LARRY: Welcome to Something More. I’m your host, Larry Sparks, and today I’m going to tell you how you can actually be activated in the prophetic ministry. And you might be thinking, Wait; wait, wait, I’m not a prophet. How can I prophesy to people? Let me tell you 2 quick things because I believe it is biblically legal – in fact, your spiritual inheritance – to prophesy. In Ephesians 4, yes it talks about an office of a prophet. Just like you have pastors and apostles in the Church, you have prophets. And today I’m very grateful to have a guest who is a prophet, but let me tell you this. A prophet’s job is not just to hear God for you. I believe a prophet’s job is to get you connected with your prophetic destiny, and actually clear the airwaves for you to hear from God. Because even though Ephesians 4 talks about the office of a prophet, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 actually encourages you. Paul encourages all Believers to prophesy. So today I have Hakeem Collins with me. And again, I’m – I’m so encouraged to know you, to read your material, listen to your material, –
HAKEEM: Yes.
LARRY: because you’re not being this voice saying, Hey, you know what, you got to come to me, to hear God; you’re actually helping people get connected with God, so they can prophesy. So just – just share with me a little bit, Hakeem, about the difference between the office of a prophet, and then the gift of prophecy, because I think there’s a lot of confusion about that.
HAKEEM: Yes, Larry, it is definitely. Allot of confusion about the gift of prophetic, or p- – I call it the gift of prophesying, –
LARRY: Yeah; yeah.
HAKEEM: or the office of the prophet. And the Bible is very clear, in Ephesians chapter 5, where God set in the Church first apostles, secondary prophets, and thirdly teachers. We see that God set these gifts – these ministry gifts – in the Church for the purpose of equipping the saints. Now we see that the prophet is a secondary ministry, but it doesn’t mean that they’re superior; it does not mean that they’re greater than any other gift. It’s just that God has a government; God has an establishment; God has a setting. And so the office of the prophet is a high responsibility –
LARRY: Mm.
HAKEEM: to the church, for the Believer to be equipped, into, their ministry. , but also there’s a difference as well between the office of the prophet and the gift of prophecy. And I believe there’s a lot of misunderstanding about that, and I believe it’s because of teaching.
LARRY: Yeah.
HAKEEM: And my heart really, as a modern-day prophetic minister is, really to bring understanding and clarity of the difference, because a lot of times because someone prophesied, doesn’t mean that they are a prophet.
LARRY: Yeah.
HAKEEM: and just because someone speaks the Word of God doesn’t mean that they have the responsibility that an office prophet has to the Church, so my job is, really to bring clarity. So as you stated, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, it gives you the outline of the ministry –
LARRY: Yes.
HAKEEM: of the prophet. But also in 1 Corinthians, when Paul begins to give an outline of the parameter, I believe what the gift does, it is to edify the saints, to really build them up. I believe the gift of prophecy is to build up the saints.
LARRY: Yes.
HAKEEM: It’s, really to build the Church.
LARRY: Now hold on a minute here, because here’s – here’s the problem: I know back in, I don’t know, the 50s and 60s where – where we the prophetic being restored in many ways –
HAKEEM: Yes; yes.
LARRY: in the Church – t-to some degree in one wave – I think a lot of people have this – they’re a little bit scared of the prophetic, Hakeem. And I think they’re scared because they think a prophet is going to come, and, you know, call out all their sins.
HAKEEM: hm.
LARRY: Or they think, Okay, so I’m going to be activated in prophetic ministry. Does that mean I’m always looking for all the negative in people, and all that? But you’re actually talking about how it edifies; it builds people up;
HAKEEM: Yes.
LARRY: it’s constructive. So, you, please give us a definition, so we have a clear vision of what the prophetic looks like. What is it intended to do? How is it constructive?
HAKEEM: Well, the purpose of the gift of prophecy is to bring edification, exhortation, and comfort.
LARRY: Yeah.
HAKEEM: That is the boundaries that the gift does. It’s not the office , but it’s the gift.
LARRY: Yeah.
