Room with a View
In February of 2001, my friend John Stanko took me with him to visit the World Trade Center. Its famous restaurant was called "Windows on the World." The sunset view of the entire island of Manhattan with the sprawling city of New York more than a hundred floors below was amazing, to say the least. That evening, I enjoyed a point of view that I can never again repeat.
Historically, there are times and places where God sets up markers meant to be remembered. He establishes milestones in history, names celebrations or seasons, and by faith we live within the boundaries provided by the redemptive meaning of these past events. We look backwards, understand what God did for us then, and stake our faith in what God did in history.
But what about the future? It seems the arrow of time flows only forward. Yet Christ Jesus is Lord of time.... He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the author and the finisher of our faith. Therefore, prophetically, we sometimes are allowed into God’s "motion picture screening room." There, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we may preview scenes of events not yet fulfilled; not fiction, but factual footage. We are enabled by the Spirit to see divine possibilities; opportunities or intersections that have not yet transpired in time.
Yet in the present, in this moment, we often muddle through life with only a dim awareness that there may be something more significant to this current place or immediate time, not connecting our past with our future, not redeeming our allotted time as we should. Therefore tomorrow becomes just like today because we failed to frame up a different world; a better world where His kingdom is coming closer and His will is succeeding on earth because we prayed, believed, and obeyed.
What "Window on the World" are you looking through? It matters how you see yourself; how you see the world; and how you see Christ. Your room with a view is actually your place in Christ. It is often first discovered alone in your prayer closet- the biggest room in your house.
We are all prisoners of our world-view. We all have one. A world-view is the viewpoint through which we see all of life. It is like our personal window on the world. From where we stand looking through this glass, we interpret events in the light of what we see, not realizing other people may have a different point of view than ours. Our view is always framed by the size and direction of our particular perspective. Where we stand determines what we see, and what we expect to see determines how we interpret whatever we are seeing!
What’s your position and what’s your perspective? Is it biblically informed, or is it illiterate concerning the things of God? Jesus warned religious leaders, saying, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." Their world-view limited their ability to see the kingdom of God. These same two barriers to true faith are still present in people today.
A personal world-view is also called a paradigm. Oxford University Press defines paradigm as "a typical example, pattern, or model of something; a conceptual model underlying the theories and practices of a scientific subject." Our paradigm, although we are ordinarily not aware that we even have one, nevertheless makes us comfortable by explaining to our own mind how the world works.... or at least, how we think it works.
For that reason, someone raised with a viewpoint that God does not exist will adopt atheistic principles, disdain religion, avoid prayer, and think spiritual people are lunatics. Others whose culture is not so rationalistic may assume that invisible spirits can and do affect people or events on earth. Both ways of thinking are so unconscious that the person with this viewpoint will likely assume that everyone else thinks this same way and cannot conceive of anyone thinking any differently. For that reason, a genuine Paradigm Shift often requires a miracle.
When you hear discussions (usually debates) between Muslims and Christians, you have to acknowledge that there is a tremendous difference in paradigms. For example, when the Pope recently spoke in Germany and quoted a 14th century dialogue concerning Jihad (Islam’s argument for killing civilians in a "holy war" against infidels), it caused a fury of protest. A reasoned discussion was impossible due to the cloud of offense that arose. The contrast of conflicting world-views is so vast, so wide-apart, that it seems we’re on different planets.
Apart from God’s intervention, none of us can change our world-view easily or quickly. Two years ago, the Lord began dealing with me about a major Paradigm Shift regarding the primary purpose of those in the Ministry. This was a difficult transition for me. It was at least as hard as when the Lord re-programmed my thinking about women in the ministry. Here’s a clue: when you see prejudice against women, you’ll also see an absence of the Holy Spirit.
Regarding our Primary Purpose as 5-Fold ministers, the way the Lord got my attention was through the story in Acts regarding Peter on the rooftop. (Acts 10) Peter was awaiting lunch, fell into a trance, and saw a sheet lowered from heaven filled with animals. He heard a voice telling him to arise and eat. His Jewish tradition called these animals unclean and he refused. That’s when the Lord told him to go with the Gentiles, to introduce the gospel to Cornelius’ house to a new, untouched venue of people. It was while reading this Bible story that God suddenly spoke to me.
The Lord asked, "Do you see how hard it was for Peter to go among the Gentiles?"
"Yes, Lord," I said. "It was nearly impossible due to his Jewish prejudice. He even needed witnesses to accompany him, and a noisy outpouring of the Holy Spirit to confirm it."
Then the Lord said, "It’s just as hard for my ministers to equip the saints."
"No way!" I said.
"Then you don’t get it," the Lord said.
Suddenly my viewpoint changed, and I repented. For so many years, I had fulfilled my ministry while people sat and listened. As a result, the church grew numerically, but I had not been equipping believers for fulfilling their ministry. I realized I had kept it mostly a one-man show. What enabled me to repent? I had changed viewpoints– I suddenly saw things from God’s perspective. I saw how God measured success, and it was very different from the way I had measured it. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
I had needed a paradigm shift. God’s revelatory word had provoked it. I had repented- which by definition means, "change your mind." (If I knew how to manufacture a "High Speed Paradigm Shifter," I would patent it, market it, and become a millionaire!
In everyone’s life, God has provided a place where you can go, a specially designed "Room with a View," and it is available now. No one else can enter that room for you. To see what God wants you to see, you have to go in and you have to get still. "Only the penitent may pass." No prophet, no preacher, no seer can do this for you– you have to see it and enter it for yourself. The key to open the door isn’t a method, but is a Person, the Holy Spirit. He is the Revealer, the Comforter, and our Helper. He shows us Jesus– God’s Son, He testifies of the Truth and He opens up the window (the eyes of our inner man) to see our world from the vantage point of the kingdom of God. He helps us see the finished work of Christ on the cross, an event that was completed in time but has an effect on our lives both now and forever. The access key is faith.
For most of us, this place is a very small room that’s entered by a very low door. It is a secret place where we withdraw from distractions, pressures, amusements, and busy-ness. We pay attention to the One who is Eternal Life. This timeless place is actually in the Third Heaven, a dimension shielded by a veil from time and space, a curtain surrounding the Throne of God where the Ancient of Days is sitting, waiting for an audience with someone He loves– you!
Room with a View © 2006 by Ron Wood. Visit http://www.touchedbygrace.org/ for more. Subscribe or unsubscribe at our website. Permission to forward with no changes to content. Mailing address: Touched by Grace, P. O. Box 8650, Springdale, AR 72766-8650. We are touched by grace to touch the world!
Historically, there are times and places where God sets up markers meant to be remembered. He establishes milestones in history, names celebrations or seasons, and by faith we live within the boundaries provided by the redemptive meaning of these past events. We look backwards, understand what God did for us then, and stake our faith in what God did in history.
But what about the future? It seems the arrow of time flows only forward. Yet Christ Jesus is Lord of time.... He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the author and the finisher of our faith. Therefore, prophetically, we sometimes are allowed into God’s "motion picture screening room." There, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we may preview scenes of events not yet fulfilled; not fiction, but factual footage. We are enabled by the Spirit to see divine possibilities; opportunities or intersections that have not yet transpired in time.
Yet in the present, in this moment, we often muddle through life with only a dim awareness that there may be something more significant to this current place or immediate time, not connecting our past with our future, not redeeming our allotted time as we should. Therefore tomorrow becomes just like today because we failed to frame up a different world; a better world where His kingdom is coming closer and His will is succeeding on earth because we prayed, believed, and obeyed.
What "Window on the World" are you looking through? It matters how you see yourself; how you see the world; and how you see Christ. Your room with a view is actually your place in Christ. It is often first discovered alone in your prayer closet- the biggest room in your house.
We are all prisoners of our world-view. We all have one. A world-view is the viewpoint through which we see all of life. It is like our personal window on the world. From where we stand looking through this glass, we interpret events in the light of what we see, not realizing other people may have a different point of view than ours. Our view is always framed by the size and direction of our particular perspective. Where we stand determines what we see, and what we expect to see determines how we interpret whatever we are seeing!
What’s your position and what’s your perspective? Is it biblically informed, or is it illiterate concerning the things of God? Jesus warned religious leaders, saying, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God." Their world-view limited their ability to see the kingdom of God. These same two barriers to true faith are still present in people today.
A personal world-view is also called a paradigm. Oxford University Press defines paradigm as "a typical example, pattern, or model of something; a conceptual model underlying the theories and practices of a scientific subject." Our paradigm, although we are ordinarily not aware that we even have one, nevertheless makes us comfortable by explaining to our own mind how the world works.... or at least, how we think it works.
For that reason, someone raised with a viewpoint that God does not exist will adopt atheistic principles, disdain religion, avoid prayer, and think spiritual people are lunatics. Others whose culture is not so rationalistic may assume that invisible spirits can and do affect people or events on earth. Both ways of thinking are so unconscious that the person with this viewpoint will likely assume that everyone else thinks this same way and cannot conceive of anyone thinking any differently. For that reason, a genuine Paradigm Shift often requires a miracle.
When you hear discussions (usually debates) between Muslims and Christians, you have to acknowledge that there is a tremendous difference in paradigms. For example, when the Pope recently spoke in Germany and quoted a 14th century dialogue concerning Jihad (Islam’s argument for killing civilians in a "holy war" against infidels), it caused a fury of protest. A reasoned discussion was impossible due to the cloud of offense that arose. The contrast of conflicting world-views is so vast, so wide-apart, that it seems we’re on different planets.
Apart from God’s intervention, none of us can change our world-view easily or quickly. Two years ago, the Lord began dealing with me about a major Paradigm Shift regarding the primary purpose of those in the Ministry. This was a difficult transition for me. It was at least as hard as when the Lord re-programmed my thinking about women in the ministry. Here’s a clue: when you see prejudice against women, you’ll also see an absence of the Holy Spirit.
Regarding our Primary Purpose as 5-Fold ministers, the way the Lord got my attention was through the story in Acts regarding Peter on the rooftop. (Acts 10) Peter was awaiting lunch, fell into a trance, and saw a sheet lowered from heaven filled with animals. He heard a voice telling him to arise and eat. His Jewish tradition called these animals unclean and he refused. That’s when the Lord told him to go with the Gentiles, to introduce the gospel to Cornelius’ house to a new, untouched venue of people. It was while reading this Bible story that God suddenly spoke to me.
The Lord asked, "Do you see how hard it was for Peter to go among the Gentiles?"
"Yes, Lord," I said. "It was nearly impossible due to his Jewish prejudice. He even needed witnesses to accompany him, and a noisy outpouring of the Holy Spirit to confirm it."
Then the Lord said, "It’s just as hard for my ministers to equip the saints."
"No way!" I said.
"Then you don’t get it," the Lord said.
Suddenly my viewpoint changed, and I repented. For so many years, I had fulfilled my ministry while people sat and listened. As a result, the church grew numerically, but I had not been equipping believers for fulfilling their ministry. I realized I had kept it mostly a one-man show. What enabled me to repent? I had changed viewpoints– I suddenly saw things from God’s perspective. I saw how God measured success, and it was very different from the way I had measured it. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
I had needed a paradigm shift. God’s revelatory word had provoked it. I had repented- which by definition means, "change your mind." (If I knew how to manufacture a "High Speed Paradigm Shifter," I would patent it, market it, and become a millionaire!
In everyone’s life, God has provided a place where you can go, a specially designed "Room with a View," and it is available now. No one else can enter that room for you. To see what God wants you to see, you have to go in and you have to get still. "Only the penitent may pass." No prophet, no preacher, no seer can do this for you– you have to see it and enter it for yourself. The key to open the door isn’t a method, but is a Person, the Holy Spirit. He is the Revealer, the Comforter, and our Helper. He shows us Jesus– God’s Son, He testifies of the Truth and He opens up the window (the eyes of our inner man) to see our world from the vantage point of the kingdom of God. He helps us see the finished work of Christ on the cross, an event that was completed in time but has an effect on our lives both now and forever. The access key is faith.
For most of us, this place is a very small room that’s entered by a very low door. It is a secret place where we withdraw from distractions, pressures, amusements, and busy-ness. We pay attention to the One who is Eternal Life. This timeless place is actually in the Third Heaven, a dimension shielded by a veil from time and space, a curtain surrounding the Throne of God where the Ancient of Days is sitting, waiting for an audience with someone He loves– you!
Room with a View © 2006 by Ron Wood. Visit http://www.touchedbygrace.org/ for more. Subscribe or unsubscribe at our website. Permission to forward with no changes to content. Mailing address: Touched by Grace, P. O. Box 8650, Springdale, AR 72766-8650. We are touched by grace to touch the world!
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