My Easter Message; A Modern Day Resurrection

My Heart | Myself

[vmatt]

Being raised up Catholic I became a troubled youth and in 1976 began my earnest search for the truth out of desparate straits. Having always believed in God and His Christ, I began to reason in my mind that sure, I know God is there but if in fact He is there but unwilling to help me in this my moment of great need, then I have no need of Him and He must have rejected me. I began by opening a Catholic bible and a KJV and to my utter amazement there was very little difference that I could discern. Having found Paul's words describing my present straits so perfectly I began to see that Paul was at one time in the same boat as I. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That which I would, I do not and that which I would not, that I do. To make a long story short, I continued my search for the answer and began to believe that there was a gift from God available to me called the Holy Ghost and that this gift had been there all along. Somehow I knew that this was the help I was seeking and that God had provided this gift 2000 years ago. I knew He would give me this gift and began earnestly praying that God give this gift to me and had no doubt I would receive it. For several days I began telling anyone who would listen that I was about to receive the Holy Ghost but of course no one understood what I was saying.

Then one day I began praying and, sitting on my couch alone in an empty apartment with an emptier heart, I raised my eyes and hands heavenward and spoke to God these words, "Lord, I am not leaving this apartment until I receive the Holy Ghost!" As God is my witness and I witness to you now, I was instantly filled with the most unbelievable and indescribable love and power and began speaking in a language which I could hear but not understand and could not control. I found myself upon the floor, weeping with joy and rose up to the most glorious sunshine and blue sky I had ever seen. I was a new creature, old things had passed away and all things became new. The only thought in my mind was to get in my car and quickly go to tell my parents that there was a most wonderful gift just awaiting the asking so I ran to my car, short shorts, bare feet and long hair flowing around my shoulders. What a sight I must have been. As I pulled away I saw some people and shouted from the window to them and the words all came out in the same language I had been speaking moments earlier. I was filled with joy unspeakable. As I got closer to home I suddenly began to realize that no one was going to believe me.

[israelite98]

Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ;^)

[f.Christian]

"For the Church of God, the words "He is risen" are full of health and gladness. The more that we dwell upon our Surety's resurrection, the more shall we realize the life and immortality which have been brought to light by His gospel. The oftener that we visit His empty tomb, and see for ourselves that He is not here, He is risen, the more shall we be penetrated by that wondrous truth that we are risen with Him, and that this fellowship in resurrection is as truly the source of spiritual life, health, and holiness, as of joy unspeakable and full of glory."

"For each sad sinner, still buried in the grave of sin, the words contain a gospel,-glad tidings of great joy. The empty tomb of Jesus gives forth a voice which reaches to the very ends of the earth. Everlasting life through Him who died and rose again; forgiveness and righteousness and reconciliation through the accepted work of the great Substitute, finished on the cross, but sealed and attested by resurrection; peace with God through Him who left the tomb. and went up to the Father's right hand, as at once the maker and the giver of peace;-all this we preach... without---condition or restriction, to a world lying in wickedness, that each condemned one may hear and live! Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins! Take the free pardon now; and in taking it, exchange at once, without one moment's delay or uncertainty, life for death, liberty for bondage, Sonship for alienation, joy for sorrow,-a hope that maketh not ashamed, for heaviness here and eternal despair hereafter. He is risen, sinner, He is risen!"

[curmudgeonII]

What, if anything, are your formal religious observations now?

[vmatt]

What, if anything, are your formal religious observations now?

I have none.

[vmatt]

Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

[vmatt]

Acts 13:41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

[vmatt]

I want to thank you three for acknowledging that you read my message. After spending many months speaking to people about the message of the bible, I have come to the conclusion that beyond this testimony my time here is at an end. Threads about a mysterious light from Mary or things like that take on much more importance than the heartfelt testimony of the work of God in mens lives today. The silence here on this thread speaks volumes to me and confirms what I already expected that God does not work among the high minded arguments and philosophical debates of those who reject His spirit. May God bring you lightly from your lofty perches of reprobate religious self righteousness and fill you with His gift.

[israelite98]

The silence here on this thread speaks volumes to me and confirms what I already expected that God does not work among the high minded arguments and philosophical debates of those who reject His spirit. May God bring you lightly from your lofty perches of reprobate religious self righteousness and fill you with His gift.

Mt 10:14 - And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.

[curmudgeonII]

Be not of faint heart. I post replies very frequently, but the vast majority of posts that I read [even the ones that most impress me] I do not respond to.

If I am not mistaken, in one of the prior FreeRepublic formats there was an item that gave the number of times each post had been viewed.

Lack of response to your post does not necessarily mean either lack of interest or lack of readers.

[vmatt]

God bless you.

[f.Christian]

"If the Christ of God, in His sorrowful life below, be but a specimen of suffering humanity, or a model of patient calmness under wrong, not one of these things is manifested or secured. He is but one fragment more of a confused and disordered world, where everything has broken loose from its anchorage, and each is dashing against the other in unmanageable chaos, without any prospect of a holy or tranquil issue. He is an example of the complete triumph of evil over goodness, of wrong over right, of Satan over God,-one from whose history we can draw only this terrific conclusion, that God has lost the control of His own world; that sin has become too great a power for God either to regulate or extirpate; that the utmost that God can do is to produce a rare example of suffering holiness, which He allows the world to tread upon without being able effectually to interfere; that righteousness, after ages of buffeting and scorn, must retire from the field in utter helplessness, and permit the unchecked reign of evil. If the cross be the mere exhibition of self-sacrifice and patient meekness, then the hope of the world is gone. We had always thought that there was a potent purpose of God at work in connection with the sin- bearing work of the holy Sufferer, which, allowing sin for a season to develop itself, was preparing and evolving a power which would utterly overthrow it, and sweep earth clean of evil, moral and physical. But if the crucified Christ be the mere self-denying man, we have nothing more at work for the overthrow of evil than has again and again been witnessed, when some hero or martyr rose above the level of his age to protest against evils which he could not eradicate, and to bear witness in life and death for truth and righteousness, -in vain(not)."

The Truth-Gospel is much bigger than our understanding--comprehension--communication and especially experience of it!

Hal Lindsay in "the great-late planet earth" said in this regards---

"there is no instant maturity"...patience--wisdom--experience--faith/hope--REALITY!

The parable of the seed-sower-Gospel explains all this...

and the Gospel of John explains the fruit of the Holy Spirit/Gospel is the Gospel/Jesus Christ---

and heresy/false witness-gospel will speak of itself!

[vmatt]

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

[f.Christian]

Basically you can't even begin or live the Christian life with out the Holy Spirit...that is called works--religion!

[vmatt]

Basically you can't even begin or live the Christian life with out the Holy Spirit...that is called works--religion!

Sure you can, the Holy Ghost wasn't given until the day of pentecost yet I suppose you would consider the disciples "Christians" up until that point. All those after pentecost who only knew the baptism of John but had not yet heard of the baptism of the Holy Ghost would also be considered "Christians", don't you agree?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

Yes I have BUMP to ya, but not in the way you have.

BigMack

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Do Not Judge Lest Ye Be Judged. It is not your's to decide who has been anointed by the Holy Ghost and who has not. Would you ever know if a fellow believer had been slain in the Spirit simply from their posts here, or given the gifts, lesser and greater, of that Spirit?

No.

You judge unjustly and wrongly, and presumptuously, and this day that same Holy Ghost will convict your conscience and sear it for your sin.

[vmatt]

Do Not Judge Lest Ye Be Judged. It is not your's to decide who has been anointed by the Holy Ghost and who has not. Would you ever know if a fellow believer had been slain in the Spirit simply from their posts here, or given the gifts, lesser and greater, of that Spirit?

Yes.

[vmatt]

Yes I have BUMP to ya, but not in the way you have.

In what way the? Surely you realize that many, many religious organizations teach their people many different ways to receive the spirit just as all doctrine differs. We know they cannnot all be correct. This means that there are many who believe they have received what they have not, just as the Catholic church taught me. They lied. I want everyone to receive what God has for them, not what man teaches them. God bless you and yours.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

OK, then how do YOU judge my relationship with the Holy Ghost, as you presume to judge mens' souls? Do you discern that I have not been slain, that I have not received?