The Amazing Experience
John 15:18-27
The World Hates the Disciples
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
The Work of the Holy Spirit
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Before I met Jesus, I hated Him without reason, as He said in verse 25. Actually, I did not mean it, but honestly speaking, It was hatred. I have tried to meet Him, but I couldn't. From that time, my doubt and anger about churches started to spring from my heart, though I did not know much about it. Maybe it was because I couldn't meet Him at the moment.
One summer day, I was complaining about churches to my Christian friend in a college campus. After that, I met Jesus at a retreat of Joy mission through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who testified and showed about Jesus, like a movie scene. It was not a movie theater, nor was I dreaming at night. I was in a room a day, and I was just waiting for someone to talk about the bible or something else. It was the last day of the retreat and the day before, I talked to some college students in there about myself who was not opening my mind because of my prejudice and ignorance of Jesus.
I felt that Jesus was standing before the door of my mind, but I couldn't open it, as I am not sure of Him. Then, the Holy Spirit demonstrated all my sins and Jesus' carrying the cross, and then I felt the brutal pain of Jesus was for my sake, I mean, because of my sins. It was the moment of realizing the truth, and it was only thanks to the Holy Spirit. Without the help of Him, I couldn't have known or believed Jesus until now. Also, I could be one of the men who are opposing against Jesus, which is an awful thing to me.
After that experience, my life was totally changed. I could believe in Jesus, confessing my sins, and I could understand the bible, knowing about God, the Father. Most of all, I became one of the men who has been testifying that Jesus is the Son of God, and I am often deep in thinking and acting of Loving others as He loved me. This is an amazing thing to me, though it is oftentimes tough and challenging to do, but It's very meaningful to me, and I think that it's my duty and responsibility to do as a child of God who was with Him from the beginning.
Father, God, let me love more than I do now, as I have no power to do it without Your help, the Advocate, the supporter of my keeping commitment to others. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
