When I was nearly 14, I desired to start a Christian meeting at lunch time at my high school. So I took a friend - a senior student - with me to the principal's office to ask permission.
I knocked on his door.
"Yes, come in, who sent you up here, what have you done wrong?" he said.
"I haven't done anything wrong sir - I just want to talk to you," I said.
He looked amused at my boldness, for a junior student. We went in and sat down.
"I've become a Christian, and my life has changed," I began.
"First of all, I want to apologise for any trouble I may have caused any teachers before I became a Christian.
Secondly, I want to ask permission to use a room at lunch time so I can start a Christian meeting so I can tell other kids about Jesus so they can have a chance to get their life changed too," I said.
The principal thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "No, everyone's got their own religion. If I let you promote your religion, some parents are bound to get upset. I'd rather have no religion at all in the school."
We stood up, shook his hand, thanked him for his time, and left.
I told my other friends who had also become Christians what the principal had decided. "But let's all pray that the Lord will change his mind tonight while he's asleep," I suggested. We all agreed to do so.
So that night before I went to sleep, I prayed, "Lord, please change the principal's mind tonight while he's asleep". Then I turned out the light and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night I woke up because my bedroom was full of light. I looked up, but the light-bulb wasn't on - so I wondered where the light was coming from. I saw Jesus sitting on the end of my bed. His skin and clothing were shining brightly - lighting up the whole room.
I was automatically drawn out of bed, without even feeling cold, to a position of sitting on his lap. He held me in His hands. I looked at His face, and I thought, "Ah, it's Jesus".
He had slightly long hair, and a short scruffy beard. As I looked at His face, I remember thinking to myself, "...you're not very good looking, are you Jesus!" He knew what I was thinking, and smiled. He thought it was funny too.
But when I looked in His eyes, I felt, "Oh, this is the most beautiful face I've ever seen in my life!" His eyes looked like oceans of liquid love. I felt I could see so deep into His eyes - yet all I saw was love, gentleness, tenderness, purity, wholeness.
He was wearing a long white garment, but it wasn't perfectly fresh - it looked like He'd been wearing it all day.
I saw the holes in His hands where the nails went through - big holes, still red, still an open wound. I knew He died for me - I felt love.
I don't know why I did it, but I looked down at His feet. He had sandals on, and they were a bit dusty - like He'd been out walking the streets all day. I saw holes in His feet where the nails went through.
I could see in Jesus' eyes that He keeps reaching out with love even to those who reject Him.
He seemed delighted to have this moment with me. But I could also see in His eyes that He delights to do the Father's will so much - He remembers how much better the outcome was last time He chose the Father's will instead of His own - He was always mindful of the Father, waiting for any instruction from Him, being careful not to stay with me one moment longer than the Father willed, despite how much He was enjoying it.
Jesus said to me, "So you're thinking of starting a meeting at Bremer hey."
"Yeah," I said. And we talked about that.
Next morning during morning recess, my friend told me that the principal just saw him - he came running down the steps to talk to him.
"I'm so glad I've found you. I've been looking for you boys all over. About that meeting you want to have - something's happened to me overnight - I've changed my mind - now I want you to have that meeting. Which room would you like to use?" the principal said.
"Is that right!" I thought, smiling. So I chose the best room in the school - with carpet, ceiling fans, and audio-visual equipment! And for the rest of my years at high school we held a Christian meeting at lunch time every week.
We went around the school grounds at lunch time talking to fellow-students about Jesus and inviting them to the weekly meetings. Then the day after the meeting, we would follow-up those who had become Christians the day before, to lay hands on them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and got their addresses to pick them up for church on Sunday.
We gave a speech to the whole school during assembly, inviting everyone to the meetings. One week approximately a hundred students turned up for the the meeting, the teachers had to open the partition and make a double room - and that meeting went for three days in a row.
Occasionally sicknesses were miraculously healed. Many became Christians - some eventually became pastors or missionaries overseas.
Jesus died and rose again to be your Saviour too.
Whatever you desire, ask the Father in Jesus' Name - and believing, JESUS will open the door for you - He will do it for you, just like He did for me.
I knocked on his door.
"Yes, come in, who sent you up here, what have you done wrong?" he said.
"I haven't done anything wrong sir - I just want to talk to you," I said.
He looked amused at my boldness, for a junior student. We went in and sat down.
"I've become a Christian, and my life has changed," I began.
"First of all, I want to apologise for any trouble I may have caused any teachers before I became a Christian.
Secondly, I want to ask permission to use a room at lunch time so I can start a Christian meeting so I can tell other kids about Jesus so they can have a chance to get their life changed too," I said.
The principal thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "No, everyone's got their own religion. If I let you promote your religion, some parents are bound to get upset. I'd rather have no religion at all in the school."
We stood up, shook his hand, thanked him for his time, and left.
I told my other friends who had also become Christians what the principal had decided. "But let's all pray that the Lord will change his mind tonight while he's asleep," I suggested. We all agreed to do so.
So that night before I went to sleep, I prayed, "Lord, please change the principal's mind tonight while he's asleep". Then I turned out the light and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night I woke up because my bedroom was full of light. I looked up, but the light-bulb wasn't on - so I wondered where the light was coming from. I saw Jesus sitting on the end of my bed. His skin and clothing were shining brightly - lighting up the whole room.
I was automatically drawn out of bed, without even feeling cold, to a position of sitting on his lap. He held me in His hands. I looked at His face, and I thought, "Ah, it's Jesus".
He had slightly long hair, and a short scruffy beard. As I looked at His face, I remember thinking to myself, "...you're not very good looking, are you Jesus!" He knew what I was thinking, and smiled. He thought it was funny too.
But when I looked in His eyes, I felt, "Oh, this is the most beautiful face I've ever seen in my life!" His eyes looked like oceans of liquid love. I felt I could see so deep into His eyes - yet all I saw was love, gentleness, tenderness, purity, wholeness.
He was wearing a long white garment, but it wasn't perfectly fresh - it looked like He'd been wearing it all day.
I saw the holes in His hands where the nails went through - big holes, still red, still an open wound. I knew He died for me - I felt love.
I don't know why I did it, but I looked down at His feet. He had sandals on, and they were a bit dusty - like He'd been out walking the streets all day. I saw holes in His feet where the nails went through.
I could see in Jesus' eyes that He keeps reaching out with love even to those who reject Him.
He seemed delighted to have this moment with me. But I could also see in His eyes that He delights to do the Father's will so much - He remembers how much better the outcome was last time He chose the Father's will instead of His own - He was always mindful of the Father, waiting for any instruction from Him, being careful not to stay with me one moment longer than the Father willed, despite how much He was enjoying it.
Jesus said to me, "So you're thinking of starting a meeting at Bremer hey."
"Yeah," I said. And we talked about that.
Next morning during morning recess, my friend told me that the principal just saw him - he came running down the steps to talk to him.
"I'm so glad I've found you. I've been looking for you boys all over. About that meeting you want to have - something's happened to me overnight - I've changed my mind - now I want you to have that meeting. Which room would you like to use?" the principal said.
"Is that right!" I thought, smiling. So I chose the best room in the school - with carpet, ceiling fans, and audio-visual equipment! And for the rest of my years at high school we held a Christian meeting at lunch time every week.
We went around the school grounds at lunch time talking to fellow-students about Jesus and inviting them to the weekly meetings. Then the day after the meeting, we would follow-up those who had become Christians the day before, to lay hands on them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and got their addresses to pick them up for church on Sunday.
We gave a speech to the whole school during assembly, inviting everyone to the meetings. One week approximately a hundred students turned up for the the meeting, the teachers had to open the partition and make a double room - and that meeting went for three days in a row.
Occasionally sicknesses were miraculously healed. Many became Christians - some eventually became pastors or missionaries overseas.
Jesus died and rose again to be your Saviour too.
Whatever you desire, ask the Father in Jesus' Name - and believing, JESUS will open the door for you - He will do it for you, just like He did for me.
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