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ARE ENCOUNTERS FOR EVERYONE? || A CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD GORDON
Kris Vallotton
April 20, 2022
BREAKING THE BOXES OF LOGIC
Have you ever been sitting in a church service watching the person in front of you having an encounter with God and wondered, “why is that not happening for me?” Maybe you have even questioned if encounters are only for the “chosen” few? I know how this feels; I remember years of comparing how I experienced the Lord to how others did. But, the truth is Jesus came not just for the “special people” nor can we fit Him in a box — He came for ALL people and He encounters people in a diverse number of ways.
God doesn’t look at the world segregating those that are “chosen” versus those that are “un-chosen” or qualified versus unqualified. He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:28). He doesn’t favor or value one more than the other. Rather, the Holy Spirit is for everyone. He breaks our boxes of logic to come in close and encounter us.
I recently sat down for a conversation on encountering the Lord with Richard Gordon, the Spiritual Director of Bethel School of Technology. Richard has a profound story of experiencing God in ways that shattered His belief systems and brought him into greater knowledge and understanding of the glory of God. While we were talking, Richard made a remarkable statement: “I believe that as the knowledge of the glory of God covers the earth, it’s not just for charismatic meanings, but it unlocks creation.” A bold, but bonafide statement.
I’d propose that as we step into our royal identity as heirs of the living God and adopt the belief system that we have access to the mind of Christ, we will be given greater capacity for Divine brilliance that is beyond our human intelligence. God desires to encounter us, share insight with us, and deposit solutions to us
so that we can cut through the chaos of this age and walk-in Divine wisdom, and reveal His glory to the world! These encounters are not reserved for a select few prophets or "chosen ones." Instead, it's accessible for all believers. Consider Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Did you catch that? Peter isn’t simply pointing out sound theology here, he’s revealing our profound reality as chosen children of the King— that we’ve been chosen, born for nobility, and we have purpose!
Yet, you must inhabit the royal reality that you have been chosen by God to encounter His glory and reveal it to the world. Remember in Matthew 10:7 when Jesus instructed the twelve disciples with these words, "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" Like the disciples, when we go forth to our families, our jobs, and our communities, we go empowered by the Holy Spirit, carrying the glory of God, and responding as a spiritually intelligent solutionary who brings about the Kingdom wherever we go. This is our royal reality!
THE GLORY OF GOD
ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD
I want to encourage you today to become aware of how the Lord is speaking to you. It may be outside of the confines you’ve thought the Lord would speak to you in. He may encounter you in ways that are unique and different from those around you. He deeply desires to encounter you. I’d love to hear in the comments below, how you have experienced the Lord, or a time when He shared solutions or revelations with you.
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