Being Recognized By Your Peers
Rev. Michael Fram
I remember back in 2011 while still functioning as a Prophet, I was on a weekend missions trip to Trinidad. I flew in on Friday, Preached twice on Saturday, Preached twice on Sunday, and flew home on Monday with hardly any voice (but that is another subject).
During that trip one of my Dad’s Spiritual Sons, my Spiritual Brother, Christopher Douglas prophesied to me that I was going to be changing functions or Ministry Gifts again. (in 2000 I began a transition from “Screaming Evangelist” to Prophet that took a few years to complete) He said as far as God was concerned He already saw me as an Apostle.
It would have been Great if the Word ended there...but alas it did not. Chris went on to say, you have to go through the Process, the Process, the Process, the Process, The Process...he said the word Process 5 times. This is significant because it took 5 years for that word to become a reality.
I wasn’t commissioned as an Apostle till 2016, 5 years later. It took 1 year of process for each time Chris said the word process, before I was ready for the Transition from Prophet to Apostle. I know we all wish we could get a Prophetic Word today, and walk in it tomorrow, but it just does not work that way.
When I received that word, I knew better than to argue with God because I argued in 2000 regarding Evangelist to Prophet and lost. I was not not about to make that same mistake again. I did however offer God “A Deal”. I said: “When My Peers Recognize This, Then We Will Do Something About It, Until Then, Leave Me Alone About It.” To my surprise He answered with an abrupt one-word answer: “FINE”.
It was important to me that my Peers, those that I was in relationship with, recognized and saw the apostolic grace emerging in my life so that they could come into agreement with what God was doing in my life. Yet so many today, if you ask them who has Recognized the grace on their life, or who they are in Relationship with, they have no one to point to.
You may ask if there is a Biblical Precedent for being Recognized by your Peers, or is this just some sort of “Pet Peeve” that I have. I Am Glad You Asked!
Acts 13 immediately comes to mind where Barnabas and Saul were separated by the other Prophets and Teachers in Antioch to the Work the Spirit had called them to.
Acts 9 comes to mind where initially the Apostles in Jerusalem were leary of Paul, but Barnabas brought him to the Apostles and he was received which he later talks about being received by them in Galatians chapter 1.
Timothy and Titus also come to mind because of how often Paul openly referred to both of them as his sons both in his epistles to the churches as well as in his epistles to them.
So is there a Biblical Precedent to be Recognized by one's Peers? I believe the answer is an emphatic YES!
So why do we have so many “Lone Rangers” running all over the Country and all over Social Media as self-proclaimed Apostles or Prophets that are not recognized by anybody or in relationship with anybody.
If you are what you say you are, you should be able to point to folks in your life that are your peers. Folks that can verify your grace and calling. Folks that can vouch for your character. Folks that can do for you what Barnabas did for Paul in Jerusalem. If you don’t have that, just maybe: “You Are Not What You Profess To Be!” ~ Selah
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