Bob Neumann
John 4
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his
own country.
My name is Bob Neumann. For over 8 years THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT had instructed me to send forth PROPHETIC WORDS, VISIONS, and DREAMS onto the INTERNET. During that time i have published articles and what could be called "lessons". Over a year ago i was told to "be still". Since that time i have watched and waited interacting only with one internet group. Because of events of the last week i once again have been "awakened early" and "sent". The prophet Habbakkuk describes it in his second chapter.
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will
watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it
plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come,
it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the
just shall live by his faith.
The Prophets of GOD are WATCHMEN placed by GOD on THE WALLS. But there job is
not to be watching for burglars or invaders. There job is to call out to GOD continuously
(Isaiah 62). Until GOD SPEAKS TO THEM. Back in the time of THE PROPHETS clay tablets
was a means of documenting and spreading what GOD HAS SAID. Today we use THE INTERNET.
By being posted and achieved THE MESSAGE GOD HAS GIVEN can be broadcasted far
and wide. THE VISION then can be declared before the fact...THE APPOINTED TIME.
This does two things. It validates that THE MESSAGE is from GOD. And it validates
the servant called upon to spread it.
I use the term servant rather than prophet for the simple reason that GOD refers to them repeatedly as "MY SERVANTS, THE PROPHETS". This is important, but often forgotten. What is also forgotten is that JESUS HIMSELF was prophesied as a SERVANT SENT....TO SUFFER. In John 4:44 it was JESUS who declared
"that a prophet hath no honour in his own country". A true prophet is first a servant. GOD'S SERVANT. But before you can SERVE you must WORSHIP.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
This is a PATTERN placed before THE ENEMY by JESUS HIMSELF. IT IS WRITTEN....THE
WORD OF GOD.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when
ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation
is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship
him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called
Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
In Samaria JESUS declares HIMSELF as THE MESSIAH...THE SENT ONE....The Samaritans received HIM because of HIS WORDS. 18 verses later HE is in his home, Galilee and we have this verse.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
His own people/country followed after HIM because of the SIGNS and WONDERS they SAW...not because of HIS WORDS.
Today we have prophetic ministries, prophetic schools, prophetic websites. Yet how does this fit with HIS WORDS about "NO HONOR"?
Last night all this was brought to me and i have watched and waited. What THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT has quickened in my heart is interesting. It is a pattern that we seem to be repeating over and over and have not understood it. In fact we use it as foundation for many ministries not aware of the error being committed.
Throughout scripture GOD sends prophets. Some are with a name like Nathan and Jeremiah. But sometimes it is a nameless servant as in the case of Eli in 1 Samuel 2 and to Jeroboam in 1 Kings 13. In both instance they were just "MEN OF GOD".....sent to do a specific task. Today the modern "PROPHET" wants a name and wears a mantle. Is credentialed with or through some School of THE PROPHETS. Has a position and a place for himself/herself. Or at least that seems to be the PATTERN for today in America.
But in all of scripture there is only one mantle. And it speaks of one PATTERN.
1 Kings 17
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said
unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall
not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook
Cherith, that is before Jordan.
Tishbite is an interesting term. Dr Strong has it as #8664 and it means "recourse".
Fits Elijah and his ministry very well. Elijah also fits the Pattern of John 4:44
as not honored at home. "WANTED" is a more accurate description. Yet
in Sidon in the town of Zarephath there is a widow who will be blessed because
she receives him as "A MAN OF GOD". Now we all "know" the
story of Elijah. Or do we? Elijah spent his time on the run yet in 1 Kings 18
we find Jezebel "cutting off" the "PROPHETS OF THE LORD"....and
Obadiah putting them in caves. This collection of prophets was not the pool Elijah
came from. And what were they "cut off from"? Ahab's table. State supported
prophets that old Jezebel replaced by pagan types. All she was doing was "killing
off the competition". But then came Mount Carmel and the balance of power
changed.
Later Elijah is told to ANOINT Elisha as his replacement. This is the only time GOD does this. Scripture does not tell us how long Elisha followed after Elijah. Tradition and Flavious Josephus say 14 years. During that time GOD used Micaiah and several nameless prophets. All that time it seems Elijah and Elisha wandered around. Not much honor in that.
In 2 Kings 2 we have the story of THE CHARIOT OF FIRE and THE MANTLE. We also find two schools of the prophets. One in Bethel and one in Jericho. Neither of which it seems Elijah or Elisha were members. Yet Jericho tried to recruit Elisha after THE CHARIOT. In 2Kings 4 we see a repeat of THE PATTERN that began with Elijah. A woman in Shunem acknowledges Elisha as "a holy man of GOD" and feeds him. But she takes it a step farther and makes a room for him so he can stay as he wanders the land. Like Zarephath and Elijah's widow, Elisha has the Shunamite woman. Even today THE MOST HIGH will provide HIS SERVANTS...and bless the "woman" willing to "see" the anointing.
It is in this story we first see Gehazi....an important part of THE PATTERN not seen by THE MODERN PROPHETIC.
In Zarephath a widow and her son needed provision during the famine. The Shunamite woman had a need.
Elisha does something strange, he offers to speak on her behalf to "the king", "or to the captain of the host". Now the kings of Samaria were sinful men and one might wonder how much influence Elisha would have. In reality it is a prophetic shadow that plays out in a most interesting way. But then Elisha does something interesting, he asks Gehazi what to do. Now Gehazi had enough discernment to "see her need". Yet later when her child died did not discern her need and was about to "thrust her away". And Elisha stopped him. Both Elijah and Elisha raised an only son from the dead. It is a PATTERN that was followed by JESUS when HE raised the widow's son at Nain in Luke 7. But in the story of the Shunamite woman there is an example that Elisha has repeated in the past. Instead of doing things himself he sends someone else. In this case it is Gehazi. And Gehazi, in spite of hanging around Elisha for many years, was not called BY GOD. Which is why in the next chapter things go bad.
2 Kings 5 is the story of Naaman. It is here several things have changed from THE PATTERN of ELIJAH.
Naaman went to Elisha's HOUSE. Elisha had stopped "wandering" and set up a permanent ministry that everyone knew about. Even servant girls.
Elisha refused payment for the miracle GOD PERFORMED. But Gehazi had another plan.
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold,
my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which
he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of
him.
21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running
after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold,
even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the
prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him,
and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and
laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and
bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto
him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man
turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and
to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants,
and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto
thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
So we had ELIJAH and GOD sent him to AHAB. It was GOD who sent ELIJAH to find ELISHA. No where do i find GOD CALLING ELISHA to find a "replacement". Yet today passing on mantles and anointing is an everyday occurrence, or so it would seem.
But the story does not end here.....i wish it did.....
Once again there is a famine in the land. Sounds like Amos 8, but it is the fulfillment of that strange interaction of Elisha and the Shunamite woman. 2 Kings 8......starts with Elisha warning the woman of the famine.
1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to
life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever
thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come
upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God:
and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines
seven years.
Seven years is a prophetic PATTERN. But PATTERNS are the key to everything...
3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned
out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for
her house and for her land.
Here is where everything comes together...in more ways than one....
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying,
Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
Gehazi the LEPER is making a living at the King's table....the same table Ahab had kept the prophets of BAAL. He has a place of honor because of his "past intimacy" with Elisha...the MAN of GOD....
sound familiar? major way to create or build up one's livelihood....
5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored
a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life,
cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O
king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed
unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits
of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
Out of nowhere there is a voice to bear witness to the king on behalf of the Shunamite woman.
Just as Elisha forespoke of her need long before it occurred....GOD had it all prepared. Even using a LEPER.
The PATTERN is simple....GOD SENDS a SERVANT and a job is done. Sometimes THE SERVANT will raise up another chosen by GOD and the WORK goes on. Once again we find this PATTERN fulfilled by JESUS as HE calls forth the 12. You might ask where the Gehazi angle fits the ministry of JESUS and the APOSTLES. Remember Simon the Sorcerer?
Gehazi and Simon have one thing in common....they want the power to make themselves...not to serve GOD. And money is there commonality. MAMMON.
Elijah and Elisha are a Pattern that appears once in all of scripture. A shadow of the MINISTRY OF JESUS. To play it out today, which seems to be popular in America over the last 20-30 years births a lot of Gehazi's.
Many will say that there is a difference between the OLD TESTAMENT Prophets and the NEW TESTAMENT Prophets. That today THE PROPHET has a more expanded and expansive role in THE CHURCH. That GOD has raised up MINISTRIES to bring THE PROPHETIC to America and THE WORLD. To rebirth the FIRST CENTURY church...today. To USHER in the APOSTOLIC ORDER.....and all kinds of other stuff.
Yet JESUS, who is our example, our PATTERN....was a SHEPHERD....PASTOR.
They called HIM RABBI....because HE TAUGHT WITH AUTHORITY.....TEACHER.
HE BROUGHT the GOOD NEWS of the KINGDOM............................EVANGELIST.
HE WAS SENT BECAUSE ABBA LOVED THE WORLD.........................PROPHET and APOSTLE.
Five fold ministry? But why stop there...
HIS MINISTRY was filled by WORDS OF WISDOM and WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE... HEALINGS AND MIRACLES....Discerning of SPIRITS...and casting them out... and HE SPOKE OF THINGS THAT WILL BE.... and HE said that in HIS KINGDOM greatness was achieved by SERVING. and HE said that a prophet is without honor in his own land. So what do we have when we find a prophet lifted up and esteemed in his/her own congregation? A prophetic ministry popular and acclaimed?
Or a school of prophets/prophetic ministry looking for recruits at every conference they hold? I do not know. But there is something very wrong within this thing called THE PROPHETIC.
May 7 and Seismos is not the problem. The problem is who worships and serves GOD as GOD DESIRES..... and who does it as what is right in their own eyes.
Scripturally GOD used both Balaam and his Donkey....HE used Gehazi....
HE GAVE DREAMS to Pharaoh and Nebechadnezer....
Even Saul prophesied....
but would that qualify them as "HIS SERVANTS...."
When you come down to it we will all qualify as some form of servant.
HOW HE SEES us will be what is important.
selah