Bringing God Alive

Every one who believes in God is, to some degree, into
theological argument -- argument in the sense of developing
logical reasons and propositions for various points of view
about God.

We are not concerned here with the development of doctrinal
arguments, nor in comparing one set with another. There is
a level and degree of conviction which goes infinitely beyond
all that and wordy dialogue. And beyond consulting vast tomes
of theological treaties. It is the conviction which comes from
an EXPERIENTIAL knowledge of God. It comes from experiencing
God in our own, everyday lives. Certainly, what we "know" about
God comes in some degree from what we believe. But is there not
a difference between "belief" in some theological proposition and
faith, which is what makes that proposition into a reality for any
one of us?

FAITH BRINGS GOD "ALIVE"
It is faith which, as it were, "brings God alive" for each one of
us. It is faith exercised at a personal level which makes God
personal to us. It is that, rather than delving into works of
theology, which make God real.
Faith is, in practice, different to belief. We can believe
something and, because we never act on it, it never changes
our lives. If I say "I believe God, the father Almighty", it is
open to someone without that belief to ask, "So what?" The
question is really, "So what is different in your life compared
to mine as a result of your belief?"

Unfortunately, there are Christians who would be hard put to
answer that, because they have belief but little faith. Faith
can be expressed as belief put to the test. No, we are not
testing God so much as testing ourselves. We can call in God's
promises to us, but such calls are ultimately tests of our own
faith, although they must inevitably also show God's loyalty to
his own word.

FAITH BRINGS KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
What kind of knowledge of God does faith bring? It is a knowledge
which goes beyond anything we can find in a book -- or in an
article such as this! It is an EXPERIENTIAL knowledge of God.

That is to say, every act of faith is a personal encounter
with God, a personal experience of him. The reason is that God
never ignores an act of faith, not least because, apart from love,
it is the greatest quality he desires from us.

We can read, say, Paul in Roman 4. 17 that God is he who:
"gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though
they were." (NIV)He "calls things that are not as though they were"! It is
acting on such scriptures as this which brings God alive to us,
which brings us into a reality of God which might not previously
have existed.

THE KNOWLEDGE THAT COUNTS
That experiential knowledge is what counts! It is that which
converts people from no belief to putting God first in their lives,
from being nominal Christians into committed Christians -- because
that knowledge of God is something which cannot be acquired in any
other way. And it tells us what cannot be known in any other way.

You may acquire some kind of knowledge about me from reading this
article or some of the books I have written. Yet all that would be
far less than the knowledge gathered from the experience of actually
meeting me (which some may say is a great blessing for you!!!).

How much more important, and how much more life-changing is the
experiencial knowledge of actually encountering God?
In Romans (as elsewhere) Paul makes the case that we are saved
through faith. That is the ultimate expression and consequence
of our faith. But it must not be the only one! If we can trust
God for this ultimate expression of his love for us, and the
dependability of his word, the consequence of which will last
for eternity, we can surely trust him for a myriad of other
things -- things which are of much less consequence, but which
happen every day in our lives.

That repeated, ongoing accumulation of (essentially loving)
experiential knowledge is open to anyone who has the courage
to risk the consequences of holding God to his many biblical
promises -- and who wants to see God "come alive" in their lives.

840 words

Article Source: http://www.christiannotepad.com

AUTHOR: Anthony Keith Whitehead This article is copyright but may be reproduced providing that all this information is included Over twenty-three years in Christian healing teaching writing ministries. Wide range of secular employments before being called by the Lord into full time independent ministry in 1987. With his wife Iris he has ministered both in the UK and USA. Has written several books on healing meditation and various aspects of spirituality. Formal qualifications include: B.A. M.Phil. Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies Post Grad Cert in Education. WEB SITE: www.christianword.co.uk