How can someone become a prophet?

Summary:

Not everyone is a prophet (1 Corinthians 12:29).

How can someone become a prophet?

Several main minimal points may be highlighted in order for someone to become a prophet:

- A prophet may describe a ministry, which is a gift according to the grace of God.

- Someone can be set apart from the womb by the LORD for the ministry of prophet, but only later be chosen for that ministry. 

In order, here would be the process:

1) Someone had been set apart for the ministry by the Lord in the womb.

2) The Lord is calling the person for the ministry after they are born.

3) The person is properly answering the call by grace to be chosen for that ministry.

- Someone may have been regarded by the Lord to be trustworthy to be appointed for ministry.

You can find more details below:

All are NOT prophets:

Paul wrote that "all (are) NOT PROPHETS" (1 Corinthians 12:29).

Paul wrote that "God placed SOME in the church (as) first, apostles; second, PROPHETS" (1 Corinthians 12:28) and "He gave some (as) apostles, and SOME (as) PROPHETS" (Ephesians 4:11).

Prophet may describe a ministry, which is a gift according to the grace of God:

Being a prophet would be a ministry:

Paul wrote: "there-are DIFFERENCES (of) MINISTRIES [diakonia 1248 in Greek]" (1 Corinthians 12:5). Here Paul indicated that there are different ministries.

Paul wrote to Timothy: "do (the) work (of an) EVANGELIST, fulfill your MINISTRY [diakonia 1248 in Greek]" (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul may have implied that being an evangelist would be a ministry.

Paul wrote: "He gave some (as) APOSTLES, and some (as) PROPHETS, and some (as) EVANGELISTS" (Ephesians 4:11), "for (the) work (of) MINISTRY [diakonia 1248 in Greek]" (Ephesians 4:12). Paul listed apostles and prophets alongside evangelists (which would be a ministry) for the work of ministry. Because there are different ministries existing, it may be inferred that apostles and prophets may be different ministries alongside evangelists. 

Being a prophet would thus be a ministry.

A ministry is a gift according to the grace of God:

Paul wrote about "having DIFFERENT GIFTS according-to the grace having-been-given (to) us, (exercise them accordingly): whether [...] MINISTRY [diakonia 1248 in Greek], in the (sphere of your) ministry" (Romans 12:6-7). 

If being a prophet would be a MINITRY, and a MINITRY is a GIFT "according-to the grace" (Romans 12:6), then being a prophet would also be a GIFT.

Someone can be set apart by the LORD from the womb for the ministry of prophet, but only later be chosen for it:

Someone can be set apart from the womb by the LORD for the ministry of prophet, but only later be chosen for that ministry (by properly responding to the calling of God for that ministry based on grace).

In order, here would be the process:

1) Someone had been set apart for the ministry by the Lord in the womb.

2) The Lord is calling the person for the ministry after they are born.

3) The person is properly answering the call by grace to be chosen for that ministry.

1) Someone had been set apart for the ministry by the Lord in the womb:

It is written about Jeremiah: "BEFORE YOU CAME FORTH FROM THE WOMB, I have SET YOU APART; I have appointed you a PROPHET to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).

Paul wrote about "God, the (One) HAVING SET ME APART ME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB" (Galatians 1:15). 

Jeremiah only became a prophet later in his life as a young man even though he had been set apart for the ministry of prophet from the womb. It is not impossible to infer that Jeremiah may have felt a bit different from his birth onward, until he finally was called to become what he has been set apart for: the ministry of prophet.

2) The Lord is calling the person for the ministry after they are born:

Someone can be SET APART for something from the womb, but still be required to have to answer the CALLING of God, as Paul wrote about "God, the (One) HAVING SET ME APART ME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB AND HAVING-CALLED (ME) through His grace" (Galatians 1:15). 

3) The person is properly answering the call by grace to be chosen for that ministry:

God called Jeremiah when Jeremiah was a young man, and when Jeremiah answered the call, the LORD said to him: "Behold, I have put My words into your mouth. Behold, I have APPOINTED YOU THIS DAY over nations" (Jeremiah 1:9-10).

After having been called by the Lord and answering that call, Paul became a "(A) CHOSEN VESSEL" (Acts 9:15) for the Lord to carry on the ministry. Someone can be CHOSEN to be a minister: "the Lord has CHOSEN you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, TO BE HS MINISTERS" (2 Chonicles 29:11). 

Someone can be CHOSEN for something based on answering the CALLING, as Paul may have implied when he wrote that "(God's) CHOOSING might-continue, not of works but OF the (One) CALLING" (Romans 9:12).

The proper way to answer to this "CALLING" (Romans 9:12) is not based on "works" (Romans 9:12), but based on grace, as Paul wrote about the Lord "HAVING-CALLED (ME) through His GRACE" (Galatians 1:15). 

Being chosen to be a minister (such as a prophet of God) can therefore be by the grace of God, and not by works.

Someone may have been regarded by the Lord to be trustworthy to be appointed for ministry:

Paul wrote: "I have gratitude to Christ Jesus our Lord, the One having strengthened me, because HE REGARDED ME TRUSTWORTHY, having appointed me for MINISTRY" (1 Timothy 1:12).

In the next verse, Paul referred to his past as a non-Christian, writing: "(I) formerly being (a) blasphemous (one) and (a) persecutor and violent (one)! But I-was-shown-mercy because being-ignorant, I-acted in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13). Paul was shown mercy in Acts 9. Even though Paul in his past sinned greatly against the Lord, yet the Lord showed mercy on him, and the Lord chose him for ministry, as it is written in Acts 9: "the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Go, because this (one) [Paul] is (A) CHOSEN VESSEL (FOR) ME, (THE HE MIGHT) CARRY MY NAME before both Gentiles and kings, and sons (of) Israel" (Acts 9:15). 

Things that are not necessary for someone to be a true prophet:

There are many things that a prophet may have or lack which are not necessary for such a one to still be a true prophet.

For more information:

Things that do not necessarily mean that someone is a false prophet:
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