Passionate Spirituality October 22nd, 2023
Dear God, bring us peace and comfort as we gather to listen to the Scriptures read and proclaimed. By your Spirit, grant us fresh understanding, and challenge us to live according to your transforming grace. Amen.
I’ve been reading a lot lately about having faith, and in particular one part of it, which is called passionate spirituality. Nowadays the word spirituality is thrown around quite a bit, mostly by those who don’t want to commit themselves to any one religion, but rather prefer to say, “I’m spiritual, but just not religious.” I never know exactly what they mean by that, but it sounds like they just want to be noncommittal, vague. These days, spirituality seems to be the latest fad, many people want to be spiritual, not religious. I suppose it feels easier and makes one feel like they ticked the box even if they haven’t made a full commitment to God. Or, you never know, it may just be a beginning of something more substantial.
On the other hand, passionate spirituality does mean something, and it can be directly related to us as followers of Christ. Passionate spirituality is a way of living committed lives with prayer, conviction, and confidence. It is not limited by certain beliefs or traditions, but rather demonstrates one's faith in a vibrant and expressive way. Passionate spirituality is also based on the Word of God, directed by the Holy Spirit, and focused on the world. It is a way of knowing and showing God's love in an active and authentic manner. It is living and following the examples given to us by Christ.
For the Christian, passionate spirituality is life lived in the Holy Spirit. It is living each day by the power of God's Spirit who dwells within us. It is experiencing God, not in whichever way you choose, but in God's way, through God's own Spirit. Genuine spirituality is fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It occurs as you read the Spirit-inspired Word, or as you join a Spirit-filled gathering of God's people, or as you quiet yourself to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit.
Passionate spirituality involves having a deep connection with something beyond ourselves. It also involves being open to learning, growing, and transforming yourself as a result of one’s spiritual experiences. What makes someone’s spirituality passionate is a commitment to be a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. People of passionate spirituality live dedicated lives. They practice their faith with joy and enthusiasm. Passionate spirituality can spill out through service or study or devotion. It should be apparent in whatever one does.
Here are some characteristics of passionate spirituality: it is infectious, it gives us energy in our relationship to God and it results in deeds of love and service to those around us. Results of passionate spirituality are the enthusiasm with which you love God and love your neighbour.
Although passionate spirituality is expressed in widely different ways in different churches, healthy churches are full of people who live out their faith daily with passion, commitment, and enthusiasm. Our spirituality can be expressed in a multitude of positive ways, but all of us will find that certain ways stir greater passion in our hearts for God and his mission than others.
The question is: does our personal connection with God create a passion within us to follow God and embrace his mission? Does the way we relate to God motivate us to go ‘all-in’; giving all we have to pursue the things that are on God’s heart? If we express our spirituality in a way that leads us to an intimate relationship with God, our hearts will become more and more aligned with God, and we will become more and more passionate about doing whatever it takes to see God’s dreams for the world become reality.
Have you ever been around someone with passion? It’s infectious, isn’t it? There is something about having a passion that has the ability to motivate and stir those around us. When it comes to the level of spirituality in our lives, and in our churches, there is only one word that would be acceptable to describe it, passionate!
Here are some results of passionate spirituality, people recognize the importance of relationships with Jesus Christ, with one another, with those whom they meet. People are convinced that God acts in powerful ways in the world and in their lives from day to day. People view prayer, reading the Bible, and other spiritual practices as inspiring and sustaining experiences. These are characteristics of passionate spirituality. They are patterns of the love which unites God and his people.
And, since we are all unique, there are different ways which passionate spirituality can be ignited in our lives. For some it is expressed through the study and sharing of the word of God. They feel closest to God when they are studying the word or sharing it with others. For others, it is shown through the presence of the Holy Spirit. They feel closest to God when they are being led and empowered by the Spirit to do what God has called them to do. And there are those for whom passionate spirituality is expressed through experiencing God in the world. They feel closest to God when they are immersed in the beauty of creation, or when they are helping to restore the created order to the way God intended, by caring for the environment or helping the poor and caring for the needy.
Although we are all more naturally drawn into a relationship with God through one of these ways more than the others, the more we can connect with God through the word, the Spirit, and the world, the more passion will be ignited in our hearts. As such, we should strive to learn from others in the body of Christ so that we can become more complete in the experience of our spirituality. We all need to come to God in prayer, asking him how he wants us to grow in each of these areas. We need to commit ourselves to regular prayer time and personal Bible reading/devotional life.
And the Holy Spirit plays a big part in our passionate spirituality. One of the greatest promises we have as New Testament believers is that God was not just among us in Christ, and above us in the Father, but is now in us as the Holy Spirit. The church today is far too dependant upon its own strength and less dependant on the Spirit of God then it should be. The truth we all need to hear is that apart from the Holy Spirit we cannot do anything of eternal value. After spending forty days in the desert, being tempted by the devil, Jesus began his ministry. Here’s how he began, “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone” (Luke 4:14-15) So, if Jesus needed the Holy Spirit, then we definitely need him.
If we, in our personal lives, are not making time to receive from the Spirit then we aren’t going to have much to offer those around us, and they will most likely live the same way. Jesus consistently took time to be alone so he could pray and be in touch with the Spirit.
As we’ve been working chapter by chapter through the book of Acts it’s been quite clear that the Apostles were dependent upon the Spirit. They didn’t just make plans and ask God to bless them. When Paul and Barnabas were set apart for the work of ministry it was by the Spirit’s direction. We’re told, “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Paul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:1-2)
And when Paul was heading to Jerusalem it was the Holy Spirit who gave the warning to his fellow believers in Tyre of the trouble he would encounter there, “When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. We came in sight of Cyprus; and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” (Acts 21:2-4)
The Holy Spirit was active in the lives of those early believers, and he will do the same in our lives today if we open our hearts to him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can make passionate spirituality a driving force in our lives. By doing so we can bring more vibrancy to the life of the congregation and more passion to the spiritual lives of the members of our church.
This is extremely important because in congregational life passionate spirituality can be seen as the engine that drives the car. Without it, not much of lasting significance will happen; with it, every challenge and obstacle can be overcome.
And how can we increase our passionate spirituality with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Most importantly, pray for it. This is one of the prayers of the Apostle Paul, asking for the Holy Spirit to guide the members of the church in Colossae, “For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9-11). That passionate prayer clearly shows us how important it is that we pray for ourselves and for others on a regular basis.
Another thing we can do is to take time to reflect on our life journey as followers of Christ. To do so, we should ask ourselves these three questions, 1. How did you become a Christian? 2. Why does being a Christian matter to you? 3.How does being a part of this church matter to you? 4. How can church help bring me closer to God?
We also need to remind ourselves on a regular basis that Jesus knows your name, he knows who you are, he knows where you are, and he knows how you are. And he is inviting you to follow him. As the Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
Living our lives based on passionate spirituality can lead us to see obstacles as opportunities and turns defeat into victories. And the results of our passionate spirituality can be found in these actions: Seek forgiveness in Christ and reconciliation with God. Help people live a new life in Christ through prayer, Bible study, and worship. Be a community of redeemed sinners who provide love, support, and accountability for each other through worship, fellowship, and reaching out to others with the Good News of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ.
As you live a life of passionate spirituality, you'll find that your life is increasingly characterized by what the Apostle Paul calls the "fruit of the Spirit": "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. True spirituality, therefore, isn't something hidden away in our souls. It impacts how we live in relationship with others: offering love, seeking peace, treating people with patience, kindness, and generosity.
When we become a Christian, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we pay attention to the Spirit, we receive divine guidance for our actions. This happens in many practical ways. Maybe you read the scripture and are convicted to forgive somebody against whom you've held a grudge. Or you're listening to a sermon on generosity and are led to help out a friend who's struggling financially. Or perhaps you see somebody across the room at church and sense in your spirit that God wants you to reach out to that person.
When we're listening carefully to the Holy Spirit, when we're in place that the Spirit wants us, when we're available and ready to go, we get caught up in the flow of the Spirit's power. We realize that God is at work within us, producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. And we see God at work through us, using us to minister to others by the Spirit's power. And that, my friends, is called passionate spirituality.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love and grace. You are the source of our life and our joy. We ask you to fill us with your Holy Spirit and ignite a fire in our hearts. Help us to love you with all our being and to serve you with passion. Teach us to follow your will and to seek your kingdom. Renew our minds and transform our characters. Let us be a witness of your power and glory in our lives and the lives of others. Amen.