Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Studies Blog

Acting like James.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

The experience is easier than the work that should come before and after it.

Being of a Pentecostal denomination, I'm familiar with the book of Acts. I have participated, witnessed, and been involved in my fair share of charismatic and spirit-filled services. It was while reading David Fitch's book The Great Giveaway, that I finally was able to put my finger on something that had nagged in the back of my mind for some time. I'd noticed over the years that, more often than not, the charismatic preachers that fell the hardest were the most emotional and exuberant in their worship.

Fitch talks about worship early in the book, in chapter four. In one illustration, in which he relates a conversation with a church leader about who he considered to be the "best worshipers" in church, he illustrates the common misconception that most people would answer: that it is the emotionally effusive, exuberant, emotional, "spirit led" worshiper.

The director of music pointed to two men in the congregation, John Smith and George Riley (not their real names). These two men were both visceral worshipers. by visceral I mean that they were both prone to raising their hands, and expressing regular tears during the singing times of the service. When I asked why this revealed good worship, the best answer we could come up with was that these people were "into" worshiping God. Not ironically (I contend), both of these men were prone in their everyday lives to huge mood swings and abusive behaviors. [...] Both men were gone from the church one year later.¹

Fitch goes on to point out the problem with confusing emotion and immediate experience with something lasting.

[...] we look to the level of the worshiper's emotional involvement as a sign that we have worshiped God well.

Later, he concludes with a very important point:

[...] Contemporary worship does not form these emotions into the holiness of God in Jesus Christ.²

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Nicaragua, I stopped to pick up a few donated items at the house of a woman who had gone on many trips, including my first two. We got to talking about the former pastor of the church we work with in Nicaragua, a pastor who had fallen far away from God at this present time and had since been replaced.

"It's such a shame," she said. "I remember when we had first built the church -- before we had the roof on it. We had an evening service and I remember him dancing and singing during worship. He was so joyful in his worship. And now this."

I tucked this in the back of my mind, remembering the things Fitch had said, relating it to the understanding of how some of the most charismatic and seemingly spirit-filled leaders often fell the hardest. I see it on the web, a kind of verbal version in which the spirit-filled life is touted but the rest of the person's life is one of blustering and non-apology and arrogance.

This all came full circle a few days ago, during lunch with my friend Melanie. She had flown to Fargo from Nashville for a visit home, and we met for lunch. We were talking about sin and the habitualness of sin and how we rely heavily on cheap grace and make excuses for weakness. Then, we got to talking about the things in the book of James.

The book of James is a challenging book for me; it always has been. I re-read it frequently and feel convicted every time.

"James is a difficult book," my friend said. I nodded in agreement. "Just read it. It's very blunt. Faith without works is useless."

It seems odd that people can obviously take such pleasure in the experience of worshiping God and not have it spill out into a life of holiness. It seems odd, that is, unless I stop seeing it as a momentary experience and as a perpetual way of living. Emotional highs are easy; it's easy to let go an be filled up in the moment. I know personally how rewarding it feels to cry it out at the altar, but also know how often I leave and quickly fall into the same patterns of sin and wallowing. It is much, much more difficult to get control of the rudder, bite the bit, hold the tongue, and live a life of continual worship that reflects the holiness of God through the work required from day to day.

Mind you, I am not negating the importance of what God can do in an experience at an altar, but commenting instead on the excess and the ease of which it is to be caught up in something that has less to do with work and more to do with emotion.

It is easier to live in the exuberance of Acts than the no-excuses do-the-work of James.

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¹ Pages 95-96, soft cover edition.

² Page 97, soft cover edition.