One encounter with Jesus
By Sheela Isaac
 
Whenever I discuss with Hindus in the forums, I feel that they have a bad opinion about Christians. Their general opinion about Christians is that Christians are looters, killers, drinkers etc. They think that it is Christians who invaded India, plundered and killed many. Almost every one to whom I talked had the same opinion and I had to give my reply for the same question over and over again saying that a person who kills or plunders can’t be a christian because it is totally contrary to the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. Why do they have this impression? Because they have limited knowledge about Christianity and they do not know that a person having a christian name need not be a Christian. The most surprising thing is that many of those who are born in a Christian home are also not aware of this fact. Many years back I was talking to a nominal Christian who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. She looked very upset regarding some other christians and said in a very mocking mood, “they say that their hearts have changed, don’t know what kind of heart change has occurred, I am too a christian but nothing like this ever happens.” Why she came to this conclusion? Because she might never have heard about personal relationship with Jesus. She might have never understood the significance of the most important statement Jesus made. What was that? John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Then Jesus gave more emphasis and said the second time saying (John 3:7), “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Why do we fail to give importance to this statements of Jesus? Why the churches ignore this great truth? The reason is that we want to hear what looks good for our ears. 2 Tim 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Well, christianity is not a religion as many think but a personal relationship with the Savior. Unless and until you meet Christ personally you can’t reach heaven. That’s what Jesus said; unless one is born again he can’t see the kingdom of God. He said, “do not marvel that I said, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. Well my friends, have you had an encounter with Jesus? Have you ever-met Jesus personally? If not you are on the way of destruction. Do you know as days passes by you are nearing one inch closer to your eternity? Have you ever thought that as days pass by, you are getting closer and closer to your fate and final destiny? How many times do we invite our friends and family and celebrate birthdays and New Years with great joy not knowing that we have lost one more year of our life and that our life is getting shorter and shorter.

What is meant by personal encounter with Jesus?
Look at the life of Paul whose name was Saul. He was a very wicked man. The Bible says that he was killing God’s people. He killed those who worshipped Jesus thinking that he was doing God’s work. Acts 8:1, “Now Saul was consenting to his death (of Stephen). At that time a great persecution arose against the church…” Acts 8:3, “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” He killed and destroyed many believers but one day when he was traveling toward Damascus to bind the followers of Jesus and put them in prison he had an encounter with Jesus.

Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
Acts 9:2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
Acts 9:4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Acts 9:5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

This one encounter with Jesus turned his life around. He no longer stayed as the old murderer but turned in to a lamb. See what one encounter with Jesus does in ones life. That’s why Bible says in, 2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” When Saul met Jesus personally, the old wolf nature in him died. When Jesus comes in his life the old poisonous serpent nature dies and a nature of the harmless lamb emerges. That’s what Jesus wants to do in everybody’s life. You might be born in a christian home but it would not make you a christian. You might be doing all the rituals and following all the christian traditions but it would not make you a christian. Today millions who call themselves to be christians have failed to turn to their master Jesus. They have failed to reach for that ONE ENCOUNTER with Jesus. That’s why people of other religions look at us and think that we are looters and killers. What a shame.

I heard Rev. John Hagee saying, “Knowledge without God creates intellectual barbarians.” How true it is. Today many think that education would teach them good morals and make them better persons but that’s not true. Osama bin laden is the greatest example for it. He was highly educated and took engineering degree from western country. Did this education make him a good moral person? No. You all know the story, he is killing others and destroying lives and thinking that he is doing a good favor to God. Recently in India startling news shook the whole country. An educated doctor was removing kidneys of innocent people and destroying their lives.

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Taken from ( http://cbs2chicago.com )

Alleged ‘Kidney-Snatch’ Doctor Nabbed In Nepal

An international manhunt for the fugitive doctor, Amit Kumar, ended Thursday night when police arrested him in Chitwan, a Nepalese jungle resort 100 miles south of Katmandu, local police chief Kiran Gautam said.

Authorities believe that up to 500 kidneys have been sold to clients who traveled to India from around the world over the last nine years. Some victims were forced onto the operating table at gunpoint, while others were tricked with promises of work, police said last month.
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Education could not turn this doctor into a good person. Education could not change Saul either but one encounter with Jesus changed him into a new person. The Bible says that as soon as Saul met Jesus, he immediately began preaching about Jesus. What a change which has taken place in his life. The same man who wanted to kill the followers of Christ now preaching about Christ.

Acts 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
Acts 9:21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
Acts 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Not only did he defend the Gospel of Jesus but he also suffered for Christ and even was willing to die for the sake of the Gospel. That’s what happens when Jesus comes in ones life. When Jesus enters in one’s life, self dies and then, only one thing stands out i.e. how to glorify Jesus, how to exalt His name. Paul did the same thing.

Are you a true believer of Jesus Christ? Have you had an encounter with Jesus? Has your life turned around? If not, you need this encounter. You need Jesus in your life. If you are willing to give your life to Jesus you can do it right now. Please pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need this encounter in my life. Lord, you came in the life of Saul and changed him into a new person. Please come into my life and change my life. Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God. I believe that you can change my life. Lord, I believe that you can wipe away my sins. Please come into my heart. Forgive and forget my sins. Wash away all my sins in your precious blood and make me a new creation. Jesus, today I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. I invite you into my life. Please come in and transform my life. I pray in Jesus precious name. Amen.

John 6:35 “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

On 1st January 2008 in New Year service,  Pastor. Daniel delivered the word of God about the important to be hungry and thirsty for Jesus. Jesus said the he is a living water and a bread of life and whoever go to him will never go hungry and be thirsty. He is always ready to fill our stomach and quench our thirst. But the question is Are we really hungry for him? Have we ever go to him to quench our thirst?

There is no where else for us to find spiritual food and living water beside Jesus. It is very important that we must pray to God always to give us a desire to know Him more and more, to make us feel hungry for HIM. He is our all in all, the source of all the blessings and He is always ready to fill us with lots of wonderful blessing. All we have to do is just go to him with a thirsty heart for HIM only. And we will see HIS glory when we are open to him.

(John 11:1-43)

The Death of Lazarus

 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

 Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”

 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”

 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters

 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.  “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

 Jesus wept.

 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”  Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

This is a very interesting chapter which I read this morning and it really touch my heart. Jesus is 100% God and he was also 100% human. He feels what all of us feel, he felt hungry, he felt anger, he felt sadness, etc. We have to thank God for we have a God who understand our situation as a human.

This time I want to highlight the fact that Jesus wept. When he knew Lazarus was dead, Jesus wept for him because He loved this family. When I read this passage, I realize how my life is so blessed that God loves me. He will weep for us if we die … especially if we die in our spiritual life.

Jesus wants to have a good relationship with us, he wants to walk along with us on the path of our life.  When he sees us weep, he will also weep with us and console us.

I have a feeling that Martha was stronger than Mary. I think Mary was a very soft and gentle lady. When Jesus saw Mary wept, He couldn’t hold Himself and He was also wept. I realized how Jesus loved this family, the same love that Jesus have for you and me. He will be there for us no matter the situation we are into.

Act 4:29 “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness”.

Last Saturday in Bible Study Pas. Daniel taught us about Persecution in Jesus name. The word “persecution” seems very dangerous or scary. But, as a Christian we have to face persecution if not than there is something wrong in us. If we see Peter, John and other disciples of Jesus, none of them died a normal death. They were all martyr for Christ’s sake. Sometimes they were put in prison, beaten up, burned but they never stop. Instead they prayed to God to give them more boldness to speak His word, to do more miracles, to open more ways to reach out to more people.

Though in these days we don’t face such kind of physical persecution, but we are persecuted everyday mentally, spiritually, emotionally and sometimes even physically. Persecution is a kind of test for us to make us more strong in our faith and walk with God. No matter how hard our life may seem, God cares for us and He will take care of us in every situation if we all BELIEVE in him and endure untill the end. Let us also prayed to God to give us more strength, more boldness to speak HIS LIVING word and stand firm in HIM.

Psalm 100:4-5 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

How many times in our lives we forget His kindness and all His love to us. Sometimes we are just too busy with all our activities and programs, we put God in the queue. People used to say that we tent to forget God when we are healthy and happy, but we would come to God when we are sick or when we are down.

But what is happening most of the time, we were just too busy in both of the situations. When we are happy and healthy, we were to busy to arrange our schedule and all the appointments, it is very easy for us to forget Him when all our needs are fulfilled. But in the other hand, when we were sick or down, we were just too busy to have pity on ourselves, complaining to God why these things happened in our lives, busy to find the way out and busy to weep and cry.

Psalm 100 doesn’t tell us to enter His gate with thanks giving when we are happy and healthy, neither it tells us to enter His gate with thanks giving only when we are down. We have to give Him thanks in all situation whether it is up or down.

We have to thank Him for His love and His faithfulness endures forever. We have to thank Him in many ways, there is no limitation in giving him your thanksgiving or praise.

Luke 10:41-42 “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I still remembered the lesson which I had learn in Bible study last year about the visit of Jesus to Mary and Martha. It was from the book of “Living Logos”. The lesson’s name was “One thing is needful”. Initially, I couldn’t understand about what is this things which Jesus said needful. Finally Jesus open my mind and now I understand the most needful things and that is “our relationship with God”.

As we have seen, when Jesus visited Mary’s house, Martha (Mary’s sister) was busy in cooking (may be she wants to prepare some special dish). She was so lost in her work that she doesn’t even have time to listen what Jesus was saying. On the other hand, her sister Mary sat on the foot of Jesus and listen to HIM. Seeing this Martha got annoyed and told Jesus to ask her sister to help her in cooking. Jesus answered her “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Yes, it really makes me realized how important is to have time with Jesus. Sometimes we are so busy in ourself that we called to Him only when we need help. Many time we are busy in serving like arranging crusade programmes, church activities, and so on. I don’t mean that these are least important. Yes, Of course its important. But the most important to have a time with HIM. To have a wonderful relationship with Jesus. And this relationship can be build only when we give time to Jesus, just listen to him, talk to him in Prayer. Just like Mary lets just sit before the Lord with humble heart, pray, talk and listen to HIM.

“God is a speaking, communicating GOD but someone has to be listening on the other end” Jim Cymbala from “The Life God Blesses“