In using the word "sensuous," I am not using the word in a carnal or bestial sense, but rather in a sensory sense. The experience of the Holy Spirit is sensuous in the sense that it is stimulating, inspiring, exciting and at times emotional. The apostle reminds us, "For the kingdom of God is ... joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

When electricity was first introduced some Frenchmen wanted to know how fast electricity moves, so the abbot of a large monastery volunteered his monks for an experiment. They lined up 1,000 monks, each holding the hand of the monk next to him. Then an electrical current was applied to the first man in line. The result was that every one of the 1,000 monks jumped into the air at precisely the same time. You could draw three conclusions from this story. Firs…