New Beginnings Discipleship grew out of being set apart as part of a team of people running a prayer house and healing ministry at the head of the Eden Valley in rural Cumbria.

In September 2008 I, Sarah, was given two associated prophetic pictures: the first was of John Wesley on a brown horse accompanied by the words ‘The Word must go out’. Brown symbolises humanity so I knew this was speaking of something we would be actively engaged with in some way. The Lord said ‘It’s time to build’. My reaction was ‘What are we to build?‘ The answer to that question is the same it has always been – the house of the Lord of course!

‘Then let them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.’ Exodus 25:8-9 (NIV)

Knowing how easy it is to assume we understand what God is saying without actually asking Him, my next question was ‘So what does your house look like for us today Lord?’ The answer was given in a second prophetic picture: first I saw the word H.O.U.S.E, the letter ‘U’ was then struck through. The letter ‘R’ was up above. As I watched the ‘R’ dropped down to take the place of the ‘U’, so that the new word read H.O.R.S.E! As I waited on the Lord for the interpretation of this picture, He began to teach me great deal about the horse’s characteristics. I came to understand the different parts of the horse’s body prophetically represent various parts of the ministry of Messiah’s Body.

The following image of the horse along with the text which follows best explains what I saw and learned:

The Ultimate Servant

Powerful, Disciplined, Itinerant, Directed, Strong, Meek, Flexible, Faithful, Reproducing and Obedient

Head: the eyes, ears, nose and mouth represent the seeing, hearing, discerning and proclamation of God’s Word through the prophetic voice. The head goes in front of the rest of the body. God’s Word says that He does not do anything without first telling His prophets (Amos 3:7).

Front legs: the first leg is worship; the second is prayer. Worship is the door through which we position ourselves before Father God’s throne in a place where our prayers are then heard and answered. Fervent prayer goes hand in glove with wholehearted worship both of which welcomes the presence of God. God’s holy presence powerfully convicts of sin. The front legs dig up the ground and provide a spring-board for where the back legs can safely land. Everything we do in God’s Kingdom must be preceded by ground-breaking worship & prayer – personally and corporately.

Back legs: The proclamation of the love of Father God for His creation and especially for fallen humanity; the full gospel message of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ bringing the hope of salvation. For the message to truly be authentic it must be followed by the tangible signs and wonders of Father God’s in-breaking reality to save, heal, release and restore. The horse’s back legs always land in the exact spot where the front legs have previously been which demonstrates the truth of what is written above concerning worship and prayer.

Tail: Wherever God’s Kingdom is breaking out our enemy Satan will use his ‘flies’ (demonic forces) to try to bring infection, steal what God is doing or kill it off completely. The horse’s tail is there to swish the flies away. Spiritually this is done through the ministry of the intercessory ‘watchmen’. The tail is also there to protect the vulnerable parts of the body which again speaks of protective prayer for those who are weak, helpless, at risk or in danger.

Body: This ‘horse of the Lord’ cannot be built by the hand of man; it can only be supernaturally created by the Spirit of God because it is a living, breathing spiritual entity. Its total purpose, as it moves from place to place, is to carry the presence and glory of the King of kings accompanied by visible signs of the in-breaking reality of His Kingdom.

Sometime later God showed me this horse in the scriptures. The text below refers to the end-time army of God who, carrying the power, presence and spirit of the warrior Bride rides out with Jesus to fight the end-time battle which ushers in His Kingdom:

‘I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.’ Revelation 19:11-14.

The Horse of the Lord represents a paradigm shift from the static structure & tradition-bound Temple model of believing community back to the itinerant model of the Tabernacle; a structure that is flexible enough to be able to follow God’s leading when He moves. This is exactly the message of the Kingdom of God Jesus modelled for us.

God is looking for a people who will allow Him to be their King: those who are passionate obedient surrendered purified lovers of God who exist solely and seriously to glorify the name of Jesus and to raise up a plumb-line for His Kingdom in towns and villages across the earth today. The context of Revelation 19 reminds us that the way will be costly. True disciples are called by Jesus to deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow hard in the dust of His footsteps. Jesus’ obedience led Him to the Cross.

New Beginnings Discipleship then is not an easy ride: it demands discipline and commitment of time; it will also be challenging in places because we are partakers in a monumental spiritual battle for personal freedom and to set other captives free.