It is easier to preach and teach about the word intimacy rather than a distinctly biblical word like Redemption, Justification…Jesus, etc. because it requires no real study. Intimacy with Jesus, while true and biblical, is all about my experience. Ironically, if we labored and endeavored to preach and teach the bible, and not our experience, we would find that people would have great intimacy with God.
"It is easier to preach and teach about the word intimacy rather than a distinctly biblical word like Redemption, Justification…Jesus, etc. because it requires no real study."
I disagree. Its easier to teach about Redemption and justification, in my opinion, than it is to teach about intimacy. Redemption and justification are abstract truths, what makes them real is intimacy, encounter, life changing radical encounter with the living God. The intimate part of the equation cannot be taught, it can only be experienced. Its not information that saves a man, information explains to the man what just happened. Most people come to Jesus knowing little or nothing about the theological truths of redemption and justification. The sum total of their " knowledge,' may be that some one told them that Jesus loved them and died for their sins..........brother Frank
We have a very personal GOD; and HE
knows all about us, even the hairs
of our heads are numbered. He cares
deeply for us and desires for us to
know HIM as Father, as Friend, as
King, as LORD, as Savior. Relationship
requires communion with one another.
GOD is known by our seeking HIM in
the fullness of HIS grace and glory,
hearing HIS Word of faith and truth,
and experiencing HIS presence and
purpose in our hearts and lives.
Mahoney wrote;
"Ironically, if we labored and endeavored to preach and teach the bible, and not our experience, we would find that people would have great intimacy with God."
Should our concern be to preach, or to try and influence others to a doctrine or theory, or should our main influence be one of LIFE?
In Christ,
Ron
"...do and teach..."
Living the Way opens the avenue towards instruction in the Word.
WE are to make disciples, not converts.
Converting them is between God and them.
Our focus should remain looking to Jesus, and our own relationship with God...of LIFE. The preaching and teaching find their place in this.
Indoctrination without example is heady. It may lead to mental affirmation; but lacks the wherewithal of down to earth application.
As the Word of God lives in us, this message will be from a pure heart.
Doctrine by example leaves an indelable mark when coupled with the teaching/preaching of it.
The workmen unashamed do what they say.
I agree with the original poster. All of the nebulous talk about feelings and intimacy in the church has made it pretty feminine in my opinion. We need strong men who are passionate about Biblical truth and doctrine, as well as their lives. As Paul told Timothy, "watch your life and doctrine closely".
Of course, say something like that, and all the people wrapped up in their inner feelings think you're a cold-hearted Pharisee.
God bless you, brother!
Amen to your post.
I was in a prayer meeting yesterday and this same issue came up. I'm so sick of all this talk of intimacy and bridal paradigm business. I call it, 'the feminizing of the Gospel'
Someone had had a 'vision' of the Lord as a Lion in the midst of their meeting. She said, 'He said, I don't want commitment, I want consummation!'
One brother asked,'how does one speak of such things and still get a wholesome understanding from brothers?
Frankly, i think if we'll just stick to good ol' preaching of the Cross of Christ, people will know God intimately. How in the world did the ol' revivalists do it?
God help us!
"How in the world did the ol' revivalists do it?"
Brother, the reason there was, and is, a need for revival was and is because peopple were " dead,' in religion. And with revival came outpouring of emmotions. There is nothing feminine about a radical encounter with God, just ask the prophets. When you are crying out "woe is me, for I am undone,' you will not be feeling feminine. Some of the most passionate Christians down through the ages were some of the most fearless Christians who presented their bodies to the flames of martyrdom singing psalms of glory to their God. Praise the Lord for saints who have intimate encounters with the Lord, these are the men we read about who have turned their world upside down.........brother Frank
I know it was through the Word that I came to learn about Jesus. How that began I can't tell, for it was the Spirit of God working within me (intimately). We refer to the letters of the Apostles as "Scripture". And we do so rightly. But remember, they are letters written from an intimate relationship with the Living God. I suspect that if we were to speak with those who saw Jesus in bodily form, we would come away with a sense of intimacy.
Sounds like we're bantering: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg".
By His Grace.
When you are crying out "woe is me, for I am undone,' you will not be feeling feminine. Some of the most passionate Christians down through the ages were some of the most fearless Christians who presented their bodies to the flames of martyrdom singing psalms of glory to their God.
Why does femininity not also include fearlessness, but masculinity does?? Those women martyrs were certainly fearless, but not feminine at the same time?
Perhaps I am reading into what you said wrong, but I do not think that crying out to the Lord has anything to do with whether a person is feminine or not...unless they are a man of course. :p
And it depends on what person's definition of intimacy is..by feeling? or by knowing?
"Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend".
Exodus 33:11a (ESV)
ponder on that beautiful bit of Scripture, saints. Think of it. need i say more, should we be so blessed this day.
If you actually read what I wrote you would see that I have nothing against intimacy with God. Why would I? I love to experience the presence of God, to experience that "He is with me". To experience Jesus Christ (The Word) is the privilege of the Christian.
My point is that it takes no real study of the Scriptures to teach about intimacy with Jesus. I do not have to know really what Paul says in Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, or what Peter says, or John or Luke, or James, etc. All I have to do is pick out a scripture that spoke to me in my quiet time with Jesus and talk about how important intimacy with Jesus is. What's wrong with that?
It’s subjective.
Intimacy is a subjective term. I will define it one way, you will another, and someone else another. By matter of course the preacher or teacher or author will refer to some personal experience they had with God when talking about intimacy with Jesus. That's not so bad, I am sure we could talk about worse things, but if that becomes the steady diet of any Christian, they will inevitably look to duplicate the experience of that man or woman, rather than look to the Bible to know Jesus and what He has done.
My experience with Jesus is different than yours. My take on intimacy with Jesus is different than yours.........because I am different than you. I have a different personality, different dreams and aspirations, different sins, different problems, etc. I hear God differently than you. My time spent with God is different than yours…I am sure.
The only concrete thing about intimacy is the meeting place. All Christians meet God in the same place…in Christ. We experience God in and through Jesus Christ, and God speaks to us in, through and by Jesus Christ. He is the mediator between God and man.
So it is imperative that we know who He is and what He has done, and God gave us the Scriptures so that we can know Him.
ponder on that beautiful bit of Scripture, saints. Think of it. need i say more, should we be so blessed this day.
It is a beautiful bit of scripture, but we are as blessed and even more. We speak to God face to face today and he speaks to us because the Glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ, and we see Jesus. We understand the Gospel, something that the prophets, like Moses, wished to see.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Mahoney,
It does take study to learn and teach intimacy GOD's WAY, which is not nearly as subjective as human experience when you continually walk into deeper relationship.
Read John 14.15, 21, 23
There are imperatives to be lived out if there will be true intimacy, and not just some never-never land euphoric feeling.
Every promise of God is conditional in our faithfulness to Him towards recieving it, Heb. 11.6 . Ya' gotta' do things God's way, or they won't get done, Jn. 15.5.
God Bless,
g
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