The Discerner: Creating A Culture Of Wisdom And FaithSample

Revelation’s Ultimate Purpose: The Word Becomes Flesh

Ultimately, this Discerner devotional is about incarnation. It is not only about the historical incarnation of God the Son as a Jewish man named Jesus over two thousand years ago, but also about Jesus’s incarnation in each of His followers, in you and in me. Each one of us has been called to incarnate Him. No one person can incarnate the Lord Jesus Christ in every regard, of course. But collectively, we can embody Him.

Transformed by Revelation

How does this incarnation occur? First, Jesus enables us to receive His revelation and to discern His message out of the chaos of many competing voices. Then He enables us to become the revelation! We grow in our likeness to the very Word of God. We incarnate the Word.

The walk of faith that begins as a personal relationship with God moves into a revelatory relationship as we learn how He expresses Himself in so many ways. It is true that there’s no end to what we need to learn about relationship and revelation in our continuing, lifelong adventure with God. But our end goal is to become so fully transformed into His image that we can represent Him while we live on the earth.

It is a holy progression: relationship produces revelation, and together relationship and revelation give rise to incarnation.

The only begotten Son of God still dwells among us; His Spirit lives in each of us who has named Jesus as Lord. He speaks to us, and we can hear Him. With grace, He reveals His truth to us. His revelation takes many forms, and we share it within and beyond the body of Christ.

And that revelation transforms us, doesn’t it? Increasingly, we become more like Him in His love. We may feel as though we wobble and fall like babies learning to walk, but we do learn to walk. Eventually our steps become steadier. Relationship has led to revelation, and rev­elation has led to incarnation.

In a very real way, as you receive, incorporate, and release Jesus’s words, you become a living epistle for other people to read. Discerners graft the Word of God into their hearts and souls and minds. Not only can they discern good and evil with increasing skill, but they can also determine what to do with that information. They learn how to cast down every stronghold that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5.) They learn what it means to pick up their cross daily and deny themselves (see Luke 9:23) so that they can live out the new reality of “Christ in us, the hope of glory, full of grace and truth” (see Colossians 1:27).

Discerners do not operate by themselves, because they ally with other like-minded followers of Christ. They appreciate the varied gifts that God has given to the members of His body. They can see how God’s gifts and graces are working together to make the church, as the bride of Christ, ready for her Bridegroom, Jesus. (See Ephesians 5:25–27.)

Tying everything together is love. (See Colossians 3:14.) I learned from one of my mentors to ask the questions, “Did I exhibit love?” “Did I learn to love?” With Christ’s love and power and character and mind incarnated in us, the church is unbeatable. The enemy can batter us, but he can’t eliminate us. Individually and corporately, we are like the unbreakable three-cord strand of Ecclesiastes 4:12. As individuals and as a body, we never stop growing in the fullness of relationship, gifting, fruitfulness, revelation, wisdom, and incarnation.

Revelatory Encounters with Jesus Today

A few years ago, I went to Indonesia to minister at a conference with Bill Johnson, Ché Ahn, and Heidi Baker. Indonesia, made up of thousands of islands in Southeast Asia, is the largest Muslim-populated nation in the world. For safety, I was given a personal body­guard who went everywhere with me. He was a dedicated Muslim who had never been in a church meeting in his life. He also had never been taught the truth about Jesus as Savior and Lord, though his religion had taught him to believe that Jesus was one of the prophets.

As I was at the podium speaking in one of the sessions, my body­guard stood nearby. Everything I taught at the conference was being translated into the Indonesian language, so he was able to understand it. And during my message, unbeknownst to me, he had a revelatory encounter with God. I found out about it the next day right before I got up to speak again. People were taking turns sharing testimonies, and I was sitting in the first row with some friends who were translat­ing for me. Much to my surprise, my Muslim bodyguard went up front to testify.

He started off by stating, “Listen to Prophet James Goll.” I do not know if anybody told him to call me that, but it did make me think of the Scripture passage that says if you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, you’ll receive a prophet’s reward. (See Matthew 10:41.) Then he went on to say, “I am a Muslim, and while I was serving Prophet James Goll I had a vision. Light and glory came, and many angels appeared to me.” People applauded. He was finished, so I got up to speak.

While I was giving my message, this man had a second vision, a panoramic one, while his eyes were open and he was just standing there as my bodyguard. This time, Jesus—along with His disciples—appeared to him, and Jesus spoke to him, saying, “Would you be one of My disciples?” On the spot, pierced by the revelation, this man gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.

When I heard about this later, I was amazed. I have never known of anyone having a vision of Jesus with all His disciples. This powerful encounter had long-lasting results. The man was a husband and father, and eventually his whole family gave their lives to Jesus. On a later trip to Indonesia, I was told that they had all become part of a local church and been water-baptized. This was God moving in signs and wonders, praise the Lord!

When you and I and others carry the Spirit of God into a dark place, the glory of His light sweeps away all obstacles and overcomes the darkness. Amazing things can happen, whether or not you expect them to. Revelatory gifts are like anti-tank missiles. They shatter the enemy’s schemes, expose darkness, and release freedom to captives.

It behooves each one of us to become discerners who, like the ancient priests of Zadok (see Ezekiel 44:15–23), not only can tell the difference between the holy and the profane, but can instruct others as well. We need to learn to live by the words of Jesus and also teach them to others. Most often, our actions speak louder than our words.

Relationship. Revelation. Incarnation. This is our aim; this is our goal! When we receive, discern, and communicate revelation from God, we become a word from Him that penetrates the darkness by turning on the light.

I don’t know about you, but I want to do more than hear a word from God. I want to become that word. That is revelation’s ultimate purpose—for the Word to become flesh.

Walking Together

Come with me—let’s reach for the sky! Let’s make a binding decision to never, ever give up walking together, with the Lord Jesus Christ and with each other. Let’s be discerners who expect Jesus’s return and who prepare for it wisely, leaning on each other and helping each other stay strong in the core values of God’s kingdom. Let’s build a culture of wisdom and faith, blooming right where He has planted each one of us.

Prayer of a Discerning Heart

“Gracious Father, I choose not to forsake the assembling of believers. I proclaim that we are better together. Together, we have more faith, more power, and more authority. I choose to follow the way of love that creates safe places. I proclaim that I have more faith in Your ability to keep me than I have fear of the enemy’s ability to deceive me. In the midst of a culture of faith, I renounce the spirit of fear and any past ideas or associations in my life that may have promoted a culture of paralyzing fear. I rejoice in the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, and I want to extend to others the good news of salvation. Father, thank You beyond words for calling me to be part of Your family of faith. Thank You beyond words for calling me to be a resident of Your safe house. Thank You beyond words for calling me to incarnate the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’s precious name, amen.”

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