You are reading a blog posted on a website from a ministry called Transforming Truth. I spent a large chunk of my former years searching for truth that I could stake my life upon. Having experienced some disillusioning events as a child and willfully committing myself to a pathway of cynicism, bitterness and anti-authoritarian living during my teenage years, as a young adult I found myself utterly empty and starving for something – anything – to truly believe in. It was at the age of twenty-four when the Gospel of Jesus Christ became real to me and my understanding was enlightened. I now know that it was God’s powerful grace which opened my eyes to the One who declared Himself to be the Way, the TRUTH & the Life. There was something true that I could stake my life upon and I discovered that it was this one called Jesus whom I heard about for all of my life. The young man who was searching for truth for so long had been presented with the glorious pearl of God’s plan for his life. My heart was satisfied and my journey began.
So truth is important to me. After my conversion in 1994 I wanted to understand more of this God who had saved me and delivered me from darkness. I knew that something dramatic had happened to me but I had a hunger to understand it and to intimately know the God who stood behind it all. Some instrumental people in my life at that time shared with me that I would find all of my answers in God’s book, the bible. Without hesitation I began to devour its pages and learned that these people were spot-on. This book was alive. The bible made sense to me for the first time in my life and I learned that the truth of God’s Word is not some academic book of religion but a written work of transformational spiritual power. I recognized early on that the bible was objective in its content but supernatural in its essence. Condensing many years into a few sentences, allow me to simply say that the understanding and proclaiming of the Scriptures became my calling, my quest and my joy. I am a truth seeker and have been privileged for almost twenty years to be a truth teacher. Theology is my anchor and also my mainsail. My heart is given to knowing, understanding and proclaiming objective truth as I commit to keep my own opinions out of it to the best of my God-empowered ability. God has spoken in His objective word and He speaks still today though the treasure of the Scriptures.
Now, let me add a little controversy for some of you who have been with me up until this point: theology is good…but it is not enough.
Theology is the means but it was never meant to be the ultimate destination. God did not present Adam a book in the Garden of Eden – He presented Himself to Adam. Abraham was known as many things but the most unique expression is that he was called the friend of God. Centuries later when God commanded Moses to write down some things that would become the Hebrew Law, God did not do this in a vacuum; He accompanied that task with powerful, supernatural encounter with Moses. The historical books of the bible convey Holy Spirit-inspired data whereas the Psalms record anointed lyrics to the songs of faith. The Gospels are factual accounts of the earthly life of Jesus and the disciples. The book of Acts reveals us our ecclesiastical origin while the New Testament epistles establish objective definitions to our faith and practice. Even that mind blowing book of Revelation is comprised of written accounts about actual events which will occur at a future time. Let us all agree that, undoubtedly, the Bible communicates truth…theology…information…and objective facts. But I say again that all of this is a means to an end and was never meant to be the end itself. God has always planned something more. Something deeper. Something interactive.
God does what He does, says what He says and offers what He offers so that you and He might have personal encounter. His overall plan aims at your being with Him, not just knowing Him accurately. His desire for us can be expressed as a life of theology + encounter.
Let me submit the following for your consideration and the come back in future posts to unpack some of what I am sharing in a very general way today. These are just some snippets that I have experienced since I committed to pursue regular, personal encounter with God with an equal zeal wherewith I also pursue theology. You see, theology teaches us but encounter convinces us. My hope is that you will also begin to ask yourself the vital question, “Is my life characterized by personal encounter with God?”
Why We Need Theology + Encounter With God
- Theology teaches you that God is good. Encounter convinces you that He is good to you.
- Theology teaches you that God is love. Encounter convinces you that you are the object of this love and it is not confined to theological assent but is meant to expand into personal experience.
- Theology teaches you that God is faithful. Encounter convinces you that you can rely upon Him personally and that He proves His faithfulness via your life experiences.
- Theology teaches you that God is a restoring God. Encounter convinces you that He can give you back what you have forfeited, supply you what was never given you before or restore what was taken from you.
- Theology teaches you that God is powerful. Encounter convinces you that this power is yours in Jesus Christ and that you are no longer a victim but, instead, an overcomer.
- Theology teaches you that Jesus Christ is victorious. Encounter convinces you that you are not destined to defeat, fear and hesitancy but, instead, to an inheritance, a defeat of all that opposes you and that you posses the last word against Satan and his demons and those who have harmed you.
- Theology teaches you that it is right to walk with God. Encounter makes doing so a thrilling event.
Pastor Jeff:
Are you going to have your Teachings on the Holy Spirit you are doing on wednesday nights available on your transforming truth blog?
bruce
I choose the people Christ walked with and have no one be less to you than your own brother or sister. Walking in the streets in the face of oppression he suffered and died. #crucifedbytheworld
You have made me breathless in this BLOG. I am also speechless to answer or to comment on this. You have “nailed” it perfectly, in my estimation. Thank you!