Sandford's The Elijah Task has long been considered one of the best introductions to the office of prophet. Since its publication, many people have asked Sandford to write a sequel, and now he has. In Elijah Among Us Sandford continues his exposition of what he feels is one of the most important (and yet most neglected) offices in the church, that of the prophet.
Thus, he looks at the history of the prophetic office, the functions of the prophetic office, and some of the major tasks and purposes of contemporary prophets. While some may wonder why we need another book on prophecy, Sandford contends that few in the church know, in-depth, what the office of prophet really means and the roles a prophet should play. Too often, according to Sandford, we have limited the prophetic role to that of giving personal words of prophecy. That limitation ignores a significant portion of what the prophetic office should entail, including: blessing, healing, judgment, warnings, discernment, dark speech, dreams, visions, intercession, reconciliation, spiritual warfare, and more.
If we include these other roles, we see that there are very few prophets acting in the fullness of the office. Sandford wrote this book to begin changing that, by helping both prophets and churches understand the depth and fullness of the prophetic office. As Dr. Bill Hamon states in the foreword, this book 'can help prophetic ministers function properly in the Church.' Once the office is understood, prophets will be able to more effectively function in the roles they are supposed to fill.
