Ministry of the Prophetic

Prophets of the Old Testament should not be confused with the Prophets of our days under the New Covenant. We tend to associate the word “prophet” with some eccentric, judgment-pronouncer, wearing a long robe whose job is to expose sin.  

Some O.T. Prophets did a lot of strange things, strange enough to be considered possessed by a demon or mentally ill by today’s standards. Ezekiel, for example, didn’t prophesy only to people, but to mountains (Ezekiel 6:2), bones (37:4), and the wind (37:9). Isaiah, walked around naked for three years (Isaiah 20:3). 

Under the New Covenant, Jesus provides grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Today’s prophets can look and act like anyone you see at the store or anywhere else. Nothing about their behavior or appearance could tell you of their gift and calling.  

But their perception and understanding can be very different than the average person.  

For example, to the question, “How many days in the week begin with the letter “T”?” A prophetic person would have the tendency to see and understand the question differently and say, “Two. There are two days in the week that begin with the letter “T”—today and tomorrow.” To the question, “How many seconds are there in a year?” A prophetically gifted person would answer, “Twelve. There are twelve seconds in a year: January 12, February 12, March 12…”

The prophetically gifted person needs to be unbound by traditional mental paradigms and thought processes. Our God is much bigger and thinks in ways that make even the greatest genius seem as smart as a stone. The prophet will hear things from the Creator that are from His wisdom, His insight, His knowledge, from His perspective. And those things that He speaks will not be according to man’s wisdom, insight, knowledge, and perspective. So, the prophet must be as free as possible from the constraints of “traditional thinking” and be willing to hear and accept messages that seem very unordinary. This different way of thinking can often give false impressions to others, leading them to view the prophetic person as odd, or “different”.

Of the five-fold ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11, (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher), the office of the prophet has not been recognized by the entire Church. For example, when a person discloses that he is a pastor or she is a teacher, everyone readily accepts those functions. But, a “prophet”? That “title” still causes many raise an eyebrow.

We must realize that God has given the Church those He has gifted and called to be Prophets. We must recognize those who flow with a pure heart in that calling.

Prophets will give us insight into matters that we cannot otherwise see. Prophets reveal the heart of God. Prophets speak of things to come.

A distinction should be made here between the Holy Spirit’s “gift of prophecy” and “the prophet” as one of the five-fold ministries. This distinction is beautifully described by Dr. Bill Hamon in his book, Prophets Pitfalls and Principles, and I quote:  

The Gift of Prophesy

Prophecy is important to the life oft the church because prophecy is the most edifying gift for a congregation. …prophecy is a “shotgun-effect” gift that can bless hundreds of people at once.

Prophetic people are the people of God who are full of the Holy Spirit and are fulfilling the scriptural command to “desire spiritual gifts, cover to prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1, 39). They believe in, propagate and support the ministry of the apostles and prophets in the church today. They are earnestly desiring gifts and are exercising their spiritual senses in order to be fully educated and activeated in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ has ordained for them, including but limited to the gift of prophesy (Heb. 5:14, 1 Cor. 12: 1,7,11).

The Office of Prophet

The ministry of the prophet is not a gift of the Holy Spirit, but a gift-extension of Christ Himself as the Prophet.

The office of the prophet is designed and endowed to function in a higher realm of ministry than the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy. …the office of prophet is authorized and anointed to flow in the area of guidance, instruction, rebuke, judgment, and revelation—whatever Christ chooses to speak for the purifying and perfecting of His Church.

(This topic is discussed further in the Ears-2-Hear Teachings.)