Experiential vs. Intellectual Christianity

[JEBrady]

It is very frustrating sometimes trying to communicate to people when they think they understand what your saying and really they don't.

Again, the problem with experiences.

The first question I would ask is.... what is a supernatural experience?
The second I would ask is... why do you want them?

If you could open your eyes beyond the world that you have been trained to see, you might begin to see that everything is a supernatural experience.
And at the same time, nothing is a supernatural experience...

Everything is not a supernatural experience. But the supernatural is not always particularly spectacular. Mostly it's not, and when it is, watch out. Rough waters are ahead. Any Christian should be living and walking in the supernatural. What is the supernatural? It's praying and getting a witness in your spirit that leads you toward God's answer. It's something that stands out to you when you read the word of God. It's something the pastor says from the pulpit that strikes home and you know by the anointing within that God is speaking to you right then. It's that moment in an altar service when you feel an urge to go up and confess the sin you've been afraid to admit. It's the unexpected words that come out of your mouth during a casual conversation that speak life to someone else. It's when you feel like absolute crap and have no inspiration at all, but by faith begin to speak the praises of God and suddenly you're in His presence. It's the time you were prayed for and when hands were laid on you, you had an open vision of the Lord Jesus and you had one question on your heart and He gave you direction. It's the time the spirit of God fell on you with such power that the entire world became manifest in a moment of time and you saw God's hand in control of everything, and you received the strength to continue during hard straights. It's the time you were attacked by a person and a spirit did violence to you, and an answer that couldn't be gainsaid came to you out of your spirit. It's the time you prayed for someone on the spur of faith and they were instantly healed.

It's something every Christian should be experiencing on a daily basis. But it's not nearly always spectacular. The spectacular stuff is not for nothing; you will need it for a reason, and the devil will not be far behind to try to steal it.

 

[JEBrady]

That is supernatural in my book. I don't know much, but I know we need more of that. People who listen to and hear from God and do what He leads them to do.

Big amen, big big amen.

I showed your story to my wife because she had a similar experience where she was the one in the old man's position and when she got blown off, she came home and told me she'd never do anything like that again. She's gotten over it since then, but your story ministered to her. Sometimes it helps to be reminded we just can't judge our obedience by the immediate results we see.

 

[imperfectchristian]

Big amen, big big amen.

I showed your story to my wife because she had a similar experience where she was the one in the old man's position and when she got blown off, she came home and told me she'd never do anything like that again. She's gotten over it since then, but your story ministered to her. Sometimes it helps to be reminded we just can't judge our obedience by the immediate results we see.

I wish I knew how to get a hold of that old man and let him know just how much he was hearing from God at that moment. It was over 15 years ago now and I have long since lost the pamphlets. I do know it will be with me for the rest of my life.

I have other experiences that are even more fantastic than that...once a lady called out of the blue, spoke in tongues and interpreted over the phone to my grandmother. The message was for me and it was a very specific, unique prayer that I had prayed silently when I was five years old and never told anyone and never spoke about it to anyone.

I am not going to share it here, but it is one of those things that you just can't make up. God popping up in my life when I least expect it in baffling ways.

 

[JEBrady]

I wish I knew how to get a hold of that old man and let him know just how much he was hearing from God at that moment. It was over 15 years ago now and I have long since lost the pamphlets. I do know it will be with me for the rest of my life.

I have other experiences that are even more fantastic than that...once a lady called out of the blue, spoke in tongues and interpreted over the phone to my grandmother. The message was for me and it was a very specific, unique prayer that I had prayed silently when I was five years old and never told anyone and never spoke about it to anyone.

I am not going to share it here, but it is one of those things that you just can't make up. God popping up in my life when I least expect it in baffling ways.

You don't need to share it- that was between you and the Lord, but it's a good thing to rehearse the goodness of God in our lives as a remembrance and to stir our hearts up toward Him. It's entirely too easy to allow our thinking to go the wrong way when we don't remind ourselves of His work in our lives. May it accomplish the things it was sent for!

 

[imperfectchristian]

You don't need to share it- that was between you and the Lord, but it's a good thing to rehearse the goodness of God in our lives as a remembrance and to stir our hearts up toward Him. It's entirely too easy to allow our thinking to go the wrong way when we don't remind ourselves of His work in our lives. May it accomplish the things it was sent for!

Amen

 

[Yitzchak]

A lot could be said about this subject... I would like to point out that when G-d manifest himself it can be in many different ways...

Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Act 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

The early Pentecostals were actually known for being people of the word. They were not intellectuals. But they knew their bibles very well.
The revivals that we read about were brought in by bible study , prayer , fasting and repentance. People layed it all down to seek the Lord. The denominations that they call Pentecostal today are watered down versions of the early Pentecostals who think that breakthroughs are obtained by five minutes of prayer at the altar if they even have altar calls at all.


I have been blessed to experience the type of experience that you talk about. But one thing that I have learned is that most of the time , the crowds are being carryed on someone's "coattails " Meaning that someone payed the price to fast and pray and seek the Lord with their whole heart. The crowd comes in to the meeting and says "wow , the anointing is really strong , why can't it be like this all the time ."... It should not be this way because G-d is no respector of persons. But it is.


The lesson for those who have glimpsed these moves of G-d is that they need to seek a move of G-d for themselves instead of getting in on someone else's coattails. I have a lot of friends who have experienced real revival. Most of them have backslid and are no better off then before. A few were changed a little but settled for that and are in a rut. It is rare to find someone who presses on in G-d for more.

Experience is the right way to go. But if someone pursues the intellectual route with a pure heart they will find G-d just as powerfully that way also. The sad fact is that most of the intellectual types are lacking faith.

As you can see right on this message board. Many do not even have the faith to conceive of the possibility of Experiencing G-d the way that you talk about. So they would rather explain it away and confuse the issue rather than being convicted and pursueing G-d for that kind of experience themselves. that is the main difference between the old time Pentecostals that you speak of and the dead modern ones. The old timers got to the place of faith where they said we need to receive a baptism of The Holy Spirit at whatever cost. we can't go on without it. The modern non believers say the baptism of the Holy Spirit is emotion or you already have it and just don't know it., The old timers held out for the rushing wind and got it.

The same applies to intellectualism. Those who believe G-d has revelation to grant that we must have pursue it with passion and get it. those who say we already know everything important to know and are content with scraps of knowledge try to make fun of intellect.

Bottomline. if a person ever gets a revelation of faith and what is possible , then they will pursue G-d in every way possible.