One morning in
March 1996, I was sitting in a local park. I was seated on a bench
in a quiet corner of this park, a place I would often visit in
order to pray and spend time with The Lord. On this particular day I
had been in prayer for about twenty minutes, when the Holy Spirit
overcame me. I began to weep and to sing in the Spirit, a very sad
and mournful lament. Up to this point my eyes had been closed, as I
opened them I noticed before me two trees, one to my left and one to
my right.
These trees
were very different; the only thing they had in common was their
height (about fourteen meters). The tree to my left was a beautiful
tree; it was covered in rich green foliage, each leaf very similar
in size and color. Only the very base of the trunk was visible because of
the dense foliage. What could be seen of the trunk was very strong,
very solid and very straight. No branches could be seen because of
the foliage. No surface roots could be seen as they were obviously
buried deeply, underground.
The tree to my
right was very different. In this case the tree was almost totally
exposed. There were only a few leaves remaining and these were
brown, wrinkled and very dry. The trunk was completely exposed, as
were all the branches. In both cases they were gnarled and
twisted. Some of the branches were starting to break away from the
trunk. Much of the root system could be clearly seen just below the
surface.
I had sat in
this place many times before and seen these trees on numerous
occasions, never giving them a second thought. This day however, was
very different. These trees were having a profound effect on me, as
I looked back and forth from one to the other. I continued to weep,
the tears flowing down my shirt and I could feel a physical pain
deep in my spirit. I realized The Lord was trying to communicate
something by way of these trees. I began asking The Lord what He
would have me see. Almost immediately The Lord revealed the meaning
behind this extraordinary and emotional experience.
Both trees
represented His church. The one to my left was a restored and
perfect church, a glorious church, thoroughly washed by the Word of
God, thoroughly cleansed by the blood of Christ and totally filled
with His Spirit. In
short, a church without spot or wrinkle. The bride made ready and
waiting with eager anticipation for the day of the wedding feast.
Not the early Christian church of the book of Acts, as some people
imagine the perfect church, but rather the complete church of unity
Christ spoke of in that beautiful prayer of John 17:20-23.
The roots of
this tree, which represented the foundation of the church, were
deeply buried in the gospel of truth. These roots supplied an
unending supply of the living waters of The Holy Spirit, ensuring
the whole tree remained alive and vibrant. The trunk of this tree
represented Jesus Christ, not just at the head, but supporting the
whole body. The branches of this tree, completely covered in
foliage, represented various denominations and ministries, not
dividing the tree but providing the necessary support for each leaf
and allowing an unhindered path for the life giving waters to flow
from the roots via the trunk to the leaves. These branches, or
denominations, could not be seen, because they were the visible hand
of the invisible God working throughout His church. Each of the
leaves, which represented various church fellowships, were identical
in size and color, each one touching its neighbour indicating unity
and oneness. This tree was truly a glorious tree, each part being
interdependent upon its neighbour and presenting to the world a
beautiful example of Gods perfect creation, unity and restoration
power.
By contrast
the tree on my right was the way I believe The Lord sees much of His church
today. The roots, or foundations, were very shallow, often built on mans
logic rather than Gods word. As a result these roots were unable to provide
sufficient
living water to sustain the tree. The trunk of this tree
was knurled, twisted and totally exposed, this represented man’s corruption
and violation of the bride of Christ. The branches once again
represented denominations and ministries, all these branches were
clearly visible. They were visible because it is very often
man, not God who is most prominent in many denominations and
ministries. They were twisted in a similar fashion to the
trunk, in some cases they were twisted at such acute and extreme
angles that they looked obscene. Some were breaking away from the trunk,
so chronic was their condition. Great distances separated the
branches, so much so it would have been impossible for a tall man to
reach from one to the other. There were very few leaves on this
tree, very few displayed any sign of life! They were dry, without vitality
and quite clearly dying, the living water, necessary to sustain
life, unable to penetrate the trunk, branches and leaves of this
tree.
In order to
fully understand the events that followed, I should explain that
this day was one of those beautiful autumn days we are blessed with
in
Western Australia. The
temperature would have been around twenty-three degrees Celsius;
there was absolutely no wind and not a cloud in the sky (very
rare,
Perth being
the second windiest city in the world). Yet
as I watched this infirm tree, leaves started falling to the
ground. At first I thought a slight breeze to be the cause, but I
soon realized this could not be the case. This was the only tree I
could see displaying the slightest sign of movement. As I looked at
other trees in the park they were all perfectly still!
My attention
was drawn back to the falling leaves. As I watched them fall to the
ground I noticed some of the branches had previously fallen and now
littered the base of the tree. I could clearly sense the unseen hand
of God shaking this tree to its very foundations in order to rid it
of the disease that was slowly destroying it. The fallen leaves and
branches left me in no doubt as to The Lords purpose. He would, if
necessary, remove not only individual fellowships, but entire
denominations and ministries, in order to revive His church. The
Lord showed me this tree was completely addled with corruption and
sin, but because of His immense grace and mercy, redemption is at
hand, providing we heed His warnings.
An even
stranger occurrence was then to take place. From a perfectly clear
sky a number of small, dark clouds suddenly appeared. The Lord
revealed to me, these clouds represented the sickness of the
church. They were the clouds of; rebellion, pride,
apathy, compromise, apostasy, control, false teaching, greed,
ambition, self-promotion and
hypocrisy. These clouds came together to form one
large dark cloud, which was the cloud of sin.
My spirit was
in turmoil by this stage. Intercession is always a deeply
emotional, sometimes painful experience. Never before, or since,
have I experienced such feelings of utter anguish and grief as I
started interceding for the bride Our Lord Jesus Christ paid such a
high price for. As I continued to pray for the church and
repent for the sin we have allowed to enter the church.
Out of a
completely clear sky, three white clouds suddenly appeared, carried
by a strong wind. The clouds represented Gods
grace, His power and His glory. The wind
carrying these clouds was the wind of revival. The
three clouds quickly came together forming one large white cloud,
which was the cloud of restoration. This large
cloud of restoration totally engulfed the dark cloud
of sin. This new cloud moved away (in the
direction from which it came) leaving once again a
perfectly clear sky.
Since this day
The Lord has revealed many times, His desire to restore the church to the
church many of us long for. A church
bearing living testimony to the healing and restoration powers of
the God we serve. This restoration will come at a
price many are not prepared to pay. Only those with an earnest
desire to see the church truly united under the
one banner of Jesus Christ, built according to His pattern and
functioning according to His word will experience a church overflowing and
unable to contain the abundant fullness of Gods glory. Only those churches
rooted in the word of God, strengthened by faith, reflecting the
love of God and modeled on the
churches of
Smyrna
and
Philadelphia
(Rev 2:8-10, 3:7-13)
will reap the rich harvest Christ has prepared for them.
W (Joe) Ingram
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