An encounter with Jesus It is a moment where faith is achieved with salvation, allowing your life to be transformed to receive that blessing that God promises.
The Bible can show a diversity of examples of people who, when having an encounter with Jesus they were able to change their lifestyle, leaving in the past what they were, to look forward guided by the God’s spirit.
meeting with jesus
In order to meet Jesus, you need to have faith and understand what this man did in his life when he was on earth. thus achieving redemption for sins and the opening of a path into the presence of God.
“For with the heart one believes for righteousness, but with the mouth one confesses for salvation” (Romans 10:10)
That encounter is inviting Jesus into your life and allowing everything you are living be transformed by his power for well-being and blessing.
«Behold, I am at the door and knock; If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
By having an encounter with Jesus, you will be able to have peace of mind, since you will not be alone in the world, but you will have a companion who becomes your guide in each process that you have to live.
«But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own account, but he will speak everything that he hears, and he will declare to you all things that will come” (John 16:13).
Importance of an encounter with Jesus
In people’s lives there are encounters that completely change the course of their lives, from that meeting with the person you marry, or even the one with whom you can do a great deal.
Yet of all these encounters the greatest and most valuable is to have it with Jesuswho died on a cross to bring salvation to all sinful souls, who were destined to have eternal suffering in hell.
“For what will man profit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Thus, God sent Jesus, the only begotten son to give salvation to all humanity, and to be able to change that destiny that sinful people had.
“For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)
God did this to be able to rescue each of the human beings, that they had chosen many paths that distanced them further from Him, leading him to idolatry, the cares of life, corrupting his ways.
“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23).
And for the immense love of God this encounter with Jesus allows people to forget about the sinful lifeand receive the salvation of your soul as a gift, not by actions but by faith.
«For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In this way, it can be said that sin became the great abyss that separated man from God, but through that sacrifice made on the cross by Jesus, that relationship between the creator and humanity was restored.
“But God shows his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)
Characters from the Bible who had an Encounter with Jesus
The Bible teaches a diversity of characters who could have an encounter with Jesus, and in this way their lives be transformed and see tangible the teaching that everything is made new with Jesus.
“So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away; behold, all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In this way, the following will present various experiences of people who had an encounter with Jesus and their lives were completely transformed:
zacchaeus
The Bible mentions about this man named zacchaeuswho was a tax collector, who after knowing the testimony of what happened when Jesus arrived, and the number of miracles, he arranged his time to see him.
It is said that at that time the collectors were people with a lot of money and who in turn were hated by the people of the townsince they acted fraudulently to get rich, so Zacchaeus wanted to change his life, when he met Jesus.
«When Jesus entered Jericho, he was passing through the city. And it happened that a man named Zacchaeus, who was chief of the publicans, and rich, tried to see who Jesus was; but he could not because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. And running ahead, he climbed a sycamore tree to see him; for he was to pass through there” (Luke 19: 1-4)
This man wanted to completely change his life and made an effort to see Jesusand in that meeting Jesus saw him and asked to pose at his house that night, to which the excited man agreed.
«When Jesus arrived at that place, looking up, he saw him, and said to him: Zacchaeus, hurry, come down, because today it is necessary that I pose in your house. Then he hastened down, and received him joyfully. Seeing this, everyone murmured, saying that he had entered to pose with a sinful man »(Luke 19: 5-7)
That was the moment that this man wanted to meet Jesus, since he was rich, and I knew that I had done it fraudulentlyfor which he would repentantly give half to the poor, and if he had problems with someone he would correct the situation.
«Then Zacchaeus, standing up, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded someone in something, I will pay it back quadruple. Jesus said to him: Today salvation has come to this house; for he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:8-10)
In this case it can be seen that in the life of Zacchaeus, the practice of sin did not satisfy him, and by having that desire for change, Jesus was able to supply itand it was an honest and genuine desire that led him to give up the practice of sin in which he incurred, in his daily life.
The Adulterous Woman
In the book of John appears the story of a woman in which the scribes and Pharisees presented before Jesus, who was surprised for adultery and they intended to carry out the death sentence against her.
They said to him: Master, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. And in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? But this they said tempting him, in order to accuse him. But Jesus, bowed down to the ground, wrote on the ground with his finger” (John 8:4-6).
In this meeting the religious of the time sought to tempt before the customs of the time, to which Jesus challenged them to throw stones at her if they considered themselves free from sina situation that accused them in their consciences, withdrawing one by one from the presence of Jesus who was left alone with the woman.
“And as they insisted on asking him, he straightened up and said to them: He who is without sin among you is the first to throw a stone at her. And leaning back to the ground, he continued to write on the ground.
But they, upon hearing this, accused by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest to the last; and only Jesus was left, and the woman who was in the midst” (John 8:7-9).
In the face of that encounter that this woman had, who was forced by these religious men of the time who would become her executioners, allowed his life to be restoredby the wisdom of Jesus before the tempter to which He answered the following:
“Straightening up Jesus, and seeing no one but the woman, said to her: Woman, where are those who accused you? Did no one condemn you? She said: None, Sir. Then Jesus said to him: Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more” (John 8:10-11)
In this way, the forgiveness of sins is evidenced, since Jesus did not condemn her and let her go, telling her not to commit any more sin, for which He was just. allowing that woman to have a new opportunity.
The Apostle Paul
The greatest example of transformation experienced after an encounter with Jesus was experienced by saul of tarsuslater known as the apostle Paul, who was a persecutor of the church and driven by his beliefs, murdered many of the followers in carrying the message of Jesus.
Jesus appears to him on the road to Damascus, when he was going to fulfill a mission and if he found men and women preaching Jesus, he would take them to prison, but he had an encounter with Jesus.
“But as he went along the road, it came to pass that when he came near Damascus, suddenly a flash of light from heaven surrounded him; and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saulo, Saulo, why are you persecuting me?
He said: Who are you, Lord? And he said to him: I am Jesus, whom you persecute; it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. He, trembling and fearful, said: Lord, what do you want me to do? And the Lord said to him: Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.
And the men who went with Saul stood amazed, hearing the voice indeed, but seeing no one. Then Saul got up from the ground, and opening his eyes, he saw no one; so, leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus, where he remained three days without seeing, and he did not eat or drink” (Acts 9: 3-9)
After this encounter Saul of Tarsus was able to experience a deep transformationwhich led him to change his lifestyle and began to preach Christ in the synagogues, affirming that the one they had crucified was the son of Godand that he was sorry for what he had done with his followers.
«Immediately he preached Christ in the synagogues, saying that he was the Son of God. And all who heard him were astonished, and said, Is not this the one who devastated in Jerusalem those who called on this name,
And that’s why he came here, to take them prisoners before the chief priests? But Saul tried much harder, and confused the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:20-22).
Given these examples that are presented in the Bible, it can be affirmed that having an encounter with Jesus can produce a substantial change in life of any person, in such a way that they can experience the new those lives.
“So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away; behold, all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)