The Personal Revelation of Jesus Christ
"Until we all advance into the oneness of the faith, and the personal knowledge of the Son of God, into a man of full-growth, into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. But, pursuing truth - may, in love, grow into Him in all things, - who is the head, Christ." Eph. 4:13,15 (Roth.)
"The Apostle Paul received a revelation of Jesus directly from heaven. He testified that the things he was shown about Christ weren't taught by any man. Rather, he'd heard the voice of Jesus Himself, while on his knees in prayer. "I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12).
"It pleased God...to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:15-16).
There were great teachers in Paul's day, leaders who were mighty in God's Word, such as Apollos and Gamaliel. And there were the apostles, who had walked and talked with Jesus. But Paul knew a secondhand revelation of Christ wouldn't be good enough. He had to have an ever-increasing revelation of Jesus, from the Lord Himself.
Why is there so little of the revelation of Jesus Christ being preached today?
There are scores of well-trained ministers today, highly respected men of advanced learning. They've spent years in seminary, studying theology, philosophy and ethics. And they've been taught by gifted teachers, esteemed men who are experts in their fields.
But when many of these trained ministers stand in the pulpit to preach, they speak only empty words. They can tell you many interesting things about the life and ministry of Christ. But what they say leaves your spirit cold. Why? They have no revelation of Jesus, no personal experience with Him. Everything they know of Christ has been filtered through the minds of other men. Their insights are merely borrowed teachings.
Paul was really asking the Ephesians, "How did you learn Christ?" In other words: who taught you what you know of Jesus? Did it come from the many sermons you've heard or your Sunday school classes? If so, that's good. But is that the limit of what you know of Christ? It doesn't matter how powerfully your pastor may preach, or how anointed your teachers may be. You need more of Jesus than mere head knowledge.
Many believers are satisfied with what I call an initial, one-time revelation of Christ's saving power and grace. This is the only revelation of Jesus they've ever had. They testify, "Jesus is the Savior. He's the Lord, the Son of God." Every true believer experiences this wonderful, life-changing revelation. Yet that's only the first step. What lies ahead is a lifetime of deeper, more glorious revelations of Christ.
Paul knew this. He received an incredible revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was literally knocked to the ground, and a voice spoke to him from heaven. No person ever had a more personal revelation of Christ than this. Yet Paul knew this was only the beginning. From that moment on, he "determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Matthew provides a telling example of a one-time revelation of Christ. Jesus had just delivered a hard teaching to the multitudes, and many people turned away.
So Jesus called his disciples together and asked, "Who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:15-16).
Jesus declared, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven" (16:17). Christ was saying, "You didn't get this revelation just by walking with Me, Peter. My Father revealed it to you from heaven."
Yes, they'd already healed the sick, cast out devils and witnessed to many. But even though they'd been with Jesus for those years, they still had no deep, personal revelation of who He was.
The next verse confirms this: "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples..." (16:21). In other words, Christ began to reveal Himself to them, showing them deeper things about Himself. Have you been taught by Jesus in your secret closet of prayer? Have you sought Him for things you can't get from books or teachers? Have you sat quietly in His presence, waiting to hear His voice? The Bible says all truth is in Christ. And He alone can impart it to you, through His blessed Holy Spirit.
Christ was saying, "You live in a dead theology. But what I'm speaking to you isn't from some remote history. I've just been with the Father. He gave Me what I'm preaching to you. ""
At the beginning of the Book of the Revelation, we find, on the one hand, a situation of spiritual loss and failure, weakness, and many other conditions. How did the Lord, and how does the Lord, meet that need? Indeed, we might say: How does the Lord ever meet a great need? And the answer has ever been, and always is: A new revelation - an unveiling - of the greatness of Jesus Christ. He prefaces everything with this fresh revelation or unveiling of His own personal greatness.
Here in Revelation - on the one side, spiritual declension, failure, breakdown, loss; on the other side, suffering, growing suffering, terrible afflictions for the Church. What is the key to a renewing of spiritual life that is so low? The Lord's only answer, His one answer, which has always been successful, and is the only one which will be successful in any situation of need, is a new unveiling of the greatness of the Lord Jesus.
But oh, these are but words! When we have said these things - and we would all agree that they are true - we are still so helpless, because it is the THING that matters - not talking about it! If only, by the Holy Spirit - and there is no other way, no other means - we could catch a new glimpse of His greatness, how many problems that would solve, questions that would answer, needs that would meet! How OVERWHELMING it would be!
The Apostle John walked with Jesus of Nazareth, listened to Him, watched Him at work, at supper, and at other times, sat next to Him, and put his head upon His shoulder - the most familiar picture of a man alongside of a Man, in close, devoted, affectionate fellowship. John always called himself 'the disciple whom Jesus loved': it showed that there was a sacred, holy familiarity between John and Jesus, marked by very human terms and language.
Yet that same man said: 'When I saw Him I FELL, as one dead.' It is the same Jesus, and the same man; but - 'I fell to the ground as one dead.' And if that One had not, in His great mercy, come and laid His hand upon him, saying, 'Fear not, John: I am the first and the last; I am the Living One', John would have been there as a dead man. It was the same Jesus - but look at the transition from the 'Jesus of history' to the Christ of glory!
That is the difference. From the John of the Gospels to the John of the Revelation, it is a marvelous and mighty movement! He never felt like that when he walked with Jesus, devoted as he was. With his fullest consciousness of who Jesus was, he was at most perhaps sometimes awestruck and awe-inspired. It was not until he saw Him glorified that he went down, helplessly prostrate, like a dead man.
It is, indeed, just because men have robbed or stripped Him of His essential greatness, that we find, down the centuries, the deplorable conditions that have obtained. Our 'liberal' theologians have stripped Him of His Deity; with what result? Oh, devastating results in the impact of Christ upon this earth! They have made Him a lesser Christ than He is. The philosophers have just made Him one in their gallery of great and wise men.
So it goes on, and it is all these things, this Satanic work, to reduce the size of Christ, to make Him less than He is, that has done so much mischief. If we lose, or fail to have, the essential greatness of Christ, ours is going to be a small spiritual life. The only thing for every need is the recovery of His greatness.
We would have very much better converts if they were presented with a very much greater Christ. We need an unveiling of the greatness of Jesus Christ, to get a better kind of Christian.
For the recovery from our spiritual losses and backslidings and failures, and deliverance from all these things which are so abhorrent to us and to Him, there is only one way, and that is, really to see His greatness. If we do that, we cannot live on a 'little' level. It is not possible to have a revelation of the greatness of Jesus Christ and remain a little person! Oh, for our enlargement, our ennoblement, our deliverance from our pettinesses, and all this which is so horrible! What is the answer? A new revelation of His greatness!
How will we make it? Only by getting alone with Him, and asking, seeking, pursuing in prayer, by the Holy Spirit, a new heart revelation, a new unveiling, of Jesus Christ.
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Randy Jones ( - )
Pastors Randy and Nancy Jones have answered God’s call to lead a congregation of believers in the Dallas area - Christ Our Lord Church. Randy has been a minister for over 30 years – including pastoring, evangelizing, inner-city ministry, and teaching at Bible Colleges. Nancy is a missionaries’ daughter, devoted mother and wife, successful business executive, and is wonderfully anointed and gifted to lead and teach ladies.The Lord Jesus began to burden Pastor Randy’s heart concerning preparing His people for His soon return for His Bride. The Lord began to deal with him about greater personal holiness, prayer and consecration. Being led by the Holy Spirit, he began to preach anew, the fundamental truths of the Bible, with a strong End-Times emphasis. Repentance, the importance of the Blood of Jesus, the Cross, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the fear of God, the Rapture, Biblical holiness, the spirit of prayer, the power of the Word, a burden for lost souls to be saved, and Jesus as the Beloved Son of the Heavenly Father – all took on a new meaning in the light of the nearness of Jesus’ return for His Overcoming Church.