Modern Prophets: Lessons from My Grandfather's Dunghill

By David Ryser

“Sometimes gift is just another word for curse.”  (Lisa Jackson).

A man was attending his first Pentecostal church service.  He listened and watched as prophetic utterances were given and manifestations of speaking in other tongues with the interpretation following were in evidence.  After the service, the man was visiting with the pastor.  “Was that God speaking during the service?” he asked.  The pastor proudly assured him, “Yes, it was.”  The man replied, “Well, if that was God speaking, why didn’t He say anything of consequence?”

That’s a good question.  And it deserves a good answer.

Some time ago, I was reading an e-mailed prophetic “list” named after a famous Old Testament prophet.  It was a compilation of prophecies given by the most recognized prophetic voices in the world.  I was astounded by what I was reading…not positively astounded, mind you, but astounded nonetheless.

As I read through this “prophetic “ newsletter, sifting through the mire and searching for the golden nugget that might or might not be buried deep within, I was increasingly reminded of my grandfather’s dunghill.

My grandfather was a dairy farmer.  Twice a day he would milk the cows and then muck out the barn.  He would shovel the cow waste into a wheelbarrow and then push the wheelbarrow to the back door of the barn where he would dump the waste onto the ground below.  Because the barn was built into a hill, the drop from the back door to the ground was about two stories tall (or seemed so to a young child).

Over time, the dunghill grew taller and taller.  Eventually it grew so tall that my grandfather was able to place a plank from the back door of his barn onto the top of the dunghill.  Then he could wheel his wheelbarrow out to the edge of the dunghill and continue to dump the cow waste.  Thus, the dunghill grew greatly in size.

Before I read the “prophetic list,” my grandfather’s dunghill was the biggest pile of crap that I’d ever seen.

As I consider the sad state of modern prophecy and prophets, I find myself greatly conflicted.  Prophets are in danger of becoming irrelevant.  And they have an important job to do in the Kingdom of God.  One part of their job is to encourage and edify the people of God as they proclaim the word of God (Acts 15:32).  They are also charged with declaring the mind of God as He reveals the future to them.  The prophet Agabus is a New Testament example of this (Acts 11:27, 28 and 21:10, 11).

And Agabus declared the mind of the Lord without giving any advice to people about what to do with the revelation he gave to them.  Unlike many modern prophets, he knew when to speak and when to shut up.

Perhaps the most important part of the prophet’s job is to equip believers to do the work of the ministry and build up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11, 12).  They accomplish this by training the people of God to hear the voice of God for themselves.  If they do not do this part of their job, they are not New Testament prophets.

And if they don't do their job, their gift becomes a curse.

Because if they retain the ability to hear the voice of God unto themselves, it is not long before they begin to use this God-given gift as a platform for doing Christian fortunetelling in front of crowds of people in order to receive their admiration, their adoration, and their money.  They can easily forget that their gifting is not about them.  It is not a means to show off their spirituality.  And it is not given so they can put their “word” on a prophetic list that is little more than a Christian version of the children’s game, “Mine is bigger than yours!”

Who needs this?  A part of me just wants to tune out the whole prophetic thing.  But I can’t.

Shutting off prophecy because it has become more of a curse than a blessing has already been tried.  It was done in Thessalonica at the first century church located there.  Why?  Probably for the same reasons churches all over the country have either shut down or actively curtailed prophetic utterances in their services.  It just doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble. But in 1 Thessalonians 5:20, the apostle Paul commands the church to “Stop despising prophecies” (literal Greek translation).  Then he tells them to test the prophecies (and other spiritual things) and hang onto what is good (verse 21).

In other words, have the sense of an old cow.  Eat the hay and leave the sticks.

So I have determined to honor the true prophetic in the Body of Christ…when, and if, I can find it.  I have connected myself with people who possess the eyes, the ears, and (most importantly) the heart of God.  They are not well-known as yet because they are going lower in Christ at the moment.  And the lower they go into Him, the greater their power.  God is preparing them, and we will be hearing from them.

They are at the bottom right now, but God is about to turn His Church upside-down.  Where will they be then?  For that matter, where will you be?

To the other prophets I would suggest that this is a good time to judge, and police, yourselves (1 Corinthians 14:29, 30).  Or else.  You can, and will, be replaced if necessary.  Please take your rightful place in the Body of Christ.  Become the gift and blessing you were intended to be.

We really do need you…or at least your gifting.  But if your gift becomes a curse to us, we will do without you until God raises up your replacements.  We are willing to wait awhile, if we must, for the real thing.

But in the meantime, I’m not going to read your stupid newsletter…even if it does remind me of my beloved grandfather.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com