029 - Do You Know Jesus?
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DO YOU KNOW JESUS? By Rodney W. Francis This Faith Message is being written out of a growing concern that is being noticed amongst professing Christians ~ that many know about Jesus Christ, but are lacking that personal, intimate relationship that He desires of us. We live in a very religious generation and it is very important that we guard against allowing our lives to come under religious influence; an influence that robs us of the reality of the Living Christ in our hearts and lives every day. Religion teaches us to live by rules and regulations, but the New Covenant Christianity is all about a personal, living relationship with JESUS CHRIST the Son of the Living God! What an awesome privilege we have to know the God of the whole earth! We do need to be encouraging one another to be focussed on keeping JESUS CHRIST at the very centre of our Christianity. So many voices are seeking to gain our attention and to distract us from keeping JESUS as the Centre of our lives. Many of those voices are speaking of good things, but they are not necessarily good for our ongoing walk with the Lord. Let me ask you some very direct and personal questions, dear Christian: Do you know JESUS CHRIST personally in your life? If not, how much do you desire to know Him in a personal way? He waits to hear from you with your earnest, heartfelt cry asking Him to reveal Himself to you. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). If you do know JESUS CHRIST personally, how well do you know Him? Is He “Number One” in your life, or do you simply try and fit Him in around all the other busy activities of your life? Do you live to please Him? Do you know His will for your life? Life will never be completely satisfying to us if we are not in the centre of God’s will for us, actively outworking it day by day. There is nothing more fulfilling than being in the centre of God’s will, knowing it and doing it! Knowing Jesus in a personal way is not simply a matter of attending church, meetings, house fellowships, etc. It is like a marriage where two people are totally devoted to one another. In the Christian sense it is: Jesus to you, and you to Jesus. I have been in Christian ministry for over 50 years and have observed many thousands of people in Christian circles. Far too many have not discovered God’s will for their lives, and then they wonder why Christianity loses its impact upon them. Christianity is not a social club; it is a total commitment of our lives to JESUS CHRIST. When we have that commitment then things begin to fall into their rightful place for us. Take some time to consider this Scripture: “I beseech (“urge”)you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable (“rational”) service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2, NKJV). This Scripture gives us the keys to be able to not only know the will of God for our own life, but to be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God! We can prove the will of God for our own life! Why is it so important to have a personal relationship with Jesus? It is because when we have a personal relationship with Him we come to hear and know His voice. And His voice tells us all the things we need to know about His will for our life. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ get to know His voice. Jesus said His sheep “hear and know His voice” (John 10). What a difference it makes in our lives when we know we are hearing the voice of God to us! MY EXPERIENCE I can never forget the day that, as an 18-year-old brand new Christian, I heard the voice of God very clearly say to me: “If you will get to know My voice, and will do what I ask you, there is nowhere in this world where you and I cannot go together, and we not be successful.” From that moment that became the prophetic foundation of my Christian life and ministry. I eagerly sought to know God’s voice and I can honestly say that I have heard it many times over the years. As I have obeyed what He has asked of me I have known without a doubt His plans and purposes for me. As I have followed His instructions I have seen the Lord use me to touch multiplied thousands and thousands of lives all around the world, even in scores of countries where I have never gone personally. I am so glad that I listened to God and obeyed. I had no training in what God called me to do. When He said, “Write this down,” I would write it down and, amazingly I started writing articles and books that now circulate the world in numbers of different languages. Yet I have never had any qualifications or training to do what we are doing, except to listen to what God says. It is a key to fruitfulness in Christian Ministry. The voice of God is so right that you can learn to trust your whole life to whatever He tells you. At the end of 1999 God clearly spoke to me to resign my salaried Pastor’s position and to step out in faith. He told me that if I would trust Him with my life and my future, then He would show me what He could do for me. He then told me not to raise a financial support base for our Ministry, but to trust Him totally. That was one of the biggest challenges of my entire life. But because I knew the voice of God had spoken, we trusted God and stepped out. Since that time we have marvelled at the way the Lord has provided for us, as well as grown The Gospel Faith Messenger from ministering in approximately 55 nations at that time to today we are in at least 108 nations. Do not ask me where the money has come from, as I do not personally know. Yes, there have been a number of faithful people who have grasped the vision of The GFM and are faithfully supporting us. We have been able to print thousands of books, take thousands through our free Bible Correspondence Courses and to travel widely. Not once have we had to cancel a trip because the money did not come in. “This is the Lord’s doings, and it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). So much more could be shared here, but we write this as a testimony to what the Lord has done over many years for us. Every month every bill is paid! No one can take this testimony away from us! Praise the Lord! If there was no personal relationship with Jesus Christ, these experiences would never be ours. The Lord is longing to be GOD in the lives of His people today, and it all starts with a personal meeting with Jesus. Until that happens we will be limited to “religious experiences and duties” that never last, nor do they enable us to fulfil the will of God for our lives. My heart is that YOU will know the Lord Jesus Himself in a personal way, and know the joy of hearing His voice, knowing His will, and then seeing His promises faithfully fulfilled in that which He has called you to do. Many Christians are robbed of the benefits of the Prophetic Ministry because it is not encouraged in many churches. When the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are allowed to function ~ motivated by love ~ then the voice of God comes to through those Gifts. I am living today in the fulfilment of numbers of Prophetic Words spoken over my life over the years. I am so grateful to God that I had these extra means of confirmation and guidance to help me make the right decisions to fulfil God’s purposes for my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24). If you are struggling to hear the voice of God, don’t be afraid to move outside your normal fellowship of people and see what God says to you. If you mix with prophetic people you will be sure to receive prophetic words before too long. Remember, you have to do this with the right motivation ~ that of desiring to hear from God so His will can be done in you more fully. Do you know Jesus Christ in a personal way? It is so important that you do. Seek Him today and you will be found of Him! God bless you. "The Gospel Faith Messenger" Ministry. New Zealand. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |