Hundredfold Ministries, Int'l

As we have traveled and observed the gift of prophecy operating in the church, we have come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of confusion, misunderstanding or lack of understanding, and just plain bad teaching on prophecy in the church today. Thus, in this chapter, we will attempt to clarify what the prophetic word is and is not and what a prophet is and is not.

PROPHECY AND THE PROPHETIC WORD

Webster's dictionary6 defines prophecy as "in the New Testament, the gift of speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit; predictions of the future under the influence of divine guidance; the act or practice of a prophet. Any prediction. Something prophesied or predicted. Specifically, the divinely inspired utterance or utterances of a prophet; a book of prophecies."

In its simplest form we may define prophecy as God speaking to people. The Old Testament contains entire books of prophecy. There are also prophecies scattered throughout the entire Bible. An excellent example of biblical prophecy is 2 Chronicles, 20.

In that chapter, King Jehoshaphat found himself surrounded by three hostile armies. After he assembled the people of Judah and prayed a most eloquent prayer, the Spirit of God moved on Jahaziel, a Levite, and he prophesied:

"Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'" (2 Chr 20:15-17 NIV)

Another example of prophecy is found in Acts, 21. In that chapter the Apostle Paul was in Caesarea on his way to Jerusalem:

. . . a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" (Acts 21:10-11 NIV)

These two excellent examples of prophecy from Scripture exemplify a prophetic word, that is, God speaking to His people concerning His acts and purposes.

That same gift of prophecy still operates today. Please note that no current prophecy from God will ever supersede, override or be in conflict with the Scripture. Genuine prophecy will always pass the test of harmony with the Scripture.

The gift of prophecy is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit found in 1 Corinthians, 12. The gift is operative when the Holy Spirit moves on an obedient person who, under the unction of the Spirit, speaks forth God's word. The Apostle Peter explained the operation of this gift: "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pet 1:21 NIV)

Just because someone prophesies does not mean that he is a prophet. Prophecy may be spoken, and often is, by one who is not a called prophet. Any Christian, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, may operate the gift of prophecy as described above. Speaking prophetically simply means that the Holy Spirit has used that individual as a vessel to speak God's word. There is a definite distinction between the prophet and one who occasionally operates the gift of prophecy. One difference is that a person may learn to operate the gift of prophecy in a very short time-it takes years to make a prophet.

THE TIMING OF THE PROPHETIC WORD

There are two different time frames in the delivery of the prophetic word. God causes his word to be given in what I call the "Word of the Moment" and/or the "Word of the Season."

1. The Word of the Moment

The Word of the Moment is an utterance which is spontaneous to the speaker. It occurs when God sovereignly moves on an individual to speak forth a word that He wants those present to receive. This kind of word can be delivered by either a called prophet or a person moving in the gift of prophecy.

For those churches with a more free move of the Holy Spirit, an utterance of this kind most often comes in a public service. If the service is being led by the Holy Spirit, such an utterance will always be in harmony with the rest of the service. (See 1 Cor 14.)

Occasionally more private prophetic utterances occur when believers are together in prayer, counseling, worship, or even in conversation. And remember, as we shall see later in this chapter, all prophecy, both public and private, is to be submitted for judgement. This judging of a prophetic word is absolutely necessary to prevent error.

2. The Word of the Season

I define the Word of the Season as the word of the Lord delivered after a season of prayer. It is often a direction the Lord is telling a group or individual to take. Usually this kind of word is delivered by a called prophet who has been burdened by the Holy Spirit on a subject on behalf of an individual or group. The prophet may spend days, weeks, or even months in prayer with this burden. Then, when it has a fullness in his or her spirit, and the Lord's timing is right, that person knows it is time for delivery. This kind of word may also be delivered by one who is not a called prophet but whom the Holy Spirit has burdened about a situation and who has thoroughly prayed that burden through.

This Word of a Season is often delivered in the form of a sermon or prophetic message to an entire church or group. A speaker who has a prophetic call may come from without to a church with this kind of word from the Lord. Note, this kind of word does not need to be long. I recall once when the Lord sent our church a clear directive word which was delivered by a visiting speaker in less than fifteen minutes. It was very powerful and we knew at the time that it was the word of the Lord to us for that season.

It should also be borne in mind that the Word for a Season may involve the past, present or future. The word "season" does not necessarily mean now.

CATEGORIES OF PROPHETIC WORDS

While I don't believe in reducing God's word to formulas and don't like to try to put God's prophetic words into little boxes, it is helpful to view the different categories of the prophetic word as follows: EDIFICATION EXHORTATION COMFORT PREDICTIVE DIRECTIVE REBUKE Words of edification build up the hearer. Words of exhortation motivate and renew the spirit of the hearer. Words of comfort do just that, comfort the hearer. Predictive words foretell things of the future. Directive words are those which give guidance to the hearer concerning some action or decision most often relating to the immediate or near future. Words of rebuke point out sin and extend a call to repentance.

As a general rule the first three kinds of prophetic words, edification, exhortation, and comfort, may be delivered by anyone who has a prophetic call (a mature or immature prophet) or they may be delivered by one who is not a called prophet but who is simply operating the gift of prophecy. Why is this so? Because these kinds of words generally can't do harm to the hearer. We all need to hear words of edification, exhortation and comfort from the Lord. They are for the building up of the body of Christ. Furthermore, these words are easy to give. It is very reasonable that the Lord would give these kinds of words through the fledgling prophet or one who moves in the gift of prophecy. The speaker does not need to have much authority in the body of Christ to deliver these kinds of words.

The latter three kinds of words, predictive, rebuke, and directive, are generally delivered by a more mature prophet. Why? In the first place they can do much harm if they are not correct or are given at the wrong time. It takes a seasoned prophet to know when he or she is receiving this kind of word from God and when it is simply his or her own thought processes. Further, a mature prophet often will be given a word of this kind in advance but he knows that the time is not right to deliver it. A less mature prophet lacks such wisdom. A mature prophet takes no pleasure in delivering these kinds of words, especially words of rebuke. A less mature prophet is all too often anxious to deliver the message, especially words of rebuke or direction.

These last three kinds of words are most often delivered with authority and, if the speaker is a tested and proven prophet, the hearers are more likely to hear and respond. It simply makes good sense that God would select His mature prophets to "go and tell my people" these kinds of words. For these reasons, a young prophet who is not too far along in the learning process is just not as likely to be given a harder word to deliver. However, God has the prerogative to set this rule aside and may, on occasion, use a less mature prophet, particularly in the absence of a mature prophet. Judging Prophetic Words

Scripture makes it clear that all prophetic words are to be judged. (1 Cor 14:29) Even the Apostle Paul, after being supernaturally taught his doctrine by revelation from the Lord Jesus Himself, submitted that doctrine for judgement to those who were mature in the Lord. (See Gal 1:11-2:2.) Since the Scripture tells us that prophecy should be judged, three immediate questions come to mind. 1) Why should prophecy be judged? 2) By whom should it be judged? 3) What are the criteria for judging prophecy? We will deal with these three questions in order. Why Prophecy Should be Judged

When a prophetic word comes forth in an assembly a holy quiet falls over the congregation. There is the ambient assumption, particularly among young Christians, that God is speaking to His church. But the truth is that it may not be God who is speaking!

The Bible teaches us that there are three sources of prophecy: 1) the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21), 2) the human spirit or soul (Jer 23:17), and 3) Satanic or demonic spirits. (Jer 23:13)

Many who hear prophetic words and do not know of these three possible sources tend to gullibly receive every uttered word as "from the Lord." There will always be the spiritually immature in the church and it is for their protection that prophecy is to be judged. All prophecy must be judged, including prophecy given in private gatherings or over the telephone or otherwise communicated to one individual. It must always be submitted for judgment. Who Should Judge Prophecy?

There are three categories of people who are responsible for judging prophecy. They are prophets, pastors/elders, and every individual Christian, although the primary responsibility falls on the first two categories.

The Apostle Paul instructs us, "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." (1 Cor 14:29 NIV) Here Paul puts the primary burden of judging on other prophets. But the pastor and elders are also responsible for what happens in their assembly, especially in the absence of prophets.

For this reason I believe that it is incumbent upon the pastor, or whoever has control of the pulpit at the time a prophecy comes forth, to signify to the assembly whether or not the word spoken should be received as from the Lord. If this is not done then every individual Christian, even the immature, must judge for himself . . . and often that judgement is incorrect! When I am in a spiritually responsible position I always comment on any prophecy that comes forth to indicate my acceptance (or rejection) and, if it is from God, I encourage obedience to that prophetic word.

HOW SHOULD PROPHECY BE JUDGED?

Many people mistakenly believe that the only criteria for judging prophecy is whether or not the word prophesied comes to pass. As I understand the Bible, whether or not a prophesied word comes to pass is not the final criteria for judging prophecy.

There are at least three segments of Scripture that help us determine the validity of prophecy. Let's look at them.

"You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." (Deut 18:21-22 NIV)

Here, the judgement criteria is simple: if it doesn't come true, God didn't speak it. Let's look at another passage of Scripture.

"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them.' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer . . ." (Deut 13:1-3 NIV)

Here the judgement criteria becomes more specific. Note that the criteria is not only whether it comes to pass but also the direction the speaker is attempting to lead the people. If it is away from God then it is not of the Lord. Thus, the judgement criteria for prophecy is not whether it comes to pass, but rather, what is the source of the prophecy? Where did it come from? Did it come from the 1) Tree of Life (God), 2) a "dead" tree (the human soul or spirit), or, 3) The Tree of Death (satanic/demonic)?

I relate the source of prophecy to the basic choices given Adam in the Garden of Eden to partake of the Tree of Life and live or the Tree of Death (Knowledge of Good and Evil) and die. The third source is what I call the "dead tree" which is prophecy out of the speaker's own soul or spirit. Only God can produce life.

An excellent example of judging the source of a prophetic utterance is provided by the Apostle Paul. He and Silas were holding meetings in Philippi. Each day, as they passed through the market place on the way to their meetings, a woman followed them shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."

But the Scripture says that Paul was troubled by hearing her day after day. Why? Was it because of what she said? No, every word she spoke was the absolute truth! Paul was troubled because the source of her information was demonic. He ultimately cast the source (demon) out of her! (See Acts 16:16-18.) So we see that even the test of a prophetic word being scripturally accurate cannot be the final test.

How then can we tell the source of a prophetic word? James 3:13-18 speaks to the question:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (Jas 3:13-18 NIV)

Remember the six categories of prophecy we examined earlier in this chapter? They are edification, exhortation, comfort, prediction, rebuke and direction. If a prophecy is in the edification, exhortation or comfort category, we need to ask: What is the prophecy producing? What is its fruit? Is it producing confusion, bitterness, envy, selfish ambition, boasting, or denying the truth? Is there uneasiness, doubt, or concern in your spirit? If so, the source of the prophecy is not God. As James tells us, it is either earthly (of the human source or spirit) or unspiritual, or it is of the devil.

Or is the prophetic word peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful and full of good fruit? Is it impartial and sincere, does it "raise a harvest of righteousness"? Is there joy, peace and an "amen" in your spirit? If so, it comes from God.

However, if the prophecy falls in the categories of prediction, rebuke or guidance, James' scriptural exhortation is not a foolproof judgment criteria.

We all know that we Christians are not perfect. Occasionally the Lord uses prophecy as His instrument to guide or rebuke us because of our sin. It is quite easy to see that if a person is in need of a rebuke from the Lord, then he or she would not receive the prophetic rebuke as "peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful and full of good fruit," nor would it be "impartial" to him. The same applies to one who receives prophetic guidance from the Lord of an unpleasant nature such as the prophet Jonah received. Remember the prophetic words of rebuke to the Church in Laodicea in the Revelation 3? I'm quite certain the church of Laodicea was less than thrilled to receive that word!

The above principle may also at times apply to prophetic words of prediction since predictive prophecy may be either pleasing or unpleasing. Israel was happy to hear prophecies predicting their future restoration to glory, but they refused to receive prophecies predicting God's discipline for their sin.

So how do we know the source of a prophecy of prediction, rebuke or guidance? I believe the best judges of these kinds of prophetic words are objective, mature believers who know the person (or group) to whom the word is given, and who know enough about the circumstances surrounding the prophetic word. Here again one sees the absolute necessity, as well as the benefits, of having a prophecy judged by other mature Christians.

There are also times when the Lord will send a prophet to deliver one of these kinds of words to a church or denominational group. In this setting probably the best judge of the correctness of the word would be the collective leadership of the church or larger group. The pastor alone is usually not the best judge as he or she may not want to do what the word directs. But if a pastor or leader has surrounded himself with other mature believers who are not afraid to speak their mind, then this group should be able to judge the word. Of course, the leadership always has the option of taking the prophetic word to an outside person or group to also seek their counsel.

Now I want to address the issue of judging a prophecy by the criteria of, "Was it delivered in love?" Occasionally a prophetic word comes forth with an apparent harshness. Or it may even have an angry tone. I have heard many Christians categorically reject such words because they "weren't delivered in love." "My Jesus is a loving Jesus" they would say. "He would never speak like that." Wrong! While it is true that Jesus is loving, He did take a whip on two occasions and cleanse his temple! And remember his "seven woes" address to Israel's religious leaders! (Mat 23) Are we to imagine that Jesus doesn't do that any more? Are we to imagine that there are equally sinful situations in His church today and He responds only with loving mercy? The Bible does say that "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb 13:8 NIV)

Looking back to Deuteronomy, thirteen, there is one more question that must be asked: Why would God allow a false prophet to come into His church? Because " . . . the Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deut 13:3 NIV) Now we know not only that there are false prophets in the church, we also know why they are there. They are there to test our hearts.

PROPHETIC MIXTURE

When judging prophecy, one more fact or factor must be considered. All prophecy we hear today is a mixture. By mixture, I am referring to the three sources of prophecy, the Divine, the human and the demonic. Hopefully, most of the prophecy we hear today is a mixture of the Divine and human. God speaks through a human instrument which of necessity allows portions of the speaker's humanity to be heard in that the speaker's perception of God's word, quality of voice, accent, figures of speech, etc. become part of the spoken word. That is permissible. In fact it is inevitable. In these instances we judge and then "eat the meat and leave the bones."

To simplify the judging process I have diagramed the process in Figure 8-1.

But there is also a mixture of the demonic and human. Demons like to play god and if the human vessel is not well grounded in the word of God and a mature Christian, he or she may, from time to time, be duped into speaking a "prophetic word" which is false, that is from the wrong source. This is particularly true if the speaker has pride and/or has an unteachable spirit. Remember Paul and the slave girl who followed he and Silas. Such prophecies sound good to the undiscerning ear. But to the mature, grounded hearer, the demonic source is quickly perceived. For this reason, those who prophesy with a demonic mixture will seldom do so in the company of many mature Christians. They favor private prophecy-one on one-and often caution the hearer against submitting the prophecy for judgement saying, "Others won't understand this word . . . it is only for special people. You're special, etc., etc."

Mixtures of human and Divine are acceptable. The more experienced the speaker becomes at prophesying the more pure the prophecies become, less human and more Divine. But, if any portion of a prophecy is demonic, the entire prophecy is to be rejected. If that kind of prophecy comes in an assembly, a public declaration of rejection must be made.

Finally, I don't believe that mixtures of Divine and demonic ever occur. Why? Because I do not believe that God ever participates with demonic beings in that way.

Most unfortunately, there are those in the body of Christ today who are caught up in the excitement of foretelling natural disasters, etc. Psychics often can see future events in the natural realm such as earthquakes, automobile accidents, etc. First, let me point out that the source of this kind of "prophetic word" can certainly be demonic since this kind of thing is worldly and Satan is the prince of this world. Further, this kind of foretelling almost always elevates the speaker and points away from Jesus and His purposes. To have psychic powers is not the same as having a prophetic call to deliver God's word. Psychics can be wrong. God's prophetic word is never wrong. It is the word of God concerning His kingdom and would not and could not be wrong.

On every occasion in Scripture where natural phenomena is involved, it is used by the prophet as a whip to drive home the word of God. The natural event is always secondary, or consequential, to whatever God is telling the hearers. No natural phenomena prophesied in Scripture is unrelated to a conditional response to God's call or instructions. The overwhelming focus of biblical prophecies are on spiritual matters such as correction, guidance, personal and corporate sin, and the consequences of disobedience. For example, in 1 Kings, 17 Elijah the prophet, held back rain from Israel because of King Ahab's wickedness. If a prophecy brought forth in a church today emphasizes natural phenomena relatively unrelated to God's kingdom, it is error.

Furthermore, nowhere in Scripture does a prophet of God resort to psychic powers such as telling someone his birthday "to establish his credibility." It is the genuine prophetic word from God that lays the heart bare, not some psychic power. (See 1 Cor 14:24-25.)

SEEKING THE SUPERNATURAL

A word of warning is in order here: While 1 Corinthians 12:31 does exhort us to " . . . eagerly desire the greater gifts," nowhere in Scripture are we told to seek the supernatural. The signs and wonders, miraculous powers, visions, etc. must come from God as we seek Him, not these things. Of course, this is true not only for the called prophet but for every Christian. I urge the reader of this teaching to never seek supernatural experiences. Why? There are two sources of supernatural power-the Divine and the demonic. The demonic world is eager to accommodate people, particularly Christians, who are seeking supernatural experiences.

Therefore the Christian, be he a called prophet or not, must be content to allow the prerogative of supernatural experiences to rest fully in God's hands. If He wants us to have supernatural experiences, that's fine. But if not, that's fine too! If we seek such experiences we will most certainly have them but they will not be from the Divine source. Do not seek supernatural powers, seek Him Who is supernatural. Don't seek gifts, seek Him who is the Giver.

EXAMINING THE VESSEL

In Figure 8-1 of this chapter we illustrated how to judge the prophetic word. Now we see that the vessel who delivers the word must also be examined. Much of the credibility of a prophetic utterance depends upon the track record of the person who delivers it.

For example, if someone comes to me who has been a Christian for eight months and tells me he has a word of rebuke from the Lord for me, I listen but I hold it lightly before the Lord. On the other hand, if someone whom I know to be a strong, mature Christian comes to me and says that, after much prayer, he or she believes that a word of rebuke must be spoken to me, you can be certain I listen with both ears and I consider myself very accountable to the Lord for that word.

And remember too many times we Christians confuse or mistake a tentative, soft spoken prophetic word as one being delivered "in love." Conversely, we take a stern, direct word as one which, by its stern delivery, was "not delivered in love" and we therefore believe we are free to reject it. Often a true prophet is called upon to deliver a stern word in a very authoritative and stern manner. This manner of delivery does not necessarily mean it was not delivered in love. A mature prophet will have great love for God's people yet be very capable and directed by God to speak sternly. We do not have the license to reject a prophetic word just because we don't think it was "delivered in love." To do so is to make the same grave mistake that Israel did when Jeremiah delivered stern words. They said:

"Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priests will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says." (Jer 18:18 NIV)

We also are not free to reject or not pay attention to a word just because we don't like the way a person delivers it or we don't like his or her manner of speech or personality. Even if a person's accent, habit of pronunciation, etc. is not pleasing to our ears, we are still obliged to hear and judge the prophetic word itself.

THE PROPHET

Now let's define what a prophet is . . . and is not. A prophet is a man or woman who is called by God to operate in the office of a spokesperson for God. The prophet is one sent by God to speak the word of the Lord to an individual or group of people, most often a church. A seasoned and mature prophet is a God-called, God-trained individual whom God has shaped and molded into a spokesperson for Himself. The prophet does not belong to himself, he belongs first to God, second to the church, then to himself.

THE CALL OF A PROPHET

Let's look at the call of two prophets in Scripture, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Note first Isaiah's call:

Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go and tell this people . . ." (Is 6:8,9 NIV)

Here we see a clear, distinct call from God to Isaiah. There is no mistaking Isaiah's call or the hour of his call.

Or the call of God to be a prophet may be on an individual before birth as it was with Jeremiah. His call is even more vivid than Isaiah's.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD." (Jer 1:4-8 NIV)

In Ephesians 4:11 and Romans 12:8, Paul lists the five offices or calls including the prophet:

It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service . . .(Eph 4:11 NIV)

Individuals who are called to and matured in one of these five offices are the embodiment in their persons of the call of God to ministry. Each is Divinely endowed with the spiritual gifts necessary to carry out that call. For example, concerning the prophet, we see God directing and equipping Jeremiah as a whole person in his prophetic call:

"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land-against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. (Jer 1:17-19 NIV)

In the New Testament, the prophet we know most about is John the Baptist. He was called from before his conception to be a prophet to proclaim the coming of Jesus.

Note that Scripture does not make a distinction between New Testament and Old Testament prophets. The call, the character and the mission of the prophet has not changed through the centuries. One who is called by God as a prophet today has the same call as the earliest prophets to Israel.

PROPHET OR PSYCHIC

There are today many people who can predict events in the future or see into the spiritual realm and are thought by some to be prophets. They are not, they are psychics. A psychic has precognitive experiences (i.e., the perception of an event before it occurs) or the possession of other supernatural powers. According to the dictionary a psychic is a person who is supposedly sensitive to forces beyond the physical world. There are some individuals today who are using psychic powers in certain churches today to "prophecy."

Further, these same churches are encouraging psychics to relate false dreams and revelations. It is extremely important to recognize that not all dreams are from the Lord. Scripture makes it very clear that every person, prophets included, must examine every dream and/or vision to see if it is from the Lord or some other source. Note what the Lord told Jeremiah.

"I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jer 23:25-29 NIV)

That chapter continues with God's judgement on false oracles and false prophets. In the spiritual realm psychics are Satan's counterfeits for the genuine prophets of God.

The lack of understanding of this distinction between true prophets and those with psychic powers is causing a very serious error to be propagated in some churches today. That error is the assumption that anyone who gives a public utterance, speaks about future events, or reveals unknown facts has a prophetic call from God or is giving a prophetic word from God when he or she speaks.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CALLED PROPHET

I believe there are certain common characteristics or basic personality traits of an individual who has a prophetic call on his or her life. After considerable study of the Old and New Testament prophets, I believe the following general observations are quite accurate and descriptive of those called to be prophets both in Scripture as well as today.

1. Strong Personality

Innately the prophet has a strong personality. I have never met a true prophet who didn't have, in secular terms, a type A personality. Prophets are usually intense about most things and are always intense about their walk with God. That is why prophets often have difficulty understanding those who are less than 100% committed to the Lord.

2. Direct-Issue Oriented

A prophet is very issue oriented and sees things in black or white. For him there is very little gray and most things are either right or wrong. Hence, a prophet will not easily compromise on an issue. Nor does a prophet have a lot of mercy for those who can't or won't measure up to the austere standards of God as he sees them. Again, the mature prophet has love and cares about God's people. But does he have mercy? Not much! I always visualize Amos holding the plumb line as God's stereotypical prophet. (Amos 7:7-9) The plumb line is representative of God's righteousness on any given issue and to the prophet all things relating to that issue are to be measured against that plumb line. Those who don't measure up are often told, "Get in or get out!"

3. Strong in Prayer

The prophet is given to much prayer. The true prophet has a real burden, not only for God's will, but for His people as well, both those saved and those not yet saved. This inevitably leads to a strong intercessor's prayer burden for people and issues. Remember, the prophet is intense and this intensity flows over into his or her prayer life.

4. Outward Life in Order

The prophet generally has his outward life in order. Since the prophet sees matters in black or white, he is much less likely to become ensnared in such outward sins as adultery, cheating on his taxes, etc. However, there are two major covert sins with which a prophet must continually battle. They are pride and judgementalism. As God matures His prophets, this pride and judgementalism gradually diminishes, but they are always a potential snare for the prophet. These two sins are Satan's most effective weapons against the prophet.

5. Authority and Power

A prophet, when moving in the prophetic call, will move with great authority and power. This authority and power should not be confused with speaking in a loud voice or trying to impose his will over others. When God delivers His word through a prophet, it is God's power and authority that is manifested, not the prophet's. Those who have a discerning spirit will know when the Lord is delivering His word through someone be it spoken forcefully or given in a whisper.

6. Prophets are Poor Long-Term Counselors

Prophets generally do not make good long-term counselors. They lack the patience and mercy necessary for this kind of counseling. A prophet is much more inclined to spend some time with a counselee, give that person the word of the Lord, then become impatient if the counselee continues to drift in his sin or shows a lack of commitment to correct a failing.

7. Spiritual Gifts Accompany a Prophetic Call

The mature, called prophet will exercise many of the spiritual gifts enumerated in 1 Corinthians, 12. Though the prophet may operate all of these gifts at some time in his or her ministry, the gifts most often manifested are the prophetic word, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits. The prophet often is the first to spot a demonic presence in a person or circumstance. Further, signs and wonders such as healing, the in-filling of the Holy Spirit, and the breaking down of demonic strongholds are often seen in the prophetic ministry.

Note: For the true prophet, all operations of the above gifts will always point to Jesus. Remember, the prophet's work is to speak the word of God. The prophet's business is the business of the Kingdom of God and the accomplishing of God's purposes. A true prophet's actions and words will not attract attention to himself, nor will it put the focus on natural events such as earthquakes or other future events which only remotely relate to the Kingdom of God.

THE ROLE OF THE PROPHET IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

1. The Pastor-Prophet Relationship

The pastor and the prophet serve two very different functions in the church body although they often do and should overlap. The primary concern of the pastor is his flock. A good pastor is an encourager, a teacher, and does all with mercy. The mature pastor is full of concern for each individual person under his care.

The primary concern of the prophet is God's will. He places the mandates of the Lord above his concern for individuals in the church. He has a long-range view of spiritual matters while the pastor tends to see more in the immediate. Because of the differences in their callings there is a potential for conflict between the pastor and the prophet.

However, the mature pastor and the mature prophet will be mutually submissive to one another. The pastor is ultimately responsible before God for his flock, the prophet is not. The mature prophet knows he is responsible only for speaking forth God's word. He is not responsible for causing that word to come to pass.

This understanding is absolutely foundational for the prophet and the pastor to move in concert in a church. Once the prophet has delivered a word to the church or to the pastor, his job is finished unless and until God directs him further. At that point, the responsibility for carrying out the word shifts to the pastor. He and his spiritual elders must pray and hold it before the Lord. Ultimately the responsibility to accept it or reject it rests on the pastor's shoulders.

2. Sin In The Camp

Given the pastor's general inclination towards mercy, there are times when a pastor will not deal with sin or misdirection in his church. Often he doesn't even see it. In such cases God will usually send a prophet into the situation to bring the problem to light. The prophet will face the issue head-on with the congregation, elder board, pastoral staff, or whomever, by calling the sin into question.

I recall once talking to a woman with a strong prophetic call in an Asian country. She was part of the senior pastoral staff and saw that one of the pastors was in personal sin. She went to the senior pastor and told him this must stop. The pastor's response was, "But, what if he leaves the fellowship?" She responded, "Then let him leave!"

This is a good example of the pastor's mercy and concern for the individual and his flock along side the prophet's willingness to accept whatever consequences are necessary in order to deal with sin. Happily this particular senior pastor knew she was right and the problem was worked through satisfactorily. This is an example of the prophet pressing an issue and the pastor responding properly.

A word of caution here: the mature prophet is willing to push an issue if the Lord is directing him to do so. The less mature prophet is often anxious to push it. There is a big difference.

3. Prophets Teach

Often today in the body of Christ a called prophet will also be a gifted and respected teacher. The prophet, if he is truly hearing from God, will operate the prophetic gift only occasionally. He may move prophetically several times in a short period, then not move again in his office for an extended period. One of the ways for a church to gain the continuing benefit of a mature prophet is to make available a teaching or preaching platform for the prophet if he is so gifted.

OBSERVATIONS OF A MATURE PROPHET

I have just described the personal characteristics of a prophet. Now I would like to make some general observations about the mature prophet.

1. It takes years to develop a mature prophet. The prophetic call is one thing-a mature prophet is quite another. God moves the prophet along in growth but that person must also be willing to undergo the difficulties, criticisms, lack of understanding, etc. that accompanies the development of a prophetic call. But once the prophet is mature, he or she is extremely valuable to the body of Christ. The prophet accomplishes a work for God that no other office is capable of doing.

2. The mature prophet identifies with the people. Ezekiel demonstrated this for us when he said, "I sat where they sat" (Eze 3:15 KJV) This identification with the people to whom he is to minister is absolutely necessary for the prophet if he is to have a proper relationship with God's people. It is only by so doing that he can feel their hurts and know their pain. If you ever hear a prophet beseeching the Lord to "show them their sins" you can be fairly sure that prophet has not yet fully identified with God's people. We see Jeremiah continually identifying with his people as he prayed: "we have sinned . . ." (Lam 5:16 NIV)

3. A spiritually mature prophet will move in great love for God and His people. Remember, we've already seen that this doesn't mean he or she is tentative, always soft-spoken, or wishy-washy when moving in his call. Don't be deceived. Your spirit will tell you if the prophet has the love of God and His people as he moves, whether he moves with gentleness or firmness in any given situation.

4. The mature prophet will esteem other prophets and not be jealous of them, whereas a less mature prophet may be jealous of others with the same calling. A truly mature prophet will rejoice when God uses someone else rather than himself.

5. A mature prophet will be willing to submit to the spiritual authority in place. As we noted previously, a mature prophet and a mature pastor are mutually submissive. A mature prophet will also be willing to submit to others if they have a word of correction for him or feel the need to exercise authority over his prophetic ministry.

Note: The exception to this submission is when there is unrepentant personal sin in the church leadership. In such cases the prophet will not and should not submit. Then he should fearlessly speak the word of God as God directs.

6. The mature prophet's office is a hard place. It is very hard to be the vessel of correction, etc. Remember, the mature prophet loves God's people and is not anxious to deliver hard words. It is also a difficult place because of the human tendency to "kill the messenger" rather than deal with the facts. Many a prophet has lost a friend, pastor, or a whole congregation because he was God's faithful messenger.

7. A mature prophet will not believe that every thought that comes into his or her head is from the Lord. He will also come to recognize the difference between the maturity of his discernment and a true prophetic word to be delivered. A mature prophet will have great discernment and understanding concerning the things of God. But this understanding and these thoughts, while from the Holy Spirit, are not true prophetic words.

I personally do not believe the Lord has a true prophetic word for a church every Sunday morning. A genuinely mature prophet will not feel he must prophesy every Sunday. For to do so will dilute the receptivity to the prophetic word and reduce it to common place.

8. A mature prophet realizes that there are times when the Lord speaks a word to him and him alone. That word is not to be spoken publicly. This can be true even though the word is regarding the body of Christ, the local church, or any individual or group in which the prophet finds himself involved. The mature prophet will check with the Lord in his spirit to see if what he has received should be prayed about, spoken aloud, preached or held.

Further, the prophet may see evil or a demonic presence in a situation or a person and know that he is to do nothing and say nothing about it. At times the Holy Spirit lets the prophet see a reality in the spiritual realm but that knowledge is to be held privately, at least for a while and possibly always. Of course this kind of knowledge and discernment is common to all mature believers, not just the prophet.

9. Let me describe the kind of church a prophet is likely to have if that prophet is also a pastor. Chances are it will be a small church. Why? Because a prophet-pastor tends to deliver strong, unyielding messages and continues to mercilessly hold out the plumb line with which he measures himself and his poor flock. Many Christians do not want this kind of pastor. Many simply cannot grow and thrive in this setting for they need the mercy and the "gray" in which to grow. One of the primary gifts of a "successful" pastor is mercy, something the prophet generally has in rather short supply.

However, those who do stick with the prophet-pastor will be the 100% committed Christians and, more often than not, many of his church members will also have a prophetic call on their lives. Thus, such churches are usually more representative of the prophet of the Old Testament with his disciples rather than what we think of as a modern day church.

10. Prophets belong to the church at large. Because of the difficulties encountered when a prophet is also a pastor, it is my opinion that, as a general rule, prophets should not be long-term pastors. However, if there is a deeply rooted sin in a congregation, God often sends a prophet to pastor that flock for a season. In very short order the prophet-pastor will flush the sin out into the light. Once the sin is dealt with his job is done and he is ready to move on.

Unfortunately the church today is so structured that a prophet is often forced into a long-term pastorate for economic reasons. Prophets are like everyone else in that they and their families need food and shelter which costs money. This economic burden all too often shackles the prophet to a single church thereby depriving the church at large of his badly needed ministry. A better place for a prophet is in a para-church organization. There he can earn a living in a Christian setting while being free to travel and minister to the church at large. This arrangement also means he is not trying to pastor some poor congregation struggling to measure up to the plumb line week after week.

11. Finally, the most important observation of the mature prophet is that all he says and does, as he moves in the capacity of his office, always points to Christ and away from himself. At those times the prophet is truly God's servant to proclaim God's will and God's purposes among us.

6 Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second Edition, David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief; William Collins + Word Publishing Co., inc 2080 West 117th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44111