Prophetic Genealogy

"Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, 'No man can be fully accepted until he is totally rejected.' The prophet of the Lord is aware of both of these experiences. They are his 'brand name.'"

Apostles and prophets are like Abbott and Costello, Stanley and Livingstone, R2-D2 and C-3PO. They're a team.

The First Prophet

Abraham is the first prophet mentioned in Scripture, and he demonstrated right from the start that prophets, while chosen, are not perfect.

"For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, 'She is my sister.' Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her."

But God scolded the king in a dream one night and told him Sarah was a married woman.

"Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die."

The Prophetic Office

The name Abraham means "father of a multitude," which is a pretty accurate way of looking at the prophetic office, as contrasted with the prophetic gift.

Like the apostle, the prophet is paternal—teaching, praying, sensing and removing dangers, building up and tearing down according to the plan God reveals. The prophetic office is tasked, in partnership with the apostolic, with building, maintaining and adjusting the church as a father loves and teaches, disciplines and directs his children. The prophetic gift shares words of knowledge and wisdom to strengthen, direct, rebuke, enlighten and confirm others.

Also in harmony with the apostle, the prophet surrenders his life and everything in it to God. Abraham gave up his country and his family when God called him out of Chaldea. He gave up the rich plain of Jordan to his nephew Lot. He gave up his son Ishmael for Isaac, yet was later prepared to obey God and sacrifice Isaac "whom he loved passionately" and who was the heart of God's promises.

"I swear by myself," declares the Lord, "that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities and their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Counterintuitive Commands

Sometimes, God instructs his prophets to do something alarmingly counterintuitive.

"When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, 'Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.'"

Counterintuitive happened a good deal to Ezekiel, too. First, God had the prophet publicly act out a siege against Jerusalem. After that, things got really weird.

"Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel."

God went to great lengths through his prophets to get Israel's attention, highlight its sins and warn it of the consequences of refusing to repent.

The Foundation of the Church

God has made his apostles and prophets the foundation of his church,

"with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."

This temple includes both Jews and Gentiles, a fact that is still frequently debated, even though it was

"revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets…that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus."

Until we receive our inheritance, the Lord guides us with

"words spoken in the past about the future by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior given by your apostles, his personally chosen representatives."