What We Hear and Who We Are

This past Sunday, two of my friends attended the same worship service, heard the same sermon, in all ways external, had the same experience.

One was excited by what she heard--the message, the speaker's illustrations/experiences, and his dedication and involvement in his message. The other one was not as excited by what he heard--the message or the speaker's experiences and illustrations. 

How can this be, and what does it mean for those who follow Christ?

I have wondered this for years, as I grew up Roman Catholic and a Christian, and I know many others who are similar.  I also know many people who are Roman Catholic, or generic Protestant, that do not seem to know Christ [be a Christian].  I think it is the same as when two or more people witness the same accident. They generally see something different than one another. 

We all filter things [everything] through our own filtration systems, our thoughts, beliefs, philosophies, desires, etc. One person attends church and finds Jesus, another finds nothing. Many people attend church, love Jesus, and yet differ in their experiences at similar or the same worship service as others.  

I believe the bottom line is not what we see or hear, but what filtration process we use.  It is all about the heart of the individual. Even Christians who are similar have different filters because of what they have experienced, learned, read, etc.

We must, if we call ourselves Christian, submit ourselves to Jesus! We must strive to see things His way. Does this mean that we cannot have differences? Absolutely NOT! God did not create robots, and He does not want us all exactly the same.  He DOES want us to be sincere about our faith, and it MUST BE an active faith. His word declares that faith without works is dead.  So, we should as it says in Romans 14, allow people to have some leeway in how they practice their faith. We need to accept people that see things differently (as long as it is not contrary to sound doctrine).