To be somebody is to leave an impression
Of depth and purity, integrity and love
On the people you spend time with
It is to make a lasting impression
On precious people created in the image of God
As you touch them with your life
Of honesty and transparency
Even though they seem indifferent to you
To be somebody is to leave a beautiful mark
Of the loving presence of God
On persons you interact with
An angel woke me up last night in a dream with her indignant voice saying: “Why are you writing poems on sheets of silver? Don’t you know they are to be engraved on tablets of gold that will last and be seen by many!” Then the angel disappeared and left me – bewildered. I wondered what the exact meaning could be.
I am still wondering as I sense a stirring in my spirit. I feel there is a secret hidden in these words of contrasts. Silver and gold are both costly metals but gold being the most valuable. We write on sheets but we engrave on tablets – one is on the surface and one goes deeper into the matter.
Could the meaning be that I need to change my medium? Do I need to shift from the thin “sheet” of the virtual world to the realm of heavy books? Or do I need to make costly posters of my poems? Or do I need to change focus from writing to engraving? Or…….?
I certainly need to ponder and meditate on this strange nightly encounter. In the meantime I think I will continue to post new poems on my poetic blog – I am somebody! Perhaps this may spark a new poem?
To be somebody is to respond
To the word of the Lord
Spoken to you by a human being
By humbling yourself
– through prayer and fasting
Seeking to understand the times
– and the seasons of the Spirit
Preparing yourself for things to come
To live out the eternal purpose
Of the mystery made known to you
Knowing that the drama of eternity
Is acted out in the present
In down-to-earth obedience
To the Lord of the Universe
This week I have been teaching at Bergen Bible School. The students are a fine group of mainly young people who have given themselves to study the Word of God a full year. Together with many servants of God I have been teaching at the Bible School from the very beginning since I took the initiative to start the Bible School together with Noralv Askeland. During the years the school has produced many leaders that are serving God in a multitude of capacities in society and the church in many nations.
My subject this week has been character formation. Two Bible verses are very central in this teaching:
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29
And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. 2 Corinthians 3:18
In all the expressions used in the Bible for becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, the underlying purpose in God’s saving work is to make us like Jesus. We also find that this is a lifelong process. It is a growth process. This is what we have been looking at this week. I hope I soon will be given the opportunity to finish my teaching by describing Jesus, by painting a spiritual portrait, so to say of how he showed himself to be through his life and death and resurrection.
To be somebody is to receive prophetic words
Concerning your future
– your ministry
– countries to visit
– people to minister to
and persons to meet
It is to be given insight
Into the unseen realm
And the seasons of the Spirit
Through words and visions
Through signs and dreams
Brought forth by men and women
Moved by the Holy Spirit
When God bothers to speak to me
Through other persons
I really feel that I am somebody
If that had not been the truth
He would not have spoken
Encouraging and strengthening words
Helping me to grow
These words also help me to realise
I am what I am only because of his grace
Only because of his sovereign election
I have become somebody
To his own glory
I salme 119 skildrar forfattaren (sannsynlegvis David) si haldning til Guds ord og kva Guds ord er og har vore for han gjennom eit langt og spennande liv. Mange av versa i denne salmen eignar seg godt til å læra utanåt for å hjelpa oss til å halda stø kurs i kristenlivet. Det gjeld ord som dette:
Korleis skal ein ungdom halda sin stig rein? Når han held seg til dine ord (v9). I hjarta gøymer eg ditt ord, så eg ikkje skal synda mot deg (v11). Ditt ord er ei lykt for min fot og eit ljos på min stig (v105).
Siste veke har eg brukt tid med studentane Bibelskulen. Det er ungdom som har sett til sides eit heilt år for å arbeida med Ordet og la Ordet få arbeida med dei for å forma dei og utrusta dei til teneste for Gud i samfunnet og i det kristne fellesskapet. Eg vi ønskja dei til lukke med prioriteringa dei gjorde då dei sette av eit år til å studera Ordet og ønskja dei Guds rike velsigning i dagar som kjem. Dei snart går tilbake til vidare studiar eller arbeid det vil syna seg kva dei har lært og kva Gud har fått gjort med dei medan dei brukte tid med Ordet.
My friend Marc has given some interesting observations and good questions in his comment to my views on woman in ministry. I have answered his comment with a quite long answer!
Happy reading!
I kvar einaste byggverk er grunnvollen det viktigaste og mest grunnleggjande. Sviktar grunnvollen vil heile byggverket falla frå kvarandre. Er grunnvollen liten kan det berre byggjast eit lite hus oppå. Er grunnvollen stor og sterk, kan det reisast eit stort byggverk som vil verta ståande.
A comment from MARC yesterday leaves the impression that he thinks that women in ministry will cause a problem in Norway. The truth is that the majority of the Norwegian people are in favour of full equality between men and women in all functions even in the church.
In the last days the Lord is pouring out his Spirit upon all people, causing men and women alike to prophesy. There seems to be no limitations in any way for anybody when it comes to serving and ministering to people and their needs.
The controversy over the role of women has not so much to do with ministry as with government and headship. According to the Bible God has made the husband the head in the family and he has made male elders the leaders in the church (1.Corinthians 11-14; 1.Timothy 2;) and he does not allow women to exercise authority over men. If some of the Ephesian 4,11 ministries carry government with them they must be restricted to some chosen men only.
The last gathering at the Easter Conference was a very special gathering in the precious presence of the Lord. In fact it has been an excellent conference in terms of content, or let me rather say in terms of PRESENCE. In all the gathering of the saints we have encountered the Holy One of Israel. The ministry of the word has been very rich and solid. The gifts of the Spirit have been in operation to the glory of God and for the building up of his people. There has been a fresh anointing on all the singers and musicians. It has been a most wonderful time in the Lord’s presence!
But the last gathering was a very special gathering. From the very beginning we could sense the presence of God. As we were worshipping the Lord, his presence could be felt more and more. Many of us had to lay prostrate in his presence, adoring him! We joined the angelic choir of Heaven in singing “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! You are holy, holy!”
In His presence there was a flow of healing towards many people in the congregation. Then the prophetic Spirit took hold of Keri Jones and he ministered the word of the Lord to many individuals as well as to the assembly and to many nations of the world. The Lord gave some very specific instruction and promises. A large crowd of young women responded to the special calling of them by the Spirit. They filled the platform and prophesied. When they came forward I could hear the sound of an army of tens of thousands of young women who were proclaiming the word of the Lord to our nation and to many other nations of the world. I could see tens of thousands of young men joining them. Then nation after nation surrendered to the Lord! Hallelujah! The Kingdom of God is advancing in unprecedented ways in our days!