Responsibility of a prophet ... Ezekiel 3

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... 

There are many examples of prophets in the Old Testament.

 

Also in the New Testament Bible we read examples of prophets in the NT church.

 

Acts 11:27  And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

 

Acts 15:32  And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.

 

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Ministries Jesus gave to the church after the crucifixion and resurrection:

 

Ephesians 4

 

8 Wherefore HE saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

 

11 And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

 

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For both Old and New Testament prophets, Ezekiel 3 outlines the duties and responsibilities God gives to those called by God to be prophets.

 

 * Prophets must eat that which God gives to them:

 

Ezekiel 3

 

1 Moreover HE (God) said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

2 So I opened my mouth, and HE caused me to eat that roll.

3 And HE said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

 

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* Prophets are sent to the church, not to the world:

 

4 And HE (God) said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel (the church), and speak with MY words unto them.

5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto ME: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

10 Moreover HE said unto me, Son of man, all MY words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

Prophets serve God and yield to God.  When a prophet hears a word from God he learns to yield to God and speak that word.  Even when that prophet feels they will reject that word, he is disciplined by God to speak that word that he believes to be from God.

 

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* If a prophet fails to speak, their blood will be on his hands:

 

17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at MY mouth, and give them warning from ME.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

 

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Ezekiel 16

 

1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

Prophets are sent by God to cause the church to know the abominations that the church itself is committing in the eyes of God.

 

9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

12  And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

 

17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

 

22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.

 

They do not remember what God has done for them.

 

28 Therefore I delivered thee to them that hate thee.

 

(The churches do many sins in the sight of God and their things they make into religious idols cause their downfall at the end.)

 

32  But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

They pollute scripture and change doctrines of Christ into other lovers.

 

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* For writings on additional subjects, click here:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations Blog