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The Prophet: The Watchman |
In my previous posts on this subject I established
the importance of Godly character and maturity in the role of Prophet. Prophets
prophesy encouragement, strengthening, and comfort according to 1 Cor. 14, but their
role in the church goes beyond that. Their ministry is less about personal words and more about impartation to churches,
ministries, leaders and nations. I will complete this series of posts by looking
at three key aspects of his/her
ministry.
First there is the
ministry of ‘The Watchman’: seeing beyond the horizon. Prophets watch for
and hear God’s view of what is coming.
They stand upon the protective wall of the church watching and listening for
what cannot be seen with the natural eye. Pastors, teachers, and elders that
care for and watch over the church are the gatekeepers. Watchmen inform the gatekeepers
of what is coming. This is more than prophetic impressions. A pastor may have an
‘impression’ in his spirit that something is coming…an inner sense, a warning, or
an impending change. The prophet can bring the Father’s perspective of that
warning or change. He/she can bring clarity and more detail
to the pastor. The apostle can then bring strategy and structure to handle what
the watchman sees.
Then there is the
ministry of ‘The Preparer’: equipping
for coming events. “During this time
some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, name Agabus, stood up and
through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire
Roman World. (This happened during the reign of Claudius)” Acts 11:27. Agabus
revealed something the Father wanted the church to know…a difficult event, a
famine, was coming……they needed preparation or equipping for the famine. They responded by sending money to believers
in Judea. Agabus also warned Paul of
hard things that would happen if he went to Jerusalem. That warning was to prepare him, not to deter him from his
destiny.
And lastly there
is the ministry of ‘The Revealer’: direction
and correction. A prophet may give prophetic direction to the church. Maturity
is absolutely key in this regard. Church leaders and overseers do not need
directive revelation on a daily or weekly basis. They have the Holy Spirit! They have a heart for the people for
whom they have responsibility. They
have been given a gift to lead and care for people. Paul taught, evangelized and preached for months and years before
he had a prophetic vision to go to Macedonia. (Acts 16:6-10) In this case he
received a vision directly, but often it is a prophet that will receive it and
pass it on to a leader. His apostolic direction flowed out of his apostolic
gifting……he was doing what he was called to do; to go and make disciples of all
nations. However, a directive vision
was necessary to move his ministry from Asia to Europe…to a new world needing
the gospel. This was the same gift,
same ministry, but different geographic direction for that gift and ministry.
On occasion, the prophet may bring corrective revelation to
something that is not in alignment. In
this case the emphasis is less about knowledge and more about Truth; correctly
applying Truth. Churches, ministries
and denominations can get caught up in popular tactics and teachings that SEEM
to be effective in getting people into and keeping them in a church. However, what’s
popular in the culture is not always productive in the Kingdom. The
church must be grounded in the Word and in Truth. A prophet can reveal a
corrective realignment to Truth in Grace. The heart of the Father is for us to
stay aligned with the Truth of His Word and grounded in the Grace of His
Kingdom.
In closing, I encourage the people of God, the leaders of
the people, to receive the gift of the prophet! Matthew 10:40-41 He who receives you receives me, and he who
receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because
he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a
righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s
reward. There is great reward for embracing the prophet in the church; especially
the mature prophet bearing the prophetic anointing of the Father, the love for
His people, and the Truth and Grace of His Kingdom.
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