The Church has an assignment to establish the kingdom of God. The Lord Himself will equip us to complete this assignment before He returns. This mandate, however, can never be reached without the activation of the five main ministries.
Jesus is the example for each of these; He is the perfect apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. By discovering His passion and ministry we learn how each should function. In this study we will look at Jesus the prophet.
John chapter four records the amazing story of Jesus visiting Samaria on His way from Jerusalem to Galilee. As with other prophets, Jesus received a heaven-sent assignment, but we are not given the details. It could have come to Him in a dream, a vision or a heartfelt revelation, but He had purpose in mind when He stopped at Jacob’s well to rest. Immediately, He sent His disciples into the city of Sychar to purchase food, and He then waited for a special Samaritan woman to arrive. Prophets are always on assignment.
She came alone to draw water in the heat of the day, so it is obvious that the Samaritan woman was shunned by the others in the community. We are glad, however, that she was not shunned by God. Contrary to custom and the morals of the day, Jesus initiated a conversation with her; He asked for a drink of water. The woman was surprised that a Jewish man was making such a request, for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans and furthermore, she was a woman. She questioned Him about this. Prophets, like Jesus, always initiate purpose. They do not wait for it to come to them in a passive manner. He pressed further.
Without delay, Jesus told her that if she knew the gift of God and who was asking for a drink, she would ask Him and He would give her supernatural water. Jesus knew the woman was God-focused regardless of her sinful disposition. Prophets, like the Lord, see more than the obvious; they look beyond the sin to see the soul. She said she would like this amazing water, so Jesus told her to go get her husband and come back.
The woman said she was not married and Jesus responded with a prophetic gift of knowledge. This is an ability to know something that could only be known through supernatural gifting. He told her she had been married five times and the man she was now with was not her husband.
Some Christians do not believe in ministers telling people about the hidden details of their lives, citing it as a form of witchcraft. Jesus, however, exercised the gift of knowledge and other prophets do as well. Because of this gift, the woman recognized His gifting and called Him a prophet. Prophets use the gift of knowledge.
The Samaritan woman asked the question that had puzzled her for years. Regardless of the religious shunning, she knew that Samaritans were Jews and that Jacob (Israel), the father of the nation, was their ancestor. He dug this well and worshipped here in Sychar. Why then did the Jews say that worship should be centered in Jerusalem and not here? She was defending the significance of her people.
Jesus responded with kingdom teaching. He gave her the greatest teaching in the Bible about worship. He said that God is looking for people who will worship in Spirit and truth and this kind of worship will not be centered in Sychar or Jerusalem but everywhere His people are. She said that Messiah will explain all of these things when He comes. Jesus told her that He was the Messiah the Jews were seeking. Jesus, like other prophets, was not primarily focused on the details of her lifestyle, but on the propagation of God’s kingdom.
At that moment the disciples returned with the food they had purchased. They were surprised to see Jesus alone with a woman. She realized the conversation was about to shift. She left her water jug and ran back into town to tell others who she had met. When a God-fearing person has an encounter with a prophet, their lives are immediately refocused. She left her jug and the task of getting water; it was no longer important.
Then the disciples asked Jesus if He would like some food, but He changed the subject and used the spiritual moment to train them.
1. He said His food was to do His Father’s will.
2. He taught them about the priority of the harvest of souls that should be brought to eternal life. Prophets are not to entertain with sensationalism. Their passion is the harvest and the increase of God’s kingdom and government.
3. He told them that the harvest would come quickly and they should be ready to reap even where they had not done the preparatory work.
In town, the Samaritan woman told everyone, who would listen, about Jesus the prophet, who had told her everything about herself. Could He be the Messiah? This woman, who had been shunned, became the first New Testament evangelist. Many Samaritans began to believe in Jesus the Messiah because of her testimony, and they were soon calling Him the Savior of the World. A group rushed out to meet Him. They welcomed the prophet as a prophet, and they received the reward of His anointing (see Mt. 10:41).
They became believers not because they saw a miracle of healing but because of the supernatural gift of knowledge that flowed from a prophet. They were so moved that they asked Jesus to stay with them and He stayed for two days teaching them about the kingdom.
Prophets love to interact with those who are hungry to learn of God’s ways and receive His Word. That is their mission and everything else is put on hold when they are given the opportunity to touch the lives of hungry people and extend God’s kingdom.
As a prophet, Jesus supernaturally connected the people to God. As an evangelist, He set the captives free and brought them to salvation. As a pastor, He showed great compassion for the people and cared for them like a shepherd cares for his sheep. As a teacher, Jesus brought revelation to the people, revelation that would change their behavior forever. As an Apostle, He displaced the kingdom of darkness and ushered in the government of heaven.
A five-fold ministry revival is coming. Teach it, pray for it and expect God to release His glory over humanity through His Church. Get ready for a kingdom revival.
Instructions in Righteousness is produced by “Christians for Messiah Ministries” (CFM). Dr. Peter Wyns is the President of CFM and the Head Pastor of Antioch International Church. He has served as a pastor for 54 years and ministered in more than 45 nations.
2 Comments
Cathy Hargett July 28, 2022
This message is a blessing and speaks with clarity about Yeshua and the work of a true Prophet.
Paul Gentilini July 28, 2022
Thank you, Cathy, for commenting! I’ll be sure to pass the comment on to Dr. Peter Wyns. Blessings!