THE BRIGHT SIDE

2 Cor 3v18: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Matt 17v2: As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.

Looking at the bright side of life is a common expression, and often we are encouraged to do this. Unfortunately however, we live in a darkened world, we experience the flesh on a daily basis, and we have an enemy that is always active- so it's easier said than done, especially when going through hard times. Fortunately though, our Lord overcame the world and overcame tribulation, and so He has provided an empowered way for us to always see the bright side of life.

For us as Christians it all begins with beholding the brightness of His glory. In times of worship and in times where we come aside to focus on Him, we too, along with the disciples that once ascended the hill of the Lord, will see our Lord transfigured before us. What this means is a stirring of our souls for Christ; for love, action, worship and for a life lived for Him in every way. This will mean that when we come down from the mountain, we will have the vision we need to look on the bright side of life; not a naive, silly and shallow thing, for we must fight the good fight of faith, but something which was greatly seen in the life of the Apostle Paul- someone who lived through whatever with the joy of the Lord and with a great rejoicing in the midst of great sorrows.

Too often we simply rely on the flesh in trying to see the bright side of life, and even the bright side of the things of God. Furthermore we try to understand and use the flesh even as the disciples often did to even relate to the Lord. Often the disciples tried to understand what the Lord said and did according to their own understanding and way of seeing things (really just how the world would've viewed what Jesus said and did), and often they got it wrong, or even got rebuked by the Lord because their thinking was way off. It was only when the Holy Spirit came, that Great Helper, that their understanding became clear, for it was only by that power that they saw Jesus, this life and all spiritual things as they really were and in the right manner. So we too, will only see our lives and everything about them in the right manner if we rely on beholding Christ via His Spirit in our lives. Christ is the brightness of God and the glory of this life, and only when we grasp that, will we be able to see 'the bright side' of this life, no matter what we go through.

As we take time to behold Christ, the eyes of our understanding will see and know Christ as He really is, and thus will we see this life as it really is. But if the fruit of our Eden is the flesh, we'll suffer for it; the eyes of our understanding will be darkened, and we will not see things or experience things or Christ in the right way. The fruit of our Eden must be Christ, and then this will be fixed; we will see the brightness of His glory and thus all the brightness of our lives via the Spirit's own good understanding and clear vision of these things.

SUFFERING

Sometimes in life when we go through something that is causing us great suffering we ask the question, 'Why is this happening to me?' A better question to ask ourselves should be, "Why shouldn't this be happening to me?" We too easily forget that in Adam, we all sinned; rejecting God, choosing sin and rebellion and choosing to accept the consequence that would go with it. In Adam, God warned us beforehand when He said, "For in eating it you shall surely die," yet we chose to eat anyway. And so death came into the world in every form, and mankind has since forever suffered because of our choice and because of sin. And we should never try and pass the buck, because make no mistake about it, none of us would've not done what Adam and Eve did, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

God has allowed the world to experience the consequence of its choice, and He has been fully justified in doing so. Apart from the many other reasons the Lord may have for allowing mankind to experience the suffering that we do (and no doubt He would have many), that one reason should be more than enough for us to accept, no matter how painful the reality of it may be. There was a cause for sin, and the effect has been death. In Christ our spiritual lives were salvaged, but our bodies have not yet experienced the fullness of redemption (the resurrected body), and so we must endure till the end.

What should really perplex us is how God allowed His own Son, perfect in every way, to take upon Himself all of our sin; forgiving us completely and finally, and tearing the veil so that we can remain close to Him and in the Holy of Holies, not just now, but for eternity. While in Adam, the Bible tells us, all sinned, in Christ those that believed are made alive. We have been given a life when we deserved death, and we have been given another chance to live in the way that God intended for us. Christ is now this world's true Eden if men will accept Him, and as Christians we have, not only spiritual Eden inside of us, but, the Word says, we have been brought to mount Zion itself:

Heb 12v22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Having a perfect physical Eden ended up not satisfying Adam and Eve, and it will not satisfy us either (because Edens don't satisfy apart from Christ, and they don't satisfy if they are leant on in a way that replaces Christ as the centre). They had everything that you could possibly want in the natural, and yet they chose to sin. We could have everything we want in this life, and yet still it wouldn't satisfy us and still we would feel a pull, because of our sinful nature, to turn away from God and to choose sin. While we are on this earth, God is wanting to teach us and train us to be able to live with Him and be satisfied with Him alone. Not easy, yes, but also not impossible. Not something that will be without pain, but not something that will be painful beyond what we can endure by His grace.

So, we must come to accept our lot in life, however hard it may be; for we, by nature, deserve it. Yet we must comfort ourselves that Christ has, in His sovereignty, ensured that all things we experience will be worked together for good. This life that should've just been pain, Christ has redeemed and brought great life from because of the cross. Do not look to get rid of pain, because pain will always be a part of this life. And do not think that without pain, we would be satisfied, for only when Christ is the centre of our life and our Eden, will we be satisfied.

While we as Christians often seek for the physical reality of the presence of God and the perfection that we yearn for (a Godly yearning, but one that will only be completely fulfilled in the life to come), the Lord's main intent for us upon earth now is to know and live in the spiritual reality of that presence; for God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. In this way we learn and will come to know what Christ truly intended for us as humanity; life via the Spirit of God, not by human might, power or perfection or by what they create to be as their Eden (Eden as they see it and as they want it). And we shall one day know the full reality of what God intended for us as well, when all things will be made right again, and we will know what it is like to live in complete perfection.

PROPHECY COMING TO PASS

Around 6 months ago I posted a dream about America secretly preparing for a possible war through getting their missiles ready. When I woke, I had the song 'Radioactive' go through my head (lyrics: 'welcome to the new age, the new age'). In the dream I strongly felt that either a new Cold War or an actual hot war was imminent. In the last couple of weeks that prophecy has begun to come to pass. Russia has taken over Krimea in classic 'Cold War' style (they have effectually taken over a country without having to actually go to war) and have in essence begun to threaten Ukraine, its sovereignty and any Western Allies that would support it. America has threatened sanctions and has, along with Ukraine, expressed a fervent desire to resolve the problem through diplomacy, although they haven't ruled out actually going to war (though this is obviously very much a last resort measure). Russia has taken back its warm water naval base in Krimea (the only warm water base it has, all its other bases are cold water based), and in the last 24 hours amassed around 10,000 troops on Ukraine's border. The dream I had is beginning to come to pass.

Not long after that I received two dreams where I saw planes again used for terrorist acts that would take place all over the world, both near and far (I saw planes fly into buildings, and while this could represent actual planes flying into buildings, it could've also just represented terrorism on planes or even 9/11 type terrorist attacks). In the last week the world has witnessed the apparent tragedy of the Malaysian Flight that has gone missing and is presumed to have either been taken over by terrorists or put down by terrorists in some part of the Ocean of the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean or somewhere between Malaysia and Vietnam. Tragically, and while I hope with everything I am that this is not prophecy coming to pass, it seems like the dreams God gave me are indeed doing just that.

So why share this? Whenever God reveals something, it is for a reason. Prophecy is for encouragement and for warning, and so I share these things in that spirit. While I hope I am wrong, it appears very likely that the prophecy God has revealed is coming to pass. If you are thinking about taking a plane flight in the future, please be prayerful about it and please commit it to the Lord. We're not to fear, but at the same time we're to be wise in all things, and commit our way to God. Ask Him to open and close the doors that should be opened and should be closed. It seems that a new Cold War has begun, and we're to know that God is even sovereign over those things, and we are kept under the shadow of His wings. But also be encouraged to be wise! Be watchful! Be attentive to the signs of the times, and know the day you are in. Know what the Lord is allowing and doing in the earth! As these things start to take place, know that the Lord is in control and He is sovereign. Although hard and often strange to our natural understanding, He has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, and His ways are always Just and Good. Mankind has always received amazing Grace, but there is an enemy that is at work, and there is also a God in heaven who is righteous and Just.



                                                     THE 3 DREAMS I HAD IN 2013

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


1ST DREAM
(14/3/13)

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

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

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

_________

2ND DREAM:

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

(written on 5/8/13)

________

3RD DREAM:

(20/7/13)

This was part of the dream I had:

(I knew in the dream that I was in America) ...I turned around to see a massive load of huge missiles that were in a parking lot. We were all incredibly surprised and astounded. There were many of the missiles and they were very big, some missiles were extremely large, and even the smaller ones looked formidable. Then a massive truck was on the scene, and the missiles began being loaded onto it (was a very secretive looking truck, one that screamed ‘military truck/lorry’). We went over to look, and I instinctively just knew that they were being taken to a military base, my understanding being that it was in preparation for a seemingly imminent war. I just knew that this was the case, and told the others as much. Another person came onto the scene, and said something like, though war seemed imminent, that Christ never instructs man to go to war, but desires that men treat each other with love and kindness.

HOLDING POWER

The only way men can hold power in a beneficial way, both for themselves and others, is not only by having passion but the right motive, not only by being able to lead, but by being able to lead via a servant's heart, not only by having a wise mouth, but a listening ear, not only by recognising the authority given to them, but by understanding that it can only be rightly executed by submitting that authority to the Lord. It is not only gifting that counts, but the manner in which it is used. We may have all the gifting in the world, and yet if we don't have love, we are nothing and all we attempt to do will be in vain.

Jesus had all the authority that one could have, and yet when He came to earth, He came serve and to lay down His life for His friends and for His God. He had all the wisdom in the world, and yet first and fore mostly He loved others. God is love; and that is the beginning and end of everything that will count, not only in this life, but for the one to come.

THE GIFTS: THE TIMES OF PROVIDENCE

1 Cor 12v 7 'But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:...'

1 Cor 14v26: '...When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.'

v31: For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 

Joel 2v28“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

29Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

John 14v12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater worksthan these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do it.

1 Cor 12v31 But earnestly desire the best[d] gifts.

Gal 3v5: 'Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--'

There are peculiar times when the Lord pours out His Spirit in a way that is so evident and so large in effect, that all those that are His are caught up in it in some fashion, and in such a way that is directly manifested by a powerful moving in the gifts of the Spirit, in order to testify to the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ for mankind and His call for their repentance. In one sense this seems unusual, but in another, we should not be at all surprised by it because all the family of God have been given the Spirit, and have the ability to move in the gifts of God at any time and in any circumstance and era, according to those imparted to them (1 Cor 12v7), and to those they desire and have been given (John 14v13-14). However, for whatever reason, His people do not always desire to strongly move in the gifts of the Spirit, or not in the ways that are available to us. But the Lord does (He doesn't change). And, while at times the Lord allows the ebbs and flows for His purposes and His own reasons, there are times when He chooses to move in such a way that is irresistible to His people, as His Spirit moves so strongly over the waters of our hearts (Gen 1v2) that He creates in us an incredible desire to take hold of that for which He is taking hold of us at that time (Phil 3v12). 

When the Spirit was first poured out at pentecost, those that received it were suddenly thrust into direct ministry with the gifts they were given (which were gifts that were quite similar); the Apostles moving in signs, wonders and miracles, all while testifying to the Gospel, and thus teaching and evangelising which ultimately led to preaching to the saved, and building up the family of God through prophesy. Most, if not all of the gifts were utilised at a time when God moved to shine forth the Gospel in way that created a dramatic expansion of the Kingdom of God. The upper room of God saw the fire of God land upon every head, and all concerned became 'a flame of fire' for His Kingdom. This began to fulfil what was spoken of in Joel, that God would pour out His Spirit on all people and that everyone would be involved in the work of God, whether small or great (people forget that the Apostles were unlearned men! and were, at first, fisherman!). By the simple hearing of faith, and nothing else, God began to work great miracles through these simple servants of God, because they believed in Christ. By faith they began to do what Jesus had done, because they simply believed what He had said; John 14v12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater worksthan these he will do, because I go to My Father. When the Spirit was poured out, they didn't try and get all their theological ducks in a row about the gifts of the Spirit (though there is nothing wrong with that!), they simply did what Jesus had done, believing that they had been equipped, even as Jesus said they would be: Acts 1v8: 'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."' We have received that same power, and so can do even what Jesus did, for His sake, and for the sake of the Gospel and those He will save. They didn't try and say that the work of God was just for some, but not for them; the mandate of the Lord was crystal clear, and they were going to serve in just the way that Jesus had said they would. 

Though this applies just as much in a time when the move of God isn't evident in a comprehensive way (although the Spirit is always moving, whether we see it or not), there are also particular times when the Lord chooses to move through His people in a very evident, emphatic and even spectacular manner. When the Spirit was given at pentecost, it was to a world desperately in need of it, for they were in desperate need for their eyes to be opened and in desperate need of the Gospel. A light then shined at a time when no-one had expected it, and in a time when truth seemed very scarce, and the hope of Israel far away. Then just as suddenly, the Churches of God seemed to move in the gifts of God in an extraordinary manner as well; nearly everyone wanted to prophesy in the Church of Corinth, and Paul wrote to the Galatians, explaining to them that the miracles they were seeing were a result, purely of the grace of God. Those of the Church of Corinth seemed to all have something to contribute when they came together to encourage each other in the faith (1 Cor 14v26), and Paul told them that each of them had been given an impartation of the Spirit. We each have already been given a gift or gifts of the Spirit, and have already been endued with power from the Lord; we all, at the time of Salvation especially, have been given a pentecost! (as He filled us with His Spirit when we were saved, and fills us in times after as well- Eph 5v18). We can all choose to do those things that Jesus did, if we simply believe the words that He spoke to the disciples. 'Those that believe' is the only qualification (those that are saved). It is exciting to think that such a day is coming again, for, as long as the Lord sits on the throne, it is inevitable that another time like the Apostles saw and that many men, since that time, have themselves seen, will come again. The book of Joel and the beginning of the book of Acts makes that very clear. But since we don't know when that day will be, why not live like it is already here? Since we have been given what we need, why not walk like the Lord and like the Apostles did, today? For who knows whether, if more and more of the body of Christ believed and walked in this manner, we would suddenly see that great day! It is God who works in us for such a thing, and if we will agree with the willing that is inside of us (the Spirit's desire) and the 'doing' which is the intended result, then He is always willing to fulfil and be true to His Word- Phil 2v13: '...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.'


Is 55v10-11: 

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

A GOOD PLACE TO START: DISSATISFACTION WITH THE WORLD

The best place that one can start in terms of being used by the Lord and useful for His work, is to have a beneficial dissatisfaction with the world. While His people are obviously in this world and need to live in it in a useful and practical way, we often go far beyond that, become entangled in it so that our desires are predominantly fleshly and so become enthralled with the world and dissatisfied, to some extent, with our God (which only ever leaves a frustration in our hearts). Our focus becomes whatever the world says we should be focused on and concerned with, and we lose our centre in God and our passion becomes whatever has to do with sense rather than what has to do with the Spirit; our goals become purely about our lives, and our concern for the Kingdom becomes secondary or evaporates completely. However, if we are getting to the place where we are becoming dissatisfied with the world, then we are becoming more fit for His service. If we have spent any time as a Christian in this life, trying to be satisfied with the world, it won't be long before this dissatisfaction arises and colours all which we once thought held the answer to the calling and hunger inside of us. The Spirit will never leave us satisfied in the world for long, as it is never any good for us, and if what once satisfied us yesterday, doesn't today, we know we are, by the grace of God, becoming more spiritual than we once were. The more this dissatisfaction with the world takes over, and the more we seek the Lord via all the means available to us and those prescribed in the Word, the more we are, essentially, setting the Lord and His will in front of us, and the more we are allowing the Holy Spirit to stir us up and to move within and through us, to work out that which He is working in us. This is the place God desires for us, for it is here and from here that we become more useful and more used by the Lord. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the time, we are only satisfied with the image of the Lord and ourselves, and so live according to a service of our God, plus the idolatry of our own thinking and our own wisdom (which is really no wisdom at all). We set the Lord before us, but we also set Him up in our image; believing that His ways are very much like ours, and His thoughts like our thoughts, but they are far from them. Only a regular immersion in truth will continually be renewing our thinking, and filtering out all that is fleshly wisdom- which often masquerades as spiritual wisdom according to what seems good to us (remember, fleshly wisdom is death, only spiritual wisdom gives life). The lies of the enemy and the fallen wisdom of the world is constantly around us and bombarding us through all of its means, and we will go along with it, willingly or no, if we are not putting ourselves in the way of truth, and gazing upon the Lord and His life through His Word, through prayer and through the support of those around us, and the gifts they operate in in order to strengthen us and keep the body of Christ healthy and not lame. But the wisdom of the world only brings death, and so will we constantly find dead ends in our hearts and emptiness in the place where our hunger for His calling is if we seek our ultimate satisfaction through the loves of the world. And thus will we always know if we are on the wrong track, via those very things we wrongly pursue  Many Christians are always looking for the next thing to answer that longing inside of them, and that is why. They justify their constant search under a spiritual guise, but really they are searching to satisfy their flesh in a spiritual way, and that will never work. Just like the loaves and fishes; the physical will always run out, while the spiritual principle and the life that supports it, will always remain in Christ. We must align ourselves with His desires, and then we'll find the dissatisfaction with the world that we should have, and the will of the Lord for exactly what He wants us to do with the gifts and calling He has given us. 

THE GREAT DAY: TODAY & THE ONE OF TOMORROW

1 Cor 12v 7 'But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:...'

1 Cor 14v26: '...When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.'

v31: For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 

Joel 2v28“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

29Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

^{John 14v12} “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater worksthan these he will do, because I go to My Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask^[c] anything in My name, I will do it.

^{1 Cor 12v31} But earnestly desire the best^[d] gifts.

Gal 3v5: 'Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--'

There are peculiar times when the Lord pours out His Spirit in a way that is so evident and so large in effect, that all those that are His are caught up in it in some fashion, and in such a way that is directly manifested by a powerful moving in the gifts of the Spirit, in order to testify to the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ for mankind and His call for their repentance. In one sense this seems unusual, but in another, we should not be at all surprised by it because all the family of God have been given the Spirit, and have the ability to move in the gifts of God at any time and in any circumstance and era, according to those imparted to them (1 Cor 12v7), and to those they desire and have been given (John 14v13-14). However, for whatever reason, His people do not always desire to strongly move in the gifts of the Spirit, or not in the ways that are available to us. But the Lord does (He doesn't change). And, while at times the Lord allows the ebbs and flows for His purposes and His own reasons, there are times when He chooses to move in such a way that is irresistible to His people, as His Spirit moves so strongly over the waters of our hearts (Gen 1v2) that He creates in us an incredible desire to take hold of that for which He is taking hold of us at that time (Phil 3v12). 

When the Spirit was first poured out at pentecost, those that received it were suddenly thrust into direct ministry with the gifts they were given (which were gifts that were quite similar); the Apostles moving in signs, wonders and miracles, all while testifying to the Gospel, and thus teaching and evangelising which ultimately led to preaching to the saved, and building up the family of God through prophesy. Most, if not all of the gifts were utilised at a time when God moved to shine forth the Gospel in way that created a dramatic expansion of the Kingdom of God. The upper room of God saw the fire of God land upon every head, and all concerned became 'a flame of fire' for His Kingdom. This began to fulfil what was spoken of in Joel, that God would pour out His Spirit on all people and that everyone would be involved in the work of God, whether small or great (people forget that the Apostles were unlearned men! and were, at first, fisherman!). By the simple hearing of faith, and nothing else, God began to work great miracles through these simple servants of God, because they believed in Christ. By faith they began to do what Jesus had done, because they simply believed what He had said; ^{John 14v12} “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater worksthan these he will do, because I go to My Father. When the Spirit was poured out, they didn't try and get all their theological ducks in a row about the gifts of the Spirit (though there is nothing wrong with that!), they simply did what Jesus had done, believing that they had been equipped, even as Jesus said they would be: Acts 1v8: 'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."' We have received that same power, and so can do even what Jesus did, for His sake, and for the sake of the Gospel and those He will save. They didn't try and say that the work of God was just for some, but not for them; the mandate of the Lord was crystal clear, and they were going to serve in just the way that Jesus had said they would. 

Though this applies just as much in a time when the move of God isn't evident in a comprehensive way (although the Spirit is always moving, whether we see it or not), there are also particular times when the Lord chooses to move through His people in a very evident, emphatic and even spectacular manner. When the Spirit was given at pentecost, it was to a world desperately in need of it, for they were in desperate need for their eyes to be opened and in desperate need of the Gospel. A light then shined at a time when no-one had expected it, and in a time when truth seemed very scarce, and the hope of Israel far away. Then just as suddenly, the Churches of God seemed to move in the gifts of God in an extraordinary manner as well; nearly everyone wanted to prophesy in the Church of Corinth, and Paul wrote to the Galatians, explaining to them that the miracles they were seeing were a result, purely of the grace of God. Those of the Church of Corinth seemed to all have something to contribute when they came together to encourage each other in the faith (1 Cor 14v26), and Paul told them that each of them had been given an impartation of the Spirit. We each have already been given a gift or gifts of the Spirit, and have already been endued with power from the Lord; we all have been given a pentecost! We can all choose to do those things that Jesus did, if we simply believe the words that He spoke to the disciples. Those that believe is the only qualification (those that are saved). It is exciting to think that such a day is coming again, for, as long as the Lord sits on the throne, it is inevitable that another time like the Apostles saw and that many men, since that time, have themselves seen, will come again. The book of Joel and the beginning of the book of Acts makes that very clear. But since we don't know when that day will be, why not live like it is already here? Since we have been given what we need, why not walk like the Lord and like the Apostles did, today? For who knows whether, if more and more of the body of Christ believed and walked in this manner, we would suddenly that great day! It is God who works in us for such a thing, and if we will agree with the willing that is inside of us (the Spirit's desire) and 'doing', then He is always willing to fulfil and be true to His Word- Phil 2v13: '...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.'