Mar 7, 2012
Don’t settle for just knowing the truth — FEEL the truth (a 4-min video)
This may be simplistic …
But it seems there are two extremes in churches today —
Some emphasize knowing the truth of God’s Word.
Others emphasize experiencing the Holy Spirit.
But don’t these belong together?
Here’s a 4-minute video in which I describe how this works.
Scriptures to help you —
You’ll end up developing your own list of favorites.
But here’s some that I have found powerful —
- The 12-year old Jesus wowing the Scribes and Pharisees with his answers (Luke 2:46-47).
- The compassion of Jesus as he heals a woman who had been doubled-over by a spirit for 18 years (Luke 13:10-13).
- The love of Jesus as He welcomes children (Matthew 19:13-15).
- Jesus’ zeal for the Father’s glory as he overturns the money-changer’s tables (John 2:14-17).
- Jesus crying out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
How did this impact you?
I’d love to hear — feel free to leave a reply below. Thanks.
Do you know someone who would be helped by this? Email it to them with the “share” button below — or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
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Here’s more resources on the work of the Holy Spirit —
- How the Holy Spirit enables us to obey.
- My father explains how to experience the Holy Spirit.
- Blaise Pascal’s astonishing experience.
- Will-power vs. Spirit-power.
- How God comforted Hudson Taylor.
(Picture by nkzs on stockxchng.)
Wonderful Steve. I pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint this so that people will not only hear this life giving truth, but will ache for more of Jesus. That happened to me yesterday out of the blue. I suddenly became aware of how yucky my heart was, and went to my knees to plead for God to change my heart, (as if someone were praying for me.) I began to ache for Jesus. A warmth came over me as I continued over and over to ask God to change my heart, and how wonderfully He did. Just like you said, I had more love for Jesus, more love for other people,temptations lost thier power, and I shared my faith twice that day!Sadly these words do not do the experience justice. But oh how I wish I could experience that everyday! By the way I LOVE seeing you on youtube!
Hi Bill —
It brings me great joy to hear of what God did in your heart — what a great and merciful God we have. And I love your description of what happened as a result.
Thank you for sharing your encouraging story.
I join you in praying that this will cause all of us to ache for more of Jesus.
And thanks for your encouragement about the YouTube venture — another way to get the word out!
Your friend and brother,
Steve
Bill,
What a wonderful experience with God you are sharing here. Congratulations! I’m really rejoicing with you. 🙂
Susanne
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Steve,
Sorry for “precommenting” your reply, but I couldn’t hold my horses due to Bill’s inspiring story. And he is absolutely right – youtube and you are fitting perfectly together.
Hi Susanne,
I love that Bill’s story stirred you to have to comment immediately. I loved his story as well. So encouraging.
And I do appreciate the feedback regarding YouTube — it is helpful to hear that it’s working.
May the Father richly bless you today —
Steve
Thank you Steve!
Ethan has been fasting one day each week as we lead up to Easter and this was one of the things I’ve been praying and trying to talk w/him about: Not just knowing about Jesus, but feeling Jesus. I can’t wait to show him the video.
Thank you,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Ethan is fasting one day a week — that’s powerful. I love how you and Joe are parenting your boys.
How wise and good to talk with Ethan about knowing AND feeling the truth of Jesus.
I pray that your time watching the video with him will be fruitful and powerful.
Onward!
Steve
Dear Steve.This is brother Gil, although I am reply ing a year later, you could not have hit the nail on the head an more accurateley about the two extremiteys of the church of today.Emphisizing knowing the truth of Gods word without empisizing the experience of the Holy Spirit is not good.Also emphasizing the Holy Spirit without the pure truth of Gods word is also not good.But the two put together would put the word of God in great affect.Please take these words for thought and check them out according to scripture.According to one who has been filled with the Holy Spirit walk in the spirit as much as I can faithfully can check and see if 7th day sabbath keeping and walking in the Holy Spirit coincide it seems to say that we enter his rest as we try by faith to keep the 7th day sabbath holy Heb 3+4 I the Adventist got that part right but threw the baby out with the bath water when the teaching of the person of the Holy and his power because they resist the power thereof and now become a form of religion but never the less the 7th day sabbath truth with the power of the Holy Spirit is a unique and precios way to walk closer with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ,try and it out for 2 or 3 weeks and see if I am correct,Bother Gil.
Hi Gilbert,
I’m so glad you found this video helpful — and thank you for letting me know.
Thanks also for sharing your thoughts about the 7th-day Sabbath. I am persuaded that the New Testament teaches that Jesus changed the Old Testament Sabbath teaching such that the early church worshiped Him as resurrected Lord on the first day of the week — the day He rose.
But I appreciate the spirit in which you wrote, and am glad we are brothers in Christ.
In Him,
Steve Fuller
Steve, your blog is a comfort in this alien jungle.
I think I finally heard in your words what causes me so much anguish -the church who believes they have head knowledge of The Word, yet is resistant to gaining experiential knowledge of His Spirit. For is it not the Spirit who interprets scripture to us so that it makes sense to our human spirits? And is not scripture clear the He is a living being who desires intimate relationships with us? I do not trust the Biblical interpretations of any Christians who say they know the Truth, unless they also know and seek the Spirit of the Truth.
On another note, when I have felt distant towards my Lord, I have found it helpful to start thanking Him from my heart. That leads to praising Him, and before I know it, I’m back in His arms.
Thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan,
I agree — it’s crucial that we experience the work of Holy Spirit. The Word itself teaches that the Holy Spirit enables us to see and feel the truths which are taught clearly in God’s Word. By the work of the Spirit we can meet the Living Jesus in the truth of God’s Word.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Hey steve…..I am so grateful to GOD. when I feel lost and hopeless he always leads me back to your site! I belive what your saying…so many of us are are trying walk this christian life with our heads only. We tend to forget that’s its only by and through GODSprecious HOLY SPIRIT CAN WE walk, and understand, and see JESUS! Jesus has to be tevealed to us through Holy Spirit everyday! Becoming dependant on his Grace through his Holy Spirit is what’s truly needed! Thanks steve I am going to do everything you said today…..I am tired of reading and meditating on GODS word and not feeling the truth.
Where I get stuck here is when I try to focus on/feel/experience Jesus wonder/glory/awesomeness and find myself completely unable to do so.
I have a constant awareness of both my very-accurate intellectual understanding of the Bible, the futility of the pursuit of pleasure/fulfillment outside of God, the danger in loving the world more than Him. etc…and my utter inability to experience a heart change apart from His grace/empowerment…
Yet when I pray and ask for this change, nothing happens; the double-mindedness (usually) remains. I am a double-minded person, incredibly selfish and self-focused, utterly devoid of the love for God and others I would like to have. I’m addicted to approval, comfort, control, pleasure, etc.
I wonder *all* the time if, somewhere along the line, I simply hardened my heart too much to ever be able to repent/be forgiven. I am certainly like those in Isaiah who “have eyes but are blind.” I see with the eyes of my mind but not my heart. And often, when I ask myself whether I would be 100% willing to forsake everything and follow Christ, the first/knee-jerk reaction to that question is “no.” It has certainly not been “no” for all of my life, but over the past few years, as my theology changed (reformed/Calvinist instead of Arminian), and I begen to realize that love is not “an action;” that actions result from love but are not love itself–and that loving God and others–truly loving them–is the mark of a believer…I first, for a long time, begged God to change my heart/open my eyes to see and love Him…then, when that did not happen (fleshly thoughts and desires remained dominant), I gradually became so overwhelmed by fear and despair that I just partially gave up. I still think about God all the time, fellowship with believers, sometimes pray, etc., but there’s this constant “thing” hanging over me…this dread of God and aversion to coming to Him because I really think I may be an “Esau.” and/or have committed the unpardonable sin/”trampled on the son of God”; that perhaps I am like those who were once enlightened but have fallen away.
I certainly sometimes see and celebrate truth; but I notice that almost immediately after recognizing something/having some sort of epiphany, my next desire is to share it with others, which is not in itself “bad,” but the next step should be a desire to worship, glorify and love God, and instead I focus on the nugget of truth itself rather than the One who placed it there and revealed it to me.
Thank you so much for opening your heart to us, Alyssa.
It sounds to me like you genuinely desire God, and that you are looking to Jesus by faith to forgive you for your lack of desire, to change your heart so you have this desire, and to satisfy you with this desire.
If so, that’s what it means to have faith in Christ, and because you have faith in Christ, you can be assured that you are saved.
Unregenerate people don’t want to have God change their hearts so they see and love Christ. But this is what you do want.
I have found Psalm 13 helpful when I’m longing for God to change my heart, and it’s not happening very quickly.
And it would be an honor to pray for you.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller