Wednesday, July 23, 2008
- Dennis Newkirk
During the past decade or so, many Christians have considered Christianity an emotional experience. If they get “charged up” or teary-eyed in a worship service, then it’s a good worship experience. If they haven’t had some emotion, there must be something wrong with the service. Is that healthy? No! Is that biblical? Definitely not! Now, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with a heartfelt emotion during a worship service. Frankly speaking, I don’t know how people go to a worship service, turn their hearts toward God, speak to Him, sing to and about Him, and listen to the Bible being read without feeling some emotion. That, however, is not the goal or a prerequisite for a good worship service. When people demand experience they encourage the leaders of the worship services to focus on creating emotions rather than thoughtful understanding and life changing confrontation with the word of God.
Why do we often struggle with faith? There are many reasons but at least part of the answer is that the Bible teaches that faith comes from hearing God’s word explained. An emotional charge lasts a very short period of time. It is like riding a surfboard, it is fun while it’s happen but it’s not happening long. We are to earnestly desire to understand God’s word because it has the power to change us, not emotions.
I’d suggest that there is another issue at work here as well. We are called to love God with all of our minds but we may actually be in love with our emotions. Let’s face it, a chill up and down your spine when you recognize God’s presence, a cathartic cry after the confession of sin, and a moment of being “caught up” in awe can be very exciting. We tend to enjoy it. Yet even this is a very poor substitute for the resolute comprehension of what God says. That is something on which you can build your life. Our emotions are so fickle. They can be affected by our own dysfunctional thoughts, sin, Satan, barometric pressure, even the bean burrito and hot sauce that we ate the night before. The next time that you are feeling insecure and questioning your salvation, being tempted by someone at work, or have been hurt by a friend, do you want to be led by Romans 8 or last night’s bean burrito?
Your Pastor,
Dennis Newkirk
(More to come...)