Found at www.truthworks.org
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Years ago there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.
The widowed elder man watched with satisfaction, as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.
As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see his son again. Within days, his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic.
Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season, a season that he and his son had so looked forward to, would visit his house no longer.
On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. He opened the door, and a soldier greeted him with a large package in his hand.
"I was a friend of your son," the soldier said. "I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the solider told of how the man's son had told everyone of his father's love of fine art.
"I'm an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this."
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son, which the soldier had painted. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail.
Overcome with emotion, the man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the picture above the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task. True to his word, the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars of paintings. And then the man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given.
The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in high anticipation! According to the will of the old man, all of the art would be auctioned on Christmas day, the day he had received his greatest gift.
The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled this day; greatness would be achieved as many would claim "I have the greatest collection." The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum's list. It was the painting of the man's son.
The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. "Who will open the bidding with $100?" he asked. Minutes passed. No one spoke. From the back of the room came, "Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son. Let's forget it and go on to the truly valuable items."
More voices echoed in agreement.
"No, we have to sell this one first," replied the auctioneer. "Now, who will take the son?"
Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take fifty dollars for the painting? That's all I have. I knew the boy, so I'd like to have it.
"I have a bid of fifty dollars," called the auctioneer. "Will anyone go higher?"
After more silence, the auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice. Gone."
The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, "Now we can get on with it and we can bid on these great treasures!" The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over.
Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars of art here! We demand that you explain what's going on!"
"It's very simple,” the auctioneer replied. “According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son . . . gets it all."
The Bible says, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Receive Jesus into your life, and you get everything that God has to give!
Take the Son, and get it all!
Showing posts with label James Ryle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Ryle. Show all posts
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, July 9, 2007
The Call Nashville
I am back from The Call Nashville after an eleven hour ride in the car. It is good to be back home to see my beautiful wife! In one week we are going to have a sonogram to find out if our first baby is a boy or a girl! Needless to say, I am quite excited!
Overall it was an exhilarating, but exhausting trip. A number of people whom I have conversed with so far are worn out physically, but are renewed spiritually due to the pilgrimage to this solemn assembly. As one guy stated: It was off the charts! Hopefully he was talking about the Lord and not the heat!
During The Call it was HOT in the direct sunlight. Obviously intense exposure to sunlight affects the body. Since no beverages were allowed in the stadium except for one small bottle of water, all drinks had to be purchased. Never in my life have I ever paid so much money for three small bottles of Gatorade! (twelve bucks!) It is amazing how a little heat will cause us to do things we normally would never do!
Altogether the trip was very significant for me personally. First I was able to reconnect with a high school friend that I haven't seen in 15 years! Interestingly we initially reconnected on Facebook when I came across his picture and name on an event page promoting The Call Nashville. Since then we have been in constant communication. The Call Nashville was the first opportunity I had to see him face-to-face. I was able to spend Friday with him and his precious family. Darrian is the worship leader for Bishop Wellington Boone in Atlanta. He has a tremendous calling upon his life.
I believe that a shift did transpire on some level. Ultimately the question remains: Will we continue to respond to the Lord as He seeks to bring transformation to our nation? As Rick Joyner so accurately stated at the conclusion, it isn’t about what we do at The Call that matters as much as what we do the next day, one month later or six months down the road. In other words we must daily shift our hearts so that it is in alignment with the heart of God for this hour. Will I still be crying out to the Lord for an awakening in our land or will the "excitement" of the event wear off? Will I be a different person, demonstrating a greater measure of Christlikeness in my life? These are critical questions that each one of us must ponder in order to daily pursue the Lord in this matter.
It will take a few days to digest everything, but another thing that I felt was quite significant was James Ryle sharing at the end about his “Sons of Thunders” prophecy. I mentioned this recently in reference to its application to what was transpiring with The Call Nashville; yet, I was not aware that James Ryle was going to share this prophecy at this historical gathering.
I will share more in the coming days as I reflect further on the overall implications of this solemn assembly for the Church and for me personally.
Also I would love to hear from each of you regarding how The Call Nashville has impacted you. Possibly you weren't able to actually go, but were able to watch it on God tv. Please share anything that you think might be beneficial for others.
Overall it was an exhilarating, but exhausting trip. A number of people whom I have conversed with so far are worn out physically, but are renewed spiritually due to the pilgrimage to this solemn assembly. As one guy stated: It was off the charts! Hopefully he was talking about the Lord and not the heat!
During The Call it was HOT in the direct sunlight. Obviously intense exposure to sunlight affects the body. Since no beverages were allowed in the stadium except for one small bottle of water, all drinks had to be purchased. Never in my life have I ever paid so much money for three small bottles of Gatorade! (twelve bucks!) It is amazing how a little heat will cause us to do things we normally would never do!
Altogether the trip was very significant for me personally. First I was able to reconnect with a high school friend that I haven't seen in 15 years! Interestingly we initially reconnected on Facebook when I came across his picture and name on an event page promoting The Call Nashville. Since then we have been in constant communication. The Call Nashville was the first opportunity I had to see him face-to-face. I was able to spend Friday with him and his precious family. Darrian is the worship leader for Bishop Wellington Boone in Atlanta. He has a tremendous calling upon his life.
I believe that a shift did transpire on some level. Ultimately the question remains: Will we continue to respond to the Lord as He seeks to bring transformation to our nation? As Rick Joyner so accurately stated at the conclusion, it isn’t about what we do at The Call that matters as much as what we do the next day, one month later or six months down the road. In other words we must daily shift our hearts so that it is in alignment with the heart of God for this hour. Will I still be crying out to the Lord for an awakening in our land or will the "excitement" of the event wear off? Will I be a different person, demonstrating a greater measure of Christlikeness in my life? These are critical questions that each one of us must ponder in order to daily pursue the Lord in this matter.
It will take a few days to digest everything, but another thing that I felt was quite significant was James Ryle sharing at the end about his “Sons of Thunders” prophecy. I mentioned this recently in reference to its application to what was transpiring with The Call Nashville; yet, I was not aware that James Ryle was going to share this prophecy at this historical gathering.
I will share more in the coming days as I reflect further on the overall implications of this solemn assembly for the Church and for me personally.
Also I would love to hear from each of you regarding how The Call Nashville has impacted you. Possibly you weren't able to actually go, but were able to watch it on God tv. Please share anything that you think might be beneficial for others.
Friday, June 22, 2007
THE SONS of THUNDER | James Ryle
The following insight occurred to me in August 1990 as a result of three dreams. In the first dream I saw a flatbed trailer with a curtain behind it. This trailer was parked at a fairground, as if a concert was about to happen. There were two guitars on the mobile stage. The color of these guitars was the most vivid, electric blue that one could imagine. What impressed me most was that the guitars were not painted, but stained. It had obviously taken time to make them blue. The curtain was the same color as the guitars. Two men walked from behind the curtain with sheet music in their hands. They were very excited, and could hardly wait to play this music. One said to the other, "Wait till they hear this. It’s going to be just like when the Beatles played their music!" In the dream I also became excited. I turned to see the crowd that was gathering at the stage and the scene changed before my eyes. The audience became a vast body of water, like a lake, and as the musicians played the new song I saw fishing lines cast out into the water. The dream ended. My waking thoughts were that God is about to release a new kind of song in the streets. It will bring a revelation of the truth and it will usher people into His presence. The anointing of the Lord will be with musicians who have spent time in God's presence "behind the curtain" receiving a deep love for the lost. The lyrics of their songs will be as "fishing lines" cast into the hearts of men and women needing Christ.
In the second dream, I was on the stage in a large church. There was an equipment room on the right side of the stage. It had microphones, cables, amplifiers and other kinds of things that collect in closets. In one corner of the room I saw a power amplifier covered with dust. The cord was wrapped about it, and it had not been used for a long time. When I looked closer I saw written on the front, "The Beatles Power Amp." I knew in that moment that this box was the source of their sound and their power. I knew that anyone could plug into this box and, in effect, have what the Beatles had - an incredible ability to mobilize masses of people to a single thing. As I stood there holding the Beatles power amplifier, I asked aloud this question, "What is this doing here in the Church's equipment room?" Suddenly I was out of the equipment room and standing behind the pulpit at this church, still holding the amp. The enormous church, throughout the main floor and all about the balcony, was packed with people from every nation. A very beautiful woman, radiant with a glow of glory, stood in the middle of the church and began singing a song from the Lord. A light shone upon her and her voice filled the auditorium. All she sang was: "In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord we say unto you, be saved." She sang it over and over. She would turn to her right and sing, then turn to her left and sing; then she would turn behind her and before her and sing the same thing. As I watched her sing, it was like a wind blowing on a wheat field. The people began to swoon in the presence of God and then collapse in their seats—converted to Christ! God's power was moving through the music. The dream ended.
My thoughts upon waking were clear. There is going to be a new sound and distinctive anointing from the Lord upon music that will turn the heads and capture the hearts of men and women for Jesus. The reason the Beatles power Amp was in the Church's equipment room is because God meant for it to be a part of the church's equipment in reaching the lost for Christ. Music does not belong to the world, but to the Church. Music does not belong to the Devil, but to Christ. Satan has indeed stolen the hearts of musicians and their gift of music to use for his own evil purposes. The Church in many cases has unwittingly surrendered this to the devil without any fight at all. Music was given to worship the Lord but Satan has turned it for self-worship, which is the reason people tend to worship musicians. But true worship and true music belong to Jesus Christ. They are given to His church to serve Him with. I truly believe the anointing the Lord will release on music is going to sweep the world in a manner like the Beatles did when they first performed. But instead of drawing attention to themselves (like the Beatles did), the anointed musicians of the Lord will draw attention to Christ alone and give Him all the glory.
In the third dream I was again in the large church where I had seen the amplifier. This time the church was empty except for one man. He was up on stage playing a keyboard and singing to the Lord. It was a beautiful song, and he was crying because of the tender exchange taking place between he and Jesus. He was writing the song right there, spontaneously making it up as he went. I was greatly moved by this song and the man's pure worship. I had a camera with me and decided to take a picture of this to remember it. I took two Polaroid pictures that came out immediately. When I looked at these pictures I was stunned because both of them were glowing with a golden light. I looked up and then I could see it on the man. The entire platform around him was also glowing like gold. I knew that this was the anointing of God. I showed the man, but it startled him...He looked at the pictures for a second, putting his hands in his pockets he shrugged his shoulders and kicked the ground shyly. "Gosh, I didn't know you were here, I'm so embarrassed" was all he could say. "You don't have to apologize for the anointing" I replied. The dream changed. I still had the two photographs of the anointed worshipper in one hand, and in the other I held a parchment. I looked at the scroll and saw it was a letter written by an unknown soldier in the Salvation Army. It said, "The Lord will release into the streets an army of worshipping warriors known as the Sons of Thunder. They will bring forth a witness of worship and praise for the Lord Jesus Christ that will bring many people to God."
The dream changed once more. I was floating over a wide and long highway that headed in one direction. All lanes were completely grid-locked, jam packed with motorcycle gang members, revving their engines and stirring up dust. It was a graphic picture of lost humanity. Then I saw a group of bikers moving in single file along the service road. They were headed for a field in the distance where there was a monolithic stone. This stone, I knew in the dream, represented the power of Christ and would empower those who touched it to go back to the highway and turn masses of lost people back to God. I looked closer at these motorcyclists as the sped toward the Stone, and saw on their jackets the words "Sons of Thunder."
As the Sons of Thunder approached the Stone to touch it, a barricade of law officers stood arm to arm in riot gear, opposing the motorcyclists - assuming they were intent on defacing the Stone. At that moment, I took the parchment in my hand and folded it like a paper airplane. I then placed the photographs inside it and tossed it sail over the heads of the officers. I knew that if the pictures and the promise were to touch the Stone, then the power would be released upon the Sons of Thunder. When the paper was one foot away from the monument, just before actually touching the Stone, my dream ended. I believe this portrays the role of intercessory prayer in helping the Church get past the barricades of legalism, and open the gifts of God for reaching the lost with the message of Christ. The Sons of Thunder, represented by motorcyclists on the service road, illustrate the servant heart of ministry. They also show the agility and decisiveness necessary in reaching the lost. The fact that they were in single file shows, in my opinion, the unity we must maintain as Christians in order for our message about Christ to have credibility...
Now, I extend to you a prayer that God will capture your heart and bring you into full devotion to Christ Jesus. That your passion for music will be equaled by your love for the lost. I pray that you will receive an anointing from God to minister with artistic creativity that is so compelling in its quality, and in its message - that thousands of unbelievers who are lost in darkness will see the light and turn to Jesus to be cleansed and born again!
In the second dream, I was on the stage in a large church. There was an equipment room on the right side of the stage. It had microphones, cables, amplifiers and other kinds of things that collect in closets. In one corner of the room I saw a power amplifier covered with dust. The cord was wrapped about it, and it had not been used for a long time. When I looked closer I saw written on the front, "The Beatles Power Amp." I knew in that moment that this box was the source of their sound and their power. I knew that anyone could plug into this box and, in effect, have what the Beatles had - an incredible ability to mobilize masses of people to a single thing. As I stood there holding the Beatles power amplifier, I asked aloud this question, "What is this doing here in the Church's equipment room?" Suddenly I was out of the equipment room and standing behind the pulpit at this church, still holding the amp. The enormous church, throughout the main floor and all about the balcony, was packed with people from every nation. A very beautiful woman, radiant with a glow of glory, stood in the middle of the church and began singing a song from the Lord. A light shone upon her and her voice filled the auditorium. All she sang was: "In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord we say unto you, be saved." She sang it over and over. She would turn to her right and sing, then turn to her left and sing; then she would turn behind her and before her and sing the same thing. As I watched her sing, it was like a wind blowing on a wheat field. The people began to swoon in the presence of God and then collapse in their seats—converted to Christ! God's power was moving through the music. The dream ended.
My thoughts upon waking were clear. There is going to be a new sound and distinctive anointing from the Lord upon music that will turn the heads and capture the hearts of men and women for Jesus. The reason the Beatles power Amp was in the Church's equipment room is because God meant for it to be a part of the church's equipment in reaching the lost for Christ. Music does not belong to the world, but to the Church. Music does not belong to the Devil, but to Christ. Satan has indeed stolen the hearts of musicians and their gift of music to use for his own evil purposes. The Church in many cases has unwittingly surrendered this to the devil without any fight at all. Music was given to worship the Lord but Satan has turned it for self-worship, which is the reason people tend to worship musicians. But true worship and true music belong to Jesus Christ. They are given to His church to serve Him with. I truly believe the anointing the Lord will release on music is going to sweep the world in a manner like the Beatles did when they first performed. But instead of drawing attention to themselves (like the Beatles did), the anointed musicians of the Lord will draw attention to Christ alone and give Him all the glory.
In the third dream I was again in the large church where I had seen the amplifier. This time the church was empty except for one man. He was up on stage playing a keyboard and singing to the Lord. It was a beautiful song, and he was crying because of the tender exchange taking place between he and Jesus. He was writing the song right there, spontaneously making it up as he went. I was greatly moved by this song and the man's pure worship. I had a camera with me and decided to take a picture of this to remember it. I took two Polaroid pictures that came out immediately. When I looked at these pictures I was stunned because both of them were glowing with a golden light. I looked up and then I could see it on the man. The entire platform around him was also glowing like gold. I knew that this was the anointing of God. I showed the man, but it startled him...He looked at the pictures for a second, putting his hands in his pockets he shrugged his shoulders and kicked the ground shyly. "Gosh, I didn't know you were here, I'm so embarrassed" was all he could say. "You don't have to apologize for the anointing" I replied. The dream changed. I still had the two photographs of the anointed worshipper in one hand, and in the other I held a parchment. I looked at the scroll and saw it was a letter written by an unknown soldier in the Salvation Army. It said, "The Lord will release into the streets an army of worshipping warriors known as the Sons of Thunder. They will bring forth a witness of worship and praise for the Lord Jesus Christ that will bring many people to God."
The dream changed once more. I was floating over a wide and long highway that headed in one direction. All lanes were completely grid-locked, jam packed with motorcycle gang members, revving their engines and stirring up dust. It was a graphic picture of lost humanity. Then I saw a group of bikers moving in single file along the service road. They were headed for a field in the distance where there was a monolithic stone. This stone, I knew in the dream, represented the power of Christ and would empower those who touched it to go back to the highway and turn masses of lost people back to God. I looked closer at these motorcyclists as the sped toward the Stone, and saw on their jackets the words "Sons of Thunder."
As the Sons of Thunder approached the Stone to touch it, a barricade of law officers stood arm to arm in riot gear, opposing the motorcyclists - assuming they were intent on defacing the Stone. At that moment, I took the parchment in my hand and folded it like a paper airplane. I then placed the photographs inside it and tossed it sail over the heads of the officers. I knew that if the pictures and the promise were to touch the Stone, then the power would be released upon the Sons of Thunder. When the paper was one foot away from the monument, just before actually touching the Stone, my dream ended. I believe this portrays the role of intercessory prayer in helping the Church get past the barricades of legalism, and open the gifts of God for reaching the lost with the message of Christ. The Sons of Thunder, represented by motorcyclists on the service road, illustrate the servant heart of ministry. They also show the agility and decisiveness necessary in reaching the lost. The fact that they were in single file shows, in my opinion, the unity we must maintain as Christians in order for our message about Christ to have credibility...
Now, I extend to you a prayer that God will capture your heart and bring you into full devotion to Christ Jesus. That your passion for music will be equaled by your love for the lost. I pray that you will receive an anointing from God to minister with artistic creativity that is so compelling in its quality, and in its message - that thousands of unbelievers who are lost in darkness will see the light and turn to Jesus to be cleansed and born again!
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