What an incredible request! Miracles at a distance, second-hand information, or even a meeting with the disciples, were not enough. These Greeks wanted a personal conference with this Jesus about whom they had heard so much. They wanted to see Him, and no one else would do.

I would that this generation would take their cue from this beautiful event. Christianity is just another religion unless its participants receive a personal mission of Christ himself. As long as one's faith is mere theory, doctrine, theology, tradition, or denomination, it is all just another crusty religion.

When the supernatural encounter with the living Christ transpires, the Christian faith moves from religiosity to life. Jesus becomes personal and His presence life changing. Resurrection power, supernatural life, and spiritual glory all flow from His Person and the individual who makes His acquaintance.

An Encounter on the Turnpike 
The Apostle Paul was Saul of Tarsus until his Damascus Road experience. He was a persecutor and a blasphemous individual. This new religious uprising was a threat to his secure position and cold, calculated belief system. Stephen was a great speaker and left his imprint, but it was the Christ revealed, as one born out of due time, that arrested the persecutor of Christians.

He could sit at the feet of the great teacher, Gamaliel, serve in the council of the Sanhedrin, and even read and obey the law of Moses, all without change, but one whisper of the divine voice and he melted like snow in the heat of summer. Sprawling in the dust of the much-traveled highway, his cry was the humbled, "Who are thou, Lord?" and "What wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5, 6).

Our modern day church needs a Damascus Road experience. We will not need to beg for workers or prayers if (and when) our people encounter the Lord. His presence is intoxicating and addictive.

Spiritual Encounters Fill the Word
History is filled with accounts of people who came in contact with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In fact, it is a series of surprising revelations to study the Bible with that thought in mind.

The Word is a Book of the miraculous, not a dusty chronicle of the normal. It is laced with visions and encounters from the beginning when God said, "Let there be light," through the final "Amen" of John the Revelator. Spanning 66 books, 45 authors, and 1,600 years in the making, the wonderfully inspired Word moves from one miraculous encounter to another.

Adam and Eve seemed to think nothing of their evening walks with God (Genesis 2-3).

God spoke directly to Noah (Genesis 6), and a small remnant of mankind was saved from one of the greatest tragedies of human history.

Abraham heard God speak in a vision (Genesis 15), and the patriarch's family became the chosen nation. Jacob, Abraham's grandson, saw a ladder stretching from the earth to heaven with angels descending and ascending. Out of this vision came God's promise of coming blessings.

Moses, on the backside of the desert, 40 years after he had fled from the wrath of Pharaoh, heard the voice of the Lord (Exodus 3:2) and stood in His presence. He was moved to lead the Exodus to the Promised Land.

Elijah and Elisha saw visions in a heavenly realm that would make today's motion pictures pale in comparison.

David, Daniel, Zechariah, and John all saw into this dimension--supernatural events and supernatural scenes, which the mind can hardly grasp.

But the vision of visions is to see what Peter saw as he walked with the Lord. "When Jesus cam into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16: 13-17).

People may understand Jesus in a historical sense. They may quote His teachings. They may be able to speak about the Gospels, Epistles, the Old Testament records, and the Prophets, but until the believer sees Jesus as his lord, and can say with conviction, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," all our religion is but a dying ember.

Flesh and blood cannot reveal Jesus. This can come about only through the miracle of personal revelation. It is more than the normal Christian life would seem to suggest. This kind of experience is awaiting one's self-spent surrender. The Holy Spirit is knocking at one's heart anticipating that very moment. It never happens accidentally!

"For no person will be justified--made righteous, acquitted and judge acceptable--in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For (the real function of) the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith and holy character]." (Romans 3:20, Amp.).

The Vision of Jesus Christ
In John 11, death had invaded a home. Two sisters, Mary and Martha, were left without their beloved and caring brother, Lazarus. The scenario unfolded like millions of times before and since when death strikes. Neighbors came to comfort. Weeping and sadness permeated the heart of those who shared this tremendous loss.

It appeared to be settled. Death had locked the door. Jesus arrived, but to Martha and Mary it was simply too late. They said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, our brother would not have died."

Martha and Mary knew Jesus as a friend, they believed in Him. His power was well sufficient to forestall death; but beyond death--eternal life--was beyond their present faith. They doubted all the way to the tomb where Lazarus was buried. They even suggested, "By now he stinketh."

Then the miracle of seeing Jesus occurred. He had said, as they doubted and spoke of future resurrection, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25). Those words, "I am," were words only God could speak.

Jesus had said of Lazarus, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." (v. 4). He must reveal Himself to His disciples. He is not just a prophet or a good man. He is the Son of God and that is the vision . . . the miracle that they must see.

When He said, "I am the resurrection and the life," He was speaking in the present form. It was a statement about now . . . today. He was endeavoring to move them from mere information about Himself to the miracle of seeing Him. The reason most people cannot move into the supernatural is that they are waiting tomorrow for a miracle-filled walk. They have locked God off in some distant past, or a yet-to-be future.

But the moment spiritual understanding of the "I am" breaks forth in one's life, that supernatural walk is available 24 hours a day! This is the miracle of seeing Jesus.

So much of religion today is like stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey--a lot of pleasant spices and tantalizing tastes, but very little meat.

"I am the resurrection and the life" is pure spiritual substance when locked together with a self-giving hunger and a trusting faith. Grasping this statement moves the believer from head knowledge into the realm of heart experience. As with Martha, it requires a clear desire and a desperate faith.

If only each one of us could move from believing on Him to believing in Him. What a difference it is. Our total concept of life, of faith, of life experiences will be transformed when this occurs.

His desire is for each human being to know Him as Martha came to know Him. When Martha transferred her head knowledge into heart knowledge, it got His attention. Her struggling faith gripped His heart.

"When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who were with her [also] sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled--He chafed in spirit, and sighed and was disturbed." (John 11:33, Amp.).

And during those moments of grasping faith, Jesus unfolded one of the most glorious miracles recorded in the Bible.

The "I am" is a present reality, not some ethereal being. He is God in the flesh, the Emmanuel. And when He uttered His command to the dead, "Lazarus come forth," death obeyed. Bound with grave clothes, the dead brother appeared. The presence of Jesus Christ transformed a weeping household into a joyful reunion. Seeing Jesus in His glory is the first step to a lifetime of miracles.

Experiencing This Miracle
The same Jesus who commanded Lazarus to come forth from the tomb is the One who desires His followers to get a new and fresh vision of Him. If only we could see that He wants to pull back the windows of heaven for us, to enlarge our vision until we can see Him at the right hand of the Father in His glory, dressed in priestly robes, interceding for each of us.

All of us must start with small beginnings. Our spiritual perception of Jesus begins when we see Him as our Savior, our sacrifice for our sins. It's the level of first love--a childlike excitement about Jesus and His wonderful grace.

Oh, that the entire world could see Jesus as Savior! But we should not stop there. There is more. The heart in search of the supernatural must desire to see Him as absolute Lord of all the kingdoms of One's heart. Some call it "sanctification," others call it "the lordship of Christ," and still others may call it, "growing in grace." One's theological term is not half as important as the hunger inside the heart. We must set our sights on Him and not let anything distract our attention.

Looking Unto Jesus the Author
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2).

The infilling of the Holy Spirit will bring a deepening of faith, a growing hunger for His Word and a fresh, new vision of Jesus. The Holy Spirit seeks not to glorify Himself, or His gifts but rather the Giver. He will speak of and show only Jesus.

"He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you." (John 16:14, Amp.).

But the miracle of seeing Jesus is marvelous; it excels beyond measure because it never needs to grow antiquated. So much of human experience is dependent on thrills and discoveries. Emotions to satisfy must become more ecstatic and bizarre. Miracles, for the sake of miracles, must be bigger or greater in number or they lose their crowd. Not so with Jesus.

He gets sweeter as we serve Him longer. His words have a fresh blessing every time we read them. I rejoice that after 49 years His name is like water from the rock (I Corinthians 10:4). Worship never needs to be drab and will not as long as it is worship directed toward Him in spirit and in truth.

Those Who Have Seen
God said, "This is my beloved Son." Jesus, of Himself, said "All power is given unto me in heaven and earth." (Matthew 28:18).

Peter revealed, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16).

Pilate could not keep from admitting; "I find no fault in him." (John 19:4).

Thomas, when faced with Jesus' supernatural marks, trembled, "My Lord and my God." (John 20:28).

Mary Magdalene called Him, "Rabonni . . . Master." (John 20:16).'

Stephen saw Him in a vision at the right hand of God and said, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56).

Paul wrote, "God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." (Phillipians 2:9).

Jude likewise recorded, "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power." (Jude 25).

John exclaimed, "Lord of lords and King of kings." (Revelation 17:14).

Christ is the central figure in world history. To Him everything looks forward or backward.

To see Jesus is personal and life-changing experience.

To see Jesus as our Savior, our Baptizer, our Healer, our Miracle Worker, and our Soon Coming King--this is the Father's delight!

(Excerpted from Miracles, My Father's Delight, Joseph R. Chambers, D.D., D.S.L., 1986. Originally published by Pathway Press, Cleveland, TN. In process of being republished by a different publisher.)