In Part I of this teaching we explored what a true prophet
of God is, described his or her call, explained the difference
between a prophet and a psychic, and discussed how to judge
prophecy. In this Part II of the lesson we will concentrate on
the prophetic word, the characteristics of a prophet, and make
some observations on the nature of prophets.

THE TIMING OF THE PROPHETIC WORD

        There are two different time frames in the delivery of the
prophetic word. God causes his word to be given in what I call
the "Word of the Moment" and/or the "Word of the Season."

1. The Word of the Moment
        The Word of the Moment is an utterance which is spontaneous
to the speaker. It occurs when God sovereignly moves on an
individual to speak forth a word that He wants the hearers to
receive. This kind of word can be delivered by either a called
prophet or a person moving in the gift of prophecy. (See Part I).
        For those churches with a more free move of the Holy Spirit,
an utterance of this kind most often comes in a Sunday morning
service. This is known as a public utterance and will always be
in harmony with the rest of the service if it is truly from the
Holy Spirit.
        Occasionally more private prophetic utterances occur when
believers are together in prayer, counseling, worship, or even in
conversation. And remember, as I stated in Part I, all prophecy,
both public and private, is to be submitted for judgement. This
judging of a prophetic word is absolutely necessary to prevent
error.

2. The Word of the Season
        I define the Word of the Season as the word of the Lord
delivered after a season of prayer. It is usually a direction the
Lord is telling a group or individual to take. Most often this
kind of word is delivered by a called prophet who has been
burdened by the Holy Spirit on a subject on behalf of an
individual or group. The prophet may spend days, weeks, or even
months in prayer with this burden. Then, when it has a fullness
in his or her spirit, and the Lord's timing is right, that person
knows it is time for delivery. This kind of word may also be
delivered by one who is not a called prophet but who the Holy
Spirit has burdened about a situation and who has thoroughly
prayed that burden through.
        This Word of a Season is often delivered in the form of a
sermon or prophetic message to an entire church or group. A
speaker who has a prophetic call may come from without to a
church with this kind of word from the Lord. Note, this kind of
word does not need to be long. I recall once when the Lord sent
our church a clear directive word which was delivered by a
visiting speaker in less than fifteen minutes. It was very
powerful and we knew at the time that it was the word of the Lord
to us for that season.
        It should also be borne in mind that the Word for a Season
may involve the past, present or future. The word "season" does
not necessarily mean now.

Catagories of Prophetic Words
        While I don't believe in reducing God's word to formulas and
don't like to try to put God's prophetic words into little boxes,
it is helpful to view the different catagories of the prophetic
word as follows:

                Edification                   Predictive
                Exhortation                   Rebuke
                Comfort                       Directive

        Words of edification build up the hearer.
        Words of exhortation motivate and renew the spirit of
        the hearer.
        Words of comfort do just that, comfort the hearer.
        Predictive words foretell things of the future.
        Words of rebuke point out sin and extend a call to
        repentance.
        Directive words are those which give guidance to the
        hearer concerning some action or decision most often
        relating to the immediate or near future.

        As a general rule the first three kinds of prophetic words,
edification, exhortation, and comfort, may be delivered by anyone
who has a prophetic call - a mature or immature prophet - or they
may be delivered by one who is not a called prophet but who is
simply operating the gift of prophecy. Why is this so?  Because
these kinds of words generally can't do harm to the hearer. We
all need to hear words of edification, exhortation and comfort
from the Lord. They are for the building up of the body of
Christ. Furthermore, these words are easy to give. It is very
reasonable that the Lord would give these kinds of words through
the fledgling prophet or one who moves in the gift of prophecy.
The speaker does not need to have much authority in the body of
Christ to deliver these kinds of words.
        The latter three kinds of words, predictive, rebuke, and
directive, are generally delivered by a more mature prophet. Why?
In the first place they can do much harm if they are not correct
or are given at the wrong time. It takes a seasoned prophet to
know when he is receiving this kind of word from God and when it
is simply his own thought processes. Further, a mature prophet
often will be given a word of this kind in advance but he knows
that the time is not right to deliver it. A less mature prophet
lacks such wisdom. A mature prophet takes no pleasure in
delivering these kinds of words, especially words of rebuke. A
less mature prophet is all too often anxious to deliver the
message, especially words of rebuke or direction.
        These last three kinds of words are  most often delivered
with authority and, if the speaker is a tested and proven
prophet, the hearers are more likely to hear and respond. It
simply makes good sense that God would select His mature prophets
to "go and tell my people" these kinds of words. For these
reasons, young prophet who is not too far along in the learning
process is just not as likely to be given a harder word to
deliver. However, God has the prerogative to set this rule aside
and may, on occasion, use a less mature prophet, particularly in
the absence of a mature prophet.

Examining the Vessel
        In Figure 1, Part I of this teaching we illustrated how to
judge the prophetic word. Now we see that the vessel who delivers
the word must also be examined. Much of the credibility of a
prophetic utterance depends upon the track record of the person
who delivers it.
        For example, if someone comes to me who has been a Christian
for eight months and tells me he has a word of rebuke from the
Lord for me, I listen but I hold it lightly before the Lord. On
the other hand, if someone whom I know to be a strong, mature
Christian comes to me and says that, after much prayer, he or she
believes that a word of rebuke must be spoken to me, you can be
certain I listen with both ears and I consider myself very
accountable to the Lord for that word.
        Let me clarify something else here. Too many times we
Christians confuse or mistake a tentative, soft spoken prophetic
word as one being delivered "in love." Conversely, we take a
stern, direct word as one which, by its stern delivery, was "not
delivered in love" and we therefore believe we are free to reject
it. Often a true prophet is called upon to deliver a stern word
in a very authoritative and stern manner. This manner of delivery
does not necessarily mean it was not delivered in love. A mature
prophet will have great love for God's people yet be very capable
and directed by God to speak sternly. We do not have the license
to reject a prophetic word just because we don't think it was
"delivered in love." To do so is to make the same grave mistake
that Israel did when Jeremiah delivered stern words. They said:

                "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the
        teaching of the law by the priests will not be lost,
        nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the
        prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues
        and pay no attention to anything he says." (Jer 18:18
        NIV).

        We also are not free to reject or not pay attention to a
word just because we don't like the way a person delivers it or
we don't like his or her manner of speech or personality. Even if
a person's accent, habit of pronunciation, etc. is not pleasing
to our ears, we are still obliged to hear and judge the prophetic
word itself.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CALLED PROPHET
        I believe there are certain common characteristics or basic
personality traits of an individual who has a prophetic call on
his or her life. After considerable study of the Old and New
Testament prophets, I believe the following general observations
are quite accurate and descriptive of those called to be prophets
both in Scripture and today:

l. Strong Personality  
        Innately the prophet has a strong personality. I have never
met a true prophet who didn't have, in secular terms, a type A
personality. Prophets are usually intense about most things and
are always intense about their walk with God. That is why
prophets often have difficulty understanding those who are less
than 100% committed to the Lord.

2. Direct - Issue Oriented 
        A prophet is very issue oriented and sees things in black or
white. For him there is very little gray and most things are
either right or wrong.  Hence, a prophet will not easily
compromise on an issue. Nor does a prophet have a lot of mercy
for those who can't or won't measure up to the austere standards
of God as he sees them. Again, the mature prophet has love and
cares about God's people. But does he have mercy? Not much! I
always visualize Amos holding the plumb line as God's
stereotypical prophet. (Amos 7:7-9). The plumb line is
representative of God's righteousness on any given issue and, to
the prophet, all things relating to that issue are to be measured
against that plumb line. Those who don't measure up are often
told, "Get in or get out!"

3. Strong in Prayer 
        The prophet is given to much prayer. The true prophet has a
real burden, not only for God's will, but for His people as well,
both those saved and those not yet saved. This inevitably leads
to a strong intercessor's prayer burden for people and issues.
Remember, the prophet is intense and this intensity flows over
into his or her prayer life.

4. Outward Life in Order 
        The prophet generally has his outward life in order. Since
the prophet sees matters in black or white, he is much less
likely to become ensnared in outward sins such as adultery,
cheating on his taxes, etc. However, there are two big, covert
sins with which a prophet must continually battle. They are pride
and judgementalism. As God matures His prophets, this pride and
judgementalism gradually diminishes, but they are always a
potential snare for the prophet. These two sins are Satan's most
effective weapons against the prophet.

5. Authority and Power 
        A prophet, when moving in the prophetic call, will move with
great authority and power. This authority and power are not to be
confused with speaking in a loud voice or trying to impose his
will over others. When God delivers His word through a prophet,
it is God's power and authority that is manifested, not the
prophet's. Those who have a discerning spirit will know when the Lord
is delivering His word through someone be it spoken forcefully or given
in a whisper.

6. Prophets are Poor Long-Term Counselors
        Prophets generally do not make good long-term counselors.
They lack the patience and mercy necessary for this kind of
counseling. A prophet is much more inclined to spend some time
with a counselee, give that person the word of the Lord, then
become impatient if the counselee continues to drift in his sin
or shows a lack of commitment to correct a failing.

7. Spiritual Gifts Accompany a Prophetic Call 
        The mature, called prophet will exercise many of the
spiritual gifts enumerated in I Corinthians, chapter twelve.
Though the prophet may operate all of these gifts at some time in
his or her ministry, the gifts most often manifested are the
prophetic word, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and the
discerning of spirits. The prophet often is the first to spot a
demonic presence in a person or circumstance. Further, signs and
wonders such as healing, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and
the breaking down of demonic strongholds are often seen in the
prophetic ministry.
        NOTE:  For the true prophet, all operations of the above
gifts will always point to Jesus. Remember, the prophet's work is
to speak the word of God. The prophet's business is the business
of the Kingdom of God and the accomplishing of God's purposes. A
true prophet's actions and words will not attract attention to
himself, nor will it put the focus on natural events such as
earthquakes or other future events which only remotely relate to
the Kingdom of God.

THE ROLE OF THE PROPHET IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

The pastor-prophet relationship 
        The pastor and the prophet serve two very different
functions in the church body although they often do and should
overlap. The primary concern of the pastor is his flock. A good
pastor is an encourager, a teacher, and does all with mercy. The
mature pastor is full of concern for each individual person under
his care.
        The primary concern of the prophet is God's will. He places
the mandates of the Lord above his concern for individuals in the
church. He has a long-range view of spiritual matters while the
pastor tends to see more in the immediate. Because of the
differences in their callings there is potential conflict between
the pastor and the prophet.
        However, the mature pastor and the mature prophet will be
mutually submissive to one another. The pastor is ultimately
responsible before God for his flock, the prophet is not. The
mature prophet knows he is responsible only for speaking forth
God's word. He is not responsible for causing that word to come
to pass.
        This understanding is absolutely foundational for the
prophet and the pastor to move in concert in a church. Once the
prophet has delivered a word to the church or to the pastor, his
job is finished unless and until God directs him further. At that
point, the responsibility for carrying out the word shifts to the
pastor. He and his spiritual elders must pray and hold it before
the Lord. Ultimately the responsibility to accept it or reject it
rests on the pastor's shoulders.

Sin in the Camp
        Given the pastor's general inclination towards mercy, there
are times when a pastor will not deal with sin or misdirection in
his church. Often he doesn't even see it. In such cases God will
usually send a prophet into the situation to bring the problem to
light. The prophet will face the issue head-on with the
congregation, elder board, pastoral staff, or whomever, by
calling the sin into question.
        I recall once talking to a woman in an Asian country with a
strong prophetic call. She was part of the senior pastoral staff
and saw that one of the pastors was in personal sin. She went to
the senior pastor and told him this must stop. The pastor's
response was, "But, what if he leaves the fellowship?" She
responded, "Then let him leave!"
        This is a good example of the pastor's mercy and concern for
the individual and his flock along side the prophet's willingness
to accept whatever consequences are necessary in order to deal
with sin. Happily this particular senior pastor knew she was
right and the problem was worked through satisfactorily. This is
an example of the prophet pressing an issue and the pastor
responding properly.
        A word of caution here: the mature prophet is willing to
push an issue if the Lord is directing him to do so. The less
mature prophet is often anxious to push it. There is a big
difference.

Prophets Teach
        Often today in the body of Christ a called prophet will also
be a gifted and respected teacher. The prophet, if he is truly
hearing from God, will operate the prophetic gift only
occasionally. He may move prophetically several times in a short
period, then not move again in his office for an extended period
of time. One of the ways for a church to gain the continuing
benefit of a mature prophet is to make available a teaching or
preaching platform for the prophet if he is so gifted.

OBSERVATIONS OF A MATURE PROPHET
        I have just described the personal characteristics of a
prophet. Now I would like to make some general observations about
the mature prophet.
        First, it takes years to develop a mature prophet. The
prophetic call is one thing - a mature prophet is quite another.
God moves the prophet along in growth but that person must also
be willing to undergo the difficulties, criticisms, lack of
understanding, etc. that accompanies the development of a
prophetic call. But once the prophet is mature, he or she is
extremely valuable to the body of Christ. The prophet
accomplishes a work for God that no other office is capable of
doing.
        Second, the mature prophet identifies with the people.
Ezekiel demonstrated this for us when he said, "...I sat where
they sat..." (Ez 3:15 KJV). This identification with the people
to whom he is to minister is absolutely necessary for the prophet
if he is to have a proper relationship with God's people. It is
only by so doing that he can feel their hurts and know their
pain. If you ever hear a prophet beseeching the Lord to "show
them their sins" you can be fairly sure that prophet has not yet
fully identified with God's people. We see Jeremiah continually
identifying with his people as he prayed: "...we have sinned..."
(Lam 5:16 NIV).
        Third, a spiritually mature prophet will move in great love
for God and His people. Remember, we've already seen that this
doesn't mean he or she is tentative, always soft-spoken, or
wishy-washy when moving in his call. Don't be deceived. Your
spirit will tell you if the prophet has the love of God and His
people as he moves, whether he moves with gentleness or firmness
in any given situation.
        Fourth, the mature prophet will esteem other prophets and
not be jealous of them, whereas a less mature prophet may be
jealous of others with the same calling. A truly mature prophet
will rejoice when God uses someone else rather than himself.
        Fifth, a mature prophet will be willing to submit to the
spiritual authority in place. As we noted previously, a mature
prophet and a mature pastor are mutually submissive. A mature
prophet will also be willing to submit to others if they have a
word of correction for him or feel the need to exercise authority
over his prophetic ministry.
        Note: The exception to this submission is found when there
is unrepentant sin in the church leadership. In such cases the
prophet will not and should not submit. Then he should fearlessly
speak the word of God as God directs.
        Sixth, the mature prophet's office is a hard place. It is
very hard to be the vessel of correction, etc. Remember, the
mature prophet loves God's people and is not anxious to deliver
hard words. It is also a difficult place because of the human
tendency to "kill the messenger" rather than deal with the facts.
Many a prophet has lost a friend, pastor, or a whole congregation
because he was God's faithful messenger.
        Seventh, a mature prophet will not believe that every
thought that comes into his or her head is "from the Lord." He
will also come to recognize the difference between the maturity
of his discernment and a true prophetic word to be delivered. A
mature prophet will have great discernment and understanding
concerning the things of God. But this understanding and these
thoughts, while from the Holy Spirit, are not true prophetic
words.
        I personally do not believe the Lord has a true prophetic
word for a church every Sunday morning. A genuinely mature
prophet will not feel he must prophesy every Sunday. For to do so
will dilute the receptivity to the prophetic word and reduce it
to common place.
        Eighth, a mature prophet realizes that there are times when
the Lord speaks a word to him and him alone. That word is not to
be spoken publicly. This can be true even though the word is
regarding the body of Christ, the local church, or whatever group
the prophet finds himself involved. The mature prophet will check
with the Lord in his spirit to see if what he has received should
be prayed about, spoken aloud, preached or held.
        Further, the prophet may see evil or a demonic presence in a
situation or a person and know that he is to do nothing and say
nothing about it. At times the Holy Spirit lets the prophet see a
reality in the spiritual realm but that knowledge is to be held
privately, at least for a while...and possibly always. Of course
this kind of knowledge is common to all mature believers, not
just the prophet.
        Ninth, let me describe the kind of church a prophet is
likely to have if that prophet is also a pastor. Chances are it
will be a small church. Why? Because a prophet-pastor tends to
deliver strong, unyielding messages and continues to mercilessly
hold out the plumb line with which he measures himself and his
poor flock. Many Christians do not want this kind of pastor. Many
simply cannot grow and thrive in this setting for they need the
mercy and the "gray" in which to grow. One of the primary gifts
of a "successful" pastor is mercy, something the prophet
generally has in rather short supply.
        However, those who do stick with the prophet-pastor will be
the 100% committed Christians and, more often than not, many of
his church members will also have a prophetic call on their
lives. Thus, such churches are usually more representative of the
prophet of the Old Testament with his disciples rather than what
we think of as a modern day church.
        Tenth, prophets belong to the church at large. Because of
the difficulties encountered when a prophet is also a pastor, it
is my opinion that, as a general rule, prophets should not be
long-term pastors. However, if there is a deeply rooted sin in a
congregation, God often sends a prophet to pastor that flock for
a season. In very short order the prophet-pastor will flush the
sin out into the light. Once the sin is dealt with his job is
done and he is ready to move on.
        Unfortunately our western church is so structured that a
prophet is usually forced into a long-term pastorate for economic
reasons. Prophets are like everyone else in that they need food
and shelter which costs money. This economic burden all too often
shackles the prophet to a single church thereby largely depriving
the church at large of his badly needed ministry. A better place
for a prophet is in a para-church organization. There he can earn
a living in a Christian setting while being free to travel and
minister to the church at large. This arrangement also means he
is not trying to pastor some poor congregation struggling to
measure up to the plumb line week after week.
        Finally, the most important observation of the mature
prophet is that all he says and does, as he moves in the capacity
of his office, always points to Christ and away from himself. At
those times the prophet is truly God's servant to proclaim God's
will and God's purposes among us.



NOTE: For a thorough, detailed study on the subject of prophets
and prophecy please go to the Books page to review the book
Prophets and Prophecy in Today's Church which is offered
by Hundredfold Ministries, Int'l through this Web site.