I remember the day when some brothers came from the Mandeville Bible School, the seminary, as a deputation to me. They said to me, “We have heard you are preaching the gospel and we have seen what God is doing in your life. God has sent us to you with a message that you must come and join the Bible school.”
I was naive. Not naive in the world, but naive in the things of God. It is the strangest thing: you can be a person in the world, well versed in the things of the world (I was an accountant at that time), but naive when it comes to God’s business. In those days, I did not know that somebody could say, “God said,” when God actually didn’t say. I didn’t have that experience. I had this marvelous association with Jesus, having Him come to my room every day at four o’clock, talking to me and teaching me the Word. I didn’t know this was not the way God spoke to everybody. I thought that when these ministers said, “God says so and so…,” it must have been God. I thought, “Boy, what have I been missing?” I didn’t bother to ask God. “If God says it, I will do it.” So instead of asking Jesus, I said, “Yes, I will come with you.” I then went off to register in the Bible school.
When I arrived there, something happened and they were not able to register me that day. I had to take a day off from work for this trip and as I was a little late for my four o’clock appointment with Jesus, I was hustling back. I rushed into my room and burst the door open. I saw Him standing there with His back towards me and His face looking out the window. The four o’clock bright sunshine was coming through the window. I could see just the silhouette of the man, just the shadow.
I was overjoyed to report to Him that I had obeyed Him. I blurted out, “Jesus, I did wonderful today. I have joined the Bible school!” He wasn’t greeting me as He used to, but began to turn around, very slowly, to face me. There was something awesome in His slow turn. What was I going to see when He turned around and looked at me? I had seen Him before. When He would come in through the door, He would greet me and smile and the glory of God would flood over my soul. However, by the time I would say, “Hello,” He had already stood behind me. Before this particular time, He had never spoken to me face to face, but would always stand over my left shoulder while He spoke. But now, He was turning around to look straight at me. I felt a terror coming over me. Something was wrong. There was something in my very bones that was terrified. When He turned around fully and looked at me, it was not that Jesus I was used to, that sweet, calm spirit. His eyes were blazing like two flames of fire. I couldn’t take the brightness of His face. I couldn’t look Him in the eye. I had to shelter myself from it. I bent my head down and as I did, I could only see His finger in my face. Believe me, it was a big finger! In a warning gesture He said, “If you go to Bible school, then you will have rejected Me as your teacher!”
As He said that, I fell on my knees before Him and said, “Oh, no, God! No! I have no such intention! I wanted to please You!” I was so distressed. And He disappeared. Normally, He would sit down and talk with me for the whole night. But this time He was gone. Our appointment never went on for that day. I thought He was gone forever! It was horrible to feel that God had left me! I began to worry. Have I rejected Jesus? I found out that to reject Jesus, you don’t have to say, “Jesus, I reject you.” You can have all intention to serve Him and all the mind to serve Him, but if you do anything contrary to Him, you reject Him by your action. Actions speak louder than words.
Jesus came back to me the next day, but the lesson He taught me will live with me for the rest of my life.
I realized then that Bible schools were NOT working with Jesus. I began to understand what had been happening. God called many people, many men, and as He called them, they ran off to Bible school to be taught the doctrines of men. If God calls you – go to God! The same God that calls you can teach you or else, He will send you the right teacher, which, in fact, is the way God works, too. That is why He has teachers in His Body. The same God who has called you wants to teach you! He does not want you to run off to Bible school and let man teach you theological nonsense. He wants to teach you the Word that has power to set you free as well as to keep you in the days to come.
