The pastor’s prophetic voice

As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word’ ” (1 Kings 17:1).* This bold declaration was issued by Elijah to King Ahab, but was not as bold as the Mount Carmel experience (1 Kings 18:17–40). As a result, he received a death threat (1 Kings 19:1, 2).

“ ‘ “This is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness….” ’ ” (Jer. 36:30, 31). Jeremiah also did not refrain later from prophesying against King Zedekiah and the people (Jer. 37:17; 38:2, 3)—leading to Jeremiah being persecuted (Jer. 38:4–6).

Their experience is not unique. Indeed, theirs represents the essence of prophetic preaching. They did not engage in feel-good sermons; instead, they preached what God gave to them—not considering the potential repercussions they could face. Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and so many others recognized the seriousness of the times and uttered the judgment messages the Lord wanted them to present.

Do such prophets exist today?

This month’s lead article features an interview with Hyveth Williams, a professor of preaching at Andrews University. She calls for preachers to exercise the authority that God invests in them both locally and nationally. And no doubt exists in my mind that there are many such pastors who lovingly proclaim the high expectations of God. God, however, in these last days, seeks yet more men and women who will exclaim His Word—regardless of the possible ramifications of doing so.

But why do some pastors fear exercising their prophetic voice? Perhaps some preachers, because of their desire to be loved by their congregations, refrain from saying things that may be controversial or offensive (offensive in the sense that viewpoints, although biblically solid, challenge long-held cherished beliefs of the hearers). Or perhaps in this era of megachurches, since the largest, fastest-growing churches don’t tend to feature bold prophetic sermons, preaching like the prophets of old has become politically incorrect and hurtful to the church growth movement to which God calls us. Perhaps the focus on grace, necessary as it is, presumes the absence of corrective discourse. Or maybe there’s just too steep a political price to pay for “ruffling feathers.”

Revival and reformation

Just as Bible prophets preached a judgment message, our mission today includes lovingly proclaiming God’s just judgment as found in the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–12. The goal of our prophetic preaching is renewal and restoration, not doom and destruction— as also was the desire of Elijah and Jeremiah (1 Kings 18:37; Jer. 29:10, 11).

Could it be that a renewed emphasis on prophetic preaching is needed today in order to effect revival and reformation? Could it be that God calls pastors, professors, administrators, chaplains, and other ministers to heed His command, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1, KJV)? The church needs to experience true godliness on both the personal and corporate levels. Should not men and women of God speak with a prophetic voice as they are led by the Holy Spirit?

Sin—whether it is adultery (often publicized) or pride (often hidden under the guise of good works and ministerial pursuits)—is still sin. These the minister must address, as well as so many other ills that plague the world around us (sexism, racism, classism, to name just a few. And each of the aforementioned has institutional as well as personal elements.).

Prophetic preaching and the kingdom

When God’s preachers employ the prophetic voice He has given them and when His people live the truths of Holy Scripture, we find ourselves longing more and more for the day when “ ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’ ” (Rev. 11:15). A true prophetic ministry, rightly employed, demonstrates our deep desire to hasten the Parousia, the consummation of the Blessed Hope, so we can go home to live in eternal peace with our God.

How about it? The time is now more than ever to “preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage— with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). God bless our prophetic voices!