Facts are unassailable. Facts are truths. They are not flexible,  changing with the prevailing winds of public opinion.  They are rock solid - when the rock is Christ,  strong enough to build an entire life upon, sure enough to guide us right to heaven's door (Jesus) and beyond.

Sherlock Holmes said we should never theorize before we have facts - because then we twist facts to suit theories rather than twisting theories to suit facts. This happens in theology all the time, particularly with denominations. People base their theology on someone's teaching, rather than on facts. The problem is,  if one does not know the author of the book, the truth of his words can be misconstrued.  Indeed, with scripture, experience and truth go hand in hand or we've missed the point of holy scripture- which is to lead us and guide us into a relationship with God - the author of all scripture. Knowledge in and of itself is not the goal - we must seek to know Him, not merely know about Him.

Spiritual facts are just as true, just as solid as natural facts. They are just as reliable and sure. Yet rather than basing their experiences on truth, people base their truth on their experiences. This results in all manner of false doctrines.  Example: I've never spoken in tongues, neither have my spiritual elders or anyone else in my church, therefore tongues must not be of God, no matter what the Bible says. Churches are full of theories about God that have no basis in reality because they twist scriptures (facts) to suit their theories. 

A heart that loves and seeks truth will accept truth no matter what his experiences may be, even if it doesn't fit into his theology,  even if the mind cannot yet understand what the heart knows to be true. When Jesus met Phillip he simply said to him "follow me". He did not try to convince Phillip why he should follow him. He did not try to make his case and present Phillip with facts. He said only "follow me". I believe Phillip's heart instinctively knew what his mind would only come to know later - backed by innumerable facts and experiences - we have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote of, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

At this point his understanding was still limited to the fact that Jesus was the son of Joseph- later he would grasp and understand that Jesus is the son of God. Why? Because he obeyed Jesus' first words to him - follow me. He then experienced Jesus for himself- not just what others said about him. His mind came to know what his heart first knew - this Jesus of whom you speak should be followed, should be obeted. Even if, especially if our carnal minds do not understand what, or ehy, he's telling us to say or do something.  Go dip in the Jordan seven times. What?! That makes no sense! It's a tiny, filthy river compared to my homeland's! To transform our carnal mind to a spiritual mind we cannot lean on our own understanding but trust in the Lord with all our heart. Indeed, a carnal mind is the enemy of a spiritual mind and cannot even understand it. Spiritual truth to a carnal mind is abhorrent.  It is mocked, despised, maligned and ultimately crucified.  Instead of crucifying self, their own understanding,  they crucify Christ, the living embodiment of truth. They put truth to death and allow the lie to live in their hearts. They turn the word of God into a lie, believing the lie to be the truth, that they are gods and therefore they can decide what is truth and what isn't.  Their experiences show what they really believe, for they are based on lies, therefore they cannot bear the fruut of truth in their inward parts because they do not walk and talk with Jesus themselves.  They cannot bear the fruit of a relationship with him. Only those who walk and talk with Jesus can truly understand him. If not, they only know what men say about him. Carnally minded people are ever seeming to seek truth but never find it, believing their theories about God instead, presenting their theories as facts, like men do with their "theort of evolution".

Part two soon