Paul said we should seek the best spiritual gifts, in particular, the gift of prophecy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)
Jesus said that, until he started his ministry, John the Baptist was the greatest prophet who had ever lived. Yet the weakest Christian must be greater than John. (Luke 7:28)
There are false prophets too, but some people can't imagine anything except a deluded fanatic when they hear the word 'prophet'.
Similarly, the term 'martyr' (which just means 'witness') is now a derogatory term. No one these days dares to say they are saints, much less martyrs or prophets.
Yet the truth is that all Christians have been called to be prophets, martyrs, and saints. And if you're not prepared to learn to be all three, you're probably not a Christian.
The people we call saints (St. Paul, St. Francis, St. Christopher, etc.) are just people who have been officially declared to be Christians by the Catholic Church. In reality, all true Christians are saints. (See Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, and Ephesians 4:12.)
Peter said that each time we speak, we should do so as God's mouthpiece. (1 Peter 4:11) (A prophet is one who speaks as God's mouthpiece.) So if we are to be God's mouthpieces, we need to think about what He wants to say.
God is angry about the way the world has treated his Son. They've taken his name in vain--calling themselves Christians when they haven't the slightest interest in seriously obeying anything that Jesus has told us to do.
What will happen to anyone who tries to tell the world that? One way or another, they'll be martyred.
If Jesus, with all his wisdom, love, and patience, could only survive three years in the public eye, it is doubtful that anyone trying to follow him could last much longer... unless we soften the message.
We've talked economics, supported charities, joined churches, and participated in political demonstrations in an effort to 'relate' to people of many persuasions. But it has angered us that we have had to almost hide, or apologise for, our faith in God, when He was the real reason for all of the other activities in the first place!
For every prophet there comes a day when he/she must proclaim, "Thus saith the Lord...!" And then wait for the laughs and accusations to begin. Well here goes...
We are confident that we speak as God himself, with his full authority, when we say that the world today is almost totally devoid of real faith. And the blame lies squarely at the door of the institutional church. It daily devises new justifications for disobedience to Jesus, God's Son. While it applauds the saints, martyrs, and prophets of the past, it continues to crucify those of the present. Until it can welcome and humbly submit to those who speak on behalf of God, its houses of worship will continue to be the mausoleums that they are today. (Matthew 23:38-39)
Thus saith the Lord!
Register or log in to take the quiz for this article
