What is a prophet?
A high level of authority
The role of the prophet in the New Testament is highly contested, more so than the apostle.
In the Old Testament (OT), the prophetic office held a unique and incredibly high level of authority. Prophets were seen as direct mouthpieces of God, and their words carried the weight of divine decree.
Extreme consequences
The OT prophets were primarily measured on the accuracy of their predictions with extreme consequences should they get it wrong (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). This standard is often transposed to the New Testament (NT) as a measure of the prophets call, but there is failure to see that we are operating under a different covenant.
From resting to indwelling
In the OT the Spirit of God only rested on people (with the exception of Bezalel). In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit didn’t just come upon specific individuals; He indwells believers (Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 6:19). This means access to God’s Spirit is available to all believers therefore, for all believers can hear from God.
A ‘gift’ to all
Prophecy becomes a gift available to all (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 14).
This doesn’t mean that because we hear from God that we are all prophets.
The NT prophet is a unique call, an Ephesians 4 ministry bestowed by the Lord upon those He chooses. It is not something you can decide you want to be, though we are all called to eagerly desire prophecy. The calling of the prophet, as is all of the fivefold ministry, a sovereign calling from God.
Divinely called spokespersons
The ministry of the NT prophet does have similarities to that of the OT prophets. Both OT and NT prophets are God’s divinely called spokespersons, speaking truth to power and faithfully delivering His instructions, warnings, and promises. Empowered by God’s Spirit, they challenged sin and injustice, called people to righteousness, and played a vital role in serving God’s purposes, exhibiting spiritual insight into His will through communicated revelation and demonstrations of His power.
This is all true for the NT prophet. But the NT elaborates on the call with an emphasis on teaching and equipping the people of God to hear His voice so that they can be equipped for the ministries God has for them and building unity through their words and actions.
Walking as a friend of God
The role of the prophet is to walk as a friend of God, to listen faithfully to what He says and deliver it, teaching and equipping the body of Christ to do the same.
There are various prophets named in the NT:
Silas: He is described as a prophet in Acts 15:32, where he and Judas (Barsabbas) encourage and strengthen the believers in Antioch with their prophetic words.
Judas (Barsabbas): Along with Silas, he is also identified as a prophet in Acts 15:32.
The four daughters of Philip the Evangelist: Acts 21:8-9 mentions that Philip had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Anna the Prophetess: An elderly widow in the temple in Jerusalem, she is described as a prophetess who spoke about the infant Jesus (Luke 2:36-38).
Prophets in the church at Corinth: Paul’s letters to the Corinthians mention the presence and function of prophets in the church gatherings (1 Corinthians 12:28-29, 1 Corinthians 14). He gives instructions on how they should prophesy and how their prophecies should be evaluated.
Prophets in the church at Antioch: The church in Antioch had multiple prophets (Acts 13:1).
The prophet is a valuable ministry in the church and my prayer is that God would restore the role of the prophet to be readily accepted across the body of Christ.
