Five Fold Prophet
Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
I aim to highlight that the five ministries' primary target is the church, and their purpose is to help the church see, understand, and conform to Christ by growing in spiritual maturity. The church grows in spiritual maturity by being shown Jesus and being instructed in His ways. The gifts are not called to moralize the church but rather to help the church come into conformity to Jesus through revelation understanding.
When the ministries function correctly, the fruit is a mature and edified body of Christ that is growing in its love for each other, possessing discernment that keeps it from falling prey to false doctrines aimed at marring the image of Christ and His completed work.
I believe it is time once again for an authentic prophetic ministry to rise and engage the church in the way it is called. Able to speak to the times with a focus on Jesus that equips the church to be conformed to Him and not moralism.
Focusing on issues as though they are outside Christ and only important in their moral implications can attract specific groups of followers on social media and in other venues. Still, it is not in line with the New Covenant gifts outlined in the Scriptures, as found in Ephesians 4.
When Agabus prophesied the famine, it was to equip the church to act according to their new nature and a love for one another, and thus live out the gospel of Christ towards their brethren. The local churches in other regions pooled their resources to help the church that would be affected by the famine. They served the body of Christ in an emergency situation, guided by the love of Christ. We do not know what the regional church, impacted by the famine, did with all that it received. However, we do know that the equipping function of the prophet was effective in equipping the church with a demonstration of Jesus.
When Agabus prophesied to Paul personally in front of the others, it was to give Paul ample warning about what would happen if he went to Jerusalem. It helped equip Paul to set his own heart on Jesus, and it prepared those listening who loved Paul to express their love, support, and pain. It equipped them to love Paul and provided evidence of the call to obedience in faith. Paul was able to demonstrate to the believers present at the time of the prophecy that it confirmed the word of the Lord he had received from Jesus Himself, and Paul was ready not only to be imprisoned for Christ and to suffer, but also to die if need be. There was a mutual edification, although it was accompanied by sadness.
Believers were equipped in Christ and practiced loving one another in both of these accounts. To me, that means the prophetic gift fulfilled its purpose.
What I believe we are witnessing in our time is many claiming to be prophets who are not, and some who are tainted by the desire for followers and thus speaking in areas they should leave alone but know that by speaking in those areas and putting the focus somewhere other than Jesus (but still perceived as being “radical”) will increase their base. In my understanding, both of these examples lend themselves to exposing a false prophet.
I believe that New Covenant prophets are just as accountable to sound doctrine as any other gift.
Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
If a prophet fails this test of pointing to Jesus in all they prophesy about — times, events, ideologies, and directions — they do not pass the test of being a true New Covenant prophet.
I believe the true gift will unveil Jesus and lead the church to marvel and begin to thrive in the completed work of Christ Jesus. I believe it calls the church to think according to the Spirit, as opposed to the flesh, thus directing her attention away from the natural life and toward her heavenly calling. When I say thinking according to the Spirit, I am not speaking of strange mystical thinking so much as new creation identity and living.
I also believe the five-fold work in team, and thus prophets are not a ministry to themselves any more than the other ministries are. All the ministries have their distinctive characteristics, but they all work towards the same end in relation to the bride of Christ, and as such, they are very willing to work together and be accountable to one another.
