I’m currently in the Jury Service Lounge awaiting my assignment, if I even get one. In the meantime, I get to blog!!! It’s relatively quiet in here and I feel bad because the keyboard for this computer is one of those really loud ones. Oh well, it’s not my fault I’m such and excellent and forceful typer!!!
Anyways, I was really thankful for Pastor Pete’s message yesterday. I think it was one of his best in a while. Not that he hasn’t had good ones lately, just that yesterday’s was extra good! To sum it up, Pastor Pete pointed out how at the beginning of I Corinthians 15, Paul emphasizes the importance of Jesus appearing to so many different people. Why did Jesus appear to them and what’s the big deal about that? Pastor Pete concluded that Jesus’ appearance to these people strengthened and encouraged their faith and enhanced their experience of the Cross. He then said how it’s important that Jesus appear to us often in order to encourage our faith and strengthen us in the Cross. This was a very powerful word for me and I believe it to be very true!
I had a debate recently with someone about how it takes a good balance of both experience and discipline to live the Christian life. My friend felt strongly that it was more about discipline than experience, but I felt that it was both, not one more than the other, and more whatever the Holy Spirit is doing in your life (which could be either experience or discipline). Jesus appearing to you (be it during worship, prayer, quiet times, whatever) is essential for every Christian!!! I find this true because if Jesus doesn’t appear to you, then you have only knowledge, and while knowledge itself is fine, what we need is revelation. You cannot receive revelation if Jesus doesn’t appear to you, if He doesn’t reveal Himself to you in the knowledge that you have or have found. For instance, I have knowledge of forgiveness all across the board. I understand what it is, how I should practice it, how it was given to me, how it’s a gift. But if I only have knowledge of that without revelation, than it will be much harder for me to practice it, let alone actually forgive genuinely. Am I making sense here?
So what exactly do I mean when I say that Jesus needs to appear to us? I’m not suggesting that we all have to have some sort of open vision where we see the man Jesus. All I mean is that we’ve got to have some sort of experience of His presence regarding any situation in our life. We’ve got to know and experience that He’s there, because if we don’t, we are left to our own efforts and devices. And that’s no good. How do I get Jesus to appear? I don’t know really. You pray. You worship. You get your eyes off yourself and others (very important). Get your eyes off the situations in your ilfe (equally important). And sometimes that takes time. It might even take a lot of time. But you must take the time. If you really want Him to appear, you must take the time. If I don’t see Jesus in tithing, I won’t be tithing from my heart, it will only be religion. I’ll only be performing a task, serving the Law all over again. That’s not what Jesus died for.
This post was supposed to be about what it means to abound in the work of the Lord, but that has not happened. I’m okay with that. Perhaps I’ll expound on that at another time…
Be blessed!
