"At some point in each of our lives, we were deeply touched by a profound encounter with Jesus Christ. It was a mountain top experience, a moment of immense consolation. We were swept up in peace, joy, certitude, love. Quite simply we were overcome. Our hearts and minds resonated with awe and wonder. We were deeply moved for a few hours, days or weeks, and eventually returned to the routine occupations of our daily existence... slowly we got caught up in the demands of ministry, career and the distractions our busy world offers. We began to treat Jesus like an old friend from Brooklyn whom we dearly loved in years past but have gradually lost track of." Excerpt from "The Victorious Limp" Chapter Ten "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning, Multnomah Books
How would you answer the question, "Have you had a personal experience of encountering Jesus?" Or, "Have you ever experienced something you can't explain except that it must have been a God thing?"
If you have, it is a moment that is fresh every time we share it. It was real and undeniable. That is the stuff Jesus told Peter He would use to build the Church! "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in heaven." Then He said, "Upon this rock (the rock of revelation) I will build my Church!"
Its not up to us to 'rise to the occasion'. When we initiate we become 'masters of our own destinies' I have a few professional friends who talk about being 'superman' and they describe their 'kryptonite' as much as their super powers.
Then there others who describe more than an occasional 'interruption' from heaven'. They discuss their relationship with Jesus in varying levels of spiritual awareness. The moments of "God incidents" are ongoing, but are at best, random, as though God is a piece of mercury that keeps escaping our grasp. Its awkward. We think revelation requires deeper faith, stronger discipline in prayer and study, or Olympian moral fiber. Not true.
He initiates.
There are many ways New Testament revelation can be understood. Each one is by heaven's initiative and not our own. Here's a few:
When His love initiates faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior full of grace and truth (John 3:16, Revelation 3:20) We began a journey that includes inspiration, illumination and revelation that can only be explained as coming from God.
When receiving the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 10:44-48, 19:3-6, 2 Ephesians 5:18-20, Colossians 3:16, Timothy 1:6, ) and the heavenly language of the Holy Spirit. He pours out, we drink, are filled to overflowing and in the overflow we worship in the language of angels. Then, through that experience we encounter the gifts distributed/initiated by the Holy Spirit as in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4:10-12.
It was Heaven that revealed Jesus to John in the Book of Revelation! The Apostle John says that his book was given to Him as "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"! So we can read a first hand the account that anchors the other 65 Books. It teaches, "I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10 Jesus shares His story with us by the Spirit.
We do see/hear Jesus (logos) in all the Scriptures (graphe) as well. The Old being the New concealed and the New being the Old revealed or as Stephen Kaung says in his monumental work "Seeing Christ in the Old Testament and New Testament", all of scripture is about seeing Jesus. If you are not looking for Jesus in every book of the Bible (graphe - paper and ink) then you are missing the reason God gave the Bible to us. It is the story of His eternal past, present and future by the Holy Spirit.
Then we have the actual life of Jesus as the "Word made flesh" (graphe became the logos - the living Word of God) who walked among us. He embodied and lived out the intent of the scriptures so we could see God's intention and understand Him.
Then He sent the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit speaks not of himself but only that which I will tell Him. The Holy Spirit 'speaks the logos' and when He does it becomes the 'rhemati' - the 'God-breathed logos' inside of those baptized in the Holy Spirit! This is the goal. The graphe to see the logos as given by the rhemati. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "Not by bread alone but by every Word (rhema = living word) that proceeds from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4
If you are already a strong believer that have lots going on with the Lord then you won't need tomorrow's blog post. You are just fine as you are and you believe God is at your steering wheel everyday and you are just the co-pilot. Good.
For the rest of you today is just a 'warmer-upper'. Come back tomorrow and you will find out that God is not a piece of mercury just within your reach. He is not avoiding your or hiding. He is alive and wants to share His presence with you as often as you want to be with Him. Jesus told us how. The miracle is just before you. Come back tomorrow to see.
Happy Easter! He is Risen! JESUS is Risen Indeed!
"Easter Song" performed by Matthew Ward
How would you answer the question, "Have you had a personal experience of encountering Jesus?" Or, "Have you ever experienced something you can't explain except that it must have been a God thing?"
If you have, it is a moment that is fresh every time we share it. It was real and undeniable. That is the stuff Jesus told Peter He would use to build the Church! "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in heaven." Then He said, "Upon this rock (the rock of revelation) I will build my Church!"
Its not up to us to 'rise to the occasion'. When we initiate we become 'masters of our own destinies' I have a few professional friends who talk about being 'superman' and they describe their 'kryptonite' as much as their super powers.
Then there others who describe more than an occasional 'interruption' from heaven'. They discuss their relationship with Jesus in varying levels of spiritual awareness. The moments of "God incidents" are ongoing, but are at best, random, as though God is a piece of mercury that keeps escaping our grasp. Its awkward. We think revelation requires deeper faith, stronger discipline in prayer and study, or Olympian moral fiber. Not true.
He initiates.
There are many ways New Testament revelation can be understood. Each one is by heaven's initiative and not our own. Here's a few:
When His love initiates faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior full of grace and truth (John 3:16, Revelation 3:20) We began a journey that includes inspiration, illumination and revelation that can only be explained as coming from God.
When receiving the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 10:44-48, 19:3-6, 2 Ephesians 5:18-20, Colossians 3:16, Timothy 1:6, ) and the heavenly language of the Holy Spirit. He pours out, we drink, are filled to overflowing and in the overflow we worship in the language of angels. Then, through that experience we encounter the gifts distributed/initiated by the Holy Spirit as in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4:10-12.
It was Heaven that revealed Jesus to John in the Book of Revelation! The Apostle John says that his book was given to Him as "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"! So we can read a first hand the account that anchors the other 65 Books. It teaches, "I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10 Jesus shares His story with us by the Spirit.
We do see/hear Jesus (logos) in all the Scriptures (graphe) as well. The Old being the New concealed and the New being the Old revealed or as Stephen Kaung says in his monumental work "Seeing Christ in the Old Testament and New Testament", all of scripture is about seeing Jesus. If you are not looking for Jesus in every book of the Bible (graphe - paper and ink) then you are missing the reason God gave the Bible to us. It is the story of His eternal past, present and future by the Holy Spirit.
Then we have the actual life of Jesus as the "Word made flesh" (graphe became the logos - the living Word of God) who walked among us. He embodied and lived out the intent of the scriptures so we could see God's intention and understand Him.
Then He sent the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit speaks not of himself but only that which I will tell Him. The Holy Spirit 'speaks the logos' and when He does it becomes the 'rhemati' - the 'God-breathed logos' inside of those baptized in the Holy Spirit! This is the goal. The graphe to see the logos as given by the rhemati. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "Not by bread alone but by every Word (rhema = living word) that proceeds from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4
If you are already a strong believer that have lots going on with the Lord then you won't need tomorrow's blog post. You are just fine as you are and you believe God is at your steering wheel everyday and you are just the co-pilot. Good.
For the rest of you today is just a 'warmer-upper'. Come back tomorrow and you will find out that God is not a piece of mercury just within your reach. He is not avoiding your or hiding. He is alive and wants to share His presence with you as often as you want to be with Him. Jesus told us how. The miracle is just before you. Come back tomorrow to see.
Happy Easter! He is Risen! JESUS is Risen Indeed!
"Easter Song" performed by Matthew Ward