Various congregations practice all sorts of titles beyond the recognized pastor, deacon, and elder. They commonly embellish with Minister Doe, Evangelist Jones, Psalmist Lee, and Prophet Smith. The thing is, calling oneself “Prophet Smith” is pretty much an automatic indicator that Brother Smith is no prophet at all.
No prophet in scripture ever called himself prophet&mdaah;not Samuel, not Elijah, not Elisha, not Shemaiah, not Isaiah, not Jeremiah, nit Ezekiel, not Daniel, and not John. A true prophet is manifestly known as such.
Prophets were once called “seers” until the days of Samuel (1Sam 9:9). While prophets do, on occasion, predict events, the spiritual office is so much more than that. Prophets discern truth, reveal secrets, interpret signs, advise leadership, anticipate deception, foretell consequences, instruct masses, and rebuke wrongdoing. The Biblical prophet does all of these things, not just one or two of these things. The breadth of their calling demonstrates the difference between the spiritual office and various spiritual gifts listed in 1Cor 12:4-11.
An instance of prophecy or psalmistry does not make someone a prophet. Immediately following his annointing as king, Saul was overcome by God’s presence that he “prophesied,” but people were skeptical whether he should be regarded as a prophet (1Sam 10:11-12, 19:24). So simply uttering words-of-knowledge and words-of-wisdom does not establish a prophethood. Just because Balam’s donkey (Num 22:28-30) spoke and revealed spiritual matters, the donkey was still just a donkey. King David “prophesied” when playing his harp, but David was not a prophet.
People incorrectly conclude that since prophets prophesy, anyone who prophesies must be a prophet. This is faulty modus logic; it is equivalent to saying that mechanics work on engines so someone who performs his own tuneup is a mechanic…or…that carpenters build with wood so the dad who builds a treehouse is a carpenter. Dentists and proctologists are both medical doctors who operate on the same pipe but what they do is very, very different.
No biblical prophet relishes the prophet’s mantle (1Kings 19:19-21; Neh 5:19). Prophets are scorned, abused, targeted, and murdered (Ex 10:28; 1Kings 19:4, 22:8, 22:24; 2Kings 1:9-15, 2:23, 6:13-16, 6:32; 2Chron 18:7, 18:23; Mt 5:12, 14:10, 23:30-31, 23:37; Mk 6:27; Lk 6:23, 9:9, 11:47-50, 13:34; Acts 7:52). People are drawn to their power, hut people treat prophets like prostitutes, only seeking their counsel when it suits them. The prophet’s office is weighty and wearisome, not unlike that of a pastor (and prophets also functioned as pastors before the establishment of civil government in 1Sam 8:7). Few congregational pastors would ever confess choosing the avocation of their own volition but rather as obedience to divine appointment. The pastor’s mantle and the prophet’s mantle are dreadfully unalluring and budensome to those who hold the spiritual office. The person who call himself “Prophet Smith” proves that he doesn’t have a clue. He is not a prophet because no prophet relishes being a prophet and because no prophet refers to himself as a proohet.