Go All Out

We are meant to go all out in worship. "Worship in heaven is unapologetically passionate and highly demonstrative. The whole multitude worship God, each with their whole heart. Heaven's worship is also physical. John saw the heavenly host fall on their faces before God:
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. -Revelation 7:11
And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God. -Revelation 11:16
In heaven, humility is the only possible posture, and the glory of God throws the worshipers to their knees. Everyone is actively involved."

Did you know that "in the Old Testament, the original Hebrew word used most often for worship means to bow down, fall down, humbly beseech, do reverence. The Greek word for worship used most often in the New Testament has a similar meaning: to prostrate oneself in homage, do reverence, to adore." In scriptures, there is no mention of people sitting in pews quietly as they worship God. They get passionately and physically involved! Think about it, "it is simply unnatural to restrain our worship. It's human nature to exude joy and energy. We get visibly exercised over a new car, a good meal, or our favorite movie. When discussing sports, religion, or politics, many of us are very animated; we use our hands to emphasize certain words or phrases. When we speak about a loved one, our eyes light up, we smile; our feet may even bounce as if they're about to break into dance. I don't know anyone who speaks in constant monotone, with no facial expression, hands glued to their sides when talking about something or someone they love. Yet that's how some of us try to worship. Meanwhile the saints in heaven are doing face plants in homage to the King of kings. So why do we hold back? Why so reticent? Why do we settle for lackluster worship?"

Our author suggests several reasons. Our culture has conditioned us to be comfortable and complacent, not actively engaged. From our televisions to our iPads, we are used to sitting back and watching other people do things without actually breaking a sweat ourselves. "Sometimes pride prevents us from fully entering worship. We want to avoid looking foolish, weak, or awkward because it might tarnish our image or damage our reputation." But here is the truth: "Actions always accompany heartfelt convictions. 'The good person out of the good treasure of his hear produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil' (Luke 6:45).

It could be fear of others that keeps us from being fully engaged. "We fear their disapproval, maybe even their scorn." Why do we really care what others think of us when we worship? David didn't care. "Jesus commands us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' We are to worship the Lord enthusiastically and completely, with everything we've got."

"Bringing God our best worship may mean something different for each of us, depending on personality, temperament, and religious background. For example, if your personality is quiet, laid back, or reserved, bringing god your best worship might mean that you do something overt, like raise your hands or kneel. If you're an extrovert, you might at times want to consider sitting reverently still in God's presence during corporate worship. As you try to discern what it means to bring God your best worship, I humbly offer what I hope are a few helpful suggestions."

Come hungry for God. Walk into church ready to encounter God. Respond to His presence with the worship He deserves.
Come ready to contribute.
Make your praise visible. "If you come ready to contribute, you won't sit back like a bump on a log; you'll automatically engage during worship."

Here are some physical expressions and their purposes:
Standing- appropriate for praying tribute or showing honor
Kneeling/bowing- postures of submission
Raising hands- prayer and worship

How much physical expression is enough? How much is too much?
"Here's a simple guideline: you should exert more energy worshiping God than you do cheering for your favorite sports team, your kid's soccer team, or your favorite band. Even if you're not a sports fan or don't attend rock concerts, I think you get the point. Your countenance and your posture should visibly demonstrate that you mean business when it comes to worshiping God."

Enjoy the Journey

Focus on God's Attributes

What I'm about to say is so simple it almost seems silly. Truthfully it would be silly if we weren't so bad at it. So here is a revelation that I am sure will shock you to the core of your being: "Heaven's worship is not focused on us but solely on God." I know, shocking right? "The result is pure ascription-worship that is obsessed with God's intrinsic worth and ascribes to God alone the glory and honor due Him. There are no personal pronouns recorded in heaven's worship- no 'me,' no 'my,' no 'I.' Instead, the names and attributes of God are front and center: 'Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen' (Revelation 7:12). Everyone in heaven is so enamored with God that they don't waste a single moment thinking only about themselves." This type of worship reminds us that we are not the center of the universe, God is.

In heaven, "God is worshiped not only for who He is but also for what He's done." Heaven's worship is overflowing with thanksgiving. It is hard not to be filled with thanksgiving when you are thinking of who God is and what He has done for you! "Praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand; they are the lifeblood of Christian worship, a natural response to God, for all He' done and continues to do."

It sounds simple, but it is not easy. This is because, "human beings are notoriously self-centered, always looking out for number one. All too often, we put our emotional needs ahead of the needs of others, sometimes at the expense of others. Our bottom line for everything-whether it be work, relationships, marriage, or even church-is too often, 'What's in it for me?' Sometimes we are even thinking about ourselves while we are singing. The truth is "I can sing praise songs at the top of my lungs with hands in the air with all my thoughts centered on me." Ever been there? "When the words coming from my lips are contradicted by what's happening in my mind and heart, I have failed to worship God."

D.A. Carson says, "We cannot ascribe to the Lord all the glory due His name if we are consumed by self-love or intoxicated by pitiful visions of our own greatness or independence."

Worship that is pure ascription takes our eyes off of us and places them where they belong...on God. Therefore worship is something that we offer God. "It's not a show the church puts on to make us feel good or to motivate us. Worship is something we do to honor God."

Some of us can't go through a single worship time without finding something to complain about. "Our heavenly father doesn't care for complaining; it offends him. Note His reaction to the people of Israel: 'And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled' (Numbers 11:1). Complaining is an insult to God. It's like saying, 'God, I don't trust that You're good. I think You're holding out on me, and I can't be happy unless You give me what I want.' Truth is, God has never let us down and He never will. 'And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace' (John 1:16).

Contrast that with gratitude. Complaining offends God, but gratitude pleases Him. Over and over in the Bible we are commanded to be grateful to God! Why? Because we are so quick to forget the things that He has done for us. We have a tendency to take God for granted. "Followers of Christ are called to be worshipers, not complainers."

Mark Batterson writes, "There are basically two types of people in the world: complainers and worshipers. And there isn't much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always find something to complain about. Worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings." Thanksgiving is the antidote for discontent.

Are you having trouble being thankful? "If the only blessing we ever received from God was salvation through Jesus Christ, that would certainly be enough." But God has given us so much more than that, and for most of us He has blessed us far beyond what we deserve!

So this week be on the lookout for names and attributes of God as we worship together. Focusing on the names and attributes of God will curb our negativity. Our author writes, "I've discovered that church folk can also be some of the most negative people you'll ever meet. They complain about the most trivial things. At one church where I worked, a man sent the pastor a note complaining that the cookie he received at the welcome booth on Sunday morning was 'too soggy.' Another groused that our worship leader said 'exult' instead of 'exalt.' (I honestly couldn't hear the difference.) Nothing draws more complaints from churchgoers than the music. Music is highly subjective; people have strong feelings about what they like and dislike. So you're bound to hear some songs in church you don't like and might even hate. You may also be subjected to music that is played or sung poorly. I once heard a worship band go through an entire song playing in two different keys-and no one on the platform even appeared to notice. Most church musicians are good-hearted amateurs. They mean well, but that doesn't mean they always play well. That's why it's important to concentrate on the message, not the messengers. If you're tuned in to the attributes of God, you will be able to worship regardless of the style or quality of the music."

My hope is that what drives you on Sunday mornings is not your love for the music we do, but your love for God. So this week, spend time throughout the service giving thanks to God for all He is doing and has done in your life. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Remember that we are in the presence of God. "We worship the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit." "So as you walk into church, think of yourself as an active participant, not a casual observer, in the fellowship of the Trinity. In short, think of yourself as a vibrant worshiper."

Enjoy the Journey

Growing as a Corporate Worshiper- Worship in Revelation

What do you think the number one activity is in heaven? You guess it, worship! I hope you like worship, because that is what we are going to be doing for eternity! A.W. Tozer says, "I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven." So what is worship in heaven going to be like? Let's take a look at the scripture and see what it has to say.

It's going to be loud...I mean really loud!

Revelation 5:11-12 says, "Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice..."

Revelation 11:15, "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying..."

Revelation 19:1, "After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out..."

Does this mean that there won't be quiet, contemplative worship in heaven? Absolutely not. I believe that heaven will include plenty of opportunities for quiet reflection. "After all Revelation 8 opens with silence and prayer. However, when heaven worships, the volume generally goes way up. For some of us, that may take some getting used to."

"Every church that features contemporary music faces controversy over volume levels. Such churches field complaints that the music is too loud. I encourage compassion toward anyone who may be sensitive to loud sounds, but some people take their complaining way too far. They're rude to the ushers and the sound team. The stomp out of church angry and write nasty letters. Recently I saw a disgruntled man and his wife create an ugly scene at church by standing with their fingers planted firmly in their ears, scowls on their faces, during the entire worship set. I can't help but wonder how those folks will fare amidst the deafeningly loud sounds of thunder, earthquakes, and trumpets that await them in heaven's worship."

The Bible also has many references to loud worship on earth as well. "During Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, 'the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen' (Luke 19:37). Therefore, loud celebratory praise has a rightful place in worship."

Worship in heaven is also repetitive. That may be a surprise to some people. Revelation 4:8 says that the four creatures around God's throne "Day and night never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'" Words that extol God are worth repeating.

So what do we take away from this? We have to be teachable. Some of the things we've always thought about worship might need to be reconsidered. Maybe loud sounds or repetitive lyrics are not a problem for you. Maybe it is just a particular kind of music. This could apply to both people who only like contemporary music, or to people who only like traditional music. If you are in either of those places, let me say this to you. "God intended corporate worship to be a beautiful expression of Christian unity. It must break God's heart when we allow worship to become a source of strife and division." Let us not be caught up in a style, but let us worship God, because after all, He is worthy of our worship.

There may be instruments in heaven that we've never seen. "When King David introduced new instruments into corporate worship (1 Chronicles 23:5), the Bible makes no mention of anyone complaining about these newfangled innovations. Or if anyone did object, the writers of Scripture didn't think it was worth mentioning. In the same way, let's not be too quick to dismiss worship styles, old or new, that are different from what we're used to. Instead of judging a different approach by whether you like it or not, evaluate it on the basis of whether or not it contradicts Scripture. If a certain practice does nothing for you, respect and appreciate the possibility that it may enhance worship for others."

Jesus is going to prepare a place for us in heaven. We learn that in the gospel of John. But "Christ is not simply preparing a place for us; He is preparing us for that place. Part of our preparation for heaven involves us growing as worshipers. Therefore, every church service here on earth is preparation for the real thing - a rehearsal for the glorious praise gatherings we'll experience in paradise. So next Sunday morning as you head out the door, remember that you're not just going to church, you're going to worship practice."

Enjoy the Journey

Worship Amidst Adversity

Worshiping when times are tough is one of the hardest things to do. David seemed to have it down pretty well though, and he was not at all a stranger to calamity. There are times when he was hopeless and discouraged, like when his father in law sent assassins to kill him in the middle of the night and the only reason he escaped is because his wife tipped him off! Maybe you've never had assassins after you, but I bet you know what it is like to be hopeless and discouraged.

David also faced anxiousness and fear. He couldn't stay in the country because Saul was trying to kill him so he had to flee to Gath, which in case you didn't know, was Goliath's hometown. He wasn't exactly going to win any popularity contests there either! He was so scared for his life that he pretended to be insane, drooling all over himself and acting crazy so they wouldn't kill him! Instead they just kicked him out of town.

Later Saul died and he became King, but he faced frustration and disappointment because he wanted to build a temple for God, and God told him no! Not only did he tell David no, but told him that his son would get to do it! David had long dreamed of building a house for God, but God denied his request and David didn't even live long enough to see the project started! David was allowed to help make preparations, but he couldn't help start the build. "There are times when a dream is from God, but the role He has for us is not what we hoped or imagined."

David faced devastation and depression because of family issues. One of his sons raped his half sister and then another one of his sons killed him for it! That makes for awkward dinner conversation! Absolom (the one who killed his brother) then ran away from home. Later he started a coup that drove David out of the palace and he lost the kingdom for a little while! David went into depression and he was absolutely worn out from all of this. Later Absolom was killed in a fight with some of David's men. Talk about family problems!

So how did David respond? He worshiped. Did he vent to God? Absolutely. It amazes me how many people think that asking God why something happened is a sin. David did this constantly! He bore His soul to God. He cast his burdens on God. God is big enough to handle your problems and your concerns! But here is the thing. David didn't just talk to God about his problems, he also talked to his problems about his God. He constantly dwelled on the attributes of God. Even among the hardest times of his life David often referred to God as his Singh and shield. When you spend time focusing on the attributes of God, God gets bigger and your problems come into proper perspective. They may not disappear, but they are placed in the hands of a huge, almighty God who can handle them with ease if He chooses to do so. "Worship reminds us that God is always bigger than any burdens we carry or any challenges we face."

When this happens, our faith is increased and we are transformed. Trouble is part of life this side of heaven. Jesus promised that we would have trouble in this world. But He also said that we shouldn't fear, because He has overcome the world! Trials and tribulations build in us endurance, which builds in us character, which produces hope.

May we, like David, be people that trust to God first in adversity..not as a last resort. As worship leaders, we come from a long line of people including David, who have learned to worship God in the good times and the bad. May we remember that "no matter what happens, God is still sovereign, He is still good, and He is still worthy of our highest praise."

Enjoy the Journey

Smash Your Idols

"David regarded obedience as the highest form of worship: 'In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted...burnt offering and sin offering You have not required...I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.'" Putting the law of God within us is the way to maintain integrity, and "serious worshipers strive to be people of godly character and integrity. Jesus also equated obedience with worship. He said, 'If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.' You can't express love to Jesus and then ignore His will, do whatever you want, and break his commandments. Willful disobedience renders our worship unacceptable to God." It would be like if I told Abi I loved her and she was the only woman I ever wanted and then went out and cheated on her. That would make me a hypocrite at best and a liar at worst.

God says this to the people of Israel because of their superficiality, "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24)" "When what we sing doesn't match what we do, the result is hypocritical worship, which is something that God absolutely loathes."

I pray that we are not a people who worship idols. At first the idea seems a little ridiculous, I mean who bows down to a golden calf these days right? At least not anyone I know! But the truth is that idolatry runs rampant in our world and even lurks in our hearts daily. You see, "idolatry is simply worship directed in any direction but God's." To get a better idea of what idolatry is, listen to what Pastor Timothy Keller has to say in his book 'Counterfeit gods.'

"An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving 'face' and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your moreality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry...An idold is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, 'If I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, then I'll feel significant and secure.' There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship."

This is probably not new information for you, but I just want to remind you that not all idols are bad things in and of themselves. "Many of our counterfeit gods are actually good things, which is why we pin our hopes and dreams on them. But even the best things in life can never replace God. Sin, therefore, is not just a matter of doing bad things or breaking God's rules. Sin is letting a good thing become an ultimate thing and, therefore, taking the place of God in our lives."

So how do you identify idols in your life? Answer these questions:
1. What do you think most about? 2. How do you spend your money? 3. What sets your off emotionally? 4. What brings you joy, peace, security, or fulfillment? 5. How do you react when an idol is taken away?

I think that last one is the hardest one to answer. the true test of whether or not something has become an idol in our life is to find out whether or not we can give it up. If I can't live without it, odds are it has become an idol in my life. Jesus didn't pull any punches when it came to this stuff. He said we can't love our families more than Him if we want to follow Him! Jesus doesn't want to be part of your life and fit in to your agenda. You can't serve two masters. "The Christian life doesn't allow for Jesus and my porn habit, or my greed, or my selfish desires to coexist."

In order to get rid of these things in our lives, we have to repent early and often. Repentance isn't something you just do once and assume you're covered! Dying daily to our struggles is part of following Jesus. We have to flee idolatry. In other words, stop putting yourself in situations where you know you will struggle with an idol. Ask God to give you strength to part with any idols in your life. We have to replace our idols. It's not good enough to just stop doing something and replace it with nothing. Eventually that will come creeping back into your life unless you replace it with something better. Try replacing it with worship. Worship "can be a powerful tool against temptation." It is almost impossible to worship something else while you are worshiping God! We need to get to the point in our lives when we can truly say that God is enough. We need to come to a place where we really believe that God is all we need. Only then will idols be powerless in our lives.

"May the Holy Spirit grant you the courage to abandon any idols that hinder you from knowing God-and God alone-as your lasting satisfaction, deepest joy, and greatest pleasure."

Enjoy the Journey

Establish a Regular Routine

"David lived a life of continuous worship and invites us to do the same: 'May those who love Your salvation say continually, Great is the Lord!'" (Psalm 40:16) Do you have a regular worship routine? Does your worship really extend beyond Sunday morning? In order to get the most out of our times together on Sunday we have to enter with a heart that is full of worship. In order to do that, we need to be worshiping throughout the week in addition to what we do on Sunday morning. So how do you worship throughout the week? I will offer a few suggestions, but keep in mind this list is far from exhaustive. It is good to try out different things in order to keep your time with God fresh, so feel free to add things to this list!

At the beginning of your devotions, try spending a few minutes praising God, "either verbally or in writing, drawing on whatever attribute of His" that comes to mind. Most of the time it will be the one that you have recently seen or experienced! Sometimes the attribute or characteristic of God that you will be drawn to will reflect a specific need in your life. For example, when times are tough, you may be drawn to God's comfort. Spend time praising Him for being the Comforter that you need. Reading the Psalms is a great way to find different attributes of God that you might not normally think of. When you are reading the Psalms, try reading them out loud. "Originally, psalms were intended to be sung or spoken. I find that reading psalms out loud forces me to slow down and read the words more carefully and thoughtfully."

During your devotions, with each passage of scripture you are reading, answer two questions:

1. How does this passage apply to my life?
2. What does this Scripture tell me about who God is?

"The Bible is our ultimate authority on God-what He's like, how He thinks, and how He acts." So throughout your reading, be on the lookout for attributes of God and names of God (He has many in scripture), and take time to thank Him for those!

How much time do you spend meditating? Let me clarify what I mean by meditating. When I say meditating all I mean "is simply taking the time to think about who God is and what God has done." To be honest, I find it difficult to meditate because my mind tends to roam all over the place. Here are some questions you might ask during your meditation time.

1. How have I seen this particular name or attribute of God manifested in my life or in the world around me?
2. Why am I drawn to this particular aspect of God's character?
3. How did Jesus embody this attribute of God?
4. How can I reflect this part of God to others?
5. Is God inviting me to do anything in relation to this particular name (of God) or attribute?

Try praying about the names and attributes of God that you are reading about! "Do you ever feel like you prayers are dull and repetitive? Try "to include a line or two of praise for an attribute of God when" you pray. It doesn't matter if you are praying during your devotions, at mealtime, or anytime in between! "If you want to breathe more life into your prayers, try praying as you worship and worshiping as you pray."

Have you ever written your own Psalm? Some of you are poets and songwriters! Every songwriter or poet will tell you that 98% of what they write will never see the light of day outside of the room it was written in. So don't think that everything you write has to be wordy or eloquent, because it doesn't! It just has to be a genuine offering of praise before God! I find that this greatly enriches my personal worship time. I have probably written at least 10 songs for every 1 song that you will ever hear. Sometimes I sing them when I am doing my devotions as an expression of praise to God. Maybe you should try it too!

Maybe you aren't really into writing your own songs or poems. Have you tried singing other people's songs or reading other people's poems to God as an act of personal worship? Christianity has a deep and rich tradition of songs that date back to the first century, surely you can find a few that you would want to sing to God during your personal time of worship!

Others of you may find that worship happens spontaneously when you are out in nature. "If you're a nature lover, you need to schedule regular field trips to the nearest forest preserve, nature center, or beach. You could go for long leisurely walks every day or once a week. Consider a bike ride or road trip into the country. Bring a camera and take pictures. Draw or sketch your favorite scenes. Write down your thoughts. Describe what you see. Read Scripture. And don't forget to worship as you go. Sing praise to the Lord. May you join David, a fellow nature lover, in exclaiming, 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork' (Psalm 19:1)."

"Whether it's listening to music, being out in nature, or doing something else that calls forth your worship, make sure you intentionally incorporate those activities into your regular routine." Again, the things we have talked about today are not even close to all of the things you could do to worship. But whatever you are doing, I hope that God will lead you into a deeper and exciting discipline of private worship.

Enjoy the Journey

Make Worship a Priority

King David made worship a priority in his life. You can tell because he said that the one thing that he longed for was to be with God and worship Him forever. Is worship a priority in your life? "You can always discern your priorities, for better or worse, by what angers you or stirs you, what frustrates you and what excites you. Honoring God was the utmost priority for David." I mean come on, that was the reason he ended up fighting Goliath! He didn't like the way that Goliath was talking about God! He went out there to defend His honor!

We are created to worship. God says in Isaiah that He created us for His glory. Psalm 150 says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." So not only are we created to worship, we are commanded to worship. We are also destined to worship Jesus. You know what we are going to be doing in heaven right? Psalm 44:8 says that we will tie thanks to God forever! "Worship is one of the few things that we're currently doing that we will do forever-all the more reason to make it a priority in our lives."

Worship is something that covers every aspect of our lives. Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." That means everything. That covers everything from singing on Sunday morning to filing that report for work on time to taking the garbage down on garbage day. "Understanding even the mundane aspects of our jobs as acts of worship brings new energy to our work."

Worship should be our top priority because it is God's top priority. Everything that happens is for God's glory. That is His purpose in everything He does. So the next time you are wondering why God is doing something, you already know the answer...it's for His glory. Creating us, the plagues of Egypt, yes even the cross was for His glory. "As unusual as it may sound, God's ultimate purpose is not that we be saved but that He be glorified. Redemption is not all about us; it's all about God. We are saved so that we can know and proclaim God's glory. That's why Pual referred to the gospel as the 'glory of the blessed God.' Jesus' ultimate goal on the planet was to bring God glory, why should our goal be any different? When we make worships a priority, we will see some changes in our lives.

We will have an increased awareness of God's presence. "Our worship does not lead us into God's presence; Jesus does! 'For Christ also suffered once fl ruins, the righteous fl rthe unrighteousness, that He might bring us to God' (1Peter 3:18). So while worship, in and of itself, doesn't summon God's presence, it reminds us that God is continually near."

We will also have increased delight in God's attributes. How we view God affects everything: how we think, act, and how we feel. Like a painter who is doing a portrait, we need to continually look at who God really is so that we can have an accurate picture in our mind of who God is. We can only do this by staying in the Word of God. We must dive deeply into the scripture to discover the true character of God. We cannot take for granted what the preacher says or what our culture says about God, but we must let Him speak for Himself. A wrong view of God will lead us down a wrong path of worship. We can't appreciate the attributes of God if we don't know what they are. And we can't know what they are unless we are in the Bible finding out what they are for ourselves. On the contrary, if we are in the Word we will begin to see the attributes of God more clearly, and we will see Him move in ways we have never seen before! May we be a people who make worship a top priority in our lives.

Enjoy the Journey

Growing as a Private Worshiper

How can we improve worship at our church? That's a loaded question if there ever was one! Truthfully though, the best answer is not a new keyboard, new sound system, or new worship leader! The truth is if we want worship to be all it can be on Sunday mornings, then we need to grow in our personal worship of God on the other days of the week! D.A. Carson writes: "In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God Himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it's a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset."

We are put here on this earth to worship God and bring Him glory. Truthfully it's just practice for heaven, where we will...you guessed, worship God and bring Him glory forever and ever! If you aren't into that, I'm afraid heaven going to be a major letdown, because I have news for you, heaven isn't about you! Heaven is about God, and so is earth.

The book of Psalms is like a worship journal written by David (mostly anyway). Each page is dripping with passionate worship that extends far beyond the walls of the synagogue and reaches into every area of his life and touches on every emotion a person can have. The Psalms are both intensely personal and deeply passionate. May we be known as intense, passionate, devoted worshipers of God.

This is the part where you may think I am going to say that this will look different in each of your lives. You may think I should say something like, 'worship God the way you feel most comfortable, do what feels natural.' But I am not going to say that. The Ark of the Covenant was a central part of worship in the Old Testament because it represented the very presence of God. When David was bringing it back to the temple (because it had been captured) they had it on a cart and the cart hit a bump in the road and the Ark started to fall off! Uzaah reached out his hand to steady the Ark and God immediately struck him dead! Seems a little harsh right? Maybe, unless you know that God had prescribed that the Ark be transported using polls slid through the rungs on the side of the Ark and carried by four priests. NO ONE was to touch the Ark, and no one would have had to touch the Ark had they followed God's instructions in the first place.

Eventually David figured out why this happened and brought the Ark back to Jerusalem the way it was supposed to be. Like David, "we too need to scour the Bible to learn how God wants to be worshiped. For it doesn't matter how you and I want to praise God. It's not ultimately important whether worship makes us feel good or if the music is to our liking. True worship must always be offered on God's terms, not ours. So we need to learn how God wants to be worshiped." I know that isn't a popular thing to say, but at the end of the day, it's not about us or what we like, it's about God and what He likes.

"Christians can be stubborn as mules, set in their ways, especially when it comes to worship. Let's you and I respond differently by laying aside long-held notions and searching the Scriptures to learn all we can about how God desires to be worshiped." Then we can grow as private worshipers, and then we can grow as corporate worshipers as well.

Enjoy the Journey

The Next Reformation

How much do you know about Martin Luther (not Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther). He was a monk that started the Protestant Reformation. In Luther's day salvation was for sale. You would buy things called indulgences, and the more you paid out, the less time you had to spend in purgatory. Martin Luther, although the unlikely hero, started a revolution (or reformation) when he penned his 95 thesis. The rallying cry was 'By faith alone.' He wanted to break this mold of buying salvation. You can't buy salvation, it is a free gift from God!

Maybe it is time for a new reformation. Maybe it is time that we stop playing games with our faith and started living authentic lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. Hear this, "reformations are not born out of new discoveries. Those are often called cults. Reformations are born out of rediscovering something ancient, something primal. They are born out of primal truths rediscovered, re-imagined, and radically reapplied to our lives." So what is this truth that we need to rediscover? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." We have to be great at this. "We must not be great at things that do not matter." To be clear, nothing else really matters at the end of the day except loving God and following His commands. To be great at something other than loving God is a waste of your time. The call of the next reformation should be, "Love God!"

Everything we do, everything that we are should be an expression of our love for God. The way we do our taxes, the way we study for exams, the way we treat each other, the way we love our spouses should be because of our love for God! This doesn't mean that we will all look the same though. It doesn't mean we will all express our love for God the same way. "Every relationship with God begins the same way: at the foot of the cross. But then our lives become unique expressions of compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. And no one else can take your place." No one loves God exactly the same way you do, that is why He wants your love!

Each of us has a spiritual love language. The way we express our love for God looks different based on what comes most naturally to us. Some of us show our love for God because compassion pours out of us every second of the day, it is just natural. Others show their love for God by their curiosity, they can't wait to find out more about His creation and praise Him for it. We should do the things that come natural to us! But "sometimes the greatest act of love isn't the one that comes most easily. It's the one that is most difficult or requires the greatest sacrifice." We are called to love God with our heart, soul, mind, AND strength. It isn't an either/or scenario. God wants it all. When we come to a place where we love God with everything we have, a radical transformation will take place within us, our church, our city, and this world. We will start a reformation, and the rallying cry will simply be, "Love God."

Enjoy the Journey

The Hammer of a Higher God

God is powerful. Now that's the understatement of the century isn't it? His power is incomparable. "His power isn't just incomparable. His power isn't just great. It is incomparably great. In other words, there is no comparison point. None of us can imagine what God is capable of. Which means none of us can imagine what we're capable of if we give God control of our lives." Doing it on our own was never the plan. Yes we should do things for God, but the weird thing is that we need to do those things we do for God THROUGH His strength. Many of us never make that connection. We all received the power of God when we became Christians, but we settle for living without it! "And without His power, we become nothing more than theological Christians. Our testimony is reduced to words. Our impact is reduced to our abilities. And not only is that less than exciting, it's wrong. Without His power at work within us, we cannot accomplish His purposes."

Again, the problem is that we have a small view of who God is. God is bigger than your biggest problem, and He is bigger than the best idea you ever had...infinitely bigger. "It's not about what you can do for God. It's about what God can do in you and through you. The moment you put your faith in Christ, the best thing you can do is no longer the best YOU can do. The best thing you can do is the best GOD can do."

Would you agree that loving God with everything is hard? I certainly think so. "In and of ourselves, we're not capable of loving God. We cannot manufacture love for Him. We can only respond to His love for us. And I hope that sets you free. Religion is all about doing things for God. Christianity is all about receiving what Christ has done for us on the cross. And what we do for God is a reflection of and response to what God has done for us." Sometimes even that is hard. I find myself from time to time in a slump. It is in those times we need to remember the words of Revelation 2:5, "Do the things you did at first." Fall in love with God all over again by going back to the things you did when you fell in love with Him the first time.

Again, we cannot manufacture love. Our love for God is simply a reflection of His love for us. Check this out: "Albedo is the measurement of how much light a celestial body reflects. Our night-light, the moon, has an albedo of 0.07. In other words, 7% of the light that strikes the moon's surface is reflected. Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, has the highest albedo of any celestial body in our solar system. It reflects 99% of the light that hits its surface. In a similar sense, we are called to reflect God-His compassion, His wonder, His creativity, and His energy. You cannot manufacture those things. You can only reflect them."

In the beginning, God spoke the world into existence. Seems a little far fetched, but think about it for a second. Do you know what ultrasonic sound is? It is anything over 20,000 hertz, which is inaudible to us, but "has the power to kill insects, track submarines, break glass, perform noninvasive surgery, topple buildings, clean jewelry, catalyze chemical reactions, heal damaged tissue, pasteurize milk, break up kidney stones, drill through hard materials, and of course give you the first glimpse of your unborn son or daughter via sonogram." Sound is powerful huh? The sound of God's voice isn't limited to our ability to hear. His vocal range is unlimited, and His words are powerful. So maybe you've never heard the audible voice of God, but I'm betting you've SEEN His voice (that's a weird thought huh?)! "Everything you see was once a sound wave in the vocal cords of God. When you look at creation, you are hearing with your eyes an echo of the Creator's voice." So I pose this question to you now: "If God can create billions of galaxies with four words (Let there be light), what can't He do?"

We need to remember that "most of what God accomplishes through our lives isn't because of us. It's in spit of us. God never calls us to do something we're capable of. God calls us to do things that are beyond our ability so He gets all the credit. That's how we learn to rely on Him. And that's how we learn to love Him." God puts things in our hearts that He wants us to do, and that we don't have the ability to do on our own. But when we accomplish those things with His help we have to answer a very serious question. When God gives us our dream we have to decide, "Which do you love more: your dream or God?" "In its purest, most primal form, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is loving God for God. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else."

The ultimate goal of life isn't accomplishing your dreams and goals. It's loving God. It isn't getting your dream job, it isn't getting your song published, it isn't retiring at 40. It's loving God. "You can put yourself on the throne of your life. You can try to get everyone to bow down and worship you. But you will run out of stuff to worship real quick and your universe will become smaller and smaller until the only thing that fits inside your tiny universe is you. But if you put God on the throne, you universe will get larger and larger. It will expand chronologically into eternity. It will expand experientially into heaven." It's your choice. Who do you love most?

Enjoy the Journey

Sweat Equity

God loves it when we tell Him we love Him. It is something that we should do all the time. But you know what I think He loves even more? When we show Him that we love Him. And He loves it when we get sweaty doing it. We are supposed to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and STRENGTH. "So what does it mean to love God with all your strength? It means expending tremendous amounts of energy for kingdom causes. It means servanthood and sacrifice. It means good old-fashioned work." Let's be honest, you can tell what we love by what we do. Gentlemen, that is why taking out the garbage is romantic, because love isn't measured by words. Love is measured by action.

"Talk is cheap, and we have cheapened the gospel long enough. At the end of they day, God isn't going to say, 'Well said, good and faithful servant.' There is only one commendation when everything is said and done: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' God doesn't reward what we know. He doesn't reward what we say. He rewards the expenditure of energy."

One of the saddest things we can do is make plans and not follow through on them. So many of us spend so much time "preparing" that we never actually get whatever it is we are "preparing" for off the ground. That never happens because we never feel like we are quite ready to launch. "Listen, you'll never have enough education or enough experience. And you'll never have enough time or enough money." You will never be ready for what God has planned for you, get over it. That is why God promised to be with us! I'm not saying we shouldn't prepare, but most of us go way overboard on this and use it as an excuse not to act. Don't give up on your God ideas just because you don't feel ready.

Last week we talked about creativity. Creativity is hard work. Thomas Edison said that it is "10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration." Can you relate? Nolan Bushnell said, "Everyone who's ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference." What God idea of yours never made it out of the shower?

We have work to do. But here is something amazing that I know you will find to be true. "If you love someone or something enough, the expenditure of energy isn't seen as a chore. It's a privilege. It's not something you have to do, it's something you get to do. Love turns work into worship." At Mark Batterson's church, they have a saying that I think we should adopt: "Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you." We need to bathe everything in prayer, but at some point we have to put some work in ourselves!

The truth is "faith is not faith until it is acted upon. That is the litmus test. Faith without works is dead. So is love without energy." When it comes to our God ideas, too often we are guilty of sins of omission. That is when you don't do what you know you should do. Too many of us "falsely view righteousness as doing nothing wrong." The problem is that "you can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Goodness is not the absence of badness." "Love doesn't play it safe; it takes risks. Love doesn't make excuses; it takes responsibility. Love doesn't see problems; it seizes opportunities to step up and step in. The Greek word for 'strength' means 'the antithesis of apathy.' And Jesus is the ultimate example."

Jesus was anything but apathetic, He was the most passionate man who ever lived. We are called to be just like Him, so that means we should be the most passionate people on the planet! "I love the way Dorothy Sayers described the wild side of His personality. 'To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because He was a bore. Quite the contrary; He was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the Lion of Judah and made Him a house cat for pale priests and pious old ladies." Wow!

"So don't just point out the problems; be the solution. Don't just criticize what's wrong; do something right. Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention." Break a sweat."

Enjoy the Journey

One God Idea

Everything that exists today started off as somebody's idea. The computer that I am typing on right now was just an idea someone had that was acted upon. "You were once an idea in the imagination of God. And for the record, God doesn't have bad ideas." Creativity stems from our imaginations. Our God is infinitely creative, and we are called to be just like Him, so that means He wants us to be creative too! "To become more like God is to become more creative." Don't believe me? Than why do the Psalms tell us more than half a dozen times to sing a new song to God? He wants us to write songs for Him! He wants us to be creative! Batterson writes, "Evidently God gets tired of old songs. He doesn't just want you to worship Him with your memory; He wants you to worship Him with your imagination. If you tell your wife that you love her the same way over and over again, she may stop believing you. Why? Because your words are an expression of memory instead of an expression of imagination. It's half-hearted because it's half-minded." God wants us to use our creativity for His glory.

"The quest for the lost soul of Christianity is about rediscovering our creative birthright. It's about reimagining everything from the Great Commandment to the Great Commission. It's about challenging old assumptions by asking the why questions. It's about challenging the perceived limits of our God-given potential by asking the why not questions. And it's driven by a holy curiosity that won't take yes for an answer. If we are going to have an eternal impact on our culture, we can't just criticize it or copy it. We've got to create it."

"The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. And there are certainly pockets of ingenuity and imagination, but we're nowhere near our creative potential. I wonder if our lack of creativity stems from a false definition of faithfulness. Faithfulness is not doing it the way it's always been done. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. Faithfulness is not defending the status quo. Faithfulness is the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. Faithfulness is experimenting with new ways of doing discipleship. Faithfulness is playing offense for the kingdom even if some Pharisees find it offensive."

Part of being creative is just being who you are. "Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Don't settle for the status quo. Challenge it. Nonconformity invites criticism, but that is the only option if you're following in the footsteps of the quintessential nonconformist, Jesus. God doesn't just give us permission to give expression to our uniqueness; He demands it. And the future of the kingdom may depend upon it."

One God idea is worth infinitely more than a thousand good ideas. How do you know which ideas are God ideas and which ideas are just good ideas? Prayer and experimentation. As creatives, we have to be willing to experiment, which means we have to be willing to fail. But if we are unwilling to fail then we will never follow through on the new ideas that God is planting within us all the time. Why are we afraid to fail anyway? Are we afraid that people won't like us? It isn't about us anyway is it? It is about God. And if it is about God, then it isn't about us, so it doesn't matter if people don't like us! God has called us to be creative, so create.

Enjoy the Journey

Holy Curiosity

We learn new things everyday. Or at least we should learn new things everyday! Learning new things is part of loving God. "Loving God with all your mind means making the most of your mind by learning as much as you can about as much as you can. But the true litmus test of spiritual maturity isn't how much you know. It's knowing how much you don't know." We should be curious enough to want to keep learning, but humble enough to realize that we will never know everything. If you get to the point where you feel like you know all there is to know about God, then you will cease to be filled with wonder. "When you stop learning, you stop loving? Why? Because loving is learning more and more about the one you love. True love is never satisfied. It always wants to know more about the object of its affection." Just the other day on our way to Orlando, Abi says this to me: 'tell me something I don't already know about your childhood.' I stumbled around for awhile, but it began a conversation in which we learned things about each other we never knew before! We've been married for 5 years, and we know each other really well, but there is always something new to learn about the one you love. The more you love someone, the more you want to know about them. "The more you love God, the more curious you become. When it comes to loving God with all your mind, curiosity is both the cause and effect."

We don't often think about learning as a form of worship. But God wants us to love Him with all of our minds! That means "loving God with half your mind isn't good enough. Being half-minded is no better than being half-hearted. God wants to sanctify every part of your mind for His purposes: sanctified logic, sanctified intuition, sanctified imagination, even a sanctified sense of humor." That means that we need to love God "logically and creatively, seriously and humorously, intuitively and thoughtfully." In order to do that, we have to exercise our minds. You've heard the phrase, 'use it or lose it,' and it applies not only to your muscles but to your intellect as well! Did you know that the average college graduate reads two books a year? If you put a book in the bathroom you can read one a month! Come on man! Albert Einstein said this, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity." Sometimes I think we are afraid to ask questions. But let me just say this: God is not intimidated by your questions. "God would much rather entertain a genuine question born out of humility than a disingenuous prayer born out of pride." We shouldn't be satisfied with easy answers! We should feel free to ask dangerous questions that require complex answers!

Albert Einstein also said this: "Science without religion is lame," and conversely, "religion without science is blind." I love that. Too often we try to separate the two and pretend that they don't get along. But if we believe that God is the God of creation, wouldn't we want to know everything we could about His creation? Don't put a limit on your studies, because the more you learn, the more you will see. "What the eye sees is determined by what the brain has learned." Let me explain it this way. As a musician, you hear music differently. You can separate all the parts and hear each instrument as it plays together to create a symphony of sound. People who aren't musicians don't hear music the same way. Why? Because they don't know about it. They don't know how it works. "Simply put: the more you know, the more you appreciate." So we could say, "how much you know may have more to do with how much you love God than you think." It is not enough to worship God, He wants to you to know why you are doing it. We need to be able to answer that question. Why do we sing the songs we sing? You see, "great is love is born out of great knowledge." "Simply put: learn more, worship more." "You cannot truly love what you do not really know. That is called ignorance. So stop and think about the implications. The less you know God, the less you love Him. And the more you know God, the more you love Him. Why? Because to know Him is to love Him. And if you don't love Him, it's because you don't really know Him."

All of that being said, we need to have a dose of critical realism within us. All that means is we have to be able to admit that we don't know everything there is to know. If we would do that, we would have a lot less arguing over things that don't really matter. Stand up for the non-negotiables. Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life. He died for our sins on the cross and was raised to life on the third day. It is time we learned to let some others things go without losing our minds arguing over things that aren't really that important. "Maybe it's time to admit that we don't know all the answers. But we know the One who does."

We are called to be disciples of Jesus. That literally means "learner." So by definition, we should never stop learning! We are always to be asking and seeking and knocking. "And the quest is never over because the questions never end." "I believe that learning glorifies God when ti's done for the right reasons. And that reason is to know Him ore so that you can love Him more. So go ahead and live as if you'll die tomorrow. But keep learning as if you'll live forever. After all, you will."

Enjoy the Journey

Seventy Faces

Have you ever played with a kaleidoscope? They are so cool aren't they? They are great because when you look through them, you never see the same thing twice. It is the same way with God's Word isn't it? You can read a passage 100 different times on 100 different days and it will speak to you in a different way each time. That's because the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer is speaking to you today, helping you to understand the Bible. He knows everything about us and He knows what we need to hear, that is why the Bible speaks to us differently each time we read it! The Bible is the place where you get to know God. "The Bible is the place where God bears His soul."

"The quest for the lost soul of Christianity always leads us back to the Bible. But rediscovering the wonders of Scripture requires more than reading. That's where the quest begins, but that's not where it ends. Not if you want to get it into your soul. You have to meditate on it. Then you have to live it out. Meditating on it turns one-dimensional knowledge into two-dimensional understanding. Living it out turns two-dimensional understanding into three-dimensional obedience."

A musical trainer was hired to work with a group of opera singers who couldn't hit a certain pitch, even though it fell within their range. He tried everything, but then on a whim he tested their hearing. What he discovered was that they couldn't sing that pitch because they couldn't hear that pitch. The problem wasn't their voice, it was their hearing. "Until you hear the voice of God, you won't be able to sing His song. Why? Because you're out of tune. That's how we get stuck in sinful habits and negative cycles and destructive patterns. But when you open the Bible and really hear the voice of God-His loving voice, His graceful voice, His powerful voice, His convicting voice, His affirming voice, His authoritative voice-you life begins to echo God's. Your live becomes a joyful noise. Your life begins to harmonize with the Holy Spirit." Here is what it comes down to: to love God is to love the Bible.

Mark Batterson talks about a time in his life when he was reading the Bible for little more than sermon prep. As a result, he wasn't reading very much of the Bible, just little sections at a time. It's good to know that other people have the same struggles we do isn't it? The problem with that is we end up reading the Bible for what God wants to say through us rather than reading it to find out what He wants to say to us. Then he read this quote by J.I. Packer that changed him, "Any Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover-to-cover every year." He says he was convicted by it, and couldn't argue with it, so he set out to do it. As a result, he fell in love with the Bible again. I agree, how can we say we love God but don't spend time reading His word? You can read through the Bible in a year spending 20 minutes a day reading it. If you don't have 20 minutes a day for Bible reading, then your priorities are messed up.

I know it is hard. It was something that I struggled with for a long time. That's because spiritual disciplines are just like physical disciplines. I didn't like going to the gym at 7am every morning when I first started doing it. It was hard! Even though I felt better physically afterward, getting out of bed was so hard! But 6 months later, and Abi can attest to this, I complain more if I don't get to go to the gym than I do if I make it there (even at 7am!)! Why? Because what starts as discipline ends up as desire. The same is true of God's word. The more you read the Bible the more you'll discover that you crave it. "It's an acquired taste."

Do not put the responsibility of getting to know the scriptures on your Pastor. That is your job. Many people across the world leave churches because they say, "I'm not being fed." It is a Pastor's job to prepare the best he can to share the Word of God each week, but let me say this: kids learn to feed themselves when they are toddlers. "If you're not being fed, that's your fault." I love what Mark Batterson says when he says, "Here's a news flash: the Bible was unchained from the pulpit nearly 500 years ago during an era of history called the Middle Ages." "If you are relying on preacher to be fed, I fear for you. Listening to a sermon is acquiring second-hand knowledge."

"We are what we read. But let me take it one step further. Reading without meditating is like eating without digesting. If you want to absorb the nutrients, you can't just read it; you've got to chew on it. Meditation is the way we metabolize scripture. That's how we get it into our soul." I know meditation brings all kinds of images to our minds. But what we are talking about here is filling the mind with the Word of God. "If the goal of reading is to get through the Bible, the goal of meditating is to get the Bible through us."

But reading and meditating aren't enough...we have to obey it too! "Dynamic properties are not revealed in a static state." "Too many of us try to understand truth in the static state. We want to understand it without doing anything about it, but it doesn't work that way. You want to understand it? Then obey it. The way you master a text isn't by studying it. The way you master a text is by submitting to it. You have to let it master you." Too often we judge spiritual maturity by how much of the Bible we know. But that has never been and never will be the litmus test. Most of us know way more of the Bible than we obey. The judge of spiritual maturity isn't how much of the Bible you know, it is how much you obey.

Have you ever audited a class? It's great! You get to hear all the information, but you don't have to do any of the homework or take any of the tests! One problem though, you don't get any credit for the class either. It's the same way with the Bible. "You don't get credit for auditing Scripture. You've got to put it into practice." You don't get credit for knowing what the Bible says about caring for poor people if you don't care for the poor! Oh how our churches would change if we simply put into practice what we say we believe. You say you believe the Bible? Prove it. Put your money...and your time where your mouth is. It will change your life and it will change your church.

Here is what we are called to do regarding the Bible: Read it. Meditate on it. Then live it out.

Enjoy the Journey

The Island of the Colorblind

When was the last time you just sat in awe of God? Odds are it has been awhile. Leonardo da Vinci said that the average person "looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking." It sounds like a sad existence doesn't it? You have to feel bad for people who are in such a hurry that they can't appreciate what is going on right in front of their eyes. Do you think that is how God feels about us?

"Is it possible that we've given God a passing glance instead of truly hallowing His name? Is it possible we've settled for a god who fits into the constraints of our logical left brains instead of the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can imagine with our right brains? Is it possible we've studied the God of logic without truly worshiping the God of wonders?"

Last week we said that loving God with our heart means having a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. Well, loving God with our soul means having "a soul full of wonder, a soul flooded with the glory of God, a soul awed by beauty and mystery, a soul that hallows God above all else."

We have a tendency to come at God from a logical perspective. We want the facts. But the truth is that facts don't awe us. Don't get me wrong, God is factual. But God is more than factual. "He is wonderful. The mind is educated with facts, but the soul is educated with beauty and mystery. And the curriculum is creation."

"In its most primal form, worship is wonder. It is standing in awe of the Creator and His creation. It is giving credit where credit is due; the Creator." When was the last time you marveled at a thunderstorm or went down and applauded as the sun set over the skyline? Elizabeth Barret Browning put it this way: "Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common brush afire with God: But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries."

In other words, open your eyes and look at what God is doing! So many of us are like the people Oliver Sacks writes about in 'The Island of the Colorblind.' He writes of a group of people who live on an island in the South Pacific. After a typhoon came through and ravaged the island, only about 20 people survived, and in the coming years, a peculiar thing started happening. In most places in the world, colorblindness is hardly epidemic, in fact only 1 in 30,000 people are colorblind. But on this island, 1 in 12 was born with this condition. That means that even though they lived on a tropical island, they could not appreciate its true beauty because they could not see any of the lush colors that surrounded them on every side. It's sad, isn't it? But many of us live in the presence of God and don't realize it or give it a second thought. We are surrounded by God's glory, but we can't see it. Why is that?

We are sleepwalking through life. "Our eyes are open, but the vacant look reveals an empty soul. At best we're half awake. And just like the physical condition, we're unaware of our spiritual condition until someone or something wakes us up. We're unaware of the miracles happening all around us all the time. We're unaware of the spiritual warfare that is being waged all around us all the time. We're unaware of what the Spirit of God is doing all around us all the time."

It is time to wake up sleepers. It is time to regain our sense of wonder at who God is and what He is doing. Only then can we be spiritually mature. "Spiritual maturity has nothing to do with circumstances. It has everything to do with consciousness. A relationship with Christ doesn't always change our circumstances, but it does change the way we see ourselves, see others, and see God. Why? Because we see with our souls."

Enjoy the Journey

A Drop in the Bucket

Let me begin by saying that I am about as analytical as they come. Especially when it comes to money. In Dave Ramsey's terms, I am the 'nerd.' I know where every penny we make ends up and on what day it gets where it is going. I am a nerd. So what I am about to share with you hit me pretty hard, and I hope it does you as well. "Sometimes our minds interfere with our hearts. Logical objections get in the way of compassionate acts. It's not my responsibility. I'm not ready. I can't make much of a difference anyway." When it comes to giving, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't count the cost. You should. But if God is speaking to your heart, don't let your mind get in the way of what God wants you to do. Sometimes loving god with all your heart simply means listening to your heart instead of your head."

We've all heard it, 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.' "The more abstract, the less convicting truth is. So let me get concrete. Faith equals God-ordained risks in the face of fear. Obedience equals God-honoring decision in the face of temptation. And compassion equals Spirit-prompted generosity in the face of greed." I am not saying that we shouldn't be generous with our time and our energies, we should! "But sometimes love is measured in dollars." The truth is this, "you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." God wants to bless you, but He doesn't want to bless you so you can buy more stuff. "The blessings of God are always a means to an end. And the end is blessing others." Our author put it this way, "making money is the way you make a living and giving it away is the way you make a life."

Money has a tendency to master us. But there is a way that we can master it. It is amazingly simple and amazingly difficult at the same time. Create an income ceiling. I have heard this from several places lately and I think it is pretty great. You see, "enough will never be enough unless you determine how much is enough." Create an income ceiling and give everything you make above that away. "What would happen if every Christ follower gave away everything above and beyond their predetermined income ceiling?"

Here are some questions to think about: "Are you focused on what you have or what you don't have? That is the difference between gratitude and greed. Are you focused on this life or the next? That is the difference between stinginess and generosity. Are you focused on your wants or other's needs? That is the difference between selfishness and compassion. It's also the difference between unhappiness and joy."

Pre-decisions are the best decisions. Pre-decisions are decisions you make before a circumstance presents itself in which you have to make a decision. They help because they make it easy for you to make difficult decisions. If you don't make pre-decisions, you'll end up caving into whatever circumstances you are in and make bad decisions over and over. A pre-decision that our family has made it to tithe. That is 10%. That comes off the top before we do the bills, before we figure out anything else, tithes and offerings (things above 10%) come off, and we do everything else with what we have left. I don't say that to brag about how much we give. "The tithe isn't the goal. It's the starting place. It begins with a pre-decision to live off 90%, but it doesn't stop there. The more we grow up spiritually, the more we'll give back to God financially. It's that simple. Why? Because you aren't giving Him your money. You're giving Him your heart."

You can choose not to tithe. You can choose not to give at all. God doesn't need your money. In fact if you are giving it and holding a grudge, God doesn't even want your money! But hear this, "If you hang on to what you have, your heart will become smaller and smaller. And you'll lose your soul in the process. But if you give what you've got, your heart will grow larger and larger for the things of God."

I know Mike has said it a hundred times. God says we should test Him, if we give to Him, He will give us more than we can imagine. You can't outgive God. I believe that. I also believe that if your motivation for giving to God is to get more in return, He won't bless you. God is not a mutual fund. But if you give with the right heart, I can tell you from personal experience that God will bless you with more than you had to start with. That is what happens when you give God control of your finances.

Let's talk about worship for a second. As musicians, we are tasked with leading this congregation in worship. Now to most people that means singing, and singing is definitely part of worship. But for those of you who have been around here for any time at all you know that worship is much more than that. "What if, instead of sound quality or lyrical creativity, our litmus test for worship was a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God? What if we saw compassion as a form of worship? Worship without words. Worship beyond words." May we be a team of people whose compassion is contagious and spreads throughout our congregation in such a way that will shake this city to its core.

"Don't let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can. Put your money where your heart is. It's not a drop in the bucket. Every act of generosity creates a righteous ripple effect that can change the course of history. It will also change your heart."

Enjoy the Journey

The Tribe of the Transplanted

Did you know that studies show that the heart secretes its own brainlike hormones and has cellular memory? That means that when people receive a heart transplant, they literally receive new sensory responses, cravings, and habits. Crazy right? When you give your heart to Christ, He gives His heart to you. That is why you feel different. You now feel what Christ feels. One of the biggest things that should be growing in you is compassion. "Your heart begins to break for the things that break the heart of God. And that is the heart of what it means to love God with all your heart." Isn't it interesting that Christians are often viewed by the outside world as heartless? It is true, we are not as compassionate as we should be. The good news is we can change that. But it will take a change of heart.

There are countless tragedies in the world, but we overlook most of them because we have never connected a name or a face to them. They are simply numbers. Like this one: "There are a hundred thirty thousand children up for adoption at any given time in the United States, and millions more children worldwide are without families." Millions sounds big, but it rarely hits home. But you put a name or a face with that statistic, and it changes everything doesn't it? Here is the thing: "God knows each of those names. God knows each of those faces. And it breaks His heart. So let me ask you this question: Are you ok with this?"

"If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot be okay with suffering or injustice or starvation. Why? Because His heart is in you. And His heart beats for the suffering, the victim, the poor, and the needy. If you are a Christ follower, then you have been drafted into an army of compassion that knows o enemy but those things that break the heart of God. And it's not okay to not do something about them."

Having the heart of Christ changes everything. It changes the way we act, and it changes the way we react. "In my experience, it's much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, you won't just act like it. You'll react like it."

Empathy is feeling what another person feels. As our relationship with God grows, we become more and more empathetic with Him. This is when we become sympathetic and compassionate towards others.

Compassion can change the world. Just ask Joseph. Joseph was a bratty teenager whose big mouth and bigger ego got him thrown into a well and sold into slavery by his own brothers. He eventually landed in a dungeon where he had some time to learn the lessons of compassion and empathy. Evidently he did, because when the Pharaoh's cupbearer was put into the dungeon, Joseph noticed that he was upset and asked him about it. This was a big departure from the self-absorption that lead him to be sold into slavery in the first place. To make a long story short, he interpreted the dream of the cupbearer, who was released shortly after. After some time passed, Pharaoh himself had a dream that no one else could interpret, but the cupbearer remembered Joseph. So Joseph met Pharaoh, interpreted the dream, saved Egypt and ultimately his family (which would grow into the nation of Israel) from famine! Years later, a descendent of Joseph's brother Judah was born in Bethlehem, and we will be celebrating His birth here shortly. We celebrate His birth because Jesus' act of compassion lead Him to Calvary and resulted in salvation for us! Wow. So what would have happened if Joseph hadn't noticed that the cupbearer was upset? What would have happened if he didn't have compassion? Never underestimate an act of compassion.

Each of us has something inside of us that causes us to have compassion. We are passionate people. I don't know what makes you sad or glad or mad. But I know that we are called by God to do something about it. "There is something that breaks your heart because it breaks the heart of God." This is because you have the heart of Christ beating within you right now. "The only question that remains is this: what are you going to do about it?"

Enjoy the Journey

Two-Thousand Stairs (from 'Primal' by Mark Batterson)

In Rome, they build new things on top of old things. The new emperor would tear down the palace of his predecessor and build his new palace in the same spot. This is also true of the churches there. There is a church that is standing today that was built in the 11th century, that was built on top of a church that stood in the 4th century, that is built on top of catacombs that were used by Christians in the 2nd century before it was legal to be a Christian. We begin our journey with our author (Mark Batterson) standing in these catacombs. He says that as he stood there, he couldn't help but wonder if our generation hasn't forgotten how inconvenient it is to follow Christ. He says, "I couldn't help but wonder if we have accepted a form of Christianity that is more educated but less powerful, more civilized but less compassionate, more acceptable but less authentic than that which our spiritual ancestors practiced." I mean, we have come a long way from the catacombs haven't we? We now have 'pews and pulpits, songs, committees, liturgies, creeds and cannons' that our ancestors didn't have. I mean come on, we get upset when the air conditioning stops working! I'm not saying that any of these things are bad or that we shouldn't have them. But I, along with Mark Batterson, wonder 'when all of the superficialities are stripped away, what is the primal essence of Christianity?'

We could discuss that all night, but let me make a suggestion. Let's start with what Jesus said was the greatest commandment. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Simple right? Well, simple to remember maybe. But much more difficult to implement in your life. Jesus made knowing what to do simple, but there is a difference between simple and easy. Many people want Christianity to be simple AND easy. That is why when things get tough in their lives or when they come across something they don't understand, their faith fades quickly. This is not the Christianity we are talking about. Christianity is simple, but it is also difficult.

How do you love God with your heart, soul, mind and strength? It takes everything you have all of the time. There isn't a day off coming. Mark Batterson says, "The heart of Christianity is primal compassion. The soul of Christianity is primal wonder. The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity. And the strength of Christianity is primal energy." Our goal is to have a love for God that is worth living and dying for.

As we go through this book together, I hope we can come back to the place where our faith began. A place where we know that God loves us and we love Him, and nothing else matters. Do you have a 'personal catacomb' in your life? A place where it all started. Do you remember that time? Do you remember that place? Maybe it was a sermon or a mission trip or a retreat or a dream or a vow. Whatever it was, I hope that our study will bring you all the way back to that place. "The place where loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all that matters." The quest for the lost soul of Christianity begins there."

Enjoy the Journey

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