Prophetic Integrity: Aligning Our Words with God's Word

Description

What happens when prophets are wrong In 2020, many Christians claiming to be prophets said God told them that Donald Trump would be re-elected as president. Over thirty years before that, one the famous Kansas City Prophets, Paul Cain, prophesied that there would be a revival in London in 1990, which never came to pass. These examples make us wonder: What happens when prophets get it wrong Are there consequences for misleading God's people What would a genuine prophet look like today And how can you tell a false prophet from a genuine one In recent years, misjudgments among Charismatic Christians claiming to speak for God as well as moral failures within Evangelicalism have resulted in a crisis of belief. In Prophetic Integrity, bestselling author and speaker, R.T. Kendall gives a warning to those speaking in God's name and offers a way forward in trusting God despite the failures of the church. To unpack this difficult topic, Kendall, a self-described "Reformed charismatic," relates accounts of visions and supernatural experiences and shares stories and thoughts about Christian leaders that he knew personally, such as Paul Cain and Ravi Zacharias. He gives examples of good and bad prophecies and teaches a biblical and theologically-sound understanding of prophetic gifting and use. Prophetic Integrity is a book for those who believe that God still speaks today but have serious questions about those within the church that identify as prophets. It's a call for honesty, vulnerability, and repentance; and it speaks to Christians of many different traditions, including Charismatic and Evangelical. Discerning Christians of many different traditions can and must take both God's word and the gift of prophecy seriously and recognize how humans can abuse such gifts or use them to advance God's Kingdom.

R. T. KENDALL was the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England, for twenty-five years. He was educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Oxford University (DPhil) and has written a number of books, including Total Forgiveness, Holy Fire, and We've Never Been This Way Before.

'My good friend R. T. Kendall delivers a clear and compelling call to the church for repentance and righteousness that is desperately needed. To a generation stumbling in the darkness, Prophetic Integrity is biblical light from a pastor and scholar's heart which addresses the nature of God and how we can know and trust him. Read this book and discover a path forward to unite and ignite Christians and churches as we seek to fulfill the mission of Christ until he comes.' * Dr. Jack Graham, pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas * 'Dr. Kendall has penned a very insightful treatise on the biblical prophetic; detailing its highest and best use. His decades-long experience with its proper deployment is invaluable to the discussion regarding how we position ourselves to hear God speak today. A necessary read.' * Brett Fuller, pastor, Grace Covenant Church, Chantilly, Virginia, chaplain, Washington Commanders * 'One of the final signs of impending judgment on a nation is the rise of false prophetic voices claiming to speak for God. Their words often contradict Scripture, while at the same time offering a non-existent future of uninterrupted bliss. Do we have the courage to face this issue in our times? Can we correct our present course? Is there hope for today's prophetic movement? R. T. Kendall's book on our present condition offers hope. Yet it is hope based on a true self-evaluation and a humility of heart. The true prophet is not afraid of this. In fact, he or she will welcome the correction. His desire is to honor Christ, at all costs. The false will always be with us. But the true prophetic voices will, as has always been the case throughout biblical history, put their babbling to shame.' * Carter Conlon, former pastor, Times Square Church, New York City * 'R. T. Kendall has done it again! Yes, in his new book Prophetic Integrity he has managed to capture the twenty-first century's outlook about the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially 'Prophecy.' I can say without hesitation, 'Be open to reading this book with an open mind and allow yourself the opportunity to learn whatever the Lord wants you to learn.' Pride often leads to self-righteousness and stops us from learning more about our loving, merciful, and wonderful God. R. T. expounds the truths of the Word of God and expresses the necessity of allowing the gifts of the Holy Spirit to flow together with integrity while being openly transparent in all his teaching. I love the way he weaves questions into every chapter that will allow you time to digest this very timely topic. Bottom line, do you want to experience God 100%? Prophetic Integrity will give you the keys to achieving this. What an informative, timely book at this critical period in history. It will change your thinking, challenge your views, and will definitely give you much to chew on and digest!' * Marilyn Hickey, founder and president of Marilyn Hickey Ministries * 'In the latter part of the previous century and in the waxing years of the twenty-first, I cannot imagine a more qualified voice than that of Rev. Dr. R. T. Kendall to speak to the subject of prophetic integrity. From televangelists to conventions, from media preachers to conventions, and from cessationists to toll-free 800 numbers where you can get a personal prophecy on the spot, there is pervasive and embedded misinformation about biblical prophecy. With an Oxford doctorate, massive experience in a world pulpit at Westminster Chapel, and some of the most published material from a pastor/theologian of this era, no one is more qualified to speak to this issue than Rev. Dr. Kendall--R. T. to me, a great friend and encourager. This will clarify your thinking, give fresh impetus to genuine prophecy, and produce freedom in your church.' * Joel C. Gregory, professor of preaching, holder of the George W. Truett Endowed Chair of Preaching and Evangelism, director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching, Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary * 'I count it a privilege to know Dr. Kendall as a dear friend, as one who walks the talk and whose longing has been to honour his God and to see his church revived and blessed. The spirit in which he has written about faulty theologies is consistently eirenic, with an evident heart-heavy burden for the church, for the truth, and for biblical purity and integrity of living. In this day of flaccid compromise where the world has destructively infiltrated the church rather than the church infiltrating the world, this book is both needed and intensely relevant.' * Rev. David Cohen, former general director of Scripture Union (UK) and founding director of Moringa Associates, Australia * 'I have cried over the state of the prophetic movement--we are supposed to represent God, but we have been proven to represent party lines and opinions; we are supposed to be ones that stand before God, but we have sold ourselves to stand in front of men. May a standard be raised, and may the fame of God be restored in and through the church. May prophetic people remember that we have merely been given one of the tools that should be used in the one commission given to the church--to make disciples of Jesus Christ!' * John E. Thomas, Streams Ministries (founded by John Paul Jackson) * 'If ever there was a day for prophets to 'stand before the Lord,' as Elijah did, it is today. Prophets cannot shortcut this privilege--and when they do, confusion and compromise occurs. In the world of chaos and bewilderment that we live in, the word of the prophets is needed with humility, clarity, preciseness, and integrity. R. T.'s book is a good wake-up call for us all to be men and women of the secret place.' * Grant Brewster, pastor, Island Church, Bainbridge Island, Washington * 'R. T.'s book Prophetic Integrity is timely, inspiring, and very practical. It is a much-needed book in this hour--even a godly wake-up call for many who value the prophetic ministry. R. T. combines biblical scholarship, practical application, and godly inspiration with his many years of rich ministry experience to give the body of Christ this much needed book, which is a gift of wisdom that will enrich many lives.' * Mike Bickle, International House of Prayer, Kansas City, Missouri * 'The prophetic movement is facing a crisis of credibility across the United States and around the world. Faith in prophets and prophecy has reached a low ebb in the body of Christ--and in the world we are called to serve--as it has been battered by a plethora of unjudged and unfulfilled prophecies. R. T. Kendall has pastored and counseled some of the leading prophetic voices in our generation, and in my opinion there is no one more apt to provide the insight necessary to repair the damage which has been wrought. As a gifted theologian with a pastor's heart, R. T. has penned a book which is both a diagnosis of and a cure for the intrinsic problems affecting prophetic integrity around the world.' * Jim Laffoon, Every Nation Churches *