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| (Monroe County Court House) |
In Acts 10, an angel appeared to Cornelius while he was praying, and Peter had a vision while praying on the rooftop of Simon the tanner's house. God was miraculously orchestrating the insertion of the Gospel into Gentile culture. When I read these super-natural stories, I desire them for my church family. Should we expect Acts-encounters and experiences? I believe so.
Here's one of countless stories Linda and I have witnessed.
When we lived in East Lansing we met a woman whose marriage was failing. She began to receive counsel from us. We shared the gospel with her. She was a chemist, a very intelligent scientist. But religiously, she was a blank slate, barely knowing what a Bible was.Then she had a supernatural vision.
She called in the morning. She shared how she awoke in the middle of the night. Before her, in her bedroom, she saw a lamb, and a cross with blood on it. The lamb, she said, was pure white. She watched this vision, like someone viewing a hologram, for thirty minutes. She insisted she was awake the entire time.
It shook her deeply. It opened her up spiritually. After this event, she wanted to hear more about Jesus.
As I am praying this Sunday morning, I am filled with expectation for what this day will bring. I am looking forward to God's supernatural activity in my life, and as our church family gathers.
Dallas Willard asks, "Can a normal person like me really be capable of having the same kinds of experiences as did Elijah or Paul? Who am I to put myself in the place of these great ones? Who am I even to suppose that God might guide me or speak to me, much less that my experience should be like that of Moses or Elisha? Such questions may seem to honor the greatness of God, but in fact they contradict what God has taught about himself in the Bible and in the person of Christ. God’s greatness is precisely what allows him to pay close attention to me or anyone and everyone else, as he chooses. God’s greatness is shown in his ability to work within anyone." (Willard, Hearing God Through the Year: A 365-Day Devotional, p. 44)
Willard suggests reading and meditating on these words of the apostle Paul. Take them to heart. Carry them with you today.
Expect.
When we lived in East Lansing we met a woman whose marriage was failing. She began to receive counsel from us. We shared the gospel with her. She was a chemist, a very intelligent scientist. But religiously, she was a blank slate, barely knowing what a Bible was.Then she had a supernatural vision.
She called in the morning. She shared how she awoke in the middle of the night. Before her, in her bedroom, she saw a lamb, and a cross with blood on it. The lamb, she said, was pure white. She watched this vision, like someone viewing a hologram, for thirty minutes. She insisted she was awake the entire time.
It shook her deeply. It opened her up spiritually. After this event, she wanted to hear more about Jesus.
As I am praying this Sunday morning, I am filled with expectation for what this day will bring. I am looking forward to God's supernatural activity in my life, and as our church family gathers.
Dallas Willard asks, "Can a normal person like me really be capable of having the same kinds of experiences as did Elijah or Paul? Who am I to put myself in the place of these great ones? Who am I even to suppose that God might guide me or speak to me, much less that my experience should be like that of Moses or Elisha? Such questions may seem to honor the greatness of God, but in fact they contradict what God has taught about himself in the Bible and in the person of Christ. God’s greatness is precisely what allows him to pay close attention to me or anyone and everyone else, as he chooses. God’s greatness is shown in his ability to work within anyone." (Willard, Hearing God Through the Year: A 365-Day Devotional, p. 44)
Willard suggests reading and meditating on these words of the apostle Paul. Take them to heart. Carry them with you today.
Expect.
Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
for ever and ever!
Ephesians 3: 20-21
***
I write about hearing God and God's supernatural presence in my two books.
Leading the Presence-Driven Church (Jan. 2018)
