Angels?

Me amongst the tombs in Hierapolis, Pamukkale, Turkey. 

Angels were given a brief mention in our sermon at church on Sunday because of their role as God’s servants during the end times.  The sermon was on the end-time parables Jesus told.

The mention of angels prompted a man at the end of our service, to share some encounter stories.  This man has a heart for The Lord and his stories were to make clear that God does send His messengers…

There is a focus on angels still around today which actually can be worrying.  I have even heard of a Christian person having a sort of ‘shrine’ to angels in their own home.

We need to remember clearly that angels are messengers and servants of The Lord.

Indeed The Lord sent His angels to free Peter free in Acts 12.

We also need to heed the warning in Colossians which clearly states:

‘Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.’ Col 2: 18-19 (ESV)

And remember that satan can disguise himself as an angel, see 2 Corinthians 11:14.

Colossians 2:18-19 is clear that Jesus is our head – He is the head of the Church of which we are members of the ONE body.  Also see, Romans 12: 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 12: 12-19.

As Christians we worship the one true God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit…not His messengers/servants.

I had an encounter once, that left me thinking I had been given a message from God via one of His messengers…I will share it with you today.  It’s not something I’ve focused a lot on, or that I’ve spoken a lot about because for me it's just a small part of my journey towards Christ...and whether or not this encounter was with an angel of The Lord, only God knows for sure.

I was in my early 20s and living my life running away from The Lord.  I was living and working at the time in Queensland, Australia…This was a very rebellious period of my life where I intentionally turned my back on The Lord, and kept making one poor choice after another.

One day I was working in a shop serving customers and it was a very busy period, with people queued up waiting for my service.   Suddenly a young man entered the small, rectangular shop and as he approached I looked up as per usual.  The young man stopped when I looked up, and asked me a direct question, ‘Do you know what the time is?’

Now this may seem like an ordinary encounter or experience, and indeed it seemed so to everyone else in the small shop who looked to their wrists for the time.  Yet this encounter was far from usual from my perspective.  For when I looked up at this young man and heard his question, all I saw was amazing, radiating beauty.  To me this young man was so beautiful, I was unable to answer or do anything much.  I was pretty much instantly awe struck and could not help but stare.  I had never seen a male so beautiful in my life and I can’t really say handsome, for he was so much more; he was unlike a usual person...But this did seem to only be my perception.

 

Interestingly however, the young man did not wait for an answer; he had an urgent, yet calm manner and quickly left the shop.  Had not there been the line of customers needing my attention, I am sure I would have literally ran out of the store after him to see where he went, I was so captivated by him.

It was a tad bizarre he didn’t wait a bit longer for someone to perhaps give him the time…Yet, the whole encounter was surreal and his urgent, purposeful manner and briefness, added to what I believe was the message.

You see, what struck me was the phrase, ‘Do you know what the time is?’

He did not ask, ‘Do you have the time?’

When reflecting upon this experience and being a words person, I felt this encounter was a personal message for me, from God…

For it seemed I was the only person in the shop who was privy to this young man’s radiant beauty, and he asked me directly, if I knew what the time was and left without really needing an answer…

It seemed, the message was delivered, so he left....his job was done!

During this period of my life I was in rebellion; running as fast as I could away from The Lord…yet I believe He still reached out at this particular time to me…

DID I REALLY KNOW WHAT THE TIME WAS?

For me, this encounter was an urgent appeal like the scripture which says:

…Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  (Ephesians 5:14)

God was reaching out to me...He was calling me, His rebellious daughter, back to His loving embrace.

It was actually still much later; around seven years until I did indeed return to Christ…but after I did, I realised even though I had turned my back upon Him, He had never upon me and had actually reached out to me on many occasions...Just like this one...

As I said whether or not this young man was an angel or not, I believe only The Lord knows for sure…But regardless, God did use this encounter to pull at my heartstrings and speak to me.  Oh how patient and kind He is!

Have there been times in your life where He has so graciously spoken to you, in a way that may be difficult to explain to others – in a way where you know what happened was more than a simple coincidence perhaps?

 

Has God been pulling at your heartstrings recently?

If so, I would encourage you to respond to Him ~ arise from your slumber and live in the light of Christ there is no greater joy than this!

In love, Melanie J