“Ephesians 4” Call To Equip The Saints For The Work Of Service As A Prophet:
I believe the five fold passions and points of view are in every believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ indwells them. So how do we allow the artesian well of the Holy Spirit to surface the prophetic spirit that is in all believers? That is the calling of the five fold ministry of the Church.
If it weren’t for the prophet, heresies, or cults would thrive in the body of Christ, dead religion would reign instead of a living church, and the spiritual revelation of “Jesus Christ” would be lost to academia and a political system as occurred in the Dark Ages when the prophetic word was silenced. So, how can we, the 21st century Church learn from the past, and allow the creative prophetic spirit to arise in believers, aiding, caring, developing, and then releasing him to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but encourage you to ask the creative Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to give you “revelation” of who He is and how to show that to others. I only offer a few suggestions:
Be Grounded in the Logos Word: Like the five fold teacher, the prophet too must be grounded in the Logos World. If their “prophetic revelations” do not line up with the Logos Word, then they are in error. The purpose of the prophet is to bring “revelation” to the Logos Word, and that must always be “revealing Jesus Christ”, who and what He is, and his fulfillment of the Logos Word. Jesus is the alpha & omega, the first and last Word, so all “revelation” should be about him!
Don’t Be A Samuel, The Only One Hearing The Voice Of God: The most effective five fold prophet will be one who teaches each and every believer in Jesus Christ that he/she can hear God for themselves. In a time of darkness and dryness in Israel, only Samuel heard the voice of God. But today, the veil in the Temple has been rent; God’s spirit and voice is no longer confined to the priesthood of Israel, but to all believers in Jesus Christ. If God’s Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is in you, then the voice of God is in you. Prophets need to teach all believers how to hear that inner voice and be obedient to it. Being in God’s “rest” is learning how to prophetically stop, look, and listen to that inner voice, then practice obedience. As Jesus would say, “it is written, ‘to obey is better than sacrifice.’” This is a prophet’s contribution to the five fold.
Your Mission Is To Bring Revelation of Jesus Christ. Do It Practically, Not With You Head Stuck In The Heavenlies: I have heard some prophets give utterances in prophetic “jargon” that only those who claimed to be prophets could understand. Again “practicality” is far more effective than “religious jargon.” The prophet should try to make the “revelation of Jesus Christ” that they attained to be as understandable by all in the body of Christ than just among their band of prophets. As the saying goes, “one can be too heavenly minded for our earthly good.” The prophetic is powerful: the practical revelation of one’s life, like the Woman at the Well, the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit falling on Jew and Gentile, and the understanding of a practical experience in the terms of a “revelation of Jesus Christ” to them that is scripturally sound! When this gift is misused, it ushers in disastrous results, but when used practically, insightfully, in a humble spirit of service, it is one of the most powerful ones in the body of Christ.
Releasing The Prophet: The worst thing to do after training or equipping someone is then to stifle their vision, their enthusiasm, their drive, their passion, and just let them sit back. RELEASE THEM TO SERVE! You have equipped the prophet for the “works of service”, so let them serve! They can serve the lost through prophetic evangelism or the Church by revealing Jesus Christ in a living way. Let them do what drives them: Serve the Body of Christ through Revelations of Jesus Christ! Don’t place restraints on them that the other four in the five fold could do for them. They need not have to birth, nurture, teach, or see over developing Christians. The passions of the others can aide them in the development of Christians spiritually by releasing them to teach the body how to hear the voice of the Lord personally and corporately and be obedient to what they have seen or heard. Release them. Will we ever think one is “ready” to be a prophet? Probably not; will they make mistakes? Yes, of course, we all do, but the evangelist will energize them through their excitement for birthing, the pastor/shepherd will nurture and care for them, the teacher will ground them in the Logos Word, and the apostle will give proper oversight, “seeing over” what and how the Holy Spirit is doing in the prophet’s life. The prophet will submit to the ministry of the other four as they minister to him bringing proper accountability in his/her life.
Church, let equip, nurture, care, then release, while continuing serve the prophet bringing accountability, and we see a “new day” in a “new way” that the Church does church!