All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… Amazed and perplexed, [the crowd] asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Acts 2:4-7, 12-13 (NIV)

 

The relationship between theology and spirituality is analogous to that between the sun and sunlight. Just as we cannot stare directly at the sun, we cannot fully comprehend God's mystery; but we can feel God in the same way that we experience the brightness and warmth of the sun. In saying that, most people are less interested with what we believe about God and more interested with whether our experiences of God have any real impact on our daily lives.

What we know about God and how we live it out in the world will glorify or misrepresent Him. This is why our theology and spirituality must be rooted in Jesus. We grow and bear fruit in proportion to our understanding and faith in Him. The early church grew because Jesus was crucial to their communal faith and identity. Their experience of Him was neither sentimental or intellectual, but firmly grounded in biblical faith and genuine love.

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they appeared to be drunk. But Peter clarified that they were not drunk but were fully enthralled by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit within them. He went on to preach the gospel, and three thousand people came to believe in Christ.

Churchianity, rather than Christianity, exists when faith and reason, theology and spirituality, belief and action do not coexist coherently and continuously. Churchianity is spiritual junk food, whereas Christianity offers us the glorious feast and fellowship of Christ Himself.

Why settle for less when God intends to give you everything in Christ? Return to the gospel and rediscover your identity in Christ, reconciling your life with the reality of who you are and what you have in Him.