Personal encounter – Part 3

Text: Acts 9: 1-21

Key Verse: Acts 9:5, “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (NKJV)

There are so many examples of personal encounters in the Bible. Some of them were for salvation and others were for healing. Zaccheus had a personal encounter with the Lord and that was for salvation (Luke 19:1-10).

In John Chapter 3, Nicodemus had a personal encounter with Christ at night. He was interested in salvation (John 3:1-21); the woman with the issue of blood had a personal encounter with Jesus when she needed healing (Mark 5:25-34).

Of course, we will never forget the blind Bartimeus, who had a personal encounter with Christ and needed restoration of sight (Mark 10:46-52). There was a man named Jairus whose daughter was ill. He had a personal encounter and he wanted Jesus to come and heal his daughter and in the process, the daughter died. So, the personal encounter was that Jesus raised her daughter from death (Mathew 9:18-26).

All over the scripture, you will see people who had personal encounters with Jesus. The widow of Nain whose son died had an encounter with Jesus, and Jesus restored her son to life (Luke 7:11-17). The Samaritan woman who went to fetch water by Jacob’s well had one of the most iconic encounters in the Bible. Although she was a loose woman so to say, Jesus met her and her life was never the same anymore (John 4:1-42). When you go into the Old Testament, you will see so many people who had personal encounters with God. Jacob had a face-to-face encounter with God at a place called Peniel (Genesis 32:30), and God touched Jacob’s hip and it pulled out of its socket (Genesis 32:25).

Our father Abraham had a personal encounter and had to move away from the Ur of the Chaldeans and start taking a journey to where he did not know as the Book of Hebrews tells us. He obeyed (Hebrews 11:8). Joseph had a personal encounter with God and God started ministering to him through dreams (Genesis 37). Moses had one of the greatest personal encounters that we all read about in the Bible (Exodus 33). God was preparing Moses for leadership and there was a need to have a personal encounter with someone who will be a leader. One of the major outcomes of that encounter was that Moses and the children of Israel experienced the glory of God throughout their leadership tenure of Moses.

So many other people had a personal encounter with God. Gideon would not go to the battlefield until he kept having encounters with God and notable among such encounters was the one at the Winepress.

David was anointed king and when he came, he talked of the encounters that he had in the wilderness when none of his elder brothers was around. They were beautiful and wonderful encounters (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Ezekiel was always lifted by the Spirit of God like all the other prophets and kings who had the oil of the anointing and who were ready to live for God (Ezekiel 3:12 & 14; 11:1&11).

You can never be the same again when you have a divine encounter with God. Saul turned to Paul after he had a personal encounter with Christ. “Saul the Persecutor” now became “Paul the Apostle.”

Divine encounters bring about transformation and renewal of our lives. Divine encounter is a craving that every believer should have because the experience leaves a long-lasting impact.

• Today’s Nugget: Divine encounter should be a must for every believer. Prayer: Help me to have a personal encounter with Jesus

Prayer lines: 08054477940. E-mail: servantofgod111@yahoo.com. Rev. Pastor Ejikeme Ejim, General Superintendent, Assemblies Of God Nigeria