A Prophet?

Last night I went with a friend to hear a speaker at a "prophetic conference" north of Seattle. We left before he was finished speaking because we were both rather disturbed by what was being spoken. I was mostly upset because he was saying many things that were not Scriptural. Isn't a prophet supposed to speak God's Word?

His main points "sounded right," but when listening closely, it seemed that something was amiss with the message. I get very frustrated with people who act like they are preaching the Word, but only use little bits and pieces out of context to support their agenda. I want people to preach/teach God's Word and not their own.

After seeing these conference go-ers I realize that many of them are just "conference groupies" who travel from place to place chasing after the "next great move of God." I think people should be ready for God to move in your own community in your own congregation. A person does not have to chase after the wind. God will not leave you behind. The speaker last night said his greatest fear was that he would miss out on the next great move of God. I don't believe that someone who is seeking after the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind will miss out on what He has in store for them. It may not be as flashy as someone else might experience, but God is into tailor-made experiences with Him. He will not leave us behind or in the cold if we are following after Him (which doesn't mean running from conference to conference to "catch the wave"). I would say that if a person is chasing after things of this world, his/her own glory, or pleasures of sin that there is a risk of missing out of being part of what God is doing.

The other thing that was mentioned is that we as believers need to be "culturally relevent." I think this is a great misconception because we are part of the culture, right? I live in this culture in Seattle; I contribute to it. Instead of catering to the cultural norms, I believe we need to be building a culture of Godliness around us. People will notice. If we are living lives of Godly character we will exude his love, grace, and mercy to those around us and it will draw attention. Of course, I believe we need to speak to people in a language they will understand, but I do not think we need to become like the world to win it--that is not Scriptural. We are to "be in the world but not of the world."