The Prophet - 1 By Apostle George Part 2 of the Ascension Gifts/ Fivefold offices: The Prophet Fresh from the extensive exposition Ruach Ha Chodesh brought forth concerning the Office of Apostle, we now move on to the second office gift which is part of the divine facility Yahshua Himself ordained to use to bring His Church to maturity in Him and perfection to be fit for purpose in the earth realm. It is the office of Prophet. Who is a Prophet? A prophet is a person elected by Yahshua to be a vessel for declaring His mind to the saints and their generation. In effect, Prophets are formal representatives of Yahshua God to convey His messages. Is the office for this day and age? The answer straight away is YES! Before we begin to get into the heart of the office and its nature as well as constraints and challenges associated thereof, it is necessary to lay a foundation that is strong and broad. That foundation is what this lesson dwells on. Flash-back to the Old Testament In the Old Testament, Prophets were the predominant vessels through who Yahweh revealed His purposes to Israel and the nations for the present and future times. Consequently, they were set apart from their generations in order to be used to speak to them. Sometimes they brought messages of hope and care from Yahweh while at other times they declared His warnings and pronounced judgements. One way Yahweh showed His displeasure with His people was to withdraw prophets such that the people walked in darkness. In that kind of situation, His people would feel a sense of desolation which set the stage for them to receive any vessel He chooses to send. The Bridge years This was the case with Israel more than 400 years before Yahshua was born. As John the Baptist blazed forth in the wilderness proclaiming the imminence of the Kingdom, a chapter was closing while another was opening in the dealings of Yahweh with man! Matthew 3:1-3 (KJV) 1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Elohim was invading the earth in a new dimension. After millennia of dealing with humanity from afar off, speaking occasionally to people through one vessel or the other, the Seed of the Woman prophesied by Himself in Genesis 3: 15 had just been incarnated. Divinity had invaded humanity in the form of Emmanuel, product of the Virgin spoken of by Isaiah. Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. In that sense, John was the end of the Old Testament prophets with a special assignment to introduce Yahshua to Israel. Yahshua was of the tribe of Judah which produces Kings while John was of the tribe of Levi which anointed those who He chose to rule His people. Even though they were related maternally, Yahweh did not want to take a chance with the public announcement of Yahshua ha Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah. His testimony in John 1: 29 – 34 is instructive. John 1:29-34 (KJV) 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. The Law and the prophets were to be fulfilled in Yahshua as the Incarnation of Elohim in the earth realm. He was the bridge between divinity and humanity; eternity and time; the supernatural and the natural and a model of the Elohim kind of life and living which He purposed for all saints. As the Law and Prophets were fulfilled in Yahshua, He became the author of salvation for all who accept the grace poured out by His propitiatory death. The people who were redeemed by His poured out blood were to be His Church and Body to proclaim His life, death, resurrection and return to earth to establish the fullness of the Kingdom. As they lived out the present dimension/dispensation of the Kingdom through the ordinances He instituted, they were to also have privileged access to the mind of Yahweh Who desires to have a paternal relationship with His Own Children rather than engagement in rituals and dead works of religion. General Prophecy and the Organic Body Factor: The Royal Priesthood is Prophetic! At the end of His brief manifestation in the flesh, Yahshua ascended on high and gave gifts to men. Ephesians 4: 7 – 10. He knew that without the power of the Holy Spirit and attendant gifts as well as those He would specially call, His Church would be overrun by a determined enemy who is full of wiles. Yahshua therefore commanded His disciples not to proceed with the Great Commission until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 1:8. With the Holy Spirit came definite gifts that, when exercised in love and righteousness, solidly demonstrated the supernatural origin and nature of the Church, made every saint a functional part of a living loving organism and demonstrated that Yahshua is indeed who He says He is! Ephesians 4: 7, 13-16; 1 Corinthians 12: 1- 27; Romans 12: 1- 8; 1 Peter 4:10-11. The Church of Yahshua was designed to function as stated above, demonstrating a foretaste of the Kingdom and not the dry religious organization the enemy sought to foist on it. To ensure that the organism was lively, the Church was designed to be a place of light. The Light of Yahshua was to be continually present, just as the Lamp in the Temple was not supposed to ever go out of oil. The Holy Spirit, when given the right of way and enabling environment, is to use various saints within the Body to issue words that bring edification, exhortation and comfort – which are the purposes of general prophetic utterance 1 Corinthians 14: 3. 1 Corinthians 14:3 (KJV) 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. For this reason, substantial space was spent in various New Testament texts to explain that the Church of Yahshua will be better off if saints are open to prophetic utterances and prophetic flow. The raft of revelatory gifts that were placed in the Body (1 Corinthians 12: 4-8, 10, Romans 12: 1-6 and the long treatise which encouraged saints to covet prophetic utterance is too obvious to ignore 1 Corinthians 14: 1-25. The fact that a complete section of the Word was dedicated to regulate order in use of the revelatory gifts shows the profound impact they were ordained to have in the Body 1 Corinthians 14: 26 – 40. 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 (KJV) 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy. In effect, we have a scenario whereby the Church of Yashua was clearly ordained to flow as a prophetic organism. The reason is simple: Yahshua is the Light of the World and those who are in Him are destined to walk in the fullness of His Light. Every saint has a birthright to hear the voice of Yahweh and know His will, always! John 10:27 (KJV) 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: In relating with fellow saints therefore, there was to be such pouring forth of the mind of Yahweh through various vessels speaking prophetically or by word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discernment of spirits, visions, dreams and other revelatory gifts. This is more so that as saints privileged to live at the end of the age, we are to experience the fullness of what was prophesied in Joel 2:28-29 (KJV) 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. The first fruit of that Prophecy was on the day of Pentecost as Peter explained to the bewildered audience who saw them Acts 2: 1- 21. Acts 2:14-19 (KJV) 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: That was the first rain. We are to enjoy the latter rain when all – male and female; young and old would flow with such clarity in the gifts of revelation that there would be no hidden thing and matter of darkness lurking in the shadows of the hearts of people. In this scenario, no Ananias and Sapphira would thrive with a straight face in Church Acts 5: 1-11.Sinners who come to church would be so convicted by an x-ray of their lives that they would repent genuinely and turn to Yahshua. 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 (KJV) 23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: 25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. As Yahshua continues to perfect His Church ahead of His soon return, He will raise companies of Prophets who will be vessels for releasing the prophetic flow in ministries and congregations, cities and nations. When they are in place, presumptuous sins will not be committed and reverential fear of He who is Holy, Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient will return to the consciousness of saints again.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 16:15:29 +0000
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