Today I shall talk about revelation. What is a revelation? A quick search for the word "revelation" online yields explanations as such:
"an enlightening or astonishing disclosure" - Wordnet
"The act of disclosing or discovering to others what was before unknown to them; appropriately, the disclosure or communication of truth to men by God himself, or by his authorized agents, the prophets and apostles." - Webster 1828 Dictionary
"an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen" - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
The word revelation comes from the word "reveal". To reveal is to make known something to someone which he or she previously had not known. Revelation is powerful; when used by God, allows us to see great truths, to make new breakthroughs and to grow stronger in our relationship with Him.
Today I will talk about the revelation of the Lord Christ Jesus.
The Lord Christ revealed Himself as the Christ through revelation by the Holy Spirit. One of the most well known revelations must be the one in which Peter, then called Simon, proclaimed that Jesus is Christ. It was a big change, so big that even his name was changed from Simon to Peter. Let us take a look at some instances of revelation of the Lord:
1. Peter's revelation of the Christ (Matthew 16:13-20):
Jesus told him, "upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it". Talk about a life-changing revelation! From being Simon the Fisherman, he is now "the rock" that the "gates of Hades will not overcome"! And to him was given the "keys to the kingdom of heaven"! And what's more, he was given all power that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven"! And we all know that Peter went on to be one of the first leaders of the early church.
2. Mary Magdelene's revelation of the resurrected Christ (John 20:10-18)
Mary was devastated when the Lord had died and been laid in the tomb. She sat there crying, having lost her most dear. When she saw that Jesus was not there she was probably even more devastated - her Lord had died and now she couldn't even find His body. In verse 14 we see that even when Jesus appeared, "she did not realize that it was Jesus". However what happened next was a moment of revelation: Jesus said just one word, "Mary." and her eyes were opened! The Lord had called her by name, and she, suddenly realizing who Jesus was, cried out "Rabboni!" and then went off later telling everybody, "I have seen the Lord!" This was a revelation by which Mary saw the resurrected Christ and all the promises fulfilled!
3. Thomas's revelation of the resurrected Christ (John 20:24-28)
When Jesus was crucified, Thomas was so sure He was dead that he did not believe the other disciples when they told him they had seen the Lord. However Jesus, being that loving God, appeared to him and showed him the truth. Then Thomas, in that instant, saw the truth and exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!". Words may not be enough to paint the picture of what happened then, but word has it that Thomas went on to be a missionary in India and gave his life for the Lord. How great was that revelation that motivated Thomas to do that!
4. Stephen's revelation of the Son of Man (Acts 7:54-60)
Some time after Jesus had returned to Heaven to be with the Father, Stephen spoke to an assembly of the Sanhedrin regarding the Christ. As he spoke, the Jews grew angrier and angrier, eventually becoming so worked up that "they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him". Stephen however at this time, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this, the Jews stoned him and killed him. Stephen, though he may have known that he would probably be killed, did not run away nor take back his words, but he had the revelation of Christ at the right hand of God! And did not Jesus say, "In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."(Matthew 26:64)? Stephen received a revelation, one that made him proclaim, "I SEE THE HEAVENS OPEN!!! AND THE SON OF MAN IS STANDING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD!!!!!"
There must be more revelations from God than could ever be written down, and these are just some examples from Scripture. Revelation is powerful. Revelation is essential. We all must have revelations in order that we may grow closer to the Lord, in spirit and in truth. Let us all seek to have revelations, of the Cross, of Christ sacrificed, of Christ the Lamb of God and of Christ resurrected. Let us pray that the Lord will reveal these things to us, the mystery of mysteries that is the Lord Christ Jesus.
Father, today as I come before you, I give you all glory and praise for your great works. With your mighty hand you have created the heavens and the earth; by your great love you have given salvation to all men. I seek your face, to see the glory that created me, the love that sacrificed for me. I pray that you will reveal to me the mystery of Christ, for it was to your pleasure that you provided this wonderful thing that no man can fathom. This day, I pray for revelation, just like the ones our fathers of old were given, and that by these my eyes will be opened to your truth. I ask this in the Name of the LORD Most High, Christ Jesus our Saviour, Amen.
Mar 21, 2008
Revelation
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4 comments:
Good post!
Where can I find this article?
I have a few thoughts though...
While revelation indeed is very, very essential for breakthroughs; provided the person receiving the revelation CHOOSES to walk out that revelation of truth or anything the Lord has revealed to desire a breakthrough.
Sometimes, God gives us so many revelations, but until we act upon them, these revelations will remain as perhaps 'discoveries' or 'new knowledge'. Faith and actions must be put in to put God's revelations into effect for breakthroughs.
Personally in my life right now, while seeking revelations are important, I thought walking out that faith as a Christian, even sometimes without revelations, but obedience are equally essential.
Just a thought though... If I do not have revelations from the Lord every now and then, does it mean that I am any 'lesser a Christian' than one who receives revelations often?
I believe not, for obedience is far better than sacrifice... Abraham perhaps did not have that revelation of what God actually wanted to do with Isaac, but he went on obeying... Out of love for the Lord! I credit that obedience, that faith and that love for the Lord unto him fully. I ought to learn that at this moment...
Love,Obey,Believe... That's how faith in the Lord grows. Pray for me to do that please... Brethens...
It's a good article nonetheless! Where can I find it?
You are right bro Ken, that revelation alone means nothing unless it translates into action on our part. I feel that a revelation is sort of like a spiritual breakthrough, where we reach a new area in our spiritual walk. It may be big or small, something which gives you joy and faith or even a life-changing moment. Whatever form of revelation though, I believe that it all leads us to progress with the Lord.
Of course, we would have to follow where it leads us to see what God has in store for us. This is evident in the lives of those touched by Christ and His revelation 2000 years ago, and even today - those who are touched by Christ and His sacrifice, go on to do great things; not just great in this world but great in the kingdom of God. Love, faith and obedience are surely important, but we also wonder, what would give us that love for Him, what would give us that faith in Him, and what would make us obey His commands?
I feel that unless we have a personal revelation, whether it be His love, His sacrifice, His strength, His hope or His joy, we could hear about all of it for years but yet not be moved to action. So love, faith and obedience gives us the strength to continue the journey, but what sets us out on the journey in the beginning is the revelation. What set you on the journey in Christ so long ago?
This is why I feel that we should seek revelations of the Lord, to seek His face as a sort of beginning - then with this faith and conviction, to walk further and further until we meet Him who is Christ in heaven one day.
hehe. just my two cents worth on this.
yes revelation is powerful. indeed, it is when Christ was revealed to us that we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
i agree with ken.
revelation is from God.
it does require action from men.
if a person comes to know Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of the living God, the One who died for our sins on the cross, yet there's no action. then there isn't the transformation.
i believe that revelation from God and obedience from men will be what give rise to a journey by faith in Christ.
to put it in an equation:
revelation + obedience = faith + love + joy + ...
i wouldn't view obedience as an outcome of revelation but more of a correct response to revelation to finish the equation. hehe.
afterall, God gave us the freedom of choice. so even when God reveals, there's another element at work to lead us in walking in the will of God.
i took the following from an online source:
"On the voyage to Rome a tremendous storm blew up (Acts 27:13) and the ship was in great danger. Paul,presumably though a word of knowledge, had warned them before they set sail from Fair Havens on Crete that this would happen. However, during the night an angel had appeared to him and assured him that none of the crew would be lost but the ship would be destroyed. When some of the crew tried to leave the ship in
a lifeboat (v31) Paul knew they must stay with the ship to be saved. The centurion by now trusted Paul and cut the lifeboat adrift so that the men had to stay on board. Just before the ship ran aground Paul advised them all to eat so that they would survive (v34). Paul' s direction to the crew and their obedience to the revelation God had given saved all of their lives."
talking about revelation.
the Bible itself is revelation.
God speaks to us in different ways.
to put this in another way.
God reveals to us about Himself through different ways.
in my opinion, it would be 'limiting' God to think that revelation is just visions that God shows us, the 'thus saith the Lord', etc.
yes. we seek the revelation of God.
it's a positive attitude in coming before God.
but we bear in mind. God is sovereign. He reveals according to His will, not ours.
and i believe that with the right attitude, reading the Bible daily and being consistent in spending quality time with God, God can give us fresh revelation each time we read His Word - be it a revelation of Him or that of our lives.
for me, my prayer would be of this:
"Lord Jesus, help me to know you more and more. My limited mind may not be able to fathom all that You are, but teach me and show me how I can be more like You. Help me to change and act in obedience to what You reveal to me. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
You are right, zhien.
I fully agree that revelation is not simply visions and also that it has no timing or frequency. In fact I did not mention any form of revelation at all except that it should be a personal one. It is dangerous to seek visions as the only form of revelation. In fact of the four examples I have given in the original article, only one, that of Stephen, is likely to be a vision.
I believe that a personal revelation from Christ is important because it is the thing which sparks us off. Nothing would make sense if we did not do it because of our knowledge of who Jesus is.
Why do I pray? Why do I love? Why do I persevere? For whom does my heart beat? If I pray without knowing Christ, I have prayed for nothing. If I obey because man says it is good, then I am a fool. If I presevere without knowing that an end surely exists, then I have not known God. How can I know Christ? How can I know God who is the Father? How do I know the kingdom which is to come?
I believe that this is a revelation from God, that Christ was sent to die for us and to live again, and that we will join Him in His kingdom one day. Otherwise it will simply be a fairy tale. Miracles will happen before our eyes but if we do not have that revelation, that realization that Christ is God, it will mean nothing to us. Pharoah was a person whom, after seeing all the wonders of the Lord in Egypt, still perished.
This is why I pray for a personal revelation from God, that my eyes will be opened to He who is Christ and His true being. I want to know Christ. I want to cry "Rabboni!" I want to proclaim "My Lord and my God!". I want to see Christ sitting at the right hand of God. I am surely not there yet, and that is why I continue to seek a new closeness, to seek His face, that I may be truly transformed into His likeness.
I pray that the Lord will continue to pour out His love and sustenance to all of us, may He who is Christ give us strength!
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