A stifling element of the church's recent past is our obsession with doing everything by the letter. We do church right has interfered with really doing church correctly. In this mix of organizational accuracy, poor leadership could be cured if there were to open to the presence of emotion.
Emotion is a kingdom step-child to the analytical sort. Facts are facts. Done.
The fact is emotion is of essential significance in and of the church. What is it immediately revealed after the mass baptism Sunday in Acts 2? They kept feeling the sense of awe. Such feelings immediately led to commonality which led to sharing which led to joy which led to constant praise of God. Add these elements to most congregations and there would be what?
Immediate and unguarded revival!
By the Book is not the God-call to leadership. Good leadership includes the Spirit of the Book which will immediately find the goodness of emotion. People feel their faith through their shirt sleeves. No feelings? Dull and unstirred; unmotivated.
From what I gather in studying the Word and watching effective workers around me, the critics want to call these feelings sensationalism. I see it as sensitivity in which the lawyers in Jesus day seemed to also balk.
Give the church a window of opportunity to feel compassion for any and one will find the initiation of action to step in and help the cause. Either the church leadership feels or else it doesn't lead.
Who are some of our best among us who display godly sensitivity? All who are given to children's homes, congregations that focus upon the poor, and any cause among us which breaks our hearts.
Broken hearts........feel. Feel the pain.
2 comments:
Preach it, Terry! I get weary of those voices that try to tell us that emotion and feelings are shallow. Thank you for this post. :)
Great thoughts!
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