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A couple of months back, I was reading the book The Best of A.W. Tozer and in it I ran across the following paragraph:"The heart of a man is like a musical instrument and may be played upon by the Holy Spirit, by an evil spirit or by the spirit of man himself. Religious emotions are very much the same, no matter who the player may be. Many enjoyable feelings may be aroused within the soul by low or even idolatrous worship. The nun who kneels 'breathless with adoration' before an image of the Virgin is having a genuine religious experience. She feels love, awe and reverence, all enjoyable emotions, as certainly as if she were adoring God. The mystical experiences of Hindus and Sufis cannot be brushed aside as mere pretense. Neither dare we dismiss the high religious flights of spiritists and other occultists as imagination. These may have and sometimes do have genuine encounters with something or someone beyond themselves. In the same manner Christians are sometimes led into emotional experiences that are beyond their power to comprehend. I have met such and they have inquired eagerly as to whether or not their experience was of God."
I have really thought a lot about that. Can Christians have experiences that they believe are from God, experiences that included feelings of awe and reverence, but that experience not be of God? As I was thinking this through, I happened to be on the internet one night and ran across this blurb while doing some research on the 'Bridal Paradigm' teaching.
You see, Paul was convinced that Jesus loved him. Not convinced by feelings or emotions - in fact looking at the things he went through he was convinced even in the absence of them. He realized that true love is not about feelings - true love is an agape love - a sacrificial love.
This love is explained best in the following statement:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Doesn't our relationships in life itself teach us this very lesson? Love starts out all full of emotions and feelings, but over time you realize that real love - true love - is not about that at all. True love is so much deeper. And if you continue to chase after those first feelings and emotions, you'll be sorely disappointed over time. In fact you'll just move from one relationship to another - one experience to another - forever chasing that elusive satisfaction.
It's the same in our relationship with Christ. We should be rooted and grounded in His love, confident of His love whether we feel it or not. He has already told us that we will experience tribulations, trials and sufferings. But He also said that he would never leave us. He will always be there, whether I feel it or not. If we continue to chase after the emotional highs, we may find ourselves allowing our heart strings to be 'played' - experiencing feelings that may not be from God at all.
Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Derrick-
ReplyDeleteGreat post!. This is why it is so important to know what is truth. Psalms 119:30 says, "I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws." the only truth is God's Word, not how we feel. If you base your decisions, life, relationships, etc. on feelings/experiences you are practicing relativism.
Relativism is the idea that some elements or aspects of experience or culture are relative to, dependent on, other elements or aspects. Relativism is sometimes interpreted as saying that all points of view (experiences) are equally valid, in contrast to an absolutism which argues there is but one true and correct view. - Wikipedia
A true Christain believes in the abolute truth: that the Word of God is the only truth. The Word tells us this: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. ... Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Look at their fruit: is it based on expereinces and relative truth OR is their fruit speaking the true message of sin, repentance, blood of Christ shed for our sins, Christ raised from the dead to bring us life. What is their focus expereinces or CHRIST?
After salvation, the most important thing you can do is studying the Word of God. So you will know what is abolute truth and will not fall for a wolf or their teaching.
Goc Bless
Opps! Typo. I meant God Bless
ReplyDeleteFor too long, I lived on experience and feelings. As you said, it really is an empty life because there is no fulfillment. Even in the midst of trouble and hard times, when a decision to serve God regardless as to the good or bad times, there is total fulfillment and contentment.
ReplyDeleteTruth. Not my truth, but God's truth as you are teaching. I am also learning from your teaching that I need to be discerning not only teachings, but myself.
I need to make sure I myself am not into self-deception.
Thank you Derricke for all your study and allowing God to guide you with His Holy Spirit in communicating to us.
I know it is God who is with you in the study, but it is very apparent that you have studied and spent much time in preparing for us in the class.
We all appreciate it. You should hear us all talk about the class and the content all week long! You would be thankful that your efforts are having fruit in our lives and in our speech.
You also did good with the teaching tool this week with the email about the music and the censoring of songs. It isn't just about "big teachings", it is about the little things that come up in our daily lives.
Anonymous-
ReplyDeleteI liked that you made this statement:
"I need to make sure I myself am not into self-deception."
I think that is where many of us stumble. Here is a funny story from my past of self-deception:
I remember years and years ago (a hint at my age) in my early walk with the Lord. I had got caught up in liking a boy :) and with self-deception (and name it and claim it teaching) convinced myself that God was going to make him my husband, even through the boy was only interested in being a friend. How silly is that! Thank God He had plans to get me on the right track.
The human mind on our own is so deceptive, that is why we must renew in with the Word of God.