Galatians 1:11-12 For I would have you know, brothers, that
the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive
it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of
Jesus Christ.
When
asked how that I know I am a Christian I usually respond by saying: “I know
what I know. I am forgiven and now a child of God’s. I just know.” I saw
no vision, like Paul, when I became a Christian. I sat for several years
listening to the sermons of an evangelistic pastor. The longer I listened the
more I grew to believe what he was teaching. The Bible began to make sense.
As the weeks went by something else began to bother me. From Monday
through Saturday my life was far different than on Sunday. I came and went from
home or work believing and doing things that circumstances dictated. Although I
believed and gave ascent to the pastor’s Sunday message, the life I lived
during the week was not close to reflecting what he taught. Why was this, I
wondered.
Before Paul became a Christian he actually lived a life that ensured
Christians were persecuted and even executed for their beliefs. He was an
educated Jew, a teacher and leader in the synagogues of his day. He was a
Pharisee. His life reflected nothing of the truth of faith in Jesus Christ. For
him, Christianity was a threat to him, his people and the Jewish nation.
Paul and I shared a common fact.
Something changed in our lives. Our minds were stopped dead in our tracks and
things changed. No longer did our lives continue as they once were. Jesus
Christ became the center of our lives, our teaching and our future. A
relationship was born that continues to this day. I know this to be true. I
just know.
