Fear the Lord, not prophets

you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah1:5).
Prophets don’t call themselves, God Himself calls the prophets. According to Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, (Ephesians 4:1) he said, “And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, some evangelists, and pastors and some teachers for the edifying of the body of Christ (not one denomination).”
Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, by speaking the truth in love, may grow up unto Him (Christ) in all things, who is the head.
The scriptural analysis above shows or teaches that any church today is not or should not be built on one ministry gift but a combination of the above mentioned five-fold ministerial offices and callings, if we are to grow and mature spiritually and in our relationship with God.
We strongly honour every man of God and respect them according to the scriptures, but we don’t fear them in such a way that they take the very place of God in our lives. The biblical truth is because they labour in word and doctrine (teaching) we are encouraged to honour them with double honour (Timothy 5:17).
Every true prophet or other servants of God are only vessels that are being used by the Lord to minister, those near and those afar for the glory of God.
May I encourage beloved Zimbabweans not to be afraid by any visit of outside ministries of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including Temitope Balogun Joshua. If TB Joshua the prophet is to successfully come to Zimbabwe, praise God the same.
I love the words of the President when he speaks of optimism. We are an optimistic nation. Fear not, politicians, all church leaders and the entire nation because the pure gospel of Jesus Christ and the prophetic ministry is not for one single political party or denomination, but for every soul that loves and fears the Sovereign Jehovah, God, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is no need for panic, Zimbabweans.
We must not be a materialistic nation that only wants the blessings and all good things from God. We must fear God, the creator of heaven and earth, honour Him, and seek Him, love Him, serve Him, obey Him, and His word.
There is no prophet under the sun who curses the nation in this state and prevails (Numbers 22:6-12).
“As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come” (Proverbs 26:2).
Whether there be prophecy or not we will unceasingly pray for our nation Zimbabwe and our leaders according to the scriptures “that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
God geographically placed us in Zimbabwe and made us to have our hard-won independence, and by His grace, wisdom, understanding and be able to safeguard the gains of the liberation struggle.
As faithful stewards of the country’s economy ensure that all Zimbabweans benefit and enjoy our God-given resources and wealth. About 599 (Jeremiah 29:1-7) lsraelites were taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. In that land God urged them to pray for their place of captivity and to develop despite the untold conditions under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. Watch this, they were instructed to build houses.
Now when one is building, those who supply building materials until the house is finished accumulate wealth. The Jews in captivity enriched Babylonian suppliers, and the local government by then recognised the development in terms of infrastructure.
They were exhorted to make good use of the land and enjoy fruits of their labour from the land, farms, and gardens. Agro-business increased in Babylon and boosted the economy of the foreign masters. Marriage institutions were established such that the rate of divorces was only seen among Babylonians and not among the families of Israel.
Remember they were captives in a foreign land. They were strategically advised to seek the peace of the city in which they were living in. What a secret patriotism! As we pray for Zimbabwe and seek its peace we will have peace. Every native Zimbabwean, those Zimbabweans by citizenship and those who visit seek the peace of Zimbabwe as a result you will enjoy the fruit of the land.
The good news to my fellow Zimbabweans is this nation is not a land of captivity. How much more shall we need to fear God, serve Him, develop our nation and prosper and pray for the peace of our country, good and godly governance in our nation.
What a noble lesson to pastors, bishops, apostles, evangelists and prophets in our nation who attack one another in public. Ministers in God what are we doing? We are causing animosity among the unsuspecting converts in our churches or dominations.
Brethren, let’s be careful that we may become very popular in this world and lose a place in heaven by the way we conduct ourselves in this passing and temporal world. Judgment day is coming.
Pastor Nesbert Mapfumo is a pastor of Aviv Shalom Church International.