It's More Than A Feeling

 

It’s More Than A Feeling!

 

There is a fragment of a song from the 70’s in my head this morning, I don’t remember the whole song just part of a line, “It’s more than a feeling”. That caused the thought knowing JESUS is more than a feeling. Many Believers live their faith by what and how they feel. Many Believers live their life by what they believe the Bible says based on how they feel about that issue. The Bible is very clear and easy to understand if you take it at face value in context.

 

I’ll give two examples:

The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42; she was married and divorced four times and was living with a man she was not married to; that was why she was at the well at noon, long after the women of the city would have come to draw their daily water. JESUS started a conversation with her by asking her for a drink of water. (Unheard of in that social climate because she was an unknown woman and because she was a Samaritan – of mixed race and faith) JESUS told her He could give her living water which she thought of as natural water when JESUS was talking of His HOLY SPIRIT. In the middle of their conversation JESUS tells her to go get her husband. She, to a complete stranger of a different faith tells him the truth, she has no husband. Then JESUS commends her for telling the truth, the part she felt was enough, and JESUS filled in the part she left out. So she turned the conversation to religion. JESUS tells her two key things, GOD is SPIRIT and can only be worshipped in SPIRIT and Truth (or you have to know that GOD is Truth therefore you have to believe the truth about GOD then you can worship Him). Then He told her He is the Messiah; the One who gives The SPIRIT to those who believe in Him (John 14:12-18). The result was that the woman returned to her city and told everyone what had happened and the people came out to see JESUS, He stayed there for two days and many of the city believed in Him as their Messiah. The truth is that JESUS gently but firmly confronted the woman about her sinful life style, corrected her religious misunderstanding by presenting her with the Truth (there is only one truth and that’s GODs) and she and most of the city where she lived believed in JESUS: that is what The Gospel is about, that is Christianity as it should be.

 

The adulteress woman in Jerusalem in John 8:2-12; she was caught in the act of adultery and publicly brought to JESUS to test Him. Under The Law she and the man should have been taken out of the city and stoned to death. The religious leaders wanted to find something they could accuse JESUS of so they could put Him to death. When the religious leaders illegally presented the woman to see what JESUS would say and do they, under The Law could have been stoned by the people right there. JESUS ignored them so that they would be more boisterous and more people would be drawn to see what was happening. Then facing them He said, “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” JESUS publicly exposed their hypocritical sinful nature because no one threw a stone, but starting with the oldest they all left the woman standing with JESUS. Now the crowd watched to see what JESUS would do. When He asked the woman if there was anyone to condemn her she was able to say no, so JESUS said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more!” Then He told the crowd standing around, “I Am The Light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the Light of Life.”

 

Believers have many misconceptions today, just as they did when JESUS lived in the flesh.

 

Yesterday I joined a conversation about inclusiveness and acceptance; this is where we have much confusion and misunderstanding in the Church. The two examples above show that JESUS’ ministry was to everyone, no matter their station in life, their ethnicity or their religious belief. The Gospel is centered around, “For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten SON that who so ever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting Life.” (John 3:16) It is clear that only those who reject JESUS do not get everlasting Life. JESUS also said, “I Am The Way, The Truth and The Life; no one comes to The Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Christianity has to be inclusive of all who are seeking to know GOD. But JESUS also told us the result of believing what we want, saying and doing what we want and living as we want. Review Matthew 7:13-29, 25:31-46; JESUS told the man He healed at the Pool of Bethesda to “Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:1-15

 

I received a meme that says, “Come as you are but if you truly repent and believe (Acts 20:21) in JESUS you will not remain as you are (2 Corinthians 5:17).”

 

Back to my opening thought, Christianity is not a feeling, when as JESUS told us to be His disciples we have to die to ourself and live for Him or “take up our cross daily and follow Him”. Christianity is not a religion, it is not about keeping the rules, it is a personal relationship when through The SPIRIT of GOD who lives in all true Believers JESUS introduces us to GOD The Father, we are adopted into His Family and serve Him as Children who will inherit His Eternal Kingdom. Sanctification is what GOD does in us who yield our life through JESUS. Holiness is the result of the work of GOD in our life that separates us from the world that is condemned to eternal damnation to His eternal Kingdom here and now.

 

Living for GOD does not make us better than others therefore we should not scorn or reject any person. But we are warned to be careful in our association with people who do not believe in GOD and those who live in the way the world accepts.

 

If you want to be a Christian but discount the Bible, you have to believe and practice what JESUS taught Himself in the Gospels, these are His Words, what He said we have to do and not do, otherwise you are not a Christian Believer you are practicing the Christian Religion and that will lead you to hell for eternal damnation. JESUS said, “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go that way. Because, narrow is the gate and difficult is The Way that leads to Life and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 5:13-14) The difference is that you have to search for The Way and follow it to eternal Life, we are born into the broad way and most people just follow along.

 

GOD said “And you will seek Me and will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). You must seek GOD to find GOD then when you find GOD you must live according to His plan for you (it’s not about the rules, it’s about GOD’s Will). JESUS taught us how to pray, “Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name, Your Kingdom Come Your Will be done, in the earth as it is in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-13) Isaiah and Hosea remind us that there will be a time when GOD cannot be found. (Isaiah 55:6-7, Hosea 5:6-7,) JESUS warned the religious leaders of His day, “I shall be with you a little while longer and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me and where I go you cannot come.” (John 7:32-36) JESUS told Believers to, “Seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness” and the issues of life will be taken care of. (Matthew 6:33-34)

 

If you want to be a Christian or believe that you are a Christian than you have to be CHRIST like, that is what Christian means.

 

As I’m finishing this paper up a song from the 60’s comes to mind, “I’m Hooked on a Feeling”, are you hooked on your feelings or are you committed and submitted to JESUS CHRIST as your LORD and Savior? Faith is trusting in and obeying JESUS and The Word of GOD, not what we feel today about a subject or issue or event in our life!

 

Both of those songs are love songs but the feeling of love is not what gets us through this life. GOD who is Love and loved us when we were His enemies wants to deliver us from living by our feelings to living by our trust and obedience to Him and His Word. (1 John)