Intentionality vs. Spirit
The word "intentional" gets thrown around in Christian circles more than "post-modern" in the secular world. However it seems by very nature to be in opposition to what many call "living by the Spirit". Both terms are rather ambiguous but still are at the heartbeat of what it means to be a Jesus follower. I am intentional about writing in this blog, there is purpose and causality in it. The same should be true about walking by the spirit but often times there isn't
Let me see if i can explain this better. Many people i would lob into a more reformed orthodoxy pursue intentionality. That is when they are in the world they are purposeful in bringing up Christ in conversation, sharing his truth, praying without ceasing, studying God's word, etc. But by saying being intentional about it often times it carries this sense of friction that we must wil-powerfully overcome if we are going to live the kind of life Jesus beckons us to. So this tension between old and new man is only overcome by tighting my bootstraps, gritting my teeth, and forcing everything about my christian walk.
On the other hand you have many more charismatically oriented individuals who pray much more for the direction and guidance of the holy spirit waiting for days and months at a time for God to speak, paint, smokescreen, a picture or direction for their life. They pray for oppurtunities to share as the Holy Spirit orchestrates their days. Now certainly i am oversimpllyifying this a bit but is it really necessary to pray for oppurtunities? Is not every single person i run into everyday in class, spider-house, home, etc a individual created by God to enjoy him. Why should i ask God to deliver some and not all? Now you could go overboard with that and try a save the word brand of Christianity which does no one any good but my problem is with the distinction.
Has God given me a mind and the tools to go forward trusting Him? Or has he made me a somewhat passive receptacle needing to be told when and where to go, how to speak, etc. My calvinism tells me God is behind this whole process but finding my niche and form is the hardest part. I really was much more certain at the begining of this blog but now im not sure where the middle ground is...any thoughts? Does anyone read this.....?
B-love
posted by Broun Stacy @ 9:48 AM
3 Comments:
Broun, keep it coming man. I read and appreciate your perspective... not to mention completely original topics.
I'd have to say that your post is a little tough to follow this time. But, it did get me to thinking: what does the Bible have to say about "living by the Spirit"? I couldn't really find anything pertaining to our modern definition of it, primarily that we should wait for "nudges" in our heart to do things.
If being intentional means actively seeking to live out God's will of command (perceptive will) then we absolutely need to be intentional. Be careful not to be fatalistic in Calvinism -- it is true that God has foreordained every detail of the universe for all time to bring glory to His name, but God is infinite and exists outside of time. We shouldn't think to live according to this soverign/decreetive will, because we always are.
We should seek God's advice and guidance in prayer, and I believe that He responds through His spirit. But that still falls under "being intentional" to me.
If you really have to force your Christian walk, then you probably need to reroute those energies to prayer that God would give you a heart of joy to serve Him.
I have much more to say, but I've already said enough to defend for a couple of days. I appologize for the rambling.
J
broun,
hey buddy. like your post.
here is an idea (from L'Abri): scripture never tells us to ask/pray for guidance. rather, we are to rest in the fact that he is guiding us, whether or not we seem to know it.
we should seek and ask for wisdom, not guidance. with wisdom, intentionality takes care of itself.
peace
KC
ps - whats up with TFC?
Hey,
I found your blog through "the dude" and I like the distinction you've made here a lot - I think that the whole "praying for opportunities/nudges" idea often works against itself, because then if you don't "feel" anything, you think you can just go on your merry way. Instead, maybe we ought to consider ourselves commanded in every moment of our lives - commanded to love one another, to carry the burdens of others, to pray for our enemies, to do good to those who curse us... etc. Maybe in making a distinction between Old and New Testaments, we've thrown out the idea that we are still governed by commandments... "a new commandment I give you, love one another..."
at the same time, however, I do think that praying for the filling and guidance of the Holy Spirit is important, but that should result in attentiveness to God and to others (rather than to your own inner emotional state).
thanks for getting me to think about this!
Sarah
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