Understanding the Fear of Emotionalism in the Church

Shyju Mathew

"Experience the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit."

June 27, 2017

Sometimes, out of the desire for the Church to be discerning, we shoot down anything that moves. It is true that people judge what they fear. In doing so, without understanding, we may be quenching the Holy Spirit. 

If everything God did was to be written in the Scriptures, then why wasn’t the day of Pentecost written in detail in the Scriptures? Does that mean we conclude Pentecost was not biblical?  

 On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and declared that this outpouring was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel, that “in the end times, the Spirit would be poured upon all flesh.”

Nowhere was it written in Joel that tongues of fire would appear on top of their heads, nor was the loud noise of rushing wind described or people babbling in different tongues and acting drunk. Yet Peter said it was all the fulfillment of God’s holy Scriptures.

While we must be on guard to not allow flesh, beastly and carnal natures to manifest, we must also understand that it is quite common for the Spirit to take over and for people to be overwhelmed by the power and weight of God.

Still, the move of God should not limit order in the house.

Emotionalism and order

Pentecost came with it’s own chaos in the natural, yet there was absolute order in the Spirit as Peter stood up and thousands of lives were saved. Holy Spirit brought unseen spiritual order to what human minds interpret as natural chaos.  [tweet this]

Order is the byproduct of grace by the Holy Spirit who allows this to happen in the house for His own sovereign purposes.

Understanding the noise

We must be understanding that sometimes, when mere humans encounter God’s power, they come to a place where they do not know how best to react to what they are experiencing. Some cry, others break out with joy. Some fall under the weight of God’s presence. All these are simply responses or manifestations of God’s nearness. Our human minds cannot comprehend what would happen if God comes down in glory like He did in Old Testament. Some even fell like dead! 

Thank God for allowing us to experience His brushes of His love and tender mercy by the Holy Spirit. [tweet this]

When it comes to the Holy Spirit, we must lead in wisdom and let our experiences lead others to experience Jesus. Don’t let fear cause you to be quick to judge and condemn what God may be doing.

What if the fear of emotionalism causes us to detach our hearts from God?

I have noticed that when people grow deeper in the Lord, the way they respond to the presence of God also matures. However, lack of tears or silence does not indicate maturity, for then surely Jesus had none! [tweet this]Jesus, the perfect Man, repeatedly and publicly cried out loud and wasn’t afraid to show His emotions. 

When is emotionalism wrong?

I’d say that emotions are not wrong, if they are an overflow of what God is doing. But here are few instances for us to be weary and cautious about.

  1. Let us be careful not to mimic another for the sake of doing what’s popular with everyone. Will God forgive this ignorance? Yes, but God also wants us to mature in Christ and stop anything that’s not from Him.
  2. Creating drama to draw attention to one’s self. Now not all the instances can be categorized as drama to one’s self. I pray we have true discernment(Not just natural assumptions born out of fear of the wrong) to discern the difference.
  3. When witches and wizards enter the church to take over an assembly. They merge with the right, adulterate the original and release impurity into the house. Now this is a high level of attack. But as long as a church is a praying church, the Holy Spirit will expose the work of the enemy.

Keep Jesus in the centre of everything you do, He will do the rest because the church belongs to Him! [tweet this]

Let us then, without fear, allow the Spirit of God to take over us in the Spirit, as we stay rooted in God’s Word and enjoy the gift of fellowship with Almighty God.

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