By Warren B. Smith
In the original introduction to Jesus Calling, Sarah Young described how it was a walk in “God’s glorious creation” that led to her mystical moonlight conversion—that her “heart” was “converted” to “Jesus” when she “felt” “enveloped” by the “warm mist” of His “Presence.” Her account is reminiscent of how many of us fell prey to deceptive spiritual experiences rather than heeding warnings from the Word of God about “another Jesus,” “another gospel,” and “another spirit.” (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7; 1 Timothy 4:1). Note how Young clearly transitions right from “it was God’s glorious creation that helped me open my heart to Him” into her walk in the “snowy mountains” with its “cold moonlit beauty.” It is a continuous flow from one paragraph to the next. Young wrote:
It was the intellectual integrity of Francis Schaeffer’s teaching that had drawn me to that pristine place. Though the quest that had taken me there was a search for truth, it was God’s glorious creation that helped me open my heart to Him.
One night I found myself leaving the warmth of our cozy chalet to walk alone in the snowy mountains. I went into a deeply wooded area, feeling vulnerable and awed by cold, moonlit beauty. The air was crisp and dry, piercing to inhale. Suddenly I felt as if a warm mist enveloped me. I became aware of a lovely Presence, and my involuntary response was to whisper, “Sweet Jesus.” This utterance was totally uncharacteristic of me, and I was shocked to hear myself speaking so tenderly to Jesus. As I pondered this brief communication, I realized it was the response of a converted heart; at that moment I knew I belonged to Him. This was far more than the intellectual answers for which I’d been searching. This was a relationship with the Creator of the universe.1 [emphasis added to indicate what has been removed from the most recent editions of Jesus Calling].
But after nine years of publishing the mystical conversion account above, this original account has been suddenly replaced by a different, more traditional conversion account that Young now claims to have had prior to her moonlight walk. Instead of “God’s glorious creation” transitioning into her mystical moonlight conversion, now it’s her new conversion account that transitions into her considerably toned down walk in the moonlight. Click here to continue reading.
Thank you Lighthouse Trails.
The Holy Spirit led me to your website, and I am forever grateful and do not feel alone as of the early 2000’s. We Christians should be thanking the Lord God Almighty for His love and guidance and wisdom imparted by these Saints. I for one feel mighty blest. It is near impossible to find a church preaching the truth regardless of the backlash in the Chicago and Chicago Suburbs. They are small and teach unbiblically or worse Mega and teach heresy.
Thank you Light House Trails, and thank you Jesus….
Carole, not sure what your comment has to do with the article above by Warren Smith on Jesus Calling. Did you perhaps mean to post it on another article?
We didn’t go to Israel to “find Jesus “but just to see the historical land about which the bible teaches and see the where and what the Bible is talking about. And our tourism IS a way of “blessing Israel for which we will be blessed” per God’s word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) in Genesis. If God thinks so much of that land why shouldn’t we?
It is also possible to go in Israel to évangélise Jews and Arabs, and to learn about archeological traces of history, and get stronger in debating rabbis.
Excellent comment, John. I think of how the Bible says that we do not know Him (Jesus) after the flesh.
Our assurance cannot ever be based on any experience. It is sad that people miss the simplicity of the Gospel and look for something else to assure them.
Slightly off the main topic but still in the same closet are those endless “biblical tours” to Israel, Turkey, etc.
Christians go there to “find” Jesus or to be closer to God and all that. Some even imagine (note, “imagine”; not fact) that they can “feel” how Paul must have felt when he stood on the steps at Mars Hill in Athens, or when he visited Turkey.
Isn’t it obvious why Jesus never hinted at this kind of human reverence?
Christians are not Muslims; we don’t do pilgrimages. There is no holy shrine we have to visit. Visiting Jesus’ grave (one of the 300 different ones tour guides will show you, depending on how much money you want to spend), or visiting Golgotha cannot and will not convert one to become a born-again Christian and can’t bring you “nearer” to God.
A few years ago, a couple returned from an extensive tour of Greece, Israel, and Turkey and told me how they had “experienced” “felt” the presence of “Jesus” at certain places and now felt sure about their future. A few months later, they divorced.
Jesus said, “Follow me” and “believe in Me.” Jesus was and is not a travel agency’s drawcard. You won’t “find” Him in the mountains or in the valleys of this world. You won’t find Him in the evil writings of men and women. You won’t “find” Him in Detroit or San Diego.
I have nothing against tours, but “biblical” tours milk the gullible, just like Sara Young and her nonsense.
Rather spend that “Holy Land” travel money and help…