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The Daily Word of Righteousness
A Prophet to the Nations
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
A prophet is a person who stands in the Presence of God and announces the will of the Father. The distinguishing characteristic of the prophet is not that he reveals the future or that he speaks by the Spirit, it is that he stands in the holy place and proclaims the Person and Mind of God.
There are two things to keep in mind when discussing the ministry of the prophet. First, every saint as he or she grows in Christ becomes a prophet to the world; and what we have to say about the prophet applies at various times and circumstances to every true Christian.
There are prophets who are gifts to the Body of Christ who, along with the other gifts and ministries, help with the task of bringing the saints to the stature of the fullness of Christ. Not every believer is gifted as a prophet to the Body of Christ. But each saint who attains maturity becomes a prophet to the nations.
Second, the ministry of the prophet has little to do with revealing the future. The gift of the word of knowledge reveals the future on occasion. The Spirit of prophecy, which is present whenever fervent disciples assemble, may or may not speak of the future.
The role of the prophet has to do with a person who stands in the Presence of God and announces the will of the Lord.
The Christian is to rebuke the world concerning righteousness. The prophet rebukes the Christian concerning righteousness. The older prophet rebukes the younger prophet concerning righteousness. The Lord Jesus rebukes everyone concerning righteousness.
The distinguishing characteristic of the prophet, as we have said, is not that he reveals the future, it is that he proclaims the holy Person and Mind of God.
There are members of the Body of Christ who have been called by the Spirit of God to the office of prophet. Their role is to declare to their fellow Christians the Person, holiness, way, and will of God.
It is true also that every believer may build up and exhort the Body of Christ by prophesying in the Spirit.
In terms of bearing the Presence and will of God to the nations of the earth, every saint of God is a prophet. There are gifts of prophecy in the Body of Christ that minister to the Body itself, while at the same time the entire Body is the light of the world, the prophet of God among the nations.
Our comments concerning the ministry of the prophet apply to the operating of the Spirit of prophecy within the Body of Christ and also to the role of a prophet to the nations that is held by every true saint of God, both Old Testament and New Testament.
The prophetic glory and responsibility that rest on each member of the Body of Christ will become increasingly evident as we approach the end of the age. God will empower the Body of Christ to bear witness to the nations of the earth of the need for repentance, of the soon coming of the Day of Wrath, and of the rule of the Kingdom of God over the kingdoms of the world (Revelation 11:3).
To be continued.