The prophet's handbook

nonchalantly laying hands on people in informal ceremonies to commission them to go forth. To what or where is not always clear. Under certain circumstances, such a practice, done in the name of Jesus, is not inherently wrong. It can, however, be dangerous. Casual acts of commissioning can be somewhat misleading and can activate spiritual forces and warfare the newly commissioned one is not prepared to confront. This is especially true when the person commissioned has had little preparatory training and limited information on the nature, purpose, and aim of his or her commission. To perform the ritual as merely a religious rite strips it of its powerful inaugural impartation. What’s worse is that it releases mediocre performers to perform a critical function as they see fit. For a commissioner to have power to dispatch agents, the factors stated above must be established. The commissioner must be a legitimate principal. He or she must have sovereign or legal authority within the realm of the commission to be economically, spiritually, or otherwise able to support the agent—the one on whom hands are laid for dispatch. Thus, the commissioner must be higher or at least more highly endowed than the one being sent forth. The reason for this has to do with the sure difficulties, hardships, and obstacles the agent will face while on assignment. The commissioner should be able to finance, shelter, protect, and extend his or her reach (and aid) to encircle the agent. He or she should be more than capable of undergirding the remote agent’s activities in the distant territory. There must be sufficient license to authorize, anointing to empower and impart, and resources to sustain the operative in the remote location. These necessities demand the commissioner be more than a peer or subordinate. The commissioning body or individual’s word should be respected and heeded in the place where the agent is sent. The legitimacy of the commission and the reputation of the commissioner must be impeccable for the agent to serve effectively or to have the power to enforce the principal’s commands. Additionally, a letter attesting to the legitimacy of the agent and the authenticity of the commission is necessary. Study for insight the account of Peter and the other apostles’ dispatch of Paul to his ministry to the Gentiles in the book of Galatians. Review also their reception of him when he was brought to them by Barnabas for the first time. Re-examine as well their protective escort of Paul when the Jewish authorities sought to kill him for his defection to Christ. All these examples show that the principal must have the status in the natural and supernatural realms to assure the agent’s survival and success. Certification