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!

THE SOURCE, STANDARD & TEST OF ALL TRUTH

John 7v16-18:

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.


What we know and teach about Christ should never be what we think He should be or be like, but simply what the Word says about these things. Even Jesus Himself, in the passage above, clearly said that His teaching about truth wasn't according to what He thought it should be (in that human part of Him), but what it was in truth. Jesus says above, 'It comes from him who sent me.' What we say truth is should always have a source, and that source is the Word:

John 1v1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

6There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Jesus Himself, in what He spoke and in His example and acts (His life), showed us the light, which is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The rest of the Bible is that same light and same truth, and so that is the Christian's source, standard and test of all that is truth and true. John knew this full well, as the scripture above says that he was a WITNESS to the light, and a WITNESS to the truth, but not the truth himself, nor did he have any light himself apart from that which was given and learnt from Jesus (/the Word).

We, like John, are only witnesses to the light, not the light ourselves. Yes, we have been given the life of Christ, been made children of Christ, and been imputed with Christ's righteousness, so in that sense, we have been made children of the light, but still we have been grafted into the tree of Christ, and so our source of light, and thus truth, is still Him. We become very much mistaken if we begin to believe that we can start making up what Christ is like in order to fulfil our own desires about how we believe our following after Him should be like. Similarly, we cannot make up what we believe we think Christ should do, or how we believe He should work according to what makes good sense to us, or according to how we interpret His work or His words.

Obviously we will never be perfect here, as we are all sinners, and we all see 'through a glass darkly' on this side of eternity. We will not always get truth right. Sometimes we will misinterpret things or believe something that is erroneous, but the important thing is to always have a heart to want to know the truth as it is in the Word of God. If we do our best to know the Word and check what we believe with the Word, and interpret it as best we can, then that is all that God asks of us. Sometimes we will disagree with each other over minor things in the Word, but God does not upbraid us for this, as long as we don't become disagreeable with each other over non-essential truths, for God wants us to be united and at peace with each other. The important thing is to keep humble about the truth we believe according to what we see in the Word.

Similarly, when it comes to witnessing and evangelising, no matter in what manner or what setting, we must be very careful to faithfully teach the whole truth and whole truths about the way, the truth and the life, which is obviously what Jesus described Himself as being. Jesus is not ok with us picking and choosing what we'd like to reveal about Him, He wants us to reveal Him as He truly is. If we pick and choose, we start to do what the scripture says above:

v18 '...He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.'

If we pick and choose in this manner, we start to evangelise because we have things in mind for ourselves and something to gain for ourselves. This also applies for what we think we may lose. We begin to teach and evangelise based on trying to protect our own honour and our own interests, and this is what Jesus warns about in the above scriptures. Jesus says that those that do this have something false about themselves, for they do not preach Christ for the reason they should, but they do it for human interests. Again, if we are human beings, no one has been perfect in this area, and all have sinned here, and so we have need of being reminded, and often so, about how we should go about teaching and preaching about Christ. To block or curtail truth or to only preach half-truths is to make what we are saying un-truth and to make lies. Jesus never did this in order to be honoured by men or to gain something from them, and neither should we. And he especially didn't care for what He would lose amongst men, as He always had honouring His Father as His number 1 priority. All our needs are met by Christ and He secures those things; He is our protector, our shield and help, why should we fear what man can do to us? Why should we fear loss because of man, when God is our portion and our exceedingly great reward? God looks after the sparrows, and how much more will He look after us! God will look after us, but He is not pleased with us if we become cowardly about the truth (Rev 21v8), and this should be our great concern. Far better for men to be displeased with us, than for God to be!

Lastly, in the scripture above (v17), Jesus says that if anyone chooses to do the will of God, they'll find out whether the truth that is being taught them is really true. The reason for this is that they'll find out what the source is; whether it is earthly or heavenly. The difference between the earthly and the heavenly is monumental, for the earthly has no power in it; to change, move or enable us in any sense, while the heavenly is the complete opposite. The heavenly will definitely change and grow us, and will have the power in it to do so. If what we hear is from the Father and from the Son, then we will see that it is pure and that it can be worked out in our lives, and that when it is, it changes not only us, but those we come into contact with as well. The truth is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and so we will see the evidence of this in our lives and through what is worked out in our lives. If there is the fruit, then we have also received the source of truth and truth as it really is. If there is no lasting fruit, then we haven't received the Word correctly or what we have received has much error in it. This doesn't mean we will be perfect, as we will always be sinners on this side of eternity, but it does mean that His grace will be sufficient for us, to keep us following Christ no matter how much we may stumble or fail (Matt 18v21-22). But we always know if we begin to follow our own version of the truth, because we will know that we are following sin and ourselves instead of Christ.

In all our speaking about truth and thus speaking about Jesus, our highest goal and our greatest desire should be to honour Him. The way we do that is to honour the truth of the Word (as scripture says that He is that Word and that light!), and to honour the Word as that highest standard of truth and the blueprint of all that is true. The way we dishonour Christ is to start trusting the thoughts of our heart to be true and the way and thinking of the world to be true, and to start trying to mesh both those things and the Bible together. We, like John, need to be witnesses of the light of the world. We need to point to the light and point back to that as much as we can. When we start making things up, we point to ourselves and to others we believe can be sources of truth (apart from the use of the Word). When we don't know what the Bible says about what we preach and teach, then we are in great danger and so are our listeners. What's more, men will eventually find out that what we've told them isn't true! Not only will that reflect badly on us (and even men may act against us because of it), but what really matters is that it will reflect badly on Christ because of us! Because of us, men will incorrectly blame and walk away from Jesus, and stop following or not even begin to follow His path! The consequences for preaching half-truths and un-truths are therefore monumental! The easy way to guard against this is to teach and preach the Word as it truly is, and so to trust God to protect us and also to bring about what He is intending to through His truth.

THE OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT AND DREAMS AND VISIONS

Eph 5v18: …Instead, be filled with the Spirit…

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 - Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Acts 1v4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walkc from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord[a] in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.

We know as Christians that we have already been filled with the Spirit, but the Word also says that this is to be something that we should want to happen on a continual basis. The writer of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, said 'be filled with Spirit' (Eph 5v8). This being filled with the Spirit is in order to be empowered to be able to do God's will (and thus serve), know what that will is, and to actually be directed in that will, and especially that we may be Jesus' witnesses. We know this because this is exactly what happened with the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Furthermore, a major way that God chooses to do this with His people is by giving dreams and visions. Again, we know this because this is exactly what happened at the first outpouring of the Spirit in the New Testament, as visions of tongues of fire appeared on each disciples' head. Peter recognised why this was happening (remembering the passage from the book of Joel), and explained it to the people:

Acts 2v16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.

From the outpouring of the Spirit and the resultant visions of the tongues of fire, came an opportunity for Peter to witness for the Lord and His death and resurrection, and from there, the Bible tells us, around 3,000 souls were saved (v41) and God continued to add each day to those that were saved (v47). From this we can clearly see just how important, not only the outpouring of the Spirit is, but the outpouring in the form of dreams and visions (and just how much God values these things).

God is willing that all His people would receive dreams and visions. There is no stipulation in the Word which says that people must be prophets in order to receive them. The scripture above says that God will pour out His Spirit on 'all flesh'; so all of His people. Both sons and daughters (v17) will prophesy and both old and young men alike will receive dreams and visions. And those considered small or the least (in mens' eyes) in the Kingdom will receive them: 'And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days'. God is no respecter of persons, and the only reason any man receives dreams or visions is because of the blood of Jesus Christ and His great mercy and grace.

While God gives dreams and visions at times which are completely unlooked for, He usually gives such things by the method we see in the passages above. Jesus specifically told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem (Acts 1v4) until they had received the promise of the Father. This waiting involved prayer: 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.' When God gives us the promise of His Spirit, He desires us to respond by showing a desire for that very thing via asking for it in prayer:

Matt 7v7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

In asking in prayer, we align ourselves to receive what God has for us and this readies us to receive it. There would be no point for God to give us dreams and visions if we wouldn't even recognise a dream or vision when we got one. Similarly, if we couldn't discern whether a dream or vision is from God, it would also be in vain for God to give us such a thing.

In asking we also ready our hearts and minds to receive such things in the right way. We should desire to receive such things in order to serve God and His people, not in order to build up our pride:

James 4v2: Yet[a]you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

In asking we should remind ourselves about the reason that God gives us such things, and that is to glorify Jesus and make Him known. We should also ask that God use such things in the way that He wants to use them, for often we are unaware of exactly how He will use them and what ends He has in mind: Luke 22v42: '...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.' 2 Cor 4v8: '...we are perplexed, but not in despair…' 1 Cor 13v12: 'For now we see through a glade, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.' Often, when light (truth and revelation) is received, simply shining (sharing to all) that revelation and truth is all we need to do: Matt 10v27: 'What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.' But there are also times when we need to be particularly wise with when, where, to whom and in what manner we share the dreams and visions God gives us because God will have a specific will for these things.

Furthermore, in the asking, God actually works on our own hearts and our own spiritual lives. In times of specific waiting and asking we naturally spend more time with the Lord, and this then leads to God stirring up our heart for Him in other areas of our spiritual walk. God expands our prayer life so that we begin praying more for others, and we also become more mindful for His Kingdom and will in general. We also find ourselves becoming more spiritually minded and mindful of spiritual things as we think on the will of God and the things that God is doing in our lives, the lives of others and in the world in general. God also uses the time we wait in order to have us die to ourselves so that we can receive dreams and visions in the right way. None of us are perfect at this, and often times we fail, but God is patient with us and He is gracious with us. God also often needs to purify our motives and our desires (as to the reason why we are asking for such things), and He does so by having us wait on Him in prayer and in waiting on Him in general (His Word, worship etc). And often God will often allow us to be very weak in ourselves, so that we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not strong in ourselves or pure in ourselves, no matter how much grace we may receive in getting dreams and visions. When God took Paul to heaven, afterwards the Lord gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep Paul from becoming conceited.

It is quite important for us to have a good biblical understanding about dreams and visions. God very much wants us to know why these things are given, how He's given them before and understanding as to the types of revelations He gives in this form. The more we know about them via His Word, the more we come to understand, not only about dreams and visions, but the God who gives them. If we haven't before, it is very important that we get a good biblical knowledge about how the Spirit has poured out such things in the past, and how God has used such things to glorify Jesus and build His Kingdom.

It is of vital importance that we pray and ask for dreams and visions by using the Word of God. The Father always listens to the Son (the Son always interceding for us) and we know that Jesus Himself is the Word of God. When we pray using the Word, we pray according to the heart of God. What is more, the Word is always living and active and sharper than any two edged sword- the Word will never fail in its purpose! Whereas we are often weak and sometimes perplexed, the Word is always strong and always clear. Quote those scriptures which promise the outpouring of His Spirit, especially in the form of Him giving dreams and visions. And quote those which promise that if we ask, we shall receive. Some of the scriptures I've used in prayer in the past are the Matthew 7v7 + v9 scripture and the Acts 2 scripture I've put above and the one I've put below (there are others, but I'll try and post them another time):

John 16v13: But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

If you have a desire for such things, be encouraged to ask God for them and to wait till He gives them to you. This is often very hard to do. In my experience, sometimes I've only had to wait a very short time, and at other times I've had to wait quite a while for them. When I first asked God for dreams and visions I didn't receive them for quite some time, but eventually they did come. I would encourage everyone to ask for dreams and visions, whether you have a desire for them or not, quite simply because God said He would pour such things out in the last days, and these are the last days! It's also clear from that Acts passage that it is God's desire for His people that they ask for and serve with such things- the Word says, 1 Cor 14v1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. … 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. God is wanting to encourage and edify His people with such things, and He is wanting to use us to do just this! We also know that prophecy teaches, instructs, encourages and warns; all things which the Word of God always provides for us, and prophecy does exactly the same thing. But the key has been and always will be for us to ask God for these things in prayer and then to wait for them.

NO MATTER WHAT WAY YOU LOOK AT IT

In regards to sharing the truth, not wanting to offend others is always a good thing, and a good motive to have. But when shining the truth, it's important to realise that offence will come. That doesn't mean that we seek to offend or that we are pleased when offence comes, but it means that we accept the truth that the Word reveals in regard to how men will react when the truth is preached:

2 Cor 2v14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many,[b] peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

This also applies to what area of truth we share. Make no mistake about it, EVERY PART OF THE TRUTH will either be an aroma of death or an aroma of life, depending on who accepts it or rejects it. What we as Christians deem 'easier to accept' is just as much an aroma of death to those that reject it, and what we regard as 'hard to accept' is just as much an aroma of life to those that accept it and have themselves been chosen. A clear example of this is seen in the fact that Paul was persecuted by the Jews, not because of preaching about judgment but because of the Good News of the Gospel. Similarly, when Peter preached a message that involved telling his hearers that they were 'wicked' and that they were responsible for crucifying Christ, his hearers took it very well, reacting in a way that showed how much they understood that Christ and His message was an aroma of life:

Acts 2v23:

This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

v37:

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

We often believe that any message of sin, conviction or judgment, will drive men away from Christ, because it is hard for our natural selves to accept it:

John 6:
v60: On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?"

But Jesus, three verses on in this passage, makes a point of saying just how different the flesh (our natural understand) are to all things Spirit based:

v63: The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

The only way any truth can ever be accepted by men is if Jesus opens the eyes' of mens' hearts and moves their hearts to accept Him. And thankfully this has nothing to do with just what we deem easy or hard to hear. There is no ability that humankind has and no intelligence and no emotion that can open the gateway of their own hearts. There is only the Spirit that can do that, through what God has ordained via the sharing of the truth.

And whatever truth we share at any one time, there will always be elements of what we deem easy and hard to hear mixed together (try as some might to separate them, it is impossible). An example of this is seen in the sharing of the Gospel, for without sin, grace isn't needed, and mercy and forgiveness is only needed if first we are first made aware that judgment hangs over us and awaits us if we don't accept Him. It is Good News that there is a heaven that men can go to, and part of that Good News is that we are being saved from Hell (the value of the message is found in not simply what we are saved into, but saved from).

For me personally, it was the entire message of the Gospel that drew me to Christ, a message that is overflowing with truths of grace and judgment. The message of the Gospel is incomplete without the truths of sin, conviction and judgment. I needed to not only know that I was a sinner, but that I would be judged if I didn't trust in Christ being judged in my place. It made me love and Christ and respect Him in my life to know that not only was life provided me through Jesus' death and resurrection, but that I had been saved through wrath through Him as well. It was never just one truth or one part of the truth that led me to Christ and made me love Him, but it was all of them.

The Spirit of God is able to make the message of grace and judgment lovely to its hearers, because they are made lovely via the power of Christ to reveal Himself as He truly is, not who mankind would like Him to be (otherwise they will believe in a Christ and God of their own imaginations- a false Christ, a Christ who doesn't exist and who has no power to save from anything). Christians must not seek to make Christ acceptable to others through selecting certain truths at the expense of others, and even if they do this, it will be in vain, for any truth contains the reality of both grace and judgment; for all truth is based upon and emanates from the cross of Christ, and all truth can be understood by being traced back to that act, and via the context of that act.

NUMBERS

Often today a lot of Churches and its people are concerned with numbers and 'growth'. While its admirable to want to win souls and to see God's Kingdom grow, it's important for us to embrace a truth that Jesus revealed in the Word:

John 6v37:

'All that the Father gives me will come to me…'

While we are faithful to simply go about Church in a simple yet Godly manner, God will give His people whoever He has chosen and whoever He has led to come to Him, to them. When we are faithful to simply shine the light and to go about fulfilling His commission, God will add whoever He wants to add; sometimes to the congregation, sometimes to other congregations.

Yes, it is great to want to win souls and to have the body of Christ grow in that way, but God's way of growth has always been likened to that of salt and seed being scattered throughout the earth, and wherever that may fall, is a good and sovereignly ordained thing. God doesn't need one place to be huge in terms of numbers, for His Spirit is everywhere and He is at work everywhere, even if it is often unseen or unknown by us. God is as happy with two or three in one place, as He is with a few hundred or a few thousand in another. And He is no more powerful in one place with a few hundred than He is in another with two or three. This should always be obvious and evident to us through what the Lord did with 12 men.

Pastors often get upset and self-righteously angered when people leave their Churches, and yet they often forget that they are not their Churches at all. It is not even their work, and it certainly isn't their right to be overseers of Christians' souls if God is leading them on (they may be caretakers for a while, but that is all they are). Such Pastors need to relax, for it is God who sustains every work and every soul, and it is God who is the Great Overseer and Great Shepherd of every man's soul.

If God allows great numbers in one place, great. If He allows few in another place, that's just as good. Let Him be the one that adds and the one that takes away if that seem good to Him (just like Job said, 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away'). Wherever men may be, they are in God's Church and God's body; they have Him as their Shepherd, Apostle and every other gift.

All that God has deemed good to give to men, let them be glad with what they have been entrusted with. Let men only be concerned with how they are going to go about fulfilling their shining of the light of God before men, and His commission, for the sake of His Kingdom, and His Kingdom alone. In this way His ministers won't be concerned with how 'their Church' is going, for they will fully understand that it is not their Church at all, and those they minister to are not their people. They will not need to struggle and strive and to constantly strategise and plan in a fleshly sense, and to be a burden to God's people in terms of always asking and crying out for more money, but they will be able to completely rest in the will of God, and in whatever God has chosen for them and His Church in their place of worship.