Hi,
They say personal relationship with God or Jesus.
What does this mean ?
It means that Christ is not only risen from the dead but is also available to commune with.
He resurrected bodily as a man yet also transfigured Himself into a form in which we can personally (and collectively) know Him.
He became a divine life imparting Spirit -
So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. (1 Cor. 15:45)
The life giving Spirit is here to give life (the divine and uncreated life of God) imbodied in the resurrected Son of God, into us.
It is THE most intimate and personal relationship a human being can have.
Christ as
"life giving Spirit" mingles and blends with our innermost being if we RECEIVE Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name,
Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12,13)
The human innermost spiritual being, the human spirit becomes divine life because of justification of Christ's redemption.
the [human] spirit is life because of righteousness. (Rom. 8:10c)
The kernel - the very nucleus of the human being is made one with Jesus Christ.
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. (1 Cor. 6:17)
The eternal uncreated Spirit who is the triune God bears witness with the human spirit that there is henceforth
a life relationship between God and man as a Father to a child.
The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom. 8:16)
This life giving Spirit is Christ Himself in another form as the Comforter, the Paraclete who will be with the reborn one for eternity - forever.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, (John 14:16)
I do understand as human we need a standard to evaluate ourselfs our deeds our thoughts. The bible, God is our standard.
If we dont adopt God's standard, fornication, homosexuality would be ok so long all parties consented.
You and I can never overcome sinning.
Being a Christian involves realizing that at best we are all failures.
But there is One living within us who is the Victor and can overcome the world, the flesh, sin, and death. That is the indwelling Lord
Jesus Christ. He has to be touched by calling on His name. He has to become in us the One who lives rather than us.
Rather we abide in Him as a branch abides in a vine. ALL of the riches, health, and well being of the vine flow into the abiding branches.
Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4,5)
Someone may ask
"How does one abide in Jesus Christ?"
The first step is to SEE that He is the True Vine and we are the branches.
The first step is to realize and stand upon the fact that we are IN Him deriving all of our life FROM Him.
We have Paul as an example. He stood upon the truth that Christ was his history, his legacy, his past, his present, his future unto eternity.
It was Christ living in him. He saw it and would never let it go.
I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal. 2:20)
A personal relationship with Christ is the truth of the fact that part of our being has become God Himself in a joined "organic" mingling
of Christ with our innermost being.
Paul did not want the Christians to be igorant of the truth - Jesus Christ was in them.
Test yourselves whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves. Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disapproved? (2 Cor. 13:5)
They say personal relationship with God Jesus, thing is God has never really spoken to me or manifested himself to me, that is if I critically analyse the cases.
That is abnormal. And you should not settle for it.
Neither should you expect God's speaking to you will always be dramatic or spectacular.
When you wake in the morning perhaps the viery FIRST thing you should say is something like this -
"Lord Jesus, today I RECEIVE You Lord. I allow You enterance into my open heart. Come live in me today Lord Jesus. And THANKYOU."
Yesterday you put under the blood of Christ. You past sins are cleansed and forgotten for His name sake.
Tomorrow is not here yet. You only have TODAY to live with Christ responding to His still small voice.
A Christians should have God's speaking all the time. Like a little child though usually the speaking of God is "No."
God in the beginning of our walk with Him gives us a lot of "No."
"No. Don't speak that which you usually spoke before."
"No. Don't look at that as you were in the habit of looking before. Enjoy Me instead."
"No. You thought those thoughts in the past. Now think differently. Think of My word and of the enjoyment of Me."
"No. In the past your reacted that way. This time choose to say 'Lord Jesus, I love You.' "
Every act of denying your old way and going along with His speaking results in you becomming stronger in grace.
Every act of heeding His speaking will make your sense of His presence keener, finer, and stronger.
By obeying His speaking in small things He will gain more and more ground in your heart.
Then you learn to CALL on His name, like breathing -
"Lord Jesus. O Lord Jesus. O Lord JESUS. I love You Lord Jesus. Lord JESUS You love me."
In the heat of temptation you do not strive and struggle to resist. Rather you just turn you heart to the victorious One living within you - Jesus.
"O Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus. Lord I love You."
By touching Him by calling on His name the epowering grace of Christ will spontaneously flow into your being.
The Lord hears your voice.
I love Jehovah because He hears / My voice, my supplications,
Because He inclines His ear to me; / Therefore I will call upon Him all my days. (Psalm 116:1,2)
So get to know the indwelling Lord Jesus by calling on His name. You need not always be loud.
Just to whisper His name like breathing is so effective. It is like drinking God as salvation from a cup.
What shall I return to Jehovah / For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation / And call upon the name of Jehovah. (vs. 12,13)
Learn to have His name often on your lips. And I mean as you also turn your heart of love towards Him as the living God that He is.
It is a sacrifice of praise. It is to deny your typical reaction and turn, turn, turn your being toward Jesus Christ instead.
To You I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, / And I will call upon the name of Jehovah. (v.17)
You are weak because you do not call on the name of the Lord enough.
You need to open your mouth and open your heart and call on the Lord.
You need to be as a salmon fish swimming upstream against the current.
You need to turn to your innermost praying organ and be strengthened into your inner man calling "Lord Jesus, I DO love You."
If you call on His name with your heart turned to Him for five minutes, your spirit will be on fire.
I encourage you to open your mouth more in reading aloud the Scriptures and calling on the name of the Lord.
Christ has to become a sheer ENJOYMENT to you rather than a religious duty.