"Simeon was certainly an unusual and striking person. Whenever he led his monks in worship, his face (they said) shone like an angel....He was a relentless critic of a merely nominal Christianity. Baptism and church attendance, Simeon insisted, were spiritually worthless unless they bore fruit in a changed life.
"Is Christ's name not spoken everywhere," Simeon said, "in cities, villages, monasteries, and on mountains? But if you search carefully to see if people obey Christ's commands, you will hardly find one among thousands and tens of thousands who is a real Christian in word and deed."
Through his preaching, writing, and counseling, Simeon spent his life trying to turn people away from religion that was ritual and ceremony to an inward spirituality of the heart. He insisted that a true knowledge of God could not come through doctrine alone but through committed spiritual practice, especially prayer, in which the believer comes to know God personally and experientially."-Dr. Nick R. Needham, pastor of Reformed Baptist Church, Inverness, Scotland, From Tabletalk, August issue.
I wonder at times if the aura, or the halos, that we hear about, and perhaps even have seen, are not a genuine sign from God.
I remember when I took my Mom to a church service years ago, and my friend Meir, who is a Sabra Messianic Jew stood and gave his testimony of his love for Christ. On our way home in the car, my Mom said, "When Meir was speaking, I saw a glow about him. At first I thought maybe it from the Sunlight, perhaps. But then I knew it was simply a glow about him. I didn't see the glow on anyone else. Not the pastor, or anyone. Just him."
Another time a friend told me he went to see Joni when she visited Baltimore, and he said she had a glow about her; her whole wheelchair actually.
Not that Halos and auras are needed, nor any sign really, for we have the Word of God, the Holy Bible. In fact, the New Age religion is surely into these types of things, and there may well be some counterfeit auras being done by Satan and his minions.
Yet,I wonder sometimes, that's all.
One day we will know for sure, won't we, when the End finally comes, and this old cursed Earth becomes a new righteous Earth. Look so forward to that day! Come soon Lord! Amen.
In Simon Ushakov's icon of the The Last Supper (1685) eleven of the twelve apostles have haloes: only Judas Iscariot does not.
4 comments:
I have seen that glow one time in my life. My niece, who was not to live due to many birth defects was being confirmed in the catholic faith! Yes there was sunlight coming in the window, but it followed her thru out all the proceedings. ANd she was the only one! She is now 28 years old, only thing wrong with her-she is a little scatter brained at times.
The other thing noteworthy of the day is my dad passed on the same day. No one can tell me there is no God who is everpresent & everywhere!
LOl my word verification is:fulingu!
Thanks for sharing that. God is God. Amen.
I like that he challenged people about nominal Christianity.
As for me, I have never had anyone tell me that there is an aura around me... a smell perhaps, but no aura. ;-)
You're a funny dude.
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