"Healthy Spiritual Passion"

Rom.12:11f; Gal.2:11-21 Oct.3/04 WorldWide Communion

Contradiction in Terms?

"In the beginning was the Word" - John opens his gospel by describing Jesus as God's Word, God's logic or explanation or "making sense". In Jesus God was communicating a message, Good News, to our world that's so often hard to make sense of. We are awash in voices and terms that foster confusion not clear meaning.

      Oxymorons are phrases or pairs of words that combine apparent opposites. For example, here are some common examples of an oxymoron or "contradiction in terms": old news, random order, detailed summary, jumbo shrimp, deafening silence, genuine imitation, unbiased opinion. Some would even add "male sensitivity" or "government initiative" to the list!

      Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at the eight quality characteristics of Natural Church Development. These pairs of terms have been found in research by Christian Schwarz in dozens of countries to be associated with healthy, growing churches. Today's term is "Passionate Spirituality". Our initial reaction may be to class this as an oxymoron, like "jumbo shrimp" - the two words just don't belong together, in some people's minds.

      In the media, the word "passionate" may be used to describe some blockbuster movie with a steamy sex scene, or a heart-pounding battle scene. But "church" and "passionate" are not usually used in the same sentence, much less "spirituality". For many people, spirituality is associated in their minds with scenes of sparsely filled pews of placid people sitting tamely while the offering plate is passed and strains of an organ are heard in the background. "Passionate"? Hardly! You get the yawns just thinking about it! As for "spirituality", the term conjures up images of Shirley Maclaine sitting in the sand on a Californian beach contemplating the sunset. Peaceful maybe, but hardly passionate.

      Yet Natural Church Development research identifies "Passionate Spirituality" as vital for healthy churches. Christian Schwarz writes, "One of the results of our study indicates that the important thing (as long as spirituality is real) is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm. The degree of SPIRITUAL PASSION is demonstrably the point that sets growing churches apart from non-growing ones." Methods and techniques are secondary. The key thing is, are we alive and burning for Christ? Schwarz adds: "In churches that lack in this area, the best methods will not accomplish anything. What good is the most modern engine when the gas tank is empty, and when there is no energy?"

Spiritual Passion in the Stories of the Saints

When you think back on the Bible stories that are down deep inside us, you start to realize the most memorable ones are those where God's man or woman demonstrated genuine spiritual passion. Let's recall a few so that the term "spiritual passion" becomes a little clearer.

* Abraham exhibited this when he and Isaac were walking up the mountain for the sacrifice and Isaac queried his father about the absence of a lamb for the offering. Abraham replied with a tear in his eye and an ache in his heart that God would provide a lamb for the offering - all the time aware that might be his long-awaited son (Gen.22:8).

* Spiritual passion is what Jacob demonstrated wrestling all night with an angel. He insisted he wouldn't let the angel go until the angel blessed him (Gen.32:26).

* Or think of Joseph, blanching and forgotten in the dungeon, wondering at God's plan yet faithfully interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker - dreams of their coming release (Gen.40). Later, when he had become ruler of all Egypt, he could have taken revenge on his brothers for all the suffering they caused him out of their jealousy; but instead he told them not to be angry with themselves, for God had sent him ahead to preserve life (Gen.45:5). What they intended for harm, God used for good.

* Spiritual passion is what Moses showed when he was pleading with God not to destroy the Israelites who had been so repeatedly disobedient (Num.14:11-19).

* Caleb and Joshua demonstrated pluck and boldness when they contended, against the majority of the spies, that the Hebrews should invade and take the land with God's help, whether they were like grasshoppers in the inhabitants' sight or not (Num.14:6-10).

* Many women in Scripture are examples of genuine passionate spirituality. Hannah prayed from the bottom of her heart for a son -- so passionately that Eli the priest got the impression she must be drunk (1Sam.1:10-13).

* David was not always a successful King of a great nation. There was a time when he was a fugitive on the run, hunted and harried by many enemies. Once his own relatives were captured by raiders, and his own men talked of mutiny. But David found strength in God: he turned to his inner reserve of spiritual passion and drank from the well of his invisible communion with the Lord (1Sam.30:6). He identified totally with God, saying in the Psalms things like, "I have no good apart from You" (Ps.16:2).

* When the Assyrians had the city surrounded and all looked lost, Hezekiah went to the Temple, spread their threatening letter out before the Lord, and prayed from his very core that God would deliver them. And God came through in a truly miraculous way. (2Kings 19:14)

* Jehoshaphat was another faithful king who when the nation was threatened proclaimed a fast and led everyone in prayer. He reassured the people that if they trusted in God, they would succeed, regardless of the numbers of their physical opponents (2Chron.20:3-12,20).

* Passionate spirituality is the Shunammite woman dropping everything and journeying to see the prophet Elisha, refusing to leave him until he came to where her dead son lay. Her determination was rewarded by his restoration to life (2Kings 4:18-37).

* Amos was but a back-country shepherd and tender of fig-trees, but his zeal for the Lord gave him courage to prophesy against the outrageous practices of the wicked kings of Israel in the north (Amos 7:14f).

* They didn't burn physically, but Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego showed true grit and guts for God when they absolutely refused to bow down and worship an idol, on pain of being thrown into a fiery furnace. Their words drip with determination and concern for God's honour: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)

* Passion is Daniel finding out the death sentence awaits anyone who prays other than to King Darius, yet continuing to kneel and pray three times a day to God as he always did. Such passion with God's help shut the mouths of deadly lions (Daniel 6:10).

* Nehemiah knew how to utter a quick "shotgun" prayer when he had the opportunity to ask the king for aid for Jerusalem. And he refused to yield to the pressure from his enemies who made all kinds of threats and plots when he was supervising rebuilding of the city's wall (Neh.2:4; 4:8-14).

* Coming to the New Testament, we see Mary as a young teen responding to the angel's startling announcement of her freaky role in Messiah's birth by saying simply, "I am the Lord's servant" (Lk.1:38).

* Spiritual passion is Joseph being "tuned in" to the heavenly dream channel, getting up in the middle of the night and immediately taking his young bride and baby son to safety when warned (Mt.2:14).

* Fire burned within our Lord Jesus as He wept over Jerusalem, His heart breaking as He sensed its resistance yet longed for people to recognize the time of visitation before it would be too late (Mt.23:37-39).

* Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, wordlessly expressed her passion by pouring a perfume jar of her life's savings on Jesus' feet and wiping them with her hair -- an expression of extravagant love that drew sharp criticism from Judas (Jn.12:3).

* Three women with broken hearts sadly prepared spices for embalming the Teacher's body, but waited until the Sabbath was over "in obedience to the commandment".Their devotion entitled them to become the first witnesses of the Resurrection (Lk.23:56).

* Spiritual passion continued amongst the apostles, as Peter resisted Simon the Great's bribe; instead he warned this noted spiritualist that he needed to get his heart right before God (Acts 8:19-23).

* Last, we come to Paul, and our reading from Galatians. Paul's lived relationship with Jesus tipped him off to spot deception right away. He championed the freedom of Christians against the legalism of the circumcision group, that insisted believers needed to keep the rituals of Jewish law in order to be really "saved". Peter was afraid of these people; he drew back and began to separate himself from the Gentiles when the Judaizers arrived, and even Barnabas, Paul's missionary companion, was pressured to join their side. But Paul's passion for Christ spurred him to go "head to head" with even the first "pope", to point out that by his shifts, Peter had contradicted himself helplessly. Peter had become a walking oxymoron, altering his ethics to suit the audience. But Paul's words make it clear that faith is a matter of personal relationship, not a set of religious rules. "If I rebuild what I destroyed, [insert: like you're doing, Peter!] I prove that I am a lawbreaker.For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God...Christ lives in me.The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal.2:18ff) Christianity isn't about customs, but a conscious companionship with the Risen Jesus. Paul could get right passionate about that. Jesus gave him eyes to see through and expose the hypocrisy and falsehood that legalism proposed made one right with God, disposing of Christ's death for sin once-for-all. Paul was freed from fear of man and the need to "keep up appearances" by knowing his accountability was to God; keeping a clear conscience was what mattered, for "It is the Lord who examines me." (1Cor.4:4; Ac.24:16)

* A modern-day example of spiritual passion is Franklin Pyles, president of the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada. Just days before the denomination's general assembly this summer, Franklin and his wife Gay learned their youngest child had been killed in a car accident. James, 21, had been serving with Samaritan's Purse on a short-term mission trip to Israel when he died. Only 7 years earlier their daughter Anna, 24, was killed by a drunk driver. Franklin Pyles has wrestled with the question 'why?', but says the sooner one gives up asking why, the faster they'll move forward in health. The revelation of the master plan of history isn't going to be given to us. He says that ultimately when we ask God 'why', what we're really asking is 'what kind of God are You?' He believes the answer is found in Jesus Christ. He adds, "Make the choices that reflect faith: choose to live...choose to live fully...choose joy...choose to worship.They're all choices that are on the table in front of you.And almost every day, you just have to [determine], 'these are things I'm going to do.'"

Pyles was aware some were wondering whether he was so wounded or broken by the tragedy that he wouldn't be able to lead. He told the assembly, "Brothers and sisters, I am going to battle. Join me." He notes, "These are dangerous times. We are called as a church to suffering. We are going to experience that suffering. But we are not going to fade in the call God has placed on our lives. And I'm not going to fade in the call that God has placed on my life. Because either we believe what we preach or we don't. Either we do or we don't."

      Can't you sense the spiritual passion embedded in such an attitude? Struck down, but not destroyed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Moving ahead with the Lord's living help.

Building Spiritual Passion

The implementation guide for Natural Church Development offers some practical tips to help build passionate spirituality in a congregation. To start with, leaders need to model it - pastors, elders, teachers and group leaders alike. It asks, "Are you yourself curious to learn something new from God? Do you have a strong expectancy that God will 'show up' in your church and do a miracle? Or has much of what you do become sheer humdrum? As Christians with leadership responsibility in the church, we should block out at least two consecutive days devoted to prayer and fasting. Ask God for a new vision for the church..."

      Another suggestion is to make sure members are involved based on their spiritual gifts. Christians who serve God in the area of their giftedness and calling will be able to fulfill their responsibilities with much more enthusiasm than those who are just "doing their duty".

      A church needs to identify those who have the gift of prayer especially - those who are energized by interceding with God for others. We may need to free these people up from other responsibilities so they can devote more time to prayer. We can funnel prayer requests to our prayer warriors, and give them opportunities to share during worship times how God has been answering.

      Another suggestion is to train members of the congregation who have the gift of pastoral counselling. Research showed this is one of the most widespread gifts in the body of Christ. Schwarz notes, "Pastoral care is not a ministry that can be left solely to the pastor or to full-time staff people. Instead you must create an infrastructure that makes it more feasible for Christians to care for one another." I wonder if what we call "counselling" the New Testament often calls "prophecy". 1Cor.14(3) says, "But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." Doesn't that sound like counselling? I'm convinced we already have people with prophetic gifts in our midst. Let's not squelch the "dreams", but share together, track the word pictures in our journals, and watch and see what God's going to be doing. Amos 3(7) says, " Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets."

      Another step churches can take is to train people in prayer, particularly helping people experiment and discover a prayer style that suits their individual personality.

Avoid the Roadblocks

There are ways to build passionate spirituality; there are also ways to block it. Schwarz has two hanging files -- one in which he collects resources that support Christians in living with spiritual passion, the other in which he gathers concepts that choke it. Whenever he returns from a trip he files new information. Now the first file, the supportive positive one, is only an inch thick; the other is so full he can't get the file drawer shut! Church folk are champions at letting air out of the tires of people's passion for God.

      One block he calls 'Puritanism': the motto of these people is, "no images, no art, no cultural activities, no music, fast rather than feast." Another is 'Animosity against institutions'. These Christians support discovery of spiritual gifts and giving prayer more prominence, but think it should be a spontaneous process, not planned.

      'Righteousness by works' is another block to passion. These are legalistic tendencies built on the premise that we have to earn heaven. Paul's opponents at Antioch, the circumcision party, would belong to the legalism group. 'Fatalism', another block, holds that everything we experience is God-sent; therefore we need to submit to our fate, good or bad, in order to stay in harmony with the God of our fate.

      'Feelings of inferiority' make it nearly impossible to enjoy the Christian faith; these groups convey the attitude, "Whatever you do is an expression of sin." Others mistake 'Whimsical pleasure' for spiritual passion. Leaders don't dare ask for commitments, fearing this could be demanding too much. But this ignores the fulfillment that actually comes in dedicated and committed service to others.

      'Magical expectations' can interfere as well. This attitude, hidden behind some seemingly pious faith practices, holds: "If you do this or that just right, you will surely get this result." A final block is what Schwarz calls 'Ecstasy dependency': a kind of 'conference Christianity' that feeds off one extraordinary experience (perhaps stadium-size) which can only be surpassed by the next one. Those who are addicted to such large-group gatherings become blind to the everyday factors that are the soil that feeds true spiritual passion.

Crawl for God

To sum up passionate spirituality, recall Paul's letter to the Romans, 12:11-12: "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." If your "spiritual fervour" were a roast and the Lord stuck in a meat thermometer, what temperature would yours read? Is your prayer life enthusiastic, or indifferent? Would the persistent widow of Jesus' parable in Lk.18 out-duke you in the prayer arena? One version translates the last part of v12, "at all times given to prayer." Make it your first response not your last resort.

      Dave Devers is just an ordinary guy, but by God's grace and true passionate spirituality this custodian at a Bible camp in Nelson BC is making a big difference. Over the last three years he and his wife Abbey have been supplying Bibles in the language of Bislama to the Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu. At first he bought a Bible just to familiarize himself with the language, but he kept meeting nationals who were in awe of their Bible. He says, "It kept impressing on our hearts that there was a need there." He's been a labourer all his life, but believes he's been called by God to give out Bibles to those too poor to purchase them on their own. Hopefully as of December they will have made three trips and delivered a total of 1,500 Bibles to Vanuatu. They've established a registered charitable organization, BiblesForThePoor.org.

      Dave remembers one physically disabled man in particular (photo). He had never walked. Dave says, "The first time I saw him, he was crawling through the jungle all alone.I gave him the first Bible.He was [literally] jumping on the ground...He has someone come and read it to him every morning, and he prays every morning.He says, 'I am going to crawl with all my might for God. One day, I will have perfect legs in heaven.'"

      "Crawl with all my might for God..." Now there's passionate spirituality. This man may be only half our height, but in God's eyes he could well be a spiritual giant. The message of Jesus has given him eternal hope. With Paul and this man, let's live no longer for ourselves, but for God. When we're crucified with Christ, He who loved us and gave Himself for us comes right inside so we can live by faith -- not drained by legalism, but afire to crawl or serve with real fervour. Let's pray.