Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20
Does this sound like Jesus is trying to get you to agree with His ideology? Or get you to understand a certain doctrine? Or that He is wanting you to join a certain religion or begin certain religious practices? Or is He talking about an actual meeting, an actual encounter with Him? What really changes a person in understanding another? What does it take to get to really know them? Actual conversations? Actual discussions with deep probing questions and answers? What happens in knowing someone when you both face a traumatic event and go through it together? What happens in knowing someone when you go through high stress situations together? What happens when you just sit down to eat with someone and just share a meal together without any expectations or agendas?
I was sitting here this morning looking out from the parapet of a watchman and seeing what is going on in the world – and there is certainly a lot going on that looks extremely dangerous and evil, all the while God’s agents and ambassadors are moving stealthily among the chaos. I was trying to discern what message I should deliver to the people. And it always comes back to Jesus. Everyone needs to encounter Him for themselves personally, not rationalize, or intellectualize, or philosophize, or spiritualize, but ACTUALLY meet Him in an actual personal encounter. That’s what changes a person; meeting the Savior, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, … personally … in an encounter with Him. Isn’t that what Jesus is suggesting in this statement / verse?
Okay, let’s say you have an encounter with Him. Does He stop with that single meeting? Or does He actually take up ‘residence’ with and in you? Does He want to have continued conversations with you? What role does Jesus say His Holy Spirit will have with you? How will the Holy Spirit interact with you? What is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life? What fruit is being produced?
When deception is at an all-time high – how will you discern the real Truth? How does one work at knowing the Truth better and deeper? Did Jesus call Himself the Truth? (John 14:6) How do you get to know Jesus better? What would be the BEST way? Personal time spent together through encounters and life. Over and over. The Holy Spirit and Jesus are One. Are you daily having encounters with Him? Are you asking Him for those encounters? Are you actually looking for Him and what He is doing right around you?
Now many of my academic theological friends will be telling me to point people to the Bible. Demons know the Bible better than humans. What people need is the Word.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
Does this sound like a ‘book’ to you? Yes, the Bible IS the inspired Word of God and …
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
The Bible is not all encompassing, the book with paper pages is NOT God. John 1:1 was the first verse of this gospel. And what is the last verse of this gospel?
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25
Yes, the Bible speaks the Truth about Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit. What’s the difference between reading an autobiography and actually meeting the person? An encounter with the real ‘living’ individual. Jesus IS alive!!!! And YOU can encounter Him. Am I telling NOT to read the Bible? NO!! I am trying to get you to invite Him to have an encounter with you! Who can explain their writings the best but the Author?
Those that actually KNOW Him will not be deceived but will actually KNOW the Truth.
Jesus I want to encounter You … today!