The Seven Visions of Revelation

AS I SAID SUNDAY AUGUST 22, 2010, WHILE SPEAKING AT SHADY GROVE CHURCH, THIS WAY OF UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS NOT INTENDED TO COMMUNICATE THAT OTHER WAYS OF SEEING THIS AWESOME LETTER FROM JOHN IS INVALID.

THIS WAY OF SEEING REVELATION RESONATES WITH A STANDARD THAT BRINGS A DEEP SATISFACTION IN THE DEPTH OF MY HEART. I WAS ASKED TO PUT SOMETHING OUT THAT WOULD BE AN ASSIST TO OTHERS WHO WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPERIENCE THE JOYS OF DISCOVERY.

I SIMPLY DESIRE, AS YOU, TO APPROACH THE SCRIPTURES WITH AS LITTLE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT WHAT I HAVE HEARD OTHERS SAY THAT IS SAYS. I CRY OUT FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO ILLUMINATE MY MEART THROUGH PERSONAL STUDY IN A WAY THAT THE TRUTH WILL BE REVEALED AS A LIVING WORD.
THESE SEVEN VISIONS THAT JOHN HAD ALWAYS SEEM TO BEGIN WITH THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS. THEN DESCRIBES WHAT TAKES PLACE IN PEOPLES’ LIVES FROM SEVEN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SITUATIONS UNTIL THE GRAND FINALE OF CHRIST’S RETURN. THIS CYCLE IS REPEATED SEVEN TIMES.
HERE IS A SKELETON OUTLINE OF REVELATION. I CONFESS IT IS ONLY THE BAREBONES, BUT THEN YOU WILL HAVE THE JOY OF LOOKING INTO THE OLD TESTAMENT TO FIND WHAT EACH SYMBOL MEANT TO THE EARLY CHURCH CHRISTIAN. THEN YOU CAN MAKE APPLICATION ACCORDING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS.

CHAPTERS SUGGESTED THEME
1-3 CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF HIS CHURCHES
4-7 BELIEVERS IN TRIALS AND PERSECUTION
8-11 BELIEVERS PROTECTED AND TRIUMPHANT
12-14 THE BELIEVER’S OPPOSITION TO THE SATANIC TRINITY
15-16 GOD’S WRATH ON THE UNREPENTANT WORLD SYSTEM
17-19 THE FALL OF “BABYLON” WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL BEASTS THAT ROSE AGAINST GOD
20-22 THE JUDGEMENT OF SATAN MADE MANIFEST AND THE ETERNAL VICTORY OF THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST UPON THE CROSS

THE LAMB REIGNS!!!

CAR WASH

I went to the car wash the other day.  You know, the kind that is full-service.  After asking for the price of wash I wanted he took my debit card.  He ran it through the card scanner…waited a moment and ran it through again.

I’m sure he must have seen the questioning look on my face, because he told me that their machine must not have been working properly.  Then he said that he would suggest that I watch my account online to make sure I did not get two charges against my bank account.  He told me that if two charges came up to let him know and he would give me another car wash.  I was really bothered by all this, but I didn’t say anything.

Now here is how I feel about it…I went in there as a customer to get my car serviced.  I didn’t want to pay for two wash jobs, just one.  I may not have liked their service and may not have wanted to come back.  Now, I have to go home and watch my bank account? Are you kidding me???  What about my time spent watching my account because of their malfunctioning scanner?  Maybe, just maybe, I was planning to spend that time some other way?

I think he should have said that he was sorry for THEIR malfunctioning scanner, gone ahead with the car wash, and then given me a free pass for another one.  Then he could have suggested that if I was not double-billed I could turn use it the next time I needed a car wash or just tear the pass up.

What do you think?

FINDING GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

FINDING GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

Universal Purposes
There is a sense in which all men are alike and God gives the same universal purposes to every man. These include four areas:

• The Great Commission: To Build the Kingdom (Matthew 28: 18-20)
• The Cultural Commission: To Minister to the Culture (Genesis 1: 28)
• The Great Commandment: To Love King Jesus (Matthew 22:37)
• The New Commandment: To Love King Jesus’ Children (John 13:34)
  

Your Personal Life Purpose
There is a sense in which each of us is unique, and God gives each of us a specific call on our lives. In other words, God has a personal, unique, and specific purpose for your life waiting to be discovered. It is the particular mix of how God wants us to "personally" fulfill these four universal purposes.
How can we discover God's personal purpose for our lives? By preparing a Written Life Purpose Statement. I believe that every man should prepare a Written Life Purpose Statement that reflects his understanding of "what his/her life is all about."
The idea of a Written Life Purpose Statement answers life's larger questions-not "What do I do today?", but "Why do I exist? What are my functions in life?" It reflects our examination of life's larger meaning. Our Life Purpose is what God wants us to do...it's why He put us here. A Life Purpose Statement is the thread of continuity that you can weave into the long-term view of life. It describes how you perceive the theory of your life.
The getting of this Written Life Purpose Statement can be the hardest kind of work, exacting and exhausting, but well worth the effort. Once settled, it is a constant reminder of why you exist. It describes in a general and overarching way what your life is all about. Like a compass it points the way to the meaning and significance we all yearn for. Like a gyroscope, whenever you are knocked off balance it will help you stand upright. It answers the questions, "Why do I exist?" and "What is the purpose of my life?".
Developing a Written Life Purpose Statement
Follow these practical steps.

1. Ask God, in prayer, to reveal your personal earthly purpose to you. Read Psalm 32:8 and trust in God's promise that He will answer.
2. Search the Scriptures for verses and phrases that capture your sense of God's purpose for your earthly life. Look for verses that describe your area of passion. Record verses that give you a special sense of meaning and purpose, picking out themes that are big enough to last a lifetime. Here are some which you can begin to explore:

  Proverbs 3: 5-6   Acts 20: 24   
  Joshua 24: 15   1 Corinthians 10: 31   
  Matthew 6: 33   Ephesians 2: 10   
  Matthew 22: 37-40   Philippians 3: 10   
  Matthew 28: 19-20   Proverbs 30: 7-9   
  John 4: 34   Micah 6: 8   
  John 15: 1-9, 15   Acts 1: 8   
  John 17: 4   Ecclesiastes 12: 13   
  Other Verses: _________________________________________   
  ___________________________________________________________   
  ___________________________________________________________   
  ___________________________________________________________   
  ___________________________________________________________  

3.   Go slow and wait for God to reveal Himself. Be patient, it may take some time. Don't necessarily think that you will work on your Written Life Purpose Statement for a few days-it may take weeks or months.
4.  Once you find the verses and phrases that you believe express God's earthly purpose for you, create a concise summary statement. Write a "draft" Written Life Purpose Statement here:
 

Draft-Written Life Purpose Statement
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Put the draft statement away for a few days. Come back to it and see if it still captures the driving passion of your heart. Once you are satisfied you have it, write it here and in the front of your Bible and date it.

Written Life Purpose Statement
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

5.  Make a commitment to come back and revisit your Written Life Purpose Statement after a period of six months or a year. Make this a habit. Reevaluating your purpose statement helps you be sure that your life is focused on the will of God.

6.  Do all of the above asking God to give a passion for your life so you will not be numbered among those timid souls who never know what it is like to taste the full measure of God. Decide to buy something great with the rest of the days you have to spend!

Conclusion
Do you have a clear understanding of God's purpose for your life? Do you have a "compass" to help keep you on track? Does God's purpose for your life serve as a grid through which to filter the decisions and commitments that you make?
If the answer to any of these questions is "No", why not take some time right now and begin the process of working on your Life Purpose Statement? Although it will take some effort on your part, you will receive a tremendous return on your investment.
(Adapted from, Man in the Mirror)

I See a Cloud the Size of a Man’s Hand

I smell rain in the air!

Wow! All I have wanted to talk about this week is the wonderful services we have been having the past few weekends. Truly we all recognize that recently the sweet Holy Spirit has been doing something powerful and different. The manifest presence of Father God has been awesome.

I have not been spiritually aware of God's "weightiness" like this, on a sustained basis, in several years. I have not been able to hold back the cleansing tears of joy for the past few weeks and weekends. I have laughed, cried, bowed to the floor, sang and shouted until hoarse, but most of all, I have witnessed something happening in my heart.

I am different. Syble and I can hardly go anywhere or do anything without the sweet tears of the Spirit flowing down our faces. I've wept at restaurants, at service stations, in the grocery store, and almost everytime, I mention the Name of Jesus. It has been glorious. One day soon maybe I will stay "drunk" on the Holy Spirit twenty four hours a day.

I promise, I have never ever had so many people come to me following our service whom I had never met. Each one said they came because they had to tell me that during the worship time, something happened in their hearts. Some got saved, some recommitted their lives to Jesus, and some were just overwhelmed with the love of the Father.

As an example, this past Sunday a man came to me following the service. He said that his back was up against a wall. That he was ready to give up all hope. He had been worried and depressed. He told me that when he told this to Spencer Woods this past week, Spencer told him that he needed to come to Shady Grove. He did, God met him, and with tears in his eyes, he said that God had touched him and that he had never felt this way before. He was changed!!!!

I hear people in our church say, that during the week, people are literally being drawn to them that just want to talk and didn't know why. I know why…it's that their countenance shines with the love and glory of God. These encounters are leading to conversations about Jesus and faith in Him. 

Well, next week, I am going to tell you about one of the most significant spiritual moments I have ever had. It happened Monday, at the prayer center. Believe me…we are in the foothills of something glorious at Shady Grove. You are going to find yourself drawn by the Holy Spirit into the most awesome revival your heart has ever experienced. I'll holler back next week.

WHAT’S IN A LITTLE SNOW?

October 10, 2009, I wrote a staff blog on the "Wax Myrtle Tree." In that article I waxed (no pun intended) eloquent about it not being a tree, but a bush. Since it was not intended to be a tree, its branches are delicate. I said the effect of rain collecting on the leaves make the branches break.

Snow is worse than rain because it collects longer on leaves and branches. Today, Thursday February 11, 2010, it is snowing for the second time this year. It has been snowing since about three this morning, resulting in about four inches…and it is still coming down nine hours later.

The snow on our Wax Myrtle "trees" is beautiful, but unbelievably devastating. However, trees that are really trees can hold the snow much better. In fact the snows of Lebanon, where beautiful trees grow, are mentioned in the Bible. As a believer, you are called trees of righteousness. It is not our righteousness, but it is a gift from God. Jesus died for our sins that we would receive His righteousness. You have it!

Snow is something beautifully white. It is pure…widely used as metaphors throughout history. In fact, Job said that snow has a treasury. Water is a type of the Word of God. Snow is water frozen…not hard but delicately frozen. Since water is the understandable Word of God, I suggest that snow is a type of the revelatory Word of God.

When it rains people usually run for cover. It will get you wet in a hurry. On the other hand, because it is cold when it snows, it slowly turns to water and can be easily brushed off. Most people I know enjoy watching it snow while younger people like to play in it.

Sometimes when the Word of God is coming to us, it can be so light that it is hardly noticeable. Nevertheless, we know something is happening deep inside. If we don't pay attention, it can easily be brushed off like snow. As we walk carefully before the Lord, there will be a day when the temperature becomes just right, melting the snow to water. Sometimes the word we heard earlier, but didn't understand, just became the Word illuminated…revelation. That's when we say, "Wow, where did that come from?"

The snow that God put in your heart while you were praying, or while worshipping, or while reading the Bible, has become a treasury in your heart. You are carrying "a word in due season." One day some of that "snow water" will settle into your soul as revelation just when it is needed. Rejoice and again I say, rejoice.

 

SPRING AND FALL

Wow! It is good to be back again. Many things have transpired in the past couple of months that you might be interested in, but maybe I will get around to some of those stories at a later date.

Well, winter is a cold time making leaves to fall helping trees to get renewed for another season. I may not like the cold and the wind, but it is needful for growth and fruit. Some fruit trees have to be shaken artificially by a machine because it is necessary in order to be fruitful. Hmmm! Well, we won't talk about that one.

Many trees even have to have a required number of hours in temperatures below 38 degrees for them to bear fruit. Oh how the winter causes everything to look dead. But remember, when you look at a tree that appears dead in the cold grip of winter…you are looking at life under wraps. All living things must have a time of rest. I'm not concerned about the tree living again in the spring…are you?

Well, as a country we may be feeling like we are in a winter season, but God planted this nation and it will bear good fruit in this next season. Don't worry! Pray! I was young and now I am old, yet I have not seen God's people forsaken nor their descendants out begging for bread. Our children will be blessed in this land. Righteousness will win out.

Even if you are in a personal winter season remember, season will follow season until the Lord Jesus returns. In the same way season will follow season in our personal lives. Just remember your circumstance don't have to change for spring and summer to come in awesomeness. Listen for the rain and for the sound of the turtledoves.

Well, I'm firing up the out door heater on my back porch the middle of this month cold or not. I know that spring is just around the corner. I'm getting my binoculars out and focused…the Red tail hawks are due any day after mid-Feb. They're going to build a nest, have babies, feed the babies, train them to fly, and leave in the fall. With my sap rising and the call for fruitfulness ringing in my heart what things will I be able to feel good about this next fall after springtime and summer? Don't say four months and then fruitfulness. The fruit is ripe and the fields are white. Have faith…awesome days are ahead!!! Jump in the river!

 

 

DEVIL PLACES FAITH IN TIMIDITY

The other day Syble was mopping the kitchen floor when I came flying in from the garage. “Be careful where you step…I’m just now getting this thing clean,” she said. I threw on my “brakes” skidding to a stop. She looked and sounded like she was serious. So, I backed out…took off my shoes…then tiptoed through the kitchen.
This made me think of all the places I had tiptoed in my span of life. Let’s see…I have tiptoed across the floor not to awaken someone. I’ve tiptoed in order not to disturb someone in deep thought. I’ve tiptoed past someone when I knew they were out of sorts. I’ve tiptoed in order to avoid stepping on something. I’ve tiptoed so I could make a secret entrance or exit when I would try to slip in or out without anyone knowing it.
I also think I have “tiptoed” around people when I should have been bold as a lion. At some point in my life I may have even tiptoed around the devil. I think I have tiptoed around when I had an “idea” from the Spirit of God and thought others might not agree with it. I can tell you for certain that I’ve had words of knowledge or prophetic insight for others, but “tiptoed” around it. So often I have “tiptoed” because I didn’t want to risk being wrong.
I have a prophetic knowing that the time for “tiptoeing” is over. The Lord did not say, “Everywhere my feet would tiptoe He would give it to me,” but that “Every place on which the sole of my foot TREADS shall be mine.” The Bible goes on to say that “No man shall be able to stand against me; the Lord your God will put the dread of me and the fear of me upon all the land where I shall tread, just as He has said to me.” (I took the liberty to personalize Duet 11:24-25.)
The winds of change are blowing. We are being thrust into a new day. Let’s neither fear man nor what people may think. God is giving us a new way for a new day. We may not have passed this way before, but let’s be bold to take the land anyway. Let’s quit tiptoeing. Let’s begin treading on the enemy and the spiritual land He has given us. We are about to see God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven in dimensions we have never seen before. This is the only answer for our nation and the nations of the world.