The Christ Experience

When Kristen and I were leaving the Carlsbad Caverns Visitors Center we were left awestruck by the beauty of what seemed like endless vastness below the earth's crust that God had used many years to create.  As we came out to our Honda Civic exhausted and hungry we happened to run into two young ladies, around the same ages as us, named Hillary and Lindsay.  They were sitting in the back of their compact, eating snacks and chatting away like two best friends.  After striking up conversation we discovered that they had just recently arrived at the park and were getting ready to head into the abyss.  After a few minutes I discovered that they had become acquaintances while working for a science news broadcast that airs on NPR out of Austin, TX. They explained that they were on an adventure together to take time off work.  As we continued on in conversation somehow our plans for our trip came up and thus the name of Jesus. Seizing this opportunity to share his love and hope to them I asked, “Do you know Him?” Lindsay didn't really respond but her friend, after I further stated that it may be a strange question to ask, said, “No its not.” She then proceeded with man umms and oohhs, to figure out whether she knew him. She then at last confessed, “I know of him historically speaking but, no I don't really know him personally.” I replied that many people know of his historicity but have never really come to experience him, what I simply explained to be the Christ experience. I shared with them how my wife and I have experienced Christ's love and mercy in our own lives and how exciting it is to know that the creator of the caverns and everything else they could see knows us personally. I urged them to have a Christ experience as well, that getting to know God is the greatest adventure of a lifetime and that they could find out more about Him through reading the Bible. After they left we placed a Teen Bible (it was one of the only ones we had) on their windshield with a note referring to a verse in Colossians about how Christ has taken the penalty of our sins upon Himself. We wrote again how getting to know Him will lead the both of them on the greatest adventures they will ever embark upon. Sometimes God places people in our paths who just need to be reminded that they can experience Christ for themselves and that he does care to know about them and forgive them of their sins. He is more than a character of history. He is the Son of God, Prince of Peace, lord of Life. Is He more than just a name in an old book to you? Have you had your own Christ experience? I would challenge that even if you have gotten wet in the waters of baptism, sang the good songs as you sat in a pew and even taken the preacher's sermons to heart that you may not know Jesus. You may not have actually personally experienced His tangible love. Have you ever really sought after Him with all your mind, heart, soul and strength or do you just pretend that everything will go alright for you because you do what your parents or church told you to do since you were a kid? Following Jesus is not for those who want to pretend and get around obeying and actually having an authentic relationship with the creator of the universe. Jesus said that if you love Him you will obey His commands and then He will send the comforter, the Spirit of Life to come live inside of you. Have you ever asked for the Holy Spirit? If not then don't wait. Don't settle for religion that has, “A form of godliness but denying its power.” be empowered by the breath of God and have your own Christ experience.