Low hype

“We’re low hype.”

Such is a common phrase of Chris Simmons, pastor of VitaChurch, the community I was involved with while living in England.

Vita is a special place. In contrast to most other Charismatic churches, it’s surprisingly lowkey. 

Chris’s tone is casual when he teaches, devoid of any of the drama common in your average Charismatic preacher. The worship songs are simple, played either by a small band or straight from the internet.

And there’s a reason for that.

When the preacher sounds like they’re in a movie and the worship like a Coldplay concert, it can be easy to mistake genuine spiritual encounters for heightened emotions. 

So, Chris keeps it “low hype” so that it’s easier to have authentic encounters with the Holy Spirit.

It’s a wise observation, especially in the context of our topic this week.

Origins of the Mountaintop

Big Christian festivals, conferences, and camps get the emotions going.

You’re in a different setting. An accomplished preacher or writer has come to teach. Worship sessions are performed from elevated stages with exceptional speakers.

The energy is positively electric.

None of this is bad by the way, but it does lend itself to a certain degree of emotionalism.

The difficulty comes when one equates these emotions to the average faith experience in daily life.

Therein lies the problem.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

I’ve seen it loads of times.

Followers of Jesus, fresh off the latest camp or conference, greatly inspired by what they experienced and learned that week.

And then, not long after, it’s back to business as usual.

This was especially true in my youth camp days.

Students poured themselves out to God, “rededicated” their lives, and made “decisions for Jesus”, only for them to either repeat the same thing next year (or disappear in the 365 days in between).

These events are special. They’re unique because they take us out of the norm. The emotions that come with them can be lovely, the experience fun and inspiring, but it’s not what we should expect out of daily life.

If that is what you expect, you’ll very quickly learn otherwise.

This can, unfortunately, cause disillusionment and discouragement, leading one to lose sight of what was gained from the camp, festival, or conference.

Thankfully, though, falling into such discouragement is avoidable. 

That’s what we’ll talk about tomorrow.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter