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Prophetic Brief
Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century Anatomy of a Nation in Decline - Part 8 Reference Point God is Sovereign #4

New Video Series

Evidence that the economic meltdown continues to impact life in the U.S. is everywhere. The school district for Cobb County, located on the northwest side of Atlanta where I live, is facing a $72 million deficit for the next fiscal year. Foreclosures are still battering the real estate market causing a further decline in property tax revenue, while at the same time costs are rising: health insurance, salary increases and rising pension payments. Cobb County is the 2nd largest school district in the state (26th in the nation) with 114 schools, more than 100,000 students and nearly 6,000 teachers - they are looking at being at least 10% underfunded in the next fiscal year and they have to make cuts. The onset of economic chaos is a sign of the Sovereignty of God. God is completely in control, and since long before there was a nation called the United States or a Cobb County in metro Atlanta, He has been managing the earth towards a set of outcomes that have always existed in His mind. As believers living in 2011 we have to know this Sovereign God, and we must see how His purposes are coming to pass in the daily life of our towns, cities and the nations of the earth. Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, recently declared bankruptcy. Elsewhere the City of Long Beach cancelled its annual float in the Rose Bowl parade, an event it had participated in every year for nearly nine decades. But with a $43 million gap in its $400 million budget the float was one of the things to get cut. It just doesnt rank high on a priority list during times like this, Mayor Bob Foster said. I dont relish the decision, but I dont think people are going to argue that we should keep a float when we are cutting libraries. And Occupy protesters threaten to show up 40,000 strong along the parade route to blanket the area with their message that not everything is coming up roses. The economic crisis hasnt caught God by surprise and in fact it is not a reason to panic even though we see the impact of it on nearly every level. God is at work in the earth and in addition to judging the carnal economic order that contradicts His Kingdom. He is also exposing the false apostolic order while at the same time he is releasing true apostolic ministry, which has arisen and flourished in the last few decades. When the global economy is melting down and merchants and kings are crying out, the church is being renovated and comprehensively built by the anointing or dimension of Christ that is apostolic.

We are living in an unmatched time in the earth; a time when crisis is erupting through natural disasters, political destabilization, and economic meltdown. Politicians and religious leaders are all weighing in on these events, but they dont seem to have the answers to a world in intense distress, and are rightly wondering:

What in the World is Going On?

In this series of Prophetic Briefs, Scott Webster addresses questions that are on peoples minds, and brings prophetic perspective to the events happening in the earth today, so that we can stand effectively in a day when so many things are falling apart. View the full six episodes in the series What in the World is Going On at scottwebsterministries.org.
2012 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES.

Rejoice Saints, Apostles and Prophets!

Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! In a time of crisis, there is functional apostolic leadership that is reforming
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1 Thessalonians 3:2 (NIV)

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen (sterizo) and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.
and building the church. The mention of apostles (plural) indicates that a primary feature of life at the end of time is an apostolic company living powerfully in the earth. Functional means the apostolic dimension is able to be imparted from the apostle (individual person called and gifted by God) to the wider church (corporate body which needs divine resource). These apostles are not intent on creating a large following or building personal profile after all, that would make them just like Babylon which is falling all around them. Their God ordained mission and their deep heart desire is to reform the church and build people who are strong and established.

The Apostolic Strengthens the People

Acts 14:21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening (sterizo) the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. 1 Thessalonians 3:2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen (sterizo) and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. A word that describes apostolic building is sterizo and it means to turn one resolutely in a certain direction, to render them constant, to secure and stabilize the mind. The word describes the process by which a thing becomes structurally correct so that it can take pressure and not break. The implication is of a pillar that can bear a load and not warp or fracture. Being made into a strong pillar is a process of development, and it is a direct result of existing within a strong apostolic community and receiving impartation from apostolic grace. The word is used repeatedly to describe the efforts of Paul and the apostolic company as they ministered to the people. They built (sterizo) the people in Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41), Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23),
2012 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES.

In many cases the birthing of an apostolic order was couched within systems of traditional church values, high levels of ignorance and some degree of human ambition and pride. In other words Babylonian values had already infiltrated the mentalities of the church and began to corrupt it from the star t of the present apostolic reformation. Conversely, others have had an authentic journey towards discovering true apostolic leadership and functionality, and they have been actively reforming and building the church into a more accurate expression of the Kingdom. The two (true and false apostles) have grown together like wheat and tares for the last several decades, and this season of global economic crisis is a time of assessment and rejection of the false (Rev 18, Mt 13:41-43).
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and in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (Acts 14:20-21). Pauls desire to go to Rome was so that the people would be established (sterizo) (Romans 1:11 & 16:25). Their vast geographic spread was not intended to impress people by the number of nations invaded or quantity of churches planted, because once again that is Babylonian. Their quest for the nations was to breach the carnal definitions imposed by men regarding nation, culture and ethnicity and build from amongst every people a glorious body of Christ that looked like Him. True apostolic building produces people who can withstand crisis. The impartation empowered those in the early church to go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:21). The heart of the apostolic is to ensure that the people are strong, especially as the return of the Lord draws near: May he strengthen (sterizo) your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (1 Thessalonians 3:13). There is a so that, or a reason behind apostolic impartation: to present powerful, pure saints who can stand blameless before the Lord when He comes. Because believers are aware of what is happening, they are required to walk through the crisis, and they are equipped to do so because they have received apostolic impartation and are not unsettled by these trials, for we know quite well we were destined for them (1 Thessalonians 3:3). They understand the purpose of the crisis God is judging Babylon and there must be a powerful church standing victoriously upon the earth as God moves against the systems of the earth.

A Conversation with Pastors

I have written about how crisis is occurring here in Atlanta and also in Harrisburg, PA and Long Beach, CA. We have churches in all those locations, and I thought it would be interesting and helpful to see how the impartation of apostolic grace is empowering these leaders and their churches in this day of crisis. What follows is a conversation with two men who lead churches in our apostolic network: Raleigh Wingfield leads Zion Assembly in Harrisburg, PA and David Copp leads City at the Cross in Long Beach, CA. Scott: Welcome to SWM and the Prophetic Briefs guys! Lets get right into it. Describe how you came into relationship with the apostolic network that we all labor within. Raleigh: I have a background in a Pentecostal denomination, and I left that denomination in 1985 to plant a new church that is now called Zion Assembly in Harrisburg. God called us out of the old structures so it was like beginning a journey, in a sense it felt like a place of independence and isolation but that was a necessary first step. The first few years were spent planting and establishing in peoples minds that we were no longer dependent on the former structures. When you are in a system you seek to conform to it without even realizing you are doing it, so for us it was kind of like a young adult leaving home and learning how to live on their own. After going on for a few years we recognized that we wanted to be connected to the wider body of Christ, and I felt strongly that we needed to have correct relationship but I had no idea where to find it. I told the congregation that we had to look for this and believe for it and that we would know it when we found it. I read Pauls letters about his relationships with the churches and I told the church it would be something like that.
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I was praying and actively looking for these relationships, and a friend of mine in the city invited me to a meeting where Anderson Williams was ministering (note: Anderson is one of the apostolic leaders of our network). Andy was teaching about the apostolic and how genuine apostles relate to and build within churches and how God designed relationships take you beyond your own strength and resources. Ill never forget it Scott he asked all the pastors who had gathered if you have been in ministry for a while, you are genuinely called by God but you know there is more; yet despite your diligent efforts you recognize limitations to your effectiveness the answer to your question is the apostolic.

A Developed PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE

A fresh look at Prophetic Operations from a Kingdom Viewpoint.

That was it I knew he was talking to me because that is exactly where I Now was; I talked with Andy and he invited me to visit a meeting of network Available> leaders and as I met more of the guys and I knew I was home. When I met Dr. Woodroffe and spoke to him for a few minutes I could see the quality in him and its almost like I could see into his inner man how he thought, the motivation of his heart and the grace and ability that God had given him its like I knew him even though we had just met and I knew then I was joined by God. Scott: That is great Raleigh. What a great journey its been for you and your church over the last 15 years. What about you David, same question how did God lead you to be in relationship in our network? David: I took over an existing church which was nearly 50 years old. It had been birthed during a powerful move of the Spirit which strongly emphasized the ministries of apostles and prophets so I deeply believed in those gifts given by God. However, we were frustrated by the inability of the network we were a part of to actually implement the things that had been taught and we no longer felt that group was home, so my dad led us out of that network in 1997. One year later he enacted a three year process of transition to place me in the role of Senior Pastor. That began in 1998 and was finalized in the 2000. Around that time we had a guest speaker who was always talking about a group he was affiliated with, and he introduced my dad to Dr. Woodroffe. I think that meeting was in Florida and my dad couldnt wait to get home to bring a report he called and said this is it, the ones we have been looking for; what we have been hearing about and believing for all our lives. So of course I had to find out about these guys! I flew to one of their seminars in Kansas City and met Dr. Woodroffe. I have to say here that I had come out of some dysfunctional relationships and battled things in my mind. I dont think it would be saying it too strongly to say I had some real questions and even fears regarding spiritual authority because I had seen it used so incorrectly not only in my own experience but I have a lot of pastor friends and I had seen quite a few of them make some missteps and later regret it. I really laid low at the seminar and just took it all in. At some point I introduced myself to Dr. Woodroffe and of course he knew of me through my dad. We had a conversation that on one hand was not terribly extensive, but somehow it was very powerful. I could feel things begin to break and be rearranged inside of me and I realized this guy really is an apostle. That began my journey into relationship and connecting. Scott: thats interesting; you both recognized pretty quickly the importance of the relationship. I know it has taken others a bit longer to consider and really look into the network. David: Well the relationship has certainly grown and changed shape. At first it was primarily doctrinal. I saw powerful teaching about what God was doing in the earth and I wanted that teaching and understanding in my church. However, later I realized that I didnt really have an open heart that allowed for depth of relationship. I wanted the teaching and spiritual resource in my church but I didnt realize the transfer, or impartation, was not primarily receiving and agreeing with the teaching but a heart relationship with one God had designed for me.
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Scott: Both of you talk about the fact that you were on a journey and were actively looking for relationship with the apostolic. Im thinking about verses like Psalm 84 where it declares that the man whose heart is set on journey is blessed because God will give him strength and He will appear before God in Zion in other words he will come into the fullness of his destiny. There are so many obstacles, both internal (fear, pride, ignorance, etc.) and external that try to stop us. Like your statement David about guys who hooked up wrongly and regretted it. I talked to one guy who did exactly that when he described his hopes that turned to despair he said I looked for Rachel but I got Leah instead. To journey our heart must remain hungry, open and we have to walk by faith. A closed heart might be the first step towards ruin because then God is no longer leading us. He insists on authentic heart connection with His people. So this commitment to continually journey is essential like Abraham who refused to build a house, we are saying that no level of success (or failure) will keep us tied to yesterday, or to a previous move of God. That is true even when that move of God delivered life to us. Our journey is not moving from one spiritual camp in the body of Christ to another, it is a trek towards the destination of Christ-likeness. Think about how much each of us have changed, Raleigh and David, since we came into relationship with the apostolic. The journey was not just to bring us into this apostolic network, but to bring us into fullness of maturity. Migration is one of the key principles of the Kingdom of God! - More of this conversation will appear in the next Prophetic Brief -

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Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension Activating The Capacity To Build Obeying The Command To Finish

2012 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES.

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