WHY I DO WHAT I DO

I feel like the Lord wants me to explain to everyone out there, and particularly those that don’t know, why I post the way I do and share the revelations I’m given.

In one sense, the Lord has made us all watchmen for his people as a way to support, encourage, teach and instruct one another to continue to follow Christ through the good times and times of suffering. In the Old Testament this ministry was usually confined to just a few people that God called and appointed:

Isaiah 62

V6: I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

Ezekiel 3v

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

Those watchmen were prophets, as they heard the Word of the Lord, whether by dream, vision or his audible voice, and passed on what they were given. This continued in the New Testament, with prophets being called and ministering in the same way, including by dreams and visions (Acts 2v17-18). The only difference is that now we are ALL called, to some degree, to be watchmen. In the New Testament Jesus told us all to ‘Watch and pray’ (Matt 26v41) and to ‘discern the sign of the times’ (Matt 16v3), and the Apostle Paul wrote that we can all prophesy, ‘For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.’ (1 Cor 14v31). Furthermore, we are all told to eagerly desire the gift of prophesy so that all Christians can minister encouragement to the body of Christ in that manner (1 Cor 14v1). Anyone and all in the body of Christ can also receive dreams and visions and prophesy in order to reveal what the Lord says (Acts 2v17-18). That Acts passage also indicates that in the last days (since the time when that scripture was given) this would be for the whole Church, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people’ (Acts 2v17).

So we see that everyone in the Church is called to watch and are watchmen for the sake of themselves and the rest of the body of Christ. It is true, however, that some are called to this in a more particular and direct manner. In the New Testament, Agabus and the Apostle John are examples of this, particularly John in relation to end time events. In John’s case, the prophetic revelations he was given came in conjunction with the revelatory messages the Lord gave him to give to the Churches. He was also called and given a heart to speak to the Churches of that time as a whole (both the Word and the revelations of the Lord). His is the clearest and strongest example of this prophetic watchmen ministry in the New Testament, and, even though there are other New Covenant examples, the Lord knew that little else would be needed to reveal what the aim and purpose of this ministry is.

This brings me to the point of why I am writing. Before I continue though, please understand and believe me when I say that I’m not writing this to lift myself up. I'm the same as everyone else out there; a sinner saved by grace. I am the least of the saints and the chief of sinners, and nothing more than a servant who is a clay vessel and incapable of doing anything without his grace and power. Practically speaking, the scope of my service is also very small and quite insignificant. I’m only writing this now in order to give people a bit of context as to why I share and post what I do, and so that people won’t think I do what I do randomly or without a reason (or for any other reason). I could share anything and everything of what the Lord gives me, and yet, if people mistake the reason I give those things, they would have no effect for the Lord and his kingdom and purposes, and could even be damaging. 

Having said all that, the reason I share and post the way I do, is, at its heart, quite simple. When I was younger there was a time when, in reading about the gifts and callings of the Spirit, I really wanted to know what the Lord wanted me to do to serve Him in the future. I wanted to know what my specific gift and calling was, and felt that the Lord was really putting it on my heart to ask him about this. After a time of praying about this and reading the Word, I felt incredibly strongly that the Lord was calling me to be a prophet and to prophesy. When I read in the Bible about the prophetic gift, I was deeply stirred and felt a great burning inside of me for that calling. That led me in the years to come to also pray for a long time for dreams and visions (Jer 33v3 / which I had to wait for, and only came after months of praying- the Lord growing my patience and testing my desire for prophesy and obedience in terms of whether I would continue to ask him like His Word says we must do if we would receive anything from Him. This was also a humbling time, and the Lord showed me that it was only by his grace and mercy that I began receiving dreams and visions), which I eventually began receiving.

In the subsequent years after I felt a strong call and deep desire for the prophetic, the Lord also began to give me a desire to understand New Testament, New Covenant doctrine about judgment and righteousness, and to speak to me about those things. Up until that time, I had grown up in a Church where the grace of God was taught comprehensively and extremely well. That time was a great blessing and God established a great foundation of faith in my life. However, there came a time when, in reading the Word, he began to reveal to me other parts of His character, ways and will. I spent a very long time in this kind of study, wanting to understand New Covenant judgment and righteous (both for myself and for others), and how those two things fit with grace and mercy. I studied the New Testament at great length and constantly compared its parts to ensure that they agreed with each other and confirmed the conclusions I came to. I also compared the Old and New Testament in my study and the dispensations of the Old and New Covenants. Still, I believe it took going to Bible college years later, and a comprehensive study of the whole of scripture during that time, in order to filter out certain errors in my understanding and add other truths in order to come to a clear realisation of how judgment and grace fit together in the Father’s work in his people.  

I understand that this may seem a little odd to a lot of people out there, as things to do with his judgment  are not naturally things that Christians enjoy looking in to. I can only say that the reason for this must be because the Lord gave me this desire. I also enjoy looking into this because the Bible says that this is one of the things the Lord delights in (Jer 9v24). Judgment is also something closely connected to grace (i.e God judged Christ in our place so that we could receive his grace and life), and something which the Lord uses to discipline his people (1 Peter 4v16-19) so that they can continue to partake in his life and partake of it in an even greater way (practically) as their spiritual lives progress. It is also something which the Lord uses to clear the way for what he wants to do in and through his people, and also something which ensures their relationship with him can be as joyful and fruitful as possible. 

Preceding my time at Bible College and in the years afterwards, the Lord began speaking to me in dreams and visions and through his Word about the judgments He is planning to pour out and allow in the future (Rom 1v18). He also revealed such things through many other confirming voices (people) who had been given similar revelations. Through this time I was also reading and studying the Bible to explore what his will is regarding those things, and through it the Lord continued to reveal to me why they will probably take place (barring repentance and prayer).

The revelations the Lord gave me were not just about future events, but also about the state of his Church. While there will always be those in his Church that are faithful and walk with him, and so also Churches that are like this, the Lord began revealing to me how a lot of the Church is lukewarm and backslidden. He also showed me how there is wrong doctrine being preached and also idolatry going on amongst His people. He also showed me how his Church is being adorned in unhelpful and fleshly ways. Sadly, I also experienced all these things on a firsthand basis; seeing this fleshly, self-centered type of Church for myself.  In the early days of all this, I have to admit that my immediate reaction to what the Lord showed me, both by His Spirit and in person, was not only grief and frustration, but also anger. It was devastating to see the Church I had once known to be Spirit led and Christ centred become man-centred and man-driven. It was also heartbreaking to see God’s people misled in doctrine, used, at times controlled, and even spiritually abused.

It was not just about what was wrong in Churches and with some of his people that grieved me so much, but it was also because of what I knew the true Church of God should be. I had grown up in a Church where I had always felt the presence of God in a really special way. The preacher knew the Word of God very well and I felt as though I always heard the Lord’s voice through what he shared and taught. Prayer and worship were centered upon Jesus, his glory and will, and these times were also characterized by a real sense of his presence and a working of his Spirit. This Church didn’t have an elaborate set-up or anything fancy going in in terms of its appearance, but rather was adorned with the great joy that was evident amongst His people, and a unity that could’ve only been born by the Spirit. Offering money was not only given to the Pastor, but also to mission works overseas and to any who had need. Messages on money, however, were a rarity. Above all, what was preached was Biblical, the Spirit was present and moved amongst the congregation, and the Lord’s voice was clear and often confirmed what he had been speaking to me about that week anyway, and the congregation genuinely cared for each other. This was a time when the Lord showed me what his heart for his people was, and what a sincere and Biblical Church gathering looked like and should be. So it hasn’t just been by the negative that the Lord has taught me, but initially and for many years, it was by the blessing of the positive.

This leads me to how I’ve tried to (even in a very small and mostly insignificant way) serve the Lord in the last few years and current time, and why I’ve written, shared and posted like I have. I feel as though, by his grace alone, the Lord has given me a great heart for the people of God. This heart centres on one thing, which is to see the people of God- the Bride of Christ- truly be and act like his Bride. My desire is to see his people and Church truly be his possession and have a love and service for the Lord that is fervent, truth-based and pure. Admittedly the Lord has also had to work on me through the years in this regard, and continues to do so. he’s also humbled me to see my own weaknesses and

shortcomings, and to see that without his grace, nothing is possible. Above all he has shown me that he is after, not perfection (we’ll be sinners saved by grace till we die), but an overall sincerity which manifests itself in grace and truth. This is often a difficult thing and at times involves suffering (as He molds us into his image and disciplines us), but it is possible because of his life. It is possible for the Christian and for the Church as a whole, and this is what Jesus desires, and which is the purpose of all watchmen, watching and prophecy.

Everything above is the reason I now do what I do- sharing and posting as I do. As small and insignificant as it may be, it is not a random thing and not done for any other reason. I was always taught that ‘context is king’ so that’s why I’ve written this long piece. The Bible also says that the communication of revelation and prophecy has to be clear and certain, otherwise its purpose becomes frustrated:

1 Cor 14:

7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? 8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

Hopefully all of this has been clarifying and ensures that nothing I’ve posted to date be misread. Everything I’ve posted I’ve done in order to encourage, strengthen, comfort and edify His people (1 Cor 14v3). I’ve done this through various Biblical methods, including through teaching, instruction, exhortation, warning, correction, rebuke and by simply sharing revelations (2 Tim 3v16). At times I haven’t been perfect in this process, and got it wrong on occasions, so I apologise for that, but I have tried my best and tried to do so with the right intentions and motivations. For whatever reason, I’ve never had much of any kind of feedback or anyone write to me or discuss these things with me whether in person or online. There may be various reasons for this, and all understandable, however this is one of the reasons I’ve written this piece as I’m trying to anticipate how these things may have been received. I hope that, at least for a few people, this has given people a better understanding regarding what I’ve shared. I also hope it has shed some light on what this kind of service for the Lord really is, and also given a Biblical foundation and understanding about it (although no doubt most or all of the understanding of this doctrine and Biblical ministry is very familiar to everyone out there).

In the future, I hope that what I share can be taken in the vein it is given in. At its core, all watching and prophecy is done to encourage us to continue to love, follow and serve the Lord and each other, and is therefore meant to be edifying and a blessing. Please take it in this way in the future, and please help each other to be watchmen and watch as the Word says, and as you feel led by the Lord. A stormy future and a dark night is coming, so watching is of particular importance at present and will be increasingly so as the years progress. Having said all this, the Lord also wants to encourage us with the fact that he will be with us in the future and will take us through whatever comes. I also believe there is also great blessing coming in the future and a great outpouring of his Spirit, so let us take heart and continue to follow him.