Branding

As a prophet, please ensure you are modeling your ministry after the (Chief) Prophet, Christ Jesus, followed by the holy prophets of the Lord in the Bible, and then avoid the errors of many of today’s prophets.

• Can you truly envision a sinless Christ gently rebuking the man who called Him ‘Good Master’ by saying there is none good but God (Matthew 19:16-17)?

 

• If Elijah were on the earth today, with a Facebook account, do you think he would tell people to share one of his posts with a promise for a miracle that will either not happen, or happen for everyone, simply because he is trying to spread his name (brand)?

Whatever you do, please do it for the glory of Christ Jesus. There is nothing wrong in general with putting your name or ministry name on something, as long as you point people to Christ. Like Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” ~ 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV) By the way, the implied task is that no one should follow you if you are not following Christ.

When Elijah summoned the Israelites to Mount Carmel, it was not to show that he was the “master” or “major” prophet in the land. (And don’t get me started on those bogus titles that some of today’s prophets are using to aggrandize themselves.) Elijah called the Israelites to ask how long they would waiver between two opinions, and to point them solely to the true and living God. The same applies today; if the Lord is God, follow Him (1 Kings 18:21). Elijah did not go there to increase his fan base. In addition, he did not go there to fellowship with the false prophets. That brings up another thing, which is exemplified when the Lord sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David as Israel’s next king. The elders of Bethlehem trembled upon his arrival and asked if he had come in peace (1 Samuel 16:4). Could a part of that reverence be because he did not play games with the Lord’s people as an ambassador of God? In addition, please keep in mind that he was no longer a judge over the nation because Saul had taken over as king. As previously stated, there is nothing inherently wrong with putting your name or ministry name on something, as long as you point people to Christ. After all, several Books of the Bible are named after the prophets who either wrote them or were written about them, and Paul wrote or dictated most of the Books (Epistles) of the New Testament, even though none of those Epistles are named after him. We even know that “Tertius” wrote the Epistle to the Romans on behalf of Paul (Romans 16:22). If we only had such definitive information about the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, even though we know the Holy Spirit inspired it. So yes, there is a place for branding so to speak, but woe unto those who are basically trying to make their names greater than Christ.

If you are solely trying to build “your brand”, then do so. But please do not do so at the expense of the Lord’s sheep, even though they should know and do better. Let the following serve as an example of building “your brand”: “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his Words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.” ~ 1 Samuel 3:19-20 (KJV). Your reputation will speak for itself, and the Lord will let people know if He is with you and whether you are His. Sadly, there are many ministers and ministries with shiny brands that are actually tarnished, ill fated, and gold plated.

Have you ever noticed that Elisha, as did many of the Biblical prophets, did not go around professing to be a prophet? Like the kind Shunammite woman said to her husband about Elisha, ‘Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.’ ~ 2 Kings 4:9 (KJV) Elisha had stayed with them several times yet she had to discern that he was a holy man of God. Prophets then, as do prophets now, lived lives that were reflective of Christ. That incident foreshadowed the Samaritan woman’s encounter at the well with Christ when she said, ‘Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.’ ~ John 4:19 (KJV)

• What do people perceive about you and your ministry, especially based on its fruits?

 

• Are your words falling to the ground, dying, while killing people’s faith in the Lord also?

Consider how many people Jesus healed and told them to not tell anyone. Or, the things He told His disciples to not reveal until after His ascension into heaven. I was not expecting to go here, but I will. Jesus had people seeking Him out as His (good) reputation spread. Yet, seemingly at the height of His ministry, in terms of the number of followers, He gave such a hard teaching that most of them stopped following Him. Yet, the Lord did not go after them and try to convince them to stay. In fact, His apostles had stayed with Him and He asked if they were not going to leave too. They could have left and the Lord would not have stopped them. By the way, it was a great opportunity for Judas to walk away from the Lord, especially after being called out as a devil (John 6:66-71). I am not calling any of you a devil, even if I know you are, but I am calling you away from unscrupulous practices and ministers/ministries, especially in prophetic ministry.

Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. When it comes to ministry, and especially prophetic ministry, never forget to have the testimony of Jesus and ‘…worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.’ ~ Revelation 19:10 (KJV)

Many are prophets but only a few are prophets of the Lord.

Social Aloe Ministries: “Glorifying God. Exposing the devil.”