MYSTERIOUS WAYS: What is a Prophet anyway?

A quarterly column in which Simon Kumm unpacks the mysterious ways of God, to connect believers with their Father and His incredible living inheritance!

Ever been in a church service when that peculiar person visits the church from another town? They stand on the stage and seem to know things about members of the congregation they could never know and shouldn’t know, but do? Or what about those on television, advertising their services to tell you what God is saying for a consultation fee?

For some of us, this is our experience of prophets. Unusual, uneasy and at times, even provoking fear, that they may somehow know and expose our flaws in the public space.

Our past experience with this gift can take many forms, but what exactly is a prophet? What is their role? And why on earth do we still need them?

In the Old Testament people needed prophets as a link between them and God. It was the only way to know what was on God’s heart because sin had separated man from his maker. In those days, both the prophet and prophetic gift were tethered together in a special and rare package. They also functioned as a living picture of what it would look like to hear directly from God.

In the New Testament, Jesus came and restored our relationship to Father God, then ushered in our helper, Holy Spirit. This gave us all direct access through him to His Father. We can therefore go “boldly” before the throne (Hebrews 4:16). The rare ability that an Old Testament prophet had, thus became available for us all. This is why everyone can now prophesy. All it needed was Holy Spirit’s gift and direct access to God. Thanks to Jesus, all this is now in place!

Sadly, nowadays we have ended up with some “New Testament” prophets acting under an Old Testament standard, still trying to be that link to Father God for other people. This has left many of us confused as to how to relate to prophets and what their modern role actually is. The truth is, when the covenant changed, their role changed, and is now different!

When we receive Jesus, this connects us to God our Father. Prophets are not our source of hearing God’s heart anymore. So there is no need to pay any consultation fees! The other thing we know is that the point of prophecy is to strengthen, encourage and comfort (1 Cor 14:3). So again, we shouldn’t have to fear them pointing out our sins from the platform either.

So what does a New Testament prophet actually do?

Well, a prophet, is a gift of Christ concerned primarily with equipping the saints to do the works of service (Ephesians 4:12). The person is the actual gift! They dispense grace (the ability to do something you couldn’t do before) to the members of the body. They are no longer the only home of the gift, which is available to the whole body. They do however, help the body to move, flow, access and be empowered by the gift. Prophets still prophesy, but it’s not the whole point for them anymore like it used to be.

New Testament prophets form a foundation in partnership with apostles on which to build the Body to look more like Jesus (Ephesians 4:12-13). It’s a governmental gift which means it’s there to serve and empower. Like a building’s foundation, it sits below and builds upwards. The anointing may flow top down, but the building happens bottom up!

We need prophets as much now as we ever did before! But we need them in their rightful place, aligned where God intended them to be. God has been moving, shifting and restoring them to their role and position so that we are no longer confused by them. 

He is seating them in service and influence, so His whole Body can be built up, and where the glory is His – just the way it should be!

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