http://www.interhigh.org/devotions/devotional-sharing/1-corinthians-14-devotional-warning-against-mindless-involvement/ Training Christian Youth to be faithful followers of Christ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:36:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://www.interhigh.org/devotions/devotional-sharing/1-corinthians-14-devotional-warning-against-mindless-involvement/comment-page-1/#comment-474 David Fredrickson Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:30:41 +0000 http://www.interhigh.org/?p=1675#comment-474 Good post and a subject that should touch the majority of Christians everywhere. I believe there are two fundamental causes of "mindless" Christianity. One is a lack of an intimate relationship with God. When a person is in love with another they relate to that one naturally and without compulsion. It's hard to go long without thinking of your loved one and whenever they're near the desire to communicate effectively and to relate affectionately is spontaneous. It shouldn't be any differnt in our realtionship with Father. But when our integral relationship with Him is a principle rather than a reality, worship and prayer can become self centered, lifeless and boring. The second cause is that the institutional system of Christianity embraced by most believers lends itself to form, routine and religious obligation rather than to a relational, Spirit led lifestyle. As God is creative by nature and his Spirit always responds to the particular need at the moment, every meeting would most certainly be very differnt from the last and sometimes would even be cancelled or re-directed to an altogether different activity. But where form rules the spontaneous nature of the Holy Spirit is quenched and worship, prayer, etc. becomes routine ritual rather than relationship. Good post and a subject that should touch the majority of Christians everywhere. I believe there are two fundamental causes of “mindless” Christianity. One is a lack of an intimate relationship with God. When a person is in love with another they relate to that one naturally and without compulsion. It’s hard to go long without thinking of your loved one and whenever they’re near the desire to communicate effectively and to relate affectionately is spontaneous. It shouldn’t be any differnt in our realtionship with Father. But when our integral relationship with Him is a principle rather than a reality, worship and prayer can become self centered, lifeless and boring.
The second cause is that the institutional system of Christianity embraced by most believers lends itself to form, routine and religious obligation rather than to a relational, Spirit led lifestyle. As God is creative by nature and his Spirit always responds to the particular need at the moment, every meeting would most certainly be very differnt from the last and sometimes would even be cancelled or re-directed to an altogether different activity.
But where form rules the spontaneous nature of the Holy Spirit is quenched and worship, prayer, etc. becomes routine ritual rather than relationship.

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