Today, more than ever, I am thankful for my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I found the Lord in 1964, at a Pentecostal altar; and although I no longer adhere to all of the teachings of the Pentecostals, that personal experience has stayed with me through some pretty dark valleys.
I have had my faith tested many times over the years, by various people and diverse circumstances; but there are specific ‘times’ when God visited me with His Divine Presence of Peace, Love and Strength which has kept my faith firmly anchored in Him and His Word.
Paul had his ‘Light’ experience with the Light of Christ that changed his life from persecuting and having believers locked up and then put to death for their faith in Christ as the Son of God, to finally dying by beheading for his ‘Light’ experiences from 32 years before on the Damascus Road.
All of the original Apostles died a Martyr’s death, except John. They all suffered and were willing to die for what they believed about their Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter had denied his Lord three times with curse words, while hiding himself for fear of dying on a cross like Jesus, only to request at the end of his race to be crucified upside down on a cross, because he was not worthy to die like his Lord Jesus.
I only suffered the threat of an African prison, and my faith wavered; but it didn’t waver in Christ. It wavered in my denomination, and the discrepancies in their teachings, bylaws and rules of conduct.
Christ warned Paul beforehand of the suffering he would face for His Name’s sake. Christ warned Peter as to what manner of death he would die after his faith was restored in Him and in himself.
I was warned by two visions and a prophecy, and my faith never wavered in my Lord; but the persecution and suffering did shake the foundations of my doctrine.
I have found, after thirty years of re-evaluating the teachings of various denominations, that there are four types of people who call themselves Christians.
1- Those who have a personal relationship with Christ and maintain that personal relationship daily, through reading His Word and prayer
2- Those who have a personal relationship with Christ, but allow the cares of this life to choke their desire for their Lord, and then become more like the world than their Lord
3- Those who had a personal relationship with Christ, but follow a Pastor’s personality and denominational doctrine, rules and bylaws with their minds more than following Christ with their hearts
4- Those who have a relationship with their pastor and local church, but never have had that ‘light’ experience personally
In light of the above four groups, it is easy to see why so many say that the church is full of hypocrites and legalistic Pharisees. The negative always seems to overshadow the positive in the minds of sceptics and of those who wish to judge others to justify their own sinful lifestyles.
Paul and Peter had personal relationships with their Lord that kept them even when they made wrong choices, and brought them back to the straight and narrow path of Christ as the only way to the Father.
Judas and many others mentioned by the apostles had relationships with the teachings, instead of with their Christ, and when they made wrong choices there was nothing to bring them back to the straight and narrow, and they continued to slip downward the broadway to spiritual darkness without eternal life.
Those without that personal experience that brings ‘light’ to their inner spiritual man, tend to become the Pharisees of the Law; they are self-righteous and rule oriented.
Those with a personal experience that involves a ‘light’ that changes the inner spiritual man to constantly seek mercy and grace in humility, tend to become the ones who are able to suffer great things for the Kingdom of God and be willing to die for what they believe about their Lord Jesus Christ.
The Tribulation is coming, as Christ has forewarned in the Book of Revelation. ISIS is a real threat around the world and has promised to come to the United States. Christians are being persecuted today for their faith in Christ.
There are more than 60 countries where Christians are being persecuted today for their faith in Christ. In 41 of the 50 worst nations for persecution, Christians are being persecuted by Islamic Extremists.
Christians are not perfect people; they are sinners that are saved by Grace. True Christians are those who have had a personal experience with their Lord Jesus Christ and continue to seek Him, in good times and bad. They know they need His Mercy, Grace, Strength and Guidance, as they humbly acknowledge their sinfulness and weaknesses in daily studying His Word and prayer, for themselves and others.
Christians are those who have had a ‘light’ experience in their personal life that has never left them, and keeps their faith strong when others challenge it; even to the point of dying for that faith in their Lord Jesus Christ.
What kind of Christian are you? Are you willing to die for your faith in Him? Do you have ‘head’ knowledge of your Lord, or do you have ‘heart’ knowledge of Him as your personal Savior and friend? Do you have a ‘light’ experience to draw strength from, or do you need to go back to your knees and ask for that personal encounter with your Lord?
Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”
Can you say this about your faith? Can you say it, with a sword ready to swing downward over your neck, as they demand you deny your Lord Jesus Christ?
Today is still the day of Salvation, Mercy and Grace. Humble your heart and ask Him to make Himself real to you in such a way that you will never ever deny Him for all that He has done for you on a Roman Cross.