THE ALL-TIME REVIVALIST COMMITTED TO THE HEAVENLY VISION AGAINST ALL ODDS (PAUL)
Acts 26:16-23
“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:16-23). Don’t allow the things you have seen in the past be the end of the revelation of God in your life, look forward to seeing greater things, and do not allow the adversaries you encounter as you fulfil the calling of God for your life to stop your journey, because the Lord will deliver you from them all.
- THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE HEAVENLY VISION BY A CONVERTED RELIGIONIST
Galatians 1:13-16,22-24
The Lord called Saul of Tarsus and he responded to the call. “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.” (Galatians 1:13-16,22-24). Here, we see the commencement of the heavenly vision for a man who was merely religious.
(i) I was: The Past before the Heavenly Visitation – 1 Timothy 1:12-16; Acts 26:9- 16. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy 1:12-16). There must be a dividing line between I was and I am. It is the difference between what we were and what we are now that spells out our conversion.
(ii) I am: The Present after the Heavenly Vision – 1 Corinthians 15:10-11; Acts 26:16-20. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.” (1 Corinthians 15:10-11). When Moses asked how to present His message to the Israelites, God said to tell the Israelites, “I Am that I Am” – that is divinity. Here, Paul says, ‘I am what I am’, that little word, ‘what’ makes the difference between humanity and divinity. God is Eternal but Paul was human and it was the power and grace of God that made Paul what he was.
(iii) I will (to) be; The Perseverance with Heavenly Vigour – Acts 20:23-27; 26:22- 23. God does not want us to remain in the same state we were when we got converted and saved. Saving grace leads us to ‘I am’ and God’s supernatural grace leads us to ‘I will be’, but whatever God has designed for us to be, we must ‘will’ to be. When God gives us His promise, we must believe and accept, and whatever we must do to make that promise to come to pass in our lives, we must do. “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:22-23). Challenges may come, but you must have the will to continue in spite of them. If you avoid persecutions, you won’t be what God wants you to be. It is when you face the persecutions and overcome that you will be what God wants you to be.
- THE CONTINUATION IN THE HEAVENLY VOCATION BY A CONSECRATED REVIVALIST
Acts 26:17-22
It is good enough to start, but you must continue.
(i) The Clarification of the Heavenly Vocation – Ephesians 4:1,11-14; 2 Timothy 4:2-5. As the Lord has called you and you respond to that call, you must have a clear understanding of what the heavenly vocation is about. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:2-5). Preach the word of God, the eternal gospel of the fulness of Christ, from the beginning to the end. Christ confirmed the authenticity of the Old Testament as He freely quoted from the Pentateuch and the Prophets. Even the early believers quoted the Psalms and the Old Testament. We must accept and preach the entire Old Testament and the New Testament as the word of God. We are not called to preach our own thoughts or current affairs but the undiluted word of God.
(ii) The Concentration on the Heavenly Vision – Philippians 3:13-15; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” (Philippians 3:13-15). Paul demonstrated concentration and focus on the heavenly vision. He was not swayed or moved by adversaries and agitators. We must concentrate on the heavenly vision regardless of what we hear around us. We must preach the word of God without fear, and trust the Lord for the salvation of souls and evangelization of the world.
(iii) The Contribution as a Heaven-sent Vessel – Ephesians 3:3-9; 2 Peter 3:15- 18. You should add value to the ministry, and contribute your talents and abilities to the church of God. “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:3-9).
Paul was changed from his legalism and was made anew. God’s revelation in the Old Testament was incomplete without the revelation in the Gospels, the Epistles and the Revelation. God gradually revealed His mind to creation as little children are gradually exposed to knowledge until they grow up and start getting more and more revelation to even deeper knowledge. The gospel is wider, higher and deeper than the Old Testament. Paul went beyond what used to be, and He was made to reveal deeper mysteries of the kingdom of God. The revelation did not make him proud. Any gift, revelation, knowledge that is from God keeps you lowly and meek, not proud and arrogant.
- THE CONSUMMATION, AFTER SUCH HEAVENLY VISITATION BY CURRENT REFORMISTS
Acts 9:7-9,11,15
Paul is gone, but we are here. The apostles of old and those who preached before us and gone on to their rewards cannot be here preaching now. God has given us the opportunity to be the current reformists.
(i) Evangelizing the World while Edifying the Church – Romans 1:14-17; 15:18- 21. Evangelizing the world and edifying the church go hand-in-hand. “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:14-17). Make yourself available to be used of God, and God will make all strength and grace available to you.
(ii) Expounding the Word and Exalting the Christ – Acts 17:2-4,11-12,30-31; Acts 28:23-24. Expounding the word should be done simultaneously as exalting Christ. “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” (Acts 28:23-24). Paul continued expounding the word and exalting Christ until the end of his days. Leave the results in the hands of God, the Lord will confirm His word.
(iii) Excelling in His Work and Expecting His Coming – 1 Corinthians 15:10, 51- 52, 57-58; 2 Timothy 4:1-8. Preach and expound the word as if Christ were coming today and you may not have another opportunity. You do not know the last message you will preach before you are called to glory, and you do not know the last message your hearers will hear before they are called home. Give the preaching all you have received from God, don’t hold anything back. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:10,51-52,57-58). God does not love you less than He loved Paul the apostle, and His will furnish you with grace for excellence in the work. Don’t take the glory for excelling work, acknowledge that it’s the goodness of God. Christ is coming again and we must be ready for His coming while excelling in His work.
