The role of prophets today is different than the prophets of old. Prophets of old were God’s mouthpiece. It was through them that people knew what God was saying. Today, we have the Holy Spirit, so we can receive directly from God. In addition, we are free from the law, but does that mean that the prophets are no longer necessary? Absolutely not. Below are some of the ways God still uses prophets and how they benefit the body of Christ today.
CONFIRMATION: Some people need to hear from someone else’s mouth confirmation of what they are not certain God is trying to say to them. Hearing it from a prophet provides proof that they are, in fact, hearing from God. The same confirmation can be encouragement to a believer to help them get through a situation or motivation to obey God because He keeps telling them the same thing through signs, messengers, His Word, in dreams, etc.
WARNING: Prophets warn of danger. Sometimes, God will send a prophet or messenger to warn of impending danger. Some prophets discern seasons, some receive these warnings through dreams and visions, and some just open their mouth and the warning comes out.
INSTRUCTION: Prophets not only confirm and warn, but they also instruct. They may give you instructions about what you need to do to be closer to God or how to avoid a bad situation.
EXPRESS GOD’S HEART: Prophets feel deeply. Sometimes, they can feel like their heart is breaking for no apparent reason. Then, God will share with them why they feel that way and they express it to His people. This is the special relationship that God has with His prophets.
DEMONSTRATION: In the Old Testament, prophets did some strange things to demonstrate what God wanted to show His people. Although running around naked (Isaiah) and lying in the streets (Ezekiel) may be seen as insanity and get you locked up today, there are still things that God will use the prophet to do to demonstrate His love. Hosea is an excellent example. A man of God may be committed to a woman of ill repute or vice versa because God wants to demonstrate how far He will go and how far we should go to love or save someone. These are examples that can only be understood through the spirit. A prophets associates and onlookers just think He or She is a fool, but there is a greater purpose for their actions and love is always at the center of it. Today’s prophets are the Testimony of Christ.
INTERCESSION: Sometimes, God will assign prophets to watch and not speak. Sometimes, their presence alone will bring people to conviction. They feel like they are being judged because they sense God’s disappointment. The prophet intercedes for them as Jesus intercedes for us by being in the right place at the right time to bring conviction whether they open their mouth or not. When repentance takes place, the prophet can pray or prophesy to build up the faith of a repentant believer.
I will continue this topic with scripture at a later date.
The Prophetic Scribe
