Estimated reading time: 5-6 minutes
Life is a journey. For many Christians—including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—part of that journey is meant to include a spiritual rebirth at some point. “The journey of faith is a journey that has an intended goal. And that goal is one that leads the diligent seeker to a spiritual baptism administered by God, an actual salvation in Christ leading to an absolutely perfect knowledge of Him,” says the author. Jesus taught in the book of John that this spiritual baptism or “birth of the Spirit” is essential to “enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
LDS author Steven Anthony Bishop’s new book, Putting on Christ, highlights the teaching of Christ, which outlines the steps to receive this spiritual baptism, or “baptism of fire,” by telling the righteous stories of nine different people who Having come to know God through this “like” experience. The book, which one reviewer called “soul stretching and heartbreaking,” aims to be a guide on the reader’s journey to knowing God with a “perfect brightness” and clarity.
The author testifies that “the same experience that the original apostles had on the day of Pentecost, and those manifestations that we received during the days of Kirtland, can and must be ours—that God does not look at persons. All it takes is a zeal to seek Him with a diamond hard desire, will and determination until we find Him.”
If you’re a fan of uplifting religious and spiritual works, as well as powerful personal stories of actual salvation, you should add Putting On Christ to your bedside reading pile.
Heaven is not far away
The world has long been fascinated by stories of people who have had life-changing near-death experiences. The last decade alone has yielded three separate New York Times best-selling memoirs (one of which was later made into a film), all based on near-death experiences that showed recipients the evidence of God and Heaven.
For a country that many say no longer cares about religion, the success of these stories says otherwise.
According to an article by Gideon Lichfield in The Atlantic, “Many NTErs report that their experience did not feel like a dream or a hallucination, but was, as they often describe it, ‘more real than real life.’ They are profoundly changed afterwards and usually have difficulty fitting back into everyday life.”
But what if you didn’t have to go through a near-death experience to have such a profound experience that ensures you know without a doubt that God is real? The stories told in Putting On Christ are about people who have come to know Jesus Christ with the same certainty as one who has seen heaven.
Bishop says: “In either scenario, you can never be the same after that. Everyone will have “experienced a ‘mighty shift,’ or conversion of heart to God.” Bishop emphasizes that spiritual rebirth is not the same as an NDE, but rather, the same “knowledge of God” gained during a near-death experience, is on par or similar to many who have come to know God through spiritual rebirth.”
A perfect knowledge
One of the nine stories written about in Putting on Christ is part of Bishop’s own experience spoken of in the introduction.
“The oneness experienced was not only with deity as we know it and they are real,” he writes, “but also seemingly oneness with all of nature and the physical and spiritual world around me.” It was that experience , which ultimately prompted Bishop to start this book and tell his story.
The author hopes that readers will not only read the book, but will use it as a study guide, along with the relevant teaching of Christ, to assist the reader in their personal journey to knowing the Lord. Diligent seekers after truth can attain this perfect knowledge of Him through a spiritual manifestation effected by the power of the Holy Spirit, Bishop says.
One story told in Putting On Christ is that of President of the Church of Jesus Christ, Lorenzo Snow. Another describes a man who hit rock bottom as a teenager in prison and cried out to God — and received salvation. One tells of a man who lost his son to suicide and encountered an unmistakable, audible voice, followed by a spiritual immersion in God after turning to Him in the depths of his anguish.
“This work … is not just a book to read, but one to be experienced and lived. It’s my life’s work to write,” Bishop says in the introduction.
How to get your copy
If you are on a journey to know Christ or are curious to hear more of the above stories, you can order your own copy from the book’s website or Amazon. You can even sign up for the site for free to read the full introduction first.
Putting On Christ is a national #1 bestselling Amazon bestseller in nine categories and a top selling Latter-day Saint-authored book on Amazon. All profits from the book go towards remarketing the book and helping to feed and shelter the homeless.
In the words of the author: “The way is real and it is coming. Don’t waste time.” Get your copy of Putting on Christ today!
