Emotions
“…the hair on my body stood on end…”
Human emotions are good, but you can’t trust them completely. Our faith should be based on the Word of God, never on emotional experiences. Unfortunately in many churches emotionalism is overemphasized. Many get spiritual “goose bumps,” as they cry, scream, faint, and even dance a little in the “Spirit.”
On the other hand we see very strict churches, in which it is a sin to show even a “little bit” of emotion. Even though they are very biblical, many times they do not permit the Holy Spirit to move with power among them.
What is needed is balance. It is good to cry, and sing, but it is also good to study the Word and serve Jesus. I believe that God is looking for balanced Christians. He is not pleased with superficial Christians that ignore the Bible, nor is he pleased with spiritual “robots,” that do everything in a cold and legalistic fashion.
The apostles John, Peter and Jacob had great experiences with Jesus. I am sure that their hairs stood on end more than once, and that they had many emotional moments with Jesus. These experiences are only briefly mentioned in their writings; they do not dwell on them. The apostolic writings have great abundance in doctrine, promises and commandments, which are the foundation of our faith.
Is it wrong to have experiences with Christ?
No, it is good, it is very good. But if we do not study the Bible, our faith will wither. The greatest experience is to walk with Jesus every day. As we walk with Him, we shall listen to his voice (the Word) and speak to Him (prayer). There is nothing better than this!
