I'm ignorant of any knowledge of this "fooling around". Please enlighten me."
Gen. 26:8
"Abimelech king of the Philistines looking out through a window, saw him playing with Rebecca his wife"
So you think this verse says Isaac and Rebecca were having sex? Do the words "looking out", strongly implying that the King was within and Isaac and Rebecca were outside in the open, change your view of this? You think they were having a literal "role in the hay" in the open view of all?
"My Church ministers to God, not man. God ministers to man, not the Church."
Eph. 4:12 says the work of the ministry is to edify, build up the body, i.e. the church.
"in order to perfect the saints for a work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ"
The work of ministry is minstering to God, not to men. The Church is built up by bringing more men to minister to God, not by ministering to men. The only ministry to man is that of reconciliation from sin (2 Cor. 3.18-4.1, 5.18-20), so that a man might be reconciled to God and become glorified by Him by then ministering to Him. This might be called the ministry of rescuing man from himself, not the ministry of indulging man in himself, which is the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.
"Ecstasy" from the Random House Dictionary of the English Language is 1."rapturous delight. 2. an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden intense feeling...".
"Feelings! Nothing more than feelings!"
Rapturous delight and overpowering emotion involve the loss of reason and the control of the rational powers over the concupiscible appetites. The belly, emotions and generative organs gain triumph then over heart, mind and soul and race for sensitive and mental pleasures as the highest good.
Now I don't know about you but often when I sing praises to my Lord or hear His Word read or hear a testimony to God's faithfulness I have an overpowering feeling of praise and gratitude for God. Often times when I'm with my wife or thinking about her I am in this state of sudden intense love for her, overpowering at times so that when I am away I have to call her just to hear her voice. That's called prayer when I think of my Lord that way.
Intense feelings are prayer? Aren't intense feelings just intense feelings? And aren't feelings of all thing most suspect to deception by the demons of the air and the false Angel of Light?
The Pharisee had intense feelings of gratitude. "I thank thee God that I am not like other men ..." Was he praying? Our (OUR, not MY) Lord didn't think so.
Now I suppose you can go to any dictionary or lexicon to find a meaning for the word that will drain its meaning of any usefulness in worship or love, but that's what I mean by "dry, boring, scholastic exercise."
I know exactly what the word means. I'm wondering why you think it is a good thing to experience taking leave of the senses in this life.
"Do the words "looking out", strongly implying that the King was within and Isaac and Rebecca were outside in the open, change your view of this? You think they were having a literal "role in the hay" in the open view of all?"
Of course they were outside, that's what the verse says. What do you think they were playing, hopscotch? Abimelech says "look she's your wife, why did you say she's your sister". Now why would he know she was Isaac's wife if they weren't doing something husbands and wives do?
God created emotions, feelings. He wants us to worship Him with our whole being including our emotions. That is what the poetry and music of the church is for. It involves our emotional response to God, weeping and rejoicing. That does not mean you shut off reason, in fact to understand the emotional response, heightens the experience.
7 For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not subject to anger, nor given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre:
8 But given to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent:
1 But speak thou the things that become sound doctrine:
2 That the aged men be sober, chaste, prudent, sound in faith, in love, in patience.
3 The aged women, in like manner, in holy attire, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teaching well:
4 That they may teach the young women to be wise, to love their husbands, to love their children.
5 To be discreet, chaste, sober, having a care of the house, gentle, obedient to their husbands: that the word of God be not blasphemed.
6 Young men, in like manner, exhort that they be sober.
7 In all things shew thyself an example of good works, in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity,
1 Christ therefore having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sins:
2 That now he may live the rest of his time in the flesh, not after the desires of men but according to the will of God.
3 For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, for them who have walked in riotousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings and unlawful worshipping of idols.
* I guess Titus is now considerd "Up-Tight(us)" and the First Pope is just a spirit-denying grouch.