Have you ever noticed how many advertisements on Television and other forms of media relate to our feelings, or some other aspect of experience? This has been a growing trend over several decades. And it applies not only to the marketing of products and services, but also to the marketing of politicians!

Once upon a time political campaigns majored on the presentation of policies and information. Today they major on image and feeling. The result of a poll on how people feel about a particular issue will usually carry far more weight than a well presented and carefully thought out speech on the subject.

This has been because there has been a major shift from reason to emotion. Today’s generation are more likely to be found out at a Rock Concert than a public lecture. The advertising gurus, who are paid great sums to change people’s attitudes, know this. Note how the latest multi-million dollar anti-drug campaign has more to do with emotion than with information.

Unfortunately, many Churches, and many Christians are totally out of touch with this change. Their approach to the outside world focusses on information, and they are fearful of anything that has to do with emotion or experience. As I mentioned last week, I was involved in a fairly heated discussion with a very sincere Christian who was unable to accept my testimony of the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit, because so much of what I said had to do with experience.

Yet, the more I read the Bible, the more I am impressed with the fact that it is all about experience. Most of the other great religious books from other religions deal with ideas, philosophies, and legends that are timeless. The Bible is all about real people who had experiential encounters with the living God.

Even the Apostle Paul, who is regarded as the greatest of all Christian theologians, and whose letters set forth the essential truths of the Christian faith, based his faith on his experience of meeting the risen Christ. Three times in the Book of Acts the story of Paul’s transforming experience is repeated, as an explanation for why the former persecutor of Christians became their chief advocate.

Similarly, when the authorities tried to silence the former fishermen Peter and John, because they were proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, their response was "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard". (Acts 4:20) Many years later John wrote his first letter to counter those who wanted to major on philosophy rather than reality. He began by saying, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." (1 John 1:1)

Of course, my friend was right in that experience alone cannot be a solid foundation for faith. It must conform to the Word of God. But, on the other hand, that Word of God must impact our experience if it is to come alive for us.

This is especially true with regard to the central gospel truths of the death and resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate this month. These are not just mythical legend, like the stories of the Greek gods. They are historical facts, attested by those who witnessed them. But, they are more than history. By their very nature they call us into a living experience of the risen Christ.

That does not mean that we will necessarily have a dramatic encounter such as Paul did not the Damascus road. But, as Jesus promised to abide in us when we put our faith and trust in him, and as he pours his Spirit into our hearts with love and joy, we should experience something of the reality of his risen presence. Certainly that has been the testimony of Christians for 2,000 years.

This is well expressed by a song I learned as a young Christian: "He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart!"

Oh! What a feeling!

John Davies
1 April 2000