Prophetic Ministry
1. A Prophet is a foundational ministry: Jeremiah 1:4-10 , however some are called specifically to a specific nation, church, group of people or operate in a specific geographical area.
a.) Falls under the category of Inspirational gifts and usually functions in collaboration with the following Spiritual gifts: Healing gifts, discernment, Knowledge and Wisdom.
2. Prophecy is the revelation of the mind of God 2 Kings 19:20 ‘Then Isaiah the son of Amos sent a message to Hezekiah, this is what the Lord, God of Israel says….’
- Prophecy is a revelation of the will of God 2 Pet 1:21
- ‘Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets’ (Amos 3:7)
- ‘Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Peter 1:21)
3. Prophecy is the awakening call of God. Haggai 1:2 & 5 ‘This is what the Lord almighty says: These people say the time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built……..now this is what the Lord almighty says, Give careful thought to your ways.’
- Prophecy is the witness of God -We read in the NT church, a more sure word of prophecy contained in the Bible (2 Peter 1:19).
- Prophecy reveals the willingness of God.
- To uproot – pull up things that are rooted in a life
- To tear down – Pull down strongholds
- To destroy – negativity and lies in people
- To overthrow – stand against wicked authorities
- To build – to give foundation to enable building
- To plant – to establish and dig truth into the heart.
1 Corinthians 14:3 ‘But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.’ ¬ Edification ¬ Strengthening ¬ Comfort 1 Cor 14:24-25 ‘But if an unbeliever……. comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare…..’
In Jer 1:4-10 we see the calling and responsibility of a prophet ¬ Revelation of the word of God - v4
- Receiving the call of God – v5
- Reservation at the call of God – v6
- Reaffirming the call of God – v7-8
- Releasing and equipping to the call – v9
- Realm of the call – v10 Not just local but over nations and kingdoms
The prophetic ministry will operate in many different ways.
- Some will move through a powerful word of knowledge.
- Some through the ability to speak into churches
- Some the ability to counsel and reveal on a personal level
- Some will be used through prophetic teaching and preaching
- Some will have futuristic focus
Three sources of prophecy
1. The Holy Spirit 1 Sam 10:10; Acts 13:2, 1 Tim 4:1 shows that the only true source of prophecy is the Holy Spirit.
2. The human spirit : Due to prophecy coming through a human channel we are encouraged to judge all prophecy as people can get confused with their own desires, compassion’s, feelings and in discerning the will of God.
3. An evil spirit: In 2 Chron 18;20-22 we see God allows a lying spirit to speak through the mouths of the prophets, due to the people’s desire to go a certain way. 1 Tim 4:1-2 talks about ‘deceiving spirits’ that influence a person operating in the prophetic.
Judging prophecy: The Bible teaches us that we are to judge all things including the gift of prophecy, because:
a). We prophesy in part – 1 Cor 13:8-10
b). We are to prove all things – 1 Thess 5:20-21
c). We are to let others judge – 1 Cor 14:29
d). We are to test the spirits – 1 Jn 4:1
Who can judge prophecy?
a). Every Spirit filled believer - 1 Cor 2:15
b). The local church - 1 Cor 14:29
c). Those with the gift of discernment - 1 Cor 12:3 & 10
How do we judge prophecy?
a). By the word of God
b). By the witness of the Spirit
c). The evidence of the fruit of the Spirit.
d). By its fulfilment
Visions and Dreams: Need to be handled with caution as some may be shown as symbolic and may come in symbols or pictures/ images
Conduct: Obedient, humble, prayerful, Holy
Examples
Eph 4:11 ministry gifts we can see their functions:- ¬ The Apostles role is one of governance ¬ The Prophets role is one of guiding ¬ The Evangelists role is one of gathering ¬ The Pastors role is one of guarding ¬ The Teachers role is one of grounding
Steps to operating in your particular gifts.
- Explore the possibilities.
- Experiment as much as possible.
- Examine how you feel.
- Evaluate your effectiveness.
- Expect confirmation from others.
- Exercise it regularly
When you think you have discovered your gift remember the following:-
- It needs to be developed
- It needs to be moulded
- It needs to be submitted to others
- It needs to be modelled