So what is a prophet?
To many people the term prophets conjures up a vision of an weathered haggard person with a more than slightly, no very wild look in their eyes. Someone who is weird sitting at the back of the church with a crazy look?
Even perhaps an old lady sitting in a with a crystal ball?
What do you think when you hear these words from Corinthians, what is this gift of prophesy?
Is it telling the future, just think how full our churches would be every week if a prophet stood up and gave next weeks lottery numbers out, there be queues and never ending sermons on tithing.
No prophecy is not crystal ball gazing or just telling the future, though God might share a vision or lead one who is prophesying to speak of things yet to be, to warn people perhaps to get right with God while they still can.
Which if the prophet is hearing from God is not to surprising as God does not exist in the same time constrains as us and knows the future as well as the past.God does not exisit in time, thats for creatures and created ones like you and me.
For me a good starting point to answer the question “So what is a prophet” is a prophet is a messenger they hear from God and share that message and leave those hearing to respond, lets start with this definition.
A prophet is a messenger: They speak on behalf of God and leave the message for the recipients to respond to. They often leave the interpretation to the hearers as well.
They might start with “So say’s the Lord…” but that might also be a sign that they are speaking and not the Lord so prophecy always should be tested.
So do we need prophets at all – we do have the Bible?
You could ask do we need prophets to hear from God, after all we do have the Bible the word of God.
Very true the two are not independent, prophecy should always be tested and the key reference standard is the true word of God, the Bible.
No one claiming to be uttering prophecy should be operating outside of the framework defined and spelt out in the words of the Bible.
In fact much of the Bible is based upon prophecy, great prophets like Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah the so called major prophets and the host of minor ones (you tell them when you get to heaven), are found in the old testament.
These prophets had a common theme, which was usually directed towards the nation of Israel and went along the lines “Get right with God or God will turn from you to show you what life is like without him” more often than not the nation of Israel ignored the prophets or worse turned on them and maimed them, imprisoned them even killing most of them.
You get the picture that prophets are not popular, they tell of truths that usually point to the areas that a person or a people are not right with God, not comfortable with hearing about. These are usually people whom feel they are right and do not appreciate being told differently.
So here is another definition of a prophet to consider they are driven by God to help people get right with God.
If you like the gift of prophecy enables those blessed to see others as God sees them in love to help them be what God knows they can be to help the treasure shine out from the crack earthen ware jar.
What need for the gift of prophecy?
I do believe one of the key out workings of the gift of prophecy is just that, its a passion to seeing people getting right with God, getting to a place were they can experience God, experience his love and presence in a purity, cleansed from sin and cleansed from all that separates man from God.
Basically helping people to live lives that glorify God, being fully alive for God to please and serve God.
So you can see the potential for tension, people wanting to serve themselves and their selfish ways , their religious ways and then along comes one who says that’s not a good way to be, your not right with God and so it is.
This is the biblical role of prophets basically telling of the things that are not pleasing God and pointing to the ways that do please God.
So prophecy is never self serving it is always God serving and striving to please God and bring glory to God.
Prophecy is not about individual gain but about helping others to gain their potential fullness in God even if that means holding a mirror up too them to show them how God is seeing them or how they are less than a fragrance to him.
So prophets might also be a disturber: They will often speak or act in ways that disturb the comfy cultural situation they are in. They don’t just speak in times of bleakness as God sometimes needs to ruffle the waters or shake the comfort zone.
Most of the old testament prophets also told of the great news that was coming, they pointed to Jesus and the salvation of mankind so prophets can also bring great encouragement and hope.
Jesus the fulfillment of all Biblical prophesy through whom all prophesy came, for whom all prophecy was uttered and by whom all prophecy stands in his power.
Prophets – Church builders?
Are prophets church builders I would say yes, the gift of prophecy is given particular attention by Paul through out his letters.
The prophets are given second place after the apostles (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11) and as we have read Paul describes prophecy as the gift for which we should strive the most (1 Cor 14:1, 39). It is better than tongues for it builds up the church (vv4, 19).
Through prophecy secrets are revealed (vv25, 30) and individuals are brought under God’s conviction (v24).
Prophecy edifies, exhorts and comforts (v3). As other gifts prophecy must also be given in love. It is not for self-realization but for the church’s benefit (1 Cor 14:12).
A.W.Tozer, One described as a modern day prophet, spoke these words in the 1950’s and describes the need for prophetic preachers:
“If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.”
Holy spirit fire starters
A prophet is one who knows his times and what God is trying to say to the people of his times. What God says to His Church at any given period depends altogether upon her moral and spiritual condition and upon the spiritual need of the hour.
A.W.Tozer also said “Today we need prophetic preachers; not preachers of prophecy merely, but preachers with a gift of prophecy. The word of wisdom is missing. We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. It is not ability to predict that we need, but the anointed eye, the power of spiritual penetration and interpretation, the ability to appraise the religious scene as viewed from Gods position, and to tell us what is actually going on.”
Prophecy and prophets will be used by God to communicate to his people, to individuals, Churches, communities and nations.
A message to help clear the land, to pave the way, to build a church that will stand in the evilest of times in the foulest of moments in the fiercest of attacks.
A temple cleansed from all that is not of God a place were the Holy Spirit lives and the word of God is breathed, a place were people get real , are healed, made whole and made right with God, were people become what they were created and birthed to be.
A place were the river of life flows deep and clean, a above all a place of worship in spirit and truth.
You see when I think of prophets in our age I think of the ones sent to teach and guide us to worship, not just in song, but worship in spirit, by the spirit in truth seeking God, relationship with God in the complete truth of God, pleasing Gods heart with hearts of worship.
For me its worship that builds the church, opens the wells, lets the river flow, that changes people one heart at a time and communities and ultimately nations, as the cleansing waters of life flow.
I do believe the gift of prophecy is really a gateway into the presence of God, the Holy spirit enabling and guiding the believer deeper into the waters, beyond ankle deep religion to the depths were deep speaks to deep completely immersed and covered in God, were we find that we are in God and God is in us.
I do believe the gift of prophecy will stir your heart with a fire a passion for God for his glory and you will use that gift to help others catch the fire as well.
Holy Spirit fire starters, revival bringers, well diggers and dam busters that hate comfort zones and tame, lame and lukewarm religion – that for me is a prophetic person the opposite of a pathetic lifeless one that clings to religion and rules rather than God, freedom and being led by the Holy spirit in deep worship, spirit and truth worship.
If you like the gift of prophecy enables the receiver to start practicing for life in heaven while still here on earth.
So why be eager for the gift of prophecy?
Why is this gift from the Holy Sprit singled out as the one to be prayed for, asked for and sought after.
Well consider the greatest of the prophets, the one in whom prophecy meets all its words, the one in whom its starts in and will end in - Jesus, for me to want more of the gift of prophecy is really to want more to be like Jesus.
If you study Jesus and how he lived and breathed as written in the gospels you start to see how this gift of prophecy un packs itself, we start to gain insight as to why on an individual level it is so important so needed and necessary for Christians to have the gift of prophecy operating in their lives.
Look to Jesus for a role model of how a prophet lives.
He confronted the religious elite those whom sought to control others for their own glorification rather than for Gods. He was not happy in their ways, he was not pleased when they would not see the glory of God at work healing and bringing miracles in there midst, blinded by their rules and ways.
He confronted those looking for formulas, rules and ways to constrain by showing freedom and the power of God in their midst.
He often spoke one word and pierced a hundred hearts with a truth that would not let go and is still doing so thousands of year on from the day he spoke it.
He always sought God, sought Gods presence and walked with God, only showing others what God had shown him.
He did not promote self, he always pointed to God, he served and ultimately gave his life for us all so that we all could be made right with God through his sacrifice.
The gift of prophecy from my limited understanding seems to be one that helps us live lives more like Jesus, its not all starting wild eyed and shouting of visions and revelations.
Its about surrendering your heart to allow the Holy Spirit to fill it with the fire of God a fire for the lost, a fire for those yet to hear of Jesus, a love for all a love beyond life itself and above all a love for God the Father, God the spirit and God the son.
For me who could not want that and still be a follower of Christ?
Children of the eternal light
In Matthew 22 verses: 34 – 40 Jesus spoke of the Greatest Commandment after silencing the religious ones and points to the way of life that pleases God. You see this is true prophecy, encouraging, helpful, pointing to God and strengthen those that hear the words;
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbour as yourself.‘ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.“
All of the law that that old testament prophets had spelt out to the people summed up into this by the greatest of prophets, Jesus the son of man and God.
This is only to say that we need to have the gifts of the Spirit restored again to the Church. And it is my belief that the one gift we need most now is the gift of prophecy.
Look again at Jesus he did not follow religion, he was the great teacher, preaching hope and that the kingdom of God was near revealing truth not in great complex bundles of words but clear and simple that children could even hear and understand.
That’s what we need I believe in these times, we need those that can lead us to Jesus lead us into the presence of the Holy spirit, encourage us to wait and listen for the still small voice in the busy 24/7 world.
To help believers in Christ bring forth the waters of life to a dry, desert land to a people withered by their own love of self, so turned from God that then cannot hear, cannot be healed, dying in their own wealth, living in riches yet living in terrible poverty a poverty of love and a filth of selfishness.
John 3: 16 – 21 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.“
Here is another definition of a prophet then, bringer of light, bringer of the waters of life, reflector of Gods glory.
This is why we are all called to be prophets receivers of this gift as all believers in Christ are children of light.
So what next then?
To start life as a prophet I believe we must first clean up our own lives.
Pray God start with me, start by asking the Holy Spirit to show you the areas of your lives (we all have them trust me) that God is not pleased with that need Holy healing in the spiritual sense, places in our hearts that we cannot fix by ourselves were we need Jesus to come and touch and heal.
This might be in an instant, but from my small experience it is more likely a process, our God is a God of relationship and longs to walk and live with us.
God loves his children and loves it when we seek him, hunger for him as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
God is waiting for our prayers, waiting for us to seek him to experience him and as we wait the divine will come and touch us, as we are touched by the Holy Spirit of God we are transformed bit by bit into the person God knows we can be to live a life that will glorify him.
We have to lets Jesus cleanse our temple, facedown surrendered would be a good place to start.
A prophet must first clean up his own life and, by means of the Spirit, grow in Christlikeness before his message can claim the authority of Christ.
Do not for one milli second get the idea that by writing these words and speaking them to you, I have achieved this spiritual perfection, for I have not I strive to and personally most of you would be better suited to guide me, still if God can use a donkey that’s my excuse he can use me to.
The Church today desperately needs prophets who can see where we are and give direction as to where to go; who understand current trends and discern their outcome.
I believe and pray that we are all consumed with a passion to become more like Jesus to grow Christlikeness in all parts of our lives. That we would all hunger for the gift of prophecy.
To seek God in prayer, prayer of relationship not a shopping list, to live our lives as an offering to God for his glory and his alone.
God has designed and created us to be loving worshipers--to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Only by His Spirit within can we grow to love Him and become the people we are God breathed to be.
Then we can live to be encouraging others and be building them up as the spiritual bricks and mortar of the church all believers are, to show non believers God is amongst us and to convict them as we to have been and to show them the way of grace and life that is Jesus Christ our Lord to encourage all to worship in spirit and truth and to love all especially Jesus our Lord and God with our all.
That’s the life of a prophet for me its the only way the truth and life, how about for you?
Father I pray that all reading and hearing these words will be desperate to receive your gift of prophecy and I pray that you would use them to build your Church and above all glorify your son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in his name Amen.
