When God first called me, it took me by surprise.
At that time, I was a dedicated Christian. I went to a charismatic mega-church 3 times a week. I tithed from the gross, not the net. I was squeaky clean—didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, and only listened to Christian music.
Although I was involved with church and dedicated to the Lord, my life lacked peace. Actually, my life was a mess because of unwise decisions I had made, and I longed for Jesus to return to rescue me.
Besides my life being difficult, there was something missing. I had a huge void and didn’t know quite what to do to fill it. There was a strong yearning in my heart to know God in the now, not in the future when I die, but then.
I started diligently seeking and unfortunately, I had to get to rock bottom before I made the connection that I was looking for.
As I sat there in the velour swivel rocker that day, I wept violently while crying out to God for help. I said, “if you are real, then speak to me and tell me what to do to get out of this situation. I will do ANYTHING, just please speak to me!
In the very next moment, I felt as if a warm blanket was descending upon me and gently swaddling me. The peace was unreal and nothing like I had ever experienced before. I was awakened spiritually for the very first time in my life and I could hear. It was not an audible voice, but more like a knowing.
God said, “I’m here and I will show you what to do.”
Suddenly, I understood what Christ meant by being born again, and I understood the meaning of the parable of the treasure in the field.
It’s as if I had been digging in a spiritual field diligently searching for a valuable hidden treasure, and I found it.
My weeping turned to tears of joy as I sat there and said, I found you, I found you, I found you…
That was 35 years ago and my life has never been the same since.
On that day, I was determined to remain in that peaceful state forever, and I knew that in order to continue in that serenity, it required me to do the will of my Father, God.
Over the next six months, God showed me so many things in the Bible. I binged on the Gospels, and I started reading the prophets.
As a Christian, I had been taught from the pulpit that the Old Testament is the old covenant and had been completed by Christ. So, why spend too much time on it?
What God showed me is that there are so many passages in the writings of the prophets that have yet to be fulfilled, and how surprisingly many times they wrote about the modern-day Christian Church.
For example, God showed me that Ephraim is sometimes used as a typology of the Church, while Manasseh is symbolic of the Jewish people. When Jacob blessed his grandsons, he prophesied that Manasseh would become a people and be great, but Ephraim, the second born, would be greater because his seed would become a multitude of nations.
When reading the Gospels, God showed me to always take notice of who Christ was talking to. It was eye-opening and I realized that his ONLY enemies were the men filled with the spirit of religion.
The people of the world loved him and thronged him.
I also realized that the words that were meant only for the disciples have been doled out to the people of the world by Christians with threats of Hellfire if they don’t accept.
In the sermon on the mount, Matthew makes it clear that Christ is instructing his disciples. Those words are ONLY meant for his disciples. Those rigorous instructions could never be followed, unless one is called of God, and is completely dedicated.
Mathew 22:14, says many are called, but few are chosen.
Does that mean everyone is going to Hell, but the few? —NO
It means that the chosen have more responsibility and those who bless a disciple only in the name of a disciple, will not lose their reward, Matthew 10:42.
It opened my eyes to how far away from the teachings of Christ that the Christian doctrine is. I was baffled. I had no idea that there was a problem with the Christian Church and as I studied, it became glaringly apparent.
I began to see how dangerous it is to call yourself a disciple just because you have bought into the “free gift through faith” teachings of Paul.
God showed me an analogy to help me understand.
The people of the world are like a fine roast, the finest cut, one that you would serve to an honored guest. The Christian church members, who are supposed to be disciples, are the salt.
If you go to season the roast and the salt has lost its savor, you don’t throw out the roast. You throw out the salt.