From the desk of Steve Shultz:
I like to take complicated questions about prophetic things and make them as simple as possible to understand.
I hope I've succeeded below.
In my book, "CAN'T YOU TALK LOUDER, GOD?" you'll find even more of these "debugging" questions answered.
Blessings,
Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz:
"Debugging the Prophetic" Questions and Answers with Steve Shultz
History of "Debugging"
In 1946, when Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (Winner of the 1984 Woman of the Year Award, Young Women's Christian Association of the National Capitol Area) was released from active duty, she joined the Harvard faculty at the Computation Laboratory where she continued her work on early computers--the Mark and Mark III. She traced an error in the Mark II to a moth trapped in a relay, coining the term "bug." This bug was carefully removed and taped to the log book. Stemming from the first bug, today we call errors or glitches in a program, a bug--or the removal of the bug--the "debugging" process.
In 1946, Admiral Hooper joined the Eckert-Machly Computer Corporation (later called Sperry Rand). At Eckert-Machly she helped design the first commercial electronic computer called the UNIVAC. The UNIVAC operated a thousand times faster than the Mark I. "Debugging" came to mean fixing both computers and making things plainer when teaching.
Debugging Questions and Answers (Q&A) with Steve Shultz
Q. What are we to think of an "Ezekiel type" prophet today? You know, one who goes around doing bizarre prophetic acts because they say the Lord told them to do so.
A. It's good to remember that Jesus was a NEW COVENANT Savior, so what He did was a demonstration of what we can and sometimes should do. We do prophetic acts today all the time in the Church. Even taking communion is a prophetic act, illustrating the death of Jesus and life-giving power of His Blood.
One night the Lord told me to take some oil filled with gold, frankincense and myrrh, and take it out into the icy night at 1 a.m. and burn the gold - to illustrate gold refined in the fire - the very thing He was doing in my life (and still is, by the way). It was cold. I was sick. But I obeyed. I won't forget how God wanted to illustrate His work on my behalf.
It's a good idea to obey when the Lord tells you to do a prophetic act. Agabus was obedient to take a belt and give a prophetic picture to the Apostle Paul:
"After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, 'The Holy Spirit says, "In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles."'" Acts 21:10-11
Jesus took a blind man by the hand out of the town and put spit on a man's eyes in order to heal him - a prophetic act that could have multiple meanings:
"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." Mark 8:22-25
Really, the only questions are, how bizarre are you willing to be? And, of course, how sure are you that God told you to do it? And also, do you have permission to do your prophetic act by the person or people who will witness it?
For instance, if I was in a church, and felt God told me to do something on stage, I don't personally believe I have the right to just do it without the permission of the presiding pastor. I saw a young prophet years ago do a handstand on the stage to illustrate that God was saying He was going to turn this church around. He did have the pastor's permission to do it, of course, and to tell the church what the handstand meant. I could list many such illustrations.
Biblically, we are given guidelines to follow when we think we hear God, or when we try to do something for God: "Follow the way of love" and do all things "decently and in order" (see 1 Corinthians 14).
It's not a simple answer, but these Scriptures, examples and principles should get you started on your quest for understanding prophetic acts.
Q. Is it important to God that a prophet or prophetess lead a holy lifestyle?
A. Absolutely, positively, YES! And it's not just important for prophets, but any office in the Church, and for every Christian for that matter. Holiness is not selective. However, find me any two people who completely agree on every point of holiness and I will be surprised.
First, the clear-cut Word of God:
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son." Hebrews 12:14-16
We are not to judge another's holiness. As an example, if I went into a topless bar to minister to the women, I would probably be disobeying my calling and not living as a holy man. Yet, I know some women who are called to do just that type of holy ministry to other women.
Some can watch a funny movie and close their eyes during one quick scene that shouldn't be there. Another person may not have permission by God, or themselves, to watch the same movie. This is why we read that we should not judge, or we will be judged. Man looks on the outside only (or mostly), and we can't always know the heart of another person.
Someone you may think is being unholy by their activity, may in fact be reaching sinners caught in deep sin in some of the worst places on earth. Their eyes see terrible things, but their hearts remain pure.
I've seen youth just goof around and laugh loudly about many silly things, but when it comes time to worship they are leading the rest of the adults into the most pure form of worship I've experienced.
Holiness is extremely important - but part of holiness is understanding the motive of the heart - with grace being a part of the holiness package.
In Hebrews 12, people often miss the part which says this:
"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
You could do all the right holy acts, and never watch a wrong movie, and that would be good. Yet, if you, for instance, became bitter against others who don't act the same way, you might be one who "misses the grace of God," and there goes your holiness right out the window.
Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The ElijahList & ElijahRain magazine
http://www.elijahlist.com
