Unspiritual

The word sensual is employed twice in the King James Version of the Bible, translated from the Greek word psuchikos (or psychikos). Of the six occurrences of this Greek word in Scripture, only twice is it translated sensual (James 3:15; Jude 19). Every other time the word is translated as natural (1 Cor. 2:14; 15:44,46). And in both cases where the word sensual is employed, it is in contrast to that which is truly spiritual or that which emanates from the Holy Spirit. In other words, to be sensual is to be unspiritual. It is to be so physically and naturally governed that you are dominated by your five physical senses and subjected to your debased soulish nature.

In case you missed it, these are not unregenerate sinners that the apostles are addressing as being sensual or unspiritual in their letters. These are supposedly “spirit-filled,” tongue-talking believers and ministers of the gospel. Yet, instead of being governed and led by the Holy Spirit, they were now being governed and dominated by their five physical senses. Even though they were still actively involved in ministry and their routine religious activities, they were no longer operating from an elevated spiritual position but from a debased and fleshly (soulish) one. How did this happen? Gradual displacement. Let me explain.

Gradual Displacement

Gradual displacement, in this context, can be defined as the slow and unconscious transfer of a person from his original elevated spiritual position to a more natural and debased form of human existence. It is never a sudden occurrence. You don’t go to bed one night in the Spirit and then wake up the next completely in the flesh. There is a gradual process that takes place before this occurs. And you usually don’t realize what has happened until the process is well underway. Little by little, bit by bit, we succumb to the temptation of independence from God, i.e. the Holy Spirit, and human normalcy. Soon, we become accustomed to, and comfortable with, living without God. We learn to preach, pray, and prophesy without Him. We learn to conduct wonderful church services without His Spirit, His Word, or His Presence. We learn to conduct the affairs of life and ministry without Him, and without His wisdom. Soon, not only are we incapable of differentiating human wisdom from the wisdom from above, but we learn to substitute and misrepresent our human wisdom as His own. Sound familiar?

Let’s face it, we are a sensual generation. We are a generation of believers that has grown accustomed to life without the Spirit. We are governed by what we can see, hear, feel, smell, or taste. We are more interested in titles than true spiritual surrender. We are obsessed with personal blessing and breakthrough rather than obedience. We are more motivated by clicks, follows, likes, and shares than being true ambassadors of truth.

We write books for notoriety, popularity, personal ambition, and financial gain. And the Christian publishers who publish these books do so primarily based upon profit margin (what they hope to get back in return) rather than to help propagate truth.[1] What a stark contrast to Scripture where holy men of God spoke [wrote] as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). And no wonder there is so much garbage and error circulating as truth today.

The Challenge of Technology

One of the challenges we have in our generation relates to technology. Technology was intended to make life easier, but easier doesn’t necessarily mean better. For example, the internet and social networking have made communication much easier and far-reaching. We are now much more “connected” globally. But while communication is so much easier and the world so much smaller through our technologically driven connectedness, our connectedness, communication, and relationships are much shallower and more superficial. It is like a hollow shell with little to no substance. People feel more isolated and alone. Did technology make it easier? Yes! Better? Not so much!

I remember attending a church service recently at a church that employed a lot of cutting-edge technology. The worship started, and everything looked and sounded wonderful. The sound, lighting, and huge 4K HD display resulted in something akin to sensory overload. While my natural man was thriving in such an environment, it took great effort to spiritually and meaningfully connect to God in the midst of the sensory assault. Is it possible that the majority of our corporate “worship” experiences have been sensual and superficial? By the way, I’m not claiming that this one was. Neither am I claiming that technology always makes it so, but it can.

When it comes to the Spirit of God, often, less is more. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). The more you cater and/or appeal to the fleshly physical senses, the less you will be able to connect to God spiritually. The more sensual you are, the less spiritual you become.

There is a reason why, during the dedication of the temple of Solomon, God’s glory was ushered in through a blinding cloud of smoke. Because it was in that context that their major human senses were deprived. They couldn’t see, and because the priests and ministers couldn’t see, they could not continue ministering or playing their instruments. This suggests that there was also little sound (at the very least, musical sound) when the cloud of God’s glory filled the room. Yet, the entire congregation, with their earthly (human) senses deprived, was able to encounter God like they never had before (2 Chron. 5:11-14)!

Again, I am obviously not discouraging the use of musical instruments. That would be foolish and unbiblical. These musical instruments were instrumental (no pun intended) in ushering the congregation to a divine encounter with God. I am simply pointing out the fact that our physical senses are incapable of genuinely interfacing with God. They can only interface with the physical realm, thus they are called “physical senses.” But God is Spirit, and the only way to truly interface with God spiritually is to deprive—rather than cater to—our flesh.

Sensual Bewitchment

Let me give you another example of how our sensuality has caused us to be blinded and bewitched by technology.

The entire world has felt, and is feeling, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government restrictions have/had forced many churches to limit or temporarily discontinue formal religious gatherings for fear of the virus spreading. This led to many churches and ministries—just like many secular businesses and institutions—putting increased emphasis on technological outreach; utilizing platforms like Facebook and Zoom to communicate their ministry and message globally. One reputable ministerial voice even claimed that the devil overplayed his hand when he tried to stifle or silence the churches’ voice through the meeting restrictions. Instead, he caused them to have a greater voice because their ministries were now reaching many more people through these various platforms. People who would have otherwise probably never attended their physical meetings were viewing online. What the devil meant for evil, God turned for the churches’ benefit.

This is what it means to be blindly governed by your physical senses. In this case, it relates to what we can physically see as it pertains to online views, clicks, shares, and likes. In our sensual and carnal reasoning, this translates to success. Never mind the fact that there is a spiritual and relational dynamic that occurs in physical proximity that can never be reproduced online, regardless of what technology you use. Technology may make our ministry and outreach easier or more far-reaching to the masses, but in actuality, it doesn’t make it better, and I’ll prove it.

For centuries, we have been fooled into believing that technology would be the key to reaching and/or discipling the world. With the invention of the television in the early 1900’s, many thought that we would evangelize the world by the next decade. With each successive technological advancement like the computer and internet, we thought we were that much closer to religious world domination. But with each successive generation and technological advancement, we have seen the opposite. The world is becoming more and more detached from our original Judeo-Christian values. Technology has never been the answer. If anything, it has become more of a hindrance and deterrent, because we have foolishly put our trust in it.

In comparison, look at the early Church (Kingdom Community) and original apostles after Jesus was resurrected. They had no television, computer, smart-phone, internet, email, social media, video, streaming service, etc. As a matter of fact, they didn’t even have a printing press to print Bibles or books. There were only letters and parchments copied by/from Scribes available at that time. Yet, with all that they didn’t have with regard to modern technology, they were able to accomplish so much more. They were able to literally change the then-known world. How? Organic influence coupled with the greatest spiritual resource given to us by Heaven—the Holy Spirit! What excuse do we have? More importantly, what is it that we’re doing wrong?

The problem is that we have become too sensual. We have carnally focused on the quantity of numbers instead of the quality of impartation and deep spiritual relationships we are seeking to build. We forget that Jesus never focused His attention or energy on reaching or teaching the masses, even though He surely could have. Instead, He focused on reproducing Himself in twelve disciples (apostles), whom He knew would, in turn, reproduce themselves in others until they changed the world. What a profound strategy!

The Corona Principle

Have you ever stopped to consider how it is that the Corona Virus spread so quickly and broadly without the use of technology? It wasn’t passed through the internet or smart phones. It was passed organically through close physical contact or proximity, and in the space of months it affected the entire world. Think about that for a second. Can any of our technology do that?

The profundity of this principle is in its simplicity. We can change the world with every organic encounter in our daily lives. But we can’t change or affect anyone unless our lives are first changed and affected by the Spirit of God. Our physical proximity, contact, and interaction when energized and amplified by the Holy Spirit is potent and profound. And that is exactly why technology will never be a substitute. What technology provides is weak and superficial, diminishing the potency of the spiritual and relational dynamic. In the Kingdom of God, less is more.

Again, I am not saying that we should discard all technology or discontinue our online efforts. I am simply pointing out the limitations of those efforts. They are fine as a supplement to our real efforts of personal (one to one or one to many) evangelism and discipleship. And if Corona has taught us anything it is that we should never devalue the potency of physical contact and proximity. We should never underestimate the importance of our daily encounters. It is the only way we will be able to truly transform this world.

We must now recognize our sensuality, repent, and change course. We have been governed by our physical senses and relied on the arm of the flesh for far too long. They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Rom. 8:14). It is time for the sons of God to arise in an age of sensuality.

[1] I could share story after story of various ministers whose books were initially rejected by these Christian publishers, i.e., until the self-published version exploded in sales and way surpassed expectations. Then, they immediately changed their tune and wanted the rights to publish the book. Since the book’s message never changed, we know it wasn’t the message that concerned them initially; it was the perceived profitability. I am not naïve in understanding that companies need to turn a profit in order to stay in business, but you are more than naïve (in actuality, you are blind) to the things of the Spirit if you don’t see anything wrong with this picture.