The Place of Experience (s)
in a Believer’s Life
Nothing supersedes the revelation of Scripture, and any experience must expand, compliment, and illuminate the Christ revealed in Scripture without adding, subtracting, or changing that foundational revelation. As Dickens said, “This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of what I will share”. Sometimes, in a genuine concern over truth departures and cult like teachings, many believers become afraid and suspicious of experiences as a believer and a passionate seeker of Christ in all His fullness. There are many and varied spurious and heretical teachings that claim to have emanated from personal experiences with the Spirit of God that are obvious counterfeits that lead away from the Risen Christ and usually elevate some man or woman. We all can be vigilant concerning such things.
But we must not eschew the notion of deeper encounters and life changing experiences with the Christ of God through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. The enemy has been successful in immobilizing the body of Christ in the west and alluring us with the sirens of morality, nationalism, and cold systematic theology and doctrine. I have met believers who espouse the same theology and one will be a cold and rigid person who clings to his theology as his standard, and the other is a humble and pliable soul who weeps easily, prays with brokenness and passion, and who seeks a deeper experience with Christ that both strips him of worldly affections and allows him a sacred glimpse into the mystery of the Incarnate bloodshed. And as I have said, both believe basically the same theology.
So what do we make of any experiences with Jesus? Many of God's Names are nouns of experience - Deliverer, Healer, Savior. Let us examine a few Biblical examples of how God used experiences to illuminate His people into a fuller revelation of Himself as well as create a greater and more urgent thirst for more of Himself. God almost incessantly reminds the children of Israel that He delivered them through the Red Sea from the hand of the Egyptian oppressors. In fact, God calls Himself the Deliverer and uses that name prophetically when He refers to the coming Messiah. And deliverance is both a doctrine and an experience. I have personally experienced the delivering power of Christ, and still beseech Him to deliver me more and more from me.
Peter reiterates his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration and was careful to place the written Word as primary and as “more sure”. But the Spirit directed that experience to be initially recorded as well as remembered by Peter in his second epistle. Many are the experiences recorded in the Book of Acts, and many were instrumental in bringing sinners to Christ and believers to repentance. And the Apostle Paul himself acknowledges the many experiences he has been graced with concerning revelations of the Christ and even of heaven itself, but the same God who gave him such wonderful mysteries also gave him a thorn in order to keep him from being puffed up or self righteous. Experiences of the Spirit, when received in brokenness, humility, and gracious thanksgiving should crucify us more fully and resurrect the Risen Christ within and through us. “That I might decrease and He might increase.”
These experiences are more often than not void of any visible manifestations or miracles. And most will be birthed in the closet of prayer or an extended season of worship or an elongated meditation of the Word itself. And if we take our sacred experiences and attempt to force them upon others or even share them in such a way as to exalt ourselves and our relationship with God, then we are operating in the flesh and not the Spirit. And experiences vary in depth and occurrence. Personally I have had scores of genuine experiences with God that I would consider extraordinary, but I have had only six or seven in 35 years that I would say were life changing. And none of my encounters ever drew me away from the Scriptures, and in fact, I came away with an insatiable appetite to learn and know more of Him through those same Scriptures. Along with a personal alteration, both inwardly and outwardly, I was allowed a fresh breath of the Spirit. And most times I was changed and challenged in ways I could not have foreseen. Sounds mystical? It is.
And Paul states this desire which is an immeasurably profound statement that goes far beyond being acquainted with all the organized theology and original language familiarities.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Oh my. Oh my. This is the apostle that met face to face with the glorified Christ and learned at His feet. This was the apostle that was led to Christ by Christ Himself. Paul was given the whole gospel and commissioned to witness of Christ to the entire world as well as the embryonic church. And Paul was given revelation upon revelation and experience upon experience that stood apart from all the other disciples. And Paul was awarded the glory of martyrdom for his majestic Savior. And still Paul hungers to know Christ more. The word “know” in that verse is the same Greek word used in Matt.1:18 that said that Joseph “knew not” his wife until Jesus had been born. Think on that! Paul wishes to know Christ is such a depth that it approaches an intimacy known by a husband and wife. And we have heard such teachings many times over the years, but please tell me how we can move into such wonders without an experience?
Must we memorize Strong’s Concordance? Or become conversant with Koine Greek? Or any and all systematic theologies? Or even memorize the New Testament itself?! We cannot know Christ without the Scriptures, but knowing the Scriptures does not always mean a proportionate knowledge of Christ. Studying the Scriptures just to uncover more truth that substantiates the truth you already know is nothing but using the Word to defend yourself. But searching the Scriptures, along with agonizing internally about knowing more of Jesus personally, and allowing the Spirit to circumcise your heart, bring you a glorious revelation of the Christ, and then painfully and marvelously crucify you into more of His image, is an unspeakable glory. Discipleship goes beyond does and don’ts.
We cannot be transfigured into His image if we are ignorant about just what His image looks like. Do we weep over the lost and the prodigal? Is our prayer life such that people ask us to teach them to pray? Are our affections so set above that others must ask us about our hope? Are His daily mercies experiential or doctrinal knowledge? And are we even a little unnerved and embarrassed that we have so little power, fruit, and as many experiences with Christ as do our lost neighbors? Do we desire revival?
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