Requirements for a Prophet

I need to make something very clear: the Bible does not list the requirements of a prophet. I can list some guidelines, but these are not absolutes.

The Old Testament tells us the bizarre story of Balaam, who was paid to curse Israel but was forced to bless them instead. In Numbers 24, a distraught Balaam explains why he couldn't curse Israel:

12    So Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
13    'If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak'?

If you want the gift of prophecy, you need to get something straight: you can only say what God tells you to say, whether you like it or not.

Is God willing to give YOU the gift of prophecy?

1 Corinthians 14:5 tells us  " I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied;"

Numbers 11:29 says "Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"

Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.

In Acts 15:32, we see that two prophets exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And now we see why God doesn't just hand out the gift of prophecy lightly. Christians won't listen for long to incompetent speakers or to Christians with a bad testimony. A person who lacks knowledge, can't teach, uses the wrong words, or does not command respect can't perform a prophet's duties.

We're told to seek the better gifts, especially that we may prophesy. If you obey this command, you might find God working in your life before He gives you what you ask for.

Okay, today a prophet edifies, exhorts, and comforts. What else does a prophet do?

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us what ALL spiritual offices do:

And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

So a prophet equips saints for the work of the ministry in order to edify the body of Christ. Nothing crazy or fanatical there. You don't have to be afraid of the gift of prophecy.

All right, we're born again Christians, not the nation of Israel, so what does a prophet do today?

1 Corinthians 14:3 tells us "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men."

See? Nothing crazy or evil. Do you need to be afraid to edify, exhort, or comfort people?

What DOES a Prophet Do Today?

Are there still prophets in 21th century Christianity? If so, what do they do?

1 Corinthians 14:1 gives one of the most-disobeyed commands in the Bible: "
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

We're told to desire the gift of prophecy, but there are problems. There are crackpots out there who claim to be prophets. Prophets suffer persecution. They are regarded as being crazy. And to put it bluntly, hardly anyone obeys this command.

But the New Testament gives a lot of space to describing and explaining prophecy. I'll be posting a few times a week about seeking the gift of prophecy, and I hope that you'll drop in to learn more.

Human Resources--in the bad sense

I have wondered for decades why I am looking for fallen graduates of my Bible college, when no one else is. One Godly leader from my college, who is now in Heaven, used to do it as well, but I cannot find anyone else.

While researching a problem for a troubled Christian, I came across a hatesite dedicated to a Bible college similar to mine. It is an unaccredited Ruckmanite school, run by a single megachurch, that requires its students to perform a lot of service for the church while not giving them a genuine college education.

The posts were about six years old, and contained the usual complaints about being forced to live for God and obey man-made rules when the person didn't want to. As usual, the posters eventually broke out in hatred for each other. They could not produce any evidence of fraud or immorality against the pastor.

But one poster explained my own situation. The college used its students as "resources." They were there to produce numbers. When it was clear that a student needed to leave, he was pressured to stay and keep paying tuition money. He was not informed that the college would never recommend him for a ministry, and that his credits would probably not transfer to a real college.

I am in contact with graduates, some of whom excelled in their Christian service, who hate the college today.

Attending an unaccredited college is almost always a mistake. My own college falsified records, encouraged gang violence, provided a sorry education, slanders its critics, and discards its victims.

And attending a Ruckmanite college is always a mistake.