The Office Of The Prohet

The office of the prophet

Ephesians 4:11-16 - 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.

The prophetic ministry is one of the five perfecting ministries God gave to men so that Christians may come to spiritual maturity. Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors are the governing body of the church. The office or ministry of the prophet falls into this category.

Prophets are given to help train and equip God’s people and to bring them to maturity.

They are to prepare the saints for works of ministry and to teach them how to build up the body of Christ. The purpose is to bring the church into unity of the faith so that the body of Christ can grow into the full measure of Christ Himself.

This is also true for the other four ministry offices that have been given to the church.

a. Definition

God gives to some to proclaim the word of God with clarity and to apply it fearlessly with a view to the strengthening, encouragement, and comfort of believers and the convincing of unbelievers. It is a special gift whereby the Spirit empowers certain Christians to interpret and apply God's revelation in a given situation.

It is the divine enablement to reveal truth and proclaim it in a timely and relevant manner for understanding, correction, repentance, or edification. There may be immediate or future implications.

The prophet is one who hears from God and speaks forth His Word into the earth. When a prophet speaks, it is sent as a creative word. They are preachers of righteousness, revealers of future events, and they can be said to be God's mouthpiece on earth. They speak God’s mind and purpose as well as words of correction.

b. Their function

Jeremiah 1:9-10 - Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant."

In accordance with this Scripture, the purpose of the prophetic anointing are:

* to root out weeds both in the lives of individual believers as well as in the church, which is false teaching and false brethren

* to pull down resistances and rebellion to God’s Word and will by believers

* to destroy vain philosophies and imaginations raised up against the knowledge of God as well as the works of Satan

* to throw down the kingdoms of men and strongholds of the devil

* to build the church spiritually upon the foundation of the life of Christ

* to plant Christ as the Seed of God in the church and in the individual lives of believers as well as planting churches

Prophecy is speaking ahead of time revealing what God is planning to do. It can also involve preparing the ground for what God is planning to do.

A prophet is called by God and stands with the apostle as a foundational ministry in the body of Christ.

Prophets speak on behalf of God and reveal His will. They are important in the church today because all Christians need to know the heart of God and learn how to work together for His glory.

Prophecy involves an utterance or communication through words. Since the prophet must speak under inspiration, it is clear that the gifts of utterance must be in operation.

Their message is first to the bride of Christ and then to the lost.

We need to recognize that the prophet is more than just a medium of spiritual knowledge but is a foundational gift that brings a level of order and maturity to the body of Christ.

The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to guide the church. The prophets usually exercise revelation gifts such as words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and discerning of the spirit in their prophecies.