The Vision of Christ and the Church in the Bible, Mindy Craddock

I was brought up in a Christian home. My parents had begun to meet with the local church in Los Angels when I was one year old. I remember my parents teaching me how to pray in thanking the Lord for our food, or when I would get scared, how to ask that He would keep me safe. I can't say exactly when I received the Lord, but I think it was around 3 or 4 years of age. Anyways, I don't remember ever being without Him in my heart. I went to children's meeting every Sunday. I loved to sing to the Lord all the time. My parents always talked about how one day they saw the vision of Christ and the church in the Bible, and that once they saw the vision of the church in the Word of God, they were never the same. They loved the Lord so much and were always going to meetings with other Christians. I remember my brothers and I would pretend that we were in a church meeting and we would take turns calling hymns and would say, “Praise the Lord!”

Many times while growing up I would have such sweet experiences of the Lord. When I was in second and third grade I had a Christian friend who would pray with me during lunch recess. Our prayers were very simple but also very genuine. I would see how happy my parents and the other Christians were in loving the Lord and I wanted to grow up and be just like them. I used to pray that the Lord would show me the vision of Christ and the church too. I also would pray that the Lord would keep my heart soft and open to Him and that He would give me a heart just like King David in the Bible. I wanted a heart for God just like he had. When I was nine years old I had a strong desire to be baptized. I was baptized with my brother and several other older Christian believers.

When I was in the sixth grade I asked for the permission to attend a high school age retreat in the mountains. At that time there was no retreat for sixth graders. I was granted permission to go. It was at that time that all that I had learned in children's meeting really became solidified in my being. I had a real experience of Christ in my human spirit (John 4:24). I was so happy and filled with joy! I sang songs all the way back home during our two-hour car ride. From that time on I have had many experiences of Chris. Christ has continued to grow in me.

Although my Christian life has had a lot of ups and downs, the Lord has proved His faithfulness to me countless times. One day while attending a conference, I finally saw the vision of Christ and the church in the Bible that I had prayed for so many years. I saw that the church that is spoken of in Ephesians does exist on earth. I also saw that the church is the Body of Christ, and that this Body is just the wonderful person of Christ in the many believers who are filled with His life, expressing Him on earth (Ephesians 1:22-23). My life has meaning. I know why I am here and I know what the Lord's will is. It is just for my life to express Him. I am not idly waiting here on earth. I am living out Christ right now in my human life. The Lord is after many such believers who would just express Him here on earth.