Background

In the wake of the 10 days of prayer constituting the recent Commonwealth Prayer Initiative (CPI) in Perth, there has been a buzz throughout the city as many have an expectation of a fresh move of God. Proposals have been coming thick and fast about “what we need to do next”. On one level this is healthy but on another level such a surge of emotions can lead us astray. The teaching below is very focussed on the city where I live, but I believe the truths on which it is based are applicable anywhere in the world.

A Burden

One of the costs of hearing from God is what older translations of the Bible call “the burden of the word of the LORD”[1]. Something is placed on us by God of which we would rather not be aware but which we feel under some imposition to speak. I have been watching and listening to what is happening in Perth since the CPI and have been inwardly deeply disturbed by some of what I am sensing. I will put this in terms of the opportunities of God versus the opportunism of men. This subject is of considerable importance, because where the latter intrudes over the former sustainable revival will prove impossible.

Kairos: an Opportune Time

There are two basic words in the Greek New Testament for “time,” chronos and kairos. Chronos is our familiar clock time and has no built-in spiritual significance. Within scripture however kairos is a heavily loaded theological expression. It is a time of favour, an opportunity with God. The importance of kairos is ear-marked from the beginning of the story of Jesus, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). The unfolding of a kairos moment by God’s sovereign initiative manifests the coming of the age of grace. The various expressions of the kingdom of God, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (Luke 7:22), occur within the framework of the Lord’s time of opportunity.

The Opportunism of Men

Human beings are at their most passionate in the religious realm and particularly in relation to some vision that God has given us. Moses for example was supernaturally called by God to bring the whole nation of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. However in the wilderness he was overcome by the heat of his own anger and instead of speaking to the rock in faith struck it twice in bitterness. God’s judgement was immediate, “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12 ESV). Moses forgot that it was not about his leadership and ministry but about the reputation of God. Wise mature believers have learned that to rush into what is seemingly an opportunity from God can often lead to disaster. One old motto about the Christian life speaks of the birth of a vision, the death of a vision and the restoration of a vision. This is a sequence grounded in the immutable order of the life of Christ.

The test of whether we are moving in the opportunities of God or are opportunistic is simple: are we aiming at self-glorification or God-glorification? In the Gospels the apostles come across as enthusiastic preachers, healers and miracle workers (Luke 10:1-12, 17), for in their estimation the fullness of the kairos of God’s kingdom was upon them. So when Jesus “began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised…Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” (Matthew 16:21-23 ESV) The way of the cross exposed Peter, along with the other apostles, as an opportunist; he was unwilling to bear the cost of suffering with Jesus for the cause of the kingdom of God. Only those who have “lost their ministry” know the difference between the opportunism of their hearts and the opportunity of God. Let me expand this.

A Patriarchal City

The week after the Commonwealth Prayer Initiative a friend of mine asked me to interpret the meaning of a dream. The dream had a range of details, but at its centre was the mysterious expression, “patriarchal city”. I believe that “patriarchal city” has a particular meaning that is vital to any enduring work of God and is a word sent by God in direct opposition to all opportunism.

As soon as I heard “patriarchal” I thought of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but it is Abraham who stands out. The peak of Abraham’s journey of faith, and that which constitutes him to be “the father of us all” (Rom 4:16) is the “sacrifice of Isaac” (Gen 22). Isaac is the long awaited child of God’s promise and thus the most precious art of Abraham’s life. It was his willingness to offer up Isaac which showed that Abraham’s foremost heart motivation was not holding on to a great vision from God, but the glory of God. The “death and resurrection” of Isaac is a prophetic type[2] of the real and bloody sacrifice of the only Son which reveals the infinite depths of the heart of God as the Father of us all (Eph 4:6).

Thus a “patriarchal city” speaks of the leadership of mature men and women of God who are not concerned about “their” ministry, “their” church or “their” reputation. They are secure in the promises of God and can release others into the vision that God has placed in their lives. Such leaders are rare indeed[3], they are not subject to self-promotion, and their natural opportunism has been put to death by the work of the cross in their lives. The outflow of this type of pioneering ministry is a marvellous unity.

True Unity

One of the repeated motivations that has accompanied the promotion of unity in the Church in recent decades has been the prospect of revival/transformation. In the immature climate of the Australian Church such an appeal unfortunately but inevitably encourages opportunism.

In one of my recent dreams I sensed a situation of contending interests between Christians in Perth. Pondering what could be done about this I found myself asking and praying that the Lord would give to us all “crucified hands”. These are hands in which the “glorious scars” of the risen Christ (Luke 24:39) can be seen, hands that reach out to others neither as competitors nor aids to “our ministry” but in sacrificial love. Such a partnership of joined hands is a portion of what Paul means by, “the fellowship of his sufferings” (Phil 3:10). I believe that no community of believers can possibly enter into the depths of such a communion without having sacrificed together in the cause of the kingdom of God. The implications however of such profound fellowship are immense.

A City of Glory

One popular photo of the skyline of Perth (Appendix 1) shows the colours of the rainbow shining from the buildings of the CBD on the Swan River below. This is a beautiful and peaceful scene which speaks deeply about God’s intended purposes for Perth as the “City of Lights”[4]. There is another image however which must be added if our city is to enter into its prophetic destiny. In the centre of the Perth CBD is situated the Wesley Uniting Church, home to many of the events during the Commonwealth Prayer Initiative. Hidden from public view in a rear chapel is a striking stained glass window of Jesus standing behind a city skyline with his arms outstretched (Appendix 2). These two images form a prophetic composite.

The colours that irradiate the Swan River at night speak of the glory of God emanating from the city of God which illuminates the River of God. The source of this glory is not the city itself but the Christ who stands watch over it. More ultimately, it is the glory of the crucified Lord, for the one whose hands are outstretched to bless the city are crucified hands. To expound this more intimately requires words spoken recently about the highlight of the week of prayer in Wesley.

A mature lady stood up and said something like this, “I am a marriage celebrant, and every bride I see is the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. This is what I saw during our week of prayer – we had the intelligent detailed prayers of the Asians, the rousing Salvation Army brass band, the passion of the African dancers…….it just got better and better. It was like the unveiling of the Bride (of Christ).” I believe this was a true word that speaks exactly to the goal of God’s work in our city. This is a beautiful image, but in a spiritual environment like our own it must be accompanied by a warning.

A Jealous God

The scriptures speak of “the beauty of holiness” (Ps 29:2), and Christian leaders must be acutely aware that the revelation of this holy beauty depends upon the state of the Church.

Paul remarks, “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:1-3 ESV). Our present danger is that we may become deceived by a flush of emotion that fails to distinguish opportunism from the kairos opportunity of God. If we enter into such a deceived state the glory of God will be mixed with the impious ambitions of man and the River of God will become polluted before the eyes of all (Js 3:13-18). Under such conditions the Lord cannot remain passive, the judgements of disunity and disappointment will break out in our midst.

Conclusion

The time in which we are living is indeed a kairos time, in such a time the heart condition Christ requires of us to receive his fullness is simply our stillness. “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns…. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:4-5, 10).

Appendix 1: Perth Skyline at Night

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Perth_skyline_at_night.jpg

Appendix 2:  Jesus over the City, Wesley Uniting Church Chapel Perth