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Originally Posted by Igzy
Now, is it okay to start that conversation by saying "I had some amazing experiences of Christ?" Or is that bad, too? Please enlighten me, all you experience of Christ Nazis.
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It doesn't seem bad, to me.
Dave mentioned the idea of "outcome" and it is perhaps relevant here. Certainly it's been my incessant theme in this thread:
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I just don't see how it is possible to say one is experiencing Christ when the primary outcome leads to rattling off the "correct" doctrines and beliefs. To me, it also doesn't mean that I get with a group of people who believe the exact same doctrines and we all experience Christ in the same way and have little toleration for other perspectives. If reading the Bible and praying leads to a change in positive outcomes in our outlook of our fellow human beings, world and other life then we have the makings of truly experiencing Christ from my perspective. There are only two commandments: love God and love our neighbor. I just don't see a lot of love coming out from those espousing that they are the true lovers of God who experience Christ. I am sure that "your" experience of Christ has changed you but what are the outcomes..
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Suppose you had a great experience of Christ. Peace, joy, the sense of being forgiven, and loved, guidance, intervention, salvation in one of a myriads of ways. Wonderful. Now, is that part of a process of change, or today's "feel-good" moment? I admit I'm biased from my LC time because the "feel-good moments" of being sensorily stimulated by shouting, singing, pray-chant-reading (or whatever) was the stand-in for the experience of Christ. And what was the outcome?
I'd like to give my own example. Once I went to a church and they preached the gospel from the pulpit and I got saved. Now, there was an outcome. I believed, I confessed, I prayed. But that led to another process, the outcome of which is not definitively settled. I still have a journey.
I have much to be thankful for. All those good things are from the Father of lights. They are "experiences of my Father's love". Likewise I have many "experiences of Christ" (presumably). And I won't deny your experiences; whatever validity they have is known to the Father. If He says, "amen", then fine.
But my point remains, as well: "Forgetting what is behind me and stretching to what is before". And with that measuring stick all my "experiences of Christ" really don't matter. It's like the two sons, one of which said "I will" and the second refused. Then the first goes back to sleep and the second repents and goes out and obeys the Father's commands. Which one did the will of the Father (Matt 21:31)? The second son. But initially it looked like the first son had the right experience, of giving the "right" answer. But while we are yet in the way, we should be very wary of handling our experiences. There is no general "experience of Christ" which stands immutable. But there are experiences, tied to specifics. For me, I think of John's, "We were witnesses of that One's glory" (John 1:14). If that isn't an experience of Jesus Christ what is? Obviously John never forgot it and it was a referential touch-stone for him the rest of his life. I hope we all have those experiences.