The Role of the Prophet

Ephesians 4:11-12
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

Often, when we think of prophets, we think of those great men of God from the Old Testament, like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and many others. But as the verse above explains, Jesus has appointed prophets who are still important to the Church today. While the role of the prophet looks different today than it did during Old Testament times, prophets are still necessary to help equip the saints for ministry and strengthen the Church.

Prophets preach and teach the Word of God, and typically operate in the spiritual gifts of the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. When God desires, He shows prophets things to prepare believers for future events. However, these New Testament or New Covenant prophets are not the same as those of the Old Testament.

Under the Old Covenant, God’s spirit was on the prophets alone, and not on the rest of the people. If the people wanted to hear from God or know His will, they had to find a prophet. These prophets were also called seers because God allowed them to see the future. This was God’s established system before Jesus came to the earth.

However, because of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, we as His followers now have the Holy Spirit inside of us. If you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have the spirit of God in you and on you. The Holy Spirit will never leave you nor forsake you. You can hear from God yourself. Not only do you not need any prophet to tell you what to do, you should not seek a prophet to tell you what to do because you can hear directly from God.

1 Corinthians 14:3
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

While you should hear directly from God and not seek prophets as they did in the days before Jesus, you will likely hear prophecies at some point. How should you respond? Consider the prophecy in light of Scripture. God’s Word says that prophecies should encourage, strengthen, and comfort you. A true word of prophecy will build you up, not tear you down. A true word of prophecy will encourage you, not discourage you. And a true word of prophecy will strengthen you, not weaken you. Although you may receive a prophetic word that includes direction for your life, it should confirm what you have already heard in your spirit. You should never follow a prophecy that violates your conscience or goes against God’s written Word.

Unfortunately, many people place prophets on a pedestal above the Word of God or their pastors. This is a recipe for disaster. A prophet speaking contrary to the Word of God is a false prophet.

Matthew‬ ‭24:11‬ ‭AMP‬‬
Many false prophets will appear and mislead many.

We must be discerning about prophecies. Here is a true story about a false prophet and how to use discernment in such a situation.

I know a man named Thomas. Thomas received a word from a “prophet” who told Thomas that he needed to change his name. The “prophet” learned of Thomas’ name and asked him if he doubted a lot. Being a human who experiences doubt like the rest of us, Thomas said yes. The “prophet” then went on to tell Thomas to change his name because his name was the reason he had doubts. He added that those doubts would continue as long as he was named Thomas. The “prophet” also told Thomas that Doubting Thomas from the Bible didn’t do anything worthwhile with his life after earning the name Doubting Thomas.

Interestingly, Doubting Thomas did not doubt very much. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah and faithfully followed Him throughout His ministry. After watching Jesus’ crucifixion, he thought his friends were offering him false hope of Jesus’ resurrection and insisted on seeing a little evidence before he agreed to believe. Once he saw the resurrected Christ, Thomas immediately believed and was the first to preach the gospel in India. This false prophet gave a false prophecy based on false information.

Thankfully, 21st century Thomas told me (his pastor) about this encounter and asked if he should change his name. I told him not to and asked him if the prophecy encouraged him, strengthened him or comforted his spirit. He said it did not. We identified it as a false prophecy and put the whole issue to rest.

This is an example of a wise believer exercising discernment when confronted with a prophecy.

How can you tell if you are too trusting of prophets or prophecies?

If you cannot recognize (or admit) that the prophet could be wrong.
If you trust the prophet over the Bible.
If you are devastated that a prophecy did not come to pass.
If you need to know everything about the future to be at peace.

Prophets are important to the Church, but we must be discerning about who we hear. Trust the Bible and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit more than you trust prophecy. Reject those prophecies which are contrary to God’s Word or what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you. Reject those prophecies that do not build you up, encourage you, strengthen you, or give you peace. Finally, seek godly counsel from your pastor. This will help you experience true life.

What was the last prophecy that you received that encouraged you?

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