The God Who Exalts God

As Christians, we should be selfless followers of a self-centered God. God exalts God. "If this rubs us wrong in any way, we should ask, 'Who else would we have Him exalt?' For at the very moment God exalts anyone or anything else, He is no longer the God who is worthy of all exaltation." The problem is that we get this backwards sometimes. We tend to be self-centered followers of a selfless God. "We organize our churches as if God exists to meet our needs, cater to our comforts, and appeal to our preferences."

The problem is that we have the wrong vision of what the church should be. People walk in to our churches, we hand them a latte, send their kids to our programs, and tell them to make themselves comfortable. But this is not Christ's mission for the church. Christ's mission for the church is simple, and it should be His mission that drives our vision. Our mission is to make the glory of God known to all nations. "This preferred future or visual destination must drive us because this is what drives God." "What happens when our primary aim is not to make the crowds feel comfortable but to exalt God in all His glory? Suddenly our priorities begin to change. More than you and I want people to be impressed by the stuff we can manufacture, we want them to be amazed by the God they cannot fathom. More than we want to dazzle them with our production, we want to direct them to His praise." Our goal is to "raise up people who are so awed, so captivated, so mesmerized by the glory of God that they will gladly lose their lattes-and their lives-to make His greatness known in the world."

But how will we accomplish all of this? The simple answer is that WE won't, God will. Only through the power of God will all the nations of the world be reached. And the way that we as followers tap into the power of God is through prayer. "Prayer is one of the primary demonstrations of our selflessness and God's self-centeredness." Think about it, we are praying that God will accomplish things that we cannot do on our own. "So we express our dependence upon God in prayer, and He delights in showing His glory by giving us everything we need for the accomplishment of His purpose. Through prayer, God gives grace to us in such a way that He receives glory for Himself. Prayer is a nonnegotiable priority for selfless followers of a self-centered God." As you look through the book of Acts, prayer was central, not supplemental, to the church. In fact, every major breakthrough that the church had came as a direct result of the prayers that they prayed. Why do we think we are different? They knew that in order for God's plan to come to fruition, prayer was essential.

Truthfully, we don't need prayer to "do church." The point of prayer isn't to carry on business as usual. We can do what we've always done, and carry on all by ourselves. But if we want to make disciples of all nations, there is going to be a battle. And if there is going to be a battle, we need prayer. I echo David Platt when he says, "I want to be part of a people who are giving God no rest from our praying and seeking after Him. I want to be part of a people who are calling on the Lord day and night, refusing to leave God alone because we hunger for God's Word in our lives and God's power in His church and God's glory in all nations. I want to give God no rest until we experience the power and the presence of God that we see in the church in Acts."

"Do you and I want to see the power of God raining down on His church in inexplicable ways? Do you and I want to see the justice of God restored in His church so that we stop ignoring the poverty, disease, starvation, and sickness that are rampant around us? Do you and I want to see the love of God rescuing sinners from all walks of life and redeeming His children from very nation, tribe, tongue, and people? Then let us give God no rest from our praising, confessing, and interceding, and let us watch Him unleash His people in His church for His purpose in the world."

Our goal is the same as God's goal: to take the gospel to all nations. So let's join together as selfless followers of a self-centered God, we've got work to do.

Enjoy the Journey

Our Unmistakeable Task

Could it be that we have missed the point? Could it be that we have gone to church our whole lives in giant buildings built for the glory of God and never really understood the mission He has called us to? "Is it really possible to have all the trappings of the church and yet miss the heart of Christ? Is it possible for church people to be so focused on personal comforts and so fearful of the potential cost that they virtually forget the purpose of God among all the peoples of the world?" To seriously engage the people of the world with the gospel will be uncomfortable and costly. But what if we were willing to take risks? What if we were willing to change our lifestyles in order to make it happen? What if our church was willing to sacrifice its resources to make the gospel accessible to those who had never heard it? What do you think would happen?

Jesus would come back. Don't believe me? Check out Matthew 24:14. It says, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Seems pretty clear to me. We can debate about the meaning of 'all nations' if we want to, but the truth remains. Christ is not coming back until all the people of the world have heard the gospel. We have to understand that Jesus didn't just command us to go to our friends (although most of us aren't even doing that!). He commanded us to make disciples of all nations!

Mission leaders around the world say that a people group is unreached if less than 2 percent of the population is made up of Christians. If that is true, it is very likely that you will be born, live, and die without ever hearing the gospel. Out of more than 11,000 people groups in the world, more than 6,000 are still unreached! What are we doing with our time? Just to be clear, Jesus might define 'reached' people differently than we do, and He could come back at any moment. No one knows when He will come back. But consider what George Ladd has to say:

"God alone knows the definition of terms. I cannot precisely define who 'all the nations' are. Only God knows exactly the
meaning of 'evangelize.' He alone...will know when that objective has been accomplished. But I do not need to know. I know
only one thing: Christ has not yet returned; therefore the task is not yet done. When it is done, Christ will come. Our
responsibility is not to insist on defining the terms of our task; our responsibility is to complete it. So long as Christ does not
return, our work is undone. Let us get busy and complete our mission."

So the question we have to answer is do we want Jesus to come back? Do we want the end to come? Make no mistake about it, this is going to be hard work! People groups aren't unreached because we don't have the resources. "They are unreached because they are hard to reach and we haven't had the resolve to get them the gospel. Any Christian and any church desiring to obey the command of Christ in the world and longing to see the coming of Christ at the end of the world must possess a God-centered, gospel-driven tenacity that is ready to endure an intense spiritual battle." The stakes are high. God wants to see everyone come to Christ. Satan wants to see everyone go to hell.

Satan will use anything he can to distract us from our mission to reach the world for Christ. Even our own churches. Is it possible that we are ignoring the nations in order to build up our church in Clearwater? If we only focus on engaging people in our community we can easily become blinded to those around the world who are dying without Jesus. When that happens, we are not fulfilling our mission to reach all nations are we? When this changes, and we as a church make it our mission to bring Christ to the nations, we can expect a full on attack from Satan. But we need not fear, for we will overcome him by the blood of the Lamb.

So am I saying that we shouldn't witness to people in Clearwater? No! Not even a little bit! However, "If our goal is all nations, then our strategy cannot be defined by what will best reach people within ten miles of our church building. If our goal is all nations, then our strategy must always revolve around what will best reach people who are ten thousand miles from our building." That doesn't mean that we don't witness to people here in Clearwater. It is vitally important that we reach our friends, neighbors, families, and coworkers for Christ. As we reach them, we must be teaching and training them to not only reach their friends, but to go to all nations to spread the gospel! It is not an either/or thing. It is a both/and thing.

We do not have to choose between local impact and global impact. The two should go hand in hand. "If we are faithful to Jesus' command in the Great Commission, we will always be living and longing for the spread of the gospel to all people groups." True disciple making will have an impact on all nations with the gospel. That is why I am becoming more and more a proponent of short term mission trips. Now I am not talking about the trips where you spend 6 days sight seeing and drinking lemonade and 1 day handing out water bottles so you can feel good about yourself. Disciple making is a long-term and difficult thing, so I love mission trips where we partner with missionaries who are intentionally making disciples where they are, and where our service can help move along their disciple making process exponentially! When this happens, we aren't just helping them, but we grow together in Christ. If you have been on a trip like this you can testify that what I am about to say is true: Your time overseas will transform your time across the street. You will come back a different person, with different ideas about what is and what is not important.

It is time to get on board with the plan of God-"penetrating every nation with the gospel-and He has promised to bless it!" We have been blessed to live in a place where we have heard the gospel. God "has called, commissioned, and commanded each of us as Christians to give ourselves to the spread of His gospel in every part of the earth." You want Jesus to come back? Prove it.

Enjoy the Journey

The Genius of Wrong

So many of us have a wrong view of what the church is and should be. We see it as "a performance at a place filled with programs run by professionals. The problem, though, is the one p we have left out of the equation: the people of God." The church was never intended to be a place where you brought people so that they could be taught by professionals about God and be saved. "What if the church itself-the people of God gathered in one place-is intended to be the attraction, regardless of who is teaching or singing that day? This is enough for our brothers and sisters around the world. But is it enough for us?"

I have found myself recently doing more and more of my ministry outside of the walls of our building. I have been having church all over the city! This is not surprising because "when the church is fundamentally a gathering of committed people, the place where the church gathers hardly matters." Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with having a building, but it is worth noting that "there's nothing in the New Testament that says we should construct church buildings. So whenever we plant a church or whenever a church starts to grow, why is the first thing we think, 'we need to spend masses of our resources on a building?' Why would we spend an inordinate amount of our resources on something that is never prescribed or even encouraged in the New Testament?" Just a thought. When Jesus died, He made it possible for us to come before the throne of God anywhere. So where should the house of worship be? Inside you! You are now the temple of God!

This has massive implications on how we live our lives and how we do ministry. What would happen if we took the time we spend inside this building doing ministry related things and allowed that ministry to happen outside this building, in the streets and homes of our neighbors and unchristian friends? "Who can fathom the potential of the church when we stop programming ministry for people and start propelling people into ministry?"

You see the ministry of making disciples was not just intended for professional 'pastors' and leaders. It was intended for everyone who calls themselves Christians. "All men and women who have placed their faith in Christ have the Spirit in them so they might be witnesses for Christ to the ends of the earth."

"Let us not, then, be so foolish as to confine the work of the Spirit to one professional, speaking in one place, at one time of the week. Let us not be so unwise as to bank the spread of the gospel on a certain person at a certain place when all week long the Spirit of God is living in every single man and woman of God, empowering each of us to advance the kingdom of God for His glory." Yes God has called leaders to lead the church. But the job of leaders within the church is not to save your friends. The job of leaders in the church is to prepare God's people for ministry and works of service in the Kingdom! "If we want to multiply the gospel from our faith family to all the families of the earth, it will require not just a pastor or church staff but the entire body of Christ built up in love 'as each part does its work.'"

Before Jesus went to heaven, He gave a simple command. Make disciples. "Do with others what I have done with you, Jesus had said. Don't sit in a classroom; share your lives. This is the simple command that was to drive the church. And this is the simple command that is to drive each of our lives."

"Regardless of your place in the church, remember that you are not intended to be sidelined in the Kingdom of God. You may at times feel like the wrong person, thinking you are not gifted enough, smart enough, talented enough, or qualified enough to engage in effective ministry. This is simply not true. You have the Word of God before you, the Spirit of God in you, and the command of God to you: make disciples of all nations. So whether you are a businessman or a businesswoman, a lawyer or a doctor, on-the-go professional or an on-the-go stay-at-home mom, I implore you to ask God to make your life count where you live for the spread of the gospel and the declaration of His glory to the ends of the earth."

"We will never have enough resources, staff, buildings, events, or activities to reach all the people in our community, much less all the peoples in the world. But we will always have enough people. Even if they seem like the wrong people." The plan of God is not meant for a select few professionals. "The plan of God is for every person among the people of God to count for the advancement of the Kingdom of God."

Enjoy the Journey

God is Saying Something

Most of us have thought at some point in our lives that we wish God would just say something. We wish that He would just tell us what He wants. We wish He would give us a word. So we rack our brains and try to come up with an "inspired idea" that will give us some direction in our lives or in the life of our church. But "we don't have to work to come up with a word from God; we simply have to trust the Word He has already given us. When we do, the Word of God will accomplish the work of God among the people of God." We have to remember that our life and leadership in the church is not dependent on our experience or intelligence. It is dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit and our trust in the truth of God's word. We cannot save the church in our own power, it was never our job to do so. Instead we need to pray this prayer, "Lord, let me make a difference for You that is utterly disproportionate to who I am."

In many of our lives and in many of our churches, we rely on human words of wisdom to set our direction. When mere humans set the course, we won't get anywhere. "When we unchain the power of God's Word in the church, it will unleash the potential of God's people in the world." So God's word must be central in our lives and in our church if we want to make His glory known to the world.

We need to understand that "God has given us everything we need in the Word we have" and we need to stop looking everywhere else for answers! I am aware God didn't address a time limit for how long you should watch tv or play computer games in the Bible. I am also aware that He didn't specify how much you should be setting aside for your 401k. The purpose of the Bible was not give us specific guidelines on how to live our lives in the 21st Century United States. "The purpose of God's word is to transform people in every country and every century into the image of Jesus. The Bible is sufficient to accomplish this task, and God knows this is what people need most." When our lives look like Christ's, the rest will fall into place.

"The Bible is in our hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but will also walk with them through those situations." That should take the pressure off of us as followers of Christ. We don't have to have all the answers!

Everything we do in our lives and in our church we should do for the glory of God. But we must understand something: just because we do it for His glory doesn't mean that He will bless it. That doesn't mean that He won't, but we can't be offended if He does not. "There is only one thing God has promised to bless, and that is His plan. He has given us His plan in His word, and if we want the blessing of God, then we don't need to come up with something else. Instead, we need to align with the plan He has already promised to bless." The question we must ask before we begin a task is this: "Is this the BEST way to align with the plan Jesus has laid before us?"

If what we are doing does align with His plan, we can rest assured that He will bless it. That being said, "the blessing of God does not mean acceptance by the world." It also doesn't mean instant success and sweeping revival in our churches. "The challenge for church members and leaders alike is to faithfully hold fast to God's Word, trusting that ultimately God will use it to accomplish His intended, eternal, global purpose."

The Bible is perfect and all sufficient. "You and I can trust this Word. It forms and fulfills, motivates and mobilizes, equips and empowers, leads and directs the people of God in the church for the plan of God in the world. This won't automatically make everything easy in the church. But as long as Christians together are prayerfully and humbly asking what the plan of God is in His word for His people and are abandoning our lives to it, we will be unleashing a radical people."

Enjoy the Journey

The Gospel Misunderstood

Some people think that work has everything to do with salvation, others think it has nothing to do with it. "Both are confused. Both are wrong. And until they get a right understanding of the gospel, they will never be a part of accomplishing the purpose of God." Some are prone to think, "I need to do more for God. I need to sell this possession and make this pledge in order to be right before God. Guilt will motivate their obedience, and action will be their obligation." If this is you, please hear this: You will never be radical enough. There is nothing you can DO to be accepted by God, and that is the good news of the gospel, it doesn't matter. Because God loves us so much, He sent Jesus to live a perfect life and give that life for us so that we can be made right with God. "The starting point of your radical life is your radical death-death to yourself and death to your every attempt to do enough before God."

I believe that with all my heart. My problem comes when so many of us use that as an excuse to not live out the faith we claim to have in Jesus. Scripture says that faith without works is dead. But I think we need to take a minute and figure out what 'works' we are talking about here. Over and over again throughout the scripture people are condemned for trying to earn their salvation through works. This is not what we are talking about, and that is not what James is talking about in his book of the Bible either. He (and we) are talking about "actions fueled by faith that bring great glory to God. Things such as "love for the needy, mercy for the poor, and care for the suffering that flow from faith in Christ." The truth of the matter is that "so-called faith without acts prompted by faith is a farce. Real faith always creates fruit."

The difference between the two kinds of works is that one is fueled by flesh in an attempt to earn a good standing with God, while the other is fueled by faith in order to bring glory to God. We should want to bring glory to God at every opportunity, after all He saved us even though there was nothing we could do to earn it! Therefore we do not work for God out of a sense of guilt, we have been declared not guilty before Him! We work for God out of a sense of gratitude and love. "We live sacrificially, not because we feel guilty, but because we have been loved greatly and now find satisfaction in sacrificial love for others. We live radically, not because we have to, but because we want to."

So we must avoid becoming a church of people who are constantly trying to earn their salvation through works motivated by guilt. We must also avoid becoming a church of people who defend the gospel but don't demonstrate it.

Enjoy the Journey

Tyranny of the Good (from Radical Together by David Platt)

"I spend so much time in church doing good church things that I don't have time to spread the gospel?" Can you relate? When I say good church things I'm not being sarcastic at all. We can easily fill up our schedules with things that are good in and of themselves. The problem arises when we realize that we don't have time to do what we are called to do (bring people to Jesus) because we are spending too much time at picnics, worship team rehearsals, and youth group parties! Are any of those things bad? I certainly hope not! But "the last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity-being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God." That is why as David Platt says in his book 'Radical Together,' "one of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in church." We can very easily trick ourselves into thinking that just because we are in the church building we are advancing the kingdom of God. However dedication to church programs does not equal devotion to God's kingdom.

That is why we have to take a good long look at our lives and answer this question: "Am I willing to put everything that I am doing on the table and figure out if these are the best ways I can use my life for God?" Are you willing to say to God, "I will do whatever You want, I will drop whatever You command, I will eliminate whatever is not best, and I will add whatever is necessary in order to make your glory known in the world around me, no matter what it costs me?" This is a hard process. It is hard because we can justify anything. I am really good at it. Knowing this, we have to avoid questions like, 'what is wrong with doing this?' We have to avoid this question because we've already established that the things we are doing in and of themselves are good things! The question we must ask is "Are these programs and activities the best way to spend our time, money, and energy for the spread of the gospel in our neighborhood and in all nations?"

I know this is hard. It is hard because it will require us to take an honest look at our lives and make some changes that we don't really want to make. Changes that will impact our lifestyle. The things that we are involved in (for the most part) are good things! They may even be things that we have been doing for many years now. That is why it is hard to let go of them. But if we are honest, we know that "if we want to unleash the people of God in the church for the glory of God in the world, we need to let go of some good things." God is calling us to what is best so that people can come to know Him. Are you ready to let go?

Enjoy the Journey

The Sound of Sheer Silence

Silence is not something we are good at. We sleep with the TV on, the radio is always on in the car, and iTunes is constantly at work. Have you ever walked into a store and noticed that there is no music playing in the background? It is really uncomfortable! Why is that? It is because we are not good at silence. It is a rare moment in our lives when we let silence completely envelop us, but I'm guessing you remember those moments. It is often in those moments when we feel closest to God. For one thing we can hear Him more clearly when there are not 100 other things to drown Him out. Bill Hybels asks this question: "Is the ambient noise level of my life low enough for me to hear the whispers of the Lord?"

But some of us just can't keep quiet for anything. Maybe it is because we aren't spending enough time in the presence of God. Andrew Murray says, "The very thought of God in His majesty and holiness should silence us."

I know it is easier said than done. "There is so much to see and hear in this busy and media-flooded world of satellite television, home cinema and the internet. We need seasons of the soul in which we somehow find space away from the noises of everyday life and still our heart to perceive the intimate whispers of God." Why do you think people go on retreats into the woods or to a remote beach house? Is it because they hate indoor plumbing? I suppose some might. But for most people it is because they need to get away to 'clear their heads.' They will scale a mountain just to see the view. From the top they see things clearly, things they have never seen before. There is a reason they say it is breathtaking. It is because words won't do it justice, so the appropriate thing to do is keep quiet. They need time to sit in the silence and hear what God is saying to them. Many times people come back from retreats like that passionate about the calling God is placing in their lives. Why? Because they have taken the time to listen!

We need "to find moments and places where we may rise above the noise of twenty-first-century life and give ourselves space for reflection. As a general rule, too much time spend watching television or playing video games will not help us climb higher. If we want to scale greater heights and see further into God, we must find moments when we ascend above every distraction and find an unobstructed view of Him."

Enjoy the Journey

Worship with a Price

When we see Christ for who He is, it demands a response from us. This response is so much more than just, 'hey that guys is pretty great!' It demands sacrifice on our part. When we see Christ, we gladly give Him all we have. We see this picture in Genesis when Abraham goes to sacrifice Isaac on the alter. Most of us have thought about how hard it must have been and how much faith it took for Abraham to take his only son, his son that God promised him, and sacrifice him. But when was the last time you took a look at Isaac's question when they got to the top of the mountain? He says, "The fire and the wood are here...but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" "In other words, 'Everything seems like it's in place, but where's the sacrifice?' That is always a key question when it comes to real and meaningful worship."

Worship always comes with a price. It requires us to give up ourselves and give all we have to God, otherwise we aren't really worshipping. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that we should be miserable during worship, in fact giving glory to God should be a joyous time! But I am saying that "there must be times in our worship services when we cease to say, 'Please give me more' and we start to say, 'It's time I gave You more.'"

Worship should propel us to action. We have a mission to accomplish! "The call on all of our lives is to journey beyond melodies and harmonies, beyond lyrics and poetry." While these are great tools of worship, we can't let our worship stop there. Worship is much more than the strumming of a guitar, the playing of an organ, or the singing of a choir. In 2 Samuel 24:24 David says that he will not sacrifice that which costs him nothing, and neither should we!

Christ's call on our lives is to "live a radical life of love and service-a life that leads to many costly acts of devotion, a life of intimacy with guts, passion with perseverance." William Barclay writes of the brothers James and John: "So then, both of the brothers drank the cup of Christ. Let us see what that cup was. John went to Ephesus; he lived for almost a hundred years; and died in peace full of years and honor. James's life was short, and came to an end swiftly and suddenly through martyrdom by the sword-and yet both drank the cup of Christ. There is a Roman coin, which has as its inscription the picture of an ox facing an altar and a plough, with the words: 'Ready for either.' The ox must be ready for the dramatic sacrifice of the altar or the long routine of the plough. The Christian who dies in one heroic moment, and the Christian who lives a long life of fidelity to Christ both drink the cup of Christ. The Christian...must be ready for either."

My question for you is are you ready for either? What is your worship costing you? Are you living a radical life of love and service? Abi and I just got back from Honduras where the Christians there live a radical life of love and service. They don't even have running water because the Catholic Church shut it off because they don't like the mission of the church in Honduras! You want to talk about what worship costs? It may cost you running water! It may put you in the path of people dealing with death, and it may put you in the lives of your neighbors that you don't really like. Our mission is to spread the love of Christ in every arena, and we can't do that without it costing us something.

"The most meaningful and powerful worship always comes at a price-the whole of our lives placed on His altar." What does worship cost? Everything.

Enjoy the Journey

The Whole Christ

Many of us get stuck on one aspect of Christ, and that limits our worship of Him. Some like to focus on the mighty king, some on the gentle shepherd. Some focus on the conquering hero, some on the sacrificial lamb. To focus on only one aspect of who Jesus is makes our worship of Him too small. "Christian worship must contain both the cross and the crown." If we take a look at what the Bible says He is like we will find that our idea of who Christ is begins to expand rapidly.

"He is the light, the way, the truth and the life. He is the Word made flesh, Immanuel...God with us. He is the hope of glory, the Good Shepherd of our soul. When we start paying more attention to some of the names of Jesus, the eyes of our hearts are opened to an even deeper realization of His wonders."

We could do this all day. Words cannot express all that is Jesus. Many times we think that Jesus is just in the New Testament, but don't forget to look for Him in the Old Testament too!

"In Genesis Jesus is the Ram at Abraham's altar. In Exodus He's the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus He's the High Priest...In Job He's our Redeemer that ever lives. In Psalms He is my Shepherd and I shall not want...In Isaiah He's the Suffering Servant...And in Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace...In Zechariah He is our fountain. And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness with Healing in His wings...In 1st Corinthians our Resurrection. In 2nd Corinthians our Sin Bearer...In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians He is our Soon Coming King...In Titus He is our Blessed Hope...and in Revelation, lift up your eyes, church for your redemption draws near, He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords."

We worship a Savior King, a Sacrificial Lamb who will reign on high for all eternity. We would do well to never forget it.

Enjoy the Journey

Mysteries So Bright

"The God we worship is clothed in mystery. He reveals and He conceals. He invites and He hides. He confounds and He confides. The God who rests but never sleeps. Who thunders and whispers, terrifies and befriends. Whose anger lasts only a moment, but whose favor lasts a lifetime. Who is all-consuming yet kind, all-knowing yet capable for forgetting the sins He forgives. The God who wounds and binds up, who injures and who heals. The King whose footstool is the Earth, yet humbly washed the earth from the feet of those He discipled. Who reigns in righteousness yet carried our shamefulness. Who walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day, yet sweated drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane one agonizing night. The God of the smallest detail and the grandest design, who issued ornate designs for an extravagant temple yet found pleasure in the humblest offering of a widow's two tiny coins there. The suffering servant who commands the universe. The sinless friend of sinners. The Savior who hung in agony on beams of wood He Himself had called into being. He is fearsome yet welcoming, unfathomable yet knowable. The God of kings and beggars, presidents and paupers. Who fathers the fatherless and works through our weakness. Burning with holiness, yet refreshingly graceful. He who is worshipped by the multitudes of heaven yet rejoices over a single returning heart. Perfect in every way yet able to help those who are being tempted. He who is faithful even to the faithless, for He cannot disown Himself. This is the God we worship-the God of all mystery."

A.W. Tozer says, "No one who knows Him intimately can ever be flippant in His presence." Are you in awe?

Enjoy the Journey

The Otherness of God

God is not like anyone or anything else in the universe. He is matchless, unique, and nothing or no one even comes close. It can become easy for us to lose sight of this today. Even in our churches we do roughly the same thing every week (give or take a few songs). We can easily lose sight of Who we are here for. We can take an extraordinary God and manage to make Him sound completely ordinary! That must be really frustrating for God! God defends His awesomeness throughout the scripture. He will "not be diluted, dumbed down or patronized. He rebukes worshippers in Psalm 50: 'You thought I was altogether like you.' But He is not like one of us. He is utterly incomparable-beyond the furthest horizon of our imaginations."

Sometimes our view of God vs the reality of God can be like a goldfish in a bowl vs the creatures of the deep. A goldfish can swim around and say hi to Scuba Steve before it whacks its face on the side of the bowl (again). A wild fish in the deep is untamed, mesmerizing in beauty. Sometimes we portray God as domesticated, but He is far from that! We will never be able to fully declare how awesome our God is, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try!

When it comes down to it, God knows that He is awesome. He doesn't need you or me to tell Him. What do we have to offer God anyway? "We cannot even offer a simple song of praise without using the breath God first gave to us." Talk about dependence. God does not depend on us, we are totally dependent on God. That being said, "one of the biggest mistakes a person can make in life is to think that God owes him or her something. It destroys faith and insults the sovereignty of God." God doesn't owe us anything, we owe Him everything. But the beauty of our relationship with God is that even though He doesn't need our worship, He loves it! He loves it so much that He paid the ultimate price for it, He gave up His Son's life so that we could be in His presence to worship Him! Is it arrogant for God to love worship? J.I. Packer puts it this way: "If it is right for man to have the glory of God as his goal, can it be wrong for God to have the same goal? If man can have no higher purpose than God's glory, how can God? The reason it cannot be right for man to live for himself, as if he were God, is because he is not God. However, it cannot be wrong for God to seek His own glory, simply because He is God." Did you catch that? Basically we have the same goal God does, to give God glory! It isn't arrogant for the greatest ever to be acknowledged as the greatest ever. He isn't like a boxer who will eventually get old and have someone else take His place. No, "He will never give up His title or yield His supremacy. He is untouchable, invincible and eternally glorious."

We need to step up our reverence for God. It needs to find its way into the tiniest details of our lives. How are you showing reverence for God in your life? How can you show more? He deserves it. He expects it.

Enjoy the Journey

Facedown

It seems like I've been having many conversations about postures in worship lately. What is appropriate and what isn't? I think it can be summed up pretty simply by just saying that "when it comes to expressing our worship, what we do on the outside is a key reflection of what is taking place on the inside." I don't think that there are a set of "moves" that we need to learn to worship God. We should react in the way that we feel lead to react. If that means raising your hands or falling facedown, follow the Spirit's lead. We do see many more people raise their hands then fall facedown don't we? Maybe it is just because of the way we set up the rooms we "worship" in, but maybe it is because we really don't comprehend that we are coming into the presence of God. Throughout scripture when people come into the presence of God, they fall on their face! Ezekiel, Daniel, Peter, James, John, the elders in Revelation, this list goes on and on. Why the reaction? Because they understand one thing, "when it comes to worship, the throne sets the tone." When you fully grasp that you are in the presence of the Almighty God of the universe, there is only one response.

Falling facedown isn't just something that people who love God do. When the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines, they put it in the temple of their false god Dagon. The next morning when they came in, the statue of Dagon was lying facedown before the Ark! They didn't get the message, so they put the statue back in it's place. The next morning they came in and it was facedown before the Ark again, but this time it had it's head and hands broken off! Seriously, if you find that your god is bowed down to God, you might want to rethink who you worship!

The presence of God is both exciting and terrifying. In Leviticus the glory of the Lord appeared and fire came out from His presence. The people responded with shouts of joy and they fell facedown! Again I can't help but notice that we have the shouting down but we really don't spend a lot of tine facedown these days. Sometimes it can be pretty wise to humble yourself this way before God. The truth of the matter is that one day everyone will find themselves facedown before God. When Christ returns no one will have a choice! We should choose to lie down before it becomes impossible to stand up! On that day everyone will confess that Jesus is Lord and it will be impossible to stand before Him.

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Skilled and Authentic

I've seen amazing performances of "religious" songs in which the musicians couldn't care less about God. It was just another song to sing or play. But they were amazing, it gives me chills. I've also seen well intentioned people sing or play things that made my skin crawl, but they were genuine and their love for God was evident. As worship leaders, we need to strive to be a mix of these two kinds of people. God wants us to play skillfully, but He wants our hearts as well! An addiction to skill can quickly become an idol. It is easy to worship at the alter of rehearsal. Reggie Kidd wrote this: "In some churches the quest for 'excellence' is an idol, regardless of whether 'excellence' is defined by standards of so-called 'classical' culture or of 'pop' culture. Such 'excellentism' needs to be replaced with the quest to purse the likeness of Christ crucified and Him alone. As good as it gets this side of Christ's return, we're never going to get it completely right. There will always be a flat tenor, a broken guitar string, an overly loud organ, or a poorly placed hymn. But it's okay. The cross means we're covered."

All of that being said, God commends musical excellence. He wants us to use that excellence to focus people's attention on Him and His wondrous acts. Our goal should be to play in such a way as to add to, not distract from the worship we are leading. Sometimes that means that we won't play as many notes, sometimes it means that we won't play at all. "Musical excellence, understood correctly, is a worthy pursuit. But like all idols, it makes a terrible god."

Some people think that you can't lead and worship at the same time. It has been said that we should 'sacrifice our worship' for the sake of those we lead. I don't believe this. Congregational worship involves everyone, including those who lead it! That is where the skill comes in, we should be skilled enough to be able to direct people and still worship God ourselves. "Effective leadership and worshiping God are two sides of the same coin."

Clearly in worship, especially in our situation, we don't all play or sing the same amount of songs. The important thing to remember is that we need to play the songs we play to the very best of our abilities because they are part of our worship to God. We need to understand that our "gifts are from God, that gifts are different, and that they're all for God's glory." When we do, we will have an easier time understand why we don't all play or sing as often as someone else. "As we encourage and help people serve with 'the measure of faith God has assigned,' they'll be able to do so with joy, no matter what, where, or how."

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Rooted and Relevant

What does it mean to be rooted? In short, it means to know where you came from. We are not the first generation of people who have worshiped God through music, and we won't be the last either. We are at a unique time in history, where change is extremely rapid, but all of our technology doesn't change the gospel or our need to be humble. Some of us didn't grow up singing the classic hymns, in fact some of us are quite new to the faith. The hymns are full of rich theology and those of us who know them should be willing to gracisouly teach them to those that do not. They cover a broad range of topics that some of the songs written in the last twenty years just don't address, and that is not surprising given the fact that the hymns have been written over hundreds of years and the best of the best are still sung today! The reason we still use traditions such as hymns is that it shows that we follow in a long line of worshipers who have desired to bring glory to God just as we do. "That doesn't mean that hymn melodies are sacred, are the best they could ever be, or should never be altered. Most hymns were written as text without music. They were joined to various tunes until one became more popular than all the others. But we're just plain arrogant when we think that all the great melodies have been written in the last twenty years."

All of that being said, "too much emphasis in traditions and roots can cause us to depend on them. Many traditions began as an earnest attempt to to protect the faith, but over tine they became separated from faith, resulting in dead orthodoxy. They now practice a form of godliness but lack true spiritual power. There will never be a perfect liturgy or tradition that ensures the continued faith of future generations."

The greatest traditions in the world don't mean anything unless they help to effectively communicate the gospel to those we are trying to reach. That means that we have to evaluate everything that we do and see if the people are actually getting it. This is a constant within every organization, including the church. "We want to proclaim the unchanging gospel in ways our culture can comprehend, ways that will make it easy for people to perceive who Jesus Christ is and how he has changed us." That doesn't mean that we should expect everyone who walks in our doors on Sunday to understand everything that is going on, but we do have to make sure they don't feel like they are hearing a totally foreign language either.

That is why the church must have a healthy tension of relevance to balance out the roots that we hold so dear. That looks different in every church! For some churches that may mean adding a jazz band and webcasting, for others it may mean a banjo and a bulletin. "Every church should make sure that the story of God's redemption can be clearly understood and experienced by those they are seeking to reach with the gospel.

Just as with roots, clinging to relevance can be a bad thing. We can easily find ourselves looking for the latest gimmick and the message of the gospel can become lost in how 'cool and creative' we become. That is where staying rooted can help us. It reminds us that above all we are to remain faithful to the message, not the the culture around us.

The most important thing to remember is that "when it cones to forms of worship, any form that facilitates and encourages worship in spirit and truth by a particular gathering of people, at a particular tine in history, in the context of a particular culture is pleasing to God. That implies that no one form can fully express the vastness of God. No given time, culture, or generation can give God the honor He deserves. This understanding keeps first things first. Cultures change, styles change, traditions change, times change. God remains the same. Through wise leadership and a faithful example, let's draw upon the rich heritage of the past, while at the same time seeking to communicate the eternal gospel in ways our culture can understand."

Enjoy the Journey

Planned and Spontaneous

Most churches lean one way or the other. Things are planned out months in advance or they aren't planned out at all. I've worked with churches that you had to submit a request to have coffee after service 6 weeks in advance and I've been at a church on Sunday morning and been asked to lead the songs 10 minutes before service started because the worship minister didn't show up! Planning and spontenaity both have their strengths, but the best case scenario is when they are used with a healthy tension. You see, there are things that planning offers that spontenaity cannot, and the opposite is also true.

Planning can never replace dependence on the Holy Spirit. I don't know how many times we have had a great plan for worship and something happens mid-week or even Sunday morning that changes everything! Continuing with a celebratory service when a tragedy has just occurred may not make sense, and the opposite is true as well.

Planning also doesn't mean that everything will go right. Just because we plan something doesn't mean that everyone will follow it, that the sound system won't blow up, or keep some other disaster from happening in the middle of the sevice! What we need to realize is that having plans is a good thing, but there is nothing sacred about them. They are mean to serve us, not to rule us.

Planning does help us to utilize our time effectively. We have an hour and fifteen minutes to convince people who are hurting, confused, and empty that Jesus is bigger than all or the problems that are going on in their lives and that He loves them and came to earth to save them, and that is hard to communicate without a plan! Planning also helps us to use different ways of expressing the gospel each week, whether through different musical styles, preaching, testimony, or a variety of other ways.

Spontenaity is hard for me. I like the plan. God likes to step in and change the plan, sometimes it seems like every week He does...or maybe that is the pastor :) This gives us the freedom to address the needs that need to be addressed right then and there, such as last week when we took time to pray for the Kamara family. Spontenaity may look like that, or it may be as simple as repeating a chorus so that we can dwell on the truth we just sang a little longer. Either way, we must be open to following the Spirit whereve He leads.

The biggest takeaway is this: The Holh Spirit often guides us in spontaneous ways. "Of course, the Spirit can also use us in powerful ways as we play notes we've practiced for hours during months of rehearsals. But isn't it helpful to be able to do both?"

Enjoy the Journey

Vertical and Horizontal

When we come together and worship God, we need to engage in two different types of worship: Vertical and Horizontal. Vertical worship is direct praise of God. After all, He is worthy of all praise. He created us so that we might know Him and love Him and give Him praise. When we give God glory, we are joining an activity that has been happening and will continue to happen for all eternity! You would think that we wouldn't need to be reminded that worship begins and ends with God, but sometimes we do. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we are doing or in what we like or don't like that we forget the entire reason we are doing what we are doing is to bring glory to God!

God's value doesn't increase or decrease because of anything that anyone does or says about Him. It's not like a public opinion poll of a politician. God is as glorious today as He has ever been and that will never diminish or fade. He doesn't command us to worship Him so that He can gain more status. He commands us to worship Him because we need to worship Him. As we've said before we are always worshiping something in our lives, and to worship something other than God is idolatrous, so we need to worship Him!

Worship is also not a 'means to an end.' Worship isn't something we do to help church growth, evangelism, or some other ministry. Worship, as many have said, is 'heaven practice,' we are getting ready to do what we will do forever in heaven! God's glory is the end of our worship, not the means to some other end.

But there is also a horizontal element to worship. Our worship builds our brothers and sisters up. Ephesians 5:19 says that we are to "admonish one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs," while at the same time "singing and making melody to the Lord." Yes the entire point is to bring God glory, but we also reap the benefits of worshiping with a group of people! "We aren't having our own little worship experiences independent of each other."

"David Peterson (who wrote 'The Message') has helpfully pointed out that 'edification and worship are different sides of the same coin.' Then he adds, 'This does not mean that prayer or praise is a means to an end, namely edification. We worship God because of who He is and because of His grace towards us.'" The great thing is that when we worship God together, we are built up. He gets the glory, and we also get benefit out of it. There is a healthy tension that needs to be maintained: let us build each other up for the glory of God.

Enjoy the Journey

Internal and External

Usually when someone is describing someone else as a "real worshiper," what they mean is that they are very expressive when they sing. But truthfully that person may just be outgoing, they may be trying to draw attention to themselves, or they could be worshiping God biblically. We can't really tell if a person is worshiping just by looking at them from the outside, we have to know whets going on in their heart. We learn in 2 Samuel that God looks at the heart. God isn't looking for outward expression and inward coldness. God wants our hearts, and if He doesn't have them, then He isn't really interested in whether or not you raise your hands during the singing.

The heart is the most important thing. That being said, what we do with the rest of our body isn't irrelevant. Just saying, 'I'm worshiping God on the inside' isn't going to cut it! I can tell Abi that I love her all day long, but if I never do anything to show that love what good is it? She won't be too impressed if all I ever do is tell her I love her, but I never even give her a hug!

"Our bodies naturally respond to what affects our souls." In other words, there are not a set few things that you must physically do in order to have worshiped. I jump up and down when UK hits the winning shot as time expires, I spread my arms when my nieces and nephews come running in to greet us, I cry when someone we love has a major tragedy in their lives. No one has to teach us how to react to things, it comes naturally. When we are physically expressive in worship, it should be a natural response to what God is speaking into our lives during that time! That means that we won't be physically expressive all the time, and it means that sometimes we will react differently than other times. Like we've said many times, people can tell when you are putting on a show and when you are genuinely worshiping. Don't start trying to be physically expressive in worship just because others are doing it, it needs to be a response that is personal.

Some people are not physically responsive because they are afraid of what others will think of them. If that is you, remember that the only opinion that counts is God's. We are not worshiping to impress anyone, but to bring glory to God. Some people are not physically responsive because their view of worship is that it should be done with 'reverence and awe.' If that is you, remember that while those things are appropriate in worship, don't forget the numerous commands in scripture to celebrate, lift your hands, raise your voice, and dance! Still others are not physically responsive in worship because they do not want to distract others from worshiping God. This is a noble thing, and we never want to draw attention away from God and put it on us, so please be expressive, but do so with consideration of others in mind.

When we gather together to sing, we have to pursue "theological depth and passionate expression." God did not intend these to be separate! We want to worship with both our minds and our hearts. God is worthy of our deepest affection, and our bodies should show it.

Enjoy the Journey

Head and Heart

When we lead others in worship, there is so much more than singing going on. There is a battle for truth that is raging. That is why we must be careful in choosing the songs that we sing. There needs to be a healthy tension between our minds and our emotions as we worship. God calls us in Colossians 3:2 to 'set our minds on things above.' We are doing so much more than helping people escape from their lives for an hour, therefore the things that we say and sing about God must be intelligent and informed. This is the reason that we select songs based on lyrical content, not style. However, as we do this, we also must be careful that we do not worship God in a way that makes Him appear dull, because He is anything but dull! It is not our creativity that that brings excitement about the Father, it is helping people understand the truth of who He is that will do that. The danger in focusing too much on our minds is that we can end up leading a theologically sound but emotionally dead church. That does not bring glory to God.

We do want to stir the emotions of those we lead in worship. However we aren't trying to get them excited just for the sake of getting them excited. We aren't aiming for emotions that are shallow and fading. We are trying to stir in them deep affection for God that will last a lifetime. These emotions come from focusing on who God is and what He has done and is doing in our lives. When we really see God, it moves our hearts. We feel awe, sorrow for sin, gratefulness for mercy, and peace knowing that He is in control. When we fail to show that we delight in God, we are disobeying Him! We have more reason to celebrate than anyone on the planet!

That being said, emotional engagement can be misplaced. Our goal is to have people's emotions moving as a result of God's power in their lives, not just because they like the song we sang. Experience alone is not the goal, experiencing God is the goal.

This is much more than a debate on hymns vs. choruses. Each group has songs that fall into both of these categories. It is our job as worship leaders to make sure that we keep a healthy tension between our heads and our hearts, to anything less would not be glorifying to God. "We have to remember that neither biblical truth or deep emotion is out of place when we worship God; they're meant to go together. Let's keep the healthy tension strong."

Enjoy the Journey

Transcendent and Immanent

Our God is both transcendent and immanent. Wow, now those are words we use everyday! "Transcendence means that God is independent from and superior to His creation." In other words, God is God, and we are not. It is helpful for us to remember that when we come together to worship. It takes our focus off of ourselves and places it where it belongs, on God. So how do we respond to a God that is independent from and superior to us? We should respond with reverence, honor, and respect. You see this throughout scripture, when people encounter God, they are stunned, they fall on their faces, some even pass out! Respect and awe are definitely part of the experience. That is why Cathedrals are built the way they are, the object is to inspire awe of our Creator. If you've visited one of these massive Cathedrals, you understand exactly what I am talking about. Hymns like Holy, Holy, Holy teach us about God's transcendence. "All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, in sky, in sea." Sometimes we come into worship too casually and we lose sight of this truth. Our goal is to make God approachable, which He is, but we must not forget that He is altogether unlike us. He is Holy, and He is to be respected. He says in Isaiah 46:9, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me."

God is transcendent, but He is also immanent. That means that He is near to us. Although He is superior to us, He doesn't leave us alone. Acts teaches us that 'in Him we live and move and have our being.' Jesus came to earth to dwell among us, how much more immanent can you get? I'll tell you, when Jesus left, He sent the Holy Spirit to come and dwell WITHIN us! Many praise choruses emphasize God's immanence. They help us to sing not just about God, but to Him.

So how do we maintain a healthy tension? We have to remember that different services will focus on different aspects of God. One may lean more towards His transcendence, while another to His immanence. As leaders, we have to learn when to be somber and when to be warm. The best way to maintain this healthy tension is to keep our focus on the gospel. God's transcendence demanded the death of His own Son for our sins! Yet through His immanence and Christ's death we are now adopted children of God!

Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"

Charles Surgeon said, "I can admire the solemn and stately language of worship that recognizes the greatness of God, but it will not warm my heart or express my soul until it has also blended therewith the joyful nearness of that perfect love that casts out fear and ventures to speak with our Father in heaven as a child speaks with its father on earth. My brother, no veil remains."

Our God is a consuming fire. The Lord of all creation. But praise God, no veil remains, and we can approach the throne with confidence, as a child of God.

Enjoy the Journey

Healthy Tensions: Guiding Principles

Every church has a liturgy. All that means is 'a public way of doing things.' The question often arises, 'how are we supposed to do church?' We have to ask ourselves if what we are doing is biblical or just a preference, just the way we've always done it? This is not a new question. John Calvin, when he separated himself from the Catholic Church, started following what became known as the 'regulative principle.' In a nutshell, that means that if scripture doesn't clearly command that we do it, it is forbidden in worship. Some churches who follow this do not use instruments or songs other than Psalms in worship. Martin Luther on the other hand, followed the thought that whatever scripture doesn't forbid is allowed. Over the years, the two schools of thought have produced split after split, denomination after denomination. So why is it so hard to figure out what God wants us to do?

One reason is that God hasn't been extremely specific in this area. There is no service order that we are to follow anywhere in the pages of scripture. In the Old Testament we see choirs, musicians, processions, priests, robes, annual celebrations, and instrumental praise. However the New Testament rarely mentions those things. Should we praise God with singing, dancing, and instruments (Psalm 149) or with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28)? That depends on who you ask.

Another reason is that we tend to read the Bible through the lens of what we like to do! Charismatics focus on singing and dancing, Presbyterians focus on doing everything 'decently and in order.' Various churches emphasize 'holistic worship, cultural relevance, and ministry to the poor.' "Whether a tradition is three hundred, thirty, or three years old, the danger is the same. We start with Scripture but eventually invest ultimate authority in our own traditions and views."

Still another reason is that some people claim God hasn't said anything about how we should worship Him, so anything goes! The fact of the matter is that is false. Scripture teaches us to pray together, to have pastors preach and explain God's Word, sing praises, and how to participate in the Lord's Supper! God hasn't given us a detailed outline, but He certainly hasn't left us in the dark either.

So how do we decide what we do in worship? We try to follow three rules: 1. Do what God clearly commands. 2. Don't do what god clearly forbids. 3. Use scriptural wisdom for everything else. Just because God didn't give us a service order doesn't mean that we don't filter everything we do through the lens of the Bible.

There are things that are not negotiable. "God alone determines how we approach Him, what we call Him, and how we relate to Him. Jesus is the only Savior, who died and rose for all who would ever turn from their sins and rust in His atoning sacrifice for forgiveness. Worshiping god is impossible without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. These are nonnegotiable truths that aren't open to discussion." Just about everything else on the other hand...is open for discussion.

We should always be seeking to learn from other in this area of worship. We can't afford to become locked in to thinking that our way is the only way to worship. We have much to learn from each other. It is like setting up a volleyball net. The net can only be set up when there is a healthy tension between the two poles, if one pole is not providing tension, the whole thing will collapse. Rather than viewing those who have different opinions about how worship "should be" as opponents, we need to learn to appreciate other perspectives. As long as it is not unbiblical, we should think of other perspectives as both/and rather than either/or.

Over the next several weeks we will be taking a look at healthy tensions. By default, we will lean one way or the other on pretty much all of these subjects. Our challenge is to remain humbly obedient to the scripture, and not rely solely on our opinions. In this way we will help to ensure that both poles remain standing. The danger here is examining these tensions may reveal to us changes that we need to make both in our church and in our lives. We have all undergone some pretty drastic changes recently, and we have to remember that our church won't change overnight. Truth must be patiently and humbly taught, retaught, and modeled, and I thank all of you for the role that you are playing in accomplishing this.

As we work together to glorify God, "may our meetings and churches be places where God is truly worshiped in spirit and truth, where people exalt God without having to choose sides, and where the glory of Jesus Christ is clearly seen in all we do."

Enjoy the Journey