Naming Reality

August 17, 2019

Prophecy will be especially important in the coming revival. Why? It is because the prophetic names reality from heavens perspective. In order to recognize the opportunities for Kingdom advancement in the coming days, we must see the changes, even and especially the geo-political ones, from God’s point of view. Know that shakings in the political arena will continue. Geopolitics will grow increasingly volatile and shifts will begin to reshape power structures. Change is going to become the norm as technology continues to advance at accelerated rates. In the midst of rapid changes, there will be unique opportunities to advance into greater influence for kingdom advancement. We will need to identify and interpret the times rightly or many may miss the unprecedented opportunities about to be presented.

Jack Elliot Corbett and Elizabeth S. Smith write, “A prophetic community is a change agent in culture; pointing and pioneering the transformative way.”[1]

Sobering words.

What is a prophetic community? It is a New Testament community. A community of prophetic people, who receive and release the revelatory words of God. Whether called as a participant in the prophetic community (Acts 2:1-39, Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 59:19-21, Numbers 11:29) or as a prophet (Ephesians 4:11), it is imperative we understand and operate in prophecy.

God reveals Himself and His plans through speech (Hebrews 1:1-2). His revelatory speech comes in many forms: written and spoken words, visions, dreams, signs and wonders and angelic visitations. God has given us, His people, not only the ability to hear His voice, but also to speak His words. This is prophecy. It is the forth-telling and fore-telling of God’s heart, will, ways and works. If we are to be a change agent, pointing and pioneering the transformative way for the world, we must practice both forth-telling and fore-telling.

It is the forth-telling I am concerned with in this article. The church has historically understood forth–telling as the proclamation of God’s written and revelatory word. Indeed it is. Some further understand forth-telling as “causing the future” in that as we speak the revelatory word of the Lord, power to create is released to bring forth the manifestation of the prophetic word (Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 55:11). I agree and would add a third important function to forth-telling, that of naming reality.

In Genesis 1:26, God creates mankind in his own image. Being made in God’s own image comes with response–ability, meaning the ability to respond. Humans are the only creatures given the ability to hear God’s voice and respond to it (or not). It is the essence of faith. Faith is a response to revelation. Animals live by instinct, not by faith. Think about this–when we refuse to hear God’s voice and respond we choose deafness. In choosing deafness we suspend our humanity. With the suspension of our humanity we are unable to be change agents in the world. Selah.

In Genesis 2:19-20 we find Adams first assignment and words. Context reveals not only God’s perspective on the circumstances, but also his plan of action. Adam was alone, it “was not good”, and God would bring the solution. Yet, rather than act alone God invites Adam to participate giving him the opportunity to perceive what He already does.

God brings animals to Adam to “see” what he would name them. The word used for see in this passage is the Hebrew word Ra’ah which has a prophetic component. It is seeing to perceive with a divine perspective. In other words, Adam’s first recorded assignment was to IDENTIFY and INTERPRET what God had done. Accordingly, he gave God’s creative work (animals) names and in the process he gained divine perspective regarding the reality of his own circumstance. This prepared him to receive God’s plan and solution.

In essence Adam prophesied the names of the animals according to what he perceived. He was forth-telling; identifying and interpreting the revelation of what God had done in the present. He named reality. Reality is NOT what we see with the natural eye, it is what God has done/is doing manifest in present circumstances. Naming reality is identifying and interpreting the revelation of what God has done/is doing in order to prepare for what He will do. This is forth-telling. This is a powerful function of prophecy.

As a prophetic community, we have the power to name reality for others: to identify and interpret what God has done/is doing thus giving divine perspective to natural circumstances, times, and seasons making room for God’s preferred future.

So I ask you, what are you seeing…politically, socio-economically, culturally, for the church, for the family, for the individual?

[1] Jack Elliot Corbett and Elizabeth S. Smith, Becoming a Prophetic Community (Atlanta, GA: John Knox, 1980), 16.