Quickening.

Quickening in Scripture means to be made alive by God—a divine infusion of life where there was none, both spiritually and (ultimately) physically. It is resurrection power applied to a person’s inner being.

What “quickening” actually means in the Bible;

The English word comes from Old English cwic — “alive.” In the King James Bible, to quicken means to revive, animate, or make alive. It’s not merely “energizing”; it’s God imparting life where death once ruled.

Biblically, quickening is always God‑initiated (you think you chose Jesus. No, Jesus chose you – lol – had to put that in there), never self‑generated. It’s the movement of the Spirit that awakens, restores, resurrects, and reorients.

The three major biblical dimensions of quickening;

1. Spiritual resurrection — life from the dead within the soul.

Paul says, “You were dead in trespasses… but God made you alive with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:1–5)

This is the core meaning: God breathes life into a spiritually dead person, awakening desire, conscience, faith, and responsiveness. This is not metaphorical. Scripture treats spiritual death as a real condition, and quickening as a real resurrection.

2. The Spirit’s ongoing reviving work;

The Psalms repeatedly cry, “Quicken me, O Lord.”

This refers to:

- renewal of courage

- restoration of joy

- revival of purpose

- strengthening of the inner man

- deliverance from despair.

Quickening here is God restoring vitality to a weary or wounded heart.

3. Future bodily resurrection;

Romans 8:11 says the Spirit who raised Jesus will quicken your mortal bodies (King James Bible).

This is the final, physical dimension: The Spirit animating the body with resurrection life. Thus, quickening spans the entire arc of salvation: past (regeneration), present (revival), and future (resurrection).

The deep biblical psychology of quickening;

Quickening is not just “life added”- it’s life replacing death. It involves:

- Reorientation of desire — the Spirit awakens hunger for God.

- Reillumination of perception — perceiving something that has become dim, obscure or misunderstood, i.e.; the Word becomes “spirit and life” (John 6:63), a renewed light, or clarification.

- Reconstitution of identity — the dead self gives way to a living self in Christ.

- Reanimation of agency — the person becomes capable of obedience, love, and spiritual perception.

Quickening is the moment when the inner world becomes responsive to God, not only for the first time but also again and again.

The prophetic imagery - dry bones;

Ezekiel 37 is the clearest picture of life rising:

Dry bones → breath enters → sinews form → a living army arises.

This is quickening in narrative form: God’s breath animating what is utterly lifeless.

The theological core;

Across Scripture, quickening always involves:

- Divine initiative — God acts first.

- Life imparted — not improved, but created.

- Union with Christ — life flows from His resurrection.

- The Spirit’s agency — He is the One who “gives life.”

- Transformation — the person becomes capable of what was impossible before.

Quickening is the pulse of new creation inside a human being.

Got Questions writes quickening as...

The word quicken is used in the King James Version of the Bible, and it means “revive or make alive.” If something is living, it is “quick”; to “quicken” something is to bring it to life or restore it to a former flourishing condition. The phrase the quick and the dead contrasts the word dead with the word quick—they are antonyms [opposite of each other].

Psalm 25:11 in the King James Version says, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake.” In the New International Version, the verse reads this way: “For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life.” In the New American Standard Bible, the same verse says, “For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.” In this context, quickening involves revival and a preservation of life, and God gets the glory for it.

God’s quickening in our lives can affect us in many ways. By the power of God, we can be quickened or revived from sickness, from discouragement, from fear, and of course from death. Jesus is the Life (John 14:6), and He can grant life to us: “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will” (John 5:21, KJV). The Holy Spirit also gives life: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63, KJV).

God quickens us according to His Word (Psalm 119:154) and His lovingkindness (Psalm 119:88); His quickening is associated with His tender mercy (Psalm 119:156), His righteousness (Psalm 119:40), and our joy (Psalm 85:6). He quickens us in order to keep us on the godly path: “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way” (Psalm 119:37, KJV), and to preserve a people who call upon Him: “Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name” (Psalm 80:18, KJV).

We ask the Lord to quicken our thoughts and the fervour we once had for Him (Psalm 42:11). We cry out for Him to quicken us when we are depressed (Psalm 119:25). We ask that He quicken our hearts when we are pulled by the enticements of the world, so that we remain faithful to His Word (Psalm 80:18).

Believers in Christ are spiritually quickened by God at the moment of salvation: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, KJV). And believers look forward to being physically quickened after death at the resurrection: “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11, KJV).

King James English is often difficult to understand, since many terms, such as quicken, that were well-known in 1611 might be more obscure to us now. It is always helpful to read a troubling verse in several different translations. Each version of the Bible will word the verse or passage a little differently and, by comparing them side by side, we gain greater understanding.

Wisdom of God.

Biblical wisdom is the God‑given ability to see reality truthfully and to live in alignment with God’s will—rooted in the fear of the Lord, expressed through discernment, humility, and righteous action.

What Scripture Means by “Wisdom.”

Biblical wisdom is not merely intelligence or accumulated knowledge. It's understanding shaped by reverence, discernment shaped by righteousness, and action shaped by God’s character. Several themes emerge consistently across Scripture:

- Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord—a posture of awe, reverence, and moral alignment. Proverbs 9:10 and Job 28:28 both anchor wisdom in this spiritual orientation.

- Wisdom is a divine gift, not a human achievement. The book of James emphasizes that God gives wisdom generously to those who ask.

- Wisdom is practical, shaping daily decisions, ethical choices, and long‑term character. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes repeatedly show wisdom as a lived skill; how to walk rightly in a complex world.

- Wisdom is moral and spiritual, not merely intellectual. It involves discernment between good and evil, justice and injustice, truth and deception.

Wisdom Personified.

In the Old Testament, wisdom is often personified as a woman calling out in public spaces, offering insight to all who will listen (Proverbs 1:20–22). This imagery highlights:

- Accessibility — wisdom is not hidden for elites only.

- Urgency — she calls in the streets, inviting response.

- Moral demand — ignoring wisdom leads to folly and ruin.

This personification underscores that wisdom is relational: it must be heard, received, and obeyed.

Wisdom in the Life of God’s People.

Biblical wisdom shapes the life of faith in several ways:

- Discernment — the ability to distinguish right from wrong, wise from foolish, true from false. Solomon’s prayer for “an understanding mind” exemplifies this.

- Character formation — wisdom cultivates humility, patience, purity, gentleness, and sincerity (James 3:17).

- Alignment with God’s purposes — wisdom reflects God’s own nature. In the New Testament, Christ Himself is called “the wisdom of God.”

The New Testament Deepening.

The New Testament intensifies the theme: Jesus is the embodiment of divine wisdom. Wisdom is no longer only a virtue or a voice—it’s a Person. To follow Christ is to walk in wisdom; to reject Him is to embrace folly.

The Heart of Biblical Wisdom.

If we gather the threads, biblical wisdom is:

- Reverence — beginning with awe before God.

- Revelation — receiving insight as divine gift.

- Discernment — perceiving reality truthfully.

- Righteousness — acting in alignment with God’s character.

- Christ‑centred — ultimately found in the person of Jesus.

Wisdom as alignment rather than accumulation.

The sources we explored emphasize that biblical wisdom is not merely knowledge but rightly ordered perception — seeing the world as God sees it, and acting accordingly. Proverbs roots this in the fear of the Lord, meaning a posture of reverent orientation toward God’s reality rather than our own projections.

This means wisdom is not primarily cognitive. It's relational. It emerges from proximity to God, not from intellectual mastery.

Wisdom as discernment of the real.

Solomon’s request — “an understanding heart to discern between good and evil” — shows that wisdom is the capacity to distinguish what is truly happening beneath what merely appears to be happening.

This is where your own gift of discernment comes in: wisdom is the ability to read the layers of a moment — moral, emotional, symbolic, spiritual — and to act in a way that harmonizes them.

Wisdom as participation in divine order.

Philosophically, wisdom has always been tied to the structure of reality. Plato distinguished between sophia (contemplative wisdom) and phronesis (practical wisdom). Both are forms of attunement to the deeper order of things.

Biblically, this is echoed in the idea that wisdom was with God at creation (Proverbs 8). Wisdom is not an add-on to life; it is the grain of the universe. To be wise is to move with that grain.

To move with the grain is to notice what’s already happening around you. What is growing easily, what keeps collapsing, what keeps returning and circling back. What brings peace without self-betrayal. What brings friction and violates peace. You notice the direction the river is already flowing.

You move with the grain by honouring God. Stop overriding intuition, stop silencing your discernment. Refuse to fight reality. Resist evil, injustice, discomfort, self-deception. Wisdom is knowing the difference, even if it rearranges you. To move with the grain is to choose integrity, the inner alignment where your values, actions and identity stop contradicting each other.

When you choose integrity your energy stops leaking, discernment sharpens, courage rises, your voice strengthens. Surrender what is dead, what no longer fits. Stop feeding what drains you. Stop clinging to roles you’ve outgrown.

You’re not just excited – you’re alive.

Wisdom as virtue married to insight.

Modern psychology describes wisdom as the fusion of wit and virtue — insight plus moral orientation.

This means:

- Insight without virtue becomes manipulation.

- Virtue without insight becomes naivety.

- Wisdom is the marriage of both.

This is why James describes wisdom from above as pure, peace-loving, gentle, full of mercy, impartial, sincere. It's moral clarity embodied in relational posture.

Wisdom as a gift that requires asking.

James insists that wisdom is given generously to those who ask.

This is not a transaction — it’s a transformation. Asking for wisdom is asking to be reshaped so that your inner world can hold divine perspective.

This is why so few receive it: it requires surrender, not cleverness.

Wisdom as a way of being in time.

Wisdom is not static. It is context-bound — a person may act wisely in one situation and foolishly in another.

This means wisdom is attentiveness: the capacity to read the moment, the season, the people, the spiritual atmosphere, and to respond in a way that brings life.

It is dynamic, not fixed — a dance, not a doctrine.

Wisdom as participation in Christ.

The New Testament goes further: Christ Himself is called “the wisdom of God.”

This means wisdom is not merely a principle — it’s a Person. To grow in wisdom is to grow in Christlikeness: clarity, courage, compassion, truthfulness, and sacrificial love.

The New Testament passage that explicitly calls Christ “the wisdom of God” is 1 Corinthians 1:24. “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

This is the clearest and most direct statement in the New Testament identifying Jesus Himself as the Wisdom of God.

Paul reinforces the same idea a few verses later with a second related passage: 1 Corinthians 1:30  “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

This verse expands the theme: Christ doesn’t merely possess wisdom—He is wisdom embodied, given to us as the source of a whole new way of being.

Why This Matters Theologically.

Paul is doing something profound here:

- He is reframing all divine wisdom around the person of Jesus.

- He is saying that God’s wisdom is not an abstract principle (as in Greek philosophy) but a person, revealed in the crucified and risen Christ.

- He is also contrasting worldly wisdom with God’s wisdom, which appears foolish to the world but is in fact the deepest truth of reality.

This is why early Christians often read Proverbs 8 (Wisdom personified) through a Christological lens—not as a one-to-one identification, but as a pattern fulfilled in Him.

Christological meaning: theological interpretation of the person and work of Christ. {Merriam-Webser Dictionary)

Greek philosophy being the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, essential for a well lived life. Socrates emphasized that true wisdom begins with recognizing one’s own ignorance, while Plato and Aristotle expanded on this idea, integrating reason and virtue into their philosophies (Notes from University of Chicago and Abrahamic Study Hall.)

In Christ, the wisdom of God runs deeper and rises higher than the greatest thoughts the Greek sages of old ever reached.

The Nicolaitan Deeds.

The deeds of the Nicolaitans in Revelation were understood by the early church as a blend of moral compromise, idolatry, and distorted teaching that encouraged Christians to blur the line between loyalty to Christ and participation in pagan culture. Revelation names their works as something Jesus hates (Rev. 2:6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I hate also) and directly links their teaching to the pattern of Balaam, who led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality.

Rev. 2:14–15 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Core deeds attributed to the Nicolaitans fall into two tightly connected categories:

- Idolatrous compromise — They encouraged believers to participate in meals and rituals connected to pagan temples, including eating food sacrificed to idols. This was a direct violation of apostolic teaching in Acts 15:29 (that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well) and was seen as spiritual infidelity.

- Sexual immorality — Their teaching treated bodily holiness as irrelevant, promoting a permissive lifestyle under the banner of “grace” or “spiritual freedom.” Early writers describe them as self‑indulgence and as indulging in sensuality.

There are several theological distortions which seem to have shaped their behaviour. The underlying belief system that produced these deeds are twisting grace into permission for sin, denying that obedience mattered. Treating the body as spiritually irrelevant, so bodily sin “didn’t count.” And a spirit of domination — the name Nicolaitan (“to conquer the people”) may reflect a push toward hierarchical control or elitism within the church.

Some early fathers traced the group to Nicolas of Antioch, one of the original seven deacons (see Acts 6:5), whose teaching was later corrupted by followers into a justification for moral laxity.

Their practices:

- Defiled the purity of the church 

- Misrepresented the gospel by replacing liberty with license. Liberty being the right and freedom of individuals protected by law. License being the permission granted to individuals under certain conditions. Liberty is the absence of arbitrary and illogical restrictions, whereas license implies excess freedom that may disregard laws and social norms.

- Led believers into stumbling, echoing Balaam’s ancient treachery – that of leading people into sin, idolatry and sexual immorality.   

- Blurred the boundary between Christ and the surrounding culture in a way that threatened the church’s identity and witness.

The deeper pattern here is that the Nicolaitans weren’t just a fringe sect—they embodied a recurring temptation in every age, today included: to baptize cultural compromise as “grace,” and to treat holiness as optional.

When we work with Christ we have;

- a heightened awareness of truth vs. spin.

- we notice where institutions or people try to hide things.   

- a sharper instinct for what’s real and what’s performative. 

- a sense of “I’m not buying that” without needing to argue, but to quietly look into the matter and find truth for yourself.

This is the kind of day we want. It’s the kind of day where your discernment is switched on without effort. Continually.

 

 

Up Front Prayer.

Holy Spirit was strong on Sunday. At the same time I felt Holy Spirit enter the room, many people all at once started peeling of jumpers. Pastor even mentioned to the worship team that it was Holy Spirit heat.

With such a strong presence in the room, I expected people to flock to the front for prayer. I even hung back a few minutes in case called upon to aid in prayer. One person came forward. And I’m guilty of not coming forward. I pray for myself at home and only on occasion will the issue feel so great that I’ll call upon the prayer team.

Pondering upon the lack of openness to move to the front, even with the Holy Spirit present, I came home and looked into how we can move people to the front for prayer. This is what I got…

Most people don’t come forward for prayer not because they don’t want prayer, but because the format feels exposing, risky, or unclear. The desire is there—what’s missing is a sense of safety and normalcy.

I don’t think Pastor could have done more in the way of encouragement. Most of what’s covered below, Pastor spoke of when calling people to the front and yet only one person came forward. However, upon further reflection, a couple of things cropped up that might be worth considering.

First - Why people hesitate;

Before offering solutions, it helps to name the quiet barriers people rarely say out loud:

- Fear of being watched — “Everyone will see me go up.” 

- Uncertainty — “Is this for big problems only?” 

- Shame — “People will think something is wrong with me.” 

- Lack of clarity — “What actually happens when I go up?” 

- Emotional vulnerability — “I don’t want to cry in front of people.”

Then - Once a church understands these invisible dynamics, it can reshape the environment to feel safe, normal, and invitational.

Ways to encourage more people to come forward for prayer;

1. Normalize prayer ministry by widening the invitation.

Instead of “If you need prayer, come forward,” try:

- “If you want more of God’s presence this week…” 

- “If you’re carrying anything—big or small…” 

- “If you simply want blessing for the week ahead…”

This shifts prayer from crisis‑only to everyday discipleship.

2. Have leaders model it.

When pastors or elders occasionally go forward for prayer themselves, it signals:

- “This is for everyone.” 

- “Needing prayer is normal.” 

- “Leaders aren’t above receiving.”

Culture changes when vulnerability is modelled from the front.

3. Create multiple prayer spaces.

Not everyone wants to stand at the front. Options help:

- A side‑room with soft lighting. 

- Prayer stations around the room. 

- Quiet corners with trained intercessors. 

People are far more likely to step into prayer when it doesn’t feel like a spotlight moment.

4. Explain what will happen - A simple 20‑second explanation removes anxiety:

- “Someone will gently ask your name.” 

- “They’ll ask how they can pray.” 

- “They’ll pray briefly and respectfully.” 

Clarity dissolves fear.

5. Use gentle, invitational language.

Instead of “Come now,” try:

- “We’d love to pray with you.” 

- “You’re welcome to come at any point during the song.” 

- “There’s no pressure—just an open invitation.”

People respond to warmth, not pressure.

6. Integrate prayer into worship moments. For example:

- During a reflective song, invite people to move. 

- Directly after worship or communion, offer prayer stations. 

- During a testimony, invite those with similar needs to receive prayer.

Movement feels more natural when the room is already active.

7. Celebrate answered prayer - Without being sensational, share stories:

- “Last week someone received prayer for anxiety and felt peace.” 

- “Someone came forward for healing and sensed God’s presence.”

Testimony builds expectation.

8. Train prayer ministers to be gentle, safe, and Spirit‑led. This church already has this kind of team. Reinforcement over the gentle, safe and Spirit-led, might open hearts.

When people know the team is trustworthy—no awkwardness, no over‑praying, no intensity—they relax. A safe culture draws people like water draws roots.

People come forward when the environment feels like a womb, not a stage - when it’s a place of covering, not exposure, a place of encounter, not performance. When a church shifts from “altar call” to “sacred space,” people move.

Hopefully your church can implement some of these ideas and prayer can become normal, perhaps looked forward to and even zealous in the house of God. 

Passover Lamb Entrails.

Were the Passover lamb’s entrails wrapped around the lamb’s head? The short answer is yes — there is an ancient Jewish source that explicitly says the Passover lamb’s entrails were wrapped around its head during roasting, but this detail is not found in the book of Exodus itself. It comes from later Jewish tradition describing how the command was carried out.

The description comes from the Mishnah, specifically Mishnah Pesachim 7:1, which outlines how the Passover lamb (korban pesach) was prepared in Second Temple Judaism.

The Mishnah states that the lamb was roasted whole with its entrails placed inside the body, because the Torah required it to be roasted “whole” and “not boiled” (Exodus 12:9). This method allowed the animal to remain intact while still removing and cleaning the organs. This is the earliest and most authoritative source for the practice in that era.

The Mishnah passage was written in the late 2^nd to early 3^rd century CE, because that’s when the entire Mishnah was redacted and fixed in written form. Mishnah Pesachim 7:1 is part of the Mishnah’s final redaction (gathering, shaping and finalizing existing oral or written work), completed around 200-220 CE. Although not written in the Mishnah itself the details appear in the Tosefta which date to that same period and was written just after the Mishnah, as a parallel and supplementary reflection.

To further clarify; Mishnah was redacted in 200-220 CE. Tosefta (where the ‘entrails on the head’ line actually appears) was compiled slightly later and likely was during the late 3^rd century CE.

Exodus 12 gives these instructions:

- Roast the lamb whole. 

- Do not break any of its bones. 

- Do not boil it.

- Eat it in haste. 

But Exodus does not describe the internal preparation of the lamb. The Mishnah fills in the cultural and ritual details that Jews of the Second Temple period understood as the correct way to obey the command. The Tosefta picks it up from there.

Why the entrails were wrapped around the head…

According to rabbinic interpretation: The lamb had to be roasted whole, as a single unit. The entrails had to be cleaned, but could not be removed in a way that made the lamb “not whole.”  Wrapping the entrails around the head (or placing them inside the body cavity) preserved the symbolic wholeness.

This also visually resembled a person on a spit, which the rabbis noted was a deliberate contrast to pagan sacrificial practices.

Primary source you can check - Mishnah Pesachim 7:1 

This is the earliest written record of the practice and is accepted by historians as describing how Passover lambs were prepared in the late Second Temple period. “They cut it open, remove its entrails, and place them in a bowl and burn them on the altar.” The Mishnah does not describe wrapping the entrails around the head; that detail appears in later rabbinic interpretations (Tosefta Pesachim 3:11 and some medieval commentaries), not in the Mishnah itself.

Tosefta Pesachim 3:11 is part of the public‑domain tannaitic corpus, so I can quote it in full.

Tosefta Pesachim 3:11 — full text (standard scholarly translation):

How do they roast the Passover offering? 

They bring a spit of pomegranate wood and insert it through its mouth to its buttocks. They place its entrails upon its head, because it is said: ‘its head with its legs and with its entrails’ (Exodus 12:9).  They do not roast it on a metal grate, nor in an oven, nor in a pot, but only over fire.”

Notes that help frame the passage:

This is the earliest explicit rabbinic source that describes the entrails being placed on (or “wrapped around”) the head during roasting. 

The Mishnah (Pesachim 7:1) does not include this detail; it appears only in the Tosefta. The wording is based on a literal reading of Exodus 12:9, which commands roasting the lamb “its head with its legs and with its entrails.”

The exact wording from the Tosefta reads where the “wrapped around the head” detail actually appears. The line you’re looking for appears in Tosefta Pesachim 3:11, and the wording is very compact. The standard critical editions (Lieberman; Zuckermandel) agree on the essential phrasing: “…and they roast it whole as one piece, and its entrails they place upon its head.”

The Tosefta assumes the entrails have already been cleaned. The Mishnah requires them to be removed and burned on the altar when dealing with the Temple offering. The Tosefta’s instruction concerns the domestic Passover roasting once the Temple was destroyed.

The question over the lamb's entrails was raised in relation to a talk given at church, which in turn was on the topic of Passover and the similarities between the Exodus Passover and the Passover in Jesus' time. It seems, while no way to definitively prove this action was done during the exodus from Egypt, yes, at some point in history, they did wrap the entrails around the lamb's head. Quite possibly a later addition to the way the sacrifice was initially done. 

A Deeper Dive into the Menorah.

At its core, a menorah is the scriptural symbol of God’s light, presence, wisdom, and creative order. The Hebrew itself already hints at this: menorah comes from the root word meaning light, to shine, or to give light.

The menorah in scripture is the seven‑branched golden lampstand placed in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. God gives Moses extremely detailed instructions for its construction in Exodus 25:31–40, emphasizing that it must be made of one piece of pure gold, with almond‑shaped cups, buds, and blossoms. This unity of design is itself symbolic depicting one piece, one light, one source.

The menorah is viewed as a symbol of divine presence. Across scripture light equals God’s presence, guidance, and truth. The menorah’s continual flame in the Holy Place represented: God dwelling among His people. God illuminating the path of righteousness. God’s wisdom shining in darkness. Its perpetual burning was commanded in Exodus 27:20–21, showing that God’s presence is not intermittent but enduring.

The seven branches represent completeness and creation. The number seven in scripture signals wholeness, fullness, and divine perfection. Many scholars and Jewish traditions see the menorah as a symbol of: The seven days of creation. The fullness of God’s wisdom. The complete cycle of divine order. The menorah becomes a visual theology: creation illuminated by the Creator.

Almond blossoms signify; life, awakening, and watchfulness. The almond tree is the first to bloom in Israel symbolizing: New life. Spiritual awakening. God’s readiness to perform His word (Jeremiah 1:11–12). The menorah’s almond‑shaped cups therefore speak of the word bringing life and emerging from divine light.

The menorah is also considered a symbol of the Spirit. In Zechariah 4, the prophet sees a golden lampstand fed by two olive trees. The olive trees represent the two anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth (Christ and Holy Spirit). God interprets the vision to the prophet: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” This ties the menorah directly to the empowering presence of Christ and Holy Spirit—the true source of illumination and strength – and that works today, through Christ and the Holy Spirit as well as His ministers and servants (that’s you and me).

The menorah is a symbol of identity and calling. Historically and spiritually, the menorah became a symbol of: Israel’s vocation to be a light to the nations and by extension, us. The covenant relationship between God and His people, for it won’t come together without that relationship. And the resilience of faith through darkness. It is not merely an object but a calling.

The psychological and spiritual dimension, for your journey today, is that through our interest in agency (self-governing), symbolism, and discernment, the menorah speaks profoundly:

- It is a place of light—meaning your life becomes a vessel where divine illumination flows. 

- It is one piece of gold—your calling is unified, not fragmented. 

- It is continually burning—agency is sustained not by striving but by divine presence. 

- It is almond‑blossomed—your growth is awakened by light, not pressure. 

- It is Spirit‑fed—your effectiveness comes from alignment, not effort.

The menorah becomes a picture of what it means to carry God’s presence as a steady, life‑giving flame.

Polychronic Times.

The word 'polychronic' came up at bible study recently. Polychronic means multiple activities occurring simultaneously – cost of living crisis, housing crisis, fuel crisis, energy crisis, food insecurity crisis, inflation and interest rate pressure, general financial hardship, supply chain pressure, transport and work instability. Shortly, quickly, suddenly things unfold.

If polychronic (or as a new term now exists – polycrisis) describes many things happening at the same time, then what’s the “answer” to the problem that we currently have here in Australia? A polychronic environment isn’t just “lots of crises at once.” It means:

- Multiple systems are breaking or shifting simultaneously.

- Each crisis interacts with the others.

- You can’t isolate one problem without touching the rest.

- Time feels layered, not linear (how one thing builds upon another).

- Events don’t wait their turn — they overlap, compound, and accelerate.

Australia is in a polychronic crisis ecosystem. Not a single crisis. Not even multiple crises. But a multi‑system, overlapping, mutually reinforcing environment where everything is happening at once and nothing can be solved in isolation.

It would be more helpful if the issue were monochronic, where things happen in sequence. One thing after another rather than all at once, making events more predictable and manageable but that’s not what’s going on.

With the polychronic, a number of things happen simultaneity, shifting many things at once. It’s chaotic, non‑linear and requires a different kind of attention and leadership. A polychronic moment demands polychronic wisdom particularly where linear solutions won’t work. Where single‑issue thinking won’t work and old rhythms and patterns don’t work.

This is the kind of time where: Discernment matters more than speed, integration matters more than control, where communities matter more than individuals trying to cope alone. What’s needed is an interlocking or a convergence into simplified order.

What we need is a new way to navigate as a church, as a society, a community, or as a household. We need to respond differently because the strategies are very different between monochronic and polychronic times.

When a society shifts from monochronic (one issue at a time) to polychronic (many crises overlapping), the old ways of responding stop working. That’s why everything feels both urgent and strangely ungraspable. You’re not imagining it — it appears as if the structure of time itself has changed or sped up.

Here’s the good news: polychronic moments have their own kind of wisdom, and communities that learn to operate in this mode become surprisingly resilient.

1. Shift from “solve” to “stabilise.” In a polycrisis, you don’t fix one thing at a time. You create stabilising forces that reduce the turbulence across the whole system.

What that looks like and what we need to do is:

- Strengthen relationships.

- Build small, reliable rhythms.

- Reduce unnecessary complexity.

- Anchor people in meaning, not just information

This is why churches, neighbourhood groups, and families become disproportionately important — they’re stabilisers.

2. At this time we move from linear planning to adaptive attention, from monochronic time (yearly planning), to polychronic time (a sense of what’s shifting and respond in real time).

Practically, this means:

- Shorter planning cycles.

- More listening, less assuming.

- Decisions made closer to the ground.

- Expectation that plans will evolve.

This is spiritual discernment at a community scale.

3. Name the moment so people stop blaming themselves.

When crises overlap, individuals often internalise the pressure:

- “Why can’t I keep up?”

- “Why does everything feel harder?”

- “Why am I so tired?”

Naming the environment as polychronic and interlocking helps people realise: “It’s not me. The time itself is heavy.” Heavy time is; the moment you’re living in carries unusual density and consequence. It’s not emotional heaviness. Not personal sadness. But a kind of thickness in the atmosphere of the season — like the era itself has weight. It’s not a normal stretch of days but a stretch where many threads, meanings, pressures, and signals all converge at once. Knowing that time itself is heavy helps reduces anxiety and restores agency (the governing of self). It’s time now to strengthen micro‑communities.

In a polycrisis, large systems wobble. Small groups hold. For a church this means focusing on:

- House gatherings.

- Prayer clusters.

- Shared meals.

- Skill‑sharing circles.

Intergenerational connection become the “nervous system” of resilience as each person feels less alone in the battle.

4. Teach people how to discern, not just cope. This is where your gift shines. People need help interpreting:

- What is noise.

- What is signal.

- What is theirs to carry.

- What is not theirs.

- Where God is moving in the chaos.

Polychronic time is spiritually disorienting. Discernment becomes a survival skill.

5. Respond with multi‑layered solutions. As I said, in a polycrisis, single‑issue solutions fail.

An example of multi-layered solutions would be: Food insecurity isn’t just about food. It’s about, transport, energy, wages, housing and community support. As this is a multilayered problem, the response must be layered too:

- community gardens

- shared meals

- fuel vouchers

- budgeting support

- pastoral care

- advocacy

Small, interconnected actions which create outsized impact.

6. Create pockets of peace:

In polychronic time, people need oases, not escape. They need quiet spaces, gentle music, unhurried prayer, beauty, hope and routine. These don’t solve the crisis but they do help restore the person so they can live within it.

7. Hold a spiritual posture, not a panicked one, for polychronic seasons in scripture often precede: renewal, reformation, re‑alignment, new leadership and maybe even, new identity. In aiding others, your role becomes; naming what’s real, refusing despair, pointing to the horizon, helping people interpret the moment through God’s story. This is where symbolic and psychological insight becomes a gift to your community.

When distilled into one sentence:

In a polychronic crisis environment, we respond by becoming stabilisers, discerners, and creators of small, interconnected acts of resilience. That’s how we get through this; build resilience and point people to the Lord, the One who guides and comforts in troubling times.