A Relationship with God, Brad Steiner

I was born again (John 3:3) on May 7, 1998. On that Thursday night I had a most definite and sweet experience of opening my heart to my Lord Jesus and knowing something of His forgiveness and love. Before that night God was always somewhere in the heavens, watching me and recording all the good and bad things I did. Because of my concept of God and lack of personally knowing Him, it was easy for me to live my life according to my own thoughts and desires, the same way much of the world does today. However, after May 7, I had a new realization that God is truly real, living, and He loves me. Over the next three months I gained a deep realization that much of my life was living in sin and that I was powerless to live a righteous and good life like Jesus did on the earth (Romans 7:20). I also knew that I still lacked really knowing Him (Philippians 3:10), who He was, why He created me and the world, and what His purpose was for me. During these three months, I was praying to the Lord that He would bring me to some Christian friend to pursue Him with and to help me to read the Bible.

I began to see these prayers answered by the Lord in August of 1998. As I was walking down a busy street in Austin, Texas, called Speedway, I noticed a Bible study being offered by some Christians on the opposite side of the street. I tried to keep walking toward where I was going, but I had a strong sense within that this Bible study was what I had been praying for. So I remember looking up into the sky and telling the Lord that I will go find out what time the Bible study was and that was all.

As I began to read the Bible with these Christians I saw that the Word is living and operative (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible became something special to me, something that brought me joy and satisfaction. For the first time I began to experience the Lord in a consistent way in prayer, fellowship and reading the Bible with these Christians. After a year of regular times of pursuing the Lord with these Christians and after much individual prayer and seeking the Lord's will, I began to meet with the brothers and sisters. They met in a modest, inconspicuous building, and simply loved the Lord, His Word and met as the church. It would be very hard for me to describe the sense of inner peace, satisfaction, joy and rest that I've experienced day-by-day in living a life full of seeking the Lord Jesus in an intimate way with a group of people who have given their lives to pursue the Lord faithfully by seeking to come to the full-knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 1:9; Ephesians 4:13). In my time meeting with the local church in Austin I have come to realize that the more I know the truth in the Word and the more I fellowship with other members of His Body (Romans 12:4-5), the issue is a genuine relationship in daily fellowship with our living God.