Prophetic Resources Review

Bill Hamon is the founder and bishop of the major ministries of Christian International, CINC, CIFC, CIST, CIBN and CIMTC, plus CI headquarters in Indiana, CIFWC, and international headquarters in India, England, Japan, Australia and Canada. Hamon has functioned as pastor, evangelist, teacher, prophet and apostle. His calling is one of a prophet-apostle, and he is the apostle over the worldwide ministries of CI. The author of four major books, he has also written numerous Bible college courses and the "Manual for Ministering Spiritual Gifts."

"Apostles, Prophets and the Coming Moves of God" is published by Destiny Image, ISBN 0-939868-09-1, copyright 1997.

The primary focus of the book is on the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic ministries. However, I will concentrate on one key issue, which is the discussion of the difference between being "called" and being "commissioned."

1 Corinthians 12:27 states: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts."

This Scripture clearly points out that each of us has been given a certain position or function within the Body of Christ. As we build an intimate relationship with God, He will reveal to us what that calling is. It is important to note that simply because we may have received a revelation of our calling by visions, dreams or a prophetic word does not mean we are activated into that function by tomorrow.

As with everything, God works within the realm of His perfect timing, which more than likely is different from our perspective of when and how our calling will be brought forth.

Calling and Commissioning

Our calling cannot be instituted by organizations or men; they are based on God's sovereign will. Neither is His ultimate purpose for us based on our worthiness or persistence. We cannot make God commission us before His appointed time. We must never assume that we have already been commissioned at the time we receive prophecy that God has called us or display the fruit of certain gifts that confirm this calling.

When we are trying to fulfill God's calling on our lives, we will produce Ishmaels. This type of ministry is born of the flesh and is brought into existence by manipulation, not by the Spirit of God.

Hamon writes: "The goodness of God is manifested in the gifts and callings He freely gives. Our gifts of eternal life, the Holy Spirit and membership ministry are not based on who we are or what we have done but who God is and what He has done for us. His severity is revealed in the process of His severe training to make us ready to be commissioned to our divine calling."

The more responsibility the calling carries, the greater and more intense will the training process be. This also means that greater callings will be judged at a higher standard and with a stricter measure. This is mostly true for those who are called to be prophets and apostles. More is required of them in the areas of integrity, obedience and Christlikeness. Throughout the training process, we are given opportunities to die to ourselves and live unto Jesus. We cannot truly live as His bondservants until we count everything as loss and are willing to yield everything to God.

Hamon points out that even Paul recognized that, "Those who are going to make it from calling to commissioning must do these things. First, count everything as loss that would promote self-glory and self-preservation: not only count the loss, but suffer the loss. Second, never assume you have already attained to everything that God has called you to. Finally, forget all the successes and failures of the past, and then press with all that is within you toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God you have in Christ Jesus."

Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen

Matthew 22:14 states: "For many are invited, but few are chosen." This could also be rephrased to read "many are called, but few are commissioned." While many receive a high ministerial calling they are not able or willing to press in all the way through the commissioning of that high calling. Usually they get discouraged because the preparation process may seem too long or they believe they can't endure the pressures. These are, however, the times when we need to completely yield to God and rely on His strength and help to get us through.

The Bible describes those who endure to the end as overcomers. True overcomers do not end at their calling, but finish the race to the commissioning and remain faithful until the end.

God's Divine Process

God uses processes to accomplish His agendas. Our calling and commissioning are not an exception to this. If we try to make our calling happen in our own strength and time, confusion and frustration will result. Another important reality is that we will not truly be prepared for the task God has called us to do unless we are willing to yield to the complete process. Hamon compares a person who is trying to fulfill a ministry before God's timing to an "engine trying to run smoothly with the timing gear completely out of proper timing." Our preparation time may seem too long to us, but God is the only One Who truly knows how long it will take until we are ready. As He presents us with the calling, we can then decide to accept it and yield to the process, or we can reject it. Even if we reject our calling, God will still give us time to change our mind. However, if we persist in rejecting His calling, He will transfer it to somebody else.

Biblical examples of this are Saul and David, when Saul's calling to be king was transferred to David. Another example is Esau and Jacob. Esau treated his inheritance cheaply and the result was that Jacob ended up with it.

Once we accept our calling, the Holy Spirit will start a process of taking us from "called to be" to being "commissioned." Again an example is David who was called to be king, but it wasn't until many years later that he was commissioned and officially became king of Israel. This should encourage us not to act prematurely and take on the title of the office God calls us to, but to wait until God officially lets us be recognized under that title. Even though our zeal to function in that office may be sincere, premature action is based on assumptions, not on God's leading.

Bill Hamon writes about a person who acts prematurely: "They have more presumption than faith, more zeal than wisdom, more revelation than reality and more gifted ministry than manhood maturity."

When we give up beforehand, we will miss our time of opportunity, hence our ultimate ministry. It is important to maintain our integrity and faith throughout our greatest trials. It is then that we will see God help us take dominion over our heritage. During the preparation time God will subject us to many checkpoints and tests. How we respond will determine the degree of prophetic fulfillment.

1 Peter 1:6-7 states: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

God will check us out to see the level of commitment we have and whether we are willing to completely commit to Him. Therefore we must predetermine to remain dedicated until we receive what God wants to give us - no matter what the cost and how long it takes.

We cannot judge truth by our circumstances because God is not bound by what we perceive as truth. He promises that He will never leave us. He continues to direct our affairs to line up with His ultimate purpose for our lives. We see an example of this when we read about Joseph. It wasn't until after Joseph was sold into slavery and put into prison that he was brought out and put into the position of God's promise. If he had judged by the circumstances, he could easily have given up hope. But he knew God was with him throughout the process. Later in that process, he acknowledged to his brothers that God orchestrated the events in his life for a greater purpose.

It is also important to remember that our "righteous acts" are not always immediately rewarded, however, they keep us in good standing with God and contribute toward His moving us to our ultimate ministry.

About Setbacks and Demotions

Joseph could also have considered it a setback when he was put into prison. It certainly looked like a setback from a worldly perspective. The key is to trust God and that He knows what He is doing. Joseph trusted God and moved from prisoner to prime minister in one day. The preparation process took 13 years, then God suddenly brought him forth in his calling. Our so-called "setbacks" are not indicators of God's failure to accomplish His purposes. Rather, they are strings in God's fabric of divine calling over our lives.

Obedience and Patience Appropriates

Our obedience is directly linked to the duration and result of our preparation time. Hamon points out: "As in natural schooling, the teacher cannot pass students on to the next grade level until they pass the test."

As God is in charge of our lives the challenges we face are given opportunities for promotion. Our response to God's preparative process of trying and testing determines if we ever will reach the stage where we move from "being called" to "being commissioned." Again, it is important to maintain a positive attitude throughout this process and not to resist God's pruning. Once we pass, God will change our conditional prophecies to unconditional prophetic decrees backed by God's own sworn oath. He will then personally make sure that every prophetic promise to us comes to pass.

Hamon writes: "After divine commissioning the minister should have several decades of successful ministry. Joseph had 80 years of successful ministry, David had 40, Elisha had 50, Paul more than 30, and Jesus Christ 3 1/2 years on earth and an eternal ministry as head of His church and the universe. If we could communicate with this great cloud of witnesses concerning the value of going all the way through the process from calling to commissioning, they would say, 'It is worth everything you have to go through on earth to fulfill God's destiny for your lives, which results in receiving that unfathomable joy of your eternal reward in Christ Jesus.' "