With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ. Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me.
Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament
I remember a bumper sticker that was pretty popular not that long ago. It read simply, "My Father is a Jewish carpenter." Obviously, this is a play on bringing attention to the fact that the owner of the vehicle sporting that sticker is a believer in Jesus. I'll admit that there are those who make it a point to bring attention to their own beliefs. I get it. We want those around us to know where it is we stand. I have seen faith related bumper stickers, billboards and even t-shirts at the gym. I once considered branding a few t-shirts to wear at the gym before abandoning the idea. The way I saw it, what good would it do for someone to know how I believe? I did not come to a personal relationship with Jesus by knowing how someone else believed. I came to know Jesus in a personal way from someone sharing with me what they believe. There's a difference. We can know in our heart of hearts that we believe in Jesus, but that will not bring us closer to Him. When I was attending church on a regular basis, I knew that I believed in God. I was sure of it. I was proud to proclaim that I was a Christian. But I was missing one important aspect. I was missing Jesus in my life. To know of Him and to have a relationship with Jesus are indeed two different things entirely. Growing up in a church going family, I have always known that I'm a believer. But I also know that I have not always known Jesus. My own realization of Jesus in me didn't come from a Sunday sermon, but from the Fathers own revelation to me. Through the words of the experiences of a dear friend, I have come to know the reality of who it is that I am. One with Christ Jesus {Johns Account 14:20}. I'm not simply a believer in Jesus, I have come to know Him personally and intimately.
How, then, should they be invoking One in Whom they do not believe? Yet how should they be believing One of Whom they do not hear? Yet how should they be hearing apart from one heralding? Yet how should they be heralding if ever they should not be commissioned? According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good!
Paul to the Romans 10: 14-15, Concordant New Testament
If you have read the bible, then you might know of the story of Saul and his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Raised in the Jewish faith, Saul knew all to well of the beliefs and traditions of his faith. He was, in fact, a believer. A believer who was hell bent on destroying all of those whom he considered enemies of the faith he grew up believing in. As Saul traveled that road to Damascus, he did so with the blessings of the church leaders in order to persecute the early followers of Jesus the blasphemer. But the Father had other plans for His servant Saul. It was time for Saul to stop resting on his beliefs and beginning to experience Jesus for himself. So begin the conversion of one of history's greatest proclaimers of the gospel of Christ. The words spoken by Paul have introduced many to the truth of Jesus. Paul describes his own revelation as "When it delights the Lord, who severs me from my mothers womb and calls me through His grace" {Paul to the Galatians 1:15}. For, like my own experience, it is by the leading of the Father that Paul came to know Jesus on a personal level. Despite all which he thought he believed about God, Paul would come to know the truth of his own union with Him. So, again I pose the question, what good is it to advertise that I'm a believer? I believe that doing so will spark a conversation with those whom the Father presents to me, but in the end it is by the revelation of God that one will come to know the truth of their own life in Jesus.
~Scott~
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