The Prophetic in Presbytery
What is Presbytery:
Group of 2-4 elders (mature in person and spiritually) who operate in one of the governmental ministries of the body of christ. This person may operate as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher, but has evidence of the gift of prophecy. They are an elder in their local church body and have proven themselves amongst those who know him/her best. They prepare in prayer and fasting for an extended time to edify, exhort, comfort, direct, conferral, confirm, correct, judge and equip the local church. The presbyters are not from the local area and are brought from the outside in order to not hinder his/her function in the prophetic realm.
This serves as a time of refreshment for the church. During this time God gives impartation, confirmation and blessings. However, there is a responsibility the church bears in preparation for presbytery.
(We see this in scripture a few times, but some examples come from Acts 15:22-35, Elders of Jerusalem sent to Antioch and 1 Timothy 4:14 “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery”)
Isaiah 28:11-12
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
We want to prepare our hearts to hear from the Lord. He wants to impart, confirm and bless us with refreshment and it is important we are ready to be poured in to. Our posture before the Lord must be prepared.
This is done by:
Fasting
August 13th-20th
3 day water fast (at some point)
Not just abstaining from food, but an intentional fast of abiding in and seeking His presence
Posture of worship
“Whatever you have for me, I am here for you.”
The Prophetic in Presbytery:
NLT
Love Is the Greatest
13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love
MSG
13 But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
TPT
13 So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.
Prophecy is a gift (it is exciting!), however love is the main thing we run for.
God is love
God is love, and all who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.1 John 4:16
Greatest Commandant
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ Matt 22:36-37
If we do anything in preparation for presbytery may it be falling MORE in love with Jesus
Lovesick
Show up because your desperate for Him, not a for man
Show up because you long to be with Him and encounter Him
Mindset: You don’t owe me anything, I am here for you. Encountering you and being with you is more than enough.
The rest is all a treat.
The Gift (treat) of Prophetic:
Prophecy is awesome because it carries the power and authority of God.
In scripture we see the phrase “The word of the Lord” in reference to a prophecy.
Word : the original translation here is DABAR
Meaning: to drive forward
Gen 15:1 (one of many examples)
This means that the word of the Lord in prophecy carries the authority and power of God to drive forward: to change, to shift
Partnership is crucial!
Prophecy reveals what’s in our heart
Daniel 2:30
30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
Prophecy confirms who we were created to be
Daniel 2:37-38
37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
We have a choice to respond.
Daniel 2:44-45
44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”
Our response is not simply through words, but through action
Nebuchadnezzer responds by acknowledging God, but the next chapter reveals that he acknowledge with words, not with a life-response
“Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47
When God speaks to us in prophecy it requires the proper response.
Proper Response to Prophecies:
Faith
Faith that God will speak and has spoken what you need to hear from Him.
6 And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God.[a] For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him. Heb 11:6
The Law of Faith:
Testing of the word (along with spiritual leadership)
Receiving the word
Obeying the word
Crisis of the word
Fulfillment of the word
Life of Joseph is the perfect example of this (Gen 37-45)
Humility
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. James 4:10
Beware of disillusionment
“I expected more”, “I expected to hear about my future husband”, “I didn’t even get a personal word”
Meekness
Strength under control
“God has promised me big things, but I will submit to His timing and not push my agenda.
….with a sensitive spirit (meekness), we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. James 1:21b
Patience
Waiting on His timing to fulfill the word
Romans 8:25
But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.
Joy
Some words will be corrective, but we rejoice because God disciplines those he loves.
Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. Phil 4:4
Submission
Allow spiritual authority to speak into the word and counsel.
Heb 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Improper Response to Prophecies:
Doubt
...But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God Heb 4:2
Beware of thoughts of: unworthiness, doubting God’s ability to do what he said, doubting that God really spoke
Pride
Relying your own strength and ability to see a word come to pass
Boasting
Puffed Up
Pro Tip: Recognize the honor bestowed on you and your need for God to accomplish anything.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
Anger
Rooted in disappointment that God didn’t speak the way you wanted.
This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: “Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? 12 I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. Isaiah 45: 11-12
Bitterness
Self-centered spirit that God didn’t give you what you thought you deserved.
Rooted in disappointment
14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. James 3:14-15
Independent Spirit
Refusal to submit to the guidance of spiritual leadership
Rebellious Spirit
God will not bless rebellion-rebellion is demonic, dangerous to the individual and the church body.
“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the LORD. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. Isaiah 30:1
Jealousy
Self-centered response
Spirit of comparison
Breeds disunity
You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 1 Cor 3:3
Take away: Being rooted in love for Jesus and Him alone will ensure that we respond properly to the prophetic word given to us. In order to prepare properly for presbytery may our focus be falling more in love with Jesus. Intentionally, fasting, praying and worshipping Jesus can prepare our posture to be correct before Him. We show up for Him in surrender trusting that He will encounter us and speak to us according to our needs. Be intentional about preparing the soil of your heart to receive. Make us lovesick, Jesus!
