"When Faith Gets Boring"

[GreenMunchkin]

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7447

^ Clicky - tis a wonderful article I read on how so many of us lose our joy in being Christians.

So I guess am wondering, what is it that causes us to lose our joy? And how do we get it back, or focus more on it?

Re-discovering Him is a part of it, maybe? It's terribly easy to become complacent and to forget the total awesomeness of Him, so re-discovering Him and just soaking in His presence is maybe part of it?

Have missed y'all

 

[dead2self]

Well how we get it back is to look for it in Him. If we get a right view of God, His love, holiness, wrath, mercy, grace etc. and also understand His awesome power and that we are His children, how can we not have joy.

I think we lose our joy becasue we start looking for it where the world looks for it. We watch TV and see the ads selling happiness and fall into the trap of consumerism. We start to see stuff as the provider of joy, or power, or sex and lose sight of the fact that we are designed to be fulfilled by God and God alone.

 

[GreenMunchkin]

Well how we get it back is to look for it in Him. If we get a right view of God, His love, holiness, wrath, mercy, grace etc. and also understand His awesome power and that we are His children, how can we not have joy.

I think we lose our joy becasue we start looking for it where the world looks for it. We watch TV and see the ads selling happiness and fall into the trap of consumerism. We start to see stuff as the provider of joy, or power, or sex and lose sight of the fact that we are designed to be fulfilled by God and God alone.

Hullo! Thanks for responding

I tend to agree. So you see it that exposing ourselves to worldly stuff incessantly gradually chips away at our joy?

It's bizarre, actually: I only know of a handful of Christians who are truly joyful. Like, even in the face of great hardship, they remain joyful in the Lord, if not their circumstances. 99% of us, though, almost seem to see Christianity as something to carry around on our shoulders; something we have to carry the burden of... we're in a collective funk.

In terms of getting that joy back: do you think it's a process? For example, do we make a commitment to spend X amount of time in the word every day and extend it by a minute every day? Or do we make a conscious choice to watch less tv? Or to deny the flesh less?

I suppose am wondering if there's a "cure" for complacency when complacency itself prevents us from looking for the cure, or even acknowledging one is needed.

 

[Joy]

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7447

^ Clicky - tis a wonderful article I read on how so many of us lose our joy in being Christians.

So I guess am wondering, what is it that causes us to lose our joy? And how do we get it back, or focus more on it?

Re-discovering Him is a part of it, maybe? It's terribly easy to become complacent and to forget the total awesomeness of Him, so re-discovering Him and just soaking in His presence is maybe part of it?

Have missed y'all

Great to see you again

What you say is so true

The Lord wants us to know Him
and wants to give us His joy

 

[GreenMunchkin]

Great to see you again

What you say is so true

The Lord wants us to know Him
and wants to give us His joy

Hello, lovely! Is so nice to see you

"...His joy." Had never really thought about it that way before. He already has the joy - He's just waiting for us to accept it. That's given me food for thought, that has Thank you, sis!

 

[Joy]

Well how we get it back is to look for it in Him. If we get a right view of God, His love, holiness, wrath, mercy, grace etc. and also understand His awesome power and that we are His children, how can we not have joy.

Over the past few days the Lord has been challenging me to have a right view of God. I got excited yesterday when studying Philippians 2:12-13 that not only does God call us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling but He is working in us, giving us the desire and the will to obey Him.

 

[Simon_Templar]

Hullo! Thanks for responding

I tend to agree. So you see it that exposing ourselves to worldly stuff incessantly gradually chips away at our joy?

It's bizarre, actually: I only know of a handful of Christians who are truly joyful. Like, even in the face of great hardship, they remain joyful in the Lord, if not their circumstances. 99% of us, though, almost seem to see Christianity as something to carry around on our shoulders; something we have to carry the burden of... we're in a collective funk.

In terms of getting that joy back: do you think it's a process? For example, do we make a commitment to spend X amount of time in the word every day and extend it by a minute every day? Or do we make a conscious choice to watch less tv? Or to deny the flesh less?

I suppose am wondering if there's a "cure" for complacency when complacency itself prevents us from looking for the cure, or even acknowledging one is needed.

spending time in the word, and in prayer is a good place to start. Generally I think it helps to view it as you would a relationship with another person. What would you do if you wanted to get close to that person?

An important part too is your motivation. A lot of people come looking for God because they want something else. They want power, or signs and wonders, or wealth, or wisdom, or they want to have a certain feeling.

In many ways we turn our relationship with God into a selfish affair, in which we really are going to God only because we want something. In human terms this can get to be like the man who only talks to his wife when he wants sex, or the woman who only pays attention to her husband when she wants money, or if you were to marry someone, for improved social standing etc.

With God, those kind of ulterior motives will get you only so far. Eventually you need to get to the place where you just want God for himself. Just like any other relationship.

ultimately we depend on God, even for our drawing near to him. So ask him to give you the desires you should have, ask him to open your eyes to see more of him etc.

 

[dead2self]

In many ways we turn our relationship with God into a selfish affair, in which we really are going to God only because we want something. In human terms this can get to be like the man who only talks to his wife when he wants sex, or the woman who only pays attention to her husband when she wants money, or if you were to marry someone, for improved social standing etc.

Oh now that is just good. Love that analogy.

Eventually you need to get to the place where you just want God for himself. Just like any other relationship.

That sir, is what it's all about.

ultimately we depend on God, even for our drawing near to him. So ask him to give you the desires you should have, ask him to open your eyes to see more of him etc.

And a great advice for a beautiful finish.

 

[rrguy]

For me it is so sad when people think Church needs to be entertaining. You have the rest of the week to pick a Hobby. Some other time to stimulate or rest your brain. Yet people like me sometimes have trouble even setting aside time on Sunday to realize the Awesome Mystery Of God & his Love. Barely 1 hour to give the Praise he so much deserves. After taking time to realize how happy I would be if I truly gave my Life to God I wonder why I fall back into the material world? I realize if I don't keep him in my Life every minute I risk drifting away, back to things I think that will make me happy but truly do not. If I can just remember without God there is no Happiness there is no Love.

 

[Nadiine]

For me it is so sad when people think Church needs to be entertaining. You have the rest of the week to pick a Hobby. Some other time to stimulate or rest your brain. Yet people like me sometimes have trouble even setting aside time on Sunday to realize the Awesome Mystery Of God & his Love. Barely 1 hour to give the Praise he so much deserves. After taking time to realize how happy I would be if I truly gave my Life to God I wonder why I fall back into the material world? I realize if I don't keep him in my Life every minute I risk drifting away, back to things I think that will make me happy but truly do not. If I can just remember without God there is no Happiness there is no Love.

This is partly why I think so many of the 'new methods' of worship keep getting created to keep people's attn. & keep it fresh.
shows, gimmicks, etc.

This main picture image is exactly what I'm thinking of when I think of what it takes to keep people in a pew anymore lol

I've always believed that if our relationship is right with God and 'in tune" to Him, we won't be needing all that other stuff becuz it's genuine heart worship and that is NEVER boring to worship God in praise and then learning about Him.

(of course, speakers or pastors CAN be boring or bad speakers...
there is an element of what can truly be boring in a literal sense)

 

[JPPT1974]

Church should never be about entertainment
It is about God and God alone
Has the audience and that we are the performers
Listening to Him and His guidance.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

Faith only gets boring because it was built up on entertainment.

Most 'churches' in America are all about entertainment and music. The teens want to intoxicate themselves with praise and worship while waving their hands in their air. It's all about emotions, but eventually you don't get that emotional high anymore.

 

[Simon_Templar]

Faith only gets boring because it was built up on entertainment.

Most 'churches' in America are all about entertainment and music. The teens want to intoxicate themselves with praise and worship while waving their hands in their air. It's all about emotions, but eventually you don't get that emotional high anymore.

I agree that churches built on entertainment are shallow, and that a lot of Churches in America are that way. However, many of the traditional Churches have been full of very bored Christians for decades.

I think the issue is that any time you substitute anything, whether it be the entertainment of flashy praise and worship, or the solace of comfortable ritual, for an actual knowledge and experience of God.. it will end up being boring before too long.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

The point is to be actively engaging in the liturgy... not to be a spectator. That is one of the biggest flaws and mistakes of protestant christian.

 

[rmw8855]

The joy of the Lord is our strength. He is the source of our joy. We can only maintain it if we stay in constant contact / relationship with him. Any time we take our eyes off of the Lord and focus on the problems in our life and the world around us we risk losing that joy / strength. I'm not saying don't watch TV, etc. just that God needs to be the most important thing in our life. (2 hours of TV vs. 5 minutes with God isn't going to help us stay strong in the Lord)


It's so good to see you again. I've missed you.

 

[AnneSally]

This is a great thread, lots of good food for thought!