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New Testament Prophets
After His resurrection, Jesus ascended on high in order to fill all things (Greek, PAS – everything, i.e., “the whole universe” – NIV, Amp. [Ephesians 4:10]). He intended to fill the whole creation with His glory. In order to implement His strategy, He began giving gifts to His people. He gave some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that He might bring forth on earth an integrated singular corporate man that would appear at first glance to be headless. But He would be its head functioning from heaven. From the right hand of the Majesty on high, He would coordinate a miracle on earth – many people moving as one both in their lived–out faith and in their knowledge of Him (Ephesians 4:8 - 13). Here would be His means of revealing His glory on earth.
Filling heaven with His glory did not take long. When He ascended, He received dominion, glory, and a kingdom which would endure forever (Daniel 7:13 - 14). When He sat down to rule, He did so having received all authority in heaven and on earth with the expectation that every enemy opposing Him would be made a footstool for His feet (Hebrews 1:13).
But the process of fulfilling His work on earth has indeed been taking a bit longer. One primary reason is that the five ministries have not clearly understood their mission – to contribute toward specific local examples and expressions of what seems to be a headless corporate body that somehow by grace is revealing one heart and mind – even the mind of Christ. To labor for this miracle requires humility, accountability, and teachableness. And the saints will never come to such a lifestyle if their leaders are not walking it out as an example before them. Prophets simply must live their lives in a way that expresses their need for teachers (and the other ministries) around them to whom they are accountable. And vice-versa. This requires them to serve in local church settings. Or if they have been sent out to serve in the larger body of Christ, they must then at some point return and function with local accountability until the Lord releases them again.
Because many have not understood what the Lord is establishing on earth in order to fill it with His glory, we have many who function as singular ministries – like Old Testament prophets in a New Testament era. With New Testament prophets, especially, it is easy to see why they would do this. But the winds of change are blowing. Christ must be revealed from heaven in and through local functioning expressions of His body.
Owen Carey lives his life to see this vision come to pass. His quest is Christ - to know Him and to see Him revealed not only in individual lives but in the corporate gatherings of His people as well. He carries an apostolic grace to point out when people promote any other agenda. He does this not in order to specifically cause a conflict but because one who lays the foundation of Jesus Christ in the house that He is building simply has no choice in the matter. No agenda but Christ. Or, as Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). In conclusion, God primarily used prophets to write the Old Testament Scriptures and apostles to write the New Testament Scriptures. But the prophets of today must move into the apostles’ neighborhood. Their ministries will only be fruitful in the ultimate sense when they discover how to function within the apostolic vision.
Don Rumble – September 2020
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