It is very important for us as Christians to not idolise our own doctrine. Even if we are very confident in it, and the revelations given to us, our views may still prove to be wrong or at least have errors in them (which is likely since we are human and only see in part according to 1 Cor 13v12). Our confidence and trust must be in Christ alone, for He has 20/20 vision in all things and He is the keeper of all truth. Christ alone is our rock, not doctrine by itself.
If we idolise our view of doctrine, then if we are proved wrong or at least partially wrong in the future, we are in danger of becoming offended at Christ or maybe offended by our brothers in Christ who have taught us what we believe. Both ourselves and or the enemy can use this to tempt us to leave Christ, as we may believe that Jesus doesn't know what He's talking about or that at some point what is in His Word isn't the truth. If our view of truth and the revelation of Christ and all things He's revealed is 'in part' (1 Cor 13v9) and our understanding is like that of a child (1 Cor 12v11), then we should exercise humility in the confidence we have in what we know, and think we know, about things which even an Apostle admitted were hard to understand:
2 Peter 3v16: His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Jesus always wants our confidence to be placed in Him. Yes, He wants us to know His Word, for His Word is life- but not so that we'll be confident because of our knowledge, but because of knowing Him and His ways. Allow yourself to be open to being persuaded and changing your views if the Word convinces you to do just that. Allow yourself to change your perspective on things if proved wrong or if the evidence compels you to. Allow yourself to be humbled if that is what the Lord wants, for the Lord is not ultimately concerned with how much we know about everything truth related or our confidence in what we know about disputable things, but He is ultimately concerned with how what we know makes us live, treat others, and serve and love Him.
1 Cor 13v9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Saturday, 23 May 2015
DREAM: WHAT'S COMING TO THE COAST
The following dream reveals what could literally or metaphorically/symbolically is coming to part of the East Coast of Australia. I wouldn't be surprised if what it shows will literally take place, but I don't know for sure. I dreamt I was on the Gold Coast somewhere near where I live (in Palm Beach), and was looking down towards Tweed Heads; specifically at it's beaches. All of a sudden I was shocked to see what looked to be sand tornados that started forming. At first, just one thin but powerful one formed, then other larger ones sprang up. One massive one also formed. They would quickly form then dissipate in different places, seemingly at random. They increased in intensity as the dream went on, and in the dream I was really shocked and startled to witness what was happening. The sand tornados started throwing people around all over the place and formed in areas that were right in the centre of large crowds on the beaches and seemed to explode people in all directions where they formed (for some reason there were many people all along the stretch of Coast that I was looking at, particularly in groups). At first the tornados just seemed like a spectacle to the people who were watching them, but then people started being thrown all over the place by them and people became shocked and terrified by what was happening. There were, however, also those that saw this as a reason to party and those same people started hooting and hollering at what was going. This really shocked and disturbed me, as those people started filming what was going on with their phones as well. The sand tornados started up near where I live, and then I could see them occurring all the way along the beaches down towards Tweed Heads, and even in Tweed Heads itself. I also saw a massive sand tornado that threw a large crowd of people all over the beach.
In the Word, whirlwinds are a symbol of judgment from the Lord (take a look at this link which gives scriptures for whirlwinds in the Bible:
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Whirlwinds) on the wicked (the unsaved). So whether the sand tornados will be real or symbolic of judgment, it is clear that these show that the Lord's anger will come against the unsaved from Burleigh/Palm Beach to Tweed Heads in the future. However, the places in the dream (just mentioned) could be symbolic of Australia as a whole or at least the East Coast of Australia. Whirlwinds in the Bible can also be symbolic of the people of God who have turned away from God and who are living like that, reaping what they sow:
Hosea 8v7:
“They have planted the wind
and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.
Christians who continually live turned away from God, will reap the whirlwind of the consequences of their sin, and will also face other discipline from the Lord- a discipline which can be quite intense and in fact in Israel’s case in the Old Testament, because it was so severe, resulted in Christians losing their lives (New Testament- think Ananias and Sapphira).
So it seems as though this nation is going to reap what it has sown because of the wicked (unsaved), and perhaps even because of Christians who have lived in a continual state of turning away from God. A few years ago now, the Lord gave me a dream where I saw all kinds of tornados along the Coast (Gold Coast area), and some were incredibly powerful (again could be representing the Gold Coast area, the East Coast of Australia, Australia itself or the countries/coastlines of the earth). Romans 1 shows us that God’s wrath is always being revealed from Heaven, whether we perceive it to be or not. Yes He is gracious and merciful, but He is also Just and wise, and He is sovereign over all these things. No matter what is coming, the Lord will be with His people. These dreams are a good encouragement for us to continue to follow Him so that we’ll not be swept up in the judgment of the earth that is coming for the wicked, as discipline for living our lives in a rejection and of Him and His ways. It is also obviously an encouragement to pray for the unsaved, that they might know Him and be saved from any judgment that is coming.
Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
Jeremiah 23:19
"Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
Jeremiah 30:23
Behold, the tempest of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will burst on the head of the wicked.
Romans 1v18:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people,…
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
DREAM: THE SAFE PLACES MADE DANGEROUS?
Before I share a dream I had a few weeks ago, I feel I need to be clear about something. I think we've all had times where we felt somewhat uncertain about whether we've definitely heard from the Lord or whether we've simply heard something coming from ourselves. So while I'm pretty sure the following dream I'm about to share is from Him, there is still a part of me that is unsure, and for that reason I ask everyone out there that reads what follows to take these dreams to the Lord and as the Word says, 'test all things'. We should test all things anyway though, so we should obviously test what follows too.
I dreamt I was on the Sunshine Coast and in the foyer of a movie theatre there. In order to get into the movie however, I had to go through a process similar to what someone has to go through in order to get onto a plane, in that I had to put the possessions I had on me through a baggage check (to scan the contents of what I had on me) and go through a metal detector (to do the same). In my opinion, I believe this could mean that in the future in Australia, places that we once thought of as completely safe and free from danger, won't be anymore. This may be to do with terrorism or simply places becoming a lot more violent and prone to crime (like places in America where schools have to have metal detectors etc.) because of the way our society is going at the moment. The Sunshine Coast is a place my family and I always went to on family holidays, and is a place I always thought of as completely safe. I also loved to go the movie theatre there. In my opinion, I believe this dream is saying that in the future, places like the Sunshine Coast (and maybe even the Sunshine Coast itself) in Australia won’t be as safe as they once were, and in fact will be quite violent and dangerous. This should not shock us nowadays, as we are already seeing violence increase in Australia, even rapidly, and terrorism and its threat is now being felt in this country as well.
As always, God is sovereign over these things, so this should not be any reason for Christians to be afraid, but to simply be prepared, and to continue to rest in Him if and when this comes our way.
I dreamt I was on the Sunshine Coast and in the foyer of a movie theatre there. In order to get into the movie however, I had to go through a process similar to what someone has to go through in order to get onto a plane, in that I had to put the possessions I had on me through a baggage check (to scan the contents of what I had on me) and go through a metal detector (to do the same). In my opinion, I believe this could mean that in the future in Australia, places that we once thought of as completely safe and free from danger, won't be anymore. This may be to do with terrorism or simply places becoming a lot more violent and prone to crime (like places in America where schools have to have metal detectors etc.) because of the way our society is going at the moment. The Sunshine Coast is a place my family and I always went to on family holidays, and is a place I always thought of as completely safe. I also loved to go the movie theatre there. In my opinion, I believe this dream is saying that in the future, places like the Sunshine Coast (and maybe even the Sunshine Coast itself) in Australia won’t be as safe as they once were, and in fact will be quite violent and dangerous. This should not shock us nowadays, as we are already seeing violence increase in Australia, even rapidly, and terrorism and its threat is now being felt in this country as well.
As always, God is sovereign over these things, so this should not be any reason for Christians to be afraid, but to simply be prepared, and to continue to rest in Him if and when this comes our way.
Saturday, 16 May 2015
2 DREAMS
2 DREAMS (during the first
week of May, 2015):
Before I share two dreams I had a few weeks ago, I feel I
need to be clear about something. I think we've all had times where we felt
somewhat uncertain about whether we've definitely heard from the Lord or
whether we've simply heard something coming from ourselves. So while I'm pretty
sure the dreams I'm about to share are from Him, there is still a part of me
that is unsure, and for that reason I ask everyone out there that reads what
follows to take these dreams to the Lord and as the Word says, 'test all things'.
We should test all things anyway though, so whether I believe what I've been
given is from the Lord or not, everyone should be testing what I share anyway.
The first dream I had was a short but clear one. I dreamt I
was on the Sunshine Coast and in the foyer of a movie theatre there. In order
to get into the movie however, I had to go through a process similar to what
someone has to go through in order to get onto a plane, in that I had to put
what I had on me through baggage check (to scan the contents of what I had on
me) and go through a metal detector (to do the same). In my opinion, I believe
this could mean that in the future in Australia, places that we once thought of
as completely safe and free from danger, won't be anymore. This may be to do
with terrorism or simply places becoming a lot more violent and prone to crime
(like places in America where schools have to have metal detectors etc.)
because of the way our society is going at the moment. The Sunshine Coast is a
place my family and I always went to on family holidays, and is a place I
always thought of as completely safe. I also loved to go the movie theatre
there. In my opinion, I believe this dream is saying that in the future, places
like the Sunshine Coast in Australia won’t be as safe as they once were, and in
fact will be quite violent and dangerous. This should not shock us nowadays, as
we are already seeing violence increase in Australia, even rapidly, and
terrorism and its threat is now being felt in this country as well.
The second dream was highly unusual and I believe it could
be either speaking about something literal that will take place or it could be
metaphorical. I wouldn't be surprised if what it shows literally took place,
but I don't know for sure. I dreamt I was on the Gold Coast somewhere near
where I live (in Palm Beach), and was looking down towards Tweed Heads;
specifically at it's beaches. All of a sudden I was shocked to see what looked
to be sand tornados start forming. At first just one thin but powerful one
formed, then other larger ones. One massive one also formed. They would quickly
form then dissipate in different places, seemingly at random. They increased in
intensity as the dream went on, and I was really shocked and startled to
witness what was happening. The sand tornados started throwing people around
all over the place and formed in areas that were right in the centre of large
crowds on the beaches and seemed to explode people in all directions where they
formed. At first the tornados just seemed like a spectacle, but then people
started being thrown all over the place by them and people became shocked and
terrified by what was happening. There were, however, also those that saw this
as a reason to party and those same people started hooting and hollering at
what was going. This really shocked and disturbed me, as those people started
filming what was going on with their phones as well (this seems to show that some will find the judgments of God to be a spectacle and and entertainment and thus something to be filmed, which also seems to suggest that the judgments that are coming will be literal as well as spiritual in nature) . The sand tornados started
up near where I live, and then I could see them occurring all the way along the
beaches down towards Tweed Heads, and even in Tweed Heads itself. I also saw a
massive sand tornado that threw a large crowd of people all over the beach.
In the Word, whirlwinds are a symbol of judgment from the
Lord (take a look at this link which gives scriptures for whirlwinds in the
Bible:
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Whirlwinds)
on the wicked (the unsaved). So whether the sand tornados will be real or
symbolic of judgment, if the dream above is from the Lord, it is clear that He
is saying that His anger will come against the unsaved from Burleigh/Palm Beach
to Tweed Heads in the future. However, the places in the dream (just mentioned)
could be symbolic of Australia as a whole or at least the East Coast of
Australia. Whirlwinds in the Bible can
also be symbolic of the people of God who have turned away from God and who are
living like that, reaping what they sow:
Hosea 8v7:
“They have planted the wind
and will harvest the whirlwind.
The
stalks of grain wither
and produce nothing to eat.
And even
if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.
Christians who continually live turned away from God, will
reap the whirlwind of the consequences of their sin, and will also face other
discipline from the Lord- a discipline which can be quite intense and in fact
in Israel’s case in the Old Testament, because it was so severe, resulted in
Christians losing their lives (New Testament- think Ananias and Sapphira).
So it seems as though this nation is going to reap what it
has sown because of the wicked (unsaved), and perhaps even because of
Christians who have lived in a continual state of turning away from God. A few
years ago now, the Lord gave me a dream where I saw all kinds of tornados along
the Coast (Gold Coast area), and some were incredibly powerful (again could be
representing the Gold Coast area, the East Coast of Australia, Australia itself
or the countries/coastlines of the earth). Romans 1 shows us that God’s wrath
is always being revealed from Heaven, whether we perceive it to be or not. Yes
He is gracious and merciful, but He is also Just and wise, and He is sovereign
over all these things. No matter what is coming, the Lord will be with His
people. These dreams are a good encouragement for us to continue to follow Him
so that we’ll not be swept up in the judgment of the earth that is coming for
the wicked, as discipline for living our lives in a rejection and of Him and
His ways. It is also obviously an encouragement to pray for the unsaved, that
they might know Him and be saved from any judgment that is coming.
Nahum 1:3
The LORD is
slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the
guilty unpunished In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust
beneath His feet.
Jeremiah 23:19
"Behold,
the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will
swirl down on the head of the wicked.
Jeremiah 30:23
Behold, the
tempest of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will burst on
the head of the wicked.
Romans 1v18:
The wrath of
God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
people,…
Saturday, 4 April 2015
HIM, NOT US
Even when speaking of the 3rd Heaven experience God had given him, Paul was very quick to make every effort to hide himself, and point all the attention on God:
2 Cor 12v1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,…
He says, 'I know a man in Christ…' as if to say, 'Although I am forced to reveal what Christ gave me, I am loathe to reveal anything that may make people believe that I am something when really I am nothing.' He goes on to say, 'I know that this man…' and 'I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself.' Paul was greatly concerned that people would begin to focus on him, rather than on Christ, 'But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,…' Even in sharing what God had given him for both his and others' good, Paul was very reluctant to share what he had been given because he knew men's weakness to glorify men instead of Christ. When we are given something by the Lord, even when it is for others' good, we should make every effort to share it with others in a manner which stresses our frailty and humanity, in order to help and encourage others to focus on Christ alone, and not on ourselves (and also to ensure that no division occurs because of jealousy and competition):
2 Cor 12v...9: Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Jesus gave Paul a thorn for a reason, which was to remind him of his weakness (we must remind ourselves how easily we become corrupted by an overestimation of ourselves when Christ blesses us), and to remind others of Paul's humanity, so that Christ would remain the focal point of attention.
Christ's power will only remain upon us as long as we are humbling ourselves in the sight of others and humbling ourselves under His hand (2 Cor 12v9), otherwise there is the chance that men will be glorified instead of Jesus, and the Father does not want that. We must make every effort to humble ourselves in the sight of others, and especially do so when it comes to sharing things which the Lord has blessed us with and desires to bless others with as well. We should also be as quick or quicker to boast about what God has done to bless and speak to others as much as speak about what He has done in and through us: 'I know a man in Christ' (2 Cor 12v2). God uses others just as much or more than us, and this should be a great joy of ours to share with others, for God uses this mightily to build the whole body of Christ up.
Let us make every effort to point all attention on Christ, every effort to point attention away from ourselves, and also to ensure that our brothers and sisters in Christ are honoured for His sake as well. In this way, whatever we share for His sake, will do the good that He intended for it to do, in the way that He intended for it to do it (for the method is just as important as the message, as He is the way and the truth).
2 Cor 12v1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,…
He says, 'I know a man in Christ…' as if to say, 'Although I am forced to reveal what Christ gave me, I am loathe to reveal anything that may make people believe that I am something when really I am nothing.' He goes on to say, 'I know that this man…' and 'I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself.' Paul was greatly concerned that people would begin to focus on him, rather than on Christ, 'But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,…' Even in sharing what God had given him for both his and others' good, Paul was very reluctant to share what he had been given because he knew men's weakness to glorify men instead of Christ. When we are given something by the Lord, even when it is for others' good, we should make every effort to share it with others in a manner which stresses our frailty and humanity, in order to help and encourage others to focus on Christ alone, and not on ourselves (and also to ensure that no division occurs because of jealousy and competition):
2 Cor 12v...9: Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Jesus gave Paul a thorn for a reason, which was to remind him of his weakness (we must remind ourselves how easily we become corrupted by an overestimation of ourselves when Christ blesses us), and to remind others of Paul's humanity, so that Christ would remain the focal point of attention.
Christ's power will only remain upon us as long as we are humbling ourselves in the sight of others and humbling ourselves under His hand (2 Cor 12v9), otherwise there is the chance that men will be glorified instead of Jesus, and the Father does not want that. We must make every effort to humble ourselves in the sight of others, and especially do so when it comes to sharing things which the Lord has blessed us with and desires to bless others with as well. We should also be as quick or quicker to boast about what God has done to bless and speak to others as much as speak about what He has done in and through us: 'I know a man in Christ' (2 Cor 12v2). God uses others just as much or more than us, and this should be a great joy of ours to share with others, for God uses this mightily to build the whole body of Christ up.
Let us make every effort to point all attention on Christ, every effort to point attention away from ourselves, and also to ensure that our brothers and sisters in Christ are honoured for His sake as well. In this way, whatever we share for His sake, will do the good that He intended for it to do, in the way that He intended for it to do it (for the method is just as important as the message, as He is the way and the truth).
Saturday, 21 February 2015
IN OUR WORK
As much as we serve the Lord in our work, and attempt to work at it with all our heart, soul and mind, we must remember that we will always still be human. Therefore how we go about our work and the work itself will always be imperfect and there will always be certain failings about it. The Lord has allowed this for a reason, and that reason is summed up in the words 'trust' and 'humility'. With our limitations, when we have done what we can (and even at times when we can't do what we hoped we could or even thought we must do), we must realise that Christ desires that we trust Him with being the one that brings fruit from our work. Therefore we should pray with words like this, 'Lord, give us everything we need to do our work, and bless our work, and be gracious to our shortcomings and what we cannot or are not able to do'. In this way we recognise that all the blessings in our work that we have come from Him. When we see these blessings (for we see continual answers to prayer), we also see that He keeps us safe and effectual in our work even when we don't do as good a job as we think we should or are capable of doing. He is gracious to our shortcomings and our inabilities, and shows us that we cannot pride ourselves on any gift or ability that we have, because both the gift and the results that gift brings only come from His power and provision. This also works humility in us, as we see all the things we work at as coming from Him and being kept and blessed by Him. He also uses both these things to work out what HE DESIRES and HIS PURPOSES, which can sometimes override what we want or think as being the best thing, as often His ways are not our ways, nor our thoughts His thoughts.
We are all capable of different things in our work, but all these capabilities and even our own unique limitations come from Him and are given and allowed for a reason. As much as the Lord wants us to work with everything we have, He also wants us to stop, rest and trust. This involves committing our work to Him, and also being humbled about the fact that we are only human and that our limitations are both God ALLOWED and also GOD GIVEN. If we don't come to understand this, we'll always feel a sense of frustration and disappointment in ourselves that God does not want us to have. Those things do not produce any fruit for others or for ourselves, instead they only make us fret and make us become frustrated with others. We will end up thinking that others around us should be perfect in their work and should never fall short in anything, and that ends up creating a cycle of frustration, angst and fear that again is simply not Godly, but just something that comes from our own pride, fear of failure and over-tiredness because we are working to make something perfect when it can never be that way, simply because we are human and the institutions we work for are also made up of humans. We must learn to accept our limitations and insufficiencies in order to be those that always expect to see His provision, ability and graciousness. In this way in our working we allow HIM to truly work and for the work itself to be truly His and for Him. What we cannot do we lay at his feet, and what we fall short in we also commit to Him. If the Lord could use a mustard seed of faith to do great things, then even the small loaves and fishes that we have is MORE THAN ENOUGH IN HIS HANDS to accomplish HIS WORK AND HIS PLAN FOR THAT WORK. Allow the Lord to make you small and to break you like this bread (humble you to see your own inability), and in this way you'll see the blessing and multiplication of all that you do and give to others in your work, including yourself.
1 Cor 1v26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
John 5b19: Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
1 Cor 2v3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
TIMES AND SEASONS
Acts 1v6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 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.”
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
It's interesting that in this one event, the disciples are given two pieces of revelation about the prophetic that we can really benefit from. In the first instance, they are told that it is not for them to know times or seasons which are only for the Father to know, and in the second they are told the manner in which Christ will return. In the first instance, we learn that there are CERTAIN times and seasons which are never for us to know about because the Father has determined that it is only good that He should know it (and we do well to accept that), but this doesn't mean that there aren't times and season that we can't know about and that aren't beneficial for us to be made aware of. Jesus Himself rebuked a crowd who listened to Him because they couldn't' discern the time they were in, and therefore could not discern who stood before them (notice that understanding the time they were in was crucial to understanding the message that Jesus gave them. Because they didn't understanding the time they were in, they didn't accept what Jesus spoke to them as they didn't think that it was for them or even relevant to their lives in any way):
Luke 12 v54: He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
Interpreting the time they were in was crucial in order to respond to Jesus in the correct way, and follow Him in a way that was wise and beneficial. The above passage also shows us that Jesus was saying that we are supposed to interpret the natural things that take place, both in the sense of nature and human goings on and events, as those things which God uses to show us where we are in His timeline of things and in relation to what He is doing through His Son on the earth. Such things are very important because they direct us in regard to what manner of service we should be giving and how we should go about that service. It also shows us how active we should be in Jesus' service, especially during times that indicate that increased distress is coming upon the earth:
John 9v4: We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.
Jesus could tell that a time would come when His people, for whatever reason, couldn't do His work. Can we discern what time we are in now? Can we discern that there isn't long left to be fruitful in our service for Him? Do we even realise what KIND of service Jesus is wanting us to do and what manner we should do it in? If not, very little fruit of service will come from our lives (and ultimate very little reward), if so, much fruit will come because we'll be greatly spurred on to do the Father's works that He is wanting us to do and in the wisdom that He gives us to do it in the manner He desires. Notice the rebuke that Jesus has for those that cannot interpret the time we are now in (Luke 12v56). This should be a further motivation for us to understand how important where we are in the Father's timeline of things is. And what is this work? The same passage reveals what we should be about:
Acts 1v8 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 ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit has come upon all believers, and so we have been given the power we need to be His witnesses wherever we go, and this is what the Father desires that we be for Him. Prophecy via an understanding of the times and seasons, though in part, should not only give us hope for the future (i.e. knowing that Jesus will return one day and in what manner it will happen -Acts 1v11), but should motivate us to be about exactly what Jesus was about: witnessing, preaching, encouraging, teaching and healing. Jesus knew His time on the earth was short, and he knows that our time too is short and that we live in world that is violent towards Christians- so we cannot even know if we will have tomorrow:
James 4v13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Matthew 11v12: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.the kingdom of heaven suffers violence
Jesus encourages us to know the times and season we are in, in as far as it relates to understanding Him, His Word (and what He is now saying to us in revelation) and His will for the work that He is now doing and that He wants us to be doing now as well (and for the manner that He wants it to be done in). And as an extra motivator, He also gives us part of the picture of the hope that we have if we go about His work, which is that one day He will return, and He will reward us for the work that we now do for Him-
Rev 22v12: "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
It's interesting that in this one event, the disciples are given two pieces of revelation about the prophetic that we can really benefit from. In the first instance, they are told that it is not for them to know times or seasons which are only for the Father to know, and in the second they are told the manner in which Christ will return. In the first instance, we learn that there are CERTAIN times and seasons which are never for us to know about because the Father has determined that it is only good that He should know it (and we do well to accept that), but this doesn't mean that there aren't times and season that we can't know about and that aren't beneficial for us to be made aware of. Jesus Himself rebuked a crowd who listened to Him because they couldn't' discern the time they were in, and therefore could not discern who stood before them (notice that understanding the time they were in was crucial to understanding the message that Jesus gave them. Because they didn't understanding the time they were in, they didn't accept what Jesus spoke to them as they didn't think that it was for them or even relevant to their lives in any way):
Luke 12 v54: He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
Interpreting the time they were in was crucial in order to respond to Jesus in the correct way, and follow Him in a way that was wise and beneficial. The above passage also shows us that Jesus was saying that we are supposed to interpret the natural things that take place, both in the sense of nature and human goings on and events, as those things which God uses to show us where we are in His timeline of things and in relation to what He is doing through His Son on the earth. Such things are very important because they direct us in regard to what manner of service we should be giving and how we should go about that service. It also shows us how active we should be in Jesus' service, especially during times that indicate that increased distress is coming upon the earth:
John 9v4: We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.
Jesus could tell that a time would come when His people, for whatever reason, couldn't do His work. Can we discern what time we are in now? Can we discern that there isn't long left to be fruitful in our service for Him? Do we even realise what KIND of service Jesus is wanting us to do and what manner we should do it in? If not, very little fruit of service will come from our lives (and ultimate very little reward), if so, much fruit will come because we'll be greatly spurred on to do the Father's works that He is wanting us to do and in the wisdom that He gives us to do it in the manner He desires. Notice the rebuke that Jesus has for those that cannot interpret the time we are now in (Luke 12v56). This should be a further motivation for us to understand how important where we are in the Father's timeline of things is. And what is this work? The same passage reveals what we should be about:
Acts 1v8 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 ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit has come upon all believers, and so we have been given the power we need to be His witnesses wherever we go, and this is what the Father desires that we be for Him. Prophecy via an understanding of the times and seasons, though in part, should not only give us hope for the future (i.e. knowing that Jesus will return one day and in what manner it will happen -Acts 1v11), but should motivate us to be about exactly what Jesus was about: witnessing, preaching, encouraging, teaching and healing. Jesus knew His time on the earth was short, and he knows that our time too is short and that we live in world that is violent towards Christians- so we cannot even know if we will have tomorrow:
James 4v13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Matthew 11v12: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.the kingdom of heaven suffers violence
Jesus encourages us to know the times and season we are in, in as far as it relates to understanding Him, His Word (and what He is now saying to us in revelation) and His will for the work that He is now doing and that He wants us to be doing now as well (and for the manner that He wants it to be done in). And as an extra motivator, He also gives us part of the picture of the hope that we have if we go about His work, which is that one day He will return, and He will reward us for the work that we now do for Him-
Rev 22v12: "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
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