These few verses reflect some of the greatest pain for the prophets. Even the youngest and most immature prophet has the eyes of insight without always having the words of instruction to communicate this clearly.
Most prophets 'see'. "What do you see Jeremiah?" Jer 1:11. Whether it is by dreams, visions, words of knowledge, insight, gift of the discerning of spirits, prophets see. What do they see? From what my friends tell me, like a movie unfolding before them, they can see both the faults and flaws of the individual or the context and often see the Father's required response.
Can you imagine how difficult that must be? Obviously they are never given the whole picture,[ that is why we operate with other gifts as well], but what they see is so clear, so obvious, so simple that they are astounded that others don't see it as clearly as they see it. Prophets are rarely politically correct, and never for long, they are destined for collision with the status quo. Of course one may periodically have a wounded prophet is so fashioned by their pain that they cause conflict without empathy. But they never start out that way.
It is so important for us to spend some time considering why God has prophets in his arsenal. By listening to prophets and their very challenging gifts we can begin to offer them grace and in turn get a very powerful ally in the movements and God moments that every body of believers need. Let them speak. Let them explain what they see and we will be far healthier because of it.
Many churches and apo movements are now some 30 years down the road. The more institutional and systematized we become, the less we want the prophets. Their ingrained fear of the constrictions that "the model" produces, the less we want to hear their voice for we know that they will be voices of radical change. But they are our key to redemption. They are the ones we need to listen too. They see the end from the beginning. They understand where this will all end up.
That is why they will do so much "pulling down" before they get to the "building and planting". The old scaffolding that we used in the previous chapter, they will help us tear it down. The old mindsets that have replaced the spacious, spontaneous Spirit led life of a young movement, have to be torn down. The "theology" that so wondrously fashioned the last days will be confronted as the Father has us on a fast track of "the full counsel of the word of God", so the past emphasis will be adjusted. This is rarely met by applause by the status quo leaders. The leadership style that was so effective in phase one of the movement, now has to change to adjust to the new day...
I hope I have been helpful in these few blogs. My desire has been to honor this most poetic of gifts. They are so needed in these days of massive transition. As I am not a prophet, I cannot presume to be reading them correctly, so my desire is to bring their story to the spotlight of collaborative conversations. Be that as the gift of prophecy operates at the local level or as the office of the prophet at all its levels. Lets engage together. We certainly need this most weighty of gifts.
Thank you,
ReplyDeleteI feel today i am reading, my journey in so many ways, status quo is smothering and mundane, and i say to myself: Lord, there is soo much more than this! i will not settle for Mediocrity!! if that was the case, then i could have stayed in a life of sin. wow, so refreshing.