We hear much said about prophets related to the recent presidential election. Some good, and some bad but very few people are neutral on the subject. The word “prophet” is used 477 times in the Bible. The writers of the Gospels generally spoke highly of and often quoted the prophets of the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus Himself often quoted something the prophets had said.
Prophets nor any other ministry gift is perfect in its operation because they flow through flawed individuals who are in various stages of maturity. Because of that, we find warnings given in Scripture about how to relate to or receive from the prophetic ministry (Matthew 7:15-20, Matthew 24:4-5,11,24).
Some of the things we can use to determine the truthfulness of what they are saying include:
Does what they say come to pass?
What fruit is their ministry producing?
Are they attempting to draw followers after themselves instead of pointing them to Jesus and His Body?
Where and to whom are they submitted. Do they have a home church where they are committed?
JESUS SET PROPHETS & MINISTRY GIFTS INTO THE CHURCH
1 Corinthians 12:28 says, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”
Ephesians 4:11-16 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
SOME OBSERVATIONS
Jesus set these ministry gifts into the Body therefore they are needed and the Church must have them to do its ministry.
They are needed for the church to mature.
They aid each member in finding and fulfilling their personal calling and ministry.
They help bring stability in the church when winds of adversity blow.
They speak the truth in love which enables believers to become more Christlike.
Their ministries disciple individual believers to fulfill their function in the church so it grows to be and do all that the Father desires.
One of the reasons we have anemic churches is that some of the ministries Jesus placed in the church are not allowed to function in divine order. Every person has a place in the Body of Christ and a calling to fulfill. If they are taught how to recognize it and do it, the whole church will be blessed and will fulfill its ministry.