In The Eye of the Storm
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Part II
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The
Second
Phase of the Church
Corporate
Relationship Concept
Chapter 7PR
God Gives Leadership Gifts
to Equip the Saints
Prophet
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Prophet’s Ministry |
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As we said before, the function of a prophet is similar to the navigator of a ship. A ship's navigator radios ahead and finds what the weather is like so he can tell the captain, who ultimately decides what route to take. Like the navigator, the prophet is the one who looks ahead and sees what is down the road, and reports back to God's people. You could say that the prophet's message from God is like a compass. The church needs the compass to follow the course laid out on the nautical chart (God's Word).
A prophet functioning in the ministry job description for the corporate church guides the church and predicts its future so that it stays on the right course. He also warns people if there is sin in the camp. Whether he is predicting the future, receiving timely revelation (direction) for the church or warning someone of sin, a prophet's words hold great influence. Like the apostle, the prophet lays foundations that will stand the test of time in the church.
As "one who speaks forth," a prophet is not shy to forewarn of coming danger, but on the other hand, he often confirms what God has already spoken to the church. Leaders of the corporate church should hear from the prophets regularly to see if they are moving in the dimension of the Spirit. Prophets can tell leaders if they are beating their own drums or hearing a voice other than God's voice. The prophet calls it to their attention and encourages them to get back on course.
The prophet Nathan called David into account for his affair with Bathsheba, and David repented of his sin. Some other words of correction a prophet could give to a leader may be these: "You are intellectualizing things, you need to listen more closely to the Holy Spirit," or "You are taking personal ownership for God's work rather than trusting it completely to His hands."
Prophets Raised Up in the Home Group Setting
First of all, we do not want to confuse a person operating in the gift ministry of a prophet and one who operates in the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to certain believers. We spoke of this earlier in Chapter 4, explaining how the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be utilized in the home group setting for the purpose of edification, consolation and exhortation (I Corinthians 14:3).
In the home group setting, the New Testament describes women who prayed and prophesied. Acts 21:7-9 tells us that Philip had four daughters "who did prophesy" This gift of prophecy is a very important facet of prophesying. But these daughters were not recognized prophetesses. They were believers who prophesied.
A person recognized as a proven prophet (having the gift minis-try of a prophet) establishes or repairs foundations in local churches. Some recognized prophets and prophetesses in the New Testament were Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32). Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21:10-11), and Anna (Luke 2:38).
A person in a cell group who will later be recognized as having the ministry of a prophet in the church has to start somewhere. I believe he starts as a believer in a cell group who "desires earnestly to prophesy . . . " (I Corinthians 14:39) and wants to "stir up the gift of God, which is in you ... " (II Timothy 1:6). In the home group setting, he will be learning to hear God's voice and may eventually be recognized as a prophet in the church.
During this time, the fruit of his ministry will be confirmed by those in his cell group. He will be a worshipper who studies God's Word diligently and faithfully. He will boldly operate with a pure heart before God.
A recognized prophet or prophetess should be free to prophesy at all times; however, he or he needs to be subject to the spiritual father in the cell group who will judge the prophecy based on the written Word of God. If a personal prophecy is given directly to an individual by a prophet, that individual must make the final decision what to do with the prophecy.
Apostles and Prophets Working Together
According to scripture, apostles and prophets should work closely together (Luke 11:49, I Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 2:20). The prophet is kept balanced by working closely with an apostle, although he is not directly accountable to the apostle.
A prophet needs to be accountable to God, otherwise the messages he gets from God would be diluted. He has divine authority as God's spokesman, so his words have the same authority as God's words. Of course, prophets (and all leaders) should always be accountable to God and others within the family group setting as to how they live their Christian lives.
Kevin J. Conner in his book Today's Prophets, confirms that prophets need to work hand-in-hand with apostles:
Prophets at times have sought to say and to be the 'final word" of direction for churches, and the tragic results have been seen.
Prophets are not called to govern churches by their ministry unless they work in harmony and safety with apostolic ministries. Because of the subjective nature of their giftings, prophets need apostles who are of a more objective nature to be checks and balances for them.
"God has set in the church first apostles, and secondarily prophets…" Both are equal as persons before God as to redemptive value, but both have instinctive grace and giftings and both are set forth in New Testament divine order.
Apostles and prophets work together. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers work together. Together these minis-tries constitute the government of God's church. Together they act as checks and balances to each other. Together they help maintain balance in the church, both locally and universally. 9
Should Not Have Administrative Responsibilities
Under the kings in the Old Testament, prophets did not have administrative authority. The same was true in the New Testament church. The New Testament churches were governed by apostles or apostles and elders—Acts 15:1-18, 22-23.
(Notice: I believe the term "elders" can be used interchangeably with "leadership." Elders or people in leadership are people whose spiritual maturity is proven in their lives and ministry. I will hence-forth use the term "elders" as a generic reference to any combination of mature leaders, bearing fruit in local leadership).
Just as in the New Testament church, today's prophet should never have responsibilities in administration. That is the overseer's job. A prophet is not the captain of the ship. The prophet's job is to hear clearly from God and then pass the message on to the overseer and local elders who can decide what God is saying and carry out the directions of the prophecy. Local leadership always takes on the responsibility of judging the prophet's ministry (I Corinthians 14:29), and the prophet needs to be willing to submit to that authority in the local church.
As a safeguard, we need to constantly test a prophet. A prophet may have a tendency to want to take authority over the whole church and make final decisions for the church based on his prophesies. This can be devastating to the life of the church.
A Prophet and His Message Must Be Received
Because a prophet is seeing things ahead of time, it may take some time for the message to be received by the church. A prophet must often learn to be patient. This is no easy task for a prophet, according to Harold Eberle in his book, The Complete Wineskin,
The heart of the prophet is directed, intense, burdened, tender and often frustrated. His heart is continually focused on the specific task God has given to him. His emotions are linked to the results he perceives in relationship to his calling—often in tears when change is not seen joyful when correction is received. He has a tender heart which is easily broken at the sight of sin. Yet, it is common for the prophet to be frustrated, even angry at times, when he sees that what is written in the Bible is not real in the church. Many Christians have not been able to understand this anger, and they do not realize that in the prophet we see another side to God's heart. 10
Because a prophet is sensitive to see into the spiritual world, he is often impatient or frustrated with other believers in the body of Christ because they do not sense the urgency of the problem or see a way through to a solution like he does.
We desperately need the voice of the prophet in today's church. Without him, the church would lose her way. You could summarize a prophet's main job by saying he is constantly checking to see that God's people stay in the dimension of the Spirit.
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