MOMENTARY WINGS

How often it is easy to create the illusion of being spiritual without it actually being influenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. One can go to church, become a member, serve in many ways and even be regarded as a person of faith without being born again.

True, in terms of trusting God, if you aren't born again in terms of having the Holy Spirit in one's life being active in a church might seem less likely. Still there are plenty of people who honestly have reasons for participating in a church without it having anything to do with being a Christian.

I was in one such church, a rather large one that was associated with a given denomination. To be a member of the church's board was regarded by some as a form of status.

Thus people were chosen for this supposedly prestigious situation not because they were called of God, but because they were good and social and political tactics. Did any of that require one to be born again? Not really.

There is reference in the scriptures to the issue of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. And countless people have interpreted that to mean different things from speaking in tongues to a sign of God's approval.

But for me the thing that is truly important is whether or not such a baptism affects one in terms of one's values and desires. I'm not speaking of becoming sinless. However, I am speaking of the idea of how such an experience affects one sense of appreciation for the reality of God and of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

It isn't hard to notice those who are baptized in their heart. They almost always are touch in a way that finds joy in the simple act of serving God out of love. There isn't the need for boasting or drawing attention to oneself. Instead the focus is on wanting to please the Lord on some level the person can understand.

In a church setting such hearts concentrate and seeking God. Serving him is out of obedience and not a need for approval or attention.

And in the process, the concentration on complaining about what you don't like fades in terms of importance. That is because the heart is directed towards the Lord.

When a pastor isn't baptized of the heart the same process takes place. They focus so often on control to maintain their leadership. Things like church growth are often preeminent. And so often the preaching will center around sin. People are "brow beat" into submission for the sake of control.

Faith and grace just get lost as messages. Which can be because the voice doing the preaching truly doesn't have the inner witness from God's spirit to direct the message in a different direction. That perhaps is the sadness detour of them all.