Marks of a Prophet...

There is a certain amount of janitorial work I perform at church every week. I enjoy monotonous tasks for the reason I can do them well and meditate on the Word, pray, or think things over. Because of the call of God upon my life, there are certain preachers that I connect with who are solid in doctrine, heavy on challenge, and are completely unapologetic concerning God's truth. Speaking for myself, it takes a challenge to move me to change. Sometimes the challenge come straight from the text and sometimes the Holy Spirit uses a man to put His finger on something.

Today while cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors I thought about prophets in the Bible, prophets who trusted God and spoke for Him. The first thing that is clear about them is they were owned by God and not influenced by men. They were steadfast messengers of God's truth, not flavoring the word with flowery speech or trying to soften the blow with flattery. One amazing thing about good prophets is I cannot remember one time in the entire Bible when a prophet of God apologized for the message or for the effect it had on the listeners. Jesus never once apologized, for He never did or said anything that was wrong or out of place. I wonder if men like these could even be employed at a typical church these days, considering the things they said!

It is an awe inspiring thing, speaking for God! God has spoken through His Word, and He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. In thinking about my ministry thus far, the most profitable seasons have also had the most controversy. The messages that produced the most evident fruit were the same messages that brought complaints. Today I mused over the evidence: can this be true? I have seen young people moved to tears of repentance and saw lasting evidence of real commitment. Prophets have a way of striking a nerve. How? Because God knows what the people need to hear, whether they want to hear it or not. I ask you, how well were the prophets of God received in scripture? Let's just say it was much easier to be a false prophet than a real one. Real prophets never apologize for the truth, and this has never sat well with the majority.

Prophets of God will never be owned by man. They will not be purchased with bribes, for they have been bought with a price by the blood of Jesus Christ. This does not mean that the mark of a prophet is flippant, careless, rude, or an arrogant attitude. A prophet is brought to the point of death every time he opens his mouth for God, dying to himself that God may be glorified through his obedience. Man not only wants to be accepted: he wants to be liked. Prophets of God must sacrifice this desire on the altar of obedience. Because he is loved by God, he will allow himself to be hated by man because Jesus was hated first.

The longer I walk with Christ, the more I learn that I don't get to choose. I'm not allowed to choose my calling. But I can choose if I will be obedient to the calling God has upon my life. I have the call of an apostle (one who is sent) and prophet upon me. I don't care if anyone else sees me in this light, but I have determined to answer this call. God's Word to me is, "You will preach, and you will be sent." The call hasn't changed in seven years. Elijah walked up to Elisha and threw his mantle on him. Elisha didn't have his name drawn in a lottery to follow in Elijah's steps. I never signed up on a list to follow Jesus. I didn't choose Him: He chose me! He threw His mantle upon me and said, "Follow Me." You never know what God will call you to do, believer. But you best do what your Master says, or else He isn't your Master. When you do and say what Jesus tells you to, there won't be any need to apologize.