prophets and issues of character

Character is our commitment to doing the right thing regardless of the personal cost.

It involves the will to respond to values and principles and core values, rather than to appetites, urges, whims, or impulses that bombard us.

We really need daily, to seek the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit to walk in the truth and with integrity. The Holy Spirit’s help must be sought, it’s not a matter of will power, but you do have your part in it – a willingness to follow God’s leading.

Fruit is required

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26

Jim Packer says a similar thing with great eloquence in his book, ‘Keep in step with the Spirit’:

Character is an important issue in the Church. Do we really want to give responsibility, opportunity and even profile to the man or woman who is poor or lacking in character?

We all make mistakes, but ongoing character issues are ones that need to be addressed before these other issues we have mentioned are embraced. Paul’s epistle to Timothy is a handbook on character issues, and what is required from all, including leaders.

The startling truth in 1 & 2 Timothy is that the entire focus is not on gift or ability, but character.

God still uses people with bad character. It’s not a matter of being perfect before God will choose to use you – but having a teachable, godly character that seeks to live a Christ-like and scripture-honouring life.

If you lie, what guarantee does the Church have that you are telling the truth? If you exaggerate how will they know and trust what you are saying when you say that God has spoken to you?

Exaggeration is a subtle issue that some prophetic people suffer from. In one instance it demonstrates a lack of character, and the thing that is noticeable is that it shows the need to draw more attention to what is being said or claimed. Exaggeration is indirectly, self serving and focuses on oneself.

Why the fuss?
What matters most in terms of Church life is not your giftedness or abilities the the Holy Spirit has given you, but your capacity to walk with character.  Do you display the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Is it hanging as it were, ‘off of the tree’, or are you like the fig tree that Jesus inspected. He saw it from a distance, it had great promise of fruitfulness but when it came under scrutiny nothing was there. It would shortly wither and die!

Character promises and actually delivers great value
Church leadership has to use the resources that they have in people, but with wisdom.  They have to ask the questions, ‘can this person be trusted?’, ‘are they doing the job for personal profile or to serve?’

Unfortunately sometimes the question has to be raised, ‘If we don’t let this ‘prophetic’ person do what they want, will they leave?’  The very fact that the question is raised reveals the issue of character.

Proven character

Romans 5:3-4, “We also exult in our sufferings, knowing that suffering brings about endurance; and endurance [brings about] proven character.” The focus here is on this word “proven” (dokimen). The idea is that when you put metal through a fiery testing and it comes out on the other side persevering and enduring, what you call that metal is “proven” or “authentic” or “genuine.” That’s the sense here.  Church can sometimes be like that fiery furnace!

Proven character brings about hope.
Romans 5:4, ” endurance [brings about] proven character; and proven character [brings about] hope.”

One of the great obstacles to a full and strong hope in the glory of God is the fear that we are hypocrites – that our faith is not real and that we just inherited it from our parents and have been motivated by things that are not honoring to God. One of the purposes of afflictions in our lives is to give us victory over those fears and make us full of hope and confidence as the children of God.  And every prophet is called first as a child of God. Prophets are part of the Church, not outside of it, doing their own thing and accountable to no-one except God.

God takes us through hard times to temper the steel of our faith and show us that we are real, authentic, genuine, proven, and in that way give us hope that we really will inherit the glory of God and not come into judgment. When that Character is in place, God will give more and more favour – and such character has a starting point, not of legalism, but of a heart that longs to please Him.