All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…  Amazed and perplexed, [the crowd] asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Acts 2:4-7, 12-13 (NIV)

The connection between theology and spirituality is like the connection between the sun and sunlight. Just as it is difficult to look directly at the sun, we do not have the capacity to fully comprehend the mystery of God, but experiencing the brightness and warmth of the sun provides sufficient evidence that God exists. In saying that, most people are less interested with what we believe about God and more interested with whether it has any real impact on our daily lives.

On the day of Pentecost when the disciples were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they were thought to be drunk. But Peter explained that they were not drunk but they were fully enthralled by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit living inside them. He went on to proclaim the gospel and three thousand people came to faith in Christ.

What we know about God and how we live it out in the world will either bring glory to God or misrepresent Him. This is why our theology and spirituality need to be grounded in Jesus. We grow and bear fruit in proportion to our knowledge and faith in Him. The early church grew because Jesus was of central importance in their communal faith and identity. Their experience of Him was neither sentimental or intellectual but firmly rooted in biblical faith and genuine love.

If there is no coherent and continuous merging of faith and reason, of theology and spirituality, of belief and praxis, we have Churchianity, not Christianity. Churchianity is spiritual junk food, whereas Christianity provides us with the magnificent feast and fellowship of Christ Himself.

Why settle for less when God desires that you have everything in Christ? Return to the gospel and rediscover your identity in Christ and reconcile your life with the truth of who you are and you have in Him.