I returned years later with the cross at Lake Tahoe where I saw Jesus.
This Passion Week and Easter 2013 is upon us. My heart is filled with deep emotions as I read and remember and feel some of the things Jesus experienced during the most important and moving week in world history. Jesus, oh Jesus we love You, worship and adore You our Savior and Lord!!! I love Jesus! I am not ashamed of Jesus. He is worthy of everything or nothing at all. It is time to think and read and pray and witness to others. The focus is all about Jesus. I remember once on a tough road and challenging conditions I said to Jesus, "what are you doing to me?" Jesus replied, "grinding you to power so I can blow you where I will!" I replied back, "don't stop now"! I first made the cross in the spring of 1968 for our building 'His Place' on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, Ca. The cross wood was from a lumber pile of old light poles. It was heavy and weather beaten and rugged. The type of wood that the cross of Jesus I think was made from, old discarded wood. I had no idea that over forty four years later I would still be carrying the cross. Behind me lies every nation and major inhabited island group. Now 40,193 miles and counting and walking on. The cross has become my companion. With the pounding of over 80,000,000 steps with the cross it has shaped my life as well as my body. Carrying the cross and the message of the cross...Jesus. I have read every scripture of that Passion Week and pondered them for days and years and countless hours. I've carried the cross into wars and jungles and deserts as well as congested cities, all for Jesus and to share Him with people of all races and colors and nations. My wife Denise is also an awesome Jesus follower. She has also been with me and the cross in 294 countries and island groups. We have talked for hours on end about Jesus, prayed and had fellowship with Jesus around the world. Jesus is the center of our lives and mission on earth.
To have been identified with the glorious message of the cross and a physical cross for most of our lives is an unspeakable treasure and blessing. I have loved Jesus from my mothers lap as she sang and told Jesus stories to me. Then a seven I prayed and was saved. I had glorious fellowship with Jesus as a teenager and on into college and then as I preached and shared Jesus as a young man.
In my mid twenties when I was pastor of a church in Elko, Nevada I had the most profound time of my life with Jesus at Lake Tahoe on the Nevada/California state line. This was to radically free and empower me for all the years that have followed. I want to open my heart to my most inmate moments. I pray that you too will meet Jesus in a new and fresh way. Just relax, be at peace and read the following.
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"I don't expect everyone to believe this story. I experienced this with a friend who will testify to its authenticity because it goes beyond logic and rational explanation. I have only mentioned it a few times in public and with those closest to me. The agnostic will dismiss it as a hallucination. The psychiatrist as auto-suggestion. The lip service Christian will question my sanity. Even the most passionate practicing churchgoer will raise a doubting eyebrow. No matter! I put it before you with pride and humility, unashamed and without apology. These few words of prelude are merely a recognition of the fact in an age of nuclear weapons, space exploration... whatever cannot be tested in a wind tunnel or laboratory or formulated on an engineer's drawing board is generally treated with skepticism, but the total knowledge of man doesn't bubble up in a test tube or flow from a slide rule. There are spiritual experiences that pass human understanding... this is one of them.
I had been invited to preach a two-week revival at First Baptist Church, Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada-California border. Reverend Gordon Siler was the dear pastor, Ron Willis was leading the song service and we were all about the same age. One night during the meeting I felt a deep inner need to go to Lake Tahoe to pray. It was an awesome feeling I often feel when God wants to speak to me in a special way. I asked Pastor Siler to go with me, but he said, "It's too cold. You might lose your voice... why don't you pray here at the church?" "No," I said. "I must go there and pray." And then I asked Ron if he would go and he agreed. It was cold when Ron and I arrived at the mile high lake. Clear skies revealed the surrounding mountains and their snow-covered beauty. The night was bright and the stars sparkled in their own special way. The snow was deep on the ground with high drifts. Walking along the shore, we began to talk about Peter, one of Christ's disciples, an early evangelist. We spoke of how the disciple saw Jesus walking on the water and Peter asked Him if he, too, could walk on the water to Jesus. The story is recorded in Matthew 14:28-31 and tells how Peter stepped out of the ship and walked on the water toward Jesus, then became fearful as he saw the boisterous wind arise and he began to sink. "Lord, save me," he said, and Jesus reached and stretched forth His hand and caught him saying, "Oh, thou of little faith, why did you doubt?" I have criticized Peter for becoming afraid. Tonight I was admiring him for doing something that no one but Jesus had ever done ... he walked on the water! We reached a snow bank, so we turned around and started back along the shore. Something on the water caught my eye ... HIM! He was there, standing on the water! I shook my head in disbelief and turned away. Ron had his back to the lake, and then he looked out over the lake and turned to me. "Arthur, have you looked out over the lake?" "Yes, I saw Him too, Ron. What's happening?" No words can express my shock and glorious emotion. We both decided to look around at the lights and mountains. We were sure that this was no strange reflected light or a dream or a vision. I wanted to know forever beyond any doubt that what I was seeing was Jesus for real. I had to know for my own sake. I looked again. . HIM , Jesus my Lord, still there - unmistakably there standing on the water, and now He came walking toward us. His garment was bright as a fluorescent lamp, glittering, shining and sparkling, so immaculate and pure that it looked more like silver than white ... glory flooded over me. All awareness of cold, snow, and doubt were non-existent. All of life was now. My spirit leaped, then the most awful feeling of sin and guilt, uncleanliness, possessed me. Ron and I fell to our knees in the snow just at the water's edge. My head was bowed and I could not look. Lord, how vile, filthy, vulgar and dirty I am. Oh, Jesus, have mercy, wash me, cleanse, me, free me, save me from my vile life. Tears poured, my body shook in agony. I thought my insides would burst open in grief... then peace, glory and brightness filled me. I was clean ... an inner glow burst forth inside me. Joy flooded my soul and I was laughing and saying, "Thank you, Jesus, oh, my Lord, I love You. Praise You, all glory and honor and praise be unto You." Still on my knees, I looked up ... He was coming closer, slowly walking toward us, closer and closer. I felt I would burst with joy, and peace covered me. It seemed as if I was beginning to float out to Him, then He stopped, stood and looked at us. If He had taken another step I think two bodies would have been found on the shore the next morning. Ron and I would have gone to be with Him. At that moment I understood what death is for the follower of Jesus. It is simply going to be with Him, stepping out of the flesh into His arms, being with Him completely. This is not death; this is everlasting life, exactly as promised in the Bible. I also understood that if I remain a part of this life I would never fear death again. Jesus and the will of the Father was my value. I had been set free from the opinions of men, the secular and religious value system of success and failure. Jesus is everything. You lose interest in earthly values when you have been with Jesus. He was standing only about ten feet away. I could see Jesus clearly as He stood on the water. In the Bible, the closest disciples of His chose not to reveal anything about His looks, even the apostle Paul saw Him and never spoke of His looks, not even the description of John in Revelation tells us about His real physical characteristics, so if the Bible remains silent, so will I. I have never spoken to anyone of this, but every time I preach, for years now, I look up toward Heaven and I can see Him in my mind. I know why I am there to preach, who is with me, and it is all unto Jesus. It is like He is the embodiment of all things. I could have stayed forever as He looked at me, then I heard the voice of Ron saying, "Arthur, I think it's time to go." I can't explain it, but so did I. We stood, tears of joy pouring from our eyes. I was the richest person on earth! I continued to speak my words of love to Jesus, knowing I'd probably never see Him again until.... With all the strength I had, I turned to walk away... only a few steps; I could stand it no more. I could not just walk away, I wanted Him to bless me ...I needed that. I turned toward the waters of Lake Tahoe again. Jesus was walking away. I cried out, "Lord, bless me, bless me." Oh, I wanted to see Jesus again. He turned toward me, lifted up His hand and looked at me. Wave after wave of His power swept over me and engulfed me. He was passing to me as a gift ... more faith, more love, more belief, and more courage. I was speechless. Jesus was blessing me! There is no vocabulary to describe the precious tender moments of that union with Him. Then high above, a cloud began to form. There was a glorious brightness about it ... it was like a fog of glory. The cloud seemed to get lower and Jesus rose up into the cloudy fog, then it began to dissolve. Not to go away, but to dissolve in the same place. Soon the sky above the lake was clear. Jesus was gone!" Now I give you some scripture about the fact that you and I will see Jesus in Heaven and it will be this same Jesus that walked the earth. Jesus after the cross and resurrection appeared to the disciples. It was the same Jesus but even in His resurrection Body He had the marks in His Hands and Feet and Side from the cross! Luke 24:36-40 "Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet." John 20:24-27, "Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." Acts 1:9-11, "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee , why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." I think it is clear that Jesus will look in Heaven like He did after the resurrection. The Angels said, 'this same Jesus'. Then you will notice in the scripture in Revelation Jesus appears as the Lamb slain! I personal believe that Jesus will have the marks from the cross in His Body through all eternity. We will see and know that He gave His life on the cross for our sins and for us. None can or will ever forget what happened on the cross! Oh how Jesus loves you and me! I John 3:1-2. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." An excerpt from "Turned on to Jesus' published 1970 and "Arthur a Pilgrim" 1986 Copyright by Arthur Blessitt May Jesus be your true and eternal Friend as well as Lord. God bless you. Denise and Sophia are both great.  We plan to carry the cross from Denver to Colorado Springs Passion Week. We then speak at Resurrection Fellowship in Loveland, Co. on March 30-31 on Easter Saturday and Sunday. This is a great church with a mighty pastors Jonathan and Amy Wiggins. This week I will be on TBN "Praise the Lord" Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. March 21st I host 'Praise' 7pm PST from Costa Mesa, Ca on TBN TV March 23, I preach on 'Praise' 7pm PST from Holy Land, Orlando on TBN TV March 24, I host 'Praise' at 2pm PST from Denver, Co on TBN TV "The Message of the Cross" our weekly program on TBN TV, Fridays at 7am EST We so look forward to getting out with the cross next week. We love you all and thanks for your love, prayers and support. Should you like to get a copy of me sharing about being with Arthur with Jesus at Lake Tahoe you can order here. Thanks for standing with us in prayer and support. You are with us in all the thousands of people coming to Jesus each month. Pilgrim followers of Jesus, Denise, Sophia, and arthur Blessitt, Luke 18:1 | 
