POST-MORDERNISM: WHERE I STAND

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (Amplified Bible)

This week, I was scheduled to tackle the creation of man from a biblical perspective as I informed my audience. But I have had to shelve that post for next week. Over the weekend my attention was drawn to an article I received in my mail from www.gotquestions.org and I instantly knew I’d love to share it with my audience. This is chiefly because it is in synergy with our previous week’s discussion albeit from a not-so simplistic perspective. I was, therefore, very much tempted to literally dilute the content of the material I received to make it more suitable for both my particular audience and my argument. Eventually I found it more prudent to put the whole treatise up here for the avoidance of the loss of any crucial parts central to the theme.

At a glance, the – rather long – article highlights the dangers of postmodernism (absolutely NO fears). But essentially it drives home the absoluteness of the fact that…he who comes to Him must believe that HE EXISTS and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)

Question: "What are the dangers of postmodernism?"

Answer: Simply put, postmodernism is a philosophy that affirms no objective or absolute truth, especially in matters of religion and spirituality. When confronted with a truth claim regarding the reality of God and religious practice, Postmodernism’s viewpoint is exemplified in the statement “that may be true for you, but not for me.” While such a response may be completely appropriate when discussing favorite foods or preferences toward art, such a mindset is dangerous when it is applied to reality because it confuses matters of taste and opinion with truth.

The term “Postmodernism” literally means “after Modernism” and is used to philosophically describe the current era which came after the age of Modernism. Postmodernism is a reaction (or perhaps more appropriately, a disillusioned response) to Modernism’s failed promise of using human reason alone to better mankind and make the world a better place. Because one of Modernism’s beliefs was that absolutes did indeed exist, Postmodernism seeks to “correct” things by first eliminating absolute truth and making everything (including the empirical sciences and religion) relative to an individual’s beliefs and desires.

The dangers of Postmodernism can be viewed as a downward spiral that begin with the rejection of absolute truth, which then leads to a loss of distinctions in matters of religion and faith, and finally culminates in a philosophy of religious pluralism that says no faith or religion is objectively true and therefore no one can claim his or her religion is true and another is false.

Dangers of Postmodernism - #1 – Relative Truth

Postmodernism’s stance of relative truth is the outworking of many generations of philosophical thought. From Augustine to the Reformation, the intellectual aspects of Western civilization and the concept of truth were dominated by theologians. But, beginning with the Renaissance periods of the 14th – 17th centuries, thinkers began to elevate humankind to the center of reality. If one were to look at human periods of history like a family tree, the Renaissance would be Modernism’s grandmother and the Enlightenment would be its mother. Renee Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” personified the beginning of this era. God was not the center of truth any longer – man now was.

The Enlightenment was in a way the complete imposition of the scientific model of rationality upon all aspects of truth and claimed that only scientific data could be objectively understood, defined, and defended. Truth as it pertained to religion was left out and discarded. The philosopher who straddled this epoch’s and Modernism’s contribution to relative truth was the Prussian Immanuel Kant and his work The Critique of Pure Reason, which appeared in 1781. Among other things, Kant argued that true knowledge about God was impossible so he created a divide of knowledge between “facts” and “faith.” According to Kant, “Facts have nothing to do with religion.” The end result was that spiritual matters were assigned to be matters of the heart and just opinion, and only the empirical sciences were allowed to speak of truth. And while Modernism believed in absolutes at least in the area of science, God’s special revelation (the Bible) was evicted from the realm of truth and certainty.

From Modernism came Postmodernism and, whereas Kant marked the philosophical transition from the Enlightenment to Modernism, Frederick Nietzsche may symbolize the shift from Modernism to Postmodernism. As the patron saint of postmodernist philosophy, Nietzsche held to “perspectivism,” which says that all knowledge (including science) is a matter of perspective and interpretation. Many other philosophers have built upon Nietzsche’s work (e.g. Foucault, Rorty, and Lyotard) and have shared his rejection of God and religion in general. They also rejected any hint of absolute truth, or as Lyotard put it, a rejection of a metanarrative (a truth that transcends all peoples and cultures).

This philosophical march through history against objective truth has resulted in Postmodernism having a complete aversion to any claim to absolutes, with such a mindset naturally painting a huge bull’s-eye on something that declares to be inerrant truth, such as the Bible.

Dangers of Postmodernism - #2 – Loss of Discernment

The great theologian Thomas Aquinas said, “It is the task of the philosopher to make distinctions.” What Aquinas meant is that truth is dependent upon the ability to discern – the capability to distinguish “this” from “that” in the realm of knowledge. However, if objective and absolute truth does not exist, then everything becomes a matter of personal interpretation. To the postmodern individual, the author of a book does not possess the correct interpretation of their work; it is the reader who actually determines what the book really means – a process called deconstruction. And given that there are multiple readers (vs. one author), there are naturally multiple interpretations, with the end result being no universally valid interpretation.

Such a chaotic situation makes it impossible to make meaningful or lasting distinctions between interpretations because there is no standard or benchmark that can be used. This especially applies to matters of faith and religion because the philosophers of the Enlightenment and Modernism had already deposed religion to the compartment of opinion. Such being the case, it naturally follows that attempting to make proper and meaningful distinctions in the area of religion (ones that dare suggest that one belief is right and another invalid) carries no more weight than one person arguing that chocolate tastes better than vanilla. In such situations, it becomes impossible to objectively adjudicate between competing truth claims.

Dangers of Postmodernism - #3 – Pluralism

If absolute truth does not exist, and if there is no way to make meaningful, right/wrong distinctions between different faiths and religions, then the natural conclusion is that all beliefs must be given equal weight and considered valid. The proper term for this practical outworking in Postmodernism is “philosophical pluralism.” With pluralism, no religion has the right to pronounce itself right or true and the other competing faiths false, or even relatively inferior. For those who espouse a philosophical religious pluralism, there is no longer any heresy, except perhaps the view that there are heresies. D. A. Carson underscores conservative evangelical’s concerns about what they see as the dangerous element of pluralism when he says, “In my most somber moods I sometimes wonder if the ugly face of what I refer to as philosophical pluralism is the most dangerous threat to the gospel since the rise of the Gnostic heresy in the second century.”

These progressive dangers of Postmodernism – relative truth, a loss of discernment, and philosophical pluralism – represent real and imposing threats to Christianity because they collectively relegate God’s Word to something that has no real authority over mankind and no ability to show itself as true in a world of competing religious voices. What is Christianity’s response to these challenges?

Response to the Dangers of Postmodernism

It should first be stated that Christianity claims to be absolutely true, claims that meaningful distinctions in matters of right/wrong (as well as spiritual truth and falsehood) exist, and claims to be correct in its claims about God with any contrary claims from competing religions being incorrect. Such a stance provokes cries of “arrogance” and “intolerance” from Postmodernism. However, truth is not a matter of attitude or preference, and when closely examined, the foundations and philosophies of Postmodernism quickly crumble and reveal Christianity’s claims to be both plausible and compelling.

First, Christianity claims that absolute truth exists. In fact, Jesus specifically says that He was sent and born to do one thing: “to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). Postmodernism says that no truth should be affirmed, yet its position is one that is self-defeating – it affirms at least one absolute truth: that no truth should be affirmed. This means that Postmodernism does believe in absolute truth, and such a fact is exemplified by its philosophers who write books stating things they expect their readers to embrace and believe as truth. Putting it simply, one professor has said, “When someone says there is no such thing as truth, they are asking you not to believe them. So don’t.”

Second, Christianity claims that meaningful distinctions exist between the Christian faith and all other beliefs. However, it should be understood that those claiming that meaningful distinctions do not exist between religions are actually making a distinction. They are attempting to showcase a difference in what they believe to be true and the Christian’s truth claims. Postmodernist authors expect their readers to come to the right conclusions about what they have written and will correct those who interpret their work differently than they have intended. Again, their position and philosophy proves itself to be self-defeating because they eagerly make distinctions between what they believe to be correct and what they see as being false.

Finally, Christianity claims to be universally true in what it says regarding man’s lostness before God, the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of fallen mankind, and the separation between God and anyone who chooses not to accept what God says about sin and the need for repentance. When Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers on Mars Hill, he said, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30, emphasis added). Paul’s declaration was not a “this is true for me, but may not be true for you” statement, but rather an exclusive and universal command (i.e. a metanarrative) from God to everyone. Any postmodernist who says this is false is committing an error against his own pluralistic philosophy that says no faith or religion is incorrect because, once again, he violates his own mandate of saying every religion is equally true.

In the same way that it is not arrogant for a math teacher to insist that 2+2=4 or for a locksmith to insist that only one key will fit a locked door, it is not arrogant for the Christian to stand against Postmodernist thinking and insist that Christianity is true and anything opposed to it is false. Absolute truth does exist, consequences do exist for being wrong, and while pluralism may be desirable in matters of food preferences, it is not so in matters of truth. The Christian is to present God’s truth in love and simply ask any postmodernist who is angered by the exclusive claims of Christianity, “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16).

Credits: www.GotQuestions.org

THE QUEST FOR UNDERSTANDING 2.

What would You rather Believe?

“Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
(Isa 45:9 & 19) NKJV

It is pretty rational and straightforward to be of the impression that the worlds came to be as a result of some cosmic chaos (or conspiracy) and that humans evolved over time from one kind of animal or the other. Of course, that’s acceptable because it is logically easy to follow. However to understand how it really happened from the biblical beginning it takes something other than plain logic, and that is belief. A belief that there is an Eternal Self-sufficient God who exists and transcends anything that is, was and shall ever be made. A God who was present before the atom of anything came to be; who cannot be limited by time, space nor any conceivable thing that can be confined or contained. Now this would absolutely qualify such a Being, even in the logical sense, to be present at the time when any kind of cosmic machination could have taken place.

So whom would you rather believe? There is that branch of science that explores the universe; the scientist (researcher) who through a kaleidoscope (myriad) of theories, - themselves the suppositions of other mortals like yourself who sought to understand the universe by studying nature (which is constantly changing) – make inferences and conjectures as to how everything could have began; and what it consequently plicates for humankind. Then there is the Eternal God, who through the Spirit who proceeds from Himself moves upon holy men inspiring them to pen down for the sake of all mankind the very beseechings of the heart of God that have come to be known as holy scriptures.

This may not be the appropriate platform nor the time to delve into the subject of the codes and the dynamics of translations that the scriptures have undergone. We will just stick to the basics, being the fact that the scriptures (aka Bible) is the express infallible Word of God. In them we oftentimes find a graphic recollection of events as they happened. Then again we find in several places where God (the Hebrew God) makes a personal statement by Himself, his prophets, angels and other chosen vessels He exclusively reserve the right to use. Space would not allow us to talk of the commandments, precepts, laws and institutions of the Old Testament; and of the life, teachings and works of Jesus the Christ in the New Covenant (Testament) including the writings of His chosen apostles who were the forerunners of His Body the Church. – too much information, perhaps!

Now I pray my audience not to get me wrong! I have come to love and respect scientists (researchers, archaeologists, astronauts etc inclusive) and highly regard their works. Fact is, technology is the reason why I’m able to reach you on the other side of the diaspora at the click of an icon. Then I count on the power of electricity like nobody’s business! And all these are the works of my learned fellows. Again there are various branches of the sciences, so how can my ignorant self bunch them all up together and discredit them? In fact I’m too delighted to hear and read of discoveries and inventions and by all means urge scientists to continue with their commendable work. However my joy is often rested in the fact that inventions and discoveries inform me and indeed the rest of the world of the awesomeness and meticulousness of the God who is the progenitor of the whole creation. Isn’t He awesome!

So you see it is a matter of plain logic against belief! Any of which changes the face of the argument such that it waters down the potency of the other. The former is steeped in the absolute possibility of everything according to a traceable tenure of events and therefore quite believes in nothing. The latter however is solely dependent on the absolute existence of a Divine Being who is responsible for the life and predetermined order of the whole creation and therefore can be trusted for an accurate and true expression of the span of events. Belief therefore clearly rules out the possibility of just anything happening out of the blue; hence everything must have been foreknown and predestined.

Finally, logic is a head thing; the heart can be totally excluded. Belief however is hidden in the activity of the heart which should eventually engage the head. No wonder the scripture says … with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. So if you don’t comprehend it yet, no cause for alarm: only believe! Someday your head will come around, literally! Well so choose you this day whom you will believe! When you’re done, come let’s strike gold in the next chapter!

THE QUEST FOR UNDERSTANDING 1.

All the Questions Asked

I, the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this grievous task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.
(Eccl. 1 vs. 12 & 13) NKJV

The other day I sat pensive in the couch, helplessly engrossed in a programme airing on one of the world renowned Christian television networks. It was about this young lady, a computer science student in one of the universities in Nigeria, who happens to be a midget. She tearfully recounts how all through her life, because of her size and her demeanor, the rest of society pick up on her and oftentimes neglect her. Many verbally abuse her and openly declare their disgust for her kind – even a few more are scared to death just at the thought of being anywhere near the region of her presence.

The stigmatization continues to the university. Here, however, things look up as she meets this kindhearted fellow student who befriends her and virtually commits her life to being her caregiver. This friend performs chores including washing her clothes, preparing her meals and carrying her to and from campus on her back – yeah, like a mother would her baby!

Caught in the narrative I was so moved that my eyes begun to fill with tears. I was particularly touched on two grounds: the courage of the midget (boldened for emphasis rather than to spite the character concerned) who manages to push herself up the academic ladder to pursue tertiary education in the face of the apathy of the rest of society; and also the amazing demonstration of grace and selflessness of her care-giving friend – such enchanting display of love seldom seen!

The above episode really got me thinking. Simple yet serious questions flew to me while I pondered the experience afterwards. Is this midget any less human than the rest of us? Does her size and perhaps her defects make her any less qualified to be alive? Does she really have a spirit and soul just like every other human in spite the limitations her body presents? What wrong did she do appearing this side of the earth in the package she finds herself in? Does she have the potential to attain to an accomplished life like everybody else? Can she make it all the way up?

So what about Equal Opportunities? Is there really Hope for all of us? Is Life fair? What at all is the meaning of this Life? What are we here for? Does it really matter what package we come in? I’m sure you’d love to have answers to these and other like-questions that hit at us every now and again; and so does even Solomon the wisest mortal to have ever lived besides Jesus the Christ! He says so himself in our opening scripture. Well, who best can tell how he fashioned the product than the manufacturer himself. If he made it, you bet he knows what he designed it for and no better person to tell of its capabilities.

I would not be wrong then, should I turn to the Book of Life, the Bible to learn of the manufacturer the why, how, and what He moulded into the fabric of humankind. Would you then join me, in the coming weeks, as we together explore the scriptures to unearth timeless keys that can aid our understanding of the current predicament of mankind? Let’s meet again!

BEYOND THESE WALLS…

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Gen. 15:5 (NKJV)

God called Abraham (I’ll call him AB from hence) out of his country, his kindred, and his father’s house to go to a place that He (God) would show him. AB as of then never knew where this Lord was leading him. Fact is he as a pagan of the land of Ur of the Chaldeans had not been familiar with the Jehovah the True God, Possessor of the heavens and the earth. But it so happens that on this peculiar day he hears the voice of Jehovah and chose to obey that voice asking him to move out, bluntly speaking, into the unknown. What a task that must have been! Everything around him, I imagine, must have thought him crazy. Repressive walls surrounded him; limitations were on every side. Who would believe him?

Now as AB and his family embarked on this lopsided sojourn into the unknown, they pitched tents wherever they would make a stopover, dwelling therein for days, weeks or even months. Now how is that, I mean dwelling in tents? You follow through on the command of a God, hitherto unknown to you; He makes you a promise to make you a great nation and He starts you off with territory called “tent”!!. Fact is AB and his entourage dwelt in tents so long that it almost became the Promised Land to them.

Here comes God’s rude awakening. He…brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Wow! Now that must have startled Abraham. He must have looked into the sky and wondered “what in the world is He talking about?” Now was God playing pranks on AB? Nopes not at all! He was actually calling AB out from the tent mentality he had developed. He wanted AB to see beyond the walls of the tents.

On the average, every day of our lives is a natural confrontation with some kind of limitation, some kind of wall that we can’t seem to scale over, a task that seems to stretch our abilities to its taut limits. We find ourselves each day walking into the unknown realm of the next minute; we plan, oh yes we do, but that really is the boundary, the next moment lies awkwardly in the nameless.

In the midst of it all our tendency to triumph or be trounced in the ensuing battle of life lies in our ability, or otherwise failure, to look or see beyond the limitation, barrier or wall;…what lies beyond these walls?

God gave Abraham a bigger, greater view “outside” of the “tent” he had dwelt in most of his sojourn.

Let’s consider the following:

God to Abraham:
“… all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever.” Gen 13:15 (NIV)

Elijah to Elisha:
“… nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” 2 Kings 2:10 (KJV)

Elisha of Servant:
“And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17 (NIV)

God to Jeremiah:
“The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly…” JER. 1:11 & 12 (NIV)

All of the above is proof of what God will have us do in the midst of the wiles of life. “What do you see?” What you see is what you get! So I’d rather we see beyond! That is what Jesus refers to as “Only Believe” and I may as well add “…looking unto Christ Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith.” Yes, look far beyond with the eyes of faith; that is being spiritually minded; that is how we maintain our winning ways as more than conquerors!

Your find here today is like the profound story of a man named Simeon who waited all his life to SEE the salvation of the Lord…the Lord Jesus Christ. That fateful day in the temple as he held God’s salvation in his tired gray hands he could not but look towards the heavens and proclaim…Lord you may now dispatch your servant in peace, for my eyes have beheld your salvation!

You know what friend prepare yourself to experience God’s rest from your strife! Prepare for a leap beyond the walls; the boundaries are unreal and unfounded …for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38 & 39 (KJV)

JUST DO IT – by Kwame Otu Sakyi

You are either young or old. You can never be both at the same time, at least not in the thought of it. But whatever that may mean or be perceived to be naturally, it is nothing compared to your perception of yourself. One will say “I’m too old” and go to sleep on his dreams; another may also say “well, I’m too young for that” and shelf every vision to the morrow when he hopes to have grown a little older – just old enough. Well, both of them are so, so wrong! It’s not about being old or young; no, it’s got nothing to do with it at all! You see age is a just another number – often a single, double or three digit, considering how long we live on this side of the grave. It isn’t likely to find a thousand year olds, is it! In short, age is not a factor at all!Now let’s consider what scripture says about this issue of age, vision and/or dreams and their fulfillment. Joel 2:28 gives us a beautiful insight that will most definitely change the way you spend the rest of your life – young or old. Oh I’m so excited just at the thought of it!

Here we go:“And IT SHALL COME TO PASS afterward that I WILL POUROUT MY SPIRIT on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS, Your YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS.”And it shall come to pass! Praise God, IT SHALL COME TO PASS! What is IT, what do you see as IT and what does IT mean to you? Whatever IT is to you…hear the Living Word of God “IT SHALL COME TO PASS” Yes, it makes no difference your age; watch out for the IT you’ve been waiting for and IT SHALL COME TO PASS. IT will soon be a thing of the past, a memorial, an accomplishment and fulfilled desire, Yes, IT SHALL COME TO PASS! My, I sense the moving of the Holy Ghost as you say those words to yourself right now IT SHALL COME TO PASS!

Now let’s get through with this real quick. Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, fellow participators of like precious faith in this righteousness we share in Christ Jesus; we all dream don’t we, we all have some vision one way or the other. We have something on the inside of us, something in mind to accomplish; some desire to fulfill, don’t we? That is splendid! And I guess you’re looking forward to its fruition. Now that sounds like a dumb rhetoric, isn’t it? Well, have you received the Holy Ghost to indwell you? I’m not talking to you “unborn-agains” No-no I should be dumb to be asking you such a question. I’m not talking to you at all, you can’t have received Him! (But you can read on alright)IF you’ve not confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in your heart that GOD has raised Him from the dead you are NOT saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9,10) So you don’t know what I’m talking about. But well, Believe, and you’re in!

On the other hand I’m talking to you, yes you the born of God folks. I’m talking to you that have received the Word of Life with grace, having mixed it with faith and is supernaturally linked to the blessing of Abraham. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed! You know Paul got to the believers in Ephesus and asked them this same question, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” With confused faces they said “what is that, we don’t even know there is one going by the name Holy Ghost” “what baptism did you receive then?” Paul inquired, “The baptism of John” they hastened to say. “Uh-uh that was the baptism of repentance, there is a greater baptism of which John himself subscribed to. This other baptism brings into your spirit the manifest glorious presence of God! It literally fires you up for a godly life that is absolutely fulfilling! This baptism is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost; the divine outpouring of God, that makes a natural man a superman. It transforms weakness to strength, sickness to health, confusion to certainty, death to life (Romans 8:11). Paul probably did all that explanation, laid hands of them as a means of transmission and whoops, that was it, they were filled with the blessed influence of God (Read Acts 19:1-5); anointed to go on and fulfill their God-given dreams, goals and aspirations, yes, and mighty signs followed them. Praise God!

I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH
What is all this I’m babbling about? The first place to start up your dream or vision inspite your age is the HOLY GHOST! No, I’m not overstating the matter. Infact, it can not be said any better. He is the divine influence for accomplishment! “That I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” Notice this; he didn’t say “that I will pour OUT OF my Spirit…” Uh-uh, that will have been different. He says rather (this is God speaking through Joel His mouthpiece) I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT; in other words, I WILL POUR MYSELF ON ALL FLESH! Now note this, because Acts 2 gives us an account of how Joel’ prophesy CAME TO PASS, God is now saying: “I HAVE POURED OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH” My, get that into your spirit! You have GOD indwelling you. So what are you waiting for! If you’re waiting for some power to come and shake you up and leave goosebumps all over you, sorry but you are in error. He (the Holy Ghost) is not coming, he has come! In fact He is here. ONLY BELIEVE!

Now don’t waste anymore time because your dreams and aspirations are so vital to the Kingdom of God and to its influence on society that IT MUST COME TO PASS! And if you’re going to get it done, you need this precious Divine Presence of the Living Christ. He is your being, He is your becoming! You see, He is here just for you; He is here just to see YOU come through the way, fulfilling the purpose of God for your life and through your life! ASK HIM IN NOW! Yes, because all I’m saying will benefit you nothing if you don’t have Him. Oh it may excite you, it may even edify you but, sorry to say, it will be short-lived. He is indeed your being, your becoming. With Him, you go on and on. “Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit” saith the Lord God of Hosts.

DREAMS AND VISIONS
After he comes in what then? Well, having received Him you are ready to see the fulfillment of your dreams and/or visions. Now what are dreams? What are visions? We have a two-sense meaning of both words. The first is the natural or usual means of dreams and visions that we receive or that pass through our minds whiles we are asleep or in a trance as Peter received in Acts 10:9-10 (that is, as in the case of visions.) This way the dreams and visions pass through the subconscious and we receive it in lifelike detail as though we were living it in real life. An example of a dream is recorded in (Genesis 37:5-9) i.e. to Joseph. We also have open visions as Daniel received in the book of Daniel 10; in this case Daniel was not asleep neither had he fallen into a trance. Dreams and visions have three sources namely: God, You, and Satan. Well, let’s leave it here.

The other side of both words has to do with having a goal or target that you aim at reaching. You could picture it in your minds eye, or may even have it written down (the better choice); whichever way it goes it must be a clearly defined target that you desire to reach. A vision or dream is the driving force behind decisions that you take and the resulting action that follows. In the business world, all companies or organizations irrespective of size or capital backdrop, have a vision which directs their long and short term goals they want to achieve. In the same manner all Homo sapiens as long as you are alive ought to have an aim, a dream, a vision; something you want to get done at all cost within a specified time frame or even timeless (not bound by time).

In fact every person saved or unsaved, has a purpose divinely assigned to him by the virtue of the fact that he/she has been born of a woman into this human race. More especially every believer has a God-given assignment to fulfill that will benefit the kingdom and society at large and he cannot run away from it, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29) - another version renders it "...irrevocable." Now in that purpose is your vision or dream: it is the reality before YOUR eyes that YOU desire to bring to fruition. And in this your age almost counts for nothing! It should not be a barrier at all. I’ll tell you why in a moment, but let’s check out what Joel says of dreams and visions young or old.

THE OLD TO DREAMS, VISIONS TO THE YOUNG
“Your OLD MEN shall DREAM dreams” He didn’t say your old men shall hung around waiting to die or to put it mildly, as a result of advancement in age do little dreaming! He didn’t even mean they shall sleep and have dreams, uh-uh, He implies they shall envision things that they shall go on to accomplish. God means despite a man’s advancement in age, having received the Holy Ghost, he shall be imbued with divine ability to make a significant impact. (Acts 1:8) Who says you are too old!

Consider Abraham: 90 years of age and a wife who is about 80 and barren receiving a word from God “you shall have a son”; Ha-ha-haa, Sarah laughed it off in the tent while the visitors – apparently messengers of God - were still around. How can this be, she might have thought, they certainly are strangers or even probably out of their minds; have they come to mock me? Scripture doesn’t say she said so but she just might have thought it! But just hold on right there, TEN years after that, the WORD CAME TO PASS. Praise God!

Now you probably may be asking what the “trump-card” was within those TEN incubation years.“(Abraham) who, contrary to hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken… And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead…and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was able to perform.” (Romans 4:18-21)
“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude – innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.” (Hebrews 11:11,12)

Now let’s reconcile the key words to see the access code to their miracle inspite their age.
IF you BELIEVE WHAT IS SPOKEN (God’s purpose defining your vision) and do not WAVER, but are STRENGTHENED IN FAITH, you will BEAR what is CONCEIVED in you being fully convinced that HE IS ABLE TO PERFORM. That is the key!
That is the way up – young or old! They received strength; from who, the Holy Ghost and so is He upon you!

Look at Old Simeon of Jerusalem: all about him were folks who might have been saying “when will you give up the ghost and leave us in peace…you these ol’ devoutees” But guess what, all those years he was ‘waiting’ for the promise of God to him (the LORD’S Christ), the vision that had become the driving force in his life inspite his gray and frail body; and “…the Holy Ghost was upon him….” Praise God! Then one fine day IT CAME TO PASS:
“So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord let your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:27-30) Glory to God! He saw it! His reason for staying alive inspite his old age CAME TO PASS! So will yours in Jesus Name!

That’s not all! There was another of great age by name Anna – a prophetess. She had been once married only seven years then her husband was gone, he was dead. But she didn’t stop living, no, she lived right on unlike many will do today. 84 years old and she was still alive fulfilling the duties of her call; active enough to see and give thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him (Jesus Christ) to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem on that very day Simeon saw the baby Jesus. (Luke 2:36-38)“Her anointed ministry during later years of life holds forth a promise for older women. There is always ministry awaiting the sensitive, obedient, and pure – ministry that can influence and shape the rising generation.” [Credit: Spirit Filled Life Bible; New KJV; Kingdom Dynamics of page 1512]

What about us young folks, well, the glory of the youth is their strength! We have a greater responsibility; a great opportunity to lift our generation on its feet for Christ. But already this generation has been branded as ‘the dark’ as in ‘dark ages.’ Well, I don’t know about that, there is one thing I know for sure though, “YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS” Yes, the moral buildup may be dwindling, godlessness and all are skyrocketing, but you see we’re not supposed to be moved – at least not in fright, because our Lord prophesied it; these are signs of the end times according to Matthew 25. But praise God, “this gospel of the kingdom WILL BE PREACHED in all the world as a WITNESS to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (vs. 14)

Moreover, “of the INCREASE of His government and peace there WILL BE NO END…” (Isaiah 9:7). Yes, iniquity shall abound and the love of many will grow cold, and for that very reason is the Spirit of God upon us; and the YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS to help preserve and maintain and redirect the ‘unseeing’ to see. This gospel shall go on anyhow! Don’t throw that vision away because they said you’re too young to carry it.

A young Israeli virgin by name Mary received an angel’s message (indeed God’s own message) of bringing forth to the world the Lord Jesus, she asked “how can it be…” and praise be to God the angel replied “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you;”That is the catch; the Holy Spirit is the source of the power to do. Believe in God as you have received His Spirit and just go ahead and do what you’re called to do.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM.” (Acts 10:38)
“Well that was Jesus not me” I can hear some say. Well,“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE to your mortal bodies, through HIS SPIRIT WHO DWELLS IN YOU.” (Romans 8:11)
But I don’t have power as he does? Ha-ha,“But YOU shall receive power as the Holy Spirit is come upon you…” (Acts1:8)

Do you want more proof? “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US (YOU).” (Ephesians 3:20)
Just one more, just in case you play the scripture card: ‘by the mouth of two or THREE witnesses every word shall be established.’“…because as HE is, so are WE (YOU) IN THIS WORLD.” (1 John 4:17). There you go with your three witnesses: Luke, who wrote Acts, Paul and John.

Go ahead and do the good works you ought to be doing. And when you’re done like John leaped while still in the womb of Elizabeth at the sight of Mary the whole world and posterity yet unborn will leap at the fruition of your dreams and visions saying “…blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:43) As for your critics, those who keep using your "age" as a yardstick to measure your “reach” answer them with these,“I am of God and have overcome, because greater is He that is in ME than he who is in the World” (1 John 4:4 paraphrased) The purposes of God still stand, young or old, His divine power has given to you all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the Knowledge of Him that called you by glory and virtue(1 Peter 1:3). JUST DO IT!!