prophets
Role of the Prophet A prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet admonishes, warns, directs, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels. He brings the word of God to the people of God and calls the people to respond.
The prophetic ministry begins in the presence of the Lord. This aspect of the ministry is well described in Jeremiah's challenge to the false prophets.
Which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? If they had stood in his council they would have proclaimed his words to his people and they would have turned from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. Jeremiah 23:18,22.
When the prophet knows the heart and mind of the Lord, he speaks the word of the Lord to his people. He stands before the people as one who has stood before God. Because his words come from the heart of God they are powerful and effective.
A prophet can undertake a huge variety of roles. This is an expression of the creativity of God. A prophet may act in every role occasionally, but mostly he will move in one or two of these roles. Prayer will be important for every ministry. No two prophets should be the same, but each should be a reflection of God's creativity and calling.
The call of a prophet usually but not always includes his job description (John and Paula Sanford - The Elijah Task p.42).
Some of the roles that a prophet can function in are outlined in the following sections.
1. Prayer
An important part of the prophet's task is prayer. Because he knows the mind of the Lord, he is in a position to pray effectively. He has a clear picture of what God is doing, so he knows where prayer is needed most. The prophet watches over the word of the Lord and prays it into being. He must not rest until God has fulfilled his word (Isaiah 62:6).
An important part of the prophets task is unceasing prayer for the Christian Community. The prophets, because they knew what the mind of the Lord was, were in a position to pray more
The prophetic ministry begins in the presence of the Lord. This aspect of the ministry is well described in Jeremiah's challenge to the false prophets.
Which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? If they had stood in his council they would have proclaimed his words to his people and they would have turned from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. Jeremiah 23:18,22.
When the prophet knows the heart and mind of the Lord, he speaks the word of the Lord to his people. He stands before the people as one who has stood before God. Because his words come from the heart of God they are powerful and effective.
A prophet can undertake a huge variety of roles. This is an expression of the creativity of God. A prophet may act in every role occasionally, but mostly he will move in one or two of these roles. Prayer will be important for every ministry. No two prophets should be the same, but each should be a reflection of God's creativity and calling.
The call of a prophet usually but not always includes his job description (John and Paula Sanford - The Elijah Task p.42).
Some of the roles that a prophet can function in are outlined in the following sections.
1. Prayer
An important part of the prophet's task is prayer. Because he knows the mind of the Lord, he is in a position to pray effectively. He has a clear picture of what God is doing, so he knows where prayer is needed most. The prophet watches over the word of the Lord and prays it into being. He must not rest until God has fulfilled his word (Isaiah 62:6).
An important part of the prophets task is unceasing prayer for the Christian Community. The prophets, because they knew what the mind of the Lord was, were in a position to pray more