The Role of Prophets in Church

Transcript:

Pastor Priji: Welcome to Church talk Podcast today we will be learning about the Prophetic in the Church and it is a joy that we have every one of you tuned in to learn and grow. It is impossible to see true and accomplished church growth without the manifested gift of Prophecy. The gift of prophecy is one which we cannot ignore and with me here is Pastor Able who is a prophet and under the same coverage as I am.
Thank you for joining us, could you please take the time to greet our readers today.

Pastor Able: Thank you Pastor Priji, I am so glad and honoured to be part of this podcast today. I believe it will be a blessing.

Pastor Priji: We honour you and Shilpa, and we are thankful to the Lord for how He has established both of you in Canada and also in the Spirit realm. We would love to hear from you on how important is the role of prophets in the Church today.

Pastor Able: If you read the Bible, you will notice you cannot read it without the prophetic. We see that the prophetic is one ministry that exists from the old to the new testament. This shows us that Prophets are an Integral Part of the church. Whenever God wanted someone, he looked for a man and whenever he used someone, somehow they grew into the prophetic. Like Abraham, He did not prophecy but God addressed him as a prophet. The perspective of God of a prophet is different from that which we have. We see them through what they do but When God looks at them, He sees them where they are. Maybe the manner of delivering things have been changed but the position of prophets in the Kingdom is not changed.

Pastor Priji: That’s so beautiful, So the position of a prophet is not limited to prophesying or giving details. One can be like Abraham who walks with God and God can see that person as a prophet because of the position which they carry in their city and nation.

Pastor Able: There was a time I went through a period where there was no prophetic word coming to me. I thought I lost it but the Holy Spirit taught me through the case of Elisha. It’s not limited to giving details only but also how God has placed you in the office or in the ministry so it is not limited to giving prophecy or details but Prophets identity don’t just come from what they do but where they come from.

Pastor Priji: What can prophets in the new testament or believers with the gift of prophecy activate the gift of prophecy? Sometimes we push the role of the prophets exclusively to mister to those in the church but Can prophets even minister to people from outside and even bring them to church we would love to hear your experiences from this.

Pastor Able: When we understand a prophet whether he is on the platform or off the platform. I tell people you can be used by God at any point in time and I usually say if you are a prophet, you are the platform of God. What I believe also is prophets are more ministering to God than people so it is not necessary that they give all details except allowed by God. It is more of a private conversation with God and That is a secret conversation that is happening and it can be anywhere and anytime so when it comes to soul-winning and evangelism, it is very possible and effective. When God led us to start the ministry the question was who will come when we start and how will it go due to the lockdown restrictions. But the one thing in me was prophetic and this gave me the chance to speak to their lives and deliver the word of God in their lives. If you are available in the prophetic realm, God can use you the way you are. For example, when I got to the mall, I don’t just go to the shop but I stay alert and look if God wants to speak to someone at any time. There are times I walked into strangers and called out their names and tell them what God has called them for and there was I time I came across a security guard and somehow my spirit got stirred up and God revealed to me the dream he saw before coming to the country. He was depressed and there was a message of God for him. What I am trying to say is if you are available God can use you.

Pastor Prji: We see in Church today that there are issues and problems like struggles with sin, relationship issues and so on but How can prophets also function as pastors as those who carry and translate the heart of God to the people.

Pastor Able: The advantage is that pastors can see also in the natural realm. Like Moses, He got the details of everything. So you know as a prophet that when you walk into someone this is what it takes for someone to come out of a certain thing. You can also be assured of what to prepare them. The biggest advantage is that then prophets will have visions ahead of time. You have clear instructions on what to do so ministering is not difficult. If a church can allow the prophetic to function, they understand every aspect of the Spirit. Ministering to someone in the church is easier but if the church can allow the prophetic to function then there will be an impact. If a church leads in the prophetic we see that. The atmosphere will be different and there will be a difference between a church that does not allow the prophetic at all.

Pastor Priji: That is true and so often we sometimes despise the ministry of the prophetic because of someone who prophecised and it didn’t go well and then we begin to distance ourselves from the prophetic ministry and that is such a big loss.

Pastor Able: One thing I keep in mind usually is not everyone who prophecies are a prophet, because sometimes because we hear someone is a prophet so we just choose to go for a prophecy but that will not be a good way because if the person got a word for someone it does not mean God will have one for us too. What happens, in this case, is that the individual is tempted to deliver the word and it may not necessarily be from God. not giving the right word to the person who will be listening to that word at the moment.

Pastor Priji: The most time when the prophetic is not restricted it is Sure that the church can grow in the way that it will be an influence over a city and nation. Like we have great men and women of God who speak about those things to avoid, economic changes and all of those things that make an impact in the world today. As prophets, How should they represent the heart of God behind what He is already speaking to them?

Pastor Able: In the old testament when the enemy wants to get the Israelites then the Lord reveals it but that is not the heart of God but when they ask for it that is not necessarily the heart of God and we live in fear and are hopeless and when we see that something is about happening, we have the heart to ask God what his plans are regarding that. If the enemy is coming this way, you have to plan for it. The Israelites had the right word at the right moment and It is certainly something to look at also If you have your vision you can see what will happen but when you see that then you will know and that does not show that you are a prophet.

Pastor Priji: That is true. We saw how the pharaoh in Egypt had dreams but it took a man of God to show him how to overcome economic crises that were going to hit the world. What is the role of the prophet in ushering in a revival and a different wave of God in a geographic location?

Pastor Able: It can be different to location, time or the manner will be in a different way but if we remember Elisha, he was a man who was not running after rain, He prayed and saw the cloud and ran ahead of the rain. As a prophet, you live in a different dimension and as soon as you step into a different city, the spiritual atmosphere you carry is definitely different from what you see. But now it is only the matter of how we get and the manner in which the Holy Spirit is moving in different places in different ways and sometimes it could be sending one to correct a nation or city to correct their ways. As a prophet, you carry a potential for revival. As long as we stay with God, we are being revived every day and if we can wait until we see the clouds coming down then it is just a matter of time. What people don’t see is Usually the revivals are recognized ahead of time because there is an awareness of what is happening in the Spirit. When Elisha was sending the servant to see the cloud there was nothing but He did not give up. But it has to manifest into the natural realm then his work is over. You have to carry the revival wherever you go. You are not seeking revival in the internal-only but you carry God wherever you go.

Pastor Priji: As the Bible encourage us to desire the best gifts, Can you please stir the desire of the prophetic to begin to manifest and see that the grace of God is released in the lives of everyone reading

Pastor Able: One thing I want us to know is the end-time revival is very connected to the prophetic and we need to understand that God is pleased to show his heart so don’t take a negative attitude towards prophets. And everyone has the potential to walk in the prophetic

Father, we pray that your spirit will reveal the potential to walk in the prophetic and we ask that you open their eyes and ears to understand how you move and give them heart and ears that are always longing to be with you. Let them grow to the level s that they have never grown before and may they start seeing dreams and vision and sense your feeling. In Jesus name. Amen!

Pastor Priji: Thank you so much for sharing the heart of God if you would like our readers to be in touch, what channels can they utilize to connect with you and your ministry.

Pastor Able: I am active on Instagram as @able.av and they can connect via the podcast online also.