The prophet's handbook

representatives. These messengers see God as out of sight, out of mind, and out of control. However, the Lord has dealt with this before, according to Psalm 94:7, and He does not change. As the institution settles its organization and strength, He will address these matters through the faithful prophets He installs. Since the rewards and penalties for service and disservice to God presumably come later, many ministers feel they can take what they want now and bear the consequences later. Scripture, however, tells us that is not always the case (see Matthew 7:13 and the Lord’s parabolic contrast of the good and faithful servant versus the evil and faithless servant), not to mention that they merely suppose they can painlessly suffer whatever consequence they imagine He assigns to their misconduct. The Agency Agent It is the agency’s founding or initiating principals who commission authorized representatives for a discrete purpose. The commission is the embodiment of what defines the agency’s work. It encapsulates the purpose for its dispatch, delegates authority, and authorizes their business, services, and dispensations as related to the founding purpose. All must be clearly defined for the operative or functionary (two more synonyms for agent) to complete his assignments. Because agency assignments are usually apart from their principal’s residence or headquarters location, the word dispatch heads the list of what a commission entails. The sending away aspect of the assignment requires principal deputation that sanctions the commission and its agency representatives. In written lawful and often notarized documents, the principal states how the agency is to legally perform in his name in distant territories. It is the power of the commission that gives the dispatched (sent ones) the permission to execute the commands and charges of the principal as defined. An agent, as a representative of the commissioner, acts as an instrument employed by the principal to be virtually the principal away from the hub or headquarters location. Prophets in this capacity are equated to Christ as long as He is in heaven, as seen by the Lord’s words to Moses in Exodus 7:1. That is the essence of His Matthew 28 Great Commission that 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11 qualify for His ministerial staff. Legitimate Commissioning One important thing worth mentioning about a commission is the present-day church’s acts of commissioning. The church has taken up the practice of