For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Romans 2:4
What is the main message of the prophet? Repentance. The role of the prophet is to expose the current situation of the reality and truth of sin within us. Look at the ministry of John the Baptist, or Jeremiah, or Jonah, and other prophets. That ‘role’ hasn’t changed with the new covenant. The only difference is that there are potentially even more prophets ‘called’ to the Body of Christ than ever before. BUT the system of the institutional Church leadership has pushed out that ‘role’, except for a VERY few places around the world. The majority of those in the ‘west’ sitting in the institutional / Sunday service gathering / 4 walled ‘Church’ don’t have a clue how the role of prophet should be ‘equipping the Body of Christ’. (Ephesians 4:12)
This role should be teaching the Body how to interact and nurture the relationship with the Holy Spirit for direction, repentance, prayer, instruction, interpretation, prophecy, and how the Holy Spirit needs to be involved in every aspect of daily life of every follower of Jesus Christ. This role should be teaching the Body how the Holy Spirit moves within a person who has His indwelling Presence. Teaching the Body how the gifts of the Holy Spirit work in and through us (1 Corinthians 12 / 14).
But in the current institutional religious system the ‘Pastor’ or Priest takes on EVERY role of the 5 fold. Yet these individuals are never called to ALL 5 roles by the Spirit of God. So the Body remains stunted and immature in its growth and abilities. Honestly… I think there are many who need to repent for doing what ‘they think is right in their own minds’ when never humbly submitting to the Holy Spirit and waiting and listening for His direction.
Repentance is necessary for the ability to ‘stay on His path’. It should become a regular discipline in our lives to continually check with the Holy Spirit if there is anything we need to repent for and change our ways. Who is teaching the Body how to hear the Holy Spirit in this area of repentance, and how important it is?
Where are the prophet mentors? Those called to teach and raise up a company of prophets in each local community of the Body? Those mentors who help those who have been ‘called’ to the role but don’t have a clue how to begin to go forward towards that ‘calling’? We are missing a huge generation of prophets who are willing to lay down their lives for the next generation of prophets. Too many in the ‘professional’ career “ministry” are only concerned about money and influence and the size of their audience. In the scope of eternity and obedience fulfilling your ‘calling’ may be to a few or even one whom the Lord has given a specific world changing ‘calling’. We ALL have a link / piece in His plan / puzzle within the vast eternal matrix of His heart. Of course we have to submit to His will by agreeing with Him with our own free will. This I believe is the meaning of the scripture of Matthew 22:14. We must choose the ‘calling’ of God set before us. First we have to learn how to recognize that ‘calling’ and what that entails in our lives. The institutional religious system just wants you to set yourself within its own machinery and pay them money to get a ‘certificate’. Very few even know what this prophetic ‘calling’ is and how to navigate it. Academic schools (including seminaries) do NOT know the ‘ways of the Spirit’, but ONLY the ‘ways of the intellectual’.
Who is going to lead our nation into the massive NEED for repentance?