How to Hear God - Prophecy
Pete Greig’s book, “How to Hear God” goes more in depth than we can on Sundays - we’d highly recommend a read!
Last Sunday (9th March) in Kerith Bracknell we continued our “How to Hear God” series by looking at the subject of prophecy - God’s spoken word to us, through others. You can already catch up with the podcast message, and from this coming Sunday, a slightly fuller message will be available on our YouTube channel for Kerith online, too.
In the podcast version only, you’ll be able to hear an example of a prophetic message, or “word” as they’re often referred to, that was given live in our meeting by one of our meeting pastors, John Bell. John regularly has a discernment sense of what God might be doing in our gatherings together, and has offered that gift for us in our meetings to call us to respond or to pray for one another or for specific situations. This time was slightly different, though! Without knowing we were going to be talking on prophecy, John showed me some wording he’d written down the week before, sensing it might be a message from God for us at Kerith. He was wondering what we might like to do with it - he certainly wasn’t expecting me to invite him to be part of the following week’s preach - but he bravely did so!
On Sunday we all practiced (very briefly) praying through the content of the prophetic message to “weigh it” together (to consider it’s message and how God might be inviting us to respond). Many people asked whether they could have it in written format, to go away and pray into it further. As we mentioned on Sunday, not every message comes with full instructions on exact meaning and application of what to do next. God by his Spirit seems at times to give one part (the prophecy) to one person, and entrust others to consider what to do about it (the application). That means we don’t go around looking for the man or woman of God to tell us how to run our lives step by step! Instead, the invitation is for every one of us to be filled with God the Holy Spirit, along with all those who follow Jesus, and to play our part in his church, prayerfully consider what the Spirit might be saying to us, and what might do as a result. As Pete Greig writes, we need to WEIGH IT - to WAIT on IT - and then to WALK in IT, if God’s spoken word is going to have full benefit to us.
“WEIGH IT - WAIT on IT - WALK in IT”
With this in mind, I had already sent the wording of John’s message to our Eldership Team, for us to pray into. They were happy that we should share it more widely on Sunday. John has also agreed for us to provide the wording for you below. If you can, please set aside a bit of unhurried time to pray into this for God’s discernment for us as Kerith. Once you’re settled into breathing in his presence, free from distractions, here are some questions you might like to ask as you consider what the Spirit might be saying to us:
What do you notice stands out to you? Is there something you’re drawn towards (perhaps an inner excitement or a joy or peace)? Is there any feeling of resistance in you at all (perhaps a reaction in you, or a nervousness, or sense of unease)?
(If you notice a strong reaction, ask the Holy Spirit to help you sift your responses in light of any past encounters with prophetic words or those who have brought them that might be shaping your reactions. Does this help bring any clarity to what you’re feeling? Is there anything that’s come up that you can choose to leave with Jesus to take care of here?)Who comes to mind as you are prayerfully considering this? Are you picturing yourself, or perhaps a small group, or team you’re part of? Is it for your family or friends? Is this about the wider Kerith Community, or even beyond?
How does this align with what you’ve heard or read from the Bible lately, or through other Christians you trust, or other way God has been getting your attention with something similar?
What might be a next step God is inviting you or a group you’re a part of to take?
With whom could you share your thoughts and ideas so far? Could you pray it through together?
(if you feel there is something for the church as a whole to consider, please do email it in to me at ben.oliver@kerith,church)
“New season”
“God is bringing us into a new season, a season of spring, where we will see things that we have planted in the past start to come forth with new life. In the season of spring things start to change things that looked dead and devoid of life start to show signs of new life. We start to get foretastes of what is coming. In the same way, I believe that God wants to once again give us foretastes of what is to come, not of the summer but of his coming kingdom, foretastes of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, foretastes of healings and breakthroughs.
I believe that for some of us it is in the season that God wants to revive in us those things spoken in the past, those seeds planted in seasons gone by, for the prophetic words he spoke before to start to show new life, and spring forth, for the promises that you have sought for and are still waiting that those seeds that were planted to start to shoot and bud into new life.
For some people there were things that you had grown used to in the last season and now God is calling you to step away and to something new for the season for that has passed. Jesus spoke of new wine, that he was bringing new wine, but that many of those who were used to the old wine, wouldn’t want the new because they say the old is better. However, Jesus is inviting us to embrace the new wine that comes with the new season.
For others we have thought that we cannot step into things because it is not the season. Jesus said, “do not say there are yet four months then come the harvest, look lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.” For some people God is inviting you to change your expectation to look around and see the signs of life and step out believing that now is the time because a new season has begun.
God spoke to Elijah in a season of drought and gave him the sound of the rushing of rain. The skies were clear blue, it hadn’t rained for 3 and a half years, but God gave Elijah the ability to hear the coming rain and the change of season. To others there were no signs, but to Elijah, he heard what God was about to do. So, he declared it to be and then went to the mountain to call on God to do what he had promised. For some of us, we need to get back on our knees and take his promises back to him and call on him to do what he promised.
I believe that God is saying I’m bringing you into a new season of Spring - a season of new life and restoration of the things planted in the past.”
Prophetic Word submitted by John Bell, 2nd March 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to pray this through. If that has been you, well done for following these instructions from Paul in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica! Let his prayer his blessing on them be for you and our church, too:
"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."1 Thessalonians 5:19-24