Experiential Faith

"And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." -- John 17:3

Our faith isn't intellectual; it is experiential. We don't know about God, we know Him. At the University of Chicago Divinity School, each year they have what is called "Baptist Day." It is a day when the school invites all the Baptists in the area to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in.

On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education centre. One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and a half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religion tradition of the Church was groundless, emotional mumbo jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.

After about 30 seconds, an old preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the audience. "Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his lunch sack and pulled out an apple and began eating it. "Docta Tillich (CRUNCH MUNCH), my question is a simple one (crunch munch). Now, I ain't never read them books you read (CRUNCH MUNCH), and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek (CRUNCH MUNCH). I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger (CRUNCH MUNCH). He finished the apple. "All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"

Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple." The white-haired preacher dropped the apple core into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

The 1,000-plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him" [Psalm 34:8].

It has been well said, "The man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument."

Beautiful! Just Beautiful!! Thank you for sharing this, Olaadegbu. God bless you!!

  Thanks bro. How are you doing?

OLAADEGBU:

Experiential Faith

"And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." -- John 17:3

Our faith isn't intellectual; it is experiential.  We don't know about God, we know Him.  At the University of Chicago Divinity School, each year they have what is called "Baptist Day."  It is a day when the school invites all the Baptists in the area to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. 

On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area.  Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education centre.  One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich.  Dr. Tillich spoke for two and a half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false.  He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book.  He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religion tradition of the Church was groundless, emotional mumbo jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense.  He then asked if there were any questions.

After about 30 seconds, an old preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the audience.  "Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him.  He reached into his lunch sack and pulled out an apple and began eating it.  "Docta Tillich (CRUNCH MUNCH), my question is a simple one (crunch munch).  Now, I ain't never read them books you read (CRUNCH MUNCH), and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek (CRUNCH MUNCH).  I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger (CRUNCH MUNCH).  He finished the apple.  "All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"

Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple."  The white-haired preacher dropped the apple core into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

The 1,000-plus in attendance could not contain themselves.  The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers.  Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him" (Psalm 34:. 

It has been well said, "The man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument."

Olaadegbu taking a break from his usual hell propaganda?
Now, here's my own version of the anecdote;

Experiential faith

A christian missionary has been trying for days to convince a monk that his religion, buddhism, is of the devil, but christianity is the only way to salvation and God, but with no avail for the monk refused to budge to the evangelical onslaught.So one day, on a last ditch attempt at conversion, the christian missionary goes and stand in front of the tibetian monk with an apple in his hand.He begins to eat the apple while continuing to look at the tibetian monk.He finishes the apple and then asks the monk,  "This apple I just ate -- was it bitter or sweet?"
The monk replies, "No, i cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple." The white-haired christian missionary dropped the apple core into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at the monk and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

Now the Tibetan monk calmly proceeded to bring out an orange from inside his frock, peels it and proceeded to suck it, while the missionary looks on with a look in his eyes that suggests that he knows what's coming.
The monk finishes sucking the orange and then asks the missionary, "This orange that i have just sucked, was it bitter or was it sweet?"
The christian missionary replies, "No, i cannot possibly answer that question, for only you have tasted the orange and i have not". The monk calmly throws the sucked out orange, looked at the christian holy man and calmly said, "Neither have you tasted my nirvana."

The christian missionary thanks the Tibetan monk and quickly leaves his presence.

It has been well said that, "One man's own subjective experience is neither superior nor at the mercy of another man's."



Olaadegbu, you will be much adviced to stick to your calling ,and that is being a christian fundermentalist with messages of and from hell.It is not befitting of you to try your hand at something of depth.As a fundie you are and will remain shallow.You have no spiritual depth so quit the fronting.So can you just stop and return to what you are good at, spreading the plague of hell, if you please.

@jagunlabi,

I do not deny your experience of the depts of your gods what I am interested in is in eternal life, the knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and I don't mean the superficial, natural, mental or demonic knowledge.

InesQor:

Beautiful! Just Beautiful!! Thank you for sharing this, Olaadegbu. God bless you!!

kolaxy:

Thanks bro. How are you doing?

May you be strong in the Lord and do exploits as you know Him more and more in Jesus' name.

"the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits" -- Dan.11:32

OLAADEGBU:
The 1,000-plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform. 

Mobs are essentially the same wherever you encounter them. Someone starts an applause, and it begns to spread, reaches critical mass and explodes in thunderous applause.

Pray, tell: the old man's world are irrelevant to Gillich's position on the resurrection. It's somewhat elementary to point that out; but how would you tell that to a baptist mob in rapturous applause??

Of course, jagunlabi's Nirvana response makes nonsense of the baptist apple story; well done!

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And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. -- Daniel 11:32

As you can see in the verse above, some will not give themselves to the covenant because there is a deceiver flattering them but those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits. When the Word of God says know their God it does not mean those that claim to know Him historically or mentally or socially, superficially or partially or naturally or even demonically but it actually means knowing God experientially and personally as the likes of Moses, Paul, Joseph, David and Jesus Christ knew Him and became victorious and did exploits as a result of this knowledge.

The faith that sees the reality that is beyond what is physically seen with our physical eyes. It sees what God sees. It sees with the eyes of the heart which is more real than what we see with the physical eyes.

Nimshi:

Mobs are essentially the same wherever you encounter them. Someone starts an applause, and it begns to spread, reaches critical mass and explodes in thunderous applause.

Pray, tell: the old man's world are irrelevant to Gillich's position on the resurrection. It's somewhat elementary to point that out; but how would you tell that to a baptist mob in rapturous applause??

Of course, jagunlabi's Nirvana response makes nonsense of the baptist apple story; well done!

Of cause, Jagunlabi's response will attract an applause to like minded people such as yourself just as the baptists mob will that of the old man.

@ OP

Classic and beautiful!!!


@ Jagunlabi

That was a poor attempt at mockery. On a side note many Christians have tasted a life outside of Christ and can confidently assert that it is bitter.

noetic16:

@ OP

Classic and beautiful!!!


@ Jagunlabi

That was a poor attempt at mockery. On a side note many Christians have tasted a life outside of Christ and can confidently assert that it is bitter.

The best Jagunlabi could have done was to preach his own message championing his own traditional religion on another thread.

OLAADEGBU:

The best Jagunlabi could have done was to preach his own message championing his own traditional religion on another thread.

We thank God for Christ otherwise many of these skeptics wouldn't be relevant. False religions and those fighting their consciences certainly need to attack Christianity in order for them to be relevant.

Experiential Faith....