Have You?

John 1:29-35 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."

And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

Have you been touched by Jesus? Have you gone from not knowing Him, like John, to knowing Him through the power of the Holy Spirit?

I love the story about Mary and Elizabeth and how John in his mother's womb leaped when Mary came near with Jesus in her womb. Spiritually there was a connection. It's sort of like John's exclamation when he saw Jesus coming toward him above. He just knew, when he didn't know before, as he said about three times, "I did not know Him." We aren't definitively told whether John and Jesus had ever met before this time, except for that momentary meeting between Mary and Elizabeth. If anyone has any other explanation, please respond!

I did not know Him either for more than half my life even though I had heard of Him and how I am sure He was presenting Himself to me which I either didn't recognize or, most certainly,  rejected. I was well aware of Jesus, who He was, that He died for the sins of all mankind…and that, most amazingly, He rose from the dead, just like He prophesied He would.

But one day He baptized me with the Holy Spirit and I can bear witness myself to this. I suddenly knew Him intimately through this miraculous, personal rebirth, which was very unsuspecting. And out of obedience to the Word, I was baptized, symbolically in water, but of greater importance, in the Holy Spirit.

I also can testify that Jesus is the Son of God, that I have been reborn of the Spirit. Have you been touched by Jesus? Have you gone from not knowing Him to knowing Him through the power of the Holy Spirit?

Ezekiel 36:26-28 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.