I have been thinking about this for about 3 years now. I have consulted both "prophets" and "elders" in the church with regards to the prophetic movement that is mushrooming now in the United States and abroad. I have prayerfully and thoughtfully - considered this question "is there a prophet in the house?"
When the Holy Spirit was poured out at the Azusa Street Mission in 1906 and the genuine move of the Holy Ghost swept across the United States to Europe and all around the world during the 1920's and 1930's men and women left their homelands to preach the gospel to Asia, South America, Africa, Europe and elsewheres, they took with them the power of the Holy Ghost with signs, wonders and miracles following the preaching of the Gospel. There was a great revival and much of the fruit that remains today are a result of their labors.
After World War II, a revival again took place across America during the late 1940's through the early 1960's. Then there was a quiet until the Charismatic movement began to penetrate the closed doors of denominational churches including the Catholic churches.
Pentecostals from the originial Azusa Street Revival held pretty true to the doctrine that came forth from that revival. Out of the Charismatic movement of the 1970's and 1980's all kinds of doctrines began to develop some very good and some questionable. The good doctrines were the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" and their operation, fasting and intercession, worship and praise, faith, etc. But there were some that were on the border line: Reinstituting the tabernacle of David, Keeping the Sabbath Day, Prosperity Doctrine, Shepherding Doctrine, Some deliverance methods and means, some prophetic methods and means, the Office of the apostles, prophet, teacher, evangelist and pastor.
It is amazing how the first wave, was everyone wants to be a Pastor. Then the second wave is everyone wants to evangelize and be an evangelist. The third wave was everyone wants to teach and be a teacher of the Word.
Today, everyone wants to be a prophet. There are schools for prophets. Yet, we see in so many lives of these professed prophets sins unbecoming a true prophet, someone who is willing to keep his/her body and mind pure and clean from the world.
In the new testament, prophets were proclaimers of the good news. They relayed messages to God's servants and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were many times unnamed. And the ones who were named, have one or two significant events that are recorded with 99% of their lives unrecorded in the pages of the new testament.
Today's prophets have television exposure. They are elevated and many earn salaries that would rival a CEO of a Wall Street Firm. They sell stuff. All kinds of stuff.
I am just wondering if this is the kind of prophet that would please God? Or are these prophets just a symptom of the church today who neither has time to read the bible, pray or attend deeper life classes so that they could hear from God direct rather than indirect through prophets?
An old timer gave me a good passage found in Hebrews 1:1,2 - "God, who at sundry ties and in divers manners spake in TIME PAST unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these LAST day spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds."
If we are living in the last day, then the Holy Spirit will speak to us. Men and women who have the prophetic gift merely confirm the word that God has already spoken to our hearts. They also provide the encouragement to the body and sometimes, they do speak a word of exhortation. But all hearts are convicted or confirmed by their words.
False prophets speak sensual desires that meet the desires of the flesh. And of course as a reward, they receive praises of man, gifts of man, and notoriety of man.
In II Kings 2. You will see that these two men were prophets, not because of training, or preparation, but because of God's divine destiny and plan for their lives. In verses 1-6 we see Elijah testing the commitment of Elisha to follow him in ministry. We also see the "sons" of the prophets who apparently heard from their "fathers" that God was planning to call Elijah home to glory, give Elisha a prophetic word, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?" It was a word that would come to pass. But it was a word that was trying to divert Elisha away from the true prophet of God, Elijah. Elisha, knew that although the word was true, it was a distraction from following the true voice of God and the path that God had set before him and his response was, "Yes, I know it; hold ye your peace."
After Elijah and Elisha reached the Jordan and the miracle of the parting of the waters took place, Elisha received from Elijah the double anointing for ministry.
It doesn't say that either Elijah or Elisha were ever one of the "sons" of the prophets. In fact, most all "sons" of the prophets failed to follow in their father's footsteps. Why do you think this is? Because Prophets are not man made, they are God ordained.
What bothers me about the Office of the Prophets is that there are several branches of prophetic ministries. What happens when the prophets who are speaking for God give opposing messages? The prophet says, "Go." The prophet says, "stay." The prophet says, "run." The prophet says, "walk."
Lately too many prophets have been falling into the sin trap. Why? Because when they start to bring in the mega dollars from the sales of their books, tapes, and other items plus love offerings, they now do not have to spend so much time in the word, on their knees and they have more time to go to Aspen, New York, Cabo San Lucas, and other resorts to rest and be refreshed and before you know it, they are completely leaked out of the presence of God. That is when dangerous times occur. That's when they are not prophesying out of God's spirit but their own soul.
Very scary.
The prophetic giftings are to edify, encourage and uplift the body of Christ and to prepare the body for the work of the ministry. It is not for self aggrandizement. It is not for vainglory. It is to prepare the body for ministry.
So far, I have not witnessed a prophet with whom I can say with total confidence, this is the PROPHET from God, listen to him and do not disobey. I can think of two extreme examples who proclaimed they were prophets of God David Koresh, Branch Davidian leader; and Jim Jones, the Disciple of Christ Church leader.
And how it is that all the prophets are Americans? Once a prophetic voice raises out of China or Singapore are the American prophets willing to submit that voice? Or do they snub their nose? Another prophetic voice is raised out of Africa and is completely ignored. It's all very confusing.
This is why as the old timer pastor said, "in these LAST day spoken unto us by His Son."
Do I discount all prophecy. Not at all. There are many vessels of God who's lives reflect the genuine presence of God, who do ministry under the anointing with clarity and power and who's fruit are evident for all to see. Who are they? They are the ministry gifts in your local church under the covering of the elders and the congregation, who have approved and do attest to their calling and giftings.
Why are they in the local church? To prepare the body for the work of the ministry and to protect the flock from false prophets.
