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The Prophet

from Pastor Abby Davidson

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

Why would anyone want to be a prophet? The role of the Prophet is an important one in the Bible. We have the books of the major prophets and those of the minors, and then we have prophets scattered throughout the other books of the Bible, always playing an important role in the story of God. Prophets would receive a message from God and pass it on to his people. It seems that God didn’t want people to miss the meaning of his message because he often had prophets act out his words. With Hosea, he was instructed to marry an unfaithful woman and with Isaiah, he named his children according to how God would act. And then there was Jonah who ran away from God and ended inside a big fish. There’s no glamour in being a prophet. Yet, the role of the prophet is vital if the church is going to grow and fulfill her God-given mission.

The Prophet is one who hears and listens to God. They are able to stand back for a Kingdom perspective. The Prophet often sees a clear picture of what is happening and can develop a vision for situations that others don’t see. They are committed to a vision and will hold others accountable to that vision. They tend to question the status quo.

A Prophet is not necessarily someone who knows the future or has strange visions all the time. Rather, a Prophet is one who cares about God’s values and whether or not people are living those out.

A prophet:

• Enjoys spending time with God
• Can sense when a church is drifting from her values and mission
• Thinks outside the box
• Is future-oriented

Because they are willing to disrupt the status quo, Prophets can come off as very annoying to everyone else. They often get frustrated in churches seeing all the things that are wrong and have a hard time bringing others alongside them in their vision.

Prophets are committed to pursuing God’s will, even when it doesn’t make sense in the eyes of the world or the church for that matter. Prophets are the ones who will help us step out in faith and enter new territory that we might not have considered without them.

Think you might be a Prophet? Let us know. Here is the link to take the FiveFold ministry test. http://www.fivefoldsurvey.com/