As a new follower of Jesus Jim Rayburn found legalistic “Christianity” lifeless, boring, and joyless. One day he picked up a book by Lewis Sperry Chafer called He That Is Spiritual. Chafer wrote:
“How misleading is the theory that to be spiritual one must abandon play, diversion, and helpful amusement. Such a conception is born of a morbid Christian conscience. It is foreign to the Word of God. It is a device of Satan to make the blessings of God seem abhorrent to people who are overflowing with physical life and energy. There are many who in blindness are emphasizing negatives, giving the impression that spirituality is opposed to joy, liberty, and naturalness of expression. True spirituality is not a pious pose. it is not a ‘Thou shall not,” it is a ‘Thou shall.’ We cannot be normal physically, mentally, or spiritually if we neglect this vital factor in human life. God has provided that our joy shall be full.” (In From Bondage to Liberty, 18)
