Dr Paul Allen

Among missiologists,  it’s not uncommon to hear  how an individual from an unengaged, unreached people group becomes a follower of Jesus through a vision or dream. Assuming the truth of such stories, what are we to make of them? How should they affect the way we think about the necessity and urgency of missions? If God can use supernatural encounters to bring the lost to saving faith, can missionaries and evangelists simply sit back and let angels do all the work, or at least pray for them to do more? While God can communicate the gospel message through whatever means he chooses, the Scriptures consistently teach that God loves to advance the gospel through his people. Therefore, Christians and local churches are responsible for bearing the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth. The Bible gives no evidence that God uses angels, visions, or dreams as the principal means of a person’s salvation. Instead, if angels or visions have a role in the task of missions, it’s ancillary t...

Paul stresses in Galatians that his transforming encounter with the risen Christ was not dependent on any human being but came by direct revelation. In fact, his entire argument for his apostleship in the first two chapters of Galatians hangs on that very fact. Paul’s Unique Conversion Here’s what he says in Galatians 1:11–12: I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. And then, to underline the point of being dependent on no one except the risen Christ, he says in Galatians 1:15–17, When he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. Still, I went away to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. So the poi...

Books are written by those who claim to have had an out-of-body experience of going to heaven. They often tell of blinding lights, seeing loved ones, and hearing God or seeing Christ. They record their experiences, true or false, for us at great length. This pattern contrasts sharply with how little attention Paul gives when he was “caught up into paradise.” Why doesn’t he say more? Suppose you had an absolutely stunning supernatural experience, like being in a car accident and having an out-of-body experience so that you were sure you had died and gone to heaven for a few minutes before returning to your body and being brought back to life. How would you handle that experience? Most of us would be consumed with telling others about it. We might even write a book about it and go on a speaking circuit. It’s just too amazing to keep to ourselves.  And more than likely we would feel empowered to use that very experience to authorize our views of heaven. We might feel as if this extrao...

Dreams and visions are perhaps some of the most common ways God has communicated with humankind. The Bible contains more than 50 references to dreams and visions in which God delivered messages. Abraham learned of his promised lineage through dreams and visions. Jacob's life was drastically changed through a series of dreams in which he received God's promises regarding his heritage. God revealed Joseph's destiny through his dreams. Daniel, Obadiah, Nahum and Zechariah were among the prophets often visited with revelations from God through visions and dreams. Great protection was given to the Christ child as God's messengers spoke to Joseph and the Magi in dreams. The apostles Peter, Paul and John were later visited by the Spirit of God in visions. Webster's dictionary defines a dream as "a succession of images or ideas present in the mind during sleep." Dreams are formed in the subconscious mind based on images and symbols that are unique to the indi...