Having a personal relationship with Jesus

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Robert Lyte and that guy from warningthepeople keep repeating the same thing over and over again in most of their videos: that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is very important, and that religious practices do not necessarily mean having a personal relationship with Jesus. Would you say you have a personal relationship with Jesus? I mean, does He guide you in your everyday life? Do you hear that still, small voice telling you what you should and should not do when you ask Him, in prayer, what decisions to make? Feel free to share anything else you want in regards to this subject.

 

[Lamb]

Of course as believers our relationship is personal but not in the way some evangelists think. It's not personal because you read your bible daily or surrender your life to Him, it's not personal because you say someone is talking to you and telling you which decisions to make and it's not personal because of the things you're doing any day of your life. It's personal because someone loved you enough to die for you. God gives us faith to believe in that death that forgives our sins and that is personal. God washes our sins away in baptism and clothes us with Jesus' righteousness. In the Lord's Supper He feeds us with His body and blood. You can't get more personal than that!

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

You can't get more personal than that!

Well, technically, you can. Hearing approval or disapproval from Him in your mind about everyday decisions is more personal than that, and that's pretty much what these YouTubers are saying true followers of Christ should experience. Do you hear from Him? Does He guide you? Does He reply when you ask Him, "Jesus, should I have surgery to treat this health issue that I have, or will You heal it?"?

 

[Lamb]

Well, technically, you can. Hearing approval or disapproval from Him in your mind about everyday decisions is more personal than that, and that's pretty much what these YouTubers are saying true followers of Christ should experience. Do you hear from Him? Does He guide you? Does He reply when you ask Him, "Jesus, should I have surgery to treat this health issue that I have, or will You heal it?"?

Since we still sin, anything we do is going to be tainted. The approval that comes from Him is because of Christ Jesus and the fact that we're covered in His righteousness. That's what's personal, God giving to us because of Jesus and what He gives is forgiveness and eternal life. Nothing is better than that. Nothing is more personal.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Ok. If semantics constitutes a stumbling block for you, please ignore the word "personal" and replace it with any other word or phrase you might feel comfortable with so that you may understand what I'm asking: do you (this is addressed to everyone reading this tread, not @Lämmchen in particular) have a direct / person to person / intimate / perceivable relationship with Jesus, a relationship that involves Him guiding you though confirmation or disapproval of your everyday life decisions in your mind or soul (not necessarily audible, but some people describe it as a "still, small voice")?

 

[Lamb]

Ok. If semantics constitutes a stumbling block for you, please ignore the word "personal" and replace it with any other word or phrase you might feel comfortable with so that you may understand what I'm asking: do you (this is addressed to everyone reading this tread, not @Lämmchen in particular) have a direct / person to person / intimate / perceivable relationship with Jesus, a relationship that involves Him guiding you though confirmation or disapproval of your everyday life decisions in your mind or soul (not necessarily audible, but some people describe it as a "still, small voice")?

Every believer has the Holy Spirit and it is Him who guides us into doing the good works He has planned for us and bearing fruit. Sometimes when believers speak of a still small voice it's just God's Word being given back to them but I really am skeptical of some believers who insist God is telling them in a clear audible voice that God is telling them what to do in their daily lives. These people want to feel special and their conscience is what is telling them things, it's not always God because if you look at their lives, they're still doing sinful things. God isn't tell them to sin.

If you think you're missing out on something as a believer, trust me, you are not! The Holy Spirit is in you and you are not forgotten. There are things you are doing that is the result of the Holy Spirit at work and you might not even realize it! Trust that God is with you and will not leave you. Trust that He is guiding you into doing things and pray and ask for more guidance. Sometimes His response is given through others.

For example, when my husband's office was closing in Chicago we prayed hard to know what God wanted us to do. The result ended up in his being offered a job elsewhere in the country and even though it was hard to leave we did that and I was able to start attending a very small church who needed someone just like me. I sing and they need a strong voice to carry them through a lot of the divine service liturgy. I've helped out at the church in numerous other ways and I know it was the work of the Holy Spirit to lead me there. And it wasn't a voice telling me, it was a series of events that led me there.

I've heard that God gives answers as Yes, No, Not Now. So when you pray you have to remember those answers and know that even though there are hardships that God hasn't given up on you.

 

[Josiah]

Robert Lyte and that guy from warningthepeople keep repeating the same thing over and over again in most of their videos: that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is very important, and that religious practices do not necessarily mean having a personal relationship with Jesus. Would you say you have a personal relationship with Jesus? I mean, does He guide you in your everyday life? Do you hear that still, small voice telling you what you should and should not do when you ask Him, in prayer, what decisions to make? Feel free to share anything else you want in regards to this subject.

To be blunt, I'm not sure WHAT is meant by this..... but yes, it seems to be a mantra among modern Evangelicals.

While I suspect it's all fine, I must admit all this INDIVIDUALISM makes me uncomfortable, all this "JESUS AND ME" stuff. There's a place for that (hey, read the Psalms) but IMO there's an important balance, of Jesus and WE, of the COMMUNION of saints, the COMMUNITY of faith, the Church. We're in this together, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Those songs.... "And He walks with ME and He talks to Me...." stuff ... well, I can't say it's wrong but it makes me uncomfortable.



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