True Spirituality

On football fields throughout our land, cheerleaders point to the opposing stands and shout, “We’ve got the spirit, how about you?” The opposing cheerleaders reciprocate with an enthusiastic, positive reply. This scene continues with each side, in turn, raising the noise level by several decibels until the whole stadium reaches a deafening crescendo and interest finally turns back to the football game. The word “spirit,” as used in this context, has to do with enthusiasm which raises the emotional intensity level of the athletes.

As Americans, we have become so saturated with hype and fast-moving action, that we have a tendency to find things boring that are designed to be intellectually stimulating and thought challenging. We have come to prefer the "bells and whistles" to meditation (Psalm 1:1-2). This has had an effect, not only upon our intellectual structure, but our spiritual thought processes as well. Some view worship as boring and “lacking spirit,” simply because there is no up-beat, outward display of emotionalism.

The solution offered by some is an infusion of emotions through artificial stimuli, such as mood-setting music, hand clapping, dimming lights, holding hands, sound effects, etc. One group reportedly uses the sounds of grinding bones and screams to create a hair-raising atmosphere for participation in the Lord’s Supper.

However, emotionalism is not equivalent to things “spiritual,” it is not evidence of true spirituality. We may “feel” many things which are not based on truth. How we feel is a natural outgrowth of what we believe, and what we believe must be based on what the standard of God’s word says (Romans 10:17; cf. Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 7:21; John 12:48-50). For example, based upon what God has revealed about our sinful condition (Romans 3:23), offering us salvation by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we meet the gospel’s conditions for salvation, we know that we are saved. This knowledge produces a natural flood of elation (Acts 8:39). How expressive a person is depends on his emotional structure, but one is not more spiritual than another, simply because he is more expressive of how he feels.

Artificially stimulated emotion is temporary. To maintain an emotionally charged atmosphere, different outside stimuli must be sought, lest the routine lose its effectiveness and become boring. While it is true that an individual cannot serve God without feelings, we need to realize that our emotions are the product of the relationship — not the evidence of it (cf. Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 11:1-2).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets