s a Pentecostal church, it is important to come to a place of Pentecostal encounter. We must understand that our traditions are founded and grounded on the person of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us and empowers us. When we go through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we hand over our lives to the Holy Ghost so that it can lead and drive our lives.
A
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It is:
That is why it is so important for you and I to receive regular revelation of God for without it, we cast off restraint (Proverbs 29:18), easily distracted by what’s happening around us.
INFORMATION
STAGE 1 REVELATION
• The power of God that takes us into His purpose and sees the establishment of His Kingdom here on earth;
• The passion of God to see the nations touched for His glory; and
STAGE 2 ILLUMINATION
• The hammer of God to break the grip of sin that hinders us from becoming who He meant us to be. Each of us walks and lives on the prophetic unction of God – we are called to live a life of proclamation and declaration. We are men and women empowered to see visions and dream dreams, operating with the same power that was poured down on the early church (cf Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2.17-19). If you and I claim to be Spiritempowered, then we will regularly receive revelation for own lives as well as for the lives of those around us. Those who operate in the prophetic are not shaken when the storms of life come because they operate in the revelation of the promises of God.
STAGE 3 CONVICTION
ORDINATION
STAGE 4 MANIFESTATION
As Christians, we are the mouthpiece of God calling people to turn from darkness and live in the light. We are also entrusted to be social engineers and architects, speaking life and purpose so that men and women move to align to the will of God. To live with the prophetic unction of God – a prophetic edge – is not something mystical. Rather, living with a prophetic edge is about hearing God’s word and then articulating, demonstrating, or expressing it – the will, intention, and/or passion of God – to those around us. If you and I want to live with a prophetic edge, we must understand the prophetic process, the stages that take place in our lives where we become people that operate by the Spirit in order to move in the Spirit.
OUR STARTING POINT: INFORMATION We live in a world where we are flooded with information: on paper, from the television, through the internet, and by interacting with the people around us. However, information in and of itself is meaningless, even irrelevant, unless we give it meaning and insight. When it is not wanted, it can even harden our hearts. The information we are looking for, the right information that will bring
3 9