Wikipedia (best thing in the world) says that in the Hebrew there are two words for “Prophet”-  ro’eh and navi.  Actually there are more than that, but I’m going to talk about three of them here. Now, Jesus is usually quiet when I read, but here he sort of piped up. He pointed at “navi” and I realised that the word no longer has a meaning. It is irrelevant to us and devoid of glory. I didn’t quite get that, so I looked at the spelling. The spelling of it is nun beit iud aleph נְבִיא . Now, wiki tells us that these navi were “moral teachers” and that the term means “spokesperson.” Now, each letter in the Hebrew aleph-beit stands for a picture which in turn has gospel-meaning. Aleph stand for the ox, or for the sacrifice of Jesus. The word navi ends with an aleph, and yes, said Jesus here- that ministry ended with the sacrifice of Jesus. Why? Because the law ended with Jesus’ sacrifice, so “moral teachers” who taught the law and showed people their shortcomings were no longer necessary. That is why the ministry of the navi died when Jesus died. Yet when Jesus rose, something else rose up with him.

There is a second word in the Hebrew for the word “Prophet”, and this one is ro’eh, ראה, which is spelt resh, aleph, heh- this is where it get exciting! Wiki tells us that ro’eh was the old name for navi, which existed before. Here is where Jesus tells me that ro’eh are the original prophets, the ministry of grace that existed before the law was given, and that exists again now that the law is dead. It is the type of prophet that Abraham was, and Sarah, and the type that you and I are. Ready for this? Ro’eh means “seer”- we see things others cannot, beloved. When you look with the eyes of your heart, you see the glory of god in his creation, you see his grace, his light, his nature. You see people the way that Jesus sees them, and the world the way it truly is. And what else? Central to the term that defines us is the Aleph- the sacrifice. It is our core, the heart of our ministry, and it ends with a Heh, and the Heh, beloved, is the letter of Grace. We always end it with grace, just like John when he finished revelation: may the Grace of God be with us all.

The third word relevant to us is the חֹזֶה which is spelt chet, ayin, heh. Chet is the courtyard, ayin is the sword, heh is grace. Chet is the courtyard where Jesus was slain, outside of Jerusalem. Ayin is the sword, and the sword has a history in the bible. The first and last mention of it in the old testament have significance because it is the same sword. The first time it appears is when the angel takes it up to guard Eden with it.  The last time is when Malachi tells of the sword that God calls upon to slay his shepheard. Jesus went into the courtyard of God and was slain to consume all judgement, so that the sword would no longer be a threat to us. We have free passage through the courtyard to the presence of God and what remains for us is grace: heh. Breath of life.

Ok, first things first: it’s ok to believe that you’re a prophet. I’ve been told loooads of times and for very long that to believe that God could be speaking to you is a proud thought, or arrogant. Honey- that’s not true . You know what? You were created a prophet. It’s part of who you are. Jesus once told Jeremiah in Jer. 1:5 that he made  him a prophet right from his mother’s womb.

Speaking of Jeremiah- one is never too young to be a prophet. When Jeremiah started to see, he was probably younger than a teenager. If you’re just twelve- hey why not . The earlier you realise who you are, the better. It’ll save you the whole identity-crisis thing that most teenagers have to go through and life will be a lot more simple.

Thrirdly, being a prophet is not something you have to earn- it is a gift. Because it’s part of who you are, and your story, your destiny, it is not that you can only “call” yourself the noun after you’ve done the verb for thirty years (which is what I was taught ). When Samuel saw David, what did he see? A young boy, a loner who sat around with sheep all day. What did Jesus see? The legendary king David, father of Jesus, the one who stood for his own kingdom. His beloved, victorious warrior. Had David done the verb yet? No! But he was who he was through the grace of God. And that is what you are: you are a prophet through the grace of God, and no-one can deny that.

Fourthly, I realise that churches are veeeeery poorly equipped to tell us prophets what it means to be a prophet, and what our function is. Churches in general throughout this planet are pretty much…confused. I’ll tell you a secret, buddy-prophet- that’s why we’re here . I’ve had to figure out what everything meant for three years, and well, I think I’ve got it now, so perhaps I can save you the journey.

Fifth. To be a prophet means to have the sucky (and amazing) job to be stuck between the two veeery different worlds of Zion and Earth. Why? Because as a Prophet you see Zion- you see what Plato and C.S. Lewis called “the forms”, you see “truth”, you see how things are in their original, pure, unfalled form. You see Jesus, you see light, and most importantly of all: you learn see how Jesus thinks through your conversations with him. You know what “repentence” is? Metanoia (μετανοια) the greek word for it means “to change ones’ mind/thoughts” (btw: might be a good idea for you to learn some greek). Repentence means to learn how to think like Jesus thinks. Thing is, the more you think like Jesus, the less you think like the rest of the world, and yes, also the less you’ll think like your church.

A recommendation at this point. It is best to have studied all the interpretations that exist, the different takes on theology that are around, in order to understand them. Then it is best to ask Jesus about it, and hear his version. You’ll be surprised.

It can be an isolating experience, because sometimes it is as if no-one understands you. Well, honey, you’re not alone, cuz even though you don’t know them, all over the planet there are people like you and me who go through the same thing. We’re not the first, we won’t be the last.

So much to the preliminaries. Check the category “From Prophet to Prophet” for more of my advice. I remember that when I realised that I was a Prophet (and dared to believe it) I had a look around the net for some help on the matter. Zilch. Well, here’s my version.

Lots of Love you guys

Chickpea

Alec takes an interesting perspective on the events of the Bible by telling the story of humanity from the viewpoint of the three Arch-angels Gabriel, Michael and the fallen Lucifer. The first books tells of Lucifer’s fall, the second of Calvary, the third- I am guessing- will focus on Armageddon.

I have to say it was the first book I read without putting it down in three years. Alec manages to give her characters more credible depth than most who authors hit the best-selling lists. Her style is permeated with colour and impressionistic descriptions of her fantasy worlds and its creatures. She knows how to keep her story from becoming boring, and particularly the psychology of Lucifer is an original read.

Though I  disagree with some of the theological points she brings across, I doubt that her readers take her fiction literally, and the Jesus she portrays is not unlike the person I know him to be. The book is enjoyable and definitely not a waste of time. I give it 4/5 for her vivid descriptions and bright, empathic language.

God’s Word, Our Food: Video on YouTube

The true Gospel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10lue7bhcK0&feature=PlayList&p=99D82584E99EA695&index=7

The Divine Exchange: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCPU6l_KSU&feature=related

“The Root cause of your Problem is Condemnation”:  “The Root Cause Of Your Problem Is Condemnation” video on YouTube

Also available at:  http://yflcsandi.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/pastor-joseph-prince-the-root-cause-of-your-problem-is-condemnation/

Supernatural Transformation and Holiness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYoXwPQDYoY&feature=PlayList&p=99D82584E99EA695&index=8

“Holiness through Grace: Click here to listen to part one of the audio sermon Click here to listen to part two of the audio sermon

Rest is Holy-Spirit Directed Activity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTrmEsjf0-g&feature=PlayList&p=99D82584E99EA695&index=2

See the Father’s love for you: http://yflcsandi.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/pastor-joseph-prince-see-the-fathers-love-for-you/

Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfRBow24xM&feature=PlayList&p=99D82584E99EA695&index=0

Cast your cares and Have Shalom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEgNqDcMXYE&feature=PlayList&p=99D82584E99EA695&index=3

Its not dependent on your Faith but on Jesus’ Grace: Click here to watch the video sermon

God’s promises are not dependent on you but Jesus: Part one of the audio sermon Part two of the audio sermon

Miracles (Psalm 1): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3817586798670977910&q=%22Joseph+Prince%22+meditation&ei=ujpZSP6vFYaCigLU0LHyDg

About Jesus: Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007 – Excerpt

About Prophecy:  The Spirit Of Prophecy Under The New covenant

Just for fun: Humorous Bible Illustrations Humorous Illustrations: God’s Mysterious Ways?     Humorous Illustrations: Forgiven Much And Loved Much

The Communion: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=K8Lbxe4rr1M http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui_U7XQQfys