Three Verses – The Series (Part Three)

The Role Of The Prophet (Part Two)

Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. (or some translations say for four score and four years which is 84). She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

I continue in my study on the above three verses the introduction can be found here and the first part of The Role Of The Prophet can be found here

I would like to continue expanding the role of the prophet and will touch on a further two aspects Worship, Encouragement

Again where I have used “he” to describe the prophet I also mean “she” at the same time.

The Role Of The Prophet – Worship

The prophetic ministry often plays an important part in worship.

Paul said “Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”

(1 Corinthians 14:29-33)

Prophecy inspires God’s people to worship. During worship the bringing of prophecy leads to a real encouragement of God’s people, and we need to see more and more of this in our church families today.

The bible talks of professional worshippers and prophets, (professional in that they were called or set aside for these roles, recognised by the church for the gifting that they had) and were responsible for leading the worship in the house of God.

So if you have ever wondered if there was a Biblical “role” for the Worship Leader in yours or any church this provides some insight in that there were people set aside for that task and they performed a key role on behalf of God’s people:

“David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Here is a list of their names and their work: From the sons of Asaph, there were Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. They worked under the direction of their father, Asaph, who proclaimed God’s messages by the king’s orders. From the sons of Jeduthun, there were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all. They worked under the direction of their father, Jeduthun, who proclaimed God’s messages to the accompaniment of the lyre, offering thanks and praise to the Lord. From the sons of Heman, there were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer, for God had honoured him with fourteen sons and three daughters. All these men were under the direction of their fathers as they made music at the house of the Lord. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals, harps, and lyres at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in making music before the Lord, and each of them—288 in all—was an accomplished musician. The musicians were appointed to their term of service by means of sacred lots, without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student”

(1 Chronicles 25 vs. 1 – 8)

The Role Of The Prophet - Encouragement

I mentioned prophecy as an encouragement in the section on “Worship”

Encouragement of the people of God is a really important aspect of the prophetic ministry.

“But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church”

(1 Corinthians 14 vs. 3 & 4)

Prophets can build up and strengthen the church. Silas and Judas were two prophets who encouraged the church in Antioch.

“Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith”

(Acts 15 vs.32).

The Bible gives a number of examples of prophets who encouraged the leaders of their nation to act boldly: here are just a couple:

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, on September 21[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign.”

(Haggai 1 vs. 12 – 15 NLT).

You see here that firstly the people feared the Lord – that is that they knew the honourable place that God should hold in all our lives, fear here meant reverence and awe and not frightened panic. Then we see the prophet encouraged the people of God by sharing what God had revealed to them in that “He was with them” and then as a result of Haggai’s words the people were enthusiastic, they were encouraged.

In Norfolk right now are we not an encouraged, enthusiastic and encouraged people because of the prophecy given over this county that revival will start with God’s church in Norfolk, and don’t get left behind that is happening NOW!

And we read of Haggai again in Ezra:

“At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them”

(Ezra 5 vs. 1 & 2).

The prophets stayed with the people and continued to help them whilst Gods people rebuilt the temple.

We all need encouragement and encouragement that comes from God is the very best we can possibly hope for.

In the next post I will pick up on some more of the Role’s Of The Prophet

Continue sticking with me over the next few posts because it all builds to the importance and relevance of these three simple verses in Luke

God Bless

Three Verses – The Series (Part Two)

The Role Of The Prophet (Part One)

Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. (or some translations say for four score and four years which is 84). She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

I continue in my study on the above three verses the introduction can be found here.

On this blog I would like to start expanding the role of the prophet and will touch on three aspects Prayer, Receiving The Word Of God and Suffering. Please note some is my own writing and some from articles I have read which I believe make a point very clearly so have not changes the text but attributed it to them. 

The role of the prophet was varied, and understanding the role of the Prophet as seen in scripture I believe has helped me and can help us when we think or talk about the gift of Prophecy within the Spiritual gifts laid out in 1 Corinthians 12 and it’s use within the three verses from Luke

Where I have used “he” to describe the prophet I also mean “she” at the same time.

A prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet challenges, warns, directs, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels God’s people. He brings the word of God to the people of God and calls the people to respond to that word. The prophetic ministry begins in the presence of the Lord.

When the prophet knows the heart and mind of the Lord, he speaks the word of the Lord to his people. He stands before the people, as one who has stood before God. Because his words come from the heart of God they are powerful and effective.

A prophet can undertake a huge variety of roles and often does. A prophet may carry out every one of the role on an occasional basis but most likely he will settle/move/focus in one or two of these roles. Prayer is the foundation of every aspect of ministry. As God is a God who creates each of us as unique individuals He also develops His prophets in the same way so that no two are identical but each of them should be a reflection of God’s creativity and calling.

The Role Of The Prophet – Prayer

An important even vital part of the prophet’s task is prayer. Because he knows the mind of the Lord, he is in a position to pray effectively. He has a clear picture of what God is doing, so he knows where prayer is needed most. The prophet watches over the word of the Lord and prays it into being. He must not rest until God has fulfilled his word (Isaiah 62:6).

Prayer is essential to the prophetic ministry. It came naturally to the prophets in the Bible and was the life-blood of their ministry. Prayer was and remains our/their principal means of communication with God and lays at the heart of our personal relationship with God

The Role Of The Prophet - Receiving the Word of the Lord

Another key role of the prophet is waiting in the presence of God to receive the word of God. This means listening and if we/they are trying to hear the word of the Lord then it will always require waiting. The task of the prophets is/was to know the will of God, so that they can convey it to the nation. Their ministry consisted in handling revelation, i.e. the knowledge that God has revealed to them. From the earliest times prophecy was conceived as being the activity of God, rather than the activity of man. This is true not only for the receiving of prophecy but also for it’s delivery. When the prophecy actually conveyed the word of the Lord to the people he was deemed to be under the power of God. The hand of the Lord was upon him, empowering and directing the delivery of the word (Clifford Hill - Prophecy, Past and Present with some small adjustments)

The Role Of The Prophet – Suffering

A prophet is often called to suffering. Deep dealing at the hand of God will often be needed to prepare the prophet for receiving the word of God. Sometimes he may actually have to experience beforehand, something of what his people will experience.

As an example Jeremiah spent many years in captivity before his people went into captivity. He was often rejected and ignored he was even accused of being a traitor. Another prophet Ezekiel had to lie on his side for 390 days to symbolise the judgement that would come upon his nation. This suffering made the prophets extremely aware of their human frailty (see Jeremiah 20:7-10 where Jeremiah pours out to God concerning the suffering he is under at that time).

But it also equipped the prophet to give what was often a very harsh message in a spirit of compassion. A true message is nullified if it is spoken in the wrong spirit. Suffering softens the prophet’s spirit, so that he can give the hardest word, in a spirit of love. Suffering contributed to Jeremiah’s compassion.

So we start to see some of the differing aspects of a role in scripture often simply titled the Prophet

In the next post I will pick up on some more of the Role’s Of The Prophet

Stick with me over the next few posts because it all builds to the importance and relevance of these three simple verses in Luke

God Bless