I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was in the US Navy Boot Camp. I accepted him simply so I would not go to Hell. I did not do anything about Jesus until about six months later when I met some Christians, who were with the Navigator Ministry. Sometime I will have to tell about that story but for now, let me just say, God used the Navigators to show me about the basics of being a Christian. I am so thankful for what I learned in those days from them.
That was when I learned about reading and memorizing the Bible. We did Bible studies and learned all sorts of facts about what I should believe. I learned about witnessing, praying, fellowship and all sorts of things I should be doing or not doing. I learned a lot that was very valuable but while I learned to know the Bible, I never learned to know Jesus.
I learned facts about Jesus and what he said. I knew the doctrines about him and what he taught. I could tell you who he was, what he did, what he said, and even what he wore, but it was all facts about Jesus which I knew; not him personally.
I have learned that prayer is not just talking to him, it is talking with him. It is listening as well as talking. I have learned to wait to hear that still small voice and not go off on my own power to try to do things for God. He is more than just a person out of history to learn about. Jesus truly is here with me. I can feel his presence and hear his voice. He laughs; he cries; he comforts, and he sometimes has to scold me. He is truly my one and only Best Friend Forever.
Photo Credit: The Bible by Brent Nelson
You said, in this post, that you learned all sorts of "facts". Facts like what? Like a talking snake? How do you know it was a fact? Did they show you evidence? Are you still talking to snakes, and therefore understand that once in a while snakes do, in fact, talk? You have witnessed resurrection after being dead for three days yourself, so the concept that someone named Jesus did it is not foreign to you?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your qualification for "fact"? Is it something that you think is true? That's called a hypothesis. For it to be considered fact, is must be falsifiable and must be supported by evidence. What evidence did you see? I am curious.
I know that whatever I say you will dismiss, but I will still answer your question.
DeleteHow do you know that anything in our life is real? You perceive things with your senses, yet senses can be very deceptive and fool you. Illusions are a good example. But you still depend on them because in the past they have shown to be trustworthy. By your experience you trust something to be a fact. You see a chair, you sit down and you don't fall through.
I see what is written in scripture about who God is. I slowly learned to trust what was in the Bible because it has always held up to tell me the truth.
Our senses and fool us but God sees the world as what it truly is. He sees the spiritual world and the physical. He sees more then anyone so I trust Him to tell me the truth. If He says it is a fact, I believe Him. I trust Him because He has never failed me.
Do I expect you to suddenly believe what I say? Only if you really are seeking for truth and have an honest question to ask me. I think you would rather sneer at what I say and laugh. Thats ok. It is not me who you should worry about because it is God's word your attacking, not me.