Prophetic Ministries Today

This interview between Pastor Ras Robinson and Prophet Kent Simpson took place in August of 1994. Its purpose is to familiarize pastors and lay persons with those who operate in the prophetic gifts. It is our desire to see the church allow freedom for the prophetically gifted to come into the congregations to minister to the saints.

The body of Christ has been instructed in the scriptures not to despise prophecy. Of all the gifts we are to pursue prophecy according to First Corinthians 14:1.

"Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1

There are many questions about whether prophecy is really of God. How can we know it is of God? What do we do when we get a word from a prophetic minister? I hope you will find the answers to these and others question in the following interview.

PASTOR RAS: When I first began to learn about prophecy, nearly 20 years ago, I basically learned how to spell the word. I did not know much about it. I thought then that surely this was the time when the Spirit was going to be poured out and all would prophesy. However, there were about ten years beginning in about 1975 that in my circles there was almost never a prophecy given. We then went through a time with the Kansas City Prophets and all the things that happened there. Then in our Fullness Conferences, a couple of years ago, we began to have people like Paul Cain and one or two others who came and gave some teaching and some prophetic Words. I can not speak for all parts of the body but even today there is not a real out pouring of the prophetic gift. I believe we may now be on the leading edge of something new. With all that said I want to ask you this question. What is your definition of a false prophet? I know that the answer to this question is a concern to many people.

PROPHET KENT: False Prophets are mentioned a number of times in the scriptures. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that if there are false prophets then there also must be true prophets somewhere. The process of culling them out should not be as difficult as we try to make it. A powerful Evangelist once wrote a booklet called "Satan’s Evangelist". He pointed out Hugh Hefner producer of Play Boy magazine, Larry Flynt producer of Hustler magazine and Madam O’hara as people who have spent a great deal of time and money leading people away from the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who leads people into open sin, to believe that sin is OK and has no consequence, or that there is no God so eat, drink, and be merry for nothing is going to come of it, is a false evangelist. The same is true with false prophets. Turn on your television and you will see 900 numbers offering psychics, tarot card readers, star-gazers and omen readers. These people will not lead you to Jesus Christ. I believe that they are why the Lord is raising up the prophetic in the Church today. Where it is dark it is getting darker and where it is light it is getting brighter. I have been in contact with too many Christians who have called those numbers. They want to know of things to come, but they are indoctrinated so heavily about false prophets that they are afraid to consult a "prophet". They do not know that they will receive a curse on their life as penalty for seeking a psychic or spiritualist. God is using the Prophets of today to reverse the curse that those who have sought false prophets have allowed to be placed on their life.

I have seen the destruction in these individual’s lives, for Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. What the Psychics say to you may not sound as though it will bring destruction in you life. You may even think they are totally wrong, but the results will be that those things they said will begin to work in your life, because you came believing in and receiving from them. If you come into agreement with the devil or any of his ambassadors you will receive a curse. The Church must stop judging so harshly those who are attempting to walk out and begin operating in their gifts. Paul said to Timothy in I Timothy 4:14, "Do not neglect the gift that was given unto you through prophecy, and laying upon of hands." If we are not going to neglect it we must then learn to perfect it. If we are to learn to perfect it we need a place a to operate in it. There is no better place than amongst those (I pray) that are gracious and merciful enough to allow people to begin to step out in it, and learn. You are not suddenly "zapped" and it begins to work in you. It is something you have to begin to perfect. Everybody has a biceps muscle. They come in all different sizes, depending on how much they are used. They can be massive or they can be almost non-existent, but they are there. It is the same with the gift. It is there, we just need to see it begin to be exercised. There needs to be an atmosphere for the laying on of hands and prophecy to stir up the gifts in one another, to see that gift manifested. The gift does come in measure. Romans 12 says that we prophesy by the measure of faith. Now, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The scriptures say we know in part and prophecy in part. I am not going to know everything about an individual. I can not read their minds or see every thing that is going to happen in their life. I can only see part and know part. That is why it is good to get a little part here and a little part there, like pieces of a puzzle. The more pieces you get the bigger the picture is and clearer the direction the Word of the Lord is leading you. Conformation is greatly needed because when you hear the Word of the Lord through the mouth of two or more witnesses every word is established. It is obvious when the same word comes from two or three people who do not know each other that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you about something that pertains to your life. It prepares you for what is to come. It does not matter if you believe the word for it will happen if it is the true Word of God.