Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful!

Edited: Sunday, 22 April 2007

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Hab 3:17-18)

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil 3:7-11 )

I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ in fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows - was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by I do or say. (2 Corinthians 12: 1-6)

Journal

We should not be suprised if God speaks to us through some type of visions and revelations of the Lord. But we must understand that such experiences are subjective, and prone to misunderstanding and misapplication. In addition, whatever real benefit there are to visions and revelations of the Lord, they are almost limited to the one receiving the visions and revelations. We should be rather cautious when someone reports a vision or revelations they have regarding us. If people have visions of this sort, they should be keep it to themselves.

This is how Paul is different from the "super apostle".
  • Paul waited for 14 years to say anything about the incident.
  • Paul said it relunctantly.
  • He does everything he can in relating the story to take the focus off of himself (such as writing in the third person)
  • In describing this heavenly vision, Paul only provides a shadowly description of what he heard.

[ Resources: David Guzik's commentary ]