Weekend Away 2025 - Building on the Foundation of the Prophets

Devotional

Day 1: The Foundation of Life in the Spirit

The presence of God is not a distant reality but a present inheritance for every believer. We are no longer strangers but members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone. This foundation is not an optional addition to the Christian life but its very essence. The Spirit has been poured out, and God now dwells not in temples made by hands but in His people. We are being built together to become a dwelling place where God lives by His Spirit. [10:05]

In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21-22, ESV)

Reflection: As you consider the foundation of your own spiritual life, what does it look like to actively depend on the Holy Spirit's presence rather than just your own understanding or strength? In what practical way could you 'drink' more deeply from His presence this week?

Day 2: Cultivating an Expectation to Meet God

Gathering as believers should be marked by a genuine expectation to encounter the living God. It is not merely about excellent music, teaching, or programs, though those things have their place. The primary purpose is to meet with God Himself, who changes and transforms us. This requires creating space and being attentive to His movement among us. It means hosting meetings, whether large or small, with the anticipation that God will speak and make His presence known. Our hearts should be postured in a continual state of thirst for more of Him. [24:19]

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24, ESV)

Reflection: When you gather with other believers, what is your primary expectation? What is one step you could take to personally cultivate a greater hunger and anticipation for God's presence in your next corporate gathering?

Day 3: The Nature and Purpose of Prophetic Words

Prophecy is a beautiful way God speaks to encourage, comfort, and strengthen His people. It is not about a person being controlled but about a gentle impression or a bubbling up of God's heart communicated through a person. Every prophetic word must be tested against the truth of Scripture; it will always align with God's character and written Word. This gift is meant to be exercised with love, patience, and kindness, reflecting how Jesus Himself speaks to us. Its ultimate purpose is to build up the church and affirm God's faithful presence with us. [44:37]

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy... The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. (1 Corinthians 14:1, 3 ESV)

Reflection: When you think about the gift of prophecy, what hesitations or questions do you have? How might God be inviting you to a broader understanding of how He speaks for the purpose of building up others?

Day 4: Stewarding the Gift Together

The prophetic gift is designed to function within the safety and wisdom of community. It is an art to be developed, not a science to be mastered, and it flourishes under gracious leadership and mutual submission. This means weighing words carefully, offering them humbly, and giving leaders space to process and apply them. It involves being sensitive to others, avoiding cornering people, and always operating with a motive of love. We are called to activate this gift boldly yet responsibly, stepping out in faith while remaining connected to the body of Christ. [59:37]

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. (1 Corinthians 14:29, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create a healthier environment in your relationships for both giving and receiving spiritual encouragement? What would it look like for you to 'weigh' a prompting from God with others before sharing it?

Day 5: Our Identity as God's Dwelling Place

The magnificent promise of Scripture is that God desires to make His home among His people. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, a living stone in a spiritual house where God resides. This truth should shape how we live, encouraging us to maintain clean hearts through repentance and forgiveness. It redefines our purpose, moving us from simply running programs to facilitating a place for God's presence. Everything we do must be measured against this plumb line: is it facilitating the building of God’s dwelling place? This is our highest calling and greatest privilege. [16:44]

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: How does the truth that you are God's temple influence your choices and attitudes throughout the day? What is one practical adjustment you could make to honor the reality of His presence within you?

Sermon Summary

The talk issues a clear call to recover the baptism and life of the Holy Spirit as the essential foundation for Christian community. Scripture in Acts 19 anchors that call: receiving the Spirit brings presence, tongues, and prophecy as signs that the living God rests with his people. The church exists not as a building but as a dwelling where God lives by his Spirit; worship, scripture, and prophetic ministry work together to form that temple. Leadership and ministry decisions must prioritize anointing over mere capability—appointments and ministries should wait for and cultivate God’s hand rather than rely solely on organization.

Practical rhythms matter: create space, expect God to arrive, and learn to wait rather than rush program into place. Worship that gives whole hearts, heads, and hands invites the river of the Spirit to flow; that flow changes affections, produces tears and joy, and fuels proclamation and service. Prophecy functions as a pastoral, confirming, and forward-moving word from God—always to be weighed against Scripture, offered in love, and used to encourage, strengthen, and send people into obedience. Sensitivity, testing, and team-based discernment protect people and give grace when prophetic words need time to be weighed.

A strong appeal to leaders follows: select people full of the Spirit, cultivate anointed teams, and steward prophetic people with patience and pastoral wisdom. Activation looks like prayer, laying on of hands, ordinary people stepping out, and elders giving space to weigh and implement what God shows. The closing call prays for prophetic release across every ministry—worship, evangelism, social action, and leadership—urging the community to expect God’s presence, cultivate anointing, and build together into a holy temple where God dwells.

Key Takeaways

1. Baptism in the Holy Spirit Receiving the Spirit is the essential inheritance that completes Christian initiation; it brings the tangible presence that empowers worship, witness, and transformation. This baptism is not ornamental or optional but foundational to corporate life and personal boldness, producing gifts like tongues and prophecy that confirm God’s nearness. Expectation and openness create conditions for that arrival, while testing and pastoral care keep it healthy. [05:08]
2. Church as God's dwelling place The church is pictured as the temple where God chooses to live by his Spirit, not merely a meeting venue or program. That identity reframes corporate practices—worship, prayer, discipline, and relationships—around holiness and hospitality to God’s presence. Personal repentance and mutual forgiveness become practical preparations for entering a sacred space. [09:36]
3. Choose leaders with anointing Leadership selection must prize spiritual anointing alongside competence; ministries flourish when led by those marked by the Spirit’s presence. Anointing shapes decisions, gives capacity to carry burdens, and safeguards mission from mere managerialism. Training and prayer release and sustain that anointing, while wise counsel keeps it accountable. [15:28]
4. Practice patient prophetic listening Prophecy functions as sensitive shepherding—words that encourage, strengthen, and send people into obedience—but always requires testing and gentleness. Listening to God is an art done best in teams, with humility about possible mistakes and grace for leaders who weigh what emerges. Practiced discernment protects people, cultivates boldness, and allows prophetic words to mature into faithful action. [42:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:29] - Intention: Prophecy and the Miraculous
[02:30] - Privilege of Meeting God
[04:45] - Acts 19: Did You Receive the Spirit?
[06:48] - Spirit’s Signs: Tongues and Prophecy
[08:58] - Church as God’s Dwelling Place
[15:28] - Anointing in Leadership Appointments
[22:53] - Ministries: Seek God’s Hand
[25:47] - Creating Space to Welcome God
[28:31] - Let the River Flow: Worship
[42:39] - What Prophecy Is and How to Test It
[47:52] - Activating Prophetic Gifts
[55:46] - Releasing Prophecy Across the Church
[60:47] - Prayer for Elders and Closing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Acts 19:1–7 (ESV)
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.

Observation questions

What question did Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus, and how did they respond?
What happened after Paul laid his hands on them and prayed?
According to the sermon, what are the signs that confirm God’s nearness when the Holy Spirit comes? [07:09]
How is the church described in terms of God’s dwelling place? [09:36]

Interpretation questions

Why did Paul consider it essential for these believers to receive the Holy Spirit, even though they were already disciples?
What does it mean for the church to be “a dwelling place where God lives by his Spirit,” and how does that change the way we approach gathering together? [10:05]
The sermon emphasizes that leadership should prioritize “anointing over capability.” What might that look like in practical terms when appointing leaders or starting ministries? [15:28]
How does prophecy function in the life of the church, and what safeguards are important when weighing prophetic words? [43:39]

Application questions

When was the last time you consciously expected and welcomed God’s presence in a gathering? What helped or hindered that expectation? [23:44]
How would you describe your current hunger for more of the Holy Spirit? What practical step could you take this week to drink more deeply from the river of God’s presence? [28:03]
In what areas of your life (home, work, relationships) do you tend to rely on your own capability rather than seeking God’s anointing? What would it look like to shift that dependence? [15:57]
Have you ever sensed God prompting you to encourage, comfort, or strengthen someone? How did you respond? What holds you back from stepping out in simple, loving obedience? [44:37]
Are there areas in your life where you’ve allowed offense or disappointment to dull your sensitivity to the Spirit’s voice? What would it look like to bring that to God in repentance? [54:28]
How can you personally help create space in your church community for the Holy Spirit to move—whether in worship, prayer, or listening together? [25:47]
What is one way you can intentionally “lean into” the Spirit’s leading this week, even if it feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar? [24:39]

Sermon Clips

41s

#KingdomFirst

“No. I need you just to turn around, Adrian. I need you just to back up. And that requires humility. It takes me a long time to learn that, but, Lord, I want to be attentive. Maurice said this morning that we live primarily for the kingdom of God, and then everything else takes its shape underneath that. Everything else must come after that. And for me, it's it's the same thing. The presence of God. Okay. What facilitates the presence of God? So there's some stuff I don't like to watch or to listen to because it just, like, messes up my wiring of just the presence of God. And I can be a bit sensitive, but I just need to listen.”

44s

#ReturnToFirstLove

“How about you and your awareness of the presence of God? I'm not asking you to put your hand with it, but maybe you knew a time where the fellowship of God was close, but you think, it's distant. Yeah. It was good that year. I remember I used to read scripture. I used to love worship. I just Jesus was close. He would speak to me. But, yeah, it's it's not alive in me. What does John write in the book of Revelation? Repent and do the things you did at first. Yeah. I used to pray. I used to fast. I used to whatever it was. Let's put ourselves in line with what God wants us to do.”

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Weekend Away 2025 - Building on the Foundation of the Prophets - Adrian Horner