I read again today of when David dances before the Lord (2 Samuel 6) and was struck not by his dancing or his lack of clothing but by his response to his wife, who was disgusted by his show of emotion and movement that seemed inappropriate for a King. He told her that he will celebrate before the Lord (6:21). It reminds me of the importance of celebration in the worship experience.
I am appreciating more and more the celebration that happens within the context of our community worship. I can think back not too long ago when there was little expression of joy during worship but so much before and after in our conversation. Why should we be afraid of expressing the celebration of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
Hebrews 12:22-24 describes the gathering of worship as the "thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly." The gathering of the community for worship usually a time for celebrating who God is and what God has done. That celebration should be joy filled and at least a little noisy. We do this in other areas of our lives. Why not when it really counts - gathering in the Name of the One True God!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Do We Want God to Worship Us?
An amazing shift happens at some point on Sunday mornings at church for many people. Although they claim to come to church to worship God, they end up asking God to worship them!
"Wait, Kevin, you have gone too far. You cannot actually imply that we, as mere creatures, ask God to worship us?"
Yes I do. When we worship God we honor, love, adore and serve God, among other things. Most of the songs we sing focus in on us doing that very thing. But what we expect out of our experience is that God would (now listen carefully here to your own prayers) love us, and honor us by showing up, and serve us by doing what we ask. We have flipped worship upside down and and made ourselves the object of Sunday morning. The more we focus on ourselves as we enter into Sunday Morning community worship, the more we desire God to (careful here!) worship us. It is subtle, but very real.
I would invite you to start looking toward your community worship experience this week and prepare to worship by putting your focus on who God is, not on what you want God to do for you. It will be difficult because we have not been trained to think this way. But we are not the creator, we are the creatures. Let us worship God and not the other way around.
"Wait, Kevin, you have gone too far. You cannot actually imply that we, as mere creatures, ask God to worship us?"
Yes I do. When we worship God we honor, love, adore and serve God, among other things. Most of the songs we sing focus in on us doing that very thing. But what we expect out of our experience is that God would (now listen carefully here to your own prayers) love us, and honor us by showing up, and serve us by doing what we ask. We have flipped worship upside down and and made ourselves the object of Sunday morning. The more we focus on ourselves as we enter into Sunday Morning community worship, the more we desire God to (careful here!) worship us. It is subtle, but very real.
I would invite you to start looking toward your community worship experience this week and prepare to worship by putting your focus on who God is, not on what you want God to do for you. It will be difficult because we have not been trained to think this way. But we are not the creator, we are the creatures. Let us worship God and not the other way around.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Responding to Sin
Here's a quote that got me thinking:
“Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.” ~ Philip Yancey
Gets you thinking, doesn't it? I suppose we respond by saying that all sin is seen equally in God's eyes as it separates us from God. All sin has the same affect on an individual's relationship toward God. Coveting, stealing, lusting, murder, lying, failure to love, failure to obey Jesus and adultery all have the same result of alienating God from our lives. Of course forgiveness through the cross of Jesus heals that result.
But all sin does not have the same consequence in our relationship with others. Some sin has long lasting results. Some sins destructive actions cause what seems to be irreparable harm between people. Christians tend to look at these sins as reprehensible (and almost unforgivable except by God) and we ostracize these individuals from the fellowship. And we get angry.
We get angry because we are let down by someone.
We get angry because of the harm an action does.
We get angry because we characterize some sins as worse than others, and we don't do the "bad ones."
We get angry because we think if we would have been there to help, these actions wouldn't have happened.
Unfortunately our anger ends up being directed not toward the sin, but toward the very people who need us now more than ever, and we end up losing the opportunity to be not only the conduit of forgiveness, but the people who can help in the transformation of an individual's sinful behavior.
I rarely get angry anymore by sin. I do get very sad, though. Because when I experience another person's sin I see the Deceiver winning a battle that the Holy Spirit could win if we would allow it. I see what people could be in Christ and their sin is keeping it from happening.
And it makes me very sad.
“Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.” ~ Philip Yancey
Gets you thinking, doesn't it? I suppose we respond by saying that all sin is seen equally in God's eyes as it separates us from God. All sin has the same affect on an individual's relationship toward God. Coveting, stealing, lusting, murder, lying, failure to love, failure to obey Jesus and adultery all have the same result of alienating God from our lives. Of course forgiveness through the cross of Jesus heals that result.
But all sin does not have the same consequence in our relationship with others. Some sin has long lasting results. Some sins destructive actions cause what seems to be irreparable harm between people. Christians tend to look at these sins as reprehensible (and almost unforgivable except by God) and we ostracize these individuals from the fellowship. And we get angry.
We get angry because we are let down by someone.
We get angry because of the harm an action does.
We get angry because we characterize some sins as worse than others, and we don't do the "bad ones."
We get angry because we think if we would have been there to help, these actions wouldn't have happened.
Unfortunately our anger ends up being directed not toward the sin, but toward the very people who need us now more than ever, and we end up losing the opportunity to be not only the conduit of forgiveness, but the people who can help in the transformation of an individual's sinful behavior.
I rarely get angry anymore by sin. I do get very sad, though. Because when I experience another person's sin I see the Deceiver winning a battle that the Holy Spirit could win if we would allow it. I see what people could be in Christ and their sin is keeping it from happening.
And it makes me very sad.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
God's Challenge
Something simple today. I am being challenged. Not to a fight or one-on-one basketball. Not physically or emotionally or even intellectually. God is challenging me to think beyond what is comfortable for me in my own spiritual life, and in Judson's Ministry. This year has been far from normal and I have bounced back more slowly than I thought would happen. Satan's attacks have been constant and, honestly, I have allowed those attacks to distract me and defeat me. But God is challenging me.
It's time to move forward. It's time to live in faith and do ministry in faith. It's time to take God's risks and fight the fight of faith. God has called Judson to go beyond where it is and not to be satisfied with past actions of faith. There is a greater vision to consider than what we have settled for.
I am being challenged. So is Judson. What will we do?
It's time to move forward. It's time to live in faith and do ministry in faith. It's time to take God's risks and fight the fight of faith. God has called Judson to go beyond where it is and not to be satisfied with past actions of faith. There is a greater vision to consider than what we have settled for.
I am being challenged. So is Judson. What will we do?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Appeasing God
1 Samuel 6 tells the story of the Philistines, who had captured the ark of the covenant from Israel. They brought the Ark, which represented and maybe housed the presence of God, into the temple of their God Dagon. The next day they found their idol face down before the ark of the covenant. The next day the same thing happened and the hands and feet of their idol were severed. Over the next 7 months they moved the ark from city to city with disastrous effects on the population.
As they came upon God's judgment they decided they needed to get rid of the ark and give a guilt offering to appease Israel's God. This, for me, is an interesting response to coming face-to-face with a more powerful God than your own. Why wouldn't they recognize God as more powerful and turn toward him, instead of appease him? Why be satisfied with a lesser god? It doesn't seem to make sense, but I see it all around me.
How often do people choose they lesser "gods" instead of serving the God they actually fear? Instead of obedience to God they try to appease God, seeking some way to make God a little less angry for the time being. Once God's anger has gone away, it is back to life as normal, until the next time that God needs to be appeased.
That is a tough way to live, when we have the opportunity to live under the smile of God all the time! We don't need to appease God's anger, that has been done by Jesus on the cross! We simply need to turn toward God, the Great God, God Most High, and follow him. That has got to be easier than finding creative ways to appease God's anger until we finally send God away from us, as the Philistines did.
As they came upon God's judgment they decided they needed to get rid of the ark and give a guilt offering to appease Israel's God. This, for me, is an interesting response to coming face-to-face with a more powerful God than your own. Why wouldn't they recognize God as more powerful and turn toward him, instead of appease him? Why be satisfied with a lesser god? It doesn't seem to make sense, but I see it all around me.
How often do people choose they lesser "gods" instead of serving the God they actually fear? Instead of obedience to God they try to appease God, seeking some way to make God a little less angry for the time being. Once God's anger has gone away, it is back to life as normal, until the next time that God needs to be appeased.
That is a tough way to live, when we have the opportunity to live under the smile of God all the time! We don't need to appease God's anger, that has been done by Jesus on the cross! We simply need to turn toward God, the Great God, God Most High, and follow him. That has got to be easier than finding creative ways to appease God's anger until we finally send God away from us, as the Philistines did.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Fear
I am astonished how often we live our lives and make decisions under fear.
If Jesus lived out of fear he never would have left the Garden of Gesemane the night he was arrested, or taught forgiveness rather than law, or cleared the temple, or called the men he did to be his disciples, or went into the desert to be tempted, or even left his mother's side.
Jesus lived his life out of divine appointment and obedience to what God wanted him to do. With no fear. I'm sure he didn't look forward to some of the things he had to go through or do, but that never got in the way of obedience.
There are times that I focus more on these fears than plunging forward into the calling has for me or the church. As we take the next steps into the ministry God has for us, we do so not out of fear, but in the exciting obedience of living life in God's will. Let's live this Kingdom life together!
- We fear what others will think.
- We fear that we will fail (or make a mistake).
- We fear consequesnces.
- We fear picking the wrong people for ministry.
- We fear offending someone.
- We fear we will hear from God wrong.
- We fear every bad thing that could happen will happen.
- We even sometimes fear success.
If Jesus lived out of fear he never would have left the Garden of Gesemane the night he was arrested, or taught forgiveness rather than law, or cleared the temple, or called the men he did to be his disciples, or went into the desert to be tempted, or even left his mother's side.
Jesus lived his life out of divine appointment and obedience to what God wanted him to do. With no fear. I'm sure he didn't look forward to some of the things he had to go through or do, but that never got in the way of obedience.
There are times that I focus more on these fears than plunging forward into the calling has for me or the church. As we take the next steps into the ministry God has for us, we do so not out of fear, but in the exciting obedience of living life in God's will. Let's live this Kingdom life together!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Asking the Wrong Questions
Why do people ask the wrong questions in regards to their faith? In Luke Jesus is asked about taxes, marriage and the resurrection, authority and what will happen in the future. All the while Jesus is telling stories about people who do and don't use the gifts they were given and watching a widow give out of her poverty. Why does Jesus see what we often miss?
We are too often focused on the theoretical and theological, as opposed to the action of the Kingdom of God. We want to know what and why and how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. We seek to be talked into doing what we have been commanded to do. We need to discuss, argue and have conversation about things that have little to do with God's way of living instead of going out and living the Way of God and Kingdom of God.
We also ask why we don't have 10 talents instead of the one we are given, instead of using the one we have been given. In our jealousy or covetousness or insecurity we wonder why God does things in one place and not in another (or work through one pastor in huge ways and not in another). That's being focused on the wrong things. Maybe it is time to get back to the simplicity of using the talent we have been given until the King returns and not bury the talent or wonder why others have more.
Questions are not bad. It is how we learn. But we need to ask the right questions AND go out and live God's life. What are you focused on? That's a good question!
We are too often focused on the theoretical and theological, as opposed to the action of the Kingdom of God. We want to know what and why and how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. We seek to be talked into doing what we have been commanded to do. We need to discuss, argue and have conversation about things that have little to do with God's way of living instead of going out and living the Way of God and Kingdom of God.
We also ask why we don't have 10 talents instead of the one we are given, instead of using the one we have been given. In our jealousy or covetousness or insecurity we wonder why God does things in one place and not in another (or work through one pastor in huge ways and not in another). That's being focused on the wrong things. Maybe it is time to get back to the simplicity of using the talent we have been given until the King returns and not bury the talent or wonder why others have more.
Questions are not bad. It is how we learn. But we need to ask the right questions AND go out and live God's life. What are you focused on? That's a good question!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Now That We Believe...
As Joshua's life winds down and he completes all that god has for him, he gives last instructions to the people. To the 2 1/2 tribes that will go back to the east of the Jordon River he has these instructions:
Loving God is not about the "feeling" of love but doing loving actions toward God because we love God. It is a commitment not based solely on emotion (although emotion is included) but on a decision to love.
To walk in his ways is a way of life. To have everything in our lives be done God's Way.
To obey is simply that: to do what God tells us to do without reservation or question.
To hold fast is to cling to God so that nothing can ever pry you away form God.
To serve God is both to actively worship AND to do those practical things that benefits the Kingdom of God.
Life with God involves more than just coming to church, but is living our lives immersed in God's Way, focused on God's direction, obedient to God's Word and connected to God's heart. Now that we believe we need to go beyond church to life.
- Love the Lord your God
- Walk in all His ways
- Obey His commands
- Hold fast to Him
- Serve Him with all your heart and soul
Loving God is not about the "feeling" of love but doing loving actions toward God because we love God. It is a commitment not based solely on emotion (although emotion is included) but on a decision to love.
To walk in his ways is a way of life. To have everything in our lives be done God's Way.
To obey is simply that: to do what God tells us to do without reservation or question.
To hold fast is to cling to God so that nothing can ever pry you away form God.
To serve God is both to actively worship AND to do those practical things that benefits the Kingdom of God.
Life with God involves more than just coming to church, but is living our lives immersed in God's Way, focused on God's direction, obedient to God's Word and connected to God's heart. Now that we believe we need to go beyond church to life.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Called to Fight or Heal?
I am still reflecting upon our Men's Retreat and love the concept of the Band of Brothers. As Joshua and his band of brothers were told to not be afraid or discouraged but to stand and be courageous as they conquered (let's be honest and say ruthlessly destroyed) those who stood in their way. They charged into battle and took no prisoners as they did what God would have them do: taking the promised land where they would live.
The 72 Jesus sent out were told to deny themselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus as they went about healing the sick and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was near. If they were welcomed they would stay. If they were rejected they would shake the dust from there feet and almost condemn the people of that town.
The Clint Eastwood in me likes the Joshua way. But I know that we are not called to be Joshua. There is no promised land for us to take. Our promised land is being held in trust for us and the Holy Spirit was given partially as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
Until we received that inheritance, we need to live the Jesus' way. We must deny ourselves, being willing to give up our lives as a sacrifice for the Kingdom of God and follow the way of life Jesus has asked us to live. As we live that life, we need to be healers (physical, emotional, spiritual, etc) who proclaim the Kingdom of God. This may feel uncomfortable for some who think that God doesn't do certain things any more. But we must remember that we follow Jesus, he doesn't follow us. We put ourselves aside and follow whatever Jesus desires to do. This may be more difficult than picking up a sword and charging into the line of battle in a rush of adrenaline. Living for Jesus may be more difficult than dying for Jesus. We must be willing to do both.
Monday, August 1, 2011
What Happens in Green Lake Doesn't Stay in Green Lake
I arrived home from Green Lake and Judson' Men's Retreat about 4 hours ago and am working through everything that we experienced. Thirty-five guys worshiped, connected, played, shared, challenged one another, spent time with God and hopefully grew beyond where we were before the retreat. I appreciate each of the men who were able to come this year because each man brings something that makes the weekend powerful. Thanks guys for being my band of brothers!
I want to share some highlights with you, but you need to understand that there are some things that simply need to stay at Green lake. Some just wouldn't translate. You wouldn't get the joke or understand the conversation because you were not there. Some things cannot be shared because our retreat is a safe place for conversation and honesty. Masks are removed as we seek to meet with God and one another and we have pledged to keep those things that are said between those who were there. But let me list some things to give you a taste of our time together:
I want to share some highlights with you, but you need to understand that there are some things that simply need to stay at Green lake. Some just wouldn't translate. You wouldn't get the joke or understand the conversation because you were not there. Some things cannot be shared because our retreat is a safe place for conversation and honesty. Masks are removed as we seek to meet with God and one another and we have pledged to keep those things that are said between those who were there. But let me list some things to give you a taste of our time together:
- Worship carries us. We know that our time together is more about God than ourselves. We may not all sing on key but we know worship is a key of our time together.
- Michael Dimarco challenged us. To be "one another" puts us in reciprocal relationships. Did you know that bearing one another's burdens "fulfills the law of Christ"? (Galatians 6:2) Did you know that confessing to one another is not a Catholic ritual but a scriptural command? (James 5:16) When is the last time you outdid someone in showing honor? (Romans 12:10)
- The small group time enabled us to work through these "one another" commands and some of the guys have agreed to continue meeting when we get home.
- There were 7 generations of guys at this retreat, and the "young guns" invited the "old guys" to be in their small group. Awesome!
- God showed up!
- This retreat could be called "The Year of the Donkey," because we learned if God could use a donkey to speak what needed to be said, he could use any one of us.
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