The Prophet

In the early winter of 1991 I was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I found the whole experience boring. It was only my second semester but I already wearied of classes on Old Testament and New Testament history, Hermeneutics, Baptist History, and others. I wanted to get out and actually start doing something beside read, write papers and take tests.

Most days after class I went to the library and made my way to a little niche on the second floor. Once there, I laid text books aside and took out treasured copies of books written by Vance Havner and Leonard Ravenhill. On that second floor the Master of the Universe began to teach me other things and I worked on His Master's Degree.

This morning I have two books written by those prophets of the Lord open on my desk. I have the tattered volume A Treasury of Vance Havner: Twentieth Century Prophet as well as a worn copy of Ravenhill's book, America Is Too Young To Die. God has used both books numerous times in my life over the past twenty-four years.

It seems like yesterday I got lost on the second floor of that library in thought, prayer, and dreams as I read those two men. Havner wrote:

                   I do not call myself an evangelist or a Bible teacher. My ministry is revival 
                   rather than evangelism but the term revivalist never appealed to me. There should
                   be full time prophets who speak for God to the nation and to the church. The true
                  prophet has slight regard for forms and ceremonies. He is disconcerting to the 
                  system and irritates those who seek only to maintain the status quo. He is not 
                 remotely interested in being "in" with the rich, wise, mighty or noble. The prophet
                  is essentially a rebel. Jesus was a rebel against the lifeless established religion
                  of His day. To equip such men, God usually endows them with a streak of 
                   stubbornness and a disinclination to follow beaten paths. This makes them 
                   unpopular with the prevailing set up of their day. We need a prophet
                    who will go to the woods with his Bible and learn what God is thinking.  pp.165-167

When I read that I highlighted all those words. I then took out my pen and wrote these words in the margin, "God, I want to be that man."

The prophet is different in many ways from the pastor. The prophet is often a loner preferring to keep company with God rather than with people. The prophet preaches hard. He is a servant of God, on mission for God, declaring a fresh word from God. Prophets are men of prayer. They agonize over the sins of their generation. They fearlessly call the church and nation to repentance. Prophets are not popular. They are often labeled as too hard, too negative, too aloof, too controversial and too uncompromising for the mainstream religious establishment. Prophets are needed mouthpieces for God to thunder against sin and call people back to God and holiness of living.

Ravenhill wrote about prophets in America Is Too Young To Die. I think people would agree God anointed and consecrated him to be one of those prophets. Ravenhill listed several characteristics of prophets. Of prophets he wrote: "Compromise is not known to them. He has not price tags. He lives in the heights with God and comes into the valley with a "thus saith the Lord." He lives in splendid isolation. He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire. He hides with God in the secret places but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace. We need a God sent prophet!"  pp. 24-25

Prophets upset the status quo. They rock the boat of apathy and hypocrisy. They ruffle the feathers of the religious establishment. They afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. America needs prophets on the scene again.

We are past the time for polished pastors who offer sterile sermon series week after week. We are past the time for tickling the ears to keep the peace. We are a nation adrift in a seal of immorality. We are a nation bent on leaving the God we once loved and revered. We are a nation of religious imposters giving lip service to our faith but rarely giving the heart service of prayer and evangelism. We are a nation littered with houses of worship but not near as many true churches.

In a day when churches have become big business and small ministry we need a voice crying out in the wilderness, "REPENT!" We desperately need a prophetic voice calling America back to holiness of living and to forsake the hootenannies of hollywood lifestyles and philosophies. We need courageous prophets who preach to please God and not for profits. We need prophets who cannot be silenced by promotions or endorsement. The only promotion the true prophet needs is Heaven and the only endorsement he needs to be anointed of God.

In a day when many pastors are glad handing the members for special favors the prophet can never be bought off. He will never be the puppet of wealthy members. Though kept off many influential conference platforms or out of many prestigious pulpits God has His plans and purposes to use the prophet.

While many evangelist are busy about building their slick gospel presentations and marketing methods to grow their ministry, the prophet does not seek self promotion. He seeks God on behalf of the nation and trusts God to promote him where He wills. The prophet makes no distinction from preaching in the backwoods or preaching in First Church in the city. He does where God sends without regard to large love offerings.

The prophet preaches for conviction. He writes to shake souls. He prays for a tidal wave of conviction to hit America and to shatter the order of worship in churches all over the land. The prophet prays in secrete and the Father who seeks in secret uses the prophet mightily in public.

America needs prophets. We do not need more professional pastors. We do not need more sanitized sermons. We need a, "Thus says the Lord." We need a fresh voice from God and not an echo of the passing fads of the prevailing church growth philosophies of the day.

I thank God from the depths of my soul for the education He agave me on the second floor of that library. He seated me at the feet of two masterful prophets in Vance Havner and Leonard Ravenhill. Now both are in heaven but their voices are not silenced. Their recorded sermons live on. Their writings live on. Yet, who will take up the prophetic baton from these departed. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Who can we send and who will go for Us?' Then I said,  'Here am I. Send me.'" [Is 6:8]