Prophets of Christ in the church.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Ephesians 4:11-13) (NKJV).
Apostles and prophets are designed to work together to extend the building of The Church of Jesus Christ on earth. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone:
“ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit..” Ephesians 2:19-22.
The gift of prophecy and the Ministry of a prophet.
All believers are encouraged to ask for the gift of prophecy (1Cor14:1-3).
It is also written: “…In the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh…” (Acts2:17) and (Joel2:28). The gift of prophecy and other spiritual gifts are managed in the local church service, according to the instructions to the Corinthians (1Cor14:29-33).
But the Office of a Prophet is a calling from God, a gift of God to the entire Church and nations. (Jeremiah1:5). In general, apostles and prophets are called to minister together (Acts13:1-2).
Apostles and prophets are designed to work together.
The Apostle is equipped to build the Church on earth according to God’s plan in heaven.
The prophet is equipped to tell what is the will of God for the Church for nations and individuals.
There are reasons for a prophet and apostle working together.
• They are both equipped to receive from the heart of God.
• The prophet can remind God’s vision and direction to the Apostle.
• The prophet can challenge the apostle; in case he takes a wrong direction.
Apostles tend to be surrounded by people who look up to them, love, and respect them, and most of the time are not strong enough to challenge them if they are mistaken. A prophet is equipped to challenge the apostle, churches, individuals, and nations. Prophet Nathan did just that to King David.
“Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”(2Samuel 12:7-12).
We need prophets today for the church of Christ on earth.
The Prophet of Christ today
There seems to be widespread awareness of the prophetic ministry in the church today.
However, the church needs quality, not the quantity of the prophets. The Church needs prophets like Daniel and his mates, committed to God Almighty. They refused to compromise and eventually got king Nebuchadnezzar, a tough anti-god king, praise the God of Israel. (Daniel 3:20-30).
In general, Prophets are not accepted in many churches. They are known for their straight talk and character and pursuit of holiness. However,
Pastors need prophets to assist them in building up holiness in their local church.
Apostles need prophets to build up the Church on a solid foundation.
