An Open Letter To The Church: A Prophet's Reward
Many of us have been called by God to be prophets. We did not call ourselves, God called us.
Having said that, it is very hard to operate as a prophet of God if one is weighed down with worldly cares and concerns. Some may say, "well what has she done prophetically lately" or "why haven't we heard from him or her prophetically lately" and the answer may be that too many of God's Prophets are bogged down by worldly cares and concerns to be prophetic. [ Many are having to strive to make ends meet. Some are needing to rest in Him during seasons also - pris]
The bible in I Kings 17:8-24 tells the story of the widow woman who met a prophet by the name
Of Elijah. Elijah was sent by God to the widow woman for the widow woman to support the prophet of God. To summarize the history of events, the prophet Elijah gives the widow woman an Instruction and it is in her obeying of the instruction that the widow woman is able to sustain
Her life and the lives of Elijah and her household. I Kings 17:15 states:
15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and
Her house, did eat many days.
Therefore by listening to the prophet of God, the widow woman, her household, and the prophet
Were sustained through a famine with ongoing, life-sustaining provision because of the prophet's
Close relationship and connection to God.
Next, in the history of events, we see that this same woman had a son who was now sick. The boy was so sick that he died. The widow went to the prophet of God and the prophet Elijah prayed to the Lord God Jehovah for the life of her son. And, the bible states next in verse 22:
22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again,
And he revived.
The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, the prophet, not of the widow woman and the soul of the child came back into him and the child was revived. I Kings 17:22-24 states:
22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again,
And he revived. 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, And delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.
Why did her son live? It was because of the widow woman's relationship of support with the
Prophet Elijah that this woman had cultivated and supported with her own means. It was because
Of her relationship and connection with the prophet Elijah that her son lived. You see, while Elijah was being supported by the widow this allowed him time to pray, this allowed him time to
Concentrate and time to continue to cultivate a relationship with the Almighty God Jehovah
From whom all blessings flow. He did not have to worry about a place to stay or about food
To eat and this allowed him to do what prophets do: stay close to God and receive instructions
from God for God's people so that God's people can be encouraged, comforted, and strengthened.
Because Elijah was given the opportunity to be close to God and to spend significant and quality
Time with God, this allowed Elijah to be spiritually equipped, prepared, and ready to meet the
Spiritual challenges and needs of the day. This allowed the widow to call upon the prophet of God in her time of need and Elijah was ready through God to meet the need. Elijah was free to respond because all of his needs were taken care of, thus his only concern was for the needs of others by staying close to God and hearing God's instructions for God's people.
Unfortunately, many have lost the significance of prophets in today's society. Prophets are no
Longer valued by many in today's society. Instead of the church encouraging God's prophets
(those who have shown that they have the gift of prophecy), the church oftentimes does not:
1. recognize that God's prophets even exist in today's society,
2. if they do recognize that they exist, the church fails to adequately support God's prophets
So that God's prophets can do what He has called them to do which is to bless God's people.
A prophet's primary job is to bless the people by staying close to and serving God. When a
Prophet is able to do this job the people are blessed, but when a prophet is not able to do this
Job the people forego all the blessings that would come from honoring a prophet.
This lack of honor is not new. Even Jesus, Himself, commented about the lack of honor given to
Prophets in Matthew 13:57-58:
57And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging
His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without
Honor except in his own country and in his own house.
58And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of
faith in the divine mission of Jesus).
Unfortunately, the lack of honor for the Prophet Jesus kept miracles from being performed by
Him for the people. Thus, we see that honoring and supporting a prophet is essential to miracles
Being performed on behalf of the people. And Jesus was financially supported by those who
Believed in His ministry. He was also invited to stay in people's homes and invited to eat meals
with them and they were blessed by His presence.
When it comes to financially supporting prophets, today's church might say that it is not fair for
The church to support the prophet when the prophet can go out and get a 9 to 5 job just like them. But I would like to propose that a prophet's real and only "job" is to serve God and to do whatever God asks him or her to do. It is difficult if not impossible for a true prophet of God to have both a 9 to 5 job and to also EFFECTIVELY serve God and EFFECTIVELY serve God's people.
We can easily test this in sports, the world's number 1 golfer did not get that way by practicing
Golf and by working a 9 to 5 job at the same time for the majority of the time, if at all. No, golf was and is his job and that is how he became the world's number 1 golfer. The top football athletes get that way by constantly practicing football and essentially, "living and breathing" football. So, a prophet of God becomes effective in what he or she does by giving his or her life over to God through constant prayer, meditation in the word of God, and serving God. Why can't the prophet do both? Why can't the world's number 1 golfer do both? Why don't the top sports athletes in various fields do both? They don't and nor do we expect them to or want them to. We want them to be good at what they do and we support them in that effort.
Another argument of the church might be: why should the church support the prophets of God so that the prophets can be enriched? Again, the church might say: isn't this going to bless the
Prophets while leaving us behind or impoverished? The scriptures clearly state the contrary.
The scriptures clearly show that there is a reward for all those who receive and honor a prophet.
(See I Kings 17:8-24 (the widow's provision and son are raised from the dead), 2 Kings 6:1-7
(the ax-head floats), 2 Kings 6:8-23 (the Syrian army is blinded) etc.) Thus, a church which helps and supports its prophets is a church which will be blessed by those very same prophets. Yes, ultimately, it will be for the church's good, if true prophets of God are adequately and consistently supported. Furthermore, Matthew 10:41 states:
41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall
Receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous
Man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
And even today, we see the value of the Words of the Lord through His prophets through how
Those prophets warn us, instruct us, encourage us, comfort us, and strengthen us. I am writing
To encourage the church to begin to identify the true prophets around them, and to begin to
Support them where necessary so that the church can continue to be blessed by the Words of
Lord through the Prophets. If we want to see more miracles, if we want to see loved ones raised
From the dead, if we want to see debts cancelled, if we want to see the enemy defeated, then we must sow into lives of the prophets around us. Let it never be said that a church did not
Sufficiently and adequately honor its prophets. Because a prophet without honor is a church
Without honor. However, a prophet received (through adequate and sufficient support) is a
Prophet rewarded and a prophet rewarded is a church rewarded.
I wonder who the world's number 1 prophet is? No prophet would ever get to this status without
The church's (on-going, adequate, sufficient, and purposeful) support. Even Tiger Woods has
Sponsors, they believe in him to the tune of nearly a billion dollars or more. And in the wake of
Scandal, to date, many are sticking by him. So I say to the church: the frequency and quality of Prophecy that you receive will depend upon your willingness to support the true prophets around You. No support, no prophecy. Little support, little prophecy. Huge Support, then huge prophecy. Because the prophet is now free to focus on God and thus, prophesy. Prophecy will only exist in the world to the extent to which we as a church support it. Church it really is up to you. The answers are there, will you sow into them? The miracles are there, will you sow into them?
A prophet is God's spokesperson. A prophet sacrifices his or her time in order to stay close to
God. A true prophet of God has be tested over and over again by God before he or she is found
To be qualified and worthy of the position of prophet. Letters to the church are not written
Without a willing sacrifice of time and effort. Prophecies are not given without time and effort
spent in relationship with the Lord. As Amos 3:7 states:
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
Respectfully Submitted,
Prophetess Corliss Carter
(Jer. 1:5, Jer. 6:27 etc.)
"Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
