Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
There has been some controversy, mainly between myself and Igzy, concerning the place of experience in the Christian faith and practice. While I do not reject experience outright, I am not sure that the thing that we call experience has the importance assigned to it in the written record. Or maybe it is that we have redefined something else and now call it "experience of Christ" and therefore are, like calling grace "simply Christ," hiding what we really mean — even from ourselves.
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One verse which quickly came to mind related to you and the experience of Christ -- Phil 4.6, "
Let your forbearance be known to all men, the Lord is near." I love this verse, and it often is in my heart when relating to others, either on this forum or in other venues. Forbearance is tolerance, patience, and longsuffering towards others.
This so-called "experience" of Christ lies in how I relate to others. Do I react from my self, expressing a range of emotions from frustration to anger or worse, or do I give the patience of my Lord an opportunity to invade my response? If "
the Lord is near," should not He have permission to interact with what I say? If He is near, I must consider which response expresses Him and hopefully that is what could be "
known to all men."
This verse then opens up a wide venue of more "experiences" of Christ. Does what I say come under obedience to Him, or is it just what I want. Perhaps I need to apologize because the Lord is troubled by my words, or maybe my words are fine, but my tone is wrong. To pray is also to "experience" the Lord, hoping that what I post could express His heart, and benefit the reader in some little way.
The Lord often reminds me of these verses in 2 Tim. 2, "
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." Life is filled with petty arguments, and I have lots of opinions about a host of topics, and would love to jump in and let others know, but then I remember His word. My remembrance is also an "experience" of Christ, and better yet, my obedience to what we remember. And then "
the Lord is near," perhaps nearer than He was before.