Because worship and prayer set the pace for all of the other functions of the church, it is helpful for apostolic and prophetic leaders to be engaged to some degree. Apostles establish alignment with Kingdom priorities, and prophets influence and facilitate the heaven-sent and heaven-oriented work of the church's worship and prayer ministries. The role of the apostle is important, but the prophet is probably more hands-on with this function. For that reason, here we will not talk about the apostle as much as we will talk about the prophet.

Prophets see and hear the heart and mind of God, and they act and speak accordingly. At times they speak of what is to come; at other times they speak of what God reveals regarding the past or present. From a leadership standpoint, they know what God wants to accomplish, and together with the apostle, they work to lead the church in that direction. The prophet leads the way in helping the church become a prophetic church—a community of believers devoted to living their lives and fulfilling their mission on the basis of what God has revealed. For the prophet, it is all about what God is saying.

1. Characteristics of a Prophet

True New Testament prophets have discernable characteristics:

a. True prophets are people of godly character. Their lives reflect the character of the One they represent. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus said that we would know true and false prophets by their fruit. Mike Bickle states, “These are people who diligently seek to cultivate holiness and deep passion for Jesus in their lives.”

b. True prophets improve the life of the faith community. Their ministry results in strength, encouragement and comfort, and their prophetic gifts are ongoing and effective for the benefit of the body.

c. True prophets are often intense in ministry. They are totally convinced of what they have seen and heard in the heavenlies, and they are committed to walk with God until that revelation has fulfilled its purpose. This intensity often translates into assertiveness. As a result of prophets frequently encountering resistance, many have developed a determined and assertive persona. The intensity of prophets serves the positive purpose of challenging those who are around them. However, the caution here is that prophetic intensity not be taken as a license for rudeness or insensitivity.

d. True prophets are often fixated on their message. Prophets are entrusted with a specific message, and they become fixated on it—as they should be. As a result, they may talk about the same topics repeatedly.

e. True prophets are often perceived as unbalanced. Harold Eberle is correct when he says of prophets that “they are supposed to be ‘unbalanced,’ at least through our natural eyes.” Disrupting the status quo is a large part of what prophetic ministry is all about, in both the Old and New Testaments.

f. True prophets are sensitive to spiritual realities. They are more sensitive to spiritual forces and realities than the average Christian. They are like people born before their time—thinking, acting and speaking on the basis of what will be and not necessarily on the basis of what already is. They typically conduct themselves in a way that does not make sense to people around them. What they have seen or heard in the heavenlies makes more sense to them than what their physical eyes can see or their physical ears can hear. Later, others will likely see and hear what they see and hear, but initially they can come across as out of touch with immediate tangible realities.

g. True prophets are not easily swayed from their message. They know that they have heard from God, and they are convinced of what they have seen and heard. They are not influenced much by persecution or the opinions of others. The caution here is that the prophet needs to remain open to the possibility that others may carry needed pieces of the prophetic picture. While the original revelation that the prophet had received may be undeniably a word from the Lord, the prophet’s interpretation and application of what has been revealed may need additional prophetic input from others.

h. True prophets sometimes battle depression. The disparity between what is in the present and what will be in the prophetic future can be discouraging, especially when others refuse to see or believe what the prophet has seen. The persecution that often accompanies prophetic ministry can wear on the prophet and become disheartening. For this reason, it is critical that the prophet sustain a life centered on hosting and stewarding the presence of God—the source of the prophet’s joy and strength. It is also important for the prophet to not become isolated and insulated from other trusted believers who might be used of God to bring encouragement.

i. True prophets can be dramatic. They are inclined to dramatically emphasize the message God has placed on their hearts.

j. True prophets value solitude. They are sometimes alone more than the average Christian. The craving to hear from God consumes them.

2. The Difference between Old and New Testament Prophecy

There are at least three misconceived differences between Old and New Testament prophetic ministry, and there are a few properly conceived differences as well.

The first misconceived difference relates to the issue of prophetic development. Some characterize the New Testament as lenient toward novice prophets who are still in development while the Old Testament does not make such an allowance. On the contrary, within the Old Testament there is evidence of many phases of prophetic development.

The second misconceived difference relates to issues of relationship with the faith community. Some characterize Old Testament prophets as autonomous individuals in contrast to New Testament prophets who function within a community dynamic. While that perception may be accurate in many instances, Rickie Moore observes that there is one point in the Old Testament where there is a community of prophets—a situation that resembles the picture of New Testament prophetic ministry.

The third misconceived difference relates to issues of intensity. Dr. Rickie Moore has stated, “What people are trying to avoid by drawing a line between the Old Testament prophet and the New Testament prophet is the intense demand of speaking for God.”

Rather than trying to distance itself from the intensity, the church is called to be just as intense and radical as the Old Testament prophets. The end of the book of Revelation demonstrates the intensity of the prophetic gifting in the New Testament era.

There are some properly conceived differences between prophetic ministry in the Old and New Testaments. The difference is not so much the result of a change in the relationship between God and the prophet, but in the relationship between God and His people as a whole. Bruce Yocum explains,

"The Old Testament prophet was a man unique among God’s people because of the Holy Spirit’s action in him. He was in direct communication with the Lord, while the people as a whole were not. But under the New Covenant, all of God’s people receive the Holy Spirit, and all of God’s people are in direct communication with God himself. In Old Testament Israel the prophet was thoroughly unique; in the ‘new Israel’ the prophet is one means among many by which God can speak directly to his people."

The relationship of God to the prophet remains the same in the New Testament; he is the Lord’s official spokesman, authorized to publicly declare His word.

3. The Prophet’s Role

What is the prophet’s role from the biblical perspective?

First, they equip the church to be prophetic. When the prophet is properly functioning in his or her anointing, others should be activated in the prophetic in the faith community.

Second, prophets are God’s messengers. They receive and proclaim the Word of the Lord. Bruce Yocum says, “When the Christian community needs guidance, it can rightly look to its prophets for a word from the Lord…. Perhaps God will speak, perhaps he will not.”

Third, prophets are servants of God. As His servants, they desire God’s will to be done on earth, and they actively seek out God’s will and God’s word Once God has spoken, prophets are moved to obey the promptings of the Spirit.

Finally, prophets are guardians, and watchmen and intercessors. These aspects of the prophet’s ministry clearly reflect God’s heart of care for His people.

4. Practical Implications for Worship and Prayer

What do prophets contribute to the worship and prayer function?

1. They lead the way into personal, spiritual intimacy with Jesus.

2. They facilitate opportunities for God-encounter.

3. They inspire and equip intercessors, vocalists, instrumentalists, songwriters, artists, dancers and congregational participants to cultivate the capacity to hear and respond to the voice of God.

4. They make room for Spirit-led creativity.

5. They cultivate a forward-looking, hope-filled culture of strength, encouragement and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3).

6. They encourage pray-ers to allow the Holy Spirit to determine what should be placed on the "prayer list," and they promote a lifestyle of praying in the Spirit.

7. They keep worship and prayer participants focused on bringing heaven to earth.

8. They promote alignment with the direction given by the apostolic leader of the local church.

[The Leadership Training Tracks course on "Prophetic Life and Ministry" provides a more comprehensive treatment of the prophetic in the local church and personal context.]

Consider the following assessment questions regarding the function of worship and prayer in your local context. (Make sure that you have viewed this lesson's video before going any further.) If you are taking this course as part of a group study, discuss these points together.

1. Do you understand the IMPORTANCE of this worship and prayer function?

2. How are you stewarding TIME for this function?

3. How are you stewarding TALENT for this function?

4. How are you stewarding TREASURE for this function?

5. Are you making room for 5-FOLD MINISTRY in this function?

6. Are those of you who are serving in the worship and prayer function HONORING the essential role of the other functions?