... suddenly a light from heaven flashed around [Saul].
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
He asked, "Who are you, Lord?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Acts 9:3-5
This sounds like one of those New Testament miracles. Something big that happened only around the time of Jesus, but could never happen now, right?
Wrong.
I don't know the statistics, but hundreds(?), thousands(?), maybe even hundreds of thousands(?) of people all around the world are seeing visions of Jesus. Ask our missionaries at Spirit of Joy. Google it, if you wish.
It is somewhat common, for example, in Middle Eastern countries right now. Tribal Muslim shepherds, for example, have lived in remote areas, have received little education, have never really heard of Jesus, and yet are quietly reporting encounters that not unlike Saul's. (Quietly, because they're under the threat of persecution -- even death -- in some of these countries.)
It's mainly through dreams. But it's an encounter with light and truth. It's Jesus himself. Shepherds, children, oppressed women are suddenly believing in a Lord they'd never even heard of.
Why? Because God is still active. He's alive. He's present. Do you believe that? Then why not believe if something could stirring in our world today!
In Christ's Love,
a guy who advocates ignoring
a bit of the standard news outlets
(you won't see these reports there)
and seeking out credible alternatives
— like missionary organizations —
to fill in a few blanks ...
Also try
Here's an except from New York Times bestselling author Joel Rosenberg ...
You rarely hear about it on the news. You rarely even hear about it in churches in the West ... But the big, untold story is that more Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ today than at any other time in history.
For many Muslims, despair and despondency at what they see as the utter failure of Islamic governments and societies to improve their lives and give them peace, security, and a sense of purpose and meaning in life are causing them to leave Islam in search of truth.
Some have lost their way entirely and become agnostics and atheists. Others have sadly turned to alcohol and drug abuse. But millions are finding that only Jesus Christ heals the ache in their hearts and the deep wounds in their souls.
For other Muslims, it is not depression but rage that is driving them away from the Qur'an ... They are seeing far too many Muslim leaders ... both advocating and acting out cruelty toward women and children ...
[A] top Iranian ministry leader told me. "Jesus Christ is revealing Himself to people in Iran. A big revival is under way and more is coming. ... At the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were only about five hundred known Muslim converts to Jesus inside the country. By 2000, a survey of Christian demographic trends reported that there were two hundred twenty thousand Christians inside Iran ...
Ultimately, I'm told that what is bringing these Iranians to Christ are dreams and visions of Jesus himself.
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