For a Vision of Your Holiness

Holiness

“We misunderstand and distort reality when we take ourselves as the starting point and our present situation as the basic datum.”
— Eugene Peterson, in *Leadership Journal* magazine.

God calls us to be holy. After all, God is holy. (Most of us just assume that, but in the Bible they're so awestruck by God, they keep saying it : 1 Peter 1:15-16; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:4). When we speak of the 'Holy Spirit', we're saying the Spirit is holy.

If we are 'indwelt' and even 'filled' with the Spirit, does it mean holiness is in us? But what is holiness? Following the law? A saintly countenance? A quietude people can see? Churchly achievement? Excellent performance? Good deeds? Good PR? Being super nice to everyone?

The holy life is simply living as someone who belongs to God and who lives by the vision of the Kingdom of God. Were it only so simple. For we, on our own, don't have much to work with.

We can't rightly envision what a life of holiness is, and even if we could, we couldn't get ourselves to be that way. So, the Spirit brings us into the holiness of Jesus. (I'm not talking about a holiness '' Jesus' or a holiness in Jesus' style.

Thanks to the Spirit working through your faith, Jesus is really there with you and within you, giving you Jesus's holiness.)

Growing Holiness

Some Christians emphasize biblical standards of holiness. Some call this legalism, and unfortunately sometimes it is legalism. Firmer roots for personal holiness grow when we recognize that we are broken creatures, through and through. Even our vision of what makes for holiness is marred and twisted.

We start growing in Christ as we learn we are strangers to God's ways. This leaves us no recourse but to prayerfully listen for the Spirit's leading. Without the Spirit's work, we not only cannot know God, but we also fail to discover our true selves.

The Spirit, through the Bible, shows us what a God-pleasing life is, and leads us to want to live it and treasure it.

If you need Godliness, only God has it, so only God can give it to you. It is 'earned' in a sense, but only by what Christ did. And through what Christ did, his life, death, and transcendence of death, God gave it to you.

The light shines on you, and from there it reflects onto everything else.

“We live in a strange society where we make documentaries of serial killers, movie idols organized crime members, authors political crooks, and role models criminals who beat the system…. I don't know when crime went from being news to entertainment, but somehow it's made the transition.”
Erma Bombeck

Are we 'without form and void'? Does the world, the culture, the people around us set our shape for us? If so, the Spirit isn't shaping us. We'd be more an amoeba than a Christian or a human being. A shapeless lump of a church isn't one that follows the Spirit. A Christian chameleon who blends in with his/her surroundings isn't a Christian at all.

Eventually, they regenerate into a degenerate, improve a newly-repackaged product, renovate into a crack house, and become as just as the fine print in a contract. wise, any group that tries to be everything in general and nothing in particular isn't worth being a part of. Those who believe in Christ are called to live out the Kingdom.

It's different from the others, distinct, holy.

How does the Kingdom stack up with today's moral climate? Think of the attitudes which are becoming more common nowadays:

How does the Kingdom stack up with today's moral climate? Think of the attitudes which are becoming more common nowadays:

• “It's only a crime if I get caught.”
• “Become big enough to get away with it.”
• “I've got to come it looking good.”
• “Go do it; you can always cover up the consequences.”
• “It's better to be believed than it is to be truthful.”
• “Rules are made to be broken by me and used against others.”

This is the stuff that's filling our minds. Many people even call it “getting real”, because 'this is how the real world is'. But there's nothing 'real' about it. It is all about seeming to be what you aren't. What's 'real' about that? In the eyes of God, the Ultimate Reality:

• God knows even your inmost thoughts, thus you are so “caught”;
• You can't get anywhere near big enough to throw your weight around with God;
• God doesn't care what it 'looks ', only what it is;
• Your cover-ups have consequences too, and the more you cover up the cover-ups of your cover-ups, the greater and more deadly the consequences will be;
• God doesn't believe; God knows, holds to the truth, and calls on us to hold to it too;
• Rules are made so you stay aware that you are not God, and so we all don't have to be as good as God in order to live reasonably well with each other.

Holiness and Holeyness

You can't be made holy if you're worrying about protecting yourself or about getting success or sex or fame or power, or even keeping up an image as a 'holy man'. Your life becomes more holey than holy.

There's just no place for that before the God who ultimately determines your safety, success, or power. God wants you to really 'get real'.

The emperor Ego has no clothes, and the Spirit is the little boy who has the sense to say so.

Holiness Within a Larger Context

Living holy is not only pleasing to God, it is displeasing to those who work evil in the world. To live as a follower of Christ and to love your neighbors as yourself is an act of spiritual warfare against evil. The struggle can be waged by acts as simple as :

• telling the truth instead of lying,
• treating people with respect instead of cussing them out,
• listening instead of blowing them off,
• deciding against spreading the juicy gossip you've heard,
• ordering vegetable juice instead of a daiquiri.

It could be :

• some gentle words for your girlfriend,
• a helping hand to an elderly woman in a store,
• simple 'thank yous' to the people who've helped you along,
• an act of kindness to a stranger, just to be kind,
• keeping your lifestyle simpler and less upper-class than your neighbor's.

You could choose to do something else, and the idea wouldn't be from the Devil. But that idea would still have to be chosen *against* when there is a more Christ response to be chosen *for*. Thus it could be something :

• choosing not to throw your punch or draw your knife,
• choosing not to walk out on your marriage,
• choosing not to abort your child,
• choosing to stop trying to be a star so you can have time to work with troubled teens,
• choosing not to step all over your colleagues to get promoted.

Even that which you are allowed to do, which you are morally justified in doing, which would make your life easier, which would give you more success or more control over your life — even those things are to be turned away, if there is a more Godly choice to make. These spiritual struggles are fought in you and in the parts of society around you, every moment of every day. When Christ says “Follow me”, He is showing you the way forward for a holy life.
back to the Top

Thinking about you and God? Try these pages :

“When He wore a crown of thorns, do you wish to wear a crown of gold?”
Johann Arndt, *True Christianity*.

“Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.”
Blaise Pascal

“Frightful this is in a sense, but it is true, and every one who has merely some little knowledge of the human heart can verify it: there is nothing to which a man holds so desperately as to his sin.”
Søren Kierkegaard

“The reigning cliche of the day is that in order to love others one must first learn to love oneself.

This formulation — love thyself, then thy neighbor — is a license for unremitting self-indulgence, because the quest for self-love is endless.

By the time you have finally learned to love yourself, you'll find yourself playing golf at Leisure World.”
Charles Krauthammer in *Time* magazine, 28 June 1993

“[Spirituality] arises from a creative and dynamic synthesis of faith and life, forged in the crucible of the desire to live out the Christian faith authentically, responsibly, effectively, and fully.”
Alister McGrath, *Christian Spirituality*

“Everyone thinks of changing humanity, and no one thinks of changing himself.”
Leo Tolstoy

“Pietists believe that evangelism is the preaching of the Law, to show man what he is in himself, and of the Gospel, to show how differently God now sees him in Christ and his responsibility to live in this new light. This is the theology of Word and Sacrament — a creative 'can do' which replaces that 'can't do' of the Law.

We reject the cognitive theory of religion that says a man can learn what is right and follow it. We also reject that peculiar…. idea that says when you know the right theology you have reached the goal. We hold that a belief which does not accomplish change has not been assimilated and cannot be classified as Luther's 'true and living faith.

'”
Ron Zess

“I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at a commensurate speed.”
Maya Angelou

“Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but live for it.”
Charles Caleb Colton

“For perfection, it is better for us to go through the crucible and conquer ourselves; to love God, it is better not to be perfect. How much better it is to be with Him than to compose one's perfection.”
Eugraph Kovalevsky, *A Method Of Prayer* (Praxis, 1993)

Illumine our minds, our souls inspire Vouchsafe to us love's holy fire Thy wondrous pow'r on us bestow, That we in grace and strength may grow.

“Creator, Spirit, Heavenly Dove”, verse 3

(unknown 8th cent., translated by Luther into German, later translated into English)

“Glory be to 'the Holy Ghost.' Oh, I'm full of spirit, I am not unenlightened. I also have feeling, heart, sentiment, and imagination. But do I ever hold still in order that the wholly Other may fill me with his Spirit and give me a sense of the true priorities in life?”
Helmut Thielicke (as published in *Leadership Journal*, Fall 95)

“Holiness is a state of soul in which all the powers of the body and mind are consciously given up to God.”
Phoebe Palmer

“You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil, if you do not desire to live according to it.”
Martin Luther

For further reading on holiness:

ver.: 02 January 2015
What Holiness Is. Copyright © 1996-2015 by Robert Longman.

Источник: //www.spirithome.com/holiness.html

Part Two: A Vision of Faith for Young Adults

What can theChurch offer to fulfill the spiritual hunger of young adults? The Churchcan offer them a vision of life a faith that calls each ofthem to holiness, community, and service. In the previous section, wediscussed what life is for young adults today.

Now we wish to sharea vision of how this life can be lived through the lens of Christianfaith, where young adults see their search for identity, relationships,work, and spiritual life in relation to Christ's call to holiness,community, and service.

We want to paint a picture of what it means foryoung adults to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. This commitmentbegins by accepting God's call to life with him. It is nourished througha community of faith where we grow in holiness.

It is lived daily aseach person works to transform the world according to God's plan.

The Church, as community, carries out the work of Jesus by entering into the cultural religious, and social reality of the people…

she is able to preach the need for conversion of everyone, to affirm the dignity of the human person, and to seek ways to eradicate personal sin, oppressive structures, and forms of injustice. 
National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, no. 13

Accepting God's Invitation

Our faith tells us that goodness is possible because God acts for us.God chooses us and plants the desire for himself in every human heart.God invites us to be transformed into holy people, to participate and find support in a community of believers, and to makethis transformation happen by continually saying “yes” to Jesus'invitation to “Come, follow me” (Lk 18:22).

This “yes” means, in thewords of Aida Salgado, a young adult from Texas, “to share with othersthe Christ that came down from the cross to make his dwelling insideeach of us.” It is becoming people of great faith—sons and daughters ofthe light. It is this deepening of one's spirituality through faith in Jesus Christthat provides the foundation and lens for life.

In a world of shiftingvalues, Jesus Christ offers us a solid foundation. He is the oneconstant who will not change. In times of confusion and doubt, ourcommitment to follow the lead of Jesus Christ can bring us a hope-filledvision for our world.

In the midst of life's many and unpredictablechanges, the Church's tradition resounds with God's hopes and dreams foryoung adults.

The Call to Holiness—Growing in Jesus Christ

What does it mean to be a holy or spiritual person? Simply put, it isGod's call to be in union with Christ. “You have been told . . . what isgood, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and tolove goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mi 6:8).

To be holy isto live according to the Gospel—to be grounded in Christ Jesus. It isthe ever-present challenge to be a people of heartfelt compassion,kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness (cf. Col3:12).

It is a call to embrace the beatitudes—to be poor in spirit, tocomfort, to be meek, to be merciful, to be peacemakers (see Mt 5:3-11).It entails listening and meditating on the word of God and activelyparticipating in the Eucharist and the sacramental life of the Church.

The journey toward holiness is the path toward finding and satisfyingour hunger for meaning, making something worthwhile our lives.

Iturges us to reach beyond ourselves in service to our families and otherrelationships, to our work, to our communities, and to our Church; tobe zealous in the pursuit of justice for the poor, the marginalized, theunborn, the elderly, the suffering, and the brokenhearted. “Thevocation to love, understood as true openness to our fellow human beingsand solidarity with them, is the most basic of all vocations. It is theorigin of all vocations in life.”25 It is inseparable from our love for God.26

This deepening of faith in Jesus Christ leads us to a vision of whatlife can be. It may require acts of courage to accomplish great thingsfor humanity. During this journey, we do not travel alone.

We share withall believers the struggle: “I'm on the battlefield for my Lord. Ipromise him that I will serve him till I die” (African Spiritual). The”call to holiness is [then] a gift from the Holy Spirit.

[Our] responseis a gift to the Church and to the world.”27

Today's young adults are at a disadvantage…there is a story and a face with each one of these lives…We are the generation that has grown up in broken families.

  We have gay and lesbian friends who want to be accepted for who they are.  We have friends struggling with their sexuality yet feel as if they cannot discuss it.

  We have friends and family members who are divorces; we have friends whoa re single and pregnant…
Matthew T. Dunn, Beavercreek, Ohio

The Call to Community—Nourishing Faith

The challenge of being transformed into a holy person is not undertakenalone but within a faith community. Young adults repeatedly told us oftheir desire to find and to participate in communities that accept andwelcome them, where people hold values and beliefs similar to their own.

This longing for community touches each of us at the very core of ourbeing. It is basic to being human, not “an extraneous addition, but arequirement” of our nature.28 Within the community, wedevelop our potential, foster our talents, form our identity, andrespond to the many challenges of being holy men and women.

Community isnot only an abstract principle but also a concrete reality lived eachday at home, on campus, within society, and in organizations, movements,and parishes.

Community is God's promise to those who have accepted the graciousinvitation to live the gospel and to be lights for the world.

30This communion of the Church, rooted in God's love, offers young adultsthe vision, purpose, and foundation for the healing that they long forin the midst of life's painful experiences.

People of all ages voice the need for reconciliation and healing as aresult of failed relationships, abuse and addictions, sexualpermissiveness, violence on the streets, broken or violent homes,unemployment, discrimination in all of its forms, rejection, andloneliness. Christ's redemption is the basis for this healing. Thecommunity of faith is the place where the healing power of Jesus touchespeople and, through them, our neighborhoods, cities, and society. Inthe sacraments —especially reconciliation and the eucharist—young adultsmeet the healing presence of the Lord and receive the strength and thegrace to confront the many challenges of living a Christian lifestyle. The call to Christian holiness and community demands a mutuality ofrelationships. As young adults strive to grow ever more faithful totheir new life in Christ, so too the whole Church endeavors to celebratethe gift of her young adults. The Church recognizes the Holy Spiritworking through them in their energy, creativity, participation, andleadership.

In the same way, we are called to hear their pain. The Church must beopen to learn from their experiences, anxieties, uncertainties, andhonest and constructive questioning. “The joy and hope, the grief andanguish . . . especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way,are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christas well.”31

I feel that the Church can be a place where young adults return for reassurance during critical times of insecurity and searching.  We need a safe place to talk about faith, or lack of faith, and a community to support us and let us know that examination and uncertainty are all part of the journey. 
Heather Thomae, Little Rock, Ark.

The Call to Service—Living Faith in the World

The challenge of faith is to be a credible witness to the power of theGospel in the world today. we are inspired by the stories of youngadults whose enthusiasm and service build up the reign of God on earth.

Their thirst for knowledge, their efforts to maintain a life ofintegrity, their respect for differences among all peoples, their carefor their children and the unborn, and their service through volunteerand missionary activity all form a worthy testament to the role of youngadults in living out their faith.

We have spoken on several occasions about the call to Christian adulthood, most recently in our document on the laity entitled Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium.

There we highlighted the many marks of a mature Christian: an awarenessof the significance of education, especially the ability to make gooddecisions the teachings of the Church; the necessity for adultcatechesis and other means of faith development; the importance ofdiscerning one's talents in order to exercise them more effectively;learning to live with mystery and ambiguity; and participation infamily, neighborhood, government, and society in ways that bring thegospel principles of justice, compassion, and mercy truly alive. Theseaspects of Christian maturity call all men and women to an understandingthat “we are called to be faithful, not necessarily successful.”32

For young adults, as for all Catholic adults, the Catholic faith islived in the “ordinary dynamics of life—caring for a family, jobresponsibilities, exercising duties of citizenship.”33 Thisis what discipleship is all about.

The world is the place where men andwomen fulfill their Christian vocation.

The mission of the Church is notdirected at itself, but at nurturing and forming people who “are calledby God so that they, led by the spirit of the Gospel, might contributeto the sanctification of the world, as from within leaven, byfulfilling their own particular duties.”34

Through the call to holiness, community, and service through livedfaith, the whole Church provides the necessary support for young adultsto be disciples of Christ living their faith, nourished by the Church,and proclaiming with the prophets of old: “The spirit of the Lord isupon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight tothe blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a yearacceptable to the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19).

As I responded to the call of Christ found through prayer, Scripture, and church tradition, I decided that the only true response for these gifts would be one of service…

I began to teach other young adults about that which helped me so much…I watched many young adults begin to seriously grapple with their own faith questions and then begin to seriously follow Christ.

 
Lisa Klewicki, Glendale, CA

The person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others.  Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization; it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the Kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn. 
Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 24

Return to Contents Page

Источник: //www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/young-adults/sons-and-daughters-of-light-part-two.cfm

I had a vision of Jesus. He is incredible!

In this testimony I will try to explain what I saw, during this Jesus vision. I am however not a native English speaker, so please forgive me if my writing is a bit odd here and there.

I trust the Spirit of God will be able to show you the intensity of this encounter with Jesus, despite my crummy writing. Seeing Jesus is truly the most beautiful experience anyone can ever have.

And I know the holy Spirit wants to give all of us encounters with Jesus. This is not only for me or a few ‘special’ people.

I share my Jesus vision to help you have encounters with Jesus as well, so you will know him from heart to heart

This is what you were created for, to know Jesus face to face, heart to heart, spirit to spirit and love Him with your entire being. Not only from reading about Him in the Bible but also from personal encounters with Him, through an intimate relationship. Jesus longs to bring you near to Him, more than realize. You are very special to Him and God loves you with all His heart.

Images of my Jesus vision

I added some pictures of Jesus in an attempt to convey a little bit of the intense beauty, majesty, radiance and light of Jesus that I saw in this vision.

But of course none of these pictures come even close to the incredible beauty and power of who Jesus Christ really is. I just hope they can show you a glimpse of what I saw.

But please know that Jesus is a billion times more stunning than any of these images of Jesus, that I merely added as illustrations.

Recently I had a vision of Jesus

I have no words to describe Him.

He is so completely pure.

Everything about Him is a radiance of love, purity, holiness, life …

Every fiber of Him emits this.

the sun Jesus is standing there, a radiant appearance of pure light and life …

It struck me that nothing in Him is impure, nothing untrue.

Everything in Jesus is truth.

He looked a blazing sun, a blinding light of pure truth.

His appearance was overwhelming.

I could hardly bear it.

I didn’t only see Jesus, I also felt Him

This encounter with Jesus was very intense, but not because of what I saw …

It was overwhelming because I also I FELT strongly who Jesus Christ is and what He radiates.

My whole being was invaded by His love, His truth, His goodness, His power ….

Everything inside of me EXPERIENCED Him

It was standing near the sun and not only seeing the light of the sun, but also being burned by the heat of the sun.

That’s how it was.

I saw Him, the intense indescribable light and I felt what that light is and what it does.

The intense power of His being penetrated me and I fell to the ground, weeping with emotion …

It was overwhelming, indescribable.

In this vision I saw many aspects of Jesus

Besides seeing Jesus I also saw countless angels that stood around Him, his friends and companions.

I saw an incredible number of angels.

Uncountable. The heavens were full of them.

Infinite. Unimaginable.

A power that no one can measure.

Heaven is truly immeasurable!

And in heaven all angels and people worship Jesus

Everything and everyone worships Him.

Their whole heart is focused on Jesus.

They give Him all honor.

Not with songs or anything, but their heart is just that.

Their heart is just all honor for Jesus, even if they do not say anything.

Though they just stand still for Jesus … their whole heart is all worship for Him

It is the attitude of every heart in heaven.

Every angel emits adoration for Jesus.

Wonderful …

Everything in heaven beams with honor to Him who has redeemed everything and everyone.

The majesty of Jesus that I experienced is indescribable

I collapsed and began to weep uncontrollably.

Seeing Jesus Christ that is unimaginable.

So incredibly beautiful.

I was completely overtaken by who He is.

Drawing of angel who worships Jesus

I am inserting a drawing of an angel that I made a while ago. Not because it is so spectacular, but because it does show something of the joy, passion and worship I sensed in heaven.

The angels worship and adore Jesus Christ with all their heart. Not serious or religious in some churches on earth, but with a freedom of passion and joy that is unhindered.

There is freedom in heaven to worship with all your heart and all your might, so you can express the fulness of your love for God.

In my Jesus vision I also felt who He is

I said, the most impressive of this vision is not what I saw, but the intensity of what I felt coming forth from Jesus Christ.

Occasionally it was as if I could not bear it.

The sheer beauty of Jesus is so dazzling.

But again – I hope you grasp this…

It’s not His ‘looks’. It’s who He IS that blew me away

That is His beauty.

His inner being, radiating as the sun, brighter and more powerful than anything I have ever seen.

You can see someone with your eyes and think: ‘I love his or her eyes’.

But that is not truly SEEING who that person is.

I did not only see Jesus externally, but I SAW HIS BEING.

Jesus was an explosion of truth, life and glory right before my eyes and at the same time within me

Everything in me experienced Him, saw Him, felt Him and I could not handle it, so overwhelming is his love, truth, light and strength …

It can’t be understood.

It can’t be explained.

Seeing Jesus more and more

Everything inside of me wanted to see more of Him, understand more of Him and especially love Him intensely.

The Spirit of God took me in waves of seeing more and more of Jesus.

At certain moments I felt that His appearance became less pronounced and then I prayed ‘Holy Spirit, show me Jesus’ and then He I saw Him crystal clear again and He overwhelmed me with a new dimension of Himself.

Suddenly I saw the incredible power of Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords, who reigns forever and ever

As the highest authority I saw Him, high above heaven and earth, high above all that exists, I saw Him, the Lamb of God, the King who reigns and expands His kingdom, through everything, with an unspeakable power.

While I saw Him as the supreme King, a tremendous power of God flowed through me, causing my whole body to shake violently. I almost could not stand on my legs, His power was so strong.

He is truly the LORD who reigns, throughout the ages

He emits a tremendous power and authority.

I saw specifically how He is breaking through in Asia, with His power and love.

And how He extends His dominion over the whole earth.

Seeing Jesus as the King who reigns

The power that I experienced is really gigantic.

Ungodly people and demonic spirits do everything they can to stop Him, but in the end nothing or anyone can hold Him back.

While I saw his power as King so clearly, I suddenly started laughing out loud.

The Spirit gave me a deep joy over the sovereignty of Jesus that simply expands worldwide.

During this vision of Jesus, He spoke to me

After a time of seeing Jesus, I asked Him:

‘What do you want to say to me?’

I have learned that Jesus always wants to speak to us, but often we forget to ask Him questions.

So I asked Him.

And He replied…

I expected something very lofty, celestial, divine, profound, something that would fill me with wisdom.

He came closer and stretched his hands gently towards my head.

Very tenderly He put His hands around my neck, as if He took my head in His hands.

Nobody ever touched me so lovingly.

And He said:

‘I’m your friend.’

When He said that, I broke … my deepest inner self cried so deeply with these words.

I knew it was true, because He told me myself.

And He says, ‘I am your friend.’

I cried so deeply and intensely …

Nothing can equal Him.

He is too beautiful, too overwhelming.

I could not contain it.

I told Him, ‘I really want to be Your friend. I really want to be there for you.’

I do not even know what that means.

But it is the deepest cry of my heart: I want to be a true, faithful friend of Jesus.

Someone He can trust.

I didn’t want to leave this vision of Jesus

It was indescribable to see Him that.

I was in the office, with all the lights turned off. When I looked around, I saw light in the living room.

I felt strange … the normal, daily life stared at me from our living room. I did not want to go back to that life.

I wanted to stay here, in this indescribable majesty and love of Jesus

This is where I need to be.

But it was late.

I was already with Jesus for an hour and a half.

It seemed five minutes …

It was midnight and I had to go to bed.

Before I left, I asked Jesus:

You can also have an encounter with Jesus

I want to share this with you.

Because I have experienced that Jesus is so real.

So real. So real. He just stood before me.

So unimaginably real that I could not contain it and could only cry hard, overwhelmed by who He is … too wonderful for words.

He wants to meet us all.

You too

This is what we are destined for.

To know Him.

Face to face.

Know Him with all of your heart

I pray that you get a desire for it.

Then you will take time to worship Him with all your heart.

The Holy Spirit helps you see Jesus

Ask the Spirit of God to open your heart completely and fill you with an unquenchable hunger for Him.

It is this deep yearning of your heart that will cause you to set all things apart and spend time to worship Him from the deepest depths of your heart.

And ask Him to help you open your heart wide for Jesus

Ask it now, before you forget.

Knowing Jesus and the Father is truly the most wonderful, most beautiful reality there is.

Let nothing stop you from encountering Him on a regular basis.

He is your friend.

Sign up to learn about seeing Jesus for yourself

If you want to learn more about how you can have life changing encounters with Jesus, then sign up for free to the emails of GOD IS REAL. In these emails you will learn more about seeing Jesus Christ, experiencing God with all your heart and becoming His very best friend. This is what readers of GOD IS REAL have said:

‘I just feel the overwhelming love God has for me. Thank you very much.” – Consol

‘I just read your last post and could feel the Holy Spirit washing over me. My soul.. every part of me! – Kimberley

‘I was highly inspired and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit within me.’ – Lizzie

‘I feel I’m falling in love with God again and again.’ – Kristyl

‘Every time I read Gods messages through your emails, I feel that God is with me. Gods message through your ministry has moved and changed my life to understand the goodness and the love God has for us.’ – Herman

Is it biblical to have visions of Jesus?

Some may have questions about having visions and personal encounters with Jesus. I want to show you that this is completely biblical. Both in the old and the new testament there are many examples of people seeing Jesus in His glory and majesty. It is normal. For example the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord in His majesty:

‘I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.’ (Isaiah 6:1)

The apostle Paul also had encounters and visions with Jesus, that transformed his life:

‘As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 9:3-5)

See more testimonies about visions of Jesus

If you long to see more testimonies from people wo had personal encounters with Jesus, then go to the post ‘Is Jesus real?‘ Here you find several videos with real life documentaries from people who saw Jesus Christ and were changed forever.

Click here to see visons of Jesus, that prove how real He is.

Источник: //www.godisreal.today/jesus-vision/

A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple

To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple, we recommend thatyou read the corresponding chapter and section in the Text of the Second or

Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.

Printable Page

Click link to go to:
Previous Section • Next Section • Chapter Index

Section VIII: The Vision of Sinlessness

Read ACIM Chapter 20, Section VIII (pages 441-44)

How do we receive the vision of sinlessness?

Because judgment, or deciding what reality is on our own, has been our goal, we have lost true vision. The goal of the thought system of separation has been to see guilt outside us by projecting it onto ‘others’ we now see as outside of our own mind. The vision of sinlessness sees just the opposite.

Jesus tells us, “Vision will come to you at first in glimpses, but they will be enough to show you what is given you who see your brother sinless. Truth is restored to you through your desire, as it was lost to you through your desire for something else.

Open the holy place that you closed off by valuing the ‘something else,’ and what was never lost will quietly return.” (1:1-3)

How do we exchange our doubts for certainty and misery for joy?

Jesus tells us, “Your holy relationship offers all this to you. As it was given you, so will be its effects. And as its holy purpose was not made by you, the means by which its happy end is yours is also not of you.

Rejoice in what is yours but for the asking, and think not that you need make either means or end. All this is given you who would but see your brother sinless. All this is given, waiting on your desire but to receive it.

Vision is freely given to those who ask to see.” (2:4-10, italics added)

What other gift comes along with the Holy Spirit’s certainty and joy?

As we let all our relationships become holy relationships by seeing the truth behind every body, we receive the peace of God. We see holiness instead of sin. “For peace will come to all who ask for it with real desire and sincerity of purpose, shared with the Holy Spirit and at one with Him on what salvation is.

Be willing, then, to see your brother sinless, that Christ may rise before your vision and give you joy. And place no value on your brother’s body, which holds him to illusions of what he is. It is his desire to see his sinlessness, as it is yours.

And bless the Son of God in your relationship, nor see in him what you have made of him.” (3:2-6)

What is the body the sign of?

“The body is the sign of weakness, vulnerability and loss of power.” (5:1) We do not have to continue choosing to dream this dream. We have at our disposal the way every problem we think we have by accepting Holy Spirit’s vision instead of our own judgment.

We do not have to continue focusing on the illusion of separate bodies with all the pain and sorrow it brings to us. “There is no problem, no event or situation, no perplexity that vision will not solve. All is redeemed when looked upon with vision.

For this is not your sight, and brings with it the laws beloved of Him Whose sight it is.” (5:7-9)

What is the difference between judgment and vision?

Jesus tells us, “Judgment is but a toy, a whim, the senseless means to play the idle game of death in your imagination. But vision sets all things right, bringing them gently within the kindly sway of Heaven’s laws.” (7:1-2) With Holy Spirit’s vision, we see the truth. We see that everyone is still as God created them. Everyone is still pure Love and nothing else.

With judgment we see illusions of separation, where nothing is the same and everything is in a constant state of change. Jesus is showing us the difference between judgment and vision so that we can recognize the ‘idle game of death’ that is going on in our minds and become willing to let it go.

He tells us, “What if you recognized this world is an hallucination? What if you really understood you made it up? What if you realized that those who seem to walk about in it, to sin and die, attack and murder and destroy themselves, are wholly unreal? Could you have faith in what you see, if you accepted this? And would you see it?” (7:3-7) The Holy Spirit’s gentle correction teaches us to recognize the hallucination for what it is and with this recognition, we automatically let go of the dream.

How is judgment replaced by vision?

We are learning that all we see in this world of separate bodies is the effect of judgment — making separate bodies real because we the made-up story of individuality and uniqueness. We see this story of differences because of our choice or we would not see it.

At this stage of the game we would rather see separation than the oneness that vision would show us. The good news is, “Hallucinations disappear when they are recognized for what they are. This is the healing and the remedy. Believe them not and they are gone. And all you need to do is recognize that you did this.

Jesus says, “One thing is sure; hallucinations serve a purpose, and when that purpose is no longer held they disappear.” (8:6)

What are the only two purposes that are possible?

Jesus tells us, “Only two purposes are possible. And one is sin, the other holiness. Nothing is in between, and which you choose determines what you see. For what you see is merely how you elect to meet your goal.” (9:1-4) Because of the power of our mind, as long as we want to have a separate identity, we will see separate bodies.

As we become willing to join with the Holy Spirit’s purpose, our mind is returned to remembering oneness. We recognize that nothing could really be outside of our mind and that what we see as outside us is coming from our mind. Because only oneness is real, there is no ‘other.’ Only God, or Love is real.

The question is, when will we be willing to see the truth of Love’s all encompassing oneness?

What happens in our dream as the Holy Spirit is given the opportunity to bring us vision?

As we open up to our true Self, the hallucinations coming from the false self are transformed into experiences of gentleness and peace. The fearful sights are translated into calm and reassuring sights. Instead of guilt, we see innocence. Instead of rejection and hate, we see acceptance and God’s Love.

“These gentle sights and sounds are looked on happily, and heard with joy. They are His substitutes for all the terrifying sights and screaming sounds the ego’s purpose brought to your horrified awareness.

[Holy Spirit’s substitutes] step away from sin, reminding you that it is not Reality which frightens you, and that the errors which you made can be corrected.” (10:5-7)

What is it that Jesus invites us to behold?

Jesus tells us, “Think but an instant just on this; you can behold the holiness God gave His Son. And never need you think that there is something else for you to see.” (11:3) All there really is to see is our loving brother who is one with us in the Love of God.

© 2004-2010, Pathways of Light. //www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.