Empowering the Church - Part Two
Hi Friends,
This is Part Two of a message that the Lord is bringing to the church. He is responding to our desire to consecrate ourselves to him and separate ourselves from the world and its values. This is a radical but necessary shift in the American church, returning us to our roots: the Word of God, the Bible. The Lord wants to pour out his Spirit and empower the Church to reach the lost. We must become a force for change in our nation. For too long the world view and its values has been allowed to slowly change the church so that it conforms to its ideologies, and philosophies. We were a nation once dedicated to God. We were to be a city on a hill and to influence the world for Christ. It is time to make a change.
Because of the church’s complacency, people are going to hell. We have to change. The Lord is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle, a church that is ready for his return. If the Lord would return today, how many of the church would have “oil in their lamps”? How many would not be ready and be left outside? We need a change. The Lord knows what we need before we even ask. This is something he will do sovereignly.
“I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
This vision speaks of the Lord’s plan to empower his church through our consecration, prayer and the laying on of hands.
The Tiny Blue Flowers
This was a simple vision of a human hand holding tiny blue wildflowers. However, the manner in which the flowers were held is somewhat unusual. The stems of the tiny flowers were not held by the tips of the three fingers: the thumb, the index and the middle fingers as one might expect. But they were held with the side of the thumb against the side of the index finger. This hand position causes the palm of the hand to cup. I have seen this position of the hand when my childhood pastor/priest placed his hand on the children’s heads as they would come forward and kneel at the altar. (I was Episcopalian in my early years.)
The wild flowers in the vision resembled those I have seen growing in an open field where there is direct sunlight. They reminded me of baby’s breath because of their tiny size, only ¼ of an inch across. They also reminded me of Queen Anne’s Lace, another field flower, because of their radial arrangement.
The flowers were colored blue which can represent different things in the Bible, according to Bible Study
“This pigment can represent (1) God (Exodus 24:10, 25:3, 38:18, Numbers 4:6 - 12, 2 Chronicles 2:7, Ezekiel 1:26, etc.); (2) royalty (Esther 1:6, Ezekiel 23:6, Jeremiah 10:9); (3) riches (Ezekiel 27:7, 24); (4) service to God and godly living (Exodus 28:6, 8, 13, 31, Numbers 15:38 - 40, Esther 8:15).”
Wildflowers are mentioned in several passages of scripture as a metaphor for man:
“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant, its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.” James 1:9-10
“Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” Job 14:1-2
“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40: 7-8
We can see a common theme in these passages of scripture. A man’s life passes so quickly. It is but a vapor.
“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.“ James 4:14
But as I continued to pray about this vision, I asked God to show me what significance there was with the hand and its unusual grip or position. I sat down on the floor as I usually do, and took my Bible in my hands and simply opened it up. My eyes fell on the pages of Acts chapters 5 & 6. I immediately noticed on the left hand page, in the margin, a symbol of a hand which was to indicate that the passage concerned healing. On the right hand page, the footnote for Acts 6:6 was entitled “Laid their hands on them.” This is what the footnote read:
“In the NT the laying on of hands was used in five ways: (1) in connection with miracles of healing (28:8; Mt 9:18; Mk 5:23; 6:5); (2) in blessing others (Mt 19:13.15); (3) in connection with the baptism in the Spirit (8:17, 19; 19:6); (4) in commissioning for a specific work (v. 6; 13:3); and (5) in imparting spiritual gifts by the elders (1 Ti 4:14).
As one of the means by which God mediates gifts and blessings to others, laying on of hands became a foundational doctrine in the early church (Heb 6:2). It must not be disassociated from prayer, for prayer indicates that the gifts of grace, healing or baptism in the Holy Spirit are from God and not from the persons who are ministering.
Consecrating or ordaining the seven men here meant primarily two things. (1) It was a public witness by the church that these seven men had a history of perseverance in godliness and faithfulness to the Spirit’s leading (cf. 1Ti 3:1-10). (2) It was an act consecrating the men to the work of God and a testimony of their willingness to accept the responsibility of God’s call.
The vision previous to this, in Part One of Empowering the Church, was of two tandem ambulances. These two visions work together to reveal the Lord’s will for his church. The first vision of one ambulance pulling a second, shows our relationship with God. The two ambulances are hitched together, and moving as one. When we are united with God, in Spirit, we yield ourselves to his purpose. We become one with him and are motivated to pray according to his will. Jesus said:
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
This is of course a promise that is contingent on having a genuine and steadfast relationship with him.
“And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14
However, if we are self-centered and are asking for frivolously things, the Lord will not answer those prayers as James points out:
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3
As we spend time with God, and learn to abide in him, we will begin to understand his heart and his views will become our views as well. Just as a child takes on his parents views, we will take on our Heavenly Father’s views. We will love what he loves and hate what he hates. We will have his heart to pray in alignment with his will. And to do his will, we need to be able to move with spiritual power and authority. The former vision makes it clear that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. But with God, all things are possible.
Speaking of the first vision again, an ambulance is associated with healing, and the hand in this vision that I am sharing today, also represents healing. From these we can see that the Lord is very much interested in ministering the gift of healing through his body, the Church.
The flower represents man, and the color blue represents “service to God” and “godly living.” So with these two elements we see man in service to God. When we add the third element, the cupped hand, we see that man is commissioned in his service to God for healing and other gifts of the Spirit, by the impartation of the power of God through the laying on of hands.
Our church has just gone through a period of corporate and personal consecration, so I believe that the Lord is responding, with a desire to impart Spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church. In the gospel of Mark, signs and wonders and spiritual gifts should follow all believers.
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-19
I believe that the Lord is preparing the church for the days ahead, when he will send his workers into the harvest fields, to share the gospel and make disciples for his kingdom. In the early days of the church and through times of great church growth, the gospel was preached, with signs following. The miracles of healing and deliverance were given to validate the message of salvation as having come from God.
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Knowing this, the Lord will give the church various spiritual gifts in order that his kingdom may increase. As his church we are to show forth the power of God to bring glory to his name, and to bring healing, freedom and salvation to all.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
We all all given a measure of faith, to be able to call upon the Lord for healing or a miracle. But the Lord also anoints a few with gifts that allow them to function within the body of Christ to further equip and lead the church.
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:11-14
So I believe that the purpose of these visions is to encourage us to seek the Lord and abide in him. Through personal consecration and separation from things that compete with our devotion to God, we will receive the greater gifts that he would choose for us.
“And God has placed in the church, first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.” 1 Corinthians 12:28-31
But what is the greater gift? In the very next chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, we see that the greatest gift of all is the gift of love. What could be greater than what God himself did on the cross? Such a display of true love! Jesus himself said:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
When we are motivated by the love of God, we will love people and we will want to see them reconciled to the Father. The Great Commission is the will of God. It is the work of God. And it is the reason that we need to have God’s love. How can we fulfill our commission of reaching the lost, without love? Love is the gift of God himself to us through his Holy Spirit. He is the greatest gift of all.
It is only with the love of God that we can reach our own nation with the gospel of peace. It is Christ’s love in us that overcomes all things: complacency, laziness, apathy, distractions, busyness, fear of rejection…
The Lord wants his church to be motivated by love and move in power to display his glory for all to see. He is about building his church and increasing her influence in the world, and it is done with love.
“...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
I hope you will take these messages seriously and decide to consecrate yourself to God. Separate yourself from the world and its values. Remove anything that comes between you and the Lord. Devote yourself to spending time with him. Read and study the Bible, so that you can—
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
God bless you! And please share this message with others! Thanks!
