The Prophetic Ministry: Is It Still Valid Today?
Welcome back, my amazing Cronies!
The prophetic ministry is arguably one of the most controversial ministries in the body of Christ. This ministry has been a tremendous blessing to the universal Church. However, it has caused more problems in the body of Christ than any of the five fold ministries. I would like to start a series and flesh out all the nitty gritty of this ministry. Let’s get the ball rolling!
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The prophetic ministry is one of Jesus’ ministry extensions. Ephesians 4:11 says “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”. The Church doesn’t struggle to receive from the ministry of the apostle, evangelists, pastors or even teachers. But much of the struggle is on the “prophets”.
Does God Still Use Prophetic Vessels?
The notion that God does not call nor use prophets today was an ideology propagated by Cessationism. This is a doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the Apostolic Age. Reformers such as John Calvin originated this view. The question is, does God still use prophets and prophetesses today?
If the Church fails to give the right answers to questions like this, we can be sure that the vacuum created by ignorance will be filled with erroneous views and dangerous practices, which is exactly what has happened to many churches and individuals. It is said, “take food from man and he will gubble poison.” In answering this questions, let’s do some historical review.
Prophets Then
Prophetic ministry is one of the nearest and dearest ministries to the heart of God. The prophetic ministry and the voice of the prophet were established as God’s primary method of communicating with His humankind creation on the earth. It was the anointing of the prophet upon the patriarchs that enabled Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and many others to predict future events, to receive instructions from God for new things God wanted to do, to decree the prophetic future of their descendants, to receive revelations from God concerning how to deliver His people from bondage, and to build a tabernacle for God’s dwelling.
The prophet was God’s verbal contact with His chosen people. Jehovah did not talk to their king or to the people except through His prophets [1]. Almost all the Old Testament books were written by prophets. The bible says “Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets [2].”
Jesus’ First Coming
Before the coming of the Messiah, it was the prophets that predicted and prepared the way for Him. It was a prophet; the natural cousin of the Messiah, who prepared the way for the ministry of the Son of God. God reveals by his Spirit mysteries of His eternal purposes in the Church to His apostles and prophets [3]. The disciples of Jesus asked Him that if He was truly the Messiah, why was it written in Scriptures that before the Messiah would come, Elijah had to come and prepare the place for Him. They were referring to Malachi 4:5-6
Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
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Jesus explained to them that, “yes”, Elijah had come and restored all things but the people did not recognise him, but treated him anyhow. Having said this, His disciples understood that He stoke to them concerning John the Baptist.
And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist [4].
Jesus Began The New Covenant
Jesus Christ walked in all the five fold ministries (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher). After His death, burrier, resurrection and ascension, He gave gifts unto His people.
Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers [5].
John the Baptist closed the Old Covenant while Jesus commenced the New. Jesus said “the law and the prophets were until John [6]. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he [7].” Jesus was essentially saying that, much as John the Baptist was the greatest in the Old Covenant, even the least in the New Covenant was greater than he.
Jesus Himself gave prophetic gift to people “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [8].” Prophets were a major ministry of the founding of Christ’s Church. They were voices giving divine direction to the early Church in its formative years. The office of the prophet has been God’s voice throughout the Church age to bring repentance and restoration to His people [9].
Prophets Today
Prophet are integral part of what God is doing today. They have not been dispensationally cemented into nonfunctional foundation, but rather they are part of all that God has done and shall ever do in His eternal plan. God loves His true prophets and take special pride in them. It is the only ministry of which He makes the emphatic declaration, “do my prophets no harm! [10]”
The same way John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus in His first coming, God is using prophets to prepare the way for His second coming.
How Do Prophets Prepare The Way?
Prophets play a vital role in God’s predestined plan for the final return of Christ. Acts 3:19-21 declares
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
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The above text suggests that, the heavens must receive (retain, keep, hold, restrain) Jesus Christ in heaven until the times of restoration of all things which God spoke by the mouths of all His holy prophets. There are Old and New Testament Scriptures that must be fulfilled before Christ can return. Psalm 110:1 says “the Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The assignment of the five fold ministry, for that matter the prophetic ministry is to help bring the Church into maturity in Christ, where they can take their rightful place in government, commerce, finance, energy, etc.
Biblical Illumination
The prophets prepare the way for the second coming of Christ by bringing revelation knowledge o the Scriptures that must be fulfilled before Christ can return. The Church apostles and prophets have been commissioned with that anointing and responsibility. Nothing will take the Church by surprise as long as God’s prophets are alive and active in the Church. For surely, the Lord will do nothing, but he reveals His secrets unto His servants the prophets [11].
It is therefore not surprising that, one of the enemies strategies in this end time is to unruly undermine the prophetic ministry. Herod killed John the Baptist (the first “Elijah” sent to prepare the way for the Messiah) and put his head on a plater. And in our day, “he” is doing all “he” can to kill the second “Elijah” (the prophetic ministry). Make sure you don’t become the Herodias through whom John the Baptist will lose his head.
Thank you for stopping by. Watch out for my next blog in this series. Subscribe to my newsletter from below, and get notified of new posts. You may also drop a comment or question in the comment section below.
References
[1] Bill Hamon, Prophets and Personal Prophesy: God’s Prophetic Voice Today, (Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers, 2008), 17
[2] Amos 3:7
[3] Bill, Prophets and Personal Prophesy: God’s Prophetic Voice Today, 18
[4] Matthew 17:10-13
[5] Ephesians 4:8-11
[6] Luke 16:16
[7] Matthew 11:11
[8] Ephesians 4:12
[9] Bill, Prophets and Personal Prophesy: God’s Prophetic Voice Today, 18
[10] Psalm 105:15
[11] Amos 3:7
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