What place does revelation take in our life? What does revelation mean altogether? One can regard revelation in different ways. One may consider that he believes in revelation. It is there, but not through you, it is not your personal, but external, corporate, which you receive through certain vessels.
So one of such corporate revelations today says that we spread the light. We don’t keep it low, we don’t keep it for ourselves in one place. But we carry the light into the nations. And this refers not only to mission, which would be a narrow understanding. Mission is not only for a land or for a people, mission also targets the spiritual realm, because we know that the spirits of disobedience rule in the air.
Speaking of personal revelation we should understand what revelation is. Because there’s also knowledge, which Paul clearly separates: “if I come to you… what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by teaching?
So one can come and share teaching without revelation. But we all are given the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus. And you feel when the prophetic spirit as at work. Even now as I speak, I try to catch the prophetic spirit so that what I speak may be relevant for us. And when prophetic spirit is at work, we feel, yes, this is important for me now – your spirit leaps in unison with what you hear and starts working in unison with the prophetic. This is the testimony of Jesus that someone is operating in the prophetic, be it revelation, knowledge, teaching or power, or miraculous parable or coded symbol.
For instance, Agabus the prophet came to Paul, took his girdle and bound himself with it. He could’ve said, “Paul, they will put you to jail”, but he bound himself, saying, “so shall they bind the man that owns this girdle” (Acts 21:11). Why did he do this? Firstly, we don’t know it to the end, and this is normal. Secondly, we can think and dwell, because he actually demonstrated how it will happen. Possibly it really helped Paul, when he watched how he was to be bound, and it was exactly so as Agabus showed, and this really strengthened him when it was actually happening. Perhaps it was associated with great dangers and fears, and he had to know that God was in control of it all. This is a deeper penetrating sward that simply words, visual demonstration.
And we have knowledge. What is knowledge? Knowledge is experience connected with revelation – when you go through an experience and receive a truth that you actually went through in life. And Paul speaks of himself that he is ignorant in the word (meaning the letter), but not in the knowledge. That is, he saw Christ, he heard Christ’s voice, all of his life was “on the paths of revelation”. There’s the path of revelation as it says in Psalm 119.
And there’s revelation in the prophetic spirit, this is not yet knowledge, which is higher, because you have it by experience perhaps, a number of times, and it has become a part of your faith, your gold assay.
And we are also led by teaching. We should discern that certain things are not according to the teaching. When Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos, they saw he wasn’t instructed in the teaching – so they simply revealed the teaching to Him, they didn’t prophesy to him or share knowledge. They revealed to him about Christ, as he didn’t lift up the Messiah high enough. He was to understand that the Messiah was higher. Therefore, we can share the teaching, it is in us, and the teaching must be true. Like John Wesley said that the balance between the law and grace is created by the teaching. Because some preach Christ so that there’s more law there, and it is like being lame on your left leg. You feel by the spirit that they speak wrongly of Christ, because this is exaggeration of severity. Another one may preach grace, but not in the truth – he preaches Christ, but diminishes the law of God. As it’s written, “if you fulfill the royal law…”(James 2:8) And Paul says, “Don’t you fulfill the law?” That is, the law is holy, and it is, and it is in us, no one abolished it, which is namely God’s law, the heavenly law: “Love the Lord your God” – this is the law. So as Wesley said, this balance between the law and the grace, like the two wings of the great eagle, is made by the true teaching.
And this is what we have inside. A man of God has a true teaching inside himself. And this is one of the signs of Apostleship that he presents Christ in truth. We can’t imagine an Apostle or a prophet who speaks of Christ wrongly, this simply can’t be, do you understand? What kind of Apostle is he, if he speaks wrongly of Christ? What kind of prophet is he – he is a false prophet.
So we say teaching, knowledge, revelation – these things we can have inside us.
If to continue speaking of teaching, which is a vast topic, it is not enough just to read the Bible. We all read the Bible, but one must WALK in truth. We need to live by the Word, we need to eat the Word and abide in it, fulfill it if you will.
Therefore, the teaching dwells inside. Paul says, “that you may be adorning of the teaching”. What does this mean? This means that you adorn that, which is information, and watching you we can admire the beauty of the teaching – kindness, peace, goodness, joy, generosity, sacrifice that come out of people, praise the beauty of the teaching.
Knowledge, as we spoke of before, is provided by experience, when you practice what you know. Many people don’t have knowledge even after many years in faith – the man is not able to interpret events, where they come from, God or devil or man – he has no knowledge.
What role does revelation have in our lives? As we said, global corporate revelation is common for all our brethren, we live by it, we abide in it in unity like under the wings of the great eagle. This is very valuable, that we can submit ourselves to authority, we can be obedient to authority. It’s very dangerous when man has no authority over himself. And it is a great grace when you have a pastor who can instruct and correct you, or protect or strengthen you, see into your situation. As it is said, if a man has an angel, a mediator (mentor) (Job 33:23), then God is gracious to him… when the bones protrude because of his pride, when man undertakes things, which God keeps him from by a severe pain in the bones, puts him in bed, then: “If there’s for him an angel, a mediator, one among a thousand, who can vouch for the man’s uprightness, then God is gracious to him and says, ‘Redeem him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom’.” (Job 33: 21,23). It speaks of a man here, not of an angel. Angel mentor is a man. Therefore, it’s the grace.
And also there’s personal revelation, which we should develop. I received revelation from the very beginning of my belief. But God would change the language He spoke. I didn’t know this and rushed in search of the past experience, when it was straight language, high elevation, exaltation, strong inspiration. But the Lord would teach me, ‘do not seek this past experience’, because the language gets improved like the language of a child – it becomes more clear and distinct, new words and expressions of new intellect come, more complicated. Your spirit is growing and your language becomes more refined.
Knowledge of God lifts you above all your parables, your dreams. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus didn’t see dreams – why would He need them? He knew the Father, so why would Father speak to Him in dreams if He spoke straight to Him, and He did what He heard from the Father.
There’s also another way He speaks – circumstances, which you have to interpret, this is also God’s voice. He gives you something and other things He gives not; what you want you don’t get, but you get what you don’t want; something crushes on you, something is taken away, something is given, something comes sudden, something is expected – man, whose hair doesn’t fall without the will of the Father, has nothing accidental in his life.
So what is your revelation? How would you characterize the way the Lord speaks to you? And this is foundational for one’s spiritual growth and guidance of the Spirit – to hear God’s voice. Without it we are like blind people who have only one thing – the stick, which they hit on the road to let those on the way know he’s there and they should make way for him. This is the way believers walk for years, or they use other voices that could prompt them the way or warn from danger. They have no inner view, vision, no sight of their own. Therefore, inner revelation, inner enlightenment is fundamental for those born above. Jesus starts with this when He says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes to. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) These are actually basics – we must find our way to hear God’s voice. But I watch through the years how people live without this knowledge, they got used to live short-sighted, they agree with the blurriness of the vision, and the world is vague for them, and the world picture is vague. I can’t imagine how one can live with no revelation. I need revelation every day. If you love God you are connected with Him through revelation.
So I urge you again to find the way you hear God’s voice, hear God’s will. Why do we often resist, do not agree, get stubborn? Because we haven’t heard from Him. Some say, God hasn’t told me this – well, you don’t hear Him, and I find it strange that you didn’t hear Him, but He spoke to me to say this to you. So we must achieve, obtain personal revelation.
How to test personal revelation that it is true? It leads you to love, it doesn’t set you against your neighbor, it doesn’t isolate you. Revelation that leads you into loneliness, transforms you into dark suspectful person, is very doubtful. Why would you want to see people’s sins? In some cases it destroys the inside, like God will never give a young girl to see men’s sins – it would destroy her. But some don’t understand the nature of God, they don’t have God-knowledge and try to privatize some natural things and call it a gift. These are dangers…
Revelation comes in three ways. First is by sovereign will of God, undeserved, you simply receive this gift and have it. It’s important to keep it and develop it, and launch it for the sake of your neighbor. You can’t withhold it. We teach our people, don’t withhold revelation meant for other people, don’t block it, otherwise it’s like a box of apples you received – why should it get rotten in your room? You may say, “this is mine, it’s up to me whether to give it or not” – no, it’s not. Or you are unfaithful and another one will take your place, because this box of apples wasn’t meant for you.
Second way is to achieve revelation or, as we say in the biblical terms, zealously desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. This is more than just asking. This means at least to think of it every day, this means to develop, practice, make mistakes, practice again, make mistakes again, receive answers again – always sharpen your sward. Craftsman who sharpens swards knows how important it is to get the right angle of sharpening, otherwise you can spoil it all. This is the way a prophet works, he keeps sharpening his sward all the time. He can’t have it and think it’s always sharp, he has to sharpen it all the time.
The third way is through empowerment through the gifts. I experienced it when gifted people, sometimes even through fellowship with them, empower you. The man never prayed for you, but just through touching with him in the spirit you get transformed – this is empowerment. Sometimes a prayer with a pathetic exaggeration works weaker than a normal conversation of the hearts. You may ask me to pray and impart the gift, and I can pray, but the gift won’t come, nothing will happen, because there are certain obstacles. But sometimes you do need to pray, sometimes you need to declare. Sometimes you say prophetically certain things and it enters in him, but sometimes it is in the fellowship that man receives what he never expected. I had it happen to me both directions, from me and to me. Therefore, get connected with the strong ones, with those who are bigger than you and learn to humble yourselves to receive.
We need to learn to accept gifts, even within a congregation, you may notice that a gift starts manifesting on a person. And one should stand by his side, even if you are a pastor, and help him rise higher than you are. So do not hinder gifts to rise inside your communities – let the gifts go ahead of you.
We are speaking vastly about the prophetic dimension, God’s Spirit is the Spirit of prophecy, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and all those who are God’s hear His voice. We don’t have to know where it came from, we don’t have to know where it went, when and why – we need to know the voice! This is the focus, not cause and effect relationship of revelation and events. But to have a hearing ear! This is why the Lord keeps saying, “he who has an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches”. The Spirit and the Bride in the apogee say come, one and the same thing – this harmony, this dance that releases in unity one word – Come! And the Spirit cries out, Abba father, and the human spirit knows what we don’t know with our mind. And he who joins with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord.
One thing we must know: it is impossible to have revelation without being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to know revelation without the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God is the Spirit. Therefore connect yourself with God-the Spirit, not God of an idea, words or thoughts. God doesn’t live in the head.
Interpretation of revelation is very important. It can’t be that a revelation comes and we do nothing with it. I usually ask, what do you think of interpretation? One should pray to receive an understanding of revelation. In one network we visited in Brazil they have a practice of seeking revelation on revelation.
So it is crucial to obtain how you know the will of God, how you hear the Holy Spirit, how you receive revelation, how often you receive it and how do you know this is revelation and not your thoughts or immature knowledge etc. It is written, “zealously desire spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy”, and “each of you can prophesy one by one”, which means God doesn’t keep this from us, and we are an obstacle if we don’t have it.
And interpretation is required, how I can apply this revelation, so that I don’t become one of those who don’t accept revelation. That I apply it speak of my acceptance and attention, my attitude to revelation. If we get used to revelation and even don’t pay enough attention, don’t believe it, it means God is not speaking to me – I think this is horrible. And in order to apply it I need a true interpretation. And then I get clothed in it – I see it clearly that it works with me, I move on the mountains, it has transited my destiny.
So with this word I want to inspire us. Paul doesn’t describe how exactly we should desire, he simply says, desire. Because he knows that on that journey there are angels assigned, the Holy Spirit is working sacredly. If you knock at that door called “Gifts of God’s secrets”, and when the door is opened, this isn’t going to be Paul, those will be supernatural beings. So there’s access to this door – knock on it, obtain, He leaves us alone before this door. What I are you going to do? We need to enter this door before we move things. We can’t move thing if we have nothing in our hands.