VISION OR DREAM

VISION

I am pleased and honored to reflect on the word “vision” as it may stir up a desire for greater understandings though to some, not use to investigative thinking, a threat and an offense. But as it is in the academe which extols academic freedom, so it is in theological reflections and investigations of truth. The Pharisees of Jesus day had such closed minds they consider any questionings or statements contrary to the customary and unquestionably taught doctrine as heretical. Jesus encourages all men to know the truth. He said in John chapter 8 and verses 31 to 36

“If you abide in my word, you are My disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. …If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (NKJV)

I believe that divine inspiration reveals to man through visions, dreams, apparitions, and keen foresights His plans and means of doing His will and purpose for the salvation of all men. God puts a burden on the man or woman He chooses to get the job done. That person upon whom the vision comes can never be the same again. His or her life shall be formed and propelled by the burden God has placed upon him/her. What God has laid upon him just have to be accomplished. So it was with Moses and his vision of the burning bush. So it was with Joseph and his visions of the bundles of wheat representing his brothers bowing to his bundle and eleven stars including the sun and the moon bowing before him. So it was with the Prophet Amos. In response to his hecklers he stoutly replied, “ I am not really of the prophets> I do not come from a family of prophets. I am a herdsman and a fruit picker. But the LORD took me from caring for the sheeps and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people Israel.” Amos had to go.
Saul the zealous Pharisee of the Pharisees set off to Damascus in hot pursuit of the followers of Jesus. Along the way he saw a vision of Jesus whom he was trying to destroy. The vision radically changed his life. The power of that vision changed and guided the destiny of the Christian faith and the church of the LORD Jesus Christ. Towards the end of his he was proud to say “I was not disobedient to that vision from heaven.” What is your vision?What is it that has gripped your mind, soul, and whole being? To follow someone else’s vision and claim it as his own is deceitful. You are just a copycat. You have no vision at all. So you try to outdo the vision of one whom you try to imitate. You become his worshiper.You are a cult leader, a distortion of who God wants you to be.

CIRCLE OF PRAYER

Dear Lord, we pray that on this Valentine’s Day we may remember the true meaning of love as expressed in the Bible.

Heavenly Father, we pray the message of the verse often recited at many weddings inspires us to express love in all that we do for our fellow man.

"Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails!"
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (CEV)

May we never fail to praise God who so loved us, he gave his only son so that the faithful may have eternal life.
Amen

From: The American Bible Society

THE POWER OF LOVE

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ, made this irrefutable assertion of the unfathomable and unsearchable and unchallenged declaration of the love of God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God send not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

(John 3:16-17 RSJV)

The world in turmoil needs love.War is selfishness.It destroys. It kills people. If divides people with hate. Love is the remedy to war. The problem and difficulty most people have in understanding love is they relate it to acts of sensuality and sex. The love the Holy Bible speaks is pure and undefiled. It honors and respects one another. St Paul has a beautiful definition of love. He says “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity; but rejoice in the truth; bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (I Corinthians 13:4-7)”

Love needs a good model. A model maybe a pattern, a design, or an example to emulate. Jesus gives us a good example of what love is in the life of the good Samaritan.

A Samaritan is looked down by the Jews. They avoid him and despise him. The story of the good Samaritan demonstrates what love is in one’s religious practice. In the Law of Moses everyone is instructed to love his neighbor as himself. The priest and scribe in the story of the good Samaritan know the Law requires them to love – show compassion to the distressed one. They know what their Law requires of them to do at this particular

situation, but there is also a law which prohibits them from having contact with a dead body. There is also the possibility that the robbers are still around and their safety is in danger.

On the other hand the Samaritan came along. He saw ther man lying and wounded in the middle of the road. He was a Jew, perhaps one he knew personally. This man is one of those who despise him openly. But he was severely wounded and needed immediate help. He did not think about the robbers who may be in the area. This Jew needed help very badly. Perfect love cast out fear. Love made him to care and make provision with the inn keeper for continuing care of the wounded man. This is love in action. “Greater love has no man than this that he lays down his life for a friend.” Thus said the Man who knows what love is. He laid down his life for all because He loves all. He was willing to forgive even those who put him to death “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Love triumphed over Hell and death. Let us learn to love one another as Jesus Christ love us.”

JESUS CRIST IS LORD

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD

Philippians 2:5-ll “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those one earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus Christ is LORD. He is the LORD of all creation. He demonstrated and proved that He is LORD of all life when he rose triumphant over Hell and death. The Devil, Satan, the angel who rebelled against God and was thrown down to earth vowed to destroy humanity whom God created in His own image and likeness and imparted the breath of life and became living souls. Thus all religious thinkers admit that there is in man a spark of divinity. It is this spark of divinity in humanity that kept God from destroying humankind even when it has fallen into its worst depravity and degradation.

Where are kings and emperors who arrogated to themselves the title of divinity.. They built monuments of themselves and forced people to bow down and worship their monuments. Their monuments were knocked to pieces and ground to dust by the angry people to kill any remembrances of their cruelty and oppression. Who among the so-called religious leaders and founders of religion rose from the dead? Even Mohammed is still dust inside his tomb in Mecca. Only Jesus Christ rose from the grave and victorious over death. Only Jesus won His right to be LORD of lords and King of kings.. He never used a sword, or a spear, or a bow and arrow or any weapon of mass destruction against His enemies. He won them with love and forgiveness.

In the fullness of time all humanity will “bow down before Him and all tongues confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father.”