Apostles, Prophets and Quadriplegics

We got the dispatch information and drove toward his home. It would be a while before we got there so I closed my eyes and asked God to show me something about the patient we were going to pick up. I was excited wondering, did God want to heal him? The first thing I saw was the clear, unmistakable face of James Goll, with a big smile on his face. The image remained for a while and I asked God what it meant – then the image faded and I saw a pair of glasses on a white background. I thought perhaps this man had a call to be a seer prophet or an apostle. (See 1 Samuel 9:9) An image of Bob Jones appeared and he was also smiling. Then it faded and I briefly saw Stacy Campbell. The images turned into beautifully colored sunsets and sunrises and visions of the northern lights. Then I saw theses 2 words revealed. They were beautifully written in the handwriting of heaven: “Apostolic” and “Prophetic”. (See Ephesians 4:11)

I had wondered what I would do, and how would I know if God placed me alongside someone He had called to such a position. Today I found out. We drove to his home. He lives in a nice house on the water; I assume it might be his parent’s home. He’s been a quadriplegic for many years and doesn’t have a job. We put him on our gurney and loaded him for the long ride to the hospital. I was glad we were taking his ventilator. Many of my patients don’t like mine. Frank (not his real name) is dependant on a ventilator to breathe for him. He can be off it for a short period of time, but doesn’t have enough use of his respiratory muscles to breathe on his own for more than a half hour.

We settled in for the trip. I told Frank I that God showed me some things about him and asked if he wanted to know what they were. He said, “yeah”. I told him about the visions of James Goll and Bob Jones and explained who these men were and what their spiritual gifts and calling were about. I told him I saw the words ‘apostolic’ and ‘prophetic’ and that I believed God was calling him to these two positions in the church. I told him it was a high calling and a great honor and that God want to use him to shape and influence the culture around him for the kingdom of heaven. He took the news with amazement. He asked what church I went to. I told him about my church and what I liked about it.

We talked for a while and he told me about a near-death experience he had almost 24 years ago. It happened after he became a quadriplegic. He was in a hospital and during treatment he developed a collapsed lung and died. He went into heaven. I asked if he saw angels. He said, “Yes, I did. They told me God wasn’t through with me yet, and I had more things I needed to do first. Then I came back into my body”. He said he always wondered what it was he was supposed to be doing, but never really knew for sure. I told him I believed it was revealed to him today what his destiny was.

We left him in the hands of the folks at the hospital and I said goodbye to him. He thanked me for taking care of him. I can’t help but wonder what will come of it. I really like this guy. Even though he has a big disability, he has a great attitude and he’s a pleasure to be with. I don’t know if he’ll ever walk in the gifting God has called him to. Saul had a similar calling and threw it away. (See 1 Samuel 15:23) David had the same calling and made the most of it. (See 1 Chronicles 29:28) Only time will tell what Frank will choose to do. I leaned a great lesson; if I had not been curious enough to inquire from God about this man – would he ever have known what his calling was? God is calling many people in this hour to come up to a higher level. It’s people like you and me who can be the messenger to those who don’t know it yet. You might meet them in the most unlikely place. Are you curious about what God is up to? Spend time asking and He will amaze you with His plans for the people around you. The video below speaks to the matter of discovering who God says we are. Think about the meaning of the word apostle which means "one who is sent" as you listen to the song in the video.