A warm and flowery welcome reserved for Olivier Fleury, Obaid Khokhar and myself in Pakistan
Along with Olivier Fleury and Obaid Khokhar, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of Pakistan, I was invited to meet with theology students in Lahore to talk to them about JC2033. They were studying the Book of Revelation. So we shared with them, one after the other, how God had revealed himself in our lives—each in a different way, but with the same grace.
The Book of Revelation begins with these words: The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. John’s experience is not reserved for him alone. God also wants to open our eyes, if we open our hearts to receive what he wants to give us.
Olivier’s testimony: Making ourselves available to receive
« I once heard a vivid image: if you want a coconut, you can climb the palm tree, or simply stand underneath it, ready to receive it when it falls. There is no stairway to heaven, but we can position ourselves to receive what God wants to give us: an intuition, a biblical word, a dream, a light that transforms the heart. Never despise these “little things”: they are sometimes your coconuts.
You don’t become a great man or woman of God because you receive visions. You become one when you obey what God says. Start small, but think big. Feet on the ground, heart turned towards heaven.
One day in Australia, when I had given up my security to follow the Lord, I simply prayed: ‘Lord, I am ready to receive whatever you want.’ And suddenly, a vision opened up: I saw the earth as if from the moon, then explosions of light bursting from the ground. Then a huge crowd, of every language, tribe and nation (as in Revelation 7:9), gathered in worship.
In my heart, I heard the voice of God: ‘These are my people. They are praising me for the 2000th anniversary of my resurrection.’ I fell to the ground, shaken to my core. I knew that God was entrusting me with a new mission: to work so that every human being could hear, in their own language, this good news: ‘He is risen.’
I argued, ‘That’s impossible!’ But the Lord replied, ‘All will hear.’ With today’s means, the testimony can reach the whole world, if every Christian gets involved.
In this vision, I also perceived the shadow of persecution. Being a witness can cost you your life. But because Christ is risen, we have hope for Pakistan, for our families, for our communities—and for eternity.
JC2033 is only a small part of a large movement of the universal Church preparing to celebrate the Resurrection together in 2033. Let us all make ourselves available to participate in this vision. ‘
Martin’s testimony: The Word that pierces and lifts up
’Since you are working on Revelation, allow me to express what this book means to me. It reveals Jesus Christ — the Lamb that was slain and the Lion of Judah. This revelation is not only for John: it can become everyone’s experience.
How does Jesus reveal himself? Above all through his Word. His Word pierces the heart. When I began studying theology, I was agnostic: I thought that a God might exist, but I didn’t know which one. After a year, I became an atheist; I was rebellious, violent inside, and I hurt many people around me. I even wrote ‘God is dead’ in a church. But God was not dead. He was waiting for me.
A friend invited me to a student meeting in the south of France. There, one of the speakers quoted a passage from the Gospel. That Word pierced my heart. I suddenly understood that by hurting others, I had hurt God himself. That same evening, I knelt down for the first time in my life and prayed with my heart: only one word came to me: ‘Forgiveness’.
Shortly afterwards, on the train, the Holy Spirit came like a fire in my heart. In a second, I knew that God was alive and that he was coming to meet me. The Word of the Risen One had reached me and lifted me up.
Back in Switzerland, I spoke those same words to those I had hurt. That ‘forgiveness’ became the centre of my life. Since then, I have been moving forward on my knees — inwardly — before God and before my brothers and sisters. ‘
May the Risen One reveal Himself to us!
Dear students, thank you for listening and for your welcome. You are on your way to ministry, and you are studying a book that speaks of only one thing: Jesus Christ, alive and victorious.
As Revelation says, John is seized ’because of the Word of God ». And we can experience the presence of Jesus:
– in the Word that burns in our hearts;
– in Holy Communion: I stand at the door and knock…;
– in the gathered community: Where two or three are gathered, I am there among them;
– in our beloved brothers and sisters: I was a stranger, and you welcomed me….
Our prayer for you is simple:
May the Risen One reveal himself to you.
May he pierce your hearts with his Word.
May he warm them with his Spirit.
May he stand among you in your community.
May he surprise you in your brothers and sisters.
May he lift you up when you fall.
And may you, on the road to 2033 – the 2000th anniversary of the Resurrection – experience what John experienced: not a theory, but an encounter.
May this revelation become your strength and your calling.
And may others, through you, also discover the One who says:
‘I am the First and the Last. I was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever.’
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