self driven revelations

This was shared with Matt McGaw and inspired him to come to Canberra, Australia.

"The church in Canberra is in need of genuine fellowship"

However, his report is that after speaking with two or three local churches he gave up and decided to develop his own congregation.

Why?  Because those he spoke with did not want to take up the revelation

What happened when others who did support him approached him?  He told them he was not interested in working with them.

Unfortunately this is sometimes the way when God speaks to those willing to hear him, not all are willing or capable of pursuing things his way.  They come with agendas and therefore filter the world and the people in it.  

It is difficult to understand in situations such as this how people can claim to desire genuine authentic fellowship but feel rejected by those who do not want it and reject those who do.

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luke 15

What is the gospel of the kingdom from Luke 15?


church leadership

• Man's Kingdom: The designated leader is unable, even unwilling to leave the flock in any other hands for fear of loss.

• God's Kingdom: The designated leader is released by a well nurtured and equipped flock to go and find the lost.

disciplinary action

• Man's Kingdom: When people stray and allegedly function disloyally to community or leadership, they are disciplined and exiled to some degree.  They might be allowed to return after a process of proving loyalty again, but even so never really trusted again.

• God's Kingdom: When people stray and allegedly function disloyally to community or leadership, they are loved; sought after and welcomed back before needing to hear ANY reason.

eternal inheritance

• Man's Kingdom: Inheritance is apportioned to the deserving (human measure & standard) usually by merit or pecking order. (i.e. each person gets a slice of a pie, its size determined by external reasons)

• God's Kingdom: Inheritance is always shared to the nth degree with ALL, ALWAYS; whatever the circumstances (unconditional).  (i.e. every person gets the whole pie, while simultaneously sharing all of it with everyone else)

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monsignor

Not sure if this will amount to anything but staying open ...

Monsignor Dream 27 July 2012
Had a dream this morning in which a household had two demons in it

1. The first was within two young ladies who were lesbians
2. The other was in an older gentlemen dressed in robes his name was monsignor ... the rest of his name sounded European, Italian not sure.

In both cases, their tongues had turned to a black goopy substance.

The first time I tried to remove the demons, they simply returned. And so with seeking God they fled and the people collapsed.
...
When I awoke, I decided to research and discovered that a monsignor is what members of the catholic clergy are referred to when they hold certain ecclesiastical honorific titles.  As such monsignor is not itself an appointment.  The three awards or offices most often associated with the style "monsignor" are

1. Protonotary Apostolic
2. Honorary Prelate (Domestic Prelate)
3. Chaplain of His Holiness (Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain)

These awards are granted by the Pope, usually at the request of the local bishop.

Additional Notes:

Please be aware this dream comes in context of my seeking as to what God is doing in Canberra, as well as what is occurring in the church my family attends.  Furthermore, demon stuff has been continually spoken to me by people recently in these contexts.  Yet have had zero dreams ever like this.

Seeking God for wisdom

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equipping the church

These are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:12-13)

It was Saturday (daytime). I was standing out front of a facility that combined the Australian Institute of Sport (A) and Canberra University (B) (see figure below). Though Sunday church services were still held here, albeit with smaller attendances, already half the seats were full with couples, singles, groups, kids, and older people. Many others continued to arrive, and some by bus. The region people walked through was similar to walking from College Road through the Canberra University car parks onto the campus.

 

Now, while the pastor was preaching, it was unclear as to whether a guest speaker was present or not. In the crowd someone spoke of how many were from the Christian City Church Belconnen; led by Nick at a Pub.  A red haired lady inquired where I was from, to which I responded: “I started at CCC Dickson PM, then CCC Kaleen (night and day), and now this is my home.”

details

• This was indeed the history of my church attendances at the time, but I had never spent time at this location
• There is  a man named Nick who heads the CCC Belconnen group.  It's location is next to door a pub
• Plan is to go speak with this group (date 28 April 2012)

application

Be confident! Being part of the Church of Canberra is a destiny of greatness. God intends that we integrate into a complete body: equipping people in both mind, body and soul, to be mature disciples who can discern and apply the abilities they are given.

• Encourage people to pursue the work God calls them to do
• Release apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers so they would, together, equip people to achieve such work (this is why they exist)
• Persist until there is oneness in faith and knowledge in Jesus
• Persevere until God’s people has attained maturity as measured by Christ

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pediatry

pediatry
A rarely used term for pediatrics, meaning an area of medicine concerned with the health of infants, children and adolescents, their growth and development, and their opportunity to achieve full potential as adults. It is the study of the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders in children.

podiatry
The medical study of the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the foot.


This was in relation to Michelle (15 year old girl)
seems to be a wordplay
the only reference can think of in relation to this is Ephesians 6 when Paul is speaking of the armour of God, specifically the shoes which are the Gospel of Peace

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hypocanthus

I heard and wrote this spelling ... hypocanthus, has something to do with the brain

Googled and discovered that this spelling is probably the same thing as hippocampus

Both referred to the same definition.  And both could be spoken/heard in the same way.

... the portion of the cerebral hemisphers in basal medial part of the temporal lobe. This part of the brain is important for learning and memory . . . for converting short term memory to more permanent memory, and for recalling spatial relationships in the world about us.

Now the other imagery that came with this was a dozen plus red laser dots scouring a dark shape, they did not settle anywhere, just kept moving on and beyond it.

Please recall I do work with people with dementia so there may be a link there when interpreting this.

Also, note that God often uses imagery I am familiar with to give structure to what he os trying  to share about a matter of his heart.  It must therefore apply, in that context to people generally, including his people, and me.

So to repeat, this vision revealed a bit of our brain responsible for converting short term memory to more permanent memory, and for recalling spatial relationships in the world about us.

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rope, window, wall

Location ... Canberra bus interchange waiting for bus to work

Saw three images in quick succession as if overlayed with the real world...

1. A rope or cord, twined red and gold, dropped from the sky, remaining connected mid air, but enough to rest upon the ground.

2. A window sill of a red brick building.  The sill was rounded.  Along this and others was a golden seal so as to prevent air from entering or exiting as a draft.

3. A panelled white wall caused a closure between the pulpit and congregation seats. 

Both sides were empty before and after the wall appeared.  The exact location of the wall was immediately behind the front row.

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isaiah 65:11

Saw the head pastor of Fusion City Church Canberra Australia sharing the message of Isaiah 65:11.

• This congregation is where my family has been visiting since late 2010.
• This is the first time I have read this part of Isaiah and fear its strength, my stomach feels knotted.
• Please read the whole chapter, and more as needed

“But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord and have forgotten his Temple, and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny, now I will ‘destine’ you for the sword.   All of you will bow down before the executioner.  For when I called, you did not answer.  When I spoke, you did not listen  You deliberately sinned—before my very eyes— and chose to do what you know I despise.”

Have not put interpretation, or application on this!

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our islamic brethren

dream

I was within a corporate building upon a floor with lots of rooms and offices.  Within one of these rooms I was speaking with a young lady, of the Islamic faith, who I used to work with in the kitchen of a nursing home.  As we spoke my left arm rested atop her right arm, including our hands.  In knew in this acton great affection was being expressed.

interpretation

According to muslim dream symbolism, limbs represent family amd arms brotherhood.   A muslim to dream of holding a woman represents loving the world and rejecting the afterlife.  However this dream, if of God cannot be viewed this way.

• The dream is not specific to this lady, her image was used because she is one of the few Muslim I personally know.
• Women represent God's people, thus the context here is people of the Islamic sphere.  They are people he is seeking.

Thus, this dream is a parable in nature.  It challenges people who profess Christ to treat Islamic people as God does, as his family regardless of your views on reconciliation.  It also challenges people of the Islamic faith to see God as relational, to reject the world and embrace eternal life.  Both are counter cultural.

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electrical factory

After leaving a factory - electrical supplies
waited for a bus but missed it by moments
therefore caught a taxi to get ahead of it
the route of the bus was around a lake
the taxi stopped at a mountain observatory, near the lake
while waiting we noticed tomatoes that had been planted (like at work)
but as I looked an orchid spring from one of the fruits

This dream is similar to others revently where I have missed the bus while getting to work
Another was at an observatory in a mountain where waiting for transport


SYMBOLS
electrical parts factory - place of construction, practical, old way of doing connecting energy
bus - achieving goals
missing it and trying to catch at another location
- setback miss an opportunity
- bus stop is where new beginning starts
taxi - ask for help
mountain lake - God
astronomical observatory - look at the heavens, 1911 Stromlo est, as is Caberran territory 100yrs
tomatoe - domestic harmony and hapiness, fertility, somethng being grown at work
orchid spring out of - celebration, love, fertility
flower out of fruit -
connected with work objects

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God's heart: an overview

introduction

We are confronted with a choice: feed our own personal desires or align ourselves with God’s purposes. Are you fighting for your own rights, preferences, opinions, and visions or those of God's? Are you, are we ready and able to do as God requires? (Preparing the Army of God).

Currently, the church is fragmented. It recognises itself as a single unified people in theory only. Christians identify themselves more with where they meet and who they meet with than Christ himself. Listen to how people talk, "Which church do you belong?", "My church is ...", "Are you (insert denomination)?"

Protestant or catholic, pentecostal or charismatic, traditional sunday service or home church. There are so many denominations, movements, and gathering types that it is hardly worth counting. Style, social connections, revelation, doctrine are just some of the building blocks of these differences.

Does God care about any of this? Should we?

The following is a summary of a series of dreams and visions I have had. Whether or not they mean anything is for you to discern. See the links for details.

compassion and oneness

The boundaries separating people from one another will crumble, both within and between churches/parishes as well as between church and community.

preparation and empowerment

God's people being realigned by, with, and to God’s heart and purpose

implications

God desires to transform us from being a scattered people without hope into a nation, called by the his Spirit, protected, equipped, and able to follow command. What does this imply? (scattered bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14)

• Are God's people scattered today?
• Yes or no, what does God reveal about being gathered as one people?Is it fair to question the hope the church has?
• What are the implications of not being protected, equipped, and able to follow what God asks of us in the context of church (local or otherwise)? For who?
• We need to acknowledge our beliefs and actions, and where needed, apologise, seek forgiveness and pursue God's.
• We need to let go of self-oriented identity and engage in an identity in Christ.
• We need to accept responsible for our own choices, actions, growth and stop passing it over to others.
• We as a people have been presented to God the Father as complete, not with the burden of intimidation, but acceptance.

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life in a city church

Saw a beshabbled woman in a prison cell.  Her hair wild.  Her fingernails long.  She was picking at the scales of the bars.  However, these scales were not paint or rust.  The scales were like dried mucous or pus, hers she had once put there but now spent her time picking and flicking off.  Yet her mind was not even focused.

Josh claimed a desire to have a local church with global outreach.  There is a desire for Canberra commitment.  Yet there is an issue of recognition, connection to a specific core group due to fears of people doing things properly and not getting messy.  The other matter is that our central connection is Christ not an original group.

That would ignore our history and origins, trying to recentre it around us.  The other is what is properly?  Implies lack of trust let alone equipping and freedom.

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transforming the fishbowl

A small fish bowl containing some fish stands atop a pedestal,

Grace written upon it.

Nearby are other fishbowls, each upon their own platform.

Now, despite the desire if the fish to travel between the bowls, they cannot.

The air too deadly to the breath.

Suddenly, a sharp implement punctures a hole into the first bowl,

Precious water draining away.

At first the fish fail to notice.

Why is desperation needed beffore realising your predicament?

Do not be fooled, only fish believe they were designed to breathe water.

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the dry bones live

A montage of Canberra’s Heart visions entered my sight, concluding with the small central grey building. Drums played atop it, calling “Wake up! Wake up!” causing its foundation to quiver and shift. Then as I watched, it was encircled by scattered bones.

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the repentant multitude (2)

A great multitude aged 15-27 and dressed in 1980’s Punk/Goth fashion [1] came into Garema between King O’Malley and Impact Records (Figure). Tables were set up between the two stores to check off names as the people arrived. Though I do not remember the conversation, I asked something of the table attendants authoritatively as walking toward the interchange intersection. Finding it difficult to move against the flow, I stood on my toes to see above the crowd, yet the multitude was greater than I can fathom, continuing to the horizon. 

[1] Makeup, hair: long black trench coats, black hair and eye-lining, as well as white skin, combined with Mohawks, piercing, and heavy jewellery.

heavy jewellery.

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preparing the army

The Holy Spirit stood atop a green hill, surrounded by blue cloudy skies and a field: to the right stood an orderly army of white figures, to the left a squirly black mass. Raising his arm in a sweeping motion, he signalled the white army. Sporadically, at first, they shoot fiery arrows overhead and into the blackness, dispersing it to revealing a golden pavement. Finally, the Spirit walked into and separated the blackness like the Red Sea. More and more arrows filled the sky until they unified into a broad hand that swept the entire black mass away.

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hanoi

In this dream I arrived by plane and drove through a old city in a type of open cart.  Looking out to the right (east) I could see the vastness of this shanty city.  My guide was an old man, in a wide brim hat.

He shared his plans to transform this city.  As he spoke the city became a rising glittering jade-glass city.
 
Next, my eyes were taken left.  There a two word name appeared like fog: HA NOI.

• When I woke, the name convinced me I was in an asian place.
• Yet only when I opened an atlas did I realise Ha-noi is the capital of Vietnam.
• The meaning of its name "between the rivers"
• As of 2012, I remain uncertain as to the meaning of this dream

additional thoughts

To possibly help with the interpreting of this dream I include the following information

• Vietnam translates: "Viet" was a Vietnamese pronounciation of a Chinese word for "far" which described a wondering hunter type people in that region of Asia; these wonderer's migrated southward into current day Vietnam. "Nam" means "south" or southern region.
• Hanoi is the captial of Vietnam

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YWAM

Youth With A Mission (YWAM)

To whom it may concern,

I hope this letter finds you and yours well.

The following information is something I believe I heard for the people of YWAM.

The request was for us to please read Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus.  And as such, it was my understanding that the foundations of the ministry, which is YWAM, have shifted.  The need to equip remains.  But the apostolicness is to increase.

What does this mean?  Basically my understanding is YWAM is (or was in 2005) primarily acts as a ministry which invites people from afar to come and learn how to be missionaries or add to their ‘tool kit’ of being a missionary.  However what I am hearing is a call to, for example, increase

• from being a ministry of teachers to one of empowering a missional community
• from inviting students to a centralised base to going out to where people are
• from teaching those with a call to empowering those who have been called, even before they themselves know they have been

It is not my intent to suggest that you are not already doing these things.  Not at all.  Simply to encourage you to continue seeking God in all manners relating to Him and His Kingdom.

If you would like to question me on any of what was shared here, I would be more than happy to make myself available for you: benfam@gmail.com

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community

God is birthing a community, uniting the Body of Christ and installing the Church into its intended position within the world.

No longer will there be a distinction between us (Church) and them (Community)

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it is done!

The Spirit then stood atop Parliament House, warmly calling an increasing number of lights to comfort and lift up those who do not know Jesus. I asked where He wanted our new building built. His response was that there was only one House God desired in this city.

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