It Blows My Mind!

I love the church.   I believe in the church.   I believe the church will survive and will continue to express Gods purpose and plans for the world. That said, it's absolutely amazing that this is true. The church is so fragmented, so divided, so eclectic and sometimes just plan dumb. Case in point;  I have a friend who planted a church over 10 years ago and has gone through some difficult times lately. People around him expressed concern for him and the Board gave him a year's sabbatical, with the purpose of him being able to rest and recoup. The problem is they have handled it just like a Board and not a community of faith. He was notified via an email of this decision and its 'requirements', a couple of which were amazing. He is not to step foot on the property, nor attend services there. I know that could be explained as not wanting him to engage.  If that was the case, don't send that in an email; dialogue with the man so he can catch your spirit. 

When I read the letter from the Board, it felt punitive and like a banishment, not an act of love and concern. It is simply not right for us not to talk to one another and meet face to face, to argue, cry, laugh;  whatever needs to happen, it needs to happen together. What it seems like to me is there are people who have issues with my friend and they don't have the courage to express those to his face, so under the cover of a Board decision, based on private discussions, edicts are handed down. 'Hey buddy we're really concerned about you and we really want to see you rest and healed up, just don't do it with us!' The the community of faith where a person is called and has ministered for over a decade, isn't the right place to fellowship, worship and experience healing. It just blows my mind......more later.

Random thoughts

I've been writing a lot of articles of late rather than things that are personal, so I thought I'd take a moment to throw out some thoughts, not all of which will be related to one another.
The Church: A place to get hurt, a place to get healed. It can be the worst experience and it can be the best experience.
Salvation: Why is it that in coming to Christ we freely and fully admit that we have 'fallen short', that we have no righteousness of our own, that we are totally dependant upon the grace and mercy of God, then we seem to spend the rest of our lives trying to prove that is no longer true. What is it about 'glorying in our weakness' that is so disgusting to us and hard for us to accept, remaining just as dependant on Christ for our sanctification as we are for our justification? Just curious.
Church Discipline: As far as I can tell there are about 4 or 5 texts that deal even remotely to this thing called 'church discipline'. Matt 18, Galatians 6, I Timothy 5, 1 Corinthians 5, with the exception of the situation in Corinthians where Paul specifically tells them to 'cast out the immoral' brother, only to have to tell them later to receive the repentant brother back, none of these hint at anything punitive. Someone somewhere coined the phrase 'church discipline', but it would be better rendered 'church punishment' according to how it's handled. Hmmm this deserves a whole blog........but, I do think it's curious that we NEVER see a Pastor/Leader/Elder 'disciplined for pride, greed, gossip, malicious talk or selfish ambition, plenty of which is on display throughout the church today, I'm pretty sure the Bible clearly describes these as sins that are grievous and harmful, way are these left off the list of offenses that are commonly 'disciplined'? Just curious.....oh well that's all for now....the old guys tired.

Worship as a way of life

In the past I have written about the ‘essence of worship’, that is the fundamental substance of worship, what the ingredients are that make worship,worship.

I proposed that faith, truth and intimacy are absolutely necessary to our worship experience. The fact is worship is a subject that volumes have been written about. When I began leading and teaching on worship in the late 70’s there was very little written about the popular style of worship that has now emerged and is sweeping the earth. Today it’s virtually become and industry and without a doubt has been commercialized. I’m not going to address that in this column, my point is worship is an area that has captured the attention and interest of millions and can be explored extensively.

Therefore, any column, article, book or message given on the subject to one degree or another will fail to address all the issues related to this subject. I lay all this out as a backdrop to my column on ‘Worship As A Way Of Life’, I confess up front I’m just scratching the surface and in no way can exhaust the subject here, that said hopefully it will serve to encourage you and edify your worship life and experience.

Over the past three decades, worship has become a very hot topic and an area that has emerged as an essential part of almost every expression of our faith. Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, you name it in almost every case ‘modern’, ‘contemporary’, ‘emergent’ worship has taken root and has influenced the way we ‘do church’. Churches look different and sound different than they did 30 years ago and in my opinion it’s for the better. All of the afore mentioned points to the outward expressions of worship. But more important than what is happening on the outside is what is happening inside. It is essential that our outward expressions be consistent with an inward reality. We know that Jesus said ‘we must worship in spirit and truth’, (Jo.4:24) in rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus said, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain: their teachings are but rules made by men” (Matt. 15:8)

What is expressed in worship outwardly must be heart connected. If not, we can bow low, dance, lift our hands and it is nothing more than a religious exercise.

Worship as a way of life is expressed in the person who cares more about what God desires than what people think.

The ultimate expression of worship is the life that is fully devoted to the will of God. When we seek justice, stand in defense of the defenseless, care for the poor, minister to the imprisoned, care for and protect our children, we are expressing worship at the highest level. When we do this worship has goes from reciting liturgy, singing songs and looking into God’s word, to being responsive to his Word and obeying His commands. True worship and devotion affects everything and goes beyond the confines of our ‘worship services’, service flows from worship.

When we gather for worship we should experience the power and presence of God, having our hearts warmed and our lives filled. From this fullness we freely and generously give out of the abundance that has been given us, that all may worship and give God glory.

Worship and Expectancy

In his classic book, A Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster states:

“To worship is to experience reality, to touch life. It is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community. It is to break into the Shekinah off God, or better yet, being invaded by the Shekinah of God.”

That’s some pretty profound stuff! First of all let me define Shekinah. Shekinah denotes the presence of God, as opposed to a God who is abstract, aloof or virtually theoretical.

It would be my educated guess that for the majority of us who gather together on a regular bases to worship, there would be a lack of focus and expectancy when we come to worship. The process of getting the family ready for church alone is enough to knock us off balance and keep us from entering into worship with a faith filled heart.

I think it would be safe to say that virtually everything in life conspires against an ability to rest in Christ, to sit at His feet, to depend on Him for everything. It is easy for us to be distracted, lacking focus.

How often do we get up on a Sunday morning and feel an excitement and anticipation regarding the worship service? How often do we realize that in the gathering of the community of faith there is the promise of God’s presence and its power touch and transform our lives? We all know that having a quiet time or devotional time is an important part of our walk with God. But it is in the gathering together with others that Jesus promises to be in our midst. Jesus said ‘Where two or more are gather in my name, there I will be in the midst of them.’ So every time we gather together with other believers we have the promise of the presence of God. I think that experience is intensified when we gather together to praise and worship God in the corporate gatherings. Singing songs and lifting our hearts to God in faith. There is something very special when we gather corporately, the dynamic is different.

The dynamic changes even more when we gather with expectancy, with faith, believing that God rewards those who seek him. The Bible says, ‘Without faith it’s impossible to please God.’ Conversely if we gather with faith we can be assured that God is pleased. How incredible is that, that we can be pleasing to God in our worship.

The truth is when we gather to worship; we disengage from the reality of this world and its cares and burdens, allowing us to engage with the reality of God and His kingdom.

I would encourage you to come to worship with expectancy, ready to meet with God, ready to bless Him. In doing so I believe you will truly be blessed.