Do I Believe? Part Four:

Hello To All:

For almost 25 years, our Lord Jesus Christ has purposed for me, to labor in His service, outside of the institutional/denominational system of the church, in the west. This began in the fall of 1986, when He sent me traveling, on that 22,000 mile motorcycle journey. It continues to this day. For most of those years, I have regularly attended a local assembly; and contributed of time and treasure as much as I was able; and also contributed of talent, to whatever degree that I was allowed. These assemblies, were all part of the institutional church; but, since 1986, I have not been a member of the institutional church; rather, I have had, for almost 25 years, the status of a visitor; and, it has been in that capacity, as a visitor, that I have labored.

Being a perpetual visitor, has given me a unique perspective and a unique understanding of the workings of the institutional/denominational system that we, in the west, call church. Since becoming an elder, I have also gained a unique and deep appreciation for the struggles and bondage that church leaders, must daily face, as they seek to serve Christ, in a system that is extremely controlling and tolerates no deviation from its own precepts.

The labor of those years, has often been, and continues to be, very rewarding. The greatest reward being, that Christ has labored to draw me closer and closer to Him; and as He draws me to Himself, I become a more effective vessel in bringing an understanding of Jesus Christ, to those, in whose midst, I labor.

In the latter part of May, of this year, things changed. With God's approval, and under His direction, I have embarked on a great adventure. My guide and companion, on this grand journey, is my Lord Jesus Christ. A portion of His intent, for this journey, is to bring me to a deeper understanding, of His great gift of faith; to teach me how to access and use this gift to its fullest potential; and to purge my life from the unbelief, that so profoundly mitigates against the fullness that Jesus Christ has, not only for me, but for all who call on Him for salvation.

The catalyst, for this great adventure, took place in May of 2010, while I was in Haiti (please see the postings of May and June of 2010). When our Lord Jesus Christ sat the lame and blind man before me, I knew, with absolute certainty, that God was testing me. The intention of His testing was to edify and build me up - to heal the lame man - and to glorify Himself in that healing.

This was an epiphany; a moment of clarity; a moment of understanding; a moment when I believed! Jesus spoke -then, empowered by Jesus, I believed - then, empowered by Jesus, I spoke - then, Jesus healed the lame and blind man! The life of the man who was healed, was no longer the same. My life, the life of the man whom God had chosen to work through, was no longer the same; and since that moment, I have been searching for the person I was, when the lame man was healed. I have been searching for the capacity to believe now - just as I believed then.

This is a good place to break. When we come together, in our next posting, we shall take a closer look at this journey.

Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:

Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus