THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY (1)

“Oh, that all Lord’s people were PROPHETS and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” – Numbers 11:29

More than at any other time, Believers in Christ need clearer comprehension of THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY: “Oh, that all Lord’s people were PROPHETS and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” (Num.11:29b). This was Moses expressing the Heart of the Lord concerning the prophetic. If God’s people would be His Voice in these days when sceptics claim that God no longer speaks to men, accurate insight into the Prophetic Ministry is essential. Christ set in the Church five ascension gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph.4:11). All five are distinct and carry different graces needed to equip Believers for effectiveness in life and ministry. They are “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ” towards maturity in Christ (Eph.4:12).

All five ministry gifts are equally important. The apostle is a spiritual father, architect and builder; the Pioneer, who breaks new grounds and governs. The soul winning evangelist pushes beyond the frontiers of the flock to gather in the harvest, while reminding the Church of reaching the lost. The pastor provides spiritual nourishment, nurture, protection, comfort, counsel and covering, guarding the sheep from wolves. The teacher instructs, tutors and explains God’s Word and Ways. He prepares, equips, and trains Believers to be grounded in faith. The prophet is needed as God’s Voice of edification, exhortation and comfort, to point the sheep along divine paths and guide them aright. All five ascension gifts have unique graces on their lives that add something distinct and valuable to the Believer’s life, ministry and destiny.

As the Lord’s Coming draws nearer, the Church is witnessing the restoring and unfolding of the five-fold ministry gifts. In particular, unlike the evangelist, pastor and teacher, that have been conventionally accepted by virtually all shades of Christian belief and practice, the prophetic is being reinstating as a standing institution in the New Testament Church. This is needful to checkmate the pervasive rise in occult activity, and Believer’s general naivete in spiritual matters. Learning about the prophet’s grace will make this more accepted and embraced.

Essentially, there are two main operations to the Prophetic Ministry. First, the prophet is ‘Nabi’ – spokesman or speaker – one who is authorized to speak; and ‘Roeh’ – to see or seer. Forthtelling is speaking forth a message from God; speaking by divine inspiration. Foretelling is predictive word revealing God’s Mind concerning what only He could have known. The prophet is a spokesman, seer or both; a messenger of God, whose message may take the forms of prophecy, a burden, an oracle, a vision, or s word from the Lord. Prophets minister to reveal God’s Mind to the people and expose the hearts of the people before God. The Prophetic is the Sight and Spiritual Sensitivity of the Church.