Engaging Pre-existing Passion

For those who don’t know, I’ve had a pretty traditional background. My parents are still together, I come from a line of pastors, I graduated from a private Christian high school, pretty much your run-of-the-mill traditional Christian past.

In fact, I still go to a traditional church. Choirs, pews, pulpits, hymnals, the whole 9 yards, and although it’s never been surprising to see outbursts of emotion in church, I usually attributed it to groupthink (I’m a cynic). One man decides he wants to stand up and say “AMEN!” really loud, and like the Pied Piper leading rats away from the village, men start popping up all over the church mimicking the first man. I just never really put a whole lot of stock into these shouting matches.

However, occasionally I see something different. It’s so rare that it literally shocks me every time I see it.

I’m talking about sincere worship and praise. It hardly ever manifests itself in a loud ruckess. I’ve never seen a man run the aisles or hop up and down shouting whom I thought was sincerely doing it to praise God. I’m unimpressed with that kind of ridiculous freak show (pardon my harshness).

No, generally the times I see sincere worship, it comes from children or the quiet adults of whom you would never expect it.

The other day I was sitting toward the front of the auditorium as our choir sang Beulah Land, a song by Squire Parsons.

(I have to give some background in order for you to fully understand the significance of them singing this song. Our choir usually sings such deep songs as “I’ve Got that Old-Time Religion in my Heart” or “Homesick for Heaven”. Great songs for people who worship a rulebook, but not exactly the most contemplative worship songs, in my opinion.)

So I was sitting there at the front of the auditorium watching the audience as the choir sang Beulah Land. It was amazing to see the passion and love that was ignited in them by this song. Almost every mouth in the building was singing along, even the children. It was a familiar song with a great melody, and people of all ages really identify with it.

As I sat there, I wrote down some thoughts on the church’s responsibility to engage the passion that already exists in the hearts of the born-again (that’s Christianese for “the one’s who believe in Jesus”). Too often the church takes a holy fire extenguisher to the flame of passion in the hearts of the church members. In fact, the pastor of my church did exactly that by jumping into worthless, meaningless, boring announcements right after the choir song!!! (things like that make me really mad).

Churches, pastors, worship leaders, if there are believers in your church, they possess something far more powerful than we can imagine. The Holy Spirit can ignite a passion in their hearts, and you need to throw the gasoline on that fire. Stop drowning it with boring redneck songs, endless announcements, and another message on “the doctrine of…” Fan the flames of passion and enthusiasm for the things of God! Engage the love that the people possess, nurture it!

One thing that tends to bother me about churches is the fact that many times “the people” (that is, the members in the pews) are blamed for not responding to the service. In reality, the leadership should be looking in the mirror, because it’s not “the people’s” fault! When you fail to engage the love and passion in the hearts of the members, don’t blame it on the Holy Spirit or “the people”. Take yourself in for a checkup, because the problem isn’t in the hearts of the people, it lies in your lack of ability to figure out the needs of the people you’re so quick to criticize.

If you’re a Christian, you have something to be passionate about. Some of us have done some pretty awful things in our lives, and the God of everything cared deeply enough about you to die that you might be forgiven. That’s pretty heavy stuff, and that knowledge is present in the mind of every Christian in your church. It’s sad that many pastors have given up on trying to nurture that knowledge and turn it into action. Learn what it takes to engage the pre-existing passion in Christians, and never stop learning.

That’s your job. Do it well. Do it now.

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