Emotionalism? Bad or Good?

     Recently we were accused of emotionalism. GUILTY!!!! I shout my plea.  You see, there was a time when I was not very emotional and incapable of being so.  I thought strong and silent was cool.  Tough, macho, manly. And then, years ago....after seeing my wife have such a wonderful, emotional relationship with the Spirit, I realized I wasn't cool.  I was crippled.  So - I sat out on a journey to be made free. I wanted to be free to worship Jesus my Lord with all my being.  And free I have become, by Holy Ghost help.  Not overnight, mind you, but free at last, thank God almighty, free at last.  No, I don't lean on my emotions, but I allow my emotions to express my devotions, my excitement, my joy in my Jesus.  And, I am free to do that.  My freedom of emotions also allows Jesus to bless me in a tangible way that speaks volumes of love to me.

     Bad emotionalism?  When emotion is all you have, that's bad. When emotions are negative and spread condemnation, that,s bad. When you are emotional and it is the only time you will praise and worship God, that's bad. When your emotions are all bottled up, as was mine, that's bad.  When you can be in the presence of God and you can do little but yawn or play with your phone, that's bad.  When the power of God is igniting those around you and you want to feel something, but you can't, that is bad emotionalism.  You see, emotions are of the soul and God wants us to love Him, therefore relate to Him, with all our heart (spirit), soul (emotions), mind (imagination) and strength (physical person).  You can't do that - unless you are free to do that.  People often will say, "oh, I'm not emotional".  That is NUTS!  The only non-emotional persons are six-feet under or soon going to be.  Stick your finger in a light bulb socket and watch how emotional you become. Slam the car door on your finger and watch your emotions come alive.   Sometimes emotionalism gets a bad name when someone who really isn't free in their emotional responses gets a touch from the Lord and they go off like a rocket and draw too much attention to themselves.   Now, of course, that is better than nothing, but such a person needs to take the cap off the bottle more often and release the phizz, (Like a bottle of cola).

    Good emotionalism?  Good emotionalism is when the presence of God comes near with such sweetness your soul wants to weep - and you weep.  The joy of the Lord brushes you and your soul wants to laugh - and you laugh. The power of God touches you and you want to dance - and you dance.  The fire of God comes near and you want to shout - and you shout.  To truly worship God requires His manifested presence, which means you need to seek and be where His presence manifests.  Secondly, worship requires you being free enough to recognize His pesence and respond appropriately. It is not appropriate to be in the presence of God almighty with arms folded and emotions bottled up. With those we love in the natural, if we are free and they come near, we respond to them with love.  It is a requirement of relationship.  

    Worship and emotions:  It is so wonderful to be around free people.  The presence of God sweeps in and in our freedom, on the same row at church, one can be singing, another laughing, another crying, another shaking, another in deep peace, another praying fervently in tongues, another shouting, etc., etc., and we are all doing the same thing.....responding to the presence of the Spirit of God.  Of course, somewhere in the building will be the emotional police. "arrest them....they are getting carried away..we don't do that here".  That was the role the prodigal's brother wanted to play. The Father and the younger son wanted to make "merry", to have a party and he wanted to complain.  So...the prodigal was restored and his brother is still complaining, I guess, even today. The prodigal is dancing with the Father and his brother is probably complaining about emotionalism.  Come on saints - press for freedom!  Freedom is better than captivity!

Great Words From This Side Of The Cross

Here are some words Old Testament believers could not enjoy.  They describe things that was not offered to them, or at least not as we know them today.

"Redemption".  A price has been paid to redeem us back to God.
"New Birth".  When we accepted the Lord, our old man, old record passed away and we were made new.
"Remitted".  In the Old Testament sin was only atoned, which means to "cover over". Every year those sins had to be recovered with the blood of an animal.  Our sins are gone! Remitted!  Blotted out.
"Holy Ghost baptism":   Very little mention of the Spirit of God is found in the Old Testament but He is the heart of the New Testament.  Jesus died to give us a baptism of the HOly Ghost, which is a saturating, personal, powerful, relationship with God the Spirit.
"Propitiation".  This word speaks of an act whereby anger / wrath is turned to mercy. The blood of Jesus turned the wrath of God to mercy, making a way for us to approach God and God to approach us.
"Reconciliation".  This word speaks of having enmity turned to friendship.  This is what Jesus did on the cross.
"No condemnation".  Jesus came, not to condemn the world but to save the world.  As with the adulterous woman, He says to us "I don't condemn you, go and sin no more".
"Righteousness".  This is a word that means "rightstanding with God".   They could not have dreamed of having righteousness in the Old Testament.  For us, it is a gift.
"Confidence".  This is from a Greek word "parrhesia", which means free spokenness, free access, bold approach.  An impossible idea in the Old Testament. With this, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, something no Old Testament person could do.
"Tongues".  No Old Testament person could have dreamed of having a language only God understands and with which we can speak directly to God. All the other manifestations of the Spirit that we call "gift" can be seen in the Old Testament except this one.  This is unique to us.
"Abba".  This word means "paternal father".  No one in the Old Testament would have dared use the word in connection with God, but we can!  The Holy Ghost in us cries "Abba" all the time.
"Worship in spirit".  No one, before the cross and the outpouring of the HOly Ghost could worship in the spirit. This refers to worshipping in your spirit tongues and is to us what circumcision was to Old Testament folks.
"Worship in truth".  The word "truth" means veracity or reality.  We don't have to worship types, shadows and symbols of God.  We can, in reality, worship God.
"Grace".  The divine involvement, the favor of God, given freely to men.  Amazing grace!!!!!

And, that is just the beginning.

Circumcized Worshippers

   Jesus very clearly defined who God is, as we are to worship and relate to and in spite of that, most people don't obey.  He said "God is a Spirit", (Jo. 4:23-24).  That is the Holy Spirit.  Those who worship God must worship Him, on this earth, in this day, must do so in spirit and in truth (reality).  Isn't it amazing that this is so frequently ignored by the church?  And, one way of escape for those who choose to do so is to declare "we are not supposed to worship the Holy Spirit".  Of course, that is precisely the opposite of what the Bible says, but it does not seem to matter to some.  It is equally amazing to watch religious people choose to worship God in almost any form, rather than Spirit form.  Well-meaning folks by the million are still worshipping Jesus, God in flesh form, even though the Bible says we can no longer know Him that way.  If this was because of ignorance, it matters little, but if this is because men don't want to approach God as He is, it matters greatly.  God isn't manifesting to us as God in the flesh.  He isn't manifesting as God Almighty, God the creator, God the Judge, etc.   He is manifesting as God the Spirit.

   The limitations, the weaknesses, the powerlessness of the church has to do with little else except our refusal to embrace the HOly Ghost the way He will be embraced.  Oh, we will let Him do a work in us (the new birth) or rescue us, but we won't embrace Him as one to fellowship with and worship.  It is not God, off in heaven, that we are to commune with on earth.  It is with the Holy Ghost.  The deception that has worked for the devil, so far, is to keep men focused on God as He is not (among us) while ignoring Him as He is (among us).  The Pharisees of old were dedicated to the same error.  They wanted to worship God as He formerly manifested or as they imagined He might some day,while steadfastly refusing to accept Him as He was.

   It is a fact that Jesus dying on the cross worked to remove our sins and redeem us but many miss the true purpose of the work of the cross.  Jesus went died and went away in order to give us the Holy Ghost.  All the other stuff was done in order to do that.  People everywhere will accept the work of the cross and miss the purpose and remain far away from their full salvation.  The HOly  Ghost is our salvation.  He is the beginning, the "earnest" of all God has for us.  And, He is here now, to enjoy now, to worship now, to enjoy now, to be empowered by now, to commune with now!

   We are not only to worship God the Spirit we are to do it in "truth", meaning "reality".  We are to really do what we say we are doing.  And, we are to worship in the spirit.  That means we have come to such a condition that our spirit, as well as the rest of us is empowered by the Holy Spirit, to express worship.  That means we have been baptized and repeatedly filled with the Holy Ghost, until our spirit (not our natural man) gains a language of praise. And then, just as the early disciples did, we use this power to speak from our spirit directly unto God, our praise.  This is otherwise known as speaking in tongues.  This is God's chosen mark upon us. It is a particular sign promised to follow us everywhere and one even unbelievers are to see us doing.   In fact, according to the Bible "we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit". 

    A lot of folks wandering around the church who have yet to be circumcized of the spirit.  Before Israel could cross into the promised land, every man had to be circumcized.  You better believe the flesh of those involved resisted that circumcision but there was no crossing over without it.  It pretty much works the same way now.  There is a promised realm of God, available to born again believers, but entering in requires circumcision of the heart and tongue.  Yes - flesh will argue, pride will resist, religion will deny but God requires.  No, not to be saved, but to worship in spirit and in truth.

Can You Imagine This?

    Can you imagine this?  Sitting in a service where people are shaking under the power of God, a tongue here with an interpretation, a prophecy here, a song of the spirit, Holy Ghost joy bubbling like a fountain, the presence of God overwhelming, the thirst for God erupting in believers with desperate passion?  Really, now, can you imagine that?  Weeeeelllll....can you imagine someone sitting in that, and then declaring later that they don't need all that emotionalism?  They just want mo' money!  Wow!  That takes dead to a new level. 

    Do I want the touch of God?  Yessss!  Do I want that touch on my body, soul, mind and spirit? Yessss! and double Yessssssss!  Old timers used to say "better felt than telt".  uh-huh!  We ministered in a church with a little bitty black dynomo lady pastor many years ago.  I have always remembered her saying "You can touch God and when ya do,he'll touch ya back,and when he touches ya back, ya'll know yo been touched".   My, my, how wonderfully true.  Oh, how wonderful to touch and be touched back.  Is that emotionalism?  Guilty, guilty, guilty!   But, you know, when the power of resurrection "quickens" it is a bit hard to stifle the course of God's power running through your body,soul and mind.

  You, know for those who worship the Bible and nothing else, I am sad for you.  Jesus is gooooone!  He left us, but not like orphans.   He did not promise to leave a book but He did promise to leave the Spirit of God, a comforter not unlike Himself.  Oh yeah!  And when that Comforter, God manifested on earth in my presence, touches you, supernatural meets natural and it gets exciting.  Bring it on God!  Do it again. Ever filled and stimulated with the Holy Ghost is my prayer (Eph. 5:18-19).  Do I love the Bible?  Yes.  Is it the Word of God?  Yes. But it is only words until the Spirit (who wrote it), gives life to it. That is what makes it special.  He can take that word and engraft it right into your soul, your emotional being, and you feeeeeel it!   YES YOU DO!  He can takes words and turn them into life and power.

   You know, some define prosperity has having lots of money.  That's okay but I could live with less if I had to.  Of course, I'll take all of the gold that comes my way and put it into the Kingdom. But, prosperity is also "as thy soul prospers".  Your soul, my friend, is not your spirit.  It is your emotional, rational being.  It didn't get born again. That was your spirit.  Your soul needs a little saving - regularly.  Your soul needs a little quickening.  Your soul needs wine and water. Your soul needs to party, to make  merry with God.   Oh, I can give up the gold, if I should have to, but I cannot give up the touch of God.

   Sad to say, men today have prospered and called it God, but it isn't. It is the deceptive power of riches.  You see, true prosperity is measured by "as thy soul prospereth".  If your soul "ain't" prospering, you "ain't" really prospering, not by God's standard.  You just have money.  Why not have the best of both?  Money, earthly goods and so much God you stagger under the load of His presence?   Can you imagine, having all the gold you could want but not being able to feel and enjoy the presence of God?  Of being so satisfied with "stuff" that you no longer desperately crave a touch of the Spirit of God?  Not for me - no sireee!  I like how the Amplified Bible says we are to ever be being filled and stimulated with the Holy Ghost.  I'm telling you that stimulation is sometimes like sticking your finger in a light socket. Sometimes is like the 29th shot of moonshine that suddenly catches up with you and your eyes cross.  Sometimes it is like an explosion of joy and you laugh and grin 'til your ears hurt.  Emotionalism?  mmmhh?  Yeah.  I like it.  Yeah - that's what I'm talking about.

A Rash Of Insanity

      Can you imagine, Jesus telling us He was going away but would send another comforter, one like Himself and not having that be the most important thing a Christian could possible know?  Insanity grips us and we hang on fiercely to the comforter who isn't here, while ignoring the one who is.  Insanity!  Can you imagine worshipping Jesus, who isn't here, but not worshipping the one like Him who is here?  Insanity! Can you imagine Jesus saying that if He did not go away, the Holy Ghost would not come, people paying no attention to it and acting as if Jesus did not go away?  Insanity!  Can you imagine Jesus dying on the cross to give us the Holy Ghost and men saying "no thanks"?   Insanity!  Can you imagine all the discipleship classes going on that do not start with an full-fledged introduction to the Spirit of adoption, the child-trainer, the Holy Spirit?  How can we be a disciple without walking with the disciple-maker? Insanity. 

    Can you imagine being so loyal to God, the way He is not, while failing miserably to be loyal to Him the way He is?  Insanity!  Can you imagine being given the downpayment of your salvation, the HOly Ghost, and ignore and minimize that downpayment all the while claiming salvation? Insanity!  Can you imagine being given a gift of tongues with which you can talk directly to God, and rejecting it?  Insanity!  Can you imagine having a gift whereby you can worship God in the Spirit, and choosing not to receive it?  Insanity!  Can you imagine having a gift of God unbelievers are to see believers doing, such as speaking tongues, and choosing not to let unbelievers see you doing it?  Insanity! Can you imagine Jesus saying that those who would worship God would have to worship Him in Spirit form and then man continuously attempting to worship God in any form but that?  Insanity!  Can you imagine having the signs, wonders, demonstrations of the Spirit and the power of God, upon which our faith is to stand, available but choosing not to believe in them and worse, base our faith on something else?  Insanity!  Can you imagine having the same anointing that was on Jesus available to us, but choosing not to want it? Insanity!  Can you imagine church being about anything but the manifested presence of God, present and real among us?  Insanity!  Happens everywhere, all the time.  Can you imagine church too big for the Holy Ghost to manifest in for fear it might confuse or offend?  Insanity!

   You know, come to think of it, I think there is a rash of insanity going around.  Thank God it has passed me by.  How about you?