In that day the deaf will hear
the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
(Isaiah 29:18)

The prophetic role of Christ is often ignored or downplayed in the church today. But the early reformers recognized this crucial function in Jesus’ ministry. In his explanation of the second article of the Apostles’ Creed, Luther writes:

Christ was anointed to be my Prophet, Priest, and King.
As my Prophet, He revealed Himself by word and deed,
and by the preaching of the Gospel still reveals Himself
as the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world. *

A gospel message that is preached without a call to repentance is not a gospel message at all. Coming to faith in Jesus requires—no, demands—repentance. Real repentance is real change. Change from the inside out. Change that is deep, meaningful, and evident in daily life.

John demanded change from those who came to be baptized, whatever their station in life, and that included Pharisees who in their pride believed no change was required (see Matthew 3:1–12).

Furthermore, we should not see repentance simply as a onetime occurrence. Yes, it is the vital starting point in our walk of faith,  but true repentance goes far beyond that. Repentance must be incorporated into our way of life—a life of continual turning away from sin and living in humble service to our
Savior-King.

Though the blind man received his sight, (see John 9) the Pharisees persisted in their spiritual blindness, even though the miracle-working Savior was standing before them.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world,
so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say
this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be
guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see,
your guilt remains.” (John 9:39–41)

For the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the spiritually blind of our day, this maxim holds true: If we don’t recognize the prophet, we won’t recognize the Savior. Jesus’ words remain relevant today:

Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive
a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous
person as a righteous person will receive a righteous
person’s reward. (Matthew 10:41)

The voice of the prophet is needed today, just as it was in Jesus’ day. A national call to repentance is needed now. Who will voice that call? Where are the prophets for our time?

The relative absence of legitimate prophetic voices in the church today should trouble us. There was a four-hundred-year prophetic gap between the Old and New Testament—a gap when the Spirit of God was silent. But then suddenly John the Baptist and Jesus appeared on the scene. The first two chapters
of Luke describe an astonishing flurry of Spirit-initiated activity as heaven set the great redemption story into motion. Will there be a similar flood of Spirit-directed activity before Christ’s second coming?

It is clear from the Scriptures that prophets were active within the New Testament church, and furthermore, Paul considered them essential to the proper functioning of the body of Christ.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:11–13)

In Acts we read that there were numerous prophets active in the church. Some of them are listed by name. They includeAgabus, Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and Saul (Acts 11:27–28, Acts 13:1–3, Acts 15:32, Acts 21:8–10). This Saul is also known as Paul, and he and Barnabas were commissioned by the church leadership in Antioch to go on the first great missionary journey (Acts 13:1–3).

Where would the church be today if these prophets had not spoken the word of the Lord over Paul and Barnabas? Would there be a church in Europe? Would we even know of theministry of Paul? The New Testament church grew as it received prophetic direction from those who were attuned to hear the
plans of God.

The church of God grows and flourishes when there are men and women who hear what the Spirit is saying, see what the Spirit is doing, and then declare it to the church and the world. That is the role of the prophet.

We need leaders with prophetic hindsight, insight, and foresight for the church to reach its full potential.

* Luther’s Small Catechism: A Handbook of Christian Doctrine (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House), 107.

An excerpt from
The Elisha Code & the Coming Revival
by David Kitz and Dr. Ed Hird.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.