TRUTHS FOR EVERY SEASON: PART 1

Sometimes it seems that only certain truths in God's Word are important for our lives. This is until God starts to do things that we don't understand and that we don't have a scriptural understanding for. In the Word, in a season of discipleship, miracles and the tangible presence of the Lord (because Jesus was with the disciples), what the disciples learnt and truly accepted of the Word got them through this time of blessedness. However, as soon as the cross came, and something they didn't get at all, being the judgment that was poured out on the Saviour, the disciples fled from Christ. After all, you can imagine them thinking; 'Why is the Son of Man being judged?' 'Why does the Son of Man have to be killed?' Why does He have to die?' 'Why does it seem as though wicked men are conquering His Church and His people?' 'Why are we suddenly in danger from this world when we thought Christ was our Good Shepherd and our Saviour?' These doubts and fears would've all come about because while the disciples had an understanding of certain truths of blessing, they didn't properly understand the harder truths that Christ had told them, and really it seemed that they didn't want to understand them (the irony being that if they had learnt them and accepted them, they would've been a source of great comfort to them).

This not-understanding, shying away from harder truths and truths that spoke of judgement and suffering to come, in the end backfired for the disciples, and they ended up fleeing the one they loved (or at least loved in part from the evidence of their fleeing Him). They loved to hear of truths and do things that revealed exciting things and things that fed them: they loved the feeding of the five thousand, they loved attempting to perform miracles, they loved talk of the Kingdom to come and to discuss their places in heaven next to Jesus, but when it came to all things cross related, suddenly their ears became dull, their hearts troubled and their ears became hard of hearing. They shied away from things hard to understand, and unfortunately it cost them and even cost the Lord in one sense; He having all his friends, except for John and two family members, leave Him alone.

Sometimes, because of the season we are going through, we tend to, even sometimes whether we know it or not, only come to learn certain parts of the Word or certain things about Jesus because that's all that we see as being relevant for us in what we are going through or what is happening around us at that point in our lives. We fall into the same trap that most of the disciples did. However, hard times will come, and times when God will judge the world and His People (for discipline: 1 Pet 4v12-18) and then on what secure a footing will we be scripturally? Will our faith be guarded by the kind of truth that is necessary for our spiritual house to remain secure? If we are open to, and actually go about learning the truths necessary for such things then yes, but if not, then we will find ourselves in a similar predicament that many of the disciples found themselves in. But if, like Noah, we are faithful to build our ark the right way; in the way that God intended by every truth for every season (the whole Word of God), then our boat of faith will float through the days that lie ahead.

GLOBAL TERRORISM ON ITS WAY

For a while now the Lord has put on my heart to pray and ask Him for the events that are going to take place in the future. So I've done this for a few years now and from time to time, the Lord has given me dreams or visions. Prophecy is to encourage the body of Christ, and the Lord gives His people information about the future so that when the things He reveals takes place, we might be strengthened in our faith, rather than weakened: 

John 13v19: “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.

The weakness of our flesh is apt to cry out when bad things happen; 'Where is God in all of this?' But in fact the Lord is sovereign over everything, and He graciously reminds us of this through prophecy.

In 2013 I had two dreams from the Lord (both dreams are included at the end of this article) which revealed that terrorist attacks are coming, and one of the dreams seemed to indicate that they won't just be confined to one area of the globe, but that they will take place both near and far. The two dreams seemed also to indicate that they will be like the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and also smaller in nature. Not only this, but I also had a dream of a terrorist attack against Hillsong in Australia as well.

Not long after the first dream, the Boston marathon bombing took place. In more recent times, it seems possible at least that the Malaysian Airliner could have been taken down by terrorism as well. Not only that, but we have now, just in the last few weeks, seen the following:

'An offshoot of al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has declared the territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria a "caliphate," or Islamic state, and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as caliph or leader for Muslims.'
(http://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-terror-group-declares-caliphate-in-iraq-syria-nails-9-men-to-cross-for-rebellion-122474/)

So what seemed, at least before the Boston Bombings (which happened about 12 years after the 9/11 attacks), to be extremely unlikely in the natural, now seems quite plausible, and not far-fetched at all. But for the grace of God, more terrorist attacks will take place. This should not surprise us, as there will always be evil and evil men in the world and there will be times when darkness seems to reign, even if just for an hour. This kind of prophecy should not surprise us either, as even Jesus Himself spoke about extremely hard times to come when he spoke of the end times, even going so far as to say that if such a time were not cut short, no flesh would survive. He also spoke of wars and rumours of wars, and of Kingdom rising against Kingdom and nation against nation.

These things in and of themselves are obviously terrible and the death of anyone is tragic. Jesus came to save men's lives, not to destroy them! But all these things He is sovereign over, and He keeps His peoples' lives safe in His hands. Be mindful of His voice, and be mindful of these things in prayer, for this is what Jesus called us to do when He called us to 'watch'. And to be people who read the signs of the times.

THE 2 DREAMS I HAD IN 2013

(and that I put on Facebook or my blog that year):

1ST DREAM
(14/3/13)

It was an extremely vivid dream, so vivid that in the dream it felt like I was actually there and completely saw and felt everything that happened:

In the dream I was looking at two buildings that were high rise buildings, but a lot smaller than the twin towers (tall high rise buildings, but not gigantic). Then I looked and saw one airliner crash into one of the buildings and a massive explosion of flames, fire and smoke take place (just like on 9/11). As soon as I saw the plane coming it was like I knew exactly what was going to happen (like it had already happened before and was happening exactly the same way again). Someone else was with me at the time too. It was then that another plane hit the other tower in the exact same way (the same as 9/11 too), and another great explosion erupted.

Then I was somewhere else on the ground floor of another building. I was telling the people that they had to leave, that the upper levels were going to come down and crush them, but no one believed me. I implored them to leave but no one did, so I gave up trying and fled myself. It was then that one of the big towers collapsed and produced a gigantic and awe-inspiring mass of flames that came straight towards me. The flames completely destroyed the building I had been looking at, and didn’t affect me only because I hid behind something that acted as a shield big enough to protect my body. I felt the heat of the flames, but wasn’t burnt at all.

_________

2ND DREAM:

I dreamt that, from a distance, I saw a plane fly behind another building that was in front of it, and hit a building behind it. I just knew it had hit a building because dark smoke rose from where it must’ve hit. Then, from where I was looking, I looked up, and I was under a building that, low and behold, looked like it had been hit with a terrorist attack itself (the building looked like a bomb had exploded from within it and utterly decimated it; all that was left was a shell of a building, a building that only had its frame left, and even the paint had been severely damaged and was torn up).

(written on 5/8/13)

TERRORIST ACT COMING AGAINST HILLSONG

(I had this dream on the afternoon of the 17th March 2008)

Please be prayerful about this and about any future trips to Hillsong. Please pray for Hillsong and God's people! My prayer is obviously that this will never take place.

Dream:

I dreamt I had just been told by someone that a terrorist act had been committed against Hillsong. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and I thought it was a joke (I was really incredulous). I just couldn’t believe it, but it was true and I was handed a newspaper article. I was handed a newspaper article, and I was able to look ‘behind’ the current headlines, and look into the future news story of Hillsong being the victim of terrorism.

'WHAT NEXT?' OR 'WHERE NEXT?' THAT IS THE QUESTION

In our life's journey, we often ask ourselves the question, "What's next?" instead of the question we should be asking ourselves, which is, "Where next?" Unless we go and spend time with the Lord, in His presence and immersed in His Word and an attitude of worship, we'll never know what to do next, for it is very likely that we'll be following our own desire instead of the Lord's voice. If we follow ourselves, we'll never really know where we're going and we'll always wonder why we don't feel the Lord is leading us. Furthermore, it is likely that we'll never really be in the primary place the Lord desires for us because it simply wouldn't work if He was to lead us to that place. After all, if the Lord wanted to use us specifically to be His hands and feet for a particular task, and yet we don't, as the Word puts it 'cleanse ourselves' to be a vessel of honour, instead of dishonour, then we would simply bear bad fruit for others and for His purpose if we were in this state and involved in that task because we would be following the flesh instead of the Spirit (knowing that only death comes from the flesh). Similarly, if we aren't close the Lord, it's likely our heart isn't really full of love for Him or the things of Christ, and so if Jesus was to lead us in our lives to certain things He loves, we wouldn't want to be there anyway, which would suck the life out of whatever the Lord was meaning to give us through those things. The disciples weren't forced to follow Christ, and neither are we. At any stage we may start to wander off, though the Lord's Spirit will search us out and find us to draw us back to the fullness of Christ. However, we may foolishly waste time in the meantime, and frustrate ourselves with the fruit of emptiness and hopelessness; the very fruit we thought would bring us life (just as Adam and Eve believed and were thus deceived). Jesus is wanting us to ask ourselves 'Where next?' instead of 'What's next?' because of the danger of 'What's next?' is that we will likely be the ones to try and take control of our lives, instead of letting Christ drive and lead us. But when we ask ourselves 'Where next?' we'll go to Christ, and so our hearts will stirred and lit on fire for a love for Jesus, and that will mean that wherever we are led next, we will fulfil what the Lord intended for us to do from that place, and thus also be fed and satisfied in the way that Christ intended. To know Him as our life, is to know the life He intended for us, which is the only true life. 

The reason that God will always point us back to the question of 'Where next?' is because He is always wanting us to feel contented and fulfilled in Him, not in anything else, including just His gifts. He is the way, the truth and the life, and so in order for us to know the 'way' for any moment in our lives, we must know the truth of the fact that knowing Him is our life: 'When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.' -Col 3v4. 'I want to know Christ...' -Phil 3v10. When we content ourselves with experiencing Jesus Christ, then we, just like the Apostle Paul, will find that we will have life in any situation. Then, in this contentedness and experiencing of Christ, Jesus will place us and lead us wherever His Spirit is wanting us to go. This will include times of family and friendship, of ministry or journeying, mountain top experiences, valley experiences, and times of feeding and conversely, hunger, and also activity and non-activity, but in everything Christ will be there right with us, continuing to be our life. Our confidence therefore won't be in where we'll be next, what we'll be next and what we'll be given next or encounter next, but it will be in our unchanging Lord, who we know walks on water as well as He walks on land. With Christ as our Lord, He has shown us that He has enabled us to do the same thing in this life, and so it shall be as we continue to stick close to Him. Christ is our life, and will lead us on the paths of life. And if Christ is truly our life, we'll love wherever He takes us next.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

2 Kings 2v

9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

10“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

13Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

When Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak, it was more than the accepting of a calling. Really, the calling had been well before that, when Elijah came to him and called him because of God's direction. When Elisha picked up the cloak of Elijah, he accepted something more important than his call, and that was the acceptance of a life lived close to hearing the voice of the Lord (for from the hearing of His voice, the call became a reality and effectual). That is the reason Elijah, when he heard Elisha's request for a 'double portion' of his spirit, said, 'You've asked a difficult thing'. Hearing the voice of the Lord isn't easy; it is revelation both sweet and bitter, as it is sweet to the spirit but often bitter to the flesh, and always involves the need to follow after Christ wherever He goes (and that is always to death first, then to life- first the cross, then the resurrection life- first the dying to self, then the living because of, and for, God):

'I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.' -Rev 10v10

The following after the Lord in the closest sense upon this earth, is the most rewarding, yet most difficult of things. It necessitates a leaving behind of the world, just as Elisha followed Elijah and was often a sojourner; not having just one residence or just one destination. Elisha and Elijah did not identify in any strong sense with the culture of the world or what it loved, and this made them strangers to both it and even to much of Israel at the time. This would've often meant that, because they were obviously human, they would've felt out of place, disconnected and often strange because of how others saw them. The opinions of others and even 'Christians' would've often been heaped against them and they would've been excluded from most people because of the word they brought because of what they heard from the Lord. The word of the Lord is described in the Bible as a fire, and so there wouldn't have been many that could've abided or even liked to be around such men because it would've cost them too much and made them feel too uncomfortable. One of the first reactions Elisha encountered in his ministry was a group of youths who taunted him. They were obviously people who had made up their minds about Elisha and what he did. This was not taken lightly by the Lord or by Elisha (the youths were attacked and killed by bears), and neither should it by us. Woe to those who make light of and joke about the things of God, His way, and those that love those things! (they make themselves enemies of God!). You could just imagine how popular Elisha was after this, and what people would've said about him, but this was irrelevant to Elisha, he loved God, His Word and both His mercy and His justice.

Being close to the voice of the Lord means being close to hearing God speaking things both encouraging and things of warning. Hearing His voice is to hear Him speak love and grace, and also of future redemption and wrath for those that reject His sacrifice, and of just things. Elijah, Elisha and all of those of His people who wish to know Him, in the truest sense (in obedience, passion, life and sacrifice), will know what it means to walk the road Elijah and Elisha took. Yes, this is a road of purpose, power, life and passion, but make no mistake about it, it is often a lonely road, one of denial and discomfort, and one in which you are made to feel strange and the stranger, not only amongst the world, but amongst those that are Christians in only some senses or the base sense of the word. Such Christians are those that follow at a distance and often try to live in two camps:

Matt 26v58: But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

And many do just this so that they can not only enjoy Christ but enjoy as much of the world and those of the world, as possible. These are the ones who reject the road less travelled, and do so to their own injury; both to their lives and hearts, even as Peter broke his own heart by rejecting and denying Christ because of this following from a distance. People such as this 'watch to see the outcome' (v58) of Christlike lives (to see if they too want to follow whole-heartedly), but in the meantime become so much less fruitful and lukewarm because of this life which is more of a watching and waiting than a living in truth (much of their grace that is received is done so in vain). Furthermore, they watch and follow at distance because it means that they won't have to suffer as much as those that follow Christ closely. This was just like Peter, who hoped to not be caught by the Pharisees (at the time just before Christ's death) and so hoped to avoid sharing in Christ's fate and sufferings. At the same time he aligned himself with the world, and he put himself in gave danger spiritually However, thanks be to Jesus who interceded for Peter and saved Peter from himself! We are all called to take this road less travelled, because it is not a road set aside just for those called to a particular service, but for all those called to follow Christ.

Elisha chose the road less travelled, and that meant that there weren't many that travelled with him. Likewise, if we too, take this road and truly follow Christ and His will, that will be something we suffer as well, but it will be well worth it in the end. One thing that can certainly be guaranteed for those that may be lonely and rejected (whether in a great or subtle sense) in this life because of taking this road of being close to the voice of the Lord and His will, is that we will not feel the same way when we reach our true home:

2 Peter 1v10Therefore, my brothers and sisters,a make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The often rejected and mistreated Elijah, a man who was made to be a stranger and treated as strange by much of the family of God (or those that claimed to be His family!), and who even was driven from the people of God altogether by the wicked Jezebel, was also a man who was given the greatest entrance to heaven any man ever received, being taken up to Heaven in a flame of fire and by the chariots and horsemen of Israel! This man, once so rejected and estranged from men and from God's people, was acknowledged and owned by God in the greatest way possible when he left this earth. By this, God showed humanity those men He loved and desired to honour, and also showed what He especially loved about His redeemed people . In honouring Elijah like this, God highlighted where His own heart lay. God is looking for a people who want to hear His voice, for this means they have a heart to follow Him and the road less travelled. God is looking for men who take pride in being separated from the heart and passions of the world. Not that God is wanting His people to not be in the world or be useful to the world (in our work and our service), but that He wants them to be lights to change the world. God wants a different people and a people who are willing to be different and to accept the cost that comes with walking such a road.

Elisha picked up the cloak of Elijah and so showed God that he desired the same road Elijah took (a road after and for God, in every sense of what that entailed). The question is, do we? Or are we content to live close to the heart of Baal and the heart of a lukewarm Christian family? This is a hard question to ask ourselves and if we desire to walk closely with the Lord, we desire and ask for a hard thing! In the end, Elisha made an incredible impact in the world for God, and yet most of the Christian nation of the time, didn't. That nation followed Christ from a distance because they weren't truly that comfortable and that in love with being that close to Christ. They also watched from a distance to see whether, in fact, Christ was who He really said He was (remember when Elijah called fire down from heaven to prove to His people who the true God was!). However, even when fire came, their hearts didn't turn. How long does it take our hearts to fully turn to Christ in every sense! The fire of God came upon the sacrifice of Christ Himself and thereby, God proved how pleased He was with a fully surrendered Christ-like life. In the same way, we are called to live that life. It is so very hard! But so very worth it! It is probably safe to say that both Elijah and Elisha knew as much of God, heard as much from Him and saw as much of His power as any Christian has who has walked this earth. The gracious prize for following the road less travelled, the one which Christ walks, is that we might know Him! And that is a prize that when we truly receive it, we'll never want to let it go. That is when, with Paul, we'll be able to say that we count all else as rubbish and all else as loss, that we might know Him!

THE PRACTICAL AND THE IMPRACTICAL

There are times when, like the call of Peter, the Lord calls us out onto stormy waters. Besides everything else that concerns us about doing such a thing, is the often disheartening reality that this isn't for any practical reason. When Peter was called onto the stormy sea, he didn't actually achieve anything for the 'real world' around him (in that moment). There was no ministry opportunity or visible reason why the call he had been given was being given, he was simply wanting to get closer to Jesus and follow Him. However, the lack of a practical reason to walk on stormy waters shouldn't discourage us, as the practical reason will often follow the spiritual one. The spiritual one for Peter, and for us, is that in walking on stormy waters our faith will be tested, proven true, strengthened and grown, as well as our love for the Lord. We'll also be humbled, as we see our own weakness and inability, just as Peter did, and this is just as important as faith and love. All these things are the seeds through which good works come, and if we trust to the process, the often unfruitful one in a practical sense, we'll see the purpose in the end. 

After Peter walked, sunk and was pulled from the waters in more than one sense before the cross, after the cross he found himself in the midst of the first great outpouring of the Spirit and the start of the New Testament Church. From there, God always directed him and made him extremely useful, often in extraordinary ways. This use was both spiritual and practical, as God affected real change in the world and in countless people through his life and service. There was evidently a time of long and great frustration for Peter before this time of release and call, as there will be for us; times of seeming inactivity and failure in our weakness, learning and knowledge; however, such a humble and seemingly useless time is as necessary as the greatly fruitful one. Nothing is wasted with God, and our lives will eventually be the bread for His people that He designs them to be. Whether we see practical results or the ends of His working with us is irrelevant as Jesus isn't always going to tell us what He is preparing and He isn't going to connect the dots for us, for this would hinder the design of his plans with us in the present and undermine His gift and working of faith that He is moulding in us.

WHERE NOW IS THE LORD, THE GOD OF ELIJAH?

2 Kings 2v11: As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

13Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

There are times of loss or change when, like Elisha just after he lost Elijah to heaven, we too must take up the staff of prayer in a very particular way. After his great loss, Elisha cried out, 'Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' (2 Kings 2v14). So we too enter times when we seem to have lost a great partnership with Heaven or a special grace or gift, and need to cry out, 'Where are you now, Lord?' Elisha had once had great friend and mentor, and revelation of Jesus Christ through the great prophet Elijah. Not only this but God, through Elijah, showed Elisha His great and miraculous power and ability to bring about great change in both himself and also His people around him. But there came a time when sovereignty decided both Elijah and all the grace that had benefitted Elisha through him, had to leave. We too at times are blessed with great friends, teachers and times where we see, in a particularly special manner, the power and presence of our Lord. But in like manner, we lose and will lose such times because of sovereign wisdom; God knowing what is best for us and others. Special graces leave us, and we too, like Elisha, are left with rivers to cross without more visible signs of His being with us. However, rather than crumbling, Elisha looked to the future, knowing that the purpose and presence of God would never leave him in the way it mattered most, and so, with eyes of faith and a heart full of determination, he took up the staff of prayer, and believed that he would see God move and make a way in whatever happened next. He believed that God would lead him to the next thing he had for him. In the same way, whatever gifts or graces seem to leave us, and whatever comforts may fall away, God will always be with His people in the way that matters most, despite whatever we lose, and He will lead us on to whatever purpose He has for us next. There is always the purpose and power of God for us (grace sufficient) in whatever stage of life we are in, and His presence is the same yesterday, today and forever. In going on with Him, He will go on with us. He is with us!