Monday, March 19, 2012

Update on ministry at church services - Part II

Preamble: Today, I want to continue with Part II of the article I given last week – “Update on ministry at church services”. Because of its preciousness as an example, I have also separately spun this Part II article off, as “A prophecy in pictures”

Before I begin on this part II, let me just recap on the part I portion. In that portion, I narrated 3 accounts of testimonies, namely, (1) I prayed for a lady with pain and weakness on both legs, one of her legs, had a toe fracture, and one leg was longer than the other; she was relieved of her pain, and the shorter leg grew to match the longer one; (2) how a boy’s future has become bright, because the mother heard the “lulus tinggi” word from the Lord given through me, back in 2010, and received it in; and (3) because of my going a little way out, to love with the love of God, has helped to bring about transformations within the spouse and children of a cancer-stricken lady who had gone to be with the Lord. There was to be elaboration of item 4, which was to be that, over the 11 Feb 2012 weekend, there was a prophecy in pictures given in church, revelation of which I believed I have received and released. It is this item 4 that will be the subject of this entry.

Prophecy in pictures
In the Saturday 3.30 pm service on 11 Feb, 2012, there was a prophecy given in picture. In other words, a sister in the sanctuary received a vision or a picture; a picture of a plumbline. Now, the sister went on to give the interpretation of the plumbline as representing a standard; and went on to say that she sensed that the Lord was indicating that the standard for our church (our particular local church) has been raised. If I have NOT mistaken, the congregation responded with jubilation. Is it a good thing or NOT a good thing, that we observe a plumbline for the church? I will talk a little more about this, towards the end of this article, but for now, I will concentrate on the separate visions or pictures I received on that day and the day after, i.e. Sunday.

On that same afternoon, after the plumbline prophecy, I received this vision: I saw a couple of goblets or cups, on a raised platform, and a person, whom I believed, was perhaps the Lord, came over, and very swiftly, swept up with his hand (one hand), those couple of goblets on the platform. As I did NOT understand what the vision was saying, I abstained from releasing the vision to the congregation. Usually, I tended NOT to release visions or pictures which I know NOT the interpretation. But I subsequently released it on the next day, Sunday, after I have received another picture, and with it, I received the interpretation for both pictures combined.

On the 8.30 am Sunday service, this is the picture I received: What was shown to me was the corner of rectangular tank. Yes, I saw a right-angled corner of a tank, and I could see the water-evel rising. This is the interpretation I received for this vision even as I recalled the vision of the day before, for my mind that morning was still attentive to wanting to know the interpretation of the vision of the day before, on the goblets – I was shown the corner of a water tank for a reason. I was NOT shown, for example, the water-level rising of a larger patch of water, like the sea or ocean or something massive, but a small-scale tank corner. Basically, containers, like a small tank or cups or goblets, they commonly symbolize us; we being the vessels or “cups” of the Lord. We are vessels for His use.

Now the connection to the previous days’ vision of mine and the plumbline vision of the sister was this: Even as the standard of the church is being raised, the Lord was indicating that the measures of the Holy Spirit to be given for individuals of the church can be expected to rise; the water of the water-level that I was shown, it was symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Yes, water, here symbolized the Spirit of God. So, the desire of the Lord was and is that individual members of the church be hungry for greater baptism of the Holy Spirit, even as the Lord is raising the standard for the church. We, the individual members, or vessels, made up the church; to raise the standard of the church was implying that the standard of individuals must be raised, and we need greater measures of the Holy Spirit, individually, in order that we may raise the standard of the church collectively.

The goblets-sweeping vision of the day before became clear, the Lord was sweeping up for his use, vessels, ready for His intended use. And the Lord had wanted me to say that, even as the picture showed only a couple of goblets were swept up by the Lord, as many as are ready, the Lord could use. And one of the things, individual members must prepare for their readiness is to be filled with a greater level of the Holy Spirit.

Now, there was a third vision, and it was given me, in the 10.30am service on that same Sunday, 12 Feb 2012. What I saw in this vision was that of a glass foot. In other words, I was shown a completely transparent foot, where I could see the angle bone. But why a transparent foot, and NOT an ordinary foot of flesh? The foot was like it was filled with clear water, and so it appeared transparent, and what it therefore symbolized was that it was filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, the foot was to be ordered by the Holy Spirit. Feet and hands, in visions, often could mean, serving, or we are to serve the Lord; and so, the transparent foot, coupled with the earlier picture of water-level rising in a rectangular tank, collectively means that individual members of the church need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and our service would both need to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It would need to be “NOT by {our} power or might but by His Holy Spirit”. And this, again, was consistent with the previous day’s vision of the Lord sweeping up goblets off, a platform. The Lord wants to use individuals of the church, but the individual members must be more greatly filled with the Spirit of God and be led by the Spirit, in order that, for the church as a whole, it can be of a higher standard, as desired by the Lord.

Clearly the above was a good example of a prophecy in pictures, given for a church. On my part I have released this prophecy, and the new Senior Pastor of the church was present and has heard the prophecy.

My prayer
I want to say a prayer, before I proceed further: Lord, may your words, given in visions and pictures, and interpretation thereof, never fall on deaf ears. Lord, may your servants NOT ignore your words of prophecy; especially when it pertains to a body of believers. May you continue to have your Spirit work on the words which has been released, and bring convictions and actions on the part of the members. May you work in the hearts and minds of your leaders, of the church, that they would welcome your Holy Spirit to fill your vessels; that they do something to facilitate this, so that you could have them up for your use.

 Indeed, Lord, why would you want to give fresh word, again and again, if they fall on deaf ears. Oh Lord, forgive us, for our neglect; forgive us for pursuing our own agendas over yours. Forgive us for giving lip service to your move of the Spirit, patting our own back that the Spirit of God moves here, and yet we heed NOT what you really want, by your move. Oh God, forgive us, for so much, we did NOT bother of your prophetic words for the church, this time, and times before. Lord, I ask for your forgiveness for the church, in this regard. Forgive us, Oh God. You had shown us honor but we had NOT honored you. Yet, Holy Spirit, depart NOT, from your children. I ask for your mercy and patience with the church. Amen.

I shiver if I were one!
For info, I am a lay Altar Minister {a member serving, voluntarily} in this church; I am NOT part of staff or the leadership proper of the church. Whether or NOT, I am a watchman for the Lord, for this church, I know NOT; I receive NOT, any such appointment as far as I know, but in the last 4 years, twice I was asked if I was one. I am only honored that the Lord would use me; but like this plumbline thing, which I will next, give some understanding, when the Lord “holds us out”, there is serious implication, “when more is given, more is expected”; be a watchman on a formal basis for Lord, I shiver!

Plumbline as in Amos 7
Before I went about writing this article, I tried to search the Word for the occurrence of the word, plumbline, in Scripture. Yes, it appeared in Amos 7:7-8. I am NOT saying that the plumbline prophecy given for the church I am attending, must necessarily be in line with a similar one, as given in this Amos passage. Although I did NOT personally receive the plumbline vision, I have considered if the plumbline vision interpretation was reasonable, and if my own visions over the 2 days, did or did NOT, “mesh with" the plumbline thread.

Indeed, in the Amos text, one of the interpretations, and is the one commonly adopted, is that the plumbline represented a “standard”, “something used as a yardstick” for measurement. And, of course, people in the building industry know what a plumbline is, and how it is used to ensure “straightness” or “right-angle” (See, it is no coincidence that the Lord showed the corner of a rectangular tank, in the vision of the rising water {Holy Spirit} level). In the Amos passage, the nation that was being referred to, was Israel, the Northern Kingdom (then). God was showing to the prophet, Amos, that the LORD had applied the plumbline (or standard) against Israel, but she had failed. General agreement is that the plumbline or standard used was the Laws of Moses. I shan’t go in much details about the failure of the Northern Kingdom; it suffices to say that through rebellion and tearing away, and the subsequent installing of other gods at the king-level, greatly made Israel fallen greatly short of measuring up to the plumbline; and the LORD could “no longer pass it by”. In other words, even as the LORD would act against the surrounding Gentile nations, LORD could no longer just “close one eye” on the wickedness of Israel; she had to be punished. Subsequent accounts in Scripture, revealed to us that indeed God meted out punishment to Israel, and so severe the punishment that the ten tribes in the Northern Kingdom were dispersed, and the land came to be occupied by peoples from elsewhere, as a method of the Assyrians {whom God sent to attack} to permanently crash any nation. Till today, the 10 tribes (or commonly called The 10 Lost Tribes) have yet to be fully “aliyah” back to the land. Now, should we be jubilant, as was the case for the church I am attending, on hearing that the Lord had shown a plumbline?!

Implication of a standard
You would have noted that my interpretation of the visions given me (NOT the plumbline vision specifically), was NOT quite like what was said on the above Amos passage. I do NOT think it needed to be the same; but one cannot escape from noticing when plumbline is applied, there is expectation? Oh how has no one noted this, in the church! When you draw a line, free-hand, I do NOT expect a very straight line, but if you use a ruler, you are expected to come up with a straight line! What more, it was said that the plumbline represented higher standard. It was NOT unreasonable to interpret the seeing of the plumbline for the church could indicate a higher standard, even without such a picture, it is quite obvious that a church is on a yardstick of measurement; I believe all of God’s creation are with a benchmark or they are created benchmarked. We, Man, are created benchmarked, for we were created in the image of God. It is on the one hand, an affirmation by the Lord that the church has met the level set {previously}for it, and perhaps, jubilation was in order, for that; but it also meant, as was subsequently revealed by the visions given me, that there are things needed to be looked into, if we are to live up to the higher standard set.

Take heed!
The history of the Israelites shows us that with one standard, without a higher revised standard (NOT yet at Amos’ time; higher standard came in only with Jesus’ 1st coming), already the Israelites were NOT consistent in their living up to the standard; there were highs and lows. What more, for us; oh fellow members of our local church, we should NOT be complacent. What more, for us, a higher standard had been applied. Take heed. When more is given, more is expected of us.


Anthony Chia, high.expressions – Lord, may you bless the reading of this article, that whosoever read of it, may be blessed in one way or another. And when it is read by the relevant people, may you, Lord, send shivers down their spines, even as you send a warm into their hearts. You are NOT done with us, and we have NOT finished. May you forgive and be patient with us. May you continue to arouse more of your children to be the goblets you could sweep off the platform, for your own use. I thank you, on behalf of the church for your affirmation, yet my heart cried for them, that they do NOT miss out what you have desired they do. Holy Spirit, more of you, I pray for the individual members. Amen.

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