of Micah (one of the minor prophets) and quoted some current commentary stating that prophecy is no longer happening or required because we have Scripture — the complete Word of God. In the same devotional, I also quoted another commentary that said a) the author had encountered Christians who appeared to prophesy in front of her, and b) that she believes that in some sense prophecy does exist today.
Well, I am even more inclined to agree with her after what we’ve witnessed at our church over the past few years… and something we personally experienced at our service last Sunday, which happens to have been after I wrote the previous post about prophecy. Please read this with an open mind, as it is quite beyond human understanding.
Once again, what is prophecy? Encyclopedia Britannica had this to say: “prophecy, in religion, a divinely inspired revelation or interpretation.” Digging further, what’s a revelation? The dictionary tells us that in theological terms, it is:
God's disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures.
an instance of such communication or disclosure.
something thus communicated or disclosed.
something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.
Our pastoral team is very divinely inspired. The lead pastor moved to the Denver area years ago when he received a vision of a church near the crossroads of two major highways here. He was initially the executive pastor of a church somewhat near that intersection, but his style of leadership and his message weren’t in sync with those of the longtime elders of the church, and in 2020, he left to form his new congregation (and we eagerly followed).
Through a series of God-inspired-and-supported occurrences, the church first met in a restaurant space that had been vacated after COVID decimated the business. That space — as well as the final location of our church — are both very close to the location first received in a divine message by our pastor.
Heaven On Wheels is a product of prophecy, in that I had something “communicated or disclosed” to me. During intercessory prayer, I felt an overwhelming call to reach out to others through one of my God-given gifts — writing. Barb and I honestly feel now that this was God’s way of moving us from a “Bible in One Year” reading level of relationship with His Word, to in-depth study and sharing the result of our studies with others.
Getting back to our church, our pastor also received divine inspiration leading us to open a second campus in Colorado Springs (about 65 miles away), and while on a mission trip to Pakistan in 2023, he and others in the church leadership felt a call for a return to a more worshipful church that coincided precisely with the start of the Asbury Revival on February 8.
Asbury Revival. Photo from an article by Bruce Hausknecht as published in The Daily Citizen, February 15, 2023
Shortly thereafter, the church experienced the start of 24/7 worship and praise that is still going on. During worship at this time, many of our congregation experienced what can only be described as “instances of … communication or disclosure” from God. Many manifested as aromas (smoke, flowers, incense) or as visible signs such as glitter-like infinitesimal dots of all colors or sand suddenly appearing. These occurred to so many people (including Barb and I) over such an extended period of time that they were obviously not mere coincidence.
I won’t go on to describe the next messages communicated to our pastoral team; if you want to know more about where we are and where we’re going, the two lead pastors have written a very powerful book about their journey over the past few years. What is being revealed to the pastors has resulted in a name change for the church as well as a new mission!
So, that brings me back to last Sunday’s message, which was an interruption in a new sermon series. Usually those interruptions happen for a reason, and this time it was to inform the church that they’re really upping their game as a result of how God is directing them, and that’s including opening five churches in Mexico in 2024. Yes, you heard that correctly. The pastor was talking about how unexpected doors kept opening on a December trip to Mexico City that led them to a perfect location for the first church in Mexico.
The next thing I know, Barb and I are looking at each other and saying “Do you smell that?” We both smelled an intense aroma of oranges, as if we were standing in the midst of an orange grove. Nobody around us seemed to be noticing anything different, but the two of us were stunned with the power and persistence of this aroma.
The pastor noted that several members of the team that visited Mexico City had overwhelming visions of oranges and orange trees. When they were directed by what appeared to be total random chance — actually the hand of God directing them — to that “perfect location”, it turned out to be on Naranjo Street — “orange street”.
That “random chance”? The driver who they had randomly selected to take them to a number of sites in the vast metropolis of Mexico City took them down one street and saw a building that was for sale, so he pulled over and called the phone number on the sign outside. The property manager just happened to be nearby, and quickly arrived to give the group a tour.
It is a perfect location; a former cooking school with a large open space with a high ceiling (they can sell the cooking equipment or use it to serve meals to the poor in the neighborhood), a number of offices and classrooms (which will be used to open an English-language school on site), and — get this — orange paint on the interior walls. The driver came to Christ during the time that the church team was on site, and is now part of the leadership for the Mexico City church. God is definitely at work!
I feel confident that our church leadership isn’t just having “good ideas” and acting on them; their vision is too widespread to the rest of the church to be anything but a widespread outbreak of prophecy. They’re also diligent about following the advice of 1 John 4:1:
”Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.“
1 John 4:1 NASB1995
In other words, each time they receive a prophetic message, they test it against Scripture to see if it lines up with God’s declarations. It isn’t just the two primary pastors — the church has a full leadership team that prayerfully tests each message before jumping in some new direction.
As I come to a close of this message, I want to point out that Barb and I are probably (still!) two of the most skeptical people you’d ever want to meet. We are not losing our minds; we are seeing God’s will at work.
I know this devotional was a bit long and strayed from our usual pattern of digging into a verse or two, but what’s happening with one church headquartered in Lone Tree, Colorado is positive proof that prophecy and divine revelation still exist in a powerful way in the 21st century.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I praise Your Name as you continually fulfill Your promises and prophecies. Thank You for allowing me to be part of a church where Your divine revelation is taken seriously, and that I can witness Your guiding hand at work directing us as Your hands and feet here on Earth. Please teach me to hear Your voice more clearly during prayer, and to use Your Word to discern what is Your truth and what is my thought. I pray this in Your Name, AMEN.