All tagged prophets
Worship centers on God—God’s character as the source of all mercy and love and justice, God’s infinity, God’s majesty and mystery. In contemplating God, we see our own sin, our need for redemption and protection, as well as the possibilities of profound spiritual growth.
Why should we listen to these prophets? We could start with the obvious: these texts were part of the Bible of Jesus and the apostles. Who would we be to reject the words our Lord took to heart?
You don’t need to prove that you’re healed. You don’t need to rush into another assignment. You need only to sit at the feet of the One who carried you through it all and hear Him whisper, “Well done.”
In ministry, there are times when we have to speak truth to power. We see amazing examples of this throughout Scripture: Nathan confronting David on his sin with a story, the three telling Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn’t bow down, Jesus conversing with Pilate…. But we must do so knowing that we don’t always know what the outcome will be.
Can we learn to stand WITH the people of God, even when they stand AGAINST us? Can we bring ourselves to ask God to forgive the Church, even when we have been rejected by it? Can we refuse to let go of the Church, even when it desperately wants to let go of us?
What if the work in front of us is not to inspire more individuals to be prophets? What if the task ahead of us is actually priestly work – to attend to the rituals, texts, and structures that gather and define the people of God?
The prophetic imagination reminds that hope is a gift when we decenter our own perspective, trust God, and take our place within the Christian community that stands before God and waits.
Where does John the Baptist fit among Bing Crosby on the radio, children on a stage, and Charlie Brown memories?
How might we feel sorry in ways that reveal the flood-to-cross character of God, and reflect this to the world around us?
My prayer for all of us in ministry, is that we, just like John the Baptist, are only motivated by the desire to point to Jesus. That’s our job.
Christian teenagers have a message from the Lord for the church, and they have truth bursting from their souls about morality that it would behoove the church to hear.
An open pulpit is a means of grace God has always used to reach a diverse group of people.
There are plenty of epiphanies in this season called Epiphany, plenty of “aha” moments when God breaks into everyday life and reveals that he is up to something that will change everything forever.
I have noticed a trend toward equating "prophetic preaching" with a confrontational, rough and tough style of delivery.
