TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE OFFICE OF PROPHET BY UNKNOWN PROPHET

The Office of Prophet


Prophets, like apostles, have a clear revelation of the mind of God. Prophets are seers into the spiritual realm. People are born earthbound, but the church is a heavenly concept. Prophets are important in providing a link to bring the two realms together. The importance of the ministry of prophets toward bringing the church that exists in the mind of God into its earthly existence is shown in Ephesians 2:19-22:

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

Prophets, with apostles, build the foundation for the church in showing the mind of the Lord. In the early stages of church growth, revelation is most necessary for providing the foundation of the invisible Christ. If only teaching were established, focus would shift from Christ to natural structures, organizational methods, and the wisdom of words. When revelation is present, however, the very hearts of men are touched with the reality of Christ and his Lordship. So it is described in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25,
But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
Revelation and the manifestation of the power of God is the proper foundation for faith. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5,
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Prophets carry on the revelatory nature of the apostles' work in establishing the foundation of the church. The primary difference between apostles and prophets is that the apostles are sent forth as messengers of the gospel to establish new churches, to lay the first stones, whereas prophets primarily minister revelation within a newfound or existing church.
Although prophets primarily minister locally within the geographic realm of their church, prophets may travel to other churches to share truths. Judas and Silas travelled in Acts 15:25-34 to communicate truth with the church in Antioch. Agabus with other prophets also travelled from Jerusalem to Antioch at a previous point in time (Acts 11:27-30). At a much later date, the prophet Agabus is shown to travel from Judea, apparently from his church in Jerusalem, to Caesarea to speak to Paul about the things that would happen to him when he came to Jerusalem. So while prophets primarily minister within their own church, they are by no means restricted from travelling to other churches to share and communicate the things of God. However, they are not sent forth to preach the gospel and begin new churches, which is the work of apostles. Rather, prophets function among believers in an existing church to continue the revelation of God that has been working through the apostles, who may or may not have moved on to other regions in their work.

The distinguishing mark of prophets is the nature of revelation they receive through the Spirit. Ephesians 3:3,5 says,
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery... Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
Prophets, like apostles, receive extensive revelation through the Spirit. Numbers 12:6 says,
... Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Prophets are seers who see into the secret things of the Lord. As it says in Amos 3:7,
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Prophets see into the things of the Spirit, things that are hidden from natural man. All believers see into spiritual things, but prophets are especially gifted into perceiving spiritual things. Prophets serve as examples to the church concerning revelation. The prophets illustrate through actual practice how revelations are received, the various types of revelation, and how to share revelations imparted by the Spirit. Teachers may tell how these things are done, but prophets actually demonstrate revelation by speaking forth the mind of God.
Furthermore, the office of prophet carries a responsibility to seek the Lord for revelation. When a person receives the gift to function as a prophet, he is responsible to see that revelation continues to thrive in the church, and that a clear understanding of God's mind is made known to all the believers.

Revelation often will be doctrinal in nature. Ephesians 3:3-5 says that it was by revelation that Paul understood the doctrine concerning the mystery of the church, that Jew and Gentile are to be of one body and inherit the same promises. However, revelation also may be non-doctrinal. The revelation may simply concern names, places, or events in the past, present, or future. For example, the prophet Agabus was shown that a famine would occur throughout all the world, which happened later during the reign of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:27-30). At a much later date, Agabus showed Paul what type of persecution awaited him at Jerusalem, that they would bind him and deliver him to the Gentiles (Acts 21:10-11). The prophet Samuel told Saul many things that would happen to him on a single day (1 Sam. 10:1-9). Samuel said that the donkeys he sought were already found, and that he would meet three men and receive bread from them. Samuel also said he would meet a company of prophets and would receive the Spirit of the Lord and prophesy with them. So prophets may receive revelation concerning doctrine, and they also may receive insight into events of the past, present or future.

Some prophets may minister more heavily in doctrinal issues, whereas others may minister more heavily in non-doctrinal areas. For example, one prophet may be used mightily in the revelation of Scripture and teachings concerning life and the grace of God. Yet, this same prophet may say little concerning present day events such as famines, wars, or persecutions. Another prophet may frequently foretell of famine, war, or trouble, but he may share little concerning insight into doctrinal issues. Though the types of revelation may vary between prophets, the consistent working of revelation in their lives show they have received the prophetic gift.

Prophets receive revelation in varied forms, and they may share the revelation to the church in various ways. A prophet may receive his message to the church through a dream, through a vision, through illumination of Scripture, or through prophecy (A prophecy is a directly inspired utterance from God. The speaker giving the prophecy generally speaks in the first person from the Lord, such as, "Thus says the Lord, I will..."). Prophets might share their revelation through sharing the exact thing that they see (the raw revelation), through sharing knowledge pertaining to the revelation, through prophecy, through teaching, through preaching, or through drama.
For example, a prophet might receive a dream and share that dream with the church. On the other hand, he might simply share the knowledge received by the dream with the church and never mention the dream. Or, a prophet might go into a trance and hear and/or see the Lord, through which he receives a message for the church. A prophet might receive insight into doctrinal issues simply through praying and receiving revelation in his spirit. Having received such insight, he might teach such a message and concept to the church with an anointing that brings the life of the revelation upon the people. Or, a prophet might become overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit and prophesy, speaking as the Spirit gives him utterance, revealing the mind of God as he does so.

It is perfectly natural in the church for prophets to vary in the kinds and nature of revelations they receive. The common thread among prophets is that they receive revelation, and that they are responsible to see that revelation continues in the church. Prophets do not receive the full mind of God, or the church would only need one prophet. Rather, every prophet receives a part of the mind of God (1 Cor. 13:9). One prophet receives one part while another prophet receives another part. The functioning of the prophets in the church will bring other believers into further truth and revelation of the Spirit. The prophets will cause other believers to be able to function in prophecy themselves. God desires for all believers to have the prophetic gift (Nu. 11:29, Acts 2:16-18, 2:38-39). The prophets of the church receive an abundance of this prophetic capacity so that they can be the role models of revelation to the church.
Prophets play an important role in the church meetings. The tradition of many Christian assemblies is to plan out the meeting of the church in detail ahead of time. The pastors of many assemblies plan out how much worship takes place, who sings and when they sing, who is to teach and when and for how long, and when the service will end. However, Scripture does not give evidence that this is the manner in which church meetings are meant to be conducted. Under such rigid guidelines, the body would not be allowed to take part as members, and the fullness of Christ would never be manifested. No single man, whether he is an elder, an apostle, or a prophet, will know the complete mind of Christ for the meeting. Therefore, the specific elements of the meeting cannot be planned. Rather, the meetings of the church are planned by Christ himself, and each part of the meeting is given to the members themselves by the Holy Spirit.


When each member comes to the meeting, he should have some part to give to the other members to edify the church. How and when that part is manifested is determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Serving as examples to the flock in determining the course of the meeting are the prophets of the church.
In other words, it is the responsibility of the prophets to seek for the order and course that the meeting should take. Paul, in correcting disorderly conduct in the meetings of the church in Corinth, specifically appeals to the prophets and those spiritual in the church (1 Cor. 14:37). It is the responsibility of the prophets to ensure that revelation and gifts of the Spirit operate in the church in an orderly fashion. This does not exclude elders and other spiritual men from determining order in the meetings. However, the prophets especially should seek to better the church in revelation and its orderly functioning.
Sometimes, the prophets themselves will initiate new phases of the meeting. For example, a prophet may guide the meeting into worship, or he may guide the meeting toward teaching. A prophet may initiate a time of prayer for the whole church, or call for prayer for specific individuals in the church. A prophet may initiate the time of receiving communion by the church, or he may initiate a time of prophesying or speaking in tongues. Such changes in the meeting are not restricted to the role of the prophets, but the prophets bear responsibility to see that enough revelation is functioning in the church so that the meeting progresses according to the mind of Christ.

The real goal of the church meeting is for every individual not only to receive what to share, but to know when and how to share it. The ideal is for prophets not to play more of a role in determining the course of the meeting than any other member of the body. However, many members do not know how to function. They are unsure of the leading of the Holy Spirit. The prophets of the church aid by speaking forth the mind of Christ in times of need.
By being sensitive to the Spirit, a prophet may perceive how the Spirit is working with another member and encourage him to come forth. Sometimes this perception by another is the only confirmation needed for another member to release the Spirit's work through him.
For example, a person may bring a song to sing, but he may be shy and unsure when to sing it. A prophet, not knowing in the natural that the person desires to sing, but sensing this through the Spirit, may speak to him and ask him to sing. Such action confirms the leading of the Holy Spirit to that person to sing a song. It may also help the person to see the timing of the Holy Spirit if they were feeling led to sing at that time. The next time, the person will be more confident not only to bring a song by the Holy Spirit, but to seek the Spirit's timing for its ministration.
Likewise, a person may have a teaching they feel God wants them to share. Another person may feel the leading of the Spirit to pray for a particular need. Those new to the things of the Spirit may be unsure of how to step forward. Prophets help such situations by speaking the mind of the Spirit in the meeting.

Prophets may also provide necessary guidance. For example, I remember not long ago in a prayer meeting where a young man told a fourteen year old boy that he had something he wanted to share with him from the Lord, and he led the boy off somewhere to share in private. Immediately, two prophets in the prayer meeting walked over to the boy's father, who also was in the prayer meeting, and told the father he must go and be with his son immediately. Due to the particular nature of the prayer meeting and the prayers being offered, the father had not noticed that his son went off to another room with this young man. The Spirit of God, being concerned for the man's son, knew this and provoked both of these prophets (who, incidently, were not praying together, neither had they conferred about it) to speak to the father immediately and press him to go be with his son. As it turned out later, the advice being given the boy was not good. The young man who gave the advice was corrected and ministered unto by the leaders of the church, and the father's son was not led astray.


Prophets are also used to reveal the gifts and callings that God desires in a person's life. Often, individuals know how God is leading them, and the prophets merely confirm this calling. Sometimes, however, individuals do not realize how God is calling them, and the prophets provide direction by revealing God's plan. In fact, prophets may initiate gifts in individuals by laying hands upon them or anointing them with oil. Examples in Scripture include Samuel anointing Saul, Samuel anointing David, Nathan anointing Solomon, Moses anointing Aaron, Elijah anointing Hazael, Elijah anointing Jehu, Elijah anointing Elisha, and the apostle Paul with the church elders anointing Timothy (1 Sam. 9:16, 10:1-9 16:1-13, Ex. 28:41, 1 Ki. 1:45, 19:15-19, 1 Tim. 4:14, 2 Tim. 1:6). In the cases of Saul and David, the Scriptures specifically mention a change taking place on the day of anointing. Saul is said to have received another heart, and David is said to have received the Spirit of the Lord (1 Sam. 10:9, 16:13).

I remember when I was eighteen, I earnestly desired to teach the word of God. In a prayer meeting, a young man who was used in the prophetic office prophesied over me and told me that I was to prophesy much and that the Lord desired to use me in the gift of prophecy. At the time I was disappointed. I was seeking the gift to teach, and he was telling me to prophesy. However, his word was indeed the Lord's mind on the matter. Looking back, I feel somewhat foolish because prophecy was the gift that was needed in the congregation that I was attending. The congregation already had several teachers, and they would not accept a young man like me as a teacher. The word spoken to me had the effect of changing my desire, and it caused me to look at prophecy as something that I needed to do, and as something that God had given me for the church.
Prophecy given by prophets may not necessarily be for the time at which they are given. When I was twenty-one, I was desiring to be used of God more in supernatural miracles and in gifts of healings. I received a prophecy telling me that I was a king. The words went over and over again how God had called me to rule and that I was a king, like king David in the Bible. My first thought was that this man was missing it. While he was speaking, I kept waiting to hear God's word on the miracles and gifts of healing that I desired, but it never came. Nevertheless, I had a witness within me that what he said was true and from the Lord.
I could not see how it could come to pass, and I even thought that perhaps he was just speaking about the time when Christ returns, and makes us kings and priests unto him. In the new kingdom, during the Millennial reign, I would be a king. However, God knew, that nearly a decade later when I was 30 years old, I would be in a position where I was in fellowship with believers who did not have any governmental structure, such as elders and deacons. Furthermore, there was no one spiritual enough to appoint elders. Such positions soon fell upon myself and another man, but if it had not been for the prophetic word or another one like it, I would have felt unqualified to accept an eldership position. I had never desired the position of the men whom I had observed ruling the church. I had never perceived God working through me in such a role. Nevertheless, the word of prophecy given to me many years before rang through my soul with such conviction that I knew it was the will of God for me to accept this responsibility of rulership.
Prophets also provide words of comfort and exhortation. I remember at one time I had some problems with the leadership of my church. The leadership did not understand the way the Holy Spirit led me. Although recognizing God's hand upon me, they seemed to have a kind of power struggle, feeling somewhat threatened by the authority and knowledge of Scripture through which I ministered.
One of the ministers recently had rebuked me wrongly. He had accused me of strife, and alleged that I needed deliverance from demonic oppression. Soon afterward, he had repented of his error, but because I was young and inexperienced, I was still hurt by his words. A visiting prophet picked out five men from the hundreds in the church and prophesied a word to them. I was one of those men. The words he spoke, more than anything, were of great comfort. The prophet spoke of how I had been built upon greatly spiritually, that I had had great spiritual experiences. He praised and described my past and present condition, which made me feel vindicated in front of my pastor who had wronged me. The prophet then went on to describe how God was about to have me supported, not by the Spirit so much, but by the word of God. God was going to prove his word to me. He added that I would bear much fruit for the Lord. The prophet again and again remarked about the abundance of fruit that I would bear for the kingdom of God. The prophet, in this case, functioned primarily in comforting me during a time of trial, and showing me to turn to the word of God. This man had never met me before, and he knew nothing about me in the natural. The revelation he had concerning me gave me full assurance that God cared for me, and that God would vindicate me.
In summary, prophets are those especially gifted with revelation in the church. Prophets perceive and reveal the mind of God. Prophets serve as examples to the body of Christ in understanding how the Holy Spirit reveals truth. They function in revealing truth concerning theological matters and events of the past, present and future. Prophets reveal the gifts given to people, and they themselves impart spiritual gifts to people. Prophets also serve to warn God's people of impending trials and hard times, and they serve to comfort us during such trials.