VISION

More Than The Eyes Can See

Part 2

The prophet Joel, one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible, prophesied the inauguration of the Christian Church, some 800 years before the birth and subsequent earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Joel 2:28,29 the prophet writes concerning the church age: "And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions,
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

In the Book of Acts, in which some of the beginnings of the Christian Church are recorded, in Chapter 2, the Apostle Peter quotes the above passage from the prophet Joel with the words: "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel....." signifying the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as being foretold over 800 years previously by the prophet. God is always true to His Word.
As mentioned in the first part of this blog, there are numerous examples of people in the Old Testament having received supernatural visions and dreams. Such also is the case in the New Testament, with examples such as those received by Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10, and also by the Apostle Paul in Acts 16:9,10 where during Paul's second missionary journey:
 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 

Another aspect of vision can be seen in passages such as recorded in Habakkuk 2:1-3
 I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then The Lord answered me and said:
"Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end, it will speak, and it will
not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."

Proverbs 29:18 KJV states Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The NKJV says Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.....
Other translations give an even clearer picture of the meaning of this verse...
"Where there is no continuous revelation, the people live carelessly."...."Without a progressive vision, the people dwell carelessly."........"Where there is no vision, the people run wild,"............."Without prophecy, the people become demoralized."
It was never God's intention that we, as His children, should live haphazard lives, with the attitude of the old song "Que Sera Sera"....Whatever will be, will be.
As the Good Shepherd (John 10), He promises to lead and guide us into "green pastures."
We may not all have supernatural visions and dreams in technicolor, but we can just as surely know the plans and purposes the Lord has laid out for us as we draw close to Him and come into His presence with expectant hearts, trusting Him to give us vision for now and the future.

The much quoted verses in Jeremiah 29:11-13 are worth mentioning here. Jeremiah was speaking to the people of Judah who had been taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Verse 14 goes on to say: "I will be found of you," declares the :Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."

To Be Continued................................

VISION 

More Than The Eyes Can See

When we speak about Vision, we can be speaking about a number of different things. The most obvious meaning is that which is able to be seen or perceived with the human eye. In that regard we speak about our ability to see clearly, for example, as having clear or perfect vision. A vision specialist doctor or an optometrist uses an eye chart to test visual accuity, such as the one opposite, originally developed by a Dutch ophthamologist, Hermann Snellen, in 1862. The chart was called, not surprisingly the Snellen chart. A variation of this chart is now used.

In the business world, businesses and other enterprises often formulate a Vision Statement, outlining in clear unambiguous terms a succinct summary of the goals and aspirations of the organisation, thus presenting the Vision for said business or organisation.
 Many churches and Christian ministries present
a Statement of Beliefs as well as a Mission and/ or Vision Statement.

In the Bible, the word Vision can also take on several meanings. There are many instances in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible where people had supernatural revelation from God, very often in very visual, as well as often audible experiences. Space does not permit to list all these instances of supernatural visions in the Bible. A good exercise is to look up the word vision, or revelation in a concordance or Bible Dictionary, or on the internet, and see how many times the Lord God has spoken in His Word to individuals on behalf of the nation of Israel quite often - in the Old Testament, and for the benefit of the Church in the New Testament. 
A vivid Old Testament example is the call of the prophet Isaiah, as recorded in Isaiah 6. The chapter begins: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!"
And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
       So I said:
"Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts."
The chapter continues to recount the call and commissioning of Isaiah to prophesy to the nations of Judah and Israel, and to the surrounding nations - to declare the Lord's displeasure and judgment upon sin in the nations, but also to help turn the people away from their sin and disobedience to avert disaster. The greatest purpose, as stated in the notes in the New Spirit Filled Life Bible was to lay a foundation of hope and promise for the faithful remnant of God's people. The book of Isaiah contains a large number of Messianic prophecies - foreseeing the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There can be no doubt, after reading the account in Isaiah 6 that the vision the prophet received was highly visual, as well as involving other senses.

One New Testament example of a supernatural vision is that recorded in the Book of Acts, in Chapter 10 where the Roman centurion, Cornelius, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always (verses 1-2) - sees an angel in a vision telling him to send men to the town Joppa to find the apostle Peter, whom Cornelius is assured by the angel, will tell them what they must do. The chapter goes on to recount that Peter himself also receives a supernatural vision from the Lord instructing him to go with the men sent from Cornelius to tell him and his household the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their resultant salvation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit. 
Powerful stuff, indeed!!

Proverbs 29:18 KJV states: Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Other versions, including the NKJV use the word revelation instead of vision.
What is this type of vision? How does this apply to Christians, individually and to the Church today?
These questions and examples of this type of vision will be addressed in the next blog post in this series. God Bless.

Peter Harvey

HE IS RISEN

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!

This was the chorus of an Easter hymn written in 1874 by Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister from Philadelphia, PA in the USA. The hymn had three verses as well as this chorus.
I remember well the times in years gone by when I attended water baptismal services in several churches here in Australia, and also in New Zealand, where this rousing chorus was sung, each time the candidates for baptism rose up from the water.
One instance in particular stands out in my memory - that of a special time of water baptisms of a number of Christians who were part of a church where I was in fellowship in Christchurch, New Zealand. The church was in a suburb called New Brighton, a beachside suburb in that city. From memory, this particular service was held at the swimming pool complex which was a part of the QE2 stadium built for the 1974  British Commonwealth Games.
I remember singing this triumphant chorus a number of times as each person being baptized  rose up from the water. How wonderful to be with like-minded Christians publicly declaring our faith in the Risen Christ in that arena, and to be able to join with those being baptized in their celebration of declaration that they had died to their old sinful lives and were, by faith looking forward to lives spent energized by the Resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.
Sadly, the QE2 stadium in Christchurch was a casualty of the devastating earthquake of 2011.
Other times of water baptisms carried out in a public setting vividly etched in my memory were those when I was in fellowship at the Southport AOG church on the Gold Coast in the 1970's, where because the church met in a rented hall, there was no purpose-built "pool" for water baptisms, the church went to a nearby river public swimming area. Under the leadership of the Senior Pastor, Tom Whiting, those being baptized made a public stand for Jesus Christ, while Pastor Whiting boldly announced in his deep rich English/ Welsh accent for all to hear, the reason why we were there and doing what was taking place, according to the Word of God.
Easter has come and gone for this year of 2014, and Christians around the world have remembered the agonizing death of their Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ on the cruel Roman cross on a hill called Calvary outside of the city of Jerusalem in Israel. Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Christ as prophesied in the Old Testament many hundreds of years before the event.
Jesus spoke of His crucifixion on a number of occasions. One example is recorded in John 12:31-33 "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
Jesus also prophesied His own resurrection from the dead. He knew without a doubt that, although He had to die a horrible death on the cross, He would be raised back to life the third day following. 
Luke 18:31-33 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.
For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."
Another instance where Jesus confidently prophesies His death and resurrection is in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12:38-40. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."
But He answered and said unto them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.,
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Just as the prophets of old, and Jesus Himself prophesied, on the morning of that first "Easter Sunday", as the day began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 
The exciting reality of this time continues to be related by Matthew in the last chapter of his Gospel account: And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
And the guards shook for fear of him; and became like dead men.
But the angel answered, and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (Verses 1 to 6)
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead on that first Easter Sunday are historical facts which happened at well documented points in time. 
Because He took our place on the cross, and overcame Hell and death being raised to life again - to live evermore, those who have put their trust in Him since that time have been released from the power and penalty of sin, and have experienced newness of life, and renewed hope from the God of Hope. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Subtitle: THE CONUNDRUM OF THE CROSS

The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know that it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say,
                                     "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
                                      and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." (Isaiah 29:14)
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say that it is all nonsense.
But to those called by God to salvation,both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. (New Living Translation)

The cross of Christ has been the central, enduring symbol of the Christian church down through the last 2,000 years. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who had divested Himself voluntarily of His Godly attributes (see Philippians 2:5-8) to live on this earth as a man, hung with his bloodied and broken body nailed to a cross of wood between two convicted criminals.  The sinless Son of God was dying a criminal's death - one of the cruelest forms of capital punishment ever devised by man.
From the world's viewpoint using man's wisdom, the thought of the Son of God willingly subjecting himself to such a humiliating process leading to death seemed totally illogical - absurd even.
But, again as the Apostle Paul points out to the church at Colossae (and to those of us who believe today), "You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. Because we broke God's laws, we owed a debt - a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see." 
(Easy-To-Read Version) ERV
In his book "When The Crosses Are Gone - Restoring Sanity To A World Gone Mad" by Michael Youssef. PhD - Senior Pastor of Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia - published in 2011, he writes: The cross is a bridge which spans the gulf between God and humanity. The cross is not a wall of separation - it  breaks down walls between people, bringing us all together as God's children. The message of the cross is a message of love.
That's the conundrum of the cross. In previous generations, the cross was an accepted symbol in our culture. A church steeple topped with a cross announced that here is a place where the message of God's love is preached. In our generation, however, the cross has become a dangerous thing - despised, hated and rejected. We are just one generation away from seeing the departure of the Christian Gospel from our land.
Today, many evangelical churches, in an effort to be more "seeker-friendly" have decided not to identify their buildings with the symbol of the cross. Their intentions may be good...........................But though their intentions are good, they are taking a step toward compromise with the culture - a culture that is increasingly hostile toward the cross. By increments, they are departing from the truth.
Later in that same chapter of his book, Michael Youssef states: Only a superficial or hostile thinker could look at the cross and see a symbol of religious oppression or arrogance. The cross is a profound conundrum, a paradox, and the paradoxical logic of the cross tells us that hope springs from despair, life springs from death, and faith springs from our struggle with doubt and unbelief. The logic of the cross tells us that sinful human beings can be declared righteous in God's eyes - not because of anything they have done, but purely because God Hinself died on a cross. This idea is absurd according to human logic; but that is the logic of the cross.
The Latin word for cross is crux. It is fitting because the cross is literally the crux, the heart, of the Christian message. Remove the cross and you eliminate the essence of Christianity.

Because Jesus died for us on the cross at Calvary, we can experience new life, because His body was broken for us, we can be truly made whole, as we come to him in our brokenness. 
For the man, woman or child who looks to the cross and all that it symbolizes in the work of redemption accomplished by Christ, the conundrum of the cross is a conundrum no more. The cross becomes the meeting place of a wayward heart and life with a loving Father God longing for relationship restored for eternity.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

"Have You Heard Of The Four Spiritual Laws?" 
Yes, it is a question you may wish to ponder for the answers to true purpose in your own life, but it also is the title of a small booklet, written in 1952 by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade For Christ to present the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ "in a nutshell". According to Campus Crusade History, this little booklet with very basic illustrations, each law being supported by several relevant Scripture verses - has been the most widely distributed religious booklet in history, with upwards of 2.5 billion printed in all major languages of the world.
What are these Four Spiritual Laws?
They are, according to Bill Bright, as follows:

Law 1.

God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life
(John 3:16; John 10:10)

Law 2.  

Man is sinful and separated from God.

Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life

(Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23

Law 3.  

Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin.

Through Him, you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life

(Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; John 14:6)

Law 4.

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; 

then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives

(John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 3:1-8; Revelation 3:20)

Some have criticized this as being a simplistic presentation, and that it does not tell the whole story of the Christian life - that it leaves out the realities of suffering and tribulation which are the lot of the true disciples of Christ. However, personally, from a starting point of introducing a person to the Gospel, I believe it has been a very effective tool in leading many (probably in the millions) people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ at the start of their journey of faith.

I remember being given a copy of this little booklet when I committed my life to Christ at a Christian coffee shop outreach on Queensland's Gold Coast way back in 1967. As mentioned above, the laws were illustrated by simple drawings, simple in their design but which had a profound impact on my mind and spirit. 

The second law states that Man is sinful and separated from God. This was illustrated by two line drawings depicting Man trying in vain to reach out to God through his own efforts through good works, philosophy or religion.

The third law shows again the two entities illustrated by line drawings - God above and Man below, but this time with the separating gulf being bridged by a large Cross with Jesus printed on the cross beam - showing that the Cross of Christ is the only means of Man's restoration to God, As Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousess of God in Him."

As Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6 "I am the way,the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me".

Also speaking of His death on the Cross, He said: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me". John 12:32
There are a number of Old Testament scriptures which directly speak about the crucifixion of Christ.
Several of these are as follows:
Psalm 22:14-16 - "My life is poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid Me in the dust and left Me for dead. My enemies surround Me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on Me. They have pierced My hands and feet."
Zechariah 12:10a - "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only son."

It is little wonder that Paul said concerning the emphasis of his own ministry, in 1 Corinthians 2:1,2  And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Not every person has or will embrace the message of the Cross of Christ, as Paul, again states in 1 Corinthians 1:18,19 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
For it is written:
                         "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
                          the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." ( from Isaiah 29:14)
That leads us to the Conundrum of the Cross, which I shall address in the next part of this blog.

THEY SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES

(CONTINUED)

One of my Facebook friends, himself a Pentecostal pastor, made an interesting comment following my second part of this current blog. He said: "You don't hear much about speaking in tongues these days." When he said that, I knew he was right. He was stating a reality which my wife and I sensed was so, but perhaps would not have been willing to categorically state. This man, having been a pastor for some decades now, in a major Pentecostal movement in Australia, had obviously become aware over time of the apparent diminishing importance given to the experience by Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and movements. Most of these churches would still have in their Statement of Beliefs a clear indication that one of their core beliefs is that subsequent to salvation or being "born again", the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues is available to every believer.
Again, as in previous blog posts on this topic, I think of the prophecy of Joel, some eight hundred years BC, confirmed by Peter on the Day of Pentecost as being fulfilled at that time, where the prophet said: "And it shall come to pass afterward
                      That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
                       Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
                       Your old men shall dream dreams,
                       Your young men shall see visions;
                       And also on My menservants
                       And on my maidservants
                       I will pour out My Spirit in 
                       those days."
After quoting this prophecy, Peter, empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit, added: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2: 38,39. NKJV
The "gift of the Holy Spirit" referred to here by Apostle Peter is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit the 120 in the Upper Room had received that day, with the manifestation of speaking in other tongues - in that particular instance, languages unknown to the speakers, but known languages recognized by the hearers from other countries gathered together in Jerusalem at that time.
Peter said the Promise is "to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." He was saying that the Promise of the Gift of the Holy Spirit, with the accompanying evidence of speaking in tongues was to all believers in every era, every generation, to those of all ages, all races, all backgrounds - in fact, to everyone, Jew or Gentile - who would repent of sin, and receive the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
With the restoration of this truth to the church in the twentieth century, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 were also restored to the church. These nine gifts or manifestations of the Spirit include: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith (the gift of faith), gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues (in public gatherings) and the interpretation of tongues (in public gatherings). (Words in italics added by me.)
The fact is that we, as Christians, are in a war- a battle for the hearts and souls of men, women and children. One of my favourite verses in the book of Isaiah, speaking prophetically down through the ages to the day in which we live, says: So shall they fear 
                                                                                      The name of the Lord from the west,
                                                                                       And His glory from the rising of the sun;
                                                                                      When the enemy comes in like a flood,
                                                                                      The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a 
                                                                                        standard against him.
.
Dennis Bennett, the Episcopal Rector in California who, in 1960 became a catalyst for the beginning of the Charismatic Movement, when he announced to his church congregation that he had been baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, stated, that for a Christian to be born again and not baptized in the Holy Spirit would be like sending a soldier to Vietnam without a rifle. In these times of ever-increasing darkness covering the earth, the church needs to avail itself of every provision the Lord makes available to us. That provision includes the Baptism in the Holy Spirit subsequent to the salvation experience, with the provision of the ability to speak in tongues, not as some quirky aberration of Christian experience, but to better equip the believer for effective ministry for our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.

TESSA'S TESTIMONIES

Our cat died recently. He had been a faithful friend for over thirteen years. I know that adults and children suffer and die daily through wars and other forms of abuse.

    But the pain over the loss of the cat was still real to me. I remembered his beauty as he ran along the top of the fence, like a living flame in the sunlight glowing like molten gold. I remember the way he waited hours at the window for our car to return home. How he followed me around the garden, even when ill.

Awake last night, I looked at the stars so clear, so still, so remote and unbidden the words of the Bible came to me from Deuteronomy 31: The eternal God is your refuge

                            And underneath are the everlasting arms.

I am so grateful that in a world of constant, often painful, change, God is our refuge, a place to be still and regroup.  He cares so much for our individual lives and our transient griefs, no matter how deep-etched.