The Five Fold Ministry (PROPHET)

          This is the second calling or gift in the list that Paul gives us. 

My intent is still to help give a clearer understanding of the roles and duties of the individual ministries and to help people know what the several ministries look like when they see it in action.

          There are many that for whatever reason lay claim to a title whose role they are not fulfilling. 

Sometimes it is just due to simple confusion on what the title in and of itself truly means and at other times I feel that it is due to the glitz and glamor that comes with having a title attached to their name.

TEXT: Ephesians 4: 7-13

4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 

4:10  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, PROPHETS; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 

4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:


Prophet (Greek - prophētēs) :  a foreteller (“prophet”); by analogy an inspired speaker; this meaning comes from to words compounded together, the meanings of theses words individually are: 

               A) fore, prior to or superior to

               B) to show or to make known ones thoughts

          The prophetic office serves several roles in the church. The most commonly known being the foretelling of future events (John the Revelator).

          Many have the misconception that this alone is prophecy; but there are many types of prophecy. 

Outside of telling of the future, one aspect of prophecy is a divine understanding of prophetic scripture and of other scripture in general. (Christ Jesus, John the Baptist, David).

          The ability to have and interpret dreams of a divine nature (not to be confused with the gift of interpretation) (Joseph).

          Speaking under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost (not to be confused with the gift of tongues) (Saul : though this should not be a singular instance in the life of a prophet).

          Generally speaking, the calling or office of the Prophet is outside of the workings of the government of the church. (Read about most of the known prophets of the Old and New Testament). There are some rare cases in which the Prophet also holds and office in the church but this is not the norm, it is the exception (John the Baptist was also an Aaronic priest).

          Even though the Prophet is for the most part not in direct authority in the church, he/she still stands as the voice of Divine reason in the church and the words of the Prophets should always be considered of the highest regard due to the fact that the words that a Prophet speaks is not their own, nor are they studied out or preplanned in an outline as a sermon or lesson to be given to the body; but the words of the prophet comes from the highest authority in the church...the Holy Ghost. By denying the messenger or the message you deny the one that sends the messenger and His message.

          We must take extra care when laying claim to the calling of Prophet on our lives for there is a grave responsibility in this matter. You must be prepared to live a life not just separated from the world; but from most of those that you would normally call a pier as well. 

          You must be extra careful with you every word because the words that you speak are the words of a prophet and will be looked upon as such.

          There is a great weight placed upon the shoulders of a Prophet...the burden to always speak the words ordained by the Holy Ghost no matter how painful they may be. The willingness to be the voice of reason when the rest of the church has gone absolutely insane. You must have the ability to keep silent when everything within you wants to scream. 

          The voice of the Prophet will not be the popular voice and the largest part of the listeners will desire to hear something that will appeal to their senses instead of hearing the painful truth...which will pit you into direct conflict with others claiming to have the same calling upon their lives (I Kings chapter 22) (unlike the other ministries which usually only have to deal with indirect conflict from others claiming to have the same calling).

          Open you Bibles and go through and read the many different stories of the known prophets and you will see that many of them operated differently than the others but the one commonality is that they all spake as of the oracles of God under a heavy anointing.

I hope that you have learned something from this lesson.

Love and Blessings,

Jonathan D. Saunders.