Am I Just a "Common" Christian?

[AKWarrior]

Throughout my entire 35 years of living, people in and out of my life have claimed to witness or experience undeniable, visible, and/or tangible events that are never so obvious or observable to the general public. It's for this very reason that the skeptical side of me admittedly throws the validity of pretty much all of them into question. Examples:

Seeing or sensing in some other way the presence of otherworldly entities, such as:
Ghosts, angels, demons, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, Virgin Mary, whether in a vision, dream, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Audibly hearing "a voice from heaven" telling them to do something, such as:
"God told me in a loud booming voice, 'Go to such-and-such place and speak to so-and-so.'" I can understand being moved by the spirit to do something, but hearing an actual voice as if He spoke in your ear directly?

An unusual or bizarre "Road to Damascus"-style conversion or unsolicited total change of heart, such as:
Example: "I was randomly walking down the street one day minding my own business, when all of a sudden a bright light shone down on me, said, 'Stop drinking booze,' and immediately I never wanted to take another sip of alcohol ever again. I also gave my life to the Lord that day and I remember the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second it happened."

Being so extraordinarily talented in some way that it's obvious what their calling in church and ministry would be, almost supernaturally so, such as:
Easily able to memorize, recite, and debate massive amounts of scripture off the cuff, having the ability to improvise music, play a plethora of instruments, or being able to speak several languages beyond their native one. I'm not saying these things don't require discipline in some way to obtain them, just that some people claim they were supernaturally given their talents.

Experiencing an otherworldly event, such as:
"Dying" X number of times and visiting heaven, hell, or another spiritual plane.

Witnessing something that is always anecdotal or done out of sight of others, such as:
Immediate healing of a disease, restoration of a missing limb, resurrection of the dead, removal/exorcism of demonic influence, having extra-biblical visions or new revelations, witnessing and performing outlandish miracles and other questionable "gifts of the spirit" that only surface when no one else is around or is only applicable depending on what church you belong to (speaking in tongues and Pentecostals, for example).

A part of me wants to believe people these things occur, and I believe that they believe it, but do they happen really? Are they denying or disbelieve that they're being delusional? I hate to question the validity and sincerity of the words and personal experiences of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but these things simply don't happen to me or occur around me (and to no immediate friends or family members either), and because of the overwhelming number of these cases I've yet to see or experience any of, I find them genuinely hard to believe. This is also part of the reason I'm a cessationist.

I do believe these things can happen and I won't say that they don't, but I often wonder if I'm meant to be that plain-Jane, vanilla, everyday Christian that nothing spiritually interesting ever happens to and not one of those extra special, chosen, anointed, appointed, miracle-giving, "spiritually sensitive" Christians that just seem to have nothing but otherworldly experiences occur in their lives.

I'm certain that many of you reading this will claim to possess one or more of these gifts and/or have witnessed or experienced at least one undeniable supernatural event. I would love to hear from you on why you think you were specifically "chosen" to have these things happen to you and why not for a Christian "layman" such as myself. Thank you for reading and I hope to get some closure on this issue. God bless.

 

[Brotherly Spirit]

All are chosen by Christ who come to him, each of us had something move us to seek him. Whether it's a literal voice from Heaven, God himself or an angel, even a moment of realization having a feel or thought which moves you. In the Bible there's examples of Jesus literally calling people to him and many coming to him as they heard about him. To some miracles were shown and done to them, while others only heard about it and believed. I think each person is unique, so how God calls us through Christ will be unique too; it's best not to compare ourselves to others. If you believe having faith, you're chosen. Just attend to your own relationship with the Lord.

Don't have an idea why I was chosen. I believe God is merciful having compassion and forgiveness. Being human I have many flaws and made many mistakes. Guess how I was affected by them was enough for God to care and send his Son to me. Though I haven't literally seen him as he was on earth, spiritually I can say I've seen him. Same for hearing or feeling his presence or touch; a moment when I recognize he's with me including through others.

 

[mama2one]

am a sensitive person and I am open to and look more for signs and meaning in everything
constantly saying "thank you" for everything that happens

whether God is directing my every step or not, I believe it to be so
believe God had a hand in the man I married and adopting a child

think my personality makes me more open

 

[Valetic]

I will absolutely claim some of the things that you exemplified. My wife absolutely will claim none of them. For a while I actually thought when a person is born again that they experience God in some miraculous way. As I walked through life I learned this is not always the case. And that's okay!

When I question her on it though she can't really tell me why. When I ask how she shares her testimony with others, she doesn't know how. She was saved at a very early age and when I came along I tried to lead her to Christ. I thought for a while I did, but later found out I was wrong and only helped her redidicate herself to God.

She finally showed me her favorite Christian song that she finds the most relatable to her. I would like to share it with you and hope you find meaning in it also.

 

[Gell]

It’s great to have one of those gifts you mentioned but I believe we all have been given a gift to pray for anyone who needs God to move in their lives.
Matthew 21:22
Pray with a heart that fully trust the Lord God.

 

[mama2one]

from being on an adoption forum, noticed many adoptive parents were Christian

reading some blogs, it was obvious many felt led by God to adopt and one reported dreaming about a specific child they were to adopt and others reported what they felt were "signs" confirming their adoption

many actively promoted adoption/adopted many kids

don't know if this is unique to adoptive parents or not but do know one church we once attended actively promoted adoption
many people from that church did adopt children

 

[mama2one]

once read an article that people who are more open to "coincidences" will more likely experience them

so it could more likely be also for Christian experiences
that those people who expect such things to occur are more likely to experience


say your child gets fixated on finding pennies
all of a sudden, they are going to start finding pennies in parking lots, stores, etc
were they always there yes......
but now they are aware and looking

 

[Valetic]

I would love to hear from you on why you think you were specifically "chosen" to have these things happen to you and why not for a Christian "layman" such as myself.

Honestly I'm not sure if I would be able to believe as strongly if I didn't experience God the way I did when I was born again. I've come up against several people who tried to challenge my faith or contest against my spirituality and any time I have ever had to think about it or doubt, I look back to that single moment when I came face to face with the almighty and was changed forever. No matter if I don't have the words and knowledge to prove God's existence, to me I can't not believe because of this. It doesn't matter what people think of me or my experience. This experience is what makes me believe I know where I am going when I die and makes me aware of who my object of faith and worship is.

Outside of this experience I have had other experiences. One of which I can put into words is the existence and presence of demonic forces and entities. And maybe God revealed these to me to move into the deliverance ministry one day (God I hope so). Also a life changing event that moved me closer to being like Christ and deepened my knowledge of God and the supernatural as well.

As to why you don't have experiences that are supernatural.. I can't tell you. But you can relate to people who don't have them also. So maybe you have a gift to be able to lead people to or reveal the Christ to them through means someone like me is blind to. Which would be greater than me because I have only influenced one person enough to the point that they have been born again.. And he was my best friend. I have tried to lead others to Christ but I am just not good at it. I am not good at being graceful about the gospel.

God can use us more than we realize sometimes. You don't have to be that...

everyday Christian that nothing spiritually interesting ever happens to

...You just have to use the gifts God has already given you. We're all doing work for the kingdom, some greater than others. If you accomplish more for the kingdom of God how much greater would your reward be than for someone like me who God had to miraculously reveal himself to and I feel like I barely get much done for God's kingdom.

Though I really do want to do more, I just don't know how yet...

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Throughout my entire 35 years of living, people in and out of my life have claimed to witness or experience undeniable, visible, and/or tangible events that are never so obvious or observable to the general public. It's for this very reason that the skeptical side of me admittedly throws the validity of pretty much all of them into question. Examples:

Seeing or sensing in some other way the presence of otherworldly entities, such as:
Ghosts, angels, demons, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, Virgin Mary, whether in a vision, dream, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Audibly hearing "a voice from heaven" telling them to do something, such as:
"God told me in a loud booming voice, 'Go to such-and-such place and speak to so-and-so.'" I can understand being moved by the spirit to do something, but hearing an actual voice as if He spoke in your ear directly?

An unusual or bizarre "Road to Damascus"-style conversion or unsolicited total change of heart, such as:
Example: "I was randomly walking down the street one day minding my own business, when all of a sudden a bright light shone down on me, said, 'Stop drinking booze,' and immediately I never wanted to take another sip of alcohol ever again. I also gave my life to the Lord that day and I remember the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second it happened."

Being so extraordinarily talented in some way that it's obvious what their calling in church and ministry would be, almost supernaturally so, such as:
Easily able to memorize, recite, and debate massive amounts of scripture off the cuff, having the ability to improvise music, play a plethora of instruments, or being able to speak several languages beyond their native one. I'm not saying these things don't require discipline in some way to obtain them, just that some people claim they were supernaturally given their talents.

Experiencing an otherworldly event, such as:
"Dying" X number of times and visiting heaven, hell, or another spiritual plane.

Witnessing something that is always anecdotal or done out of sight of others, such as:
Immediate healing of a disease, restoration of a missing limb, resurrection of the dead, removal/exorcism of demonic influence, having extra-biblical visions or new revelations, witnessing and performing outlandish miracles and other questionable "gifts of the spirit" that only surface when no one else is around or is only applicable depending on what church you belong to (speaking in tongues and Pentecostals, for example).

A part of me wants to believe people these things occur, and I believe that they believe it, but do they happen really? Are they denying or disbelieve that they're being delusional? I hate to question the validity and sincerity of the words and personal experiences of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but these things simply don't happen to me or occur around me (and to no immediate friends or family members either), and because of the overwhelming number of these cases I've yet to see or experience any of, I find them genuinely hard to believe. This is also part of the reason I'm a cessationist.

I do believe these things can happen and I won't say that they don't, but I often wonder if I'm meant to be that plain-Jane, vanilla, everyday Christian that nothing spiritually interesting ever happens to and not one of those extra special, chosen, anointed, appointed, miracle-giving, "spiritually sensitive" Christians that just seem to have nothing but otherworldly experiences occur in their lives.

I'm certain that many of you reading this will claim to possess one or more of these gifts and/or have witnessed or experienced at least one undeniable supernatural event. I would love to hear from you on why you think you were specifically "chosen" to have these things happen to you and why not for a Christian "layman" such as myself. Thank you for reading and I hope to get some closure on this issue. God bless.

I commiserate with you in your skeptical predilections about all of the various phenomema that a number of our fellow Christians claim to experience or to have experienced. So, since like you, I haven't had a life just chock-full of super-normal spiritual events, I can't say that I perceive the world in essentially miraculous terms. I wish I could; I wish I had been able to do so, but I haven't yet.

However, even though I can't claim to have experienced God's miracles directly, I think I can still say that I perceive the world on a philosophically mystical level where God works through the ordinary complexities of life to bring about outcomes that seem to be somewhat providencial in a biblical vain. And that's where I'm with it "all" at the moment. Maybe there's more to it all, but I haven't seen it. Perhaps the Lord will do more in my life at some future point before I die, but even if He doesn't, then I know that I'll definitely encounter God's presence in the future in a way that I've never encountered before.

Blessings,
2PhiloVoid

 

[NBB]

I have experienced some of them, and is my opinion that every christian should at least seek being filled with the Holy spirit (one of those experience you can feel and is amazing) i say it should be in the abc of christianity. He helps you to live the christian life and he is going to work on your life after you receive Him.
I get desperate if i do not have 'a touch from God' for too long.
Its like God being God of israel you know, he did things to them he is alive so it make sense something should happen.
Maybe people who don't have these experiences should hunger for more?? i don't know.
Also there are churches who actively seek the Holy spirit more than others, and some that dont seek the 'power of God things' at all.
For me it is sort of sad if a christian didn't feel the presence of God at least once.

God is spirit and he does things!!! so it make sense something should happen to christians in the spiritual side of things.

 

[sea5763]

I’ve had one dream that was from God but all the other dreams and experiences I’ve had I’m not really certain about. I think it happened because whenever my mom prays for anything it’s like heaven and earth bends and twists to answer her prayers. I was hoping that maybe it was because I had been praying for God to talk to me for years and years and years, but it seems like it’s always my mothers prayers that get answered. In the dream I was told to forgive my mom and ask for her forgiveness. I was also told when I asked about being a prophet that I was not sent. I don’t really bother telling people in real life about my experiences outside of my immediate family because it’s not like God has sent me on a quest to do anything other than ask my mom for forgiveness. Besides I’m mentally ill anyways so I’m sure that that vastly discredits me no matter what. I don’t think my dad has ever experienced anything either and he’s a Christian and I don’t think he worries about it. My guess as to why some Christians have some experience and others don’t is because some people need more proof than others, but blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.

 

[Gell]

It's interesting to note that we are all unique just like the snowflakes. There is nobody like you in the world. This also means that God is a personal God.
You might want to listen to this podcast.

http://rzimmedia.rzim.org/ASK/ASK34.mp3
God bless!

 

[Andrew77]

Throughout my entire 35 years of living, people in and out of my life have claimed to witness or experience undeniable, visible, and/or tangible events that are never so obvious or observable to the general public. It's for this very reason that the skeptical side of me admittedly throws the validity of pretty much all of them into question. Examples:

Seeing or sensing in some other way the presence of otherworldly entities, such as:
Ghosts, angels, demons, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, Virgin Mary, whether in a vision, dream, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Audibly hearing "a voice from heaven" telling them to do something, such as:
"God told me in a loud booming voice, 'Go to such-and-such place and speak to so-and-so.'" I can understand being moved by the spirit to do something, but hearing an actual voice as if He spoke in your ear directly?

An unusual or bizarre "Road to Damascus"-style conversion or unsolicited total change of heart, such as:
Example: "I was randomly walking down the street one day minding my own business, when all of a sudden a bright light shone down on me, said, 'Stop drinking booze,' and immediately I never wanted to take another sip of alcohol ever again. I also gave my life to the Lord that day and I remember the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second it happened."

Being so extraordinarily talented in some way that it's obvious what their calling in church and ministry would be, almost supernaturally so, such as:
Easily able to memorize, recite, and debate massive amounts of scripture off the cuff, having the ability to improvise music, play a plethora of instruments, or being able to speak several languages beyond their native one. I'm not saying these things don't require discipline in some way to obtain them, just that some people claim they were supernaturally given their talents.

Experiencing an otherworldly event, such as:
"Dying" X number of times and visiting heaven, hell, or another spiritual plane.

Witnessing something that is always anecdotal or done out of sight of others, such as:
Immediate healing of a disease, restoration of a missing limb, resurrection of the dead, removal/exorcism of demonic influence, having extra-biblical visions or new revelations, witnessing and performing outlandish miracles and other questionable "gifts of the spirit" that only surface when no one else is around or is only applicable depending on what church you belong to (speaking in tongues and Pentecostals, for example).

A part of me wants to believe people these things occur, and I believe that they believe it, but do they happen really? Are they denying or disbelieve that they're being delusional? I hate to question the validity and sincerity of the words and personal experiences of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but these things simply don't happen to me or occur around me (and to no immediate friends or family members either), and because of the overwhelming number of these cases I've yet to see or experience any of, I find them genuinely hard to believe. This is also part of the reason I'm a cessationist.

I do believe these things can happen and I won't say that they don't, but I often wonder if I'm meant to be that plain-Jane, vanilla, everyday Christian that nothing spiritually interesting ever happens to and not one of those extra special, chosen, anointed, appointed, miracle-giving, "spiritually sensitive" Christians that just seem to have nothing but otherworldly experiences occur in their lives.

I'm certain that many of you reading this will claim to possess one or more of these gifts and/or have witnessed or experienced at least one undeniable supernatural event. I would love to hear from you on why you think you were specifically "chosen" to have these things happen to you and why not for a Christian "layman" such as myself. Thank you for reading and I hope to get some closure on this issue. God bless.

So I don't mean to be brutal to anyone on this forum, or anyone anywhere.....

But every time I run into a Christian that says they 'hear G-d's voice', their lives are all train wrecks. And I do mean literally every single time. I had this lady once tell me that she could hear G-d speaking to her when she went on walks, and she would see a butterfly and G-d would 'speak' to her saying 'I'll take care of you like this butterfly'. (her words, not mine)

She was divorced, her kids were convicts, she was kicked out of her apartment for failing to pay the rent, lost her job, was constantly completely broke, had a history of drugs, her ex husband was an abusive alcoholic, and the list goes on and on......

When I meet Christians who live lives that are worth living, I can't think of a single one that said they heard G-d's voice, or any other of these magic events no one can validate.

They read their Bibles. They pray. They try and live out what they believe in Jesus Christ our Lord. They make the most wise choices they can, with wise council.

I always think of Proverbs 16:9.

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

You know what it doesn't say? It doesn't say a man sits at home, and waits to hear G-d's voice, and then follows his step by step directions.

Not there. In fact, that isn't anywhere in the Bible.

Here is what I've seen from the Christians I know who are leading good lives. I'm not a prophet, and I don't have divine wisdom. This is only what I've seen.

Christians make a plan, and start walking towards that plan. G-d then will direct their steps. If he doesn't want them going down one path over another, he will put up walls and barriers to direct and guide them into the path he wants.

This is what I suggest you do.

Whatever it is that you are facing, make a plan, start moving on that plan. If G-d wants you to move in a different direction, then have faith that G-d will direct your steps in the direction he wants.

Do not wait around to hear a divine voice, or some magic sign from above. Chris Rice wrote a great song about this, and I'm going to post some of the lyrics here.

I would take no for an answer
Just to know I heard You speak
And I'm wonderin' why I've never
Seen the signs they claim they see
Are the special revelations
Meant for everbody but me?
Maybe I don't truly know You
Or maybe I just simply believe

Read more: Chris Rice - Smell The Color 9 Lyrics | MetroLyrics​

That's the Christian life right there. Simply believe and follow to the best of your ability.

Now does that mean G-d never gives us answers? Of course sometimes G-d will send you an answer. But that answer isn't always in signs and wonders or audible voices.

I don't have many stories... but I have a couple.

So I was working at this nightmare place, a factory in August, and it was 110ºF in the place. I had problems with the heat, and the manager noticed, and sent me home.

So I get home 8 PM, I have very little money, and the rent is due, and now I have no job. I just prayed, told the Lord that I was in some trouble, and I needed help. There was no voice, no magic sign, no light from above. I went to bed.

The next morning at 8 AM, the phone rang. A company I had a applied for a job at, more than 2 months prior, called and had me come in for an interview, and two days later, they hired me.

So another time, I had a dear friend of mine, her car's windshield wipers quit working. She didn't have money to take it to a mechanic, and she was working a minimum wage job.

I went to the part store, and picked up a wiper motor, and then went to where she worked, and started working on her car. It was actually raining that very day, and she had driven to work in the rain, without windshield wipers.

If you have ever driven anywhere without wipers in the rain, you know how dangerous that is.

So I started working on this car, but this was a foreign model car, and I was completely lost as to how to replace the wiper motor. I couldn't figure out how to do anything on this car, that I was completely unfamiliar with.

I worked and worked, for about an hour and 15 minutes. Finally I realized I had no idea whatsoever, how to replace the wiper motor. I was going to have to take the whole front end of the car apart, and I didn't have the time or tools to do that.

I just stood there, hunched over the front of the car, and prayed real quick, Lord... I don't know how to do this, but I don't want my loved friend driving in the rain without wipers.

So literally in that very moment that I prayed this, the screw driver in my hand, slid over hitting a wire, a few sparks flew off, and the wipers jerked forward...... I just shuddered with my eyes closed, and said "Thank you Lord".

The wipers jerked forward because the motor was good, and sparks proved the wiring and electricity was good. My screw driver shorted the wire from the motor, bypassing the connection. What had happened was the connection was so rusty, that it stopped making contact.

All I had to do was take the nut off, and remove the wire, clean it and remove the rust, put it back on, and the wipers worked perfectly. I returned the motor, and got my money back.

In both cases, I never heard any voices. No magical signs. No shining light from heaven, or singing angels. Just clear obvious, direct answers to prayer.

That's it.