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Subject: MINISTRY OF D PROPHET
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festus36 19.10.10 - 12:49pm
FEATURES OF THE MINISTRY OF THE PROPHET
An excerpt from my work on UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY GIFTS.
Enjoy yourself!
The prophet ministry is as old as the bible. God called Abraham a prophet in Genesis 20:7. Enoch and Noah did the work of prophet. They heard from God and warned the people in their generation. When Jude was writing to the church, he referred to the ministry of Enoch.
Jude 14-15.''And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, PROPHESIED of these saying ...''
We can conclude from the passage that Enoch was a prophet, though this was not named after him in his generation. Noah saw and heard from God and warned his generation of the judgement of God upon evil doers. See Heb 11:7. The role of Noah in the prophetic destiny of his sons shows him a prophet.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 12:51pm
Enoch and Noah were prophets, because they ministered like one. But this ministry was not pro nounced on them. Of the five-fold ministry gifts, only the prophe was seen in operation and recognized. Others were silent and hidden and men were not anointed with oil to occupy them. God anointed men into three basic ministries in the old testament: prest, king and prophet. Men like Moses, Aaron,Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, ETC all occupied at least one out of these ministries *
festus36 19.10.10 - 12:53pm
FEATURES OR OUTLOOK OF PROPHET We shall discuss the features of this ministry to enable us understand the scope and composition. The purpose of this is so that we may understand and identify them when in operation. 1. God's Spokesman: Exodus 7:1
And the Lord said to Moses, see, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (spokesman).
Jere. 1:4-10.
Verse 7, But the Lord said unto me, say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatever I command thee thou shalt SPEAK.
Luke 24:25. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have SPOKEN. Prophets are God's spokesmen for others. Though all the ministries speak for God, but the prophet ministry is the major channel God uses, especially in the old testament.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 12:55pm
In the old testament, God did not speak directly to all individuals, but through his prophets to individuals. God made his plans and purposes known to his people through his prophets.
In the new testament God speaks directly to all believers [Jer 31:31-34].
He has not stopped speaking to people using his prophets. He confirms his words to people by his prophets.
See Acts 11:27-28 and Acts 21:10-11. God still use his prophets to confirm his plans and purposes to individuals. See Acts 13:2.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 12:57pm
2. Prophets are SEERS:
1 SAMUEL 9:9-20
9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the SEER: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a SEER.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
1Sa 9:11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the SEER here?
12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came today to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the SEER'S house is. 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the SEER: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 20 And as for thine that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?
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festus36 19.10.10 - 12:59pm
1 KINGS 5:25-26
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. 26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
2 KINGS 6:9-16
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the PROPHET that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
2Ki 6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Prophets see supernaturally. The word seer also means foreteller or predicter.
Acts 11:27-28
27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. 28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:24pm
3. Abundance of visions/revelations
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Eze 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Visions and revolutions are the marks of the prophets. Other believers can see vision, but not in a regular occurence as the prophets.
See also 2 Cor 12:1-7, Rev 1:9-20.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:45pm
4. Co-foundation layer/builder with Apostle:
Ezra 5:1-2
1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. See Haggai 1:2-11.
Zerubbabel and Joshua were like apostles of our time. An apostle is a 'sentone'. Zerubbabel and Joshua were sent by God to rebuild the temple of God as Nehemiah was sent to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. See EZRA 1:1-3,5; 2:1-2; Neh 2.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:46pm
Ezr 5:1-2
1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
This scripture shows one of the roles of the ministry of a prophet. 'and with them were the prophets of God HELPING THEM'
Eph 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
The above verses also shows the work of the prophets in co-foundation laying and building. Just like the prophets with Zerubbabel and Joshua built the temple of God in Jerusalem, even so the prophets and apostles of the new covenant lay the foundation and build the the temple of God [the church] in the new testament. Verse 22.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:48pm
5. Outstanding spiritual gifts:
Prophets manifest revelation and utterance gifts. Revelation gifts are WORD OF WISDOM, WORD OF KNOWLEDGE, and DISCERNING OF SPIRITS. Utterance gifts are PROPHECY, DIVERSE KINDS OF TONGUS and THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUS.
See my work on PROFITING WITH YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:49pm
6. Expounder of God's plan and purpose.
A prophet will either preach, teach or both. Most prophets are teachers and in their teachings they expound the depts of God's plans and purposes inspiringly. The amplified bible interprets prophets as 'inspired teachers and interpreters of the will and purpose of God' [acts 13:1]. In another place: 'inspired preachers and expounders' [eph 4:11]
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:51pm
7. Instruments of God's warning and judgements:
WARNING: Jeremiah the prophet was a typical instrument of warning in
The old testament. Every page of his book is filled with the message of warning to the people of God and other nations. When such warnings are not heeded, they become judgements.
Ezekiel the prophet was another instrument.
Eze 3:17-21.
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:54pm
Isaiah the prophet was also a typical instrument of warning. See 2 Kings 20:1.
Today, also, God still use prophets to warn his church and individual to depart from sin. 1 Cor 10:1-14, 1 Thess 5:14, Heb 10:26-29.
JUDGMENT:
The judgement under disscussion here is two-fold. One, the pro nouncements God makes in favour of an individual due to his or her acts of righteousness. Two, the punishment an individual receives for his or her act of unrighteousness.
God is a Judge. The term judgement often sounds negative. It seems to us a punishment, but not in every case.
Psalm 75:7
But God is a Judge: he putteth DOWN one, and setteth UP another.
David, in this scripture is speaking of God's judgement upon both the righteous and the wicked. Judgement puts some down for their acts of wickedness. Judgement sets some up because of their acts of righteousness.
God judged the unrighteous act of the serpent, Adam and Eve.
Gen 3:14-19
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
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festus36 19.10.10 - 01:57pm
God also judged the unrighteous act of Cain for slaying his brother, Abel.
Gen 4:9-12
4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
God judged Noah's righteousness by by giving him life.
Gen 7:1
And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
He condemned the people for their unrighteous acts.
Gen 7:23
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
God pro nounced blessings on Abraham for his righteous act.
Gen 22:15-18
15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea s ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
All of the above judgements were pro nounced directly by God or through his angels. *
festus36 19.10.10 - 01:59pm
PROPHETS AS GOD'S INSTRUMENTS OF JUDGEMENT:
Righteous Acts:
In numbers 25, some people were being judged for their acts of unrighteousness, but GOD pro nounced the judgement of peace on Phinehas because of his act of righteousness.
Numbers 25:6-13
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
Nu 25:10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel
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hefsibae 20.10.10 - 11:45am
Thank you festus, it is good to know,i have all these gifts does it mean iam da prophet? *
festus36 20.10.10 - 09:52pm
Sis, I've not concluded this message, but what u've seen is well enough 4 u to conclude. If u find urself in line with what u've red here, then u must be a prophet or prophetess. u can grow in this grace. but ur inner witness is sufficient for u to know if u are or not. don't worry urself trying to be a prophet. as u grow the gifts will show and all around u will know that u are. i encourage u to stay in God's word very richly. this way u won't err or enter into error. it's easy to enter into falsehood if u rely only on gifts not backed up with God's word. i hiope u understand me. i'll send my message on profiting with ur spiritual gifts to help u to balance up. *
hefsibae 28.10.10 - 07:06am
Thanks pastor the message is good and now i have understood clearly and i have no daught at all of who iam.good *
