The reason I began this post with this passage is that since beginning my internship, I have experienced God in ways that I never had before. And that is through visions. I do not have much for theology or doctrinal teaching regarding visions; all I have is my experiences, which I would like to share.
Before I was given my first vision, I had been thinking a lot about the power and baptism of the Holy Spirit. This had been the topic of a sermon one of the pastors was working on, so it had been frequently discussed around the church as well. In my studies, I had come across this quote, which I think largely inspired the first vision I was given:
"Just as when a sunbeam falls on bright and transparent bodies, they themselves become brilliant too, and shed forth a fresh brightness from themselves, so souls wherein the Spirit dwells, illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual and send forth their grace to others." (Basil, "On the Holy Spirit")
So this is what I had been reflecting on throughout the morning. I then met with the other local youth pastors at the Pentecostal church, and we had a time of prayer for the upcoming multi-denominational youth service. As we were praying, I saw a vision of the entire sanctuary filled with youth worshipping God. As they worshiped, each person began to glow brighter and brighter, until the sanctuary was unbearably bright. I immediately understood this to be the power of the Spirit pouring out of the lives of each believer there, and thought of how the Spirit's power is amplified (maybe not the right word?) through the lives of each believer. It is such an undeserved honor that God would choose to manifest His power and fulfill His purposes through the Church. God doesn't need us, but He loves us and chooses to work through us anyways. So maybe this doesn't seem like such a significant vision to you, but this was the first time I had experienced God in this way, and I thought it was pretty amazing.
It was only a few weeks later that God gave me another vision. I was spending some time in quiet prayer, sitting under the large cross in the sanctuary. As I was praying, I was thinking of Jesus hanging there on the cross. And then I saw a vision in which I saw Jesus come down from the cross, and He said to me (almost audibly), "I came down from the cross so that I could be with you." Such a simple vision, yet so incredibly profound! While I don't understand a lot about visions, I believe that I was given this vision to strengthen and encourage me. Throughout my internship I have become aware of some of my own weaknesses and failings, and have wondered how God could possibly be calling someone like me to full-time ministry. And it is at these times that I am often reminded of this vision, and realize that it is only by God's grace and because of the indwelling Spirit that I am qualified and adequate to minister to others. This is something that God has been teaching me throughout my internship so far, but a lesson that I seem to be slow to learn. But I just wanted to share some of the ways that God has been revealing Himself to me lately, as I think its pretty amazing.
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