“THIS IS NOT THAT” ~ Misunderstanding the New Testament Gift of Prophet 
 

🔑Now that the Spirit has been poured out and all can prophesy, there is obvious equipping needed. And who better to equip people in prophecy than a prophet? Ephesians 4 (equipping of the saints) makes sense when you see the great need for equipping a Body that exist in the era of Acts 2:17 where now “all can prophesy!”🔑

The crucial misunderstanding between the differences between Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets is what I call the “this is not that” phenomenon…

Most of us would say we have somewhat of an understanding of the differences between Old Testament prophetic technology and the New Testament prophetic “upgrade”, but in my opinion we have not understood it to the degree that the way we facilitate prophecy changes, and creates a clearer and more accurate sound - let alone helps to mobilize the Church globally. 
 
In the Old Testament we understand that the prophet was quite literally the mouthpiece of God to the people. Therefore the stakes were much higher (stoning) for the prophet, if he prophesied falsely. However, we understand that in the New Testament, we prophesy “in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9), therefore it is possible to “miss the mark.” 

We are even exhorted to “let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1 Corinthians 14:29). This fundamental difference between Old and New Testament prophet/prophecy urges us to grapple with the real role of a prophet today, and what the New Testament prophet model should look like.
 
I would argue that the days of one individual “prophet-superstar” solely being the voice of God to the people hasn’t translated well practically today. And if we are talking about equipping and mobilizing the Body of Christ for global glory and dominion, our current model has been found wanting. 

The truth is that from what we can gather from the New Testament scriptures concerning prophets and prophecy, we catch a glimpse of a mature Body of Christ collectively hearing, discerning and responding. Yes, there are those clearly recognized as prophets, but we have the advantage of discerning together, and therefore being mobilized together. This leads us to envision a “greater glory and unity” among the Church, as prophets equip the Body in how to hear and discern what God is saying as a collective, and mobilize accordingly. 

I dare to suggest that perhaps a mature Body in the last days doesn’t say “I have the Word of the Lord,” but rather “we have the mind of Christ.” One thing is for sure, one of the most fundamental roles of a New Testament prophet is to EQUIP the Church in the Spirit of prophecy. 

This is crucial because it goes beyond simply standing up in a gathering with sandals, locusts and honey and presenting yourself as “the voice of God to the people.” And because you are THE voice, you come with a superiority pass and can leave bodies in your reckless wake as you tour from church to church. 

Now that the Spirit has been poured out and all can prophesy, there is obvious equipping needed. And who better to equip people in prophecy than a prophet? Ephesians 4 (equipping of the saints) makes sense when you see the great need for equipping a Body that exist in the era of Acts 2:17 where now “all can prophesy!”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​