Jul 212011
 

Everyone A Prophet, No One A King
Spiritual Growth .Share 67

Anything dealing with prophetic ministry is hot. I have a pocket-sized book out entitled “Entering prophetic ministry” that people are ordering like hot cakes. In this book I write about how to enter prophetic ministry. It seems everyone wants to be a prophet. The danger however is excessive focus on prophetic ministry can be unhealthy and cause you to miss your kingship.

Scripture declares, “The law and the prophets were until John since that time the Kingdom is being preached” (Luke 16:16). Why then the excessive focus on prophetic ministry? Is it the mystery? Is it the need for something other than the written Word? What is the draw? I know the Bible says to “covet to prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:39) but prophecy alone will not make you a king in Christ. Scripture also says, “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Prophecy is basically for edification, exhortation and comfort. It should always be judged against the written Word and plain old common sense. It reveals the mind of Christ only when confirmed by the logos.

Think about this for a minute, if the Holy Spirit never released another prophetic word in your life, would not the written Word of God offer enough guidance for Spirit-led living? I should think so, even though I too love the prophetic operations of the Holy Spirit.

Like you I love prophetic ministry. I am, however, concerned that too much of a good thing is potentially harmful. I know people that covet to prophesy, for example, and don’t know the written Word. To me this is harmful and dangerous. This readies the scripturally ignorant for all sorts of potential problems with demonic and familiar spirits. Have you ever met a very spiritual person that is not sober minded and comes across as a flake? Most of us have and know that such a person is not a good example of our God. The apostolic restoration opposes flakiness and works on developing people to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might that are both spiritually and emotional stable.

I think the Holy Spirit is currently spot-lighting the apostolic church that equips and empowers every believer for kingship. Kingship is acting on your spiritual authority to invade, occupy and influence the world around you. It is fulfilling the first great commission to “multiply, produce, increase, subdue and take dominion.” Today, however, it seems everyone wants to be a prophet and no one a king. What good is a low-level prophetic word while the wicked continue to rule over God’s people? Across our country I hear prophets encouraging us to stop focusing on entertaining the people of God and equipping them to be revolutionary change agents outside the four walls of the local church. This equipping is the empowering of the kingship of every believer. Kingship positions the sons and daughters of God to enter positions of governing the affairs of men.

by Jonas Clark