"feeling good" Christians
The “feeling good” Christians. So many of them.
Thank God for “feelings,” but we need to be careful. The knowledge of God is not just relying heavily upon ‘feeling good.’ This is one of our setbacks in the last few decades. The ‘feeling good Christian’ says, “I am a Christian because I feel good about myself since I have been going to church and following Jesus. My job is secured and I get along with my boss and most probably he’ll promote me soon to a higher position and most of all I am earning good money.’ But when tough times-trials and tribulations invade their comfort zone—‘the good feeling Christian’ has no solid rock to stand on, he/she is like a chaff being blown away by different worldviews and prosperity gospel preachers. Too much reliance upon your feeling is like building your life on a sand dune. They prefer sermons with stories of high emotional experiences; they want sermons that would inspire them and make them feel good for the moment rather than sermons that are instructive. True knowledge of God is more than just an emotional high and a sentimental experience.
What do you call that gathering of God’s people at your church building in the morning or evening—church services, divine service, mass, or “join us for the experience?” The label is not that important. Some people go to a church for the anticipated “experience.” What happens then if you have not experienced “something worthy?” Is the whole service a failure? Or fake? Was the gathering of God’s people not real worship? People who rely on experience would often say, “If I don’t feel good and I don’t experience it, nothing is important to me.”
Experience and emotions are inseparable, but we need to be careful. Sometimes we hear these words: “Wow, the Holy Spirit is really working today;” “God really showed up today, I feel good about it.”
Please don’t try to misunderstand me. As human beings we are all for emotion and experience in worship. I believe in passionate worship. I have never contended to a dry and sterile worship. I believe in joyful and lively worship. However, in our worship, in whatever mood or emotion, it must be aligned with and prompted by Biblical truths.
As someone has said: “The simple fact is, however, that no emotion is revelatory. God has spoken decisively in His Word. Everything else is to be a response to that unchanging truth.”
In seeking God’s will for your career, marriage, etc., please consult God’s Word. Why? Because we have seen Christians who have made poor, painful marriage choices. They said and felt (earlier before marriage) God was telling them to marry such a person. The worst part is, this “feeling good” emotion, has been attributed as the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Also I have seen people who thought they were called to the ministry because they “felt something inside” only to find out few years later, it was not right and now they have left the ministry. Some became a backslider and blamed God for their misfortune. Some false prophet said to them “The Lord spoke to me to tell you this…”
The Holy Spirit has been abused so many, many, many times.
Our emotions are unreliable because our human make-up is ‘fickle minded.’ Our only reliable guide is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit is the Author of the Word. I am not against feeling, in fact I am an emotional person. But I am against emotionalism. Let the truth of Scriptures first and foremost capture our hearts and minds, otherwise emotions take over. God’s Word is consistent, our feelings are not. We need to be careful. May the Spirit of Grace help us to be true to His Word
