Our Ongoing Lifestyle of Revelation

David W Palmer

All New Testament ministries need to reveal Jesus. Peter’s own ministry along this line began in Matthew 16, as we read in recent studies. Later, the revelation he received from Father in the spirit was confirmed by what his natural eyes saw and natural ears heard during what happened in chapter 17:

(Matthew 17:1–4 DKJV) And after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up to a high mountain by themselves. {2} And [Jesus] was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white like the light. {3} And, behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were conversing with him. {4} Peter responded to this and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you want, we will make three shelters here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter had come a long way in learning a very important aspect of ministry—namely, receiving the revelation of Jesus’s identity and then revealing Him to others. Yet, he still had some more to learn. Here we read that he had an awesome supernatural experience with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. He witnessed Jesus’s transformation in front of him—shining like the sun. He saw Elijah and Moses in glory conversing with Jesus. Peter even heard God’s voice, audibly.

However, our rocky disciple who had begun to hear from heaven, also had a “reedy” moment when he resorted to very natural things; he wanted to build some natural shelters for the spiritual visitors.

Meanwhile, in the supernatural meeting between Jesus, Elijah, and Moses, it seemed that Jesus was taking advice from the two visitors—Moses, the living law and Elijah, the living prophetic word.

However, for us who identify with Elijah’s task today, we need to reverse this. We need to meet with Jesus, God’s Living Word on God’s mountain to receive revelation, advice, and direction from him. Moses met with God on Horeb; Elijah met with Him there too. Jesus met with all three of them on a mountain in Israel. But, the mountain on which we meet with the Living Word is not a physical one. As we saw in an earlier devotion, we need to climb into our encounter with the “still small voice” through confession, mind renewal, spiritual warfare, self-denial, etc.

When we come to that place of communion with the Prince of Peace, we can allow the impressions of God’s communication to settle like the dew into our spirits and minds. Then, like Jesus being conceived in Mary’s womb, the word comes alive, sprouts, and takes root in our hearts. Afterwards, when we return from our own personal mount of transfiguration, we will also have that firm foundation of assurance and rock-solid revelation of God’s Living Word. Based on it, we can build lives and ministries that will catapult us forward to successful completion of our assignment in God.

(Matthew 17:5–8 DKJV) While he was speaking, a bright luminous cloud enveloped them, and a voice out of the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” {6} And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were exceedingly afraid. {7} And Jesus approached them, touched them, and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.” {8} And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except him—Jesus, alone.

Added to the sheer delight and terror of this moment, Peter then heard the audible voice of Father God. The revelation he received earlier in a far less splendid setting was fully confirmed. Finally, after receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter became a rock-solid witness for Jesus, bringing forth true doctrine and gospel message. This completed the prophetic change Jesus articulated from “reedy” Simon to “rock-solid” Peter. As a result, 3,000 received Jesus as Lord and Savior the first day—and then many thousands more in the ensuing chapters of Acts. And without doubt, that revelation has been communicated and multiplied into billions of people since.

However, revealing Jesus as an ongoing faithful and true witness encompasses a lot more than the first step—Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, and he is Lord. Because Jesus is the Living Word of God, revealing him is a lifestyle of receiving revelation of him and from him, then testifying it to the world as a witness.

God’s True Witness has a Martyr Spirit

We should note here that the original word for witness has a strong connection to the word martyr. For example, “witness” and “martyr” are used interchangeably to translate it in the following verse:

(Acts 22:20 KJV) And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed …

(Acts 22:20 EMTV) “And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed …”

To fully understand why witness and martyr are so closely synonymous in God’s mind, let’s reiterate what we discovered earlier: when we deny self by yielding our ideas and volitions to give exclusive witness to what we see and hear with Jesus—as he did with his Father—it literally is no longer I who lives. This means, I am dead, and my life is hid with Christ with God (See: Gal. 2:20, Col. 3:3). Therefore, to be a living witness is also to be a living sacrifice. This readily converts to “martyr” if my outward man suffers physical death for my testimony; after all, this simply reflects the death that my “old man” has already experienced spiritually. Here are some of the key passages in which these ideas are revealed:

(Galatians 2:20 EMTV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

(Colossians 3:3 EMTV) For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.

(Romans 6:6 EMTV) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be done away with, that we should no longer serve sin.

Today, let’s review these aspects and progression in revealing Jesus. It begins with climbing a spiritual mountain of prayer, confession, worship, praise, and meditating in God’s word, etc. until the word comes alive in us. This is what Jesus called a revelation from heaven. Next, we can expect this spiritual revelation to come to maturity and receive confirmation as Peter did on the mountain of transfiguration.

Jesus shone on that mountain, and we will be transformed too—by the renewing of our minds to this progressive and ongoing revelation of Jesus—who he is, what he has achieved, and how it relates to us in him. Then, we can overflow the revelation that we have received and testify to what has transformed us. This is ministry; this will minister the life-giving living word in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. In so doing, we will literally be like Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me.” Our old life will be dead and hidden with Christ in God. Jesus, the living word of God, will be living through us and overflowing from our inner being to a desperate, thirsty, and needy world.