{"id":425,"date":"2008-04-29T01:01:58","date_gmt":"2008-04-29T01:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/passionate-spirituality-part-2.html"},"modified":"2008-04-29T01:01:58","modified_gmt":"2008-04-29T01:01:58","slug":"passionate-spirituality-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/04\/passionate-spirituality-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Passionate Spirituality, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I began a short series on Passionate Spirituality. This is actually a revised version of a sermon I preached at my new church in Boerne, Texas this past Sunday.
\nIn yesterday’s post, I introduced the theme of passionate spirituality, asking what the phrase passionate spirituality suggests to you, and explaining what the Natural Church Development people, who invented the phrase passionate spirituality<\/em>, mean by it. They understand passionate spirituality to be living out one’s faith with commitment and enthusiasm. So, I asked, why call this passionate spirituality? What does spirituality have to do with living out our faith?<\/em>
\nPassionate Spirituality According to Galatians 5<\/strong>
\nThere’s a good answer to this question. It comes to us from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this letter, Paul was fighting a version of what we call legalism. The young churches in Galatia \u2013 central Turkey in today’s world \u2013 had been hoodwinked by some theologically confused Christians who had taught them that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough. If you really want to experience God, they said, then you have to keep the whole Jewish law, especially the ceremonial parts. Legalism was their path to passionate spirituality.
\n\"dontLegalism continues to lure many Christians today. It’s a trap we easily fall into. People come to God through Christ, receiving his grace through faith. So far, so good. And they realize that God cares about what they do with their lives. That’s right on. But then they’re told that if they really want to have a relationship with God, they have to do all sorts of things to earn God’s favor. The Christian life becomes a long list of things to do, and especially things not to do. Soon, people who began their life in Christ with a passion for him and his mission become weighed down with endless dos and don’ts, and the life of Christ gets sucked out of them. That’s what was happening with the Galatians. (Photo: One of my favorite “don’t” signs from Hyde Park in London. Note the bottom: Do not allow your dogs to chase, worry<\/em> or injure the wildlife.)
\nIn response, Paul pointed to a new way of living, something he might well have called passionate spirituality. “Live by the Spirit,” he wrote in Galatians 5:16, “and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” The NRSV translation here misses a couple of important nuances in the original Greek of Galatians 5:16. First, the imperative “live” (literally, “walk”) is actually a present imperative. It means, not just “live,” but “live and keep on living in the Spirit.” Paul is calling the Galatians to an ongoing experience of living in the Spirit of God.
\nSecond, the part of the verse I read as “do not gratify the desires of the flesh,” is not an additional command, but a promise. Paul was saying this to the Galatians: “Keep on living by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” In other words, if you want to keep away from sin, don’t focus on the sin you wish to avoid, but on the Spirit of God who helps you to yearn for what is right and to shun what is wrong. Keeping on living in the Spirit and the sinful desires of the flesh will lose their grip on you.
\nGenuine Spirituality<\/strong>
\nThese days, spirituality is in. People want to be spiritual, not religious. Spirituality can mean some sort of oozy transcendence, or mystical experience, or meaningful living. Spirituality can involve Eastern meditation, or happy self-talk, or wearing crystals, or burning incense, or whatever you’d like. Spirituality is rather like a Burger King Whopper: you can have it your way.
\nFor the Christian, spirituality is much more specific than this. It is, quite literally, Spirit<\/em>-uality. It 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 the God’s way through God’s own Spirit. Genuine spirituality is fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It happens as you read the Spirit-inspired Word, or as you join the Spirit-filled gatherifng of God’s people, or as you quiet yourself to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit. True spirituality is not merely some private, other-worldly experience. It is also a this-worldly encounter with the Spirit that we share with other believers. It includes, as Pastor John taught last week, ministering to others in the power of the Spirit.
\nLiving in the Spirit is relying upon the Spirit. It is being open to the Spirit’s guidance. It is be available for the Spirit’s power. It is offering your whole self to God, so that you might be transformed by the Spirit into the very image of Christ. The more you live in the Spirit, the less you will engage in the so-called works of the flesh, including: “fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing” (vss. 19-21). (By the way, this seems to me a pretty apt description of college dorm life!)
\nOn the contrary, as you live in the Spirit of God, you’ll find that your life is increasingly characterized by what Paul calls the “fruit of the Spirit”: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (vss. 22-23). 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 folks with patience, kindness, generosity and the like.
\nI expect most of us would like to have more love, joy, peace, etc. in our lives. So if this comes as a result of living in the Spirit, then we want to ask an obvious question: How can I live in the Spirit of God?<\/em> I’ll begin to answer this question in tomorrow’s post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I began a short series on Passionate Spirituality. This is actually a revised version of a sermon I preached at my new church in Boerne, Texas this past Sunday. In yesterday’s post, I introduced the theme of passionate spirituality, asking what the phrase passionate spirituality suggests to you, and explaining what the Natural Church…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-passionate-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nPassionate Spirituality, Part 2 - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}