Young Men’s Visions and Old Men’s Dreams

 

When Peter stood up at the birthday of the Church on day of Pentecost, nearly 2,000 years ago he explained what was happening by quoting from Joel (2:28) - who had prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit on men and women, young and old and that those “young men” would see visions and the “old men” would dream dreams.

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As a young man of eighteen I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and started to attend the Assembly of God church in Tunbridge Wells and eventually I enrolled for the two year diploma course at the Assemblies of God Bible College.

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I had no real thought or ambition to be a pastor/leader of a church. I went to Bible college simply because I had the call of God on my life which I had received when I was fourteen years old. So, when I was invited at the age of twenty-five to be the pastor of a small church in Norfolk which had only been going for four years, it came as a complete surprise.

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When I accepted that invitation to be the pastor of that small group of believers in Thetford, I suddenly found that I had a real VISION for the way forward. At my first meeting with the two men who were unofficial elders, my first question was: “What kind of church do we want to be? – A typical Assembly of God church (all denominations have their own traditions and ways of doing things) – or do we want to be a NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH?”  They said: “the latter.”  

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I was pleased with their answer and we set about seeking and waiting on God with a monthly day of prayer and fasting and weekly prayer meetings, going deeper in Spirit-led open worship of the kind described in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Ephesians 5:19-20, Colossians 3:1; and generally seeking to get as close to New Testament patterns and principles as possible. I’m not saying we ever arrived - but I have no regrets in what we set out to do - and heaven will be the judge of how well we did.

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That was the vision of a young man in the 20th century and now that I am an old man 25 years into the 21st century with the privilege of sharing my experience with a few of the next generation of church leaders, I find I have a DREAM.

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By my calculations the Church is going to be 2,000 years old in approximately five-years’ time and for a longtime I have been aware that the 21st century is a very significant moment in the history of the world and of the Church. We do not know when Jesus will return, it could be any moment, but surely it will be in this new millennium, and just as God poured out His Spirit in the 1st century, I believe He will pour out His Spirit and do great and wondrous things in this 21st century.

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The dream of this old man is that the Church around the world will be as powerful and effective if not more so, as the Church of the first century, with leaders who are applying the principles of the New Testament as closely as possible and being truly led by the Holy Spirit.

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So Young Ministers - men and women of God called to serve Him in this day and generation – rise up with faith and VISION – you have the energy to see it through - as you are being filled with the Holy Spirit to lead the Church in the right direction –

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• Worshipping God in Spirit and in truth

• Preaching His Word in the anointing of the Holy Spirit

• Witnessing to the World in the power of the Holy Spirit and making disciples of Jesus to fulfil the Great Commission - the Mission of the Church which has never changed – until Jesus comes again in all His Glory!

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