THE MINISTRY OF PROPHET

 

THE MINISTRY OF PROPHET

The Bible speaks also of the Ministry of Prophecy, totally different and independent from the ‘word of prophecy’ (Acts 21:9; 1Corinthians 14:1,3,5) which is a sporadic manifestation of a prophetic phenomenon in the life of any believer.

The letter to the Ephesians acknowledges the Ministry of Prophet as an independent occupation in God’s service, the same as the ministry of Pastor, or Teacher (Ephesians 4:11), and also shows this ministerial office present in many other men (Acts 13:1; 21:10).

WHAT IS TO BE A PROPHET

As unbelief and liturgical worship entered the Church, all super natural manifestations started to cease, from major ones, like prophecy and tongues, to lesser manifestations, like wisdom and discernment of spirits.

The ministry of prophets was reduced to announce the words of the Gospel, so those who did not receive the gift because they did not believe it possible, started to console themselves by teaching that to be ‘prophet’ was to be a preacher. But that is not what a biblical PROPHET is.

A PROPHET is a man that receives a certain number of gifts, that habilitate him to receive, distinguish and interpret a divine message revealed to his spirit, directly by the HOLY SPIRIT (2Peter 1:21)

PROPHETS:

See the future

(1Samuel 9:9; Acts 13:18; 21:10-11).

Reprehend the Church

(Isaiah 1:4; Jeremiah 1:5-10).

Encourage the Church

(Matthew 3:11; 1Corinthians 14:3).

God has set up Prophets in his church to prevent us primarily of events to come that can threaten our existence or the existence of certain people, to a general or personal level.

Also, to promote repentance by revealing secret sins, to a general, local or personal level in our lives.

Finally, to encourage us, and comfort us, directly from God in an audible voice, to continue on with our daily struggle and remain faithful to our LORD JESUS.

BE WARE OF CERTAIN THINGS

Firstly, modern Prophets cannot communicate new dogmatic or doctrinal revelation.

ALL WE NEED TO KNOW for salvation has already BEEN REVEALED, and it is all written in the NT. A man passing as a ‘prophet’ who tries to communicate new doctrine, like the ones from the UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH or SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST church, or the MORMON church, that add to the deposit of Revelation, are ANATHEMAS (Galatians 1:8) and should not be listened.

ALSO, any revelation that a Prophet may communicate in the Name of God, must be first checked and compared with the SCRIPTURES, and only after proving that none of the message contradicts what has already been given to us, the we can consider accepting it (1John4:1).

ULTIMATELY, nobody is obliged to submit to any prophecy. It is a super natural manifestation from God, but if in doubt, we do not need to support it or follow it, since we are only commanded to follow the Bible, which has a testimony on universal level, to be the revealed Word of God for us.

Omar Flores.