A break in the sky over the subtle reflective colours on the lake, a hill in the background hinting at an event that changed history, a pivotal point in history but also a pivotal point in everyones present, and everyones future.

This made me think back to when someone made a prophecy about me. I was at an event exploring supernatural healing when a man approached me and told me that John 1:50 – 51 came to mind and that it was important to me because God will open heaven so that I shall see things greater than these – how I hoped he was right, but there is more. I was studying that passage that particular morning and thinking about what the meaning could be – how could he have possibly picked that passage out from thin air? Well the answer is simple but not recognised by many fellow Christians, that he had a word of knowledge from God. A word of encouragement for me because I feel God wanted to push me forward at that point.

The first encounter Nathaniel has with Jesus has always intrigued me.

John 1:50 – 51

 50 Jesus replied, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe in Me? You will see greater things than this.”51 Then He said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man the bridge between heaven and earth.”

Clearly Jesus is the bridge, he is our foundation. When Jesus said to Simon – You are Peter and on this rock… I used to think it meant on the rock of Peter, but my whole view from my upbringing seems to have opened up the other night.

Matthew 16:13-19

“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed thisto you, but My Father who is in heaven.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

I was hit by the meaning that Jesus was the rock and foundation, but that Peter was a small rock and Peter later goes on to explain in his letters that we also are living rocks, and so we shall have the keys to make the Kingdom visible through binding and releasing heaven on Earth, we are each a spiritual house and a holy priesthood that contains the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:5

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Prophecy about what we will become and what we will do for God is not new, but much of the established church have disowned any use of them in this age. Dis-owning itself from any supernatural gifts and just focussing on skills or things people are good at is reducing this established church into a toothless, powerless, joyless church, that stays focussed on the silent lamb rather than the roaring lion it will become. It could just as well be a club. Sure it has power, but not the type of power that Jesus told us to go out and use. Christians should be culture changers but instead many are just people who run a Sunday club. I see people hurting with problems but I feel we are denying that God asks us to intercede

quote from Randy Clark. 

“So we ended up with a culture where many unbelievers believe in the supernatural and many believers have been educated not to believe in the supernatural.”

I listened to a talk by the Rev Anton Muller on Monday and he was spot on with his view of how churches should be focussed on evangelising and not just filling seats or putting on a Sunday show, but that is I think only half the problem. People in society are increasingly looking for spiritual connection and church on a whole does not provide that.

You turn up,
sing a song,
someone reads,
we’re told we’re wrong
someone talks,
sing a psalm
as you leave
in alarm.

Yes you may develop friendships but Jesus commands us to take risks for him, use our faith not our own strength.

Many people rightly ask, why would I ever turn up to this? And I do wonder many times why, because this is certainly nothing like the life of Jesus and nothing like the early Christians in Acts.

Of course this is a stereo-typical old type church, but there are people who think that this is all there is to it. That the service or the mass is the most important part of the Christian life, putting on a show so to speak.

Thinking of how Jesus lived, I think the most important part of His earthly ministry was changing people’s lives and He did that through supernatural encounters of healing, knowledge and many things that many churches are afraid of exploring.

Bill Johnson clearly points out that

the original meaning of salvation is forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. but that the church has focus entirely for many years on just the first part.

What happened to healing of the sick and deliverance from our things that bind us? Jesus commands this.

Just today I was reflecting on the first time Jesus revealed that He is the Christ to a woman at a well that was seemingly shunned by many, but Jesus used words of knowledge to convince her that He was from God, that the gospel has power. I reflected on how Jesus revealed that He is the Christ, the anointed one, but also how we are now anointed through the Holy Spirit to do the same.

I have given words of knowledge that I have thought were just random words that came to mind but they have turned into words of truth from God. I have experienced healing, both received and given. Yet I still yearn for a church to empower its people to go out and change the very world that they live in, as Jesus did. I feel almost with certainty God has tasked me to change my world and bring the gospel to people.

We are this gate, this connection with heaven, this house of God, and we can make things happen. Through Jesus we can intercede for many but in a joyous way of praise so that we can bring God’s kingdom about through demonstrating the supernatural power of the Gospel. Have courage.

Dear Father

You guide me constantly,
I ask you to temper all my words with love, truth and wisdom,
I ask you to open up this day and every day to your power,
so that we can demonstrate your glory and bring heaven visible on Earth.
Give us courage to act.

Through Jesus

Amen