The
Prophet
We are living in a time of transformation. The ministry of the prophet is very
important at these times. Joel connects the shaking and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
with an increase in prophesying. This is because God cannot act, without first giving a
warning through his prophets.
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the
prophets. Amos 3:7
God cannot shake his church, until he has announced it through his prophets.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, God is merciful and always gives his people an
opportunity to repent, before he sends a judgement. God would be happier if he did not
have to shake the church. He gives a warning, hoping that his people will put things
right. But if the warning is not heeded, God has no alternative but to act himself.
Secondly, it is important that any shaking of the church is recognised as coming from
the hand of God. If it is seen as just a coincidence, it will not be effective. The fact
that it has been announced beforehand by God’s servants will be proof that it is a
work of God.
Prophets are watchmen and men of vision who can see what God is doing. Their task is to
"uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant"
(Jeremiah 1:10). They cooperate with God in breaking down all that is not built on the
true foundation. They do this by announcing his judgements. At the same time they watch
over all that God is building to see that it is built according to his Word. Prophets are
absolutely essential for the purification of his Church. The most urgent need in the
church today, is the restoration of the prophetic ministry. God cannot complete his work
until the prophetic ministry is restored.
In recent years we have seen an increase in the manifestation of the gift of prophecy
in the church. This gift is given by the Spirit for the encouragement and edification of
believers. It is a gift that is available to all believers. In fact Christians are urged
to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy (I Corinthians 14:1,5). Of course not everyone who
exercises the gift of prophecy is a prophet. Whereas the gift of prophecy can be given to
any believer as the Spirit wills, the ministry of the prophet is a calling on a
person’s life. It is this ministry that the church really needs.
A prophet is a watchman. He stands on the walls of the city of God so that he can see
what God is doing and call the people to respond. He is a spokesman for God. His task is
to bring the word of God to the people of God. The prophet admonishes, warns, directs,
encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels. This ministry is well described in
Jeremiah’s challenge to the false prophets:
Which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word?
If they had stood in his council they would have proclaimed his words to his people and
they would have turned from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. Jeremiah 23:18,2
The prophet must spend time in the presence of the Lord. When he knows the heart and
mind of the Lord, he must speak the word of the Lord to his people. He stands before the
people as one who has stood before God. And because his words are from the heart of God
they are powerful and effective. They are especially effective in the turning people away
from sin.
A prophet must be called by God. The initiative in making a prophet always rests with
God. It is not a ministry that anyone can take up. Only a false prophet dares to take up
this ministry for himself. The true prophetic ministry always begins with a call from God
(Jeremiah 1:4-10; Isaiah 6:1-8). And the proof that a prophet has been called is the fact
that his words are effective and fulfilled. A good example of this is Samuel. All of
Israel knew that Samuel was a prophet, because the Lord was with him and let none of his
words fall to the ground (I Samuel 3:19,20).
Prediction of the future is part of the prophetic ministry. Almost every prophet in the
Old Testament first appeared as a foreteller. Through his fellowship with the eternal God,
the prophet has access to the future. He is the seer who has insight into God’s
purposes for history. But what he sees for the future is always related to the present. He
warns of future judgements so that people will change their behaviour. He speaks of future
blessing to give hope for the present. The prophet speaks to the present, in light of the
future that God has revealed to him.
The primary responsibility of the prophet is to speak to the people of God. He brings
both direction and correction to the Church. But a prophet may also be called to speak to
his nation. Many of the prophets of the Old Testament found themselves confronting kings,
and taking an important role in national affairs. Some also addressed their words to
foreign nations. But the prophet’s main concern will always be for the Church.
The prophet’s loyalty to God must take priority over his loyalty to the Church.
While being sufficiently involved to know what is going on, he must be detached enough to
be objective. This means that a prophet should not be a paid officer of the Church. It is
interesting that Paul says that gifts of money should only be given to those elders who
work hard at teaching or preaching (I Timothy 5:17). That is, only pastor-teachers and
evangelists should receive financial support. Prophets are not included because being a
prophet is not a full time work. They can work part time to support themselves. An example
of this is Amos, who earned his living as a shepherd. If a prophet is financially
independent he will not be tempted to compromise.
An important part of the prophet’s task is prayer. Because he knows the mind of
the Lord, he is in a position to pray effectively. He has a clear picture of what God is
doing, so he knows where prayer is needed most. The prophet watches over the word of the
Lord, and prays it into being. He must not rest until God has fulfilled his word (Isaiah
62:6).
Pastors and Prophets
Every Church needs both prophets and pastor-teachers. The two ministries are
complementary. Pastors tend to be warm loving people. This is a strength for their
ministry, but it means that they can sometimes find it hard to confront evil. Because they
long to see people grow, and to see the Church united, they can be tempted to compromise
for the sake of peace and unity. A prophet would act as a balance to this tendency.
Prophets tend to see things in black and white. They have a zeal for holiness and truth.
Their main concern is to see the Church functioning according to the Word of God. But
their zeal for purity and truth can make them appear to be hard and harsh. The pastors
will temper their strictness and zeal with love and grace. And whereas pastors tend to
concentrate on the present, the prophets would give vision for the future.
Every Church needs both ministries. It must exhibit both the love and the holiness of
God. Love without holiness is compromise. Holiness without love is harshness. If both
ministries are present in a Church then holiness and love will both be evident. The Church
will then be a true reflection of the character of God.
This explains why there is such a shortage of prophets in the church. Most modern
churches are controlled by pastors. To them a young prophet can appear to be a nuisance.
When first starting their ministry, prophets seem to be negative and over critical. And
because they are human they often make mistakes. The trouble is that their intolerance and
insensitivity can irritate the pastor. This causes the pastor to jump on the prophet, the
first time that he makes a mistake. He is often so crushed that he does not dare to
prophesy again. The pastor is relieved because what appeared to be a problem is gone. What
he does not realise is that he has squashed a ministry that his church really needs.
Because this has happened so often, there is a shortage of prophets in the church.
The New Testament teaches a different approach.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
Do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything. Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.