From Pastor’s Desk:

by Pastor Joe VandenAkker

I was reading an article recently that listed some cultural trends of our day, including this: There is a widely held skepticism that we can know "the truth" - especially about such 'big picture' things as life's purpose, the nature of the universe, moral issues, and competing religious claims.

Because of this broad skepticism, there is a renewed openness to the possibility of a spiritual realm and other realities beyond the one in which we live. Another consequence is that the most valued and trusted source of truth today is truth gained from personal experience. Related to this, the most sought after truth is knowledge that the truth-seeker can put to immediate practical use.

This skepticism about "traditional notions of truth" helps to explain the surprising resurgence of cults, Eastern religions, pagan religions, and Wicca (witchcraft and wizardry). These reflect a longing on the part of many to personally experience the spiritual world, to receive immediate personal benefits from that experience, and to gain spiritual knowledge that one can put to use in a powerful way (such as summoning spirits, removing demons, employing magical spells, and getting prayer to produce the desired result (making it work for you.)

These cultural trends are also affecting the perspectives and practices of Christians. Many Christians today have little interest in discerning "the truth" when it comes to competing views on what the Bible teaches. They are willing to accept both views as possible options, and to (tentatively) adopt whichever view is most practical for them to 'sign on to' at the time. Pragmatic considerations are replacing Biblically argued convictions.

Another consequence of these trends is a strong desire and felt need for a personal experience of God's presence and power. God is not truly real for many people until they have had some kind of personal experience of him. This may come in the form of "sensing his presence" or "hearing his voice." In searching for God's will, people are less inclined to dig in the Bible for general principles that they then apply to their situation with prayer and as much wisdom as they and fellow believers can offer. Instead, many seek an inner prompting of the Spirit to guide them.

There has also been a renewed interest in the 'special gifts' of the Spirit so obviously present in the early church - gifts of healing, prophecy, and the power to cast out demons. Possession of such a gift (or even witnessing it) serves to provide powerful evidence that God is real.

In response to these trends, I would offer a few words of caution. While personal experiences of God's presence and power are wonderfully affirming, these should not become the basis by which we believe or do not believe in him. Our faith in God should not depend on personal experiences of him. As a matter of fact, without Bible-rooted, Spirit-instilled faith in God and knowledge of him, we would not have the ability to experience feelings of inner peace, calm, and confidence in the face of sickness or other difficult experiences as "God's presence."

Our trust in Scripture should not depend on personal experiences of God. The reverse is true. The trust we place in our personal experiences should be based on God's promises and revelation of himself in Scripture. As we read or hear God's Word and meet him through the record of his age-old acts of creation, providential care, and covenant faithfulness, and saving love, the Spirit testifies in our hearts that this is all true. Based on this Scriptural background, we are enabled to see God faithfully working in our lives and in his church today.

Do you wish to experience God's presence and power? Don't look only for the extraordinary and miraculous, or you'll miss so much! God's presence and power are to be seen all around us - in a baby's birth, in the rising and setting of the sun, in the intricate beauty of a flower, in healing that occurs following prayer-supported surgeries and medical care, in the loving encouragement of friends, in your capacity to forgive those who offend against you, in a timely phone call, in your choice to forego personal financial gain in order to do what's right, and in countless other daily occurrences. God is the sovereign ruler over all these amazingly ordinary things also.