The Plight of a Prophet

"Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.' Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief." Mark 6:1-6

As Jesus was in the midst of an incredibly expanding and wildly popular public ministry, the Gospel of Mark reveals to us a sad and sobering event. Jesus decided to visit His hometown of Nazareth, where He was given the privilege of teaching in the local synagogue on the Sabbath. At first, the listeners were amazed and mesmerized at the wisdom and authority of His words. But others were not so impressed. They began to question His lack of education, as well as His family pedigree. Slowly but surely the attitudes of the congregation began to change. No longer were they astonished at what they heard, now they were offended by what they heard. The passage concludes by telling us that Jesus healed a few sick people (He could have healed them all) and that He marveled because of their unbelief. But in the midst of this testimony, look carefully at what Christ said: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Interesting, is it not?

The word prophet, or a derivation of that word, appears 470 times in the New King James Version of the Bible. Most of the time we think of the classic definition for prophet: one who foretells future events. This is certainly valid, as many of God's prophets in the scriptures were used to reveal upcoming events. A clear example would be Elijah declaring with boldness that there would be no rain for an extended period of time as found in 1 Kings 17. Or the powerful prophecy of Isaiah foretelling the sufferings of Christ concerning His humiliation and death as found in Isaiah 53. Yet the most accurate understanding for a prophet in the context of Mark 6, and even today, would be one who is chosen and called by God to be His spokesman, delivering His messages, warnings, and guidance to a particular people.

Now I realize that some people believe that the ministry of the prophet is no longer valid in the days in which we live. I beg to differ with this opinion, however. The Bible says in Ephesians 4, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." There is no biblical evidence given that any of these distinguishable ministry assignments has ever been declared null and void. I understand that the classic definition for apostle is one who has personally seen the resurrected Lord. If this is true, then we certainly can agree that the office of apostle was closed with the death of John on the Isle of Patmos. If, however, I agree with some missiologists that the office of apostle now includes those who will go to an unreached and unengaged people group with the gospel of Christ in order to plant churches and make disciples, then that spiritual gift and church office is still a prominent one today. But my focus is not on apostleship, but rather the vital ministry of the prophet. And Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."

Over the years I have studied the lives of some of God's greatest spokesmen. Many of these were gifted men who spoke with the divine unction and boldness of a prophet. Yet so very often these men were despised and rejected. Both in the biblical narrative and throughout church history, God has sent prophets among His people. And to put it quite simply, their messages were met with anger, resentment, and at times, violence. The aforementioned prophet Isaiah is one example. In Isaiah 6 we find the great experience of worship that this man encountered following the death of King Uzziah. God gave him the privilege of encountering a vision of His glory, causing Isaiah to confess his sin, receive personal cleansing, and answer the call to serve by declaring: "Here am I, send me!" If you would carefully read the remainder of that chapter, you discover a chilling assignment. God would gift this man to become a mighty prophet, but the people would refuse to hear and heed his message. When Isaiah asked how long he would have to preach to a hard-hearted people who refused to repent, God said, "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitants, the houses are without a man, and the land is utterly desolate." Not a very lucrative assignment, wouldn't you agree? Oh yes, God said that a remnant would be spared, but the vast majority of His people would be judged. Isaiah understood the plight of a prophet.

Another example would be Jeremiah. In chapter one of the book that bears his name, we find incredible truth about this man's calling and empowering. God said: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations...you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you." Yet like Isaiah, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah that his assignment would be a difficult one and his message would be despised. God said: "They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, to deliver you." For those today who like to judge ministerial success, Jeremiah would have been an absolute failure. Why would I say this? Because he was eventually arrested and thrown into prison. The plight of a prophet.

A final Old Testament example is Ezekiel. In chapters two and three we discover the call of God upon Ezekial to be a faithful watchman on the wall, sounding forth the warnings of impending judgement. Yet God revealed this truth to His servant: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them." Ezekiel was eventually carried away into Babylonian captivity. Even this great man could not escape the judgement of God against a backslidden and hateful people. Again, the plight of a prophet.

If you have seriously studied the word of God, the most well-known of God's prophets would be the forerunner of Christ: John the Baptist. When I preach a message on this man's life, I focus upon:

• His Miraculous Birth (Luke 1:5-80)
• His Powerful Ministry (Matthew 3:1-12)
• His Agonizing Imprisonment (Mark 6:14-20)
• His Gruesome Death (Mark 6:21-29)
• His Enduring Legacy (Matthew 11:1-11)

John the Baptist had an explosive ministry that probably lasted only twelve to eighteen months. Multitudes went out to the wilderness area to hear him. Many of these listeners repented of their sin and displayed the sincerity of their decisions by submitting to baptism. Others came to identify with this impressive movement, but John clearly saw their hypocrisy and rebuked them with strong words of condemnation. As he pointed his followers to Christ, he was eventually imprisoned for his unwillingness to tone down his biblical beliefs concerning the sacredness of marriage. Separated from those who loved him dearly, he was eventually beheaded to appease the hateful spite of a deranged woman. The plight of a prophet. Yet Jesus said about John the Baptist, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." Think about it, the Son of God said that of all the billions upon billions who have been born of women, NO ONE IS GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST! That, my friend, is the ultimate compliment.

It has been said: "The more things change; the more things remain the same." Our world today is very much like the world of yesterday. Carnal men and women in the Old and New Testaments did not want to be confronted with authoritative messages from a God ordained prophet who uncovered their sin and warned them of judgement to come. And still today, carnal men and women do not want to be disturbed by a thundering voice of righteousness. As one friend of mine said, "The sleepy, lethargic church of America doesn't want to be awakened. When a modern-day prophet of God dares to lift up his voice like a trumpet and sound the alarm, most members roll over trying to hit the snooze button saying, 'Leave me alone, just leave me alone!'"

In closing, let me use the words of the great Leonard Ravenhill: "There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness. The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed, too negative and too unsociable. Let him be as plain as John the Baptist. Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern theology and stagnant "churchianity." Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle. Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do." Let him reject ecclesiastical favors. Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that which will move men to God. Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day. God, send us PROPHETS!" The prophet is God’s detective seeking for lost spiritual treasures. The degree of his effectiveness is determined by the measure of his unpopularity. Compromise is not known to him. He has no price tags. He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile. He marches to the beat of another drummer. In the day in which we live, there is not a more urgent national need than that we cry unto God for a prophet. Let him preach with a voice this century has not heard, because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us fiery men of holy boldness that will lead us from this wilderness of crass materialism and entertainment-based worship, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where spiritually blind pastors lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon. GOD, HAVE MERCY, SEND US PROPHETS!"

I have learned from personal experience that the sleepy, ungodly church in America today despises those who possess the spiritual gift and powerful ministry of the prophet. Yet even when faced with anger, rejection, and hatred, I find solace in the words of Christ...

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."

Luke 6:22-23

Moving from Mystery to Mastery

"I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly!"
John 10:10

The Apostle Paul wrote concerning a great mystery, which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" in his letter to the Colossian believers. That one, simple statement sums up the totality of truth as found in the Bible concerning God's work of redeeming and indwelling grace. In Christ, God became an earthly man, so that He might die as a sinful man, in order to be resurrected as a glorified man, thus opening the way for all men to be made righteous in His sight. My, what a God! Theologians call this truth, substitutionary atonement, but I just simply call it wonderful! Amen? Yes, AMEN!

Those of us who have been saved may not understand all the eternal, scriptural details of our conversion, but we know that He has come to dwell (live, abide, remain) in our inner most being. The result is a demonstration of His saving grace and redeeming power to a lost world that desperately needs to know Him. The abiding presence of Christ in us guarantees us a life of complete victory, overwhelming joy, and daily abundancy. Sincere honesty, however, requires us to confess that our lives seldom reflect this kind of living on a day-by-day basis. Rather than thriving in the great light of His provision, we often live defeated and rejected in a wilderness wandering, much like the children of Israel in the Old Testament. My heart's desire is that we experience all that He has wonderfully promised to us, and provided for us, and enter into the fullness of our inheritance as twice-born believers. Someone might be asking, "How is this possible?" The answer might surprise you in its simplicity, beloved, and will be as we learn to move from the mystery of life to the mastery of life.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!!"
Galatians 2:20

This amazing verse is the testimony of the Apostle Paul to the believers in Galatia. Paul wanted those men and women to know the same truth as the followers of Christ in Colossae. He wanted them to realize the great mystery of redemption, which is, "Christ in you the hope of glory." This awesome truth opens to us the majestic promises that we need to live victoriously and abundantly each and every day. How is this possible? The answer is simple, friend, for it is faith that moves us from our redeemed position to our revived possession. It is faith that matures us from living a substandard life to a supernatural life. It is faith that causes us to go beyond an experience of grace to an encounter of glory. And it is faith that empowers us to leave behind an enduring of dull religious activities on Sunday to enjoying a dynamic relationship every day! There is no doubt about it, Christ desires for all of us to move from the mystery of His indwelling presence to the mastery of His enabling power. Amen!

In order for us to realize how we can move from mystery to mastery, I want us to investigate the lives of the early disciples. As we carefully digest the truth of the gospels, we learn that these early followers of Christ were tremendous failures. This is clearly revealed as one of them actually received money to betray our Lord, while the others all forsook Him and fled on the night of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Seeing the instabilities of their lives causes us to more fully understand the truth of Christ when He told them, "Without me, you can do nothing." Even after His miraculous resurrection, they still displayed extreme cowardice and fear as they hid behind locked doors. Jesus was alive, and yet incredibly, they remained feeble and faithless.

What about us today? Do we keep our religious beliefs locked behind the safety of our own church doors? Do we cower in silence as the deranged voices of the unrepentant spew out their vile garbage that is slowly, yet steadily, moving our country away from her biblical heritage? Do we seek to maintain our own little religious status quo while a lost and dying world rushes off towards death and destruction in that horrible, eternal place called Hell? Why are we struggling to remain in the safety and security of our own dark shadows, when we could be triumphantly living day by day in the sunshine of His resurrection power?

"Without me, you can do nothing."
John 15:5

The disciples, in and of themselves, were not successful men. We clearly see this as we read the four gospels in the New Testament. Investigating the instabilities of their natural lives, we realize that we are very much like they were. When Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing," He was speaking to all of us. Surrounding his dialogue concerning the relationship between the vine and the branches, Christ spoke great truth about the coming of the Comforter. After His resurrection, the Bible says that He met with them, breathed on them, and declared plainly, "Receive the Holy Spirit." He also commanded them to "wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Then with wonder and amazement, He rose up into the clouds and returned to His glorious home. On the Day of Pentecost, their understanding of the third Person of the Holy Trinity would finally be unveiled as His presence was suddenly overwhelming them. This miracle transformed them from a place of failure to a place of fruitfulness; from a life of barrenness to a life of blessedness; from a sense of timidity to a sense of triumph, as He, the Spirit of Christ, filled them, controlled them, empowered them, and worked mightily through them!

Jesus specifically told them to wait for a specific promise to be fulfilled, and He told them to wait in a specific place: Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? Why not Capernaum, or Nazareth? Why not one of the lovely mountain hamlets that they had visited, or a beach side resort along the sandy shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea? Because Jerusalem was that ultimate place of personal pain and humiliation; it was the place of greatest failure to these ordinary men who had been charged with the extraordinary task of global evangelization. The disciples had to learn that the power necessary to accomplish this assignment in this place must come from God Himself, and not from the committed flesh of redeemed humanity.

No matter how hard you and I might try, we cannot perform the work of God. Man has never been able to accomplish anything of eternal significance, and when we try to do the impossible, we only become frustrated, defeated, and humiliated. Too many churches are filled with men and women who are not living by the power of God. We have plodded along for so long in the energy of the flesh, that we don't even know that there is a better way. Beloved, stop trying to serve Christ in your own strength and through your own self-effort. Cry out to Him now in sincere brokenness, and you will find that He is ready, willing, and able to move you from the mystery of life to the mastery of life!

"Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
Luke 24:49

Jesus commanded His followers to remain in Jerusalem until His promise of their being filled with the Holy Spirit would be accomplished. Why Jerusalem? Why not Capernaum, or Nazareth? Why not a lovely, quiet mountain village, or a vacation paradise on the Mediterranean Sea? Because Jerusalem was the ultimate place of personal pain and humiliation; it was the place of greatest failure for these men. If Jesus had told them to wait in one of those other places for the coming of the Holy Spirit, they would have forever avoided this city of failure. Their mindset of ministry would be to elude the more difficult and hard places of the world, thus disregarding the clear teaching of Christ that His gospel should be proclaimed to every race in every place, even Jerusalem, the place of His rejection and death, and the place of their failure and shame. Jesus was preparing to move them from mystery to mastery, and He would do this in the most unlikely of settings, Jerusalem.

Not only should we look at Jerusalem as their place of failure, but we must also realize it is the place of their greatest fear. On two different occasions they were huddled together in an upper room behind locked doors when the resurrected Savior appeared unto them. During both of these encounters Jesus said, "Peace be unto you." Why did He say this? John 20:19 tells us they were assembled behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. The vicious hatred that moved the religious leaders of Jerusalem to have Christ crucified by the authority of the Roman Empire made these intimidated disciples run for cover and remain hidden. In other words, they were clearly demonstrating their personal cowardice.

Fear is a crippling emotional reality that is not of God, as His word tells us that He "has not given us a spirit of fear." (2 Timothy 1:7) As you face the moment-by-moment challenges of life, what dominates your heart and emotions? If you are one who continues to run and hide behind the locked doors of religious tradition, self-comfort, and personal preservation, then you have not moved in the wonderful, liberating, and life-changing experience of the mastery of life!

"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you."
John 16:7

Jesus clearly revealed to His disciples that He would be going away. Although this was very regrettable news, Christ went on to explain to them how His departure would actually prove beneficial to everyone. Jesus, as a man, limited Himself to one particular place at one particular time. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, however, He would be able to multiply Himself in order to have a dynamic, global impact. This experience would be realized when He came to abide in the hearts of all believers. Just before His glorious ascension, He told those who were gathered with Him on the Mount of Olives to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." We have already seen how this intimidating city was their place of failure, and their place of fear. Now this same city would become their place of faith as well.

They had the choice of remaining in Jerusalem as commanded, or they could run away as fast and as far as possible. Yet something about the words of Jesus, perhaps even His facial expressions, spoke of the overwhelming importance of perfect and complete obedience. Although they could not fully understand all that would be transpiring on that great Day of Pentecost, we should thank God that He brought them to a place of faith in His spoken word and His revealed will. Through their obedience, He not only changed the spiritual temperament of that city, but He has also changed the world.

Without faith, we know that it is impossible to please God. And without faith, we will never know what it is to move out of our positions of powerless and passionless Christianity, to an incredible experience called the mastery of life.

"And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit"
Acts 2:1-4

The disciples of Christ had been instructed by Jesus to stay in the city of Jerusalem until they were "endued with power from on high." This most important city in Israel was their greatest challenge. We have already discovered how Jerusalem was their place of failure and fear, and how it was now beginning to be transformed into their place of faith. This can be seen in their obedience to the Lord's command to remain in this city rather than escape to a more friendly environment.

The Gospel of John reveals to us that before Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He lovingly restored a backslidden Peter and those who had accompanied him on a fishing expedition. Now that Jesus is gone, these men remain firm to the instructions given to them from their Lord. No more going down to the lake for fleshly pursuits. Gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the obedient, united body of Christ now experiences Jerusalem as their place of fullness. Wow! What an awesome truth, as the Spirit of Jesus moved with such an incredible force on these timid, scared, and yet believing individuals, resulting in men and women standing and speaking with such an astonishing anointing that the entire city was shaken with eternal truth!

Beloved, that kind of experiential fullness was not reserved solely for the early church. That kind of supernatural encounter is available to every genuine follower of Christ who will believe and receive! Now please understand, we should not look for the day of Pentecost to repeat itself with the sounds and sights of wind and fire, just as we don't expect to experience another Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter as recorded in the scripture. The day of Pentecost was one dramatic day in the life of the church when clear prophetic teaching from Christ was fulfilled. Yet I believe with all of my heart, that if we yield ourselves afresh and anew to His authority, we can encounter the life-changing fullness of the Holy Spirit that will most definitely move us from the mystery of life to the mastery of life! Do it again, Lord, do it again!

"And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:47

Jerusalem, we have learned, was the place of failure and fear for the followers of Jesus. It also became their place of faith and fullness as they tarried in this city as ordered by Christ before His spectacular ascension. As you study the Book of Acts, you will clearly see that Jerusalem finally becomes their place of fruit for these disciples as the Lord saves 3,000 people on the day of Pentecost through their witness, and thousands more as they continued to exalt Jesus on a daily basis. The heading in most of our Bibles for this Book says: "The Acts of the Apostles", which is not very accurate. The correct title should read: "The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles", which is the MASTERY of life!

You and I cannot produce spiritual fruit. In fact, the scriptures never command us to create or manufacture fruit. We should certainly desire to be fruitful followers of our Lord, but we cannot produce fruit, we can only bear fruit. How? It is only possible as we live in a state of yieldedness to the abiding presence of Christ in us. In Jack Taylor's classic book, The Key to Triumphant Living, he states how one must realize the RESIDENCE of Christ IN the human life, submit to the REIGN of Christ OVER the human life, in order to experience the RELEASE of Christ THROUGH the human life. The disciples in the Book of Acts did not save one person. It was the enthroned Christ working through them that transformed lives and turned cities upside down with the gospel. These men and women of faith serve as examples to us of what can happen when we happily surrender to the His absolute control over our lives today.

No one can perform the works of God, only God can. We must understand this principle and believe that He desires to work through us as we surrender to His will. Marvelous and miraculous fruit will abound as the life of Christ is released through our lives on a daily, ongoing basis. May you and I clearly and wonderfully find ourselves moving from the experience of grace revealed as the MYSTERY of life, to this encounter of glory recognized as the MASTERY of life! AMEN!