Rule of Thumb: It starts with the Prophets!

In the wonderful learning process of establishing apostolic foundations in Europe, we are re-establishing that the apostles and prophets are the foundations together, in accordance with Ephesians 2:20: "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone". But as Kingdom foundations are being layed, I believe - as a rule of thumb - that it starts with the prophets!

I love the various church models in Acts of the Apostles. Probably we can learn the most by a study of the church at Antioch, in the present day Turkey. Here, the primary giftings in the foundational stages of the church seemed to be prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1-4).

In the broad term "prophetic", I count prayer, fasting, spiritual warfare, inercession, worship & praise, seeking the Father´s heart etc. Prophets speak the word of the Lord. Not in competition with the 66 books of the Bible, but tested by the Written Word, which is our absolute norm. The prophetic is characterized by the radicalism which is a sine-qua-non for the foundations of every church and structure of Christianity. The prophets see "The ONE Thing" which is necessary, and when this is combined with apostles who also have the radical commitment to Christ, the prophetic revelations and dimensions will be implemented and brought to fruition.

A few apostles are afraid of the prophets, because of the unpredictablitiy and "extremism" that comes with the prophetic. But now God is raising up apostles who are willing to serve and lead together wth prophets. Simultaneously, God is raising up prophets who acknowledge that apostles are first in rank (1Corinthians 12:28). When apostles and prophets complement each other, success begins to come. When they are separated from each other, the church becomes stagnant and stale, and there is spiritual famine in the land.

We seek to bring this balance to the nations of Europe.