EMOTIONALISM IN THE CHURCH

MY JOURNEY- August 18, 2018
I once tried very hard to be a religious person but I don’t like roller coasters and I really don’t like emotional roller coasters.

I read Matthew 11:17:19 in the KJV Bible but decided to look at other translations. As with other words and sentences in the book of Matthew  I find myself rereading chapter eleven.  What does dancing and mourning have to do with following Jesus?

The Expanded version broke it down for me.

MATTHEW 11:17-19 THE EXPANDED BIBLE
17) ‘We played ·music [L- the pipe/flute] for you, but you did not dance;
    we sang a ·sad song [funeral song; dirge], but you did not ·cry [weep].’ [C- The religious leaders wanted John to “dance” (lighten up his severe message) and wanted Jesus to “mourn” (follow their restrictive lifestyle).]
18) [L- For] John came and did not eat or drink like other people. So people say, ‘He ·has [is possessed by] a demon.’ 19) The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! ·He eats too much and drinks too much wine [L- He’s a glutton and a drunkard], and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is ·proved to be right [vindicated] by ·what she does [or its deeds/actions/results; C- Wisdom is personified as a woman (Prov. 8), her “children” being those who respond favorably to the message of John and Jesus].”

The world, generally speaking, has become very emotional, moved by feelings and not common sense. The Christian church has embraced the mindset of the world.

People “feel” Christians should behave and look a certain way. I was with a friend and she talked about a woman whose body was full of tattoos. My friend was telling someone about the activities of her church, the two were discussing how they “felt” about young girls coming to church in short dresses. Later my friend talked about the woman with the tattoos.

Jesus said: ”For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’…” ( NKJV) It just goes to show that people are not satisfied unless everyone acts just like them.

I had a great conversation with the tattoo lady, she was very knowledgeable about a subject I was interested in. I discovered that she was a giver. She is very talented in a craft that I am learning and though her equipment was very expensive ($15,000 machine) she gave away the things she made. As we were talking a stranger came up and ask a question and with a smile she readily answered all the questions.

Over the years I have learned that religious folk cannot see Truth and religious folk cannot hear Truth. I have learned that religious folk are moved by emotion, which is why I hate being called religious.

I will eat and drink and hang out with sinners, they actually want to hear the Truth.                    -                                                                                       --- written by Marsha L F Randolph

MY JOURNEY reflects the faith filled opinions and property of the author MARSHA L F RANDOLPH. All rights reserved- do not use without permission. All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. Don’t miss weekly faith based post FOLLOW THIS BLOG and receive notifications when a new article is posted.







Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.