Message
One can easily assume that everyone who attends church regularly or functions in a department within a church has encountered Jesus. However, in my experience, I have realised that many people are working hard in the Lord’s vineyard but haven’t had an encounter with Him. They know a lot about Him, but they don’t know Him.
Paul thought he knew God until the day he had an encounter with Jesus Christ. When you truly meet Jesus, you will become a completely new person. Before Paul met Jesus, he persecuted believers. However, when he met Him, his story changed. In , he spoke about his horrible past as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an injurious person, and how he obtained mercy from God. In Christ, he became a Chief Apostle () and fulfilled his destiny ().
Peter was just another fisherman from Galilee before he met Jesus. However, when he met Jesus, he was given a glorious destiny (). Even when he failed and denied Jesus, his future was still secure because of his encounter with Jesus. When a man meets Jesus, his failures and weaknesses become part of his success story because God works all things together for his good ().
Isaiah thought he knew God until he had an encounter in that changed his life. When he saw the Lord in His glory, he fell on his face and cried, “…Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (). After meeting the Lord, Isaiah was willing to go wherever the Lord sent Him. When you truly meet Jesus, all your excuses will be burnt away like chaff.
Beloved, if you genuinely want to meet Jesus, make it mandatory for yourself to study God’s word every day. says that He is the Word of God. When you study the word of God, you are fellowshipping with Jesus Christ. The more of God’s word you study, the closer you will get to Him. It will be difficult at first because the devil will try to stop you, but as you keep at it, you will discover that you are being transformed because you are getting to know the Son of God for yourself.