“Spearheading Revival”
Introduction
At an evening prayer for the unity of diverse local churches recently, a mature godly leader called me out publicly with a burning word from the Lord. I recorded it below for your subsequent testing: “Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.” (1 Thess 5:19-22). He spoke this word over me : “The Lord has called you to spearhead revival in Perth.” Once upon a time, when I was younger and more impulsive, I would have been excited to hear this. (Recalling, for instance, how the Lord took me to visit to the prophet-laden spiritual awakening in Argentina in the mid 90’s.) Today however I am much more sober about the imperfections of every world of the Spirit amongst sinful humans. “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Ki 14:32). The first test in hearing, and applying, the prophetic word alleged heard is to ask, “Is this testimony centred on Jesus?” (cf. Rev 19:10). Immediately my thinking went to the Gospels and the cross.
The Wounded side of Christ
“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” (John 19:32-33). If the water stands for the flow of the cleansing Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39), the blood signifies the all forgiving work of the cross (Rev 12:11). Blood and water testify to total salvation. Following this recorded piercing Jesus challenges “doubting Thomas”, ““Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Immediately, confronted by the glorious scars of the risen Christ, Thomas has a conversion-like experience. “Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”” (John 21:27-28). The infamous now reconciled “doubting Thomas” instantaneously became a man of exalted testimony to the perfected magnified humanity of the Son. There are no parallels to the height, breath, length and depth of this insight into the love of God in the all – atoning Lamb (Eph 3:18; Col 1:20; Rev 13:8). The gift of the wounded Christ took my mind back to the completion of the creation of Adam.
The Wounded Adam
Many have questioned, “Did Adam possess a belly button?” Whilst not a question on the biblical agenda, the orthodox answer is “No.” Being directly created by God he was placenta-less and so free from a navel. Scripture however does teach, “But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribsand then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the ribhe had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” (Gen 2:20-22). A feasible biblical question is, “Did Adam have a scar in his side?” Adam possessed no “surgical scar”. If we can do “keyhole surgery”, the miraculous creation of Eve out of Adam possesses few intellectual challenges. Lacking signs, like scars, of his mortality, Adam’s faith was limited in scope. Though called “son of God” (Luke 3:38) in the genealogy of Jesus, he never possessed the elevated status of “the holy one…Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Free of physical signs to the contrary, the seemingly perfect couple grasped at the possibility of attaining immortality. In mutual submission they refused to submit to the Word of the Lord which had sustained them in blameless bodily wholeness. Death was an unimaginable scenario (Gen 2:17) possible only to those with faith in the Word. How different is the life of the faithful “last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45; Rev 14:12).
Submissive Scars
The seer John quotes from his prophetic predecessors Daniel and Zechariah, “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.” (Rev 1:7; Dan 7:13; Zech 12;10). These are both tears of grief through final judgment and tears of repentance unto salvation! (Though obviously in different persons.) Whichever they are is dependent on the unconditional “mercy of God” (Rom 9:16). The scars of the Lamb of God possess unique limitless potency to convict of sin and provoke healing repentance, for they are miraculous signs of the coming kingdom of God.
The Submission of the Son
The Scripture teaches of the omnipotent power of the Son’s submission to the Father, “Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:5-11) The Son’s descent from glory to become human and his exaltation back to the heavenly realms are a powerful testimony in God about the unlimited ability of loving submission to transform our very being in Christ. The Son of God has become the living model for all he commands us to become.
Walking in Submission
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children…be filled with the Spirit… Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ….Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ” (Eph 5:1, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25). To the degree that husbands, wives, priests, pastors and parishioners embrace Spirit-directed mutual submission the Church in Perth will experience a revelation at the foundation of the basis of the Great Commission,: ““All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations …” (Matt 28:18-19). In the wounds of the glorified Christ, symbolising his perfect submission to the Father, is the healing of all Adamic nations (Rev 22:2). We do not see this healing today because we fail to submit, first to Jesus (Mark 14:36), then to one another in the leading of the Spirit.
Conclusion
As far as “spearheading revival”, I am not interested IF it is a popularised move of God which, like most in recent Westernised history, crashes and burns from poor discipleship when demonic opposition accelerates and intensifies. Meanwhile, I seek to listen to the Lord and submit to Word, which is my call as a teacher- prophet of Jesus Christ. So dear brothers and sisters pray for an acceleration and intensification of submission to Christ across his Body in the one undivided Body of Christ.