Experiences

Some of the most memorable, enjoyable experiences of a person’s life might include such things as their high school graduation and prom.

Their meeting the right person, and their wedding day.

The day their first child was born, or their grandchild. And the joyful experiences of Christmases.

For others, their favorite experiences might be drawing their first paycheck, paying off their home mortgage, buying their favorite car.

Other favorite experiences might include a trip to Hawaii or Europe, a first airplane ride, a really fun time in Disney World or Branson, Missouri, or a seat at the Super Bowl.

Most people who tell you about their favorite enjoyable experiences, and even show you pictures, are not motivated by holding “bragging rights” over your head. They’re most likely sharing something with you that they want you to become part of with them.

While sharing experiences with you, the thrill of those memories are renewed in their minds, and they want you to share in that joy. Furthermore, unless they are selfish, they hope that you have similar happy experiences in your life that you can share also with them.

When Christians tell others about Jesus Christ, we aren’t bragging about ourselves, nor about something that we have that you can not have. We’re proud of Jesus Christ, and what he’s done for us.

And we care so much about you that we’d very, very much like for the same wonderful things that he’s caused to happen to us to likewise happen to you. Because if you haven’t yet experienced those things, you don’t know what you’re missing.

But you can find out, and have the same things happen to you.

We do know what you’re missing. We’ve been where you are, or at least in a similar situation, not yet knowing the thrill of the salvation experience.

I know that before Jesus Christ came into my life, there was an empty place that I could not fill with food, fun, excitement, or even with the love of a beautiful woman. Other empty spots were filled by those things, but at times I could still sense that something was missing in my life.

And I didn’t know exactly what it was. Because it seemed to me that I had everything that was important.

That’s why we Christians speak to others about the Gospel “good news” of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. And about him rising from the grave on the third day.

And about his death paying the price required to atone for your sins, as well as for all of ours.

That’s why we speak of Christ breaking down the wall of sin which “have separated between you and your God, [ so that] your sins have hid his face from you” ( Isaiah 59: 2).

We want you to know that if you “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” ( Romans 10: 9- 10).

We want you to do it not just because we did it, and we want you to be like us. We want you to have also the wonderful life- changing experience for yourself that we have experienced!

Because there is an empty place in your spirit that can only be filled one way.

I can’t say it any clearer than these very words of Jesus Christ:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” ( John 14: 6).

Vernon Maupin is co- Pastor of Tabernacle of Praises with his wife, Pastor Doris Walters Maupin.