The Encounter Matters!

[enaid]

Great topic Aknotan . . . first encounter was as a child and it was very shallow and story like but it laid the groundwork for a profound awakening as an adult. I always enjoyed the aesthetics of the episcopalian church and from time to time attended for this reason but I was searching for a sermonist who would have a pertinent message for my needs. Then after an abusive marriage I found myself in a ‘born again’ type of church and threw my hand in the air when they asked if anyone wanted to be re-baptized. Had no immediate sensations from that experience but later realized that it had embedded the Holy Spirit in me and that I was growing significantly as a result.

Then came a transcendant experience when in hospital with cancer - a deeply profound and intimate experience of a vast and magnificent God before whom I was a much, much loved sinner and I realized that the condition of being a sinner was a blessed one. That hospital experience was so powerful it lasted for about a year and didnt taper off until the year was up. It was a year filled with bliss and not just because the cancer was gone. To be honest I didnt care if I had cancer or not. In fact when I left the hospital and environs I felt disappointed and sad because that was the location of my visitation from God.

[Aknaton]

Originally Posted by enaid

Great topic Aknotan . . . first encounter was as a child and it was very shallow and story like but it laid the groundwork for a profound awakening as an adult. I always enjoyed the aesthetics of the episcopalian church and from time to time attended for this reason but I was searching for a sermonist who would have a pertinent message for my needs. Then after an abusive marriage I found myself in a ‘born again’ type of church and threw my hand in the air when they asked if anyone wanted to be re-baptized. Had no immediate sensations from that experience but later realized that it had embedded the Holy Spirit in me and that I was growing significantly as a result.

Then came a transcendant experience when in hospital with cancer - a deeply profound and intimate experience of a vast and magnificent God before whom I was a much, much loved sinner and I realized that the condition of being a sinner was a blessed one. That hospital experience was so powerful it lasted for about a year and didnt taper off until the year was up. It was a year filled with bliss and not just because the cancer was gone. To be honest I didnt care if I had cancer or not. In fact when I left the hospital and environs I felt disappointed and sad because that was the location of my visitation from God.

Wow, this was an awesome experience! I can only imagine the impact. I know of the experiences when God appears and it lasts days and weeks, but a year must be stunning, and would love such a bliss to engulf me.

I really enjoyed reading your experience, it has so much meaning In it.

I recount that after my baptism, I didn't feel any sensations; I know, experience seeking for the sake of it! Yet, I too didn't realise that the Holy Spirit was embedded in me, but after about 40 days, the Holy Spirit started to signal to me that He lived in me and I began to grow in the Spirit. And over and over again, he kept confirming that he lived in me.

But one experience I enjoyed was when I was walking through a dirt road in the spirit world and all of a suddenly a bright light shone and I started gravitating towards that Light, and in that Glorious light was Jesus Christ and I literally merged with that Light and then slowly descended having received instructions on dealing with two troublesome demons... But meeting Him and His Light!!!

[Aknaton]

Originally Posted by sky123

I personally meet Jesus everyday and everywhere .
He's at the Supermarket and bags my groceries with a smile, he's the stranger who shares an umbrella when the ' Heavens open ' and it rains heavily. I watched him give up his seat to an elderly man on a Train, he show's up in the smiles of the disabled trying to manage and enjoy every moment of
their lives with dignity. He was in the heart of the homeless man who thanked me for a hot drink and a sandwich, I found him doing voluntary work and walking around my neighborhood helping others.

The breezes of Christ are still blowing, his light is still shining.....

You will one day look back at this post and smile.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Aknaton

You will one day look back at this post and smile.

Yes I am smiling now I smile everyday when I personally meet Jesus....

>>Aknaton<<

Why are you asking me a question that you already have come up with an answer for in your mind before even asking me?
but yo answer your question yes I have in a vision I had that was quite an experience however
It is clear (to you) that you think I have just not had an "experience " yet and so I only say what I say out of a lack of personal experience and this is quite common among Christians.
I know that there is nothing I can say to get your mind to break free from the slavery of religion and see the truth.
But I understand because at one time I was alot like you I was a diehard believer I've done thousands of hours of ministry work and fed probably a few thousand people through ministry work and yes I've seen people be healed ive been apart of the kind of church that every Sunday they go to 2pm because half the congregation is passed out on the floor and people thinking that there speaking in tongues/Tech so I by no means am at the position that I'm in right now do to lack of experience.

But for you to see things the way I see them it would be as if you died it would destroy your world down to your very core you would lose all your beliefs and morals and be left not knowing what or why to do anything and it would change your walk of life forever and obviously no one wants that for themselves because people like there bubble and feel safe in it.
Me I want to know the real "truth " to life and why I am here and if I am ment to do something then I wanted to know what that something was and so my life has been devoted to finding the real meaning to life regardless of the information I find helps me or destroys me and with this mindset it has enabled me to desover things that you cant comprehend (at least not as long as you're still in slavery) .
So there's no point in me going over how the bible was made and the reason behind it
Or even the proper way to interpret it
Or many of the other reasons its fallacious and ridiculous
To idolize it as the word given by the all creator because if I explain one thing it won't make sense unless I explain another and so on and so forth this is why everybody has to find the truth out for themselves and that is done so by proving to yourself that everything you know is wrong and a lie and honestly for people that grew up in the school system I don't know if that's possible because you've been brainwashed since birth.

[Aknaton]

Originally Posted by MAYA EL

>>Aknaton<<

Why are you asking me a question that you already have come up with an answer for in your mind before even asking me?
but yo answer your question yes I have in a vision I had that was quite an experience however
It is clear (to you) that you think I have just not had an "experience " yet and so I only say what I say out of a lack of personal experience and this is quite common among Christians.
I know that there is nothing I can say to get your mind to break free from the slavery of religion and see the truth.
But I understand because at one time I was alot like you I was a diehard believer I've done thousands of hours of ministry work and fed probably a few thousand people through ministry work and yes I've seen people be healed ive been apart of the kind of church that every Sunday they go to 2pm because half the congregation is passed out on the floor and people thinking that there speaking in tongues/Tech so I by no means am at the position that I'm in right now do to lack of experience.

But for you to see things the way I see them it would be as if you died it would destroy your world down to your very core you would lose all your beliefs and morals and be left not knowing what or why to do anything and it would change your walk of life forever and obviously no one wants that for themselves because people like there bubble and feel safe in it.
Me I want to know the real "truth " to life and why I am here and if I am ment to do something then I wanted to know what that something was and so my life has been devoted to finding the real meaning to life regardless of the information I find helps me or destroys me and with this mindset it has enabled me to desover things that you cant comprehend (at least not as long as you're still in slavery) .
So there's no point in me going over how the bible was made and the reason behind it
Or even the proper way to interpret it
Or many of the other reasons its fallacious and ridiculous
To idolize it as the word given by the all creator because if I explain one thing it won't make sense unless I explain another and so on and so forth this is why everybody has to find the truth out for themselves and that is done so by proving to yourself that everything you know is wrong and a lie and honestly for people that grew up in the school system I don't know if that's possible because you've been brainwashed since birth.

This is almost exactly the response I wanted to evoke from you and I want this to be an example for many who share a similar way of thinking and opinion with you.

Your encounter with Christianity was not through Jesus himself. Service here, experiences there, feeding the poor and all these things are good, but are no means the essence of Christianity. The beginning of Christianity begins with Christ himself.

You may hate the religious system and how it is misused to abuse people and create a false sense of service of doing good to the public. And as a matter of fact I spend a lot of My time in ministry dealing with people from these so-called international religious organisations and they're self created constitutions. Of course I don't expect an immediate change, but somebodies gotta do something!

Here I join you in standing against these organizations, but if you've truly met Jesus and had been in contact/communion with him, you'd understand that he hasn't done anything wrong to anyone, and he too in his physical life and right now is against these organizations and so he stands with you too on that.

Jesus in his life was a rebel, and he wasn't part of any of the formal organizations that were there in his day and as a matter of fact, all he did was talk of the Father, Love, the Fathers promise of the Spirit and refraining from sin. No, not the message of become a part of this or that church organization, do A,B,C in the name of this church grouping, so on and so forth. He was just bringing people back to communion with the Father, the all creator as you have referred to Him.

Well no that was not your intention at all and so why you are trying to act like you planned for me to reply like that I'm not sure? I mean I wasn't mad I was simply explaining how blind people are when they believe in the bible and how no form of evidence can open there eyes to the truth until they do it them self . And to add to that what you have said is a no true scotsmen fallacy
Yes I was a real Christian from a family of pastors and missionaries . I hope you realize that there are over 5200 different religions that believe that there religion is the best and in christianity alone there are over 3600 different denominations that cant agree on the same book. If you ever branch out of your religion and study other things you will begin to see how and why the bible was made and the original way to interpret it and many other things that will change your view of everything. But not many are willing to do what it takes to know the truth and only want validation for what they already know. I see no point in continuing this conversation so good by

[Aknaton]

Originally Posted by MAYA EL

Well no that was not your intention at all and so why you are trying to act like you planned for me to reply like that I'm not sure? I mean I wasn't mad I was simply explaining how blind people are when they believe in the bible and how no form of evidence can open there eyes to the truth until they do it them self . And to add to that what you have said is a no true scotsmen fallacy
Yes I was a real Christian from a family of pastors and missionaries . I hope you realize that there are over 5200 different religions that believe that there religion is the best and in christianity alone there are over 3600 different denominations that cant agree on the same book. If you ever branch out of your religion and study other things you will begin to see how and why the bible was made and the original way to interpret it and many other things that will change your view of everything. But not many are willing to do what it takes to know the truth and only want validation for what they already know. I see no point in continuing this conversation so good by

It's easy to predict this type of reaction because I've dealt with many of your type, and you say similar things. I can actually model this response with a little statistics, the probability that such a one responds as you have is literally 1.

5,200 plus religions, 3,600 denominations... yet one Jesus.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by enaid

Great topic Aknotan . . . first encounter was as a child and it was very shallow and story like but it laid the groundwork for a profound awakening as an adult. I always enjoyed the aesthetics of the Episcopalian church and from time to time attended for this reason but I was searching for a sermonist who would have a pertinent message for my needs. Then after an abusive marriage I found myself in a ‘born again’ type of church and threw my hand in the air when they asked if anyone wanted to be re-baptized. Had no immediate sensations from that experience but later realized that it had embedded the Holy Spirit in me and that I was growing significantly as a result.

Then came a transcendent experience when in hospital with cancer - a deeply profound and intimate experience of a vast and magnificent God before whom I was a much, much loved sinner and I realized that the condition of being a sinner was a blessed one. That hospital experience was so powerful it lasted for about a year and didnt taper off until the year was up. It was a year filled with bliss and not just because the cancer was gone. To be honest I didnt care if I had cancer or not. In fact when I left the hospital and environs I felt disappointed and sad because that was the location of my visitation from God.

I SO relate. I have not had cancer, tho, that's all.

Originally Posted by Aknaton

It's easy to predict this type of reaction because I've dealt with many of your type, and you say similar things. I can actually model this response with a little statistics, the probability that such a one responds as you have is literally 1.

5,200 plus religions, 3,600 denominations... yet one Jesus.

You do realize that the name Jesus didn't even exist 2000yr ago right?. But never mind I know this conversation is not going to be productive do to your delusions of religions grandeur