Prophetic ministry at its core is the act of leading and guiding the church based on revelations from God and gift of the prophesy. The Scriptures present multiple examples of prophetic ministry. The Old Testament has a significant number of prophets. There are the central ones who directly communicated with God such as Noah, Abraham and Moses and helped to either fulfill God’s will or establish the Israel people and Judaic religion. Then there are a number of minor prophets such as Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Zechariah and others who advised and communicated the Will of the Lord, counseling leaders such as King David. “I have spoken to the prophets, and I gave numerous visions, and through the prophets I gave parables” (Hosea 12:10). Prophets served as vital messengers throughout the Old Testament. However, those upholding Prophetic Ministry are held to a stricter standard of judgment and bore its responsibilities and challenges. Throughout the Bible, the people often reject, persecute, and sometimes killed prophets. So, even though it was an office of holiness, only the very few got the respect and recognition for their faith and devoutness during their lifetime (Storms).
The New Testament focusing on the life of Jesus and in the years leading up to it, there was an evident absence of prophets. Outside of Jesus who is the Son of God, the only prophet was John the Baptist who predicted Jesus’ coming. The prophetic ministry changed in nature with the New Testament. Prophets were messengers of God largely through the Holy Spirit. On the Pentecost, Peter declares that the Spirit would be poured out “on all people” (Acts 2:17). There is some scholarly debate regarding both the importance and nature of prophetic ministry in the Old and New Testament. Prophetic ministry was much more widespread in the Old Testament, sometimes embodying groups of prophets, but the new testament saw prophetic ministry centered around Christ and the aftermaths of his sacrificed, and the transformation of the faith on its way to becoming Christianity (Storms).
In modern day, ministry of the prophets seen in the Bible is not present. Christian scholars consider the prophetic ministry being made final by first apostles and the Early Church. The modern-day Church itself may have prophetic ministry but there have not been prophetic individuals for centuries. The prophetic preaching of the apostles was Jesus Christ and his crucifixion taking away the sins of believers, aimed at affirming accuracy and divinity of the Old Testament, prophesizing the coming of Christ (“The ‘Prophetic Ministry’ of the Church”).
Potentially, once the Bible was completed, the ministry of prophets seized to be necessary; thus, why all the prophets exist only during Biblical times. Since the purpose of prophetic ministry is to grow and guide the church, the Bible is sufficient to Christians to faithfully follow the Lord. Prophetic ministry of today is based on clear preaching of the Bible and speaking the word of God. Prophetic ministry represents new revelations from God, but since the Bible is complete, and the Scripture even warns against adding to it – it can be deduced in a way that prophetic ministry is complete (“What is Prophetic Ministry?”). Anyone who attempts to establish themselves as a prophet in modern day or future should be recognized as a false prophet, a stark warning given in the Book of Revelation.
Works Cited
Storms, Sam. “What Does Scripture Teach About the Office of Prophet and Gift of Prophecy?” The Gospel Coalition, 2015, Web.
The Bible. Authorized New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, n.d.
“The ‘Prophetic Ministry’ of the Church.” Christianity Today, 1960, Web.
“What is prophetic ministry?” Got Questions, Web.