Passionate Spirituality 3 - Colin Holtum. Not What But Why

PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY

I think this is the third sermon which addresses ‘Passionate Spirituality’. When we returned from Kenya this time I wasn’t surprised that this characteristic was seen to be in need of strengthening. In some ways serious disciples will always be dissatisfied with their relationship with Jesus. There is something of a cycle of cause and effect. The more we become passionate about our spiritual life the more we put into the other characteristics that contribute to a growing church, and the stronger these characteristics become the more passionate we want to become about our faith. This is healthy Christian living.

PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY

What it isn’t

Not necessarily exuberant worship .

Research has shown:

It is not about a particular style – Charismatic, contemplative etc. These more fit into an individual’s personality and preferences

It’s not about a particular practice - Liturgical prayers or undertaking spiritual warfare etc.

Neither is it just about increasing the amount of time or effort we put into doing ‘spiritual stuff’

These are our spiritual culture, but they can be exercised without experiencing growth and change.
It’s not about ‘performing one’s duty’ and doing any of these things out of a guilt complex. In fact churches that tend towards legalism, where being a Christian means having the right doctrine, moral code, church membership, etc, usually fall below average when measuring ‘passionate spirituality’

So what are we talking about?

What it is

It’s all about whether we are living lives committed to Jesus and practice our faith continuously with joy and enthusiasm. Are we ‘on fire’?

It’s about our attitude to our relationship with Christ than the amount of time we spend trying to do ‘spiritual things’ All of our life, everything we do should reflect our passionate spirituality. In cells , our Holistic Small Groups, we talk about the value of Everyday Encounters with Jesus and work towards these becoming an every-moment awareness of what Jesus wants us to do as He partners with us in His work of bringing in the Kingdom of God.

People who are in love can sometimes bore others with the enthusiasm that they talk about the focus of their affection. People who are fanatical about something like politics, a hobby or a sports team can fall into the same category. However it’s natural for us to be enthusiastic about the things that attract us most, and, as followers of Christ, we should want to share our experiences with others. Sensitively but passionately.

Illustration: Brother Laurence

For more than three centuries, the writings of Brother Lawrence have taught Christians that God is as present in the kitchen as He is in the cathedral and as accessible in the living room as He is around the Lord's table. This profound teaching has empowered people to seek the joy of God's presence in the midst of every moment and circumstance.

Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman in the region of Lorraine, located in modern day eastern France. He received a revelation of the providence and power of God at the age of 18, but it would be another six years before he joined the Carmelite Priory in Paris

Nicholas entered the priory in Paris as a lay brother, not having the education necessary to become a cleric, and took the religious name, "Lawrence of the Resurrection". He spent almost all of the rest of his life within the walls of the priory, working in the kitchen for most of his life and in his later years, as a repairer of sandals. When he was assigned to the kitchen he found the tedious chores of cooking and cleaning at the constant bidding of his superiors a real challenge. But from these experiences he developed his rule of spirituality and work. Lawrence wrote "Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?“ I recommend we read this classic work to aid us in our personal quest for a deeper relationship with God . You can get it as a free download for your Kindle or other readers.

Let’s look at what today’s reading from Paul’s 1^st Letter to the church in Corinth says and see how that can also help us.

1 Cor 13. –A Common Passage

It’s commonly used as a wedding reading because of it’s noble words, and the good sentiments it encourages, but without the context of the rest of the Epistle it remains just that, great literature but merely noble words. When understood in context it takes on a whole new message to inspire our discipleship.

Background to Corinth

A cosmopolitan city and centre of trade that had all the advantages and vices of modern life. Many ancient gods had cults that worshipped there and visitors would have considered the citizens as passionately religious. The Christian church that was founded there soon tried to compete with this exuberance, and as we heard last week it had all the spiritual gifts that God gives but Paul wanted them to use them appropriately.

What's Your Style?

God created us and knows all that has shaped us. He doesn’t mind how we display our spirituality, what he cares about is why we do it.

We need to recognise there are different subjects and ways that inspire and motivate different people in their worship.

• Contemplatives focus on prayer and intimacy with God as the means to meet the longing for a deep and vital Christian experience
• Evangelicals put the Word of God at the centre of their lives and seek to proclaim the Gospel
• Charismatics seek to develop our awareness of the closeness of God’s presence among His people.
• People who focus on Social Justice base worship upon compassion and justice in our relationships and the wider society and culture in which we live.
• The Holiness stream seeks to address personal transformation and train us in godliness
• The Incarnational stream help s us see God active in the ordinary and everyday

What's Your Motive?

We have said that God is more interested in why we do things than the way in which we do them. Jesus readily condemned many of the religious people of his day for this. At the beginning of chapter 13 Paul says the same thing to the church in Corinth. “You can exercise all the gifts you like, but if you don’t do them with an attitude of love then they are meaningless.”

Tongues used without loving consideration can seem like resounding gongs or clashing cymbals- this is a link to spiritual practices of the pagan religions of the day who ‘encouraged’ their followers with monotonous, repetitive noise from these single note instruments.

Prophecy, gifts of wisdom or knowledge, even the faith to move mountains, won’t mean anything when used without love. In fact not only are the acts worthless but the person who uses them like that is of no value at all in God’s view of things. “I am nothing” writes Paul

We can appear generous and do all sorts of practical support, even perhaps going as far as giving ourselves up as martyrs, but if our motives are more of self-interest than interest in the people we are helping then the act gains nothing and the effort is wasted.

So we have to be motivated by love, but what is this love that Paul is talking about?

The Greek word agape that is used here for love was previously not in common use but came into use in the NT to differentiate between what Christian love was like in comparison to sexual or emotional love eros, or even brotherly love, philadelphia. The writers of the gospels and Paul used agape to describe love that is given to others without thought of whether they are worthy to receive it or not. It models God’s love towards us.

What's Your Purpose?Paul goes on in this chapter using action words to describe this sort of love, and one could sum it up by saying that ‘love is service’.

The core of our cell groups (The DNA) is based on three imperatives and these will help each of us to develop our passionate spirituality.

The most important commandment: Love God with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength. The ‘eleventh’ and New Commandment: of Jesus for His Church is Love one anotherThe Great Commission challenges disciples to make more disciples by Loving the lostSee what happens to your motivation if you substitute the word ‘serve’ for love in all these imperatives and ‘service’ for love in this passage from Corinthians.

To help us increase the gift of loving service to others we need to begin by changing the way we think, and then put thoughts into action.

What Are You Thinking?
We need first to THINK

1. More about others than ourselves.
2. Like stewards not owners of gifts
3. About our work and not what others are doing
4. That Ministry is an opportunity not an obligation

What Are You Doing?Then we need to ACT by starting to serve with a loving attitude by:

1. Making ourselves available
2. Paying attention to other’s needs
3. Doing our best with what we’ve got.
4. Doing every task with equal dedication
5. Being faithful to our ministry
6. Maintaining a low profile

Passionate Spirituality: It's not about what you do, more about why you do it. And who you are doing it for.

Passionate Spirituality 1?

John 02#01-11 Passionate Spirituality: Do we have it?

Water into Wine

What is this story really about?

Is Jesus involved in your celebrations?

Jesus went to family weddings. Free to celebrate.

Passionate Spirituality engages our emotions and our community. It is not often sombre and silent. It is being free to say “Wow! Look at that! Come over here! This is great!”. It is not always about suffering and loneliness. It is often about being with people you have a lot in common with. Like a family wedding, it is open to anyone and everyone. Everyone can dance – even Dad! Everyone can make a speech – even the Best Man. Everyone can dream – even the most unlikely girl can catch the bouquet. Not just for the Strictly expert; Stephen Fry; Miss World. Not just for the priest, the leader, the holy roller. Everyone. Jesus is part of all your celebrations in life.

Is Jesus involved in your urgent needs?

When is the right time? Open to advice (esp from Mum!)

Passionate Spirituality knows that everything is allowed – but that there is a right time for everything. And it waits sometimes. We may want to go on the Quiet Day, the Cursillo, the Soul Survivor holiday...but if we can't its not the end of the world. But there is a longing to reach out to God at any time and place. You can pray any time and anywhere. I speculate that Jesus had got used to the idea that “the time is not right”. We all do that. “When I retire”, “When I have a bit of spare cash”, “One day”. Sometimes we get so used to waiting that we forget to notice when the time is right. You've been saving for a rainy day? Look! It's raining! Passionate Spirituality turns like a child and says “Help!” when the need arises.

And if someone else's heart is longing to reach out to God, then sometimes all it takes is for you to say “Go on then. What are you waiting for?”.Don't forget that you can be Mary to someone else too. “Go for it!”- “Shall we pray together?” Jesus is involved in your urgent needs?

Is Jesus involved in your response of faith?

Redirecting the Traffic: ceremonial washing to carriers of joy.

Passionate Spirituality makes you see things differently. It is not limited by habits, traditions, other people's expectations. Jesus looked around and saw something that was too big. They were designed for religious purposes. To cleanse the diner of the uncleannesses of the day so that they could celebrate. It was a tradition. It had a religious purpose. Jesus redirected it. It was not now about being clean – it was about being able to receive what He was offering. Could they be dedicated to His purposes? Could they respond in faith?

Passionate Spirituality is about having a heart that is longing to reach out to God. Wanting to please Him above all else. It's no so important what you are like, what your gifts and abilities are, what your training or experience is, what your preferences and peculiarities are – or even what your weaknesses and sins are. The question is. Can you fully respond? Can you be filled to the brim? Do you have the potential to give Him everything you have? You may feel weak and inappropriate – like water at a feast; but will you let Him decide? Or do you have to stay in control of the situation? Will it be a response of faith or safety?

“If I did that I'd look a complete Berk!” - But if you don't then you, and those around you to whom Jesus wants to bring joy, will remain empty and thirsty. This was the first miraculous sign – and his disciples put their faith in Him – they were filled too. Their water became wine too. It was the best.

Passionate? Are you slightly outrageous?

Too much water! Too much wine! Outrageous! Passionate!

That's the quality of passion. It's out of proportion. It's unreasonable. It's all consuming. You can get carried away. Like the water in the jars. Carried away – and changed. Carried away – and helping to achieve Jesus' purpose.

Get Carried away – and you may become a sign, like the first sign, revealing Jesus for all time. So they will see it and believe in Him.

Passionate Spirituality is at the heart of a healthy, growing church.

Do we have it.?

Well we have the jars. We have the water. We have the potential.

What are we to do? What are you going to do?

“Do whatever He tells you”.

Too Rude For The Carol Service?

The End of the World?

On Friday before Christmas 2012 there was a media driven ripple of conjecture caused by a reading of a Mayan artefact which suggested that, as the depicted calendar came to an end, the world was to end also. It made me think about the end of the world. But I wasn't worried. Worry? Me?

At Lunchtime – A Story of Love. by Roger McGough

When the bus stopped suddenly to avoid
damaging a mother and child in the road,
the young lady in the green hat sitting opposite
was thrown across me, and not being one to
miss an opportunity i started to make love
with all my body.

At first she resisted saying that it was too early in the morning and too soon
after breakfast and that anyway she found
me repulsive. But when i explained that
this being a nuclear age, the world was going
to end at lunchtime, she took off her green hat,
put her bus ticket in her pocket
and joined in the exercise.

The bus people, and there were many of them,
were shocked and surprised and amused and annoyed, but when the
word got around that the world was coming to an end at
lunchtime, they put their pride in their pockets with their bus tickets and
made love one with the other. And even the bus conductor,
being over, climbed into the cab and struck up some sort of
relationship with the driver.

That night, on the bus coming home,
we were all a little embarrassed, especially me and the young lady
in the green hat, and we all started to say in different ways how hasty
and foolish we had been. But then, always having been a bit of a lad, i stood up and said it was a pity that the world didn't nearly end every lunchtime and
that we could always pretend. And then it happened…….

Quick as a crash we all changed partners
and soon the bus was aquiver with white
mothball bodies doing naughty things.

And the next day
And everyday
In every bus
In every street
In every town
In every country

people pretended that the world was coming
to an end at lunchtime. It still hasn’t
Although in a way it has.

from Selected Poems, 2006 at Penguin Books.

I think it is the line; “It still hasn't. Although in a way it has.” that made me think.

At Christmas, we celebrate the ending of “the world as we know it”.

With this intervention, love will make a change in the whole way of living on earth.

There will be “before” and “after”. BC and AD. Things will change.

If the world we know today was to come to and end, what would you be glad to be rid of?

Injustice – poverty – warfare – dishonesty – debt – oppression – disease... what else?

If the world we know today was to come to and end, what would you be sad to lose?

Love, joy, peace.... the song of the angels.... “Glory to God”, “Peace to His people on earth”

The angels sang of creation being renewed.

“It still hasn't. Although in a way it has.”

How would it be for our world today if, lets say just for Christmas, we removed selfishness, greed, and guilt from our celebrations? If we didn't say “I want...”. If Santa didn't ask “Have you been good?”. If it was all about people and not about “stuff”.

Because that's the change.

“Peace to HIS people..”

In that stable God is saying “Mine!”

Humanity is mine.

Your flesh and blood, soul and spirit, is mine.

Human life is not incompatible with the life of Heaven.

I am with you – and will be in you.

|Immanuel

If we grasp this truth. The world will never be the same.

The world as we know it would be transformed.

“It still hasn't. Although in a way it has.”

Happy Christmas.