The cauldron where prophets are made, as well as every other ministry, is the local church. We need all of the irritations and frustrations of local church life to mature in Christ. Those who run from these challenges have their growth and potential usefulness stunted at best.
Often I hear prophetically gifted people complain that the church they are in is not open to this gift or to them personally. Excluding issues with the prophetic person that has caused their local leaders to distrust them, they are obviously either in the wrong church or this too is part of their training. It has been the lot of prophets from the beginning to rarely be accepted in their own time, and they are usually not recognized until they are dead and no longer a threat.
Jesus lived with continual rejection by the leaders of Israel, and it is not likely that any true minister will not suffer this at times in their life, and some, especially the high-impact ministries, will be under constant persecution in some form. If the apostles would go out rejoicing because they had been “considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (see Acts 5:41), how much more should we embrace any rejection as the great opportunity that it is? When the Apostle Paul’s credentials as an apostle were challenged he pointed to his afflictions and persecutions, not his accomplishments, as evidence of his apostleship.
However, the key is to learn to be rejected and falsely accused and not personally wounded by it. Under the Old Covenant, the priests could not have scabs or unhealed wounds. The same is true today—unhealed wounds can disqualify us from usefulness in ministry. Where you have scabs or unhealed wounds, you cannot be touched or get close to people, which is not acceptable and can corrupt a ministry. If we are being rejected or neglected, it is an opportunity for us to grow in love.
King David would not have been the great king and man after God’s own heart without the persecution he received from King Saul. Saul helped to make David into who he was called to be. David kept a right heart toward Saul through all of the injustices, always giving the highest respect for “God’s anointed,” and having his own heart smote him for just cutting off the edge of Saul’s robe. Even after Saul died, David continued to honor him and his house, exactly contrary to the practices of all other kings at the time, who would immediately kill any potential rivals to their throne.
Many of the destructive divisions and false doctrines taught in the church are the result of rejection, failures, or unhealed wounds rather than based on the Scriptures. Such are also entry points for the control spirit. Forgiveness is basic Christianity, and if we are carrying any unforgiveness in our hearts it can, and likely will, corrupt our ministry.
Don’t waste your trials—the local church is one of the best places of all to have them. The Lord is returning for His bride, the church, and the true friends of the bridegroom are devoted to helping her get ready. I personally have learned the hard way not to trust anyone who does not have a strong and committed local church life. I know many people who are gifted prophetically that do not have a local church relationship, and they can still help people, but they also leave a trail of problems and often divisions that far outweigh the good that they do.
This does not mean that there are not seasons when we may draw aside to seek the Lord, but Christianity basically does not work without local church life. You can grow in understanding and knowledge of the Lord, but not be actually growing up into the Lord. It is not possible to be properly joined to the Head without also being joined to the body. As we are told in I John 1:8, “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The word translated “fellowship” in this text is the Greek koinonia, which implies a deep, inseparable union. That is why this word is also translated “communion,” which is the merger of the words “common” and “union.” Without this union with God’s people, we will not remain dwelling in the light as this verse states.
Certainly there is great transformation needed in the church, and coming, but if we do not go through the process of change and growth with the church we will not fit in when she comes into her maturity. In the Old Testament, some of the prophets had to stand alone and walk alone at times, but in the New Testament the prophets are a part of a team, and without the rest of the team, they cannot really function as they are called to.
There may be some exceptions to this rule, but in my forty years in Christ, I have yet to see one that separated themselves from a vital local church life who did not come under bondage themselves or start doing more damage than good, regardless of what ministry they claimed to have.
