My heart is full today with thoughts of those who do not know Christ. Oh, they may know of Him, and they may even know what the history books say about the time He spent on earth. But they don’t understand what it is to commune with Him. To be filled with His Spirit. To be washed in His blood.Toenjoy theprotection of bearing His name.
Knowing of Christ and knowing Christ is the difference between looking at a map of the Atlantic Ocean and standing on its shores.There simply is no comparison. A picture of the sand and the water and experiencing the warm squish between your toes and the salty breeze on your faceare completely different.
So it is with knowing Christ.
Reading about the Acts experience is like looking at the map. It can in no way prepare you for what it is torecieve the infilling of the Holy Spirit yourself. Just as my gallbladder surgery is my surgery – my experience. And yours, ( should you ever need one) will be yours. There may be similarities in terms of recovery and length-of-stay in the hospital; but all-in-all, your feelings, your reactions, and your perceptions, will be yours and mine will be mine.
So it is when the Heavenly Dove descends down and removesour old natures and fills us with His own. What resides in me that needs removal and what is in you is different. The supernatural surgery that takes place is a very unique and extremely personal experience for each one of us.
The Lord, through the prophet Ezekiel, put it this way:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh…And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
This new heart experience came about with the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost:
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
So what do we do about those that we care forwho have not experienced Christ?
We pray for them. Sincerely and earnestly. And perhaps we do like Job did. He offered sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of his children “in case they had sinned in their heart”. (Job 1:1-4)
It is my desire that every man, woman, and child on earth experience the love relationship that I have with the Lord Jesus Christ. That they know what it is to walk with Him in the cool of the day and to feel the sweetness of His presence. But I understand that my efforts to convince themare not much different than showing them slides of my trip with Jesus. The reality is that they must experience Christ for themselves. So I will pray for them. And then pray some more.When I am done praying, I will pray again and ask the Lord to awaken in them a desire to go on their own journey with Himbecause I know that then and only then will they truly understand what it is to know Him.
“That I may know Him…” (Philippians 3:10)