Clouds And Darkness

[cmc]

A person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when he is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he finds that "clouds and darkness surround Him......" When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first realization of this. The only possible way to have full understanding of the teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Spirit of God shining inside us. If we have never had the experience of taking our casual, religious shoes off our casual religious feet--- getting rid of all the excessive informality with which we approach God-- it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence. The people who are flippant and disrespectful in their approach to God are those who have never been introduced to Jesus Christ. Only after the amazing delight and liberty of realizing what Jesus Christ does, comes the impenetrable "darkness" of realizing who He is.

Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Once, the Bible was just so many words to us---"clouds and darkness"--- then, suddenly, the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new. That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God, it is by the most simple way---words.

[toad]

Thanks cmc, we must worship God in spirit and truth. I remember how that I had to read some of the Bible for a college class, and as an unbeliever I looked and understood as best as I could. But when I surrendered to God and then read the Word, it seemed as if it was alive, speaking to me personally. When I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the Word not only spoke to me and was alive, but with the Words I was given power to apply the Word to my life........God was doing for me what I could not do for myself.....toad

[cmc]

the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new.

toad,
I love how he put this and it's so true. Over the years I have often been surprised that one verse I thought I had exhausted of meaning...comes to life anew. His words are alive and that is something our finite minds cannot always grasp. The bible is truly an amazing book... no small wonder when we consider the Author.

[best]

What I have found when my eyes became opened...
Growing up and being told this or that or thinking things were this way or that way...once I started reading the bible and finding out the facts for myself, my whole life changed. In Spirit and in Truth is how God's word spoke to me.