A Psalm of Praise

Part of what we were asked to do in this current class module was to read through and identify several types of Psalms. They generally lay out in one of 5 different categories:

Psalms of Praise - Celebrate who God is, putting primary emphasis on God's moral character and attributes.

a. Introduction: a call to praise

b. Body: the reason(s) for praising God

c. Conclusion: renewed call to praise

Sub-types of this would be about Creation, focusing on God as creator / Diving Kingship & Enthronement, focusing on God as King / Confidence & Trust, focusing on God as an ongoing provider.

Psalms of Thanksgiving - Thank God for deliverance from a bad situation.

a. Introduction: the intent to give thanks and praise

b. The Narrative: the story of crisis - 1. distress, 2. prayer, 3. deliverance

c. Conclusion: renewed vow of praise or testimony

Psalms of Lament - Appeal to God for help in an ongoing bad situation.

a. Invocation: prayer addressed to God

b. Complaint: the crisis described

c. Petition: the plea for help

d. Conclusion: expression of trust, confidence, or promise

NOTE: Laments sometimes include a confession of sin, an assertion of innocence, or a curse of an enemy.

A subtype of this Psalm would be an Imprecatory Psalm, which specifically requests violence upon human enemies.

Human Kingship/Royal Psalms - A poem which concerns the human king in Israel.

a. This is not strictly a literary type, but a classification based on the subject involved.

b. These Psalms generally involve various settings in the life of the king.

A subtype of this Psalm is the Zion Psalm, which celebrates Jerusalem (the royal city).

Wisdom Psalm - A poem which serves primarily to teach. It is not strictly a literary type, but a classification based on the following items:

a. Subject Matter: these include fear of Yahweh (God), love of the Torah (the "Law" found in the Old Testament), the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, and instruction for daily living.

b. Typical Wisdom Forms: these include "better" and "blessed" sayings, warnings, and formal addressing of those who are reading.

The subtypes of this Psalm are:

1. Torah Psalm - Exhorting the reader to follow the Torah for success.

2. Existential Psalm - Wrestling with and solving theological issues.

As I read through these, I thought I might try my hand at writing a Psalm, using one of these forms. To that end, I believe I've come up with what appears to be a Psalm of Praise according to the major category types. Take a read through it, and let me know what you think!

A Psalm of Praise

1 Praise be the Lord Almighty,

for he is worthy to be praised!

2 Give him the glory due his name

for the wonderful things He has done.

3 Let the streets resound with music and singing;

let the deeds of the LORD ring from the heights!

4 He brought me out of my despair

and set me in the palm of his hand.

5 He covered me when others were aiming to take my life;

he protected me from their wicked intent.

6 His glory thwarted the plans of the evil one that were against me,

for his light shone like the sun, revealing the truth.

7 Those who were against me had no choice but to flee

as the light proved me blameless in the public eye.

8 Oh, let us come and give glory to God forever

and sing his praises from the mountains to the sea!

9 Let us not remain silent in his presence,

but instead, break forth into joyous praise!

10 May the LORD shine upon us for all time

as we give him thanks and praise! Amen.

Wow...

Thanks to my friend Wyatt Johnston and his photo blog (which you should follow!), I realized that I haven't posted anything here since LAST AUGUST!!! That's kind of when the junk hit the fan for a while here in south central Kansas... In that time, I've launched a new website for Glenn Park Christian Church where I work, assisted in implementing a new family focused ministry strategy, completed another 5 modules toward my degree through Tabor College, and am still in the process of breaking in my new favorite youth minister, Seth Taylor.

As I was thinking (sheepishly I might add...) that I really should put something out here, I took a look back at some of the work put into the classes I've been taking. One of the assignments we were given was to write out our faith story. Call it a testimony if you wish, but I think the idea of a faith story is much more appropriate. Below you will find just a small glimpse into the road that led me to become a pastor.

While attending my "home church" at the age of 7, the pastor brought in a puppet ministry that really brought the saving message of Christ down to a level that I could understand. When the invitation was given, I went forward to receive Christ in my heart. I knew He was with me, and wanted to serve Him in whatever capacity He needed me to. This led to my mom, seeing that I had a knack for music, giving me a shot at directing the choir when I was 14. God and I were at odds during my adolescent years. I had the "Sunday Christian" thing down pat. On Sunday morning, I was the model picture of saintly goodness in my burgundy satin choir robe, but the rest of the week was filled with worldly things.

In 1998 at the age of 20, I had hit rock bottom. Luckily for me (and all of us!) God never gives up. He moved me to Manhattan KS, where I attended Manhattan Christian College. It was there that I met my wife, Lora, and was asked to help start a church in Salina KS. Through starting that church, God began a transformation in my life that is still affecting me today. I had formed a band during this time, and we were 6 months from getting a record deal when God tore the rug out from underneath me. The "Rock Star" image was one that had been a dream of mine for many years, but it wasn't what He wanted from me. The facade of selflessness was covering the true selfish nature within, and I still had to learn that.

In 2000, I moved back home, and began working with a band in Topeka. This band was full of young guys that were seemingly on fire for Christ, and it was a great place to heal from the wounds left over from the Manhattan band. We had record labels sniffing at us as well, and God once again tore it apart. The facade had some cracks, but was still intact for the most part.

As I mentioned earlier, God never gives up. He has helped me realize that, if I don't allow the facade to crumble, then I don't allow His work to fully continue. If I don't pull the walls between myself and others down, then there's no connection... no way to lead, or be followed. I had always used music as a way to hide my faults, instead of as a way to glorify the One who makes me strong where I am weakest. It turned me into a fraud, and was a detriment to everyone around me. He put people and events in my life to bring me to a place of complete surrender and brokenness. He is my very breath now, and my soul goal in life is to help lead others to that point of total surrender to Him, so that His grace, mercy, and peace can flow through those cracks in our lives, and make us whole again.

I hope you are encouraged by this look into what God has done in my life. I hope you see that God never gives up on us, no matter what we do or where we go. I hope you'll take one more step toward Him today, and if you fall, you'll remember that God is your safety net.

A Look at Luke 14:15-24

The Parable of the Great Banquet offers us a look into the type of teaching that Jesus typically did for those he came into contact with. It also gives us a glimpse into our own lives as we sift through the parable characters and see shadows that may echo our own. This passage begins with the statement of a person being blessed by eating at the feast of the kingdom of God, and then Jesus shares the banquet parable.

There are two Promises to claim in this parable which have to do with being in invited to the banquet. The first is a promise of acceptance. Jesus speaks of a man who invites important people to a banquet, but they create self-important excuses and decline to claim the promise of a seat at the table when they choose not to come. Instead, the man has his servant go into the streets and offer that same invitation to ordinary people. Those people gladly accept the invitation and claimed their seats at the master’s table. In the same way, we are invited to accept Jesus’ invitation to claim the promise of eternal life and sit at the Master’s table in heaven. The second promise is one of rejection. Many times, those who are invited to claim that very promise believe that they have more important things to do. They believe that there is “more life to live”, and therefore, choose to do just that, all the while leaving their eternal reward of heaven behind. God offers His invitation through Christ Jesus to all who will come. Those who accept it will filled with the hope and joy of knowing they will see God. Those who choose not to accept it will never get a taste of heaven, for they will be shut out and cast into eternal darkness.

The master in the parable Expresses the emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness as his invitations are turned down one by one for reason that are not important and are very self serving. His emotions express the intense desire that he had for all those invited to come and share a meal at his table. When they refuse to do so for one reason or another, his anger, frustration, and sadness expose themselves to the point that he decides to have nothing to do with them whatsoever. This is an important lesson to learn, for I believe it is an example of how God reacts when those He invites to be reconciled to Him choose not to accept that invitation for worldly reasons. Although we do not currently see His anger, frustration, and sadness, I am certain that they are authentic. We will see those emotions one day when we are before the throne of judgment. Those who have not accepted His invitation will feel God’s emotions first hand as He sends them into eternal darkness.

There are two Examples in this parable. One to follow and one to avoid. The one to follow is that of the master. He desires to fill his table at the banquet with people who will share in his celebration and happiness. When those he initially invited made the decision not to come for one reason or another, the master chose to fill his table with whomever would come. Instead of cancelling his banquet, he filled the table with the less fortunate and those off the street that gladly accepted the invitation. This is much the same for us when it comes to the invitation that God offers us through Christ. He invites us to come willingly and sit at His table, and we should willingly accept so that we might share in God’s celebration and happiness. The example to avoid is that of those who chose not to come. Rather than accepting the master’s invitation to the banquet, they chose to make excuses about why they could not attend. This incited the anger and frustration of the master to the point that, even if they had changed their mind and come to the banquet, they would not have been allowed to share in the celebration after it had begun. So it is with God, that those whosoever chooses not to accept His invitation of reconciliation through Christ, because they want to do their own thing, will be completely shut out of the celebration in heaven once it begins after the rapture even if they change their mind.

In all of this, I must give Adoration to God for His faithful promise of accepting me when I accept Him. The master in the parable told his servant to go and get the dregs of society and bring them in for the banquet hall to be full. He commanded the servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. When that wasn’t enough to fill the banquet hall, he had the servant travel the roads and lanes of the area so that he might bring in more people to fill the place for the feast. The master didn’t show preferential treatment. He simply wanted people to come and eat with him. He wanted people to accept him by accepting his invitation, and when they did, he accepted them without a second thought. God does the same with us. He invites us to come and accept Him by accepting His invitation of reconciliation through Jesus. When we accept that invitation to believe in God through Christ, He accepts us completely and unconditionally into His family. This acceptance is absolutely priceless, and yet, God gave everything in the person of His Son to give us the opportunity to accept Him and be accepted by Him. For that, I give God praise and adoration for his invitation!

However, in order for me to accept that invitation, there must be a Confession on my behalf. I must confess that I am indeed a sinner that is in need of the power of Jesus in my life to cleanse me of that sin. I must confess that I can’t do life on my own, and am in need of Christ as my Savior. This is a time of confessing wrong thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the Lord, and allowing His grace and mercy to help make restitution for our wrongs. Through the work of God’s servant, the Holy Spirit, I am invited to share in the Master’s happiness at His table. In accepting that invitation, I complete the confession of my sinful nature, and have a place at the table with God to sit and be with Him. One of the great rewards of this confession is the knowledge that, just as I have confessed my sins before God and Jesus has accepted me, Jesus will confess me before God and He will accept me when the time for judgment comes.

I give Thanks to God for his invitation of reconciliation through Christ. I have a feeling that those who accepted the invitation to the banquet gave thanks to the master for opening his home and preparing such an extravagant meal for them. In a similar way, I give thanks to God for opening heaven’s gates to me through the sacrifice of Christ, and for preparing such an extravagant home for me when my days on earth are finished and Christ comes again to establish the new heaven and new earth. This is a task that we must perform more often than not, as giving thanks to God for loving us enough to send Christ to die and rise is an important part of keeping perspective as a Christ follower.

In Supplication for myself, I choose to ask for the Father to keep me mindful of this parable, as I do not wish to treat the invitation God has placed before me with contempt or indifference. I wish to treat it as the beautiful and priceless gift that it is; the opportunity to spend eternity dining at the true Master’s table. In supplication for others, I pray very fervently for those who are lost, hurting and confused. I pray for those who have heard of the saving knowledge of Christ but have chosen to walk away from it. I pray for those who may have been hurt by other Christians at some point, and that has caused them to step away from the Master’s table invitation. It is my prayer for these that they will look again at what exactly it is that God offers them through the sacrifice of Jesus, and that they will see that it far outweighs anything that the world could offer them. I hope and pray that they will accept freely the invitation from God to be with Him for eternity, so that they will not be left out once the heavenly feast has begun. I also pray for those who have accepted the invitation of reconciliation. It is my prayer for these that they will continually remember just how much God paid to be able to deliver that invitation to us, and that we must continually accept that invitation in our lives, sometimes on a moment by moment basis.

Taking A Look At Mark 1:1-3

In reading through Mark 1:1-3, we see Mark speaking of the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth. In doing so, he opens with who he believes Jesus is. In this we find a Promise to Claim. This promise is in Mark’s firm assertion that Jesus is, in fact, Christ, the Son of the living God. Mark makes no bones about his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, although he does not come out and state that publicly. It is, however, very apparent by his use of both “Christ” and “Son of God” in the first verse of his Gospel.

He then goes on to tell the story of John the Baptist. This story begins with a restating of the words of the prophet Isaiah from chapter forty and verse three in his book from the Old Testament. As these words are brought to light for a new generation of believers, we find another Promise to Claim. Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament that one would come and prepare the way for the Lord. Mark believes that John the Baptist is the one of whom Isaiah spoke about so long ago, and that John indeed does fulfill that prophecy. We see this come to fruition through Mark’s telling of the story of John the Baptist.

These promises are ones that we can claim for ourselves in a couple of ways. First off, with Mark’s belief that Jesus is the Messiah, we are able to claim Jesus as our Messiah and our Lord and Savior. We can claim that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Being able to claim that proclamation brings us to the second promise. That promise, spoken of by Isaiah and again by Mark, is that of a messenger being sent to us to prepare the way and make the paths straight. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus to do ministry, Jesus prepares the way for us to be reconciled to the Father. John baptized with water, but Jesus baptizes with His own blood shed for our sins. This washes us clean so that we might be pure and righteous in the sight of God.

In reading through this text, I believe that Mark has some Emotions that are expressed. I believe that he expresses excitement through stating that Jesus is the Son of God, and also through the restating of Isaiah’s words as a confirmed prophecy of both John the Baptist and Jesus. We, too, can experience this excitement through these words as we believe that Jesus is who Mark claims He is, and through the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah as a confirmation to the modern reader that God does what He says He will do.

The words of Isaiah that Mark quotes have an Example for those of us who are Christ followers today. When Mark speaks the words “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”, it is important that we realize our role in that process. When we became Christians, someone made the path to the Lord straight for us. We came to a point through the help of friends, family members, pastors, teachers, etc… that our path choice was a blatantly obvious one. We needed to choose the path of righteousness, which was paved with the blood and by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, without those around us making straight paths to the Lord, we may not have ever found our way to salvation. As we interact with those around us, it is of utmost importance that we are an example of Christ’s work in our lives at all times. When we do not exhibit those characteristics, the path we create becomes winding and twisted, which is hardly a straight path for others to follow to the cross. The example of Mark’s straight forward approach to telling exactly who he believed Jesus to be, and the confirmed words of Isaiah’s prophecy show us that we need to make it easy for others to find Christ.

In conclusion, I want to offer Thanks to God through what I read in this passage. I thank Him for being faithful to fulfill His Word. According to Mark, the arrival of John the Baptist on the scene fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of one who would prepare the way for the Lord. I am inclined to believe that this is true, and I want to thank God for showing Himself faithful to do what He says He will do. This is but one example of God fulfilling the prophecy foretold in the Bible, and it is through the fulfilling of this prophecy that the ministry of Jesus begins. That ministry is what ultimately led to the greatest sacrifice ever seen, which covers my sins and allows me to be reconciled to God. I can’t help but thank Him for being true to His character and Word!

One Body, Many Parts

I would assume that most of us have at least glossed over the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 that speaks about the body. We all have the head knowledge that this particular piece of Scripture speaks to, which is that we are all different, and yet, part of the same body. To refresh all of our memories, here's the passage I'm talking about.

I Corinthians 12:12-31 - The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is wit Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many, If the foot should say, "Because i am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts of that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unrepresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that ts parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one parts in honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to heal others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

This idea of One Body, Many Parts, is meant to show the church that it is to be a unit. This idea is to be shown in the local church AND the church worldwide by the inclusiveness of the body, regardless of race, gender, background, financial status, job, education, or gifts and talents. We are to accept the God given diversity of our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we might truly be one body of believers made up of all kinds of people. Preachers, teachers, prophets, healers, musicians, vocalists, servants, prayer warriors, etc... We are to think of and act like the church as a great melting pot that welcomes all parts into God's family.

It is important that I stress one very important point here. We are also to welcome those who practice a homosexual lifestyle into the Church. Yes, there are clear verses in Leviticus 18 & 20, as well as I Corinthians 6, that state God's true feelings about homosexuality. However, there are also many other verses that state God's true feelings about other sins as well, not to mention that God doesn't rate one sin higher than another. God loves them, but detests their lifestyle choice. How else are we to show them the love God has and the truth about their sinful condition if we don't even let them in the doors? Let me be clear: I am NOT saying that we should invite them to serve on the Worship Team, teach a Sunday School class, or be a Youth Sponsor. I would not be kosher with that, just as I would not be kosher with a raging alcoholic, pedophile, or adulterer doing any of those things. I AM saying that we should invite them in so that they might hear the Good News, believe, and turn from their sin to go the direction that God would have them go.

Another part of being One Body, Many Parts, is recognizing that not all of us will have the same function within the body. We are not made from a cookie cutter! Each of us has had a diverse set of experiences, and no two people have had the exact same experiences. That means that we are all designed to do things that another is not, and God planned it that way! Not everyone is an amazing musician, gifted speaker, or well studied teacher. Some have those gifts, but some might just be good at service oriented things, and others still might have a bigger knack for prayer and encouragement. The body has many different skill sets on purpose, so that we might better serve when we're together.

The problem here is when folks get the idea that one gift or another is bigger, better, or more important than another. Folks, we're all called to the same mission! Our call is to continue the work of Christ here on earth until He returns. How we do that depends on our gifts and abilities! Just because I'm called to continue Christ's work on earth through Worship Arts doesn't mean that I'm any better than my friend Dave who's called to continue Christ's work on earth through being an electrician. We simply do different things within the body to further the kingdom! Ministry is our full time job, regardless of what we do for gainful employment. His is turning on lights, and mine is turning on amps and computers.

We cannot seek status with our gifts and talents, and still expect to be One Body. It just won't happen. When people use their gifts as a way to build themselves up, it creates the "pedestal complex", in which one is all of a sudden better and more distinguished than another.

I've worked with pastors and lay leaders that were doing their jobs for the status within the Body that it gave them, and they used that status as leverage to get what they wanted. Did that create unity? Quite the opposite. It almost always created a fair amount of dis-unity and chaos within the Body.

On the other end of the spectrum, the pastor I work for now has every right (by the world's standards) to be on a pedestal. He's been here almost 4 decades, and has a powerful and dynamic personality and preaching style that captures your attention from beginning to end. He could easily just go about his days prepping to preach and leaving the rest to others. Instead, he doesn't even consider his status as anything to talk about, rolls up his sleeves, and gets dirty just like the rest of us. There is no "pedestal complex" in his heart; he only has the love of Jesus and the desire for unity within the Body.

Where did he learn how to do that? What was His example? It was the example Jesus set for us that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Church at Philippi.

Philippians 2:5-11 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

THIS is how we become One Body, Many Parts. We consider status nothing and humble ourselves to become obedient to what it is that God has set before us. Only then will we be able to live together in unity and allow God to increase our ability to further His kingdom for His glory.

One Body. Many Parts. All ages, races, countries, denominations... Globally and locally, all working together for the sole purpose of combining our gifts and talents in order to give God glory.

I'm in. Are you?

Reputation Can Be Everything

I was watching a brand new show on the Discovery Channel last night called "Swords - Life On The Line". It's kinda like Deadliest Catch, but instead of crab fishing in the Bering Sea these folks are fishing for swordfish off the Outer Banks.

In this particular episode there was a captain that hadn't been out during the season in ten years, but her legend was such that she easily filled out her crew and got to work on the fishing grounds. Other boats were giving her a wide berth and allowing her to fish the places that she used to, all because of who she was.

However, there was also a younger captain from the south who had come up to fish the Banks with his crew. He was a very aggressive bully of a captain down where he was from, and the other captains on the Banks had heard of his actions back home. They were not willing to give up some of their fishing area, and were very wary of giving him information and sharing any supplies.

Isn't it interesting? Two captains doing the same thing, and yet with completely different reputations and responses from other people.

Now, the southern captain was very respectful of other boats' fishing areas and did was very cordial and respectful when speaking to them. All to no avail, however, as the other captains simply could not believe that his niceties were genuine due to what they already knew about him. Is it fair? Not necessarily, but it is human nature to distrust what seems to be out of the ordinary.

Remember Saul? Acts 8 introduces him to us as a man on the hunt for people who follow "The Way", otherwise known as Christ-followers. In Acts 9, he is running wild from town to town in search of people that he might arrest and bring back to Jerusalem for imprisonment or death for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ until he literally has a "come to Jesus meeting" and changes his ways.

What do you think his reputation was like? I can't imagine that he was very popular with the Jews or Gentiles that believed in Christ.

Once his experience there on the road to Damascus happened and Ananias was used by God to restore his sight, Saul had become a fully changed man. No longer interested in persecuting Christ-followers for their faith, he began to preach and proclaim the story of Christ to anyone who would listen. The problem here was that he had spent so much time building the reputation of a persecutor of Christians, there were not very many who were interested in what he was saying as much as they were interested in finding a way to dispatch him to the happy hunting grounds!

Several times his life was in danger and those who did believe him had to sneak him out of those potentially fatal situations. Even the disciples where wary of meeting with him for fear of being arrested! Saul's reputation was going to take a very long time to reverse itself.

The same thing happens in our lives today. Our reputations precede us wherever we go, and they can either smoothly pave or roughly tear up the road to where we are going. When we become followers of Christ, there are parts of our reputation that we have to overcome in order to be accepted as such.

Let me make this clear: You DO NOT NEED TO FIX THEM TO COME TO CHRIST!!! He accepts us as we are, and we don't have to "clean up" in order to become a follower. However, once we become a follower we are to accept the terms of that relationship, which means we have to do what it takes to live a Biblically sound life.

This is where it gets even more tricky when it comes to our reputation. In many cases, we accept Christ into our lives but it simply becomes "fire insurance" because our lives continue to reflect the world instead of the cross. Our reputation, instead of being one of a nice person who lives a worldly lifestyle, becomes that of a hypocrite because we speak one thing and do another thing which completely contradicts what we said.

To live a life of worship that is completely authentic takes more than lip service. Take a look at what James has to say about this:

James 2:14-26 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for wha the did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in the different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

So now comes the tough question: What does your reputation look like? Do people believe that you live a life that worships the Almighty all day, every day, and in every way? If not, it may be time to have a Damascus Road experience yourself.

The Church Scattered - The Good and The Not So Good

Acts 8 is an account of what happened after Stephen was stoned to death. It was on that day that some of the most horrific persecution of the church begins with Saul at the helm. Many Christ followers lost their homes, fortunes, property, jobs, families, and lives during this time in the Church's history. They were taken, beaten, chained, jailed, and killed for believing that Jesus was who He said He was. However, this is not the most important part of the story in this chapter.

I firmly believe that it was God's intention to have the Church scattered away from Jerusalem. I firmly believe that God used Stephen's stoning as the flashpoint for the transmission of the message of Christ to the masses. It was through this gruesome event that He began the world-wide effort to bring all nations to Himself.

We read starting in verse 4 that Philip went to Samaria and began preaching the good news of Christ to an area that was full of gentiles. Jews and Samarians normally didn't mix, but Jesus had made it clear that His message was for the Jew AND the Gentile, and so Phillip brought that message to them.

The spread of Jesus' teachings was not limited to Judea and Samaria, however. Starting in vesre 26, we see Philip being led by an angel of the Lord to go to a certain area, where he happens to meet up with a eunuch from Ethiopia. This person was in charge of the treasury for the Queen of the Ethiopians. A very important man indeed! The eunuch is in a carriage reading the book of Isaiah, but not understanding it. God had positioned Philip in the right place at the right time to join this person of high stature and help them to understand what they were reading. In addition, Philip was able to share the good news of Christ with them, and baptize them in a pond on the roadside. The passage said that the eunuch went away rejoicing and praising God! Now we don't know for certain, as the Bible doesn't make reference to it, but it is my educated guess that the eunuch took the message of Christ back to Ethiopia, thus spreading the Gospel outside the borders of Judea/Samaria.

That's the good news. Now for the not so good news.

Many were following along in the new found freedom that the message had given them, but there were also a few that followed to see what kind of personal gain they could receive.

Simon the Sorcerer is the main character that displays this selfish intent. When Peter and John join Phillip in Samaria and the Holy Spirit starts to indwell the people of the area, Simon tries to buy his way into having the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:18-24 - When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

Simon had been doing magical things for a while in Samaria, and people followed him because of his magical powers. He even had gone so far as to call himself "The Great Power". When Philip came into town doing miracles in the name of Jesus, it seems that Simon wanted to find out just how he was doing that so that he might add it to his own repetoire. It only makes sense that, once he saw Peter and John laying hands on the recently baptized so that they would receive the Holy Spirit, he would try and buy it from them so that he might gain more notariety and fame as a giver of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John saw straight through him and recognized that he was not truly asking for the Holy Spirit because he believed, but rather, for personal gain.

It is unfortunate, but even in the beginnings of the spread of Christianity, we see counterfeits popping up and endeavoring to taint the name of Jesus with false doctrine and devious intentions in mind. If satan can create something that looks, speaks, smells, and acts like the real thing, then there's a good chance that some will follow where they lead.

We must be on guard church, for if we are not diligent, we can be come a counterfeit without even knowing it!!!

The spread of Christianity has never been halted, and it should not stop now. What God began by scattering the Church after Stephen's death we continue today as the Body of Christ. There has never been a more opportune time for Christ's message to get to the masses! Let's live our lives of Worship before the world so that they may see Christ in us.

Matthew 5:13-16 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither to people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The Stoning of Stephen

I've been stewing on Acts 7 for a while now. At first glance, it's a fairly unassuming chapter due to most of it being dedicated to Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin. However, if you look a little deeper, you see some things that may catch your heart a bit.

Now, remember back in Chapter 6 that Stephen had been falsley accused of speaking against the Law and the Temple. Verse 15 said that everyone in the room saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. My best guess is that in that very moment, the Holy Spirit was filling Stephen with the strength he would need to answer the question that followed.

Acts 7:1 - Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

An interesting side note here is that the high priest asking the question (according to most scholars and theologians) was Caiaphas, who was the very priest that set the wheels in motion for Jesus to be betrayed and ultimately killed. How ironic that he also presides over the making of the first Christian martyr?!

At this moment, Stephen could have done what you see much of on television these days. He could have gone the tried and true "no these accusations are purely false and I will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are" route, but instead, God had a different plan for him. God had Stephen give the Sanhedrin a history lesson.

Reading through Verses 2-50, you will find a cliff notes version of the happenings between God and His chosen people from the time of Abraham all the way up to Solomon. One would think that this was to remind them of the amazing things God had done for them, but if you read it carefully you notice the common theme: Rejection of God's teachings and persecution of anyone who would bring them back to the forefront. This culminates with Stephen basically going postal on the Sanhedrin in Verses 51-53:

Acts 7:51-53 - "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers; You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet that your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And how you have betrayed and murdered him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Those words cost Stephen his life at the hands of the Sanhedrin. They stoned him to death for his beliefs. They stoned him to death for being an activist for his faith. They stoned him to death for stepping on their time honored laws, traditions, doctrines, and theologies. They stoned him to death for making them look bad in public. This event began the persecution of the church that spread and scattered it througout Judea and Samaria.

Now, while we don't see people physically stoned by others for their words and deeds in the church today, we see something very similar going on spiritually, emotionally, and mentally which is almost worse in some ways.

We have become too comfortable with our surroundings, trappings, traditions, methodologies, doctrines, practices, etc... This issue is not just with one certain age group either! It comes from people of ALL ages who don't want to compromise what they want in order to possibly do kingdom work. When someone comes along and challenges our positions on things that we are comfortable with, we lash out at them verbally to their face, and behind their back. We passive-aggressively undermine their position by gossipping about them and turning small things into giant issues. We choose to say "We've NEVER done it that way before", or "We've ALWAYS done it that way" in the hopes that whatever it is will be left alone. The sad part? This is NOT what God sent Jesus here to die for.

A life of Worship is not a life based on the trappings of traditional or modern practices. It is not a life based on the age of a person or their personal doctrines and agendas. It is a life that is totally surrendered to Him all day, every day, in every way. It is a life that reflects the love of Jesus to others just as the moon reflects the sun. It is a life that causes change just by simply being ready to serve God in whatever way He calls us to each and every time.

Instead of organizing petitions to save the Communion table or the carpet, we should be organizing food and clothing drives to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Instead of complaining to others about musical style, we should be open to the idea that what is being played and sung may bring others to Christ much in the same way that our favorite musical style did for us.

God calls us to have an authentic worship relationship with Him in order that He might use us to bring someone else into that same relationship.

We are to lovingly rebuke, forgive, and educate instead of harshly rejecting, persecuting, and driving away.

We can only do these things if we choose to surrender ourselves completely to the purpose and plan that God has for us as followers of the teachings of Jesus.

Proclaim Christ, Teach of Christ, Serve Christ. Love God, Love People. Live True. Whatever you want to call it, it's a life of Worship!

Gossip, Lies, Deceit, and the Power of Faith

Acts 6:8-14 - Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) - Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they coul dnot stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

Stephen's story in Acts is a short one, but it brings out very vivid examples of what happens when we choose to follow Christ and allow Him to make us into men and women full of God's grace and power. Satan doesn't want this. In fact, he craves the exact opposite for us. Instead of being men and women full of God's grace and power, he would rather we be men and women full of lies, deceit, and selfish ambition.

When we make the decision to live a life that worships our Lord all day, every day, and in every way, it puts a target on our backs. We might as well call up Hell and declare open season on ourselves! It is NOT EASY, NOT SMOOTH, and NOT ENJOYABLE all the time. It is merely the beginning of a journey to build us into those men and women full of God's grace and power.

Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest that God beats and pounds us into shape by fire and water, so that we might take a form that more closely resembles His image rather than our own. I can certainly relate to this, can you? His desire is to make us into people that have credibility that is more than skin deep. He desires for us to be in relationship with Him all the way to the core of our being. Stephen seemed to embody this to the point of being able to perform miracles and healings in addition to preaching the Word of Christ.

However, as we all know, one of the quickest and easiest ways to undermine someone's credibility is by destroying their reputation. We see this in Stephen's case. People with different viewpoints and opinions disagree with his teachings, so they seek to discredit him in whatever way possible.

Politicians and their staffers are masters at this. Mudslinging anyone? The Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on issues, so they continually try to discredit each other. Other faiths (and those with no faith at all) don't agree with the stances that followers of Christ take, so they do whatever they can to discredit us.

NOTE: We do a pretty good job of discrediting ourselves with our actions vs our words! The old adage that actions speak louder than words is SOOOO applicable to this!

A life of worship has to "walk the talk" at all times. We are called to a higher purpose, which means we have to put away the childish antics and the constant whining to have it our way. We are called to SERVE, and NOT TO BE SERVED. Stephen served Christ with all he had, and those who did not agree with his view sought to discredit him in front of the world. Now, this is where I really get excited about how authentic Stephen's relationship with and zeal for Christ actually was.

Acts 6:15 - All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Even in the midst of the false accusations and fake witnesses, Stephen was so in tune with God that his face never changed expression! He maintained a face of truth, dignity, and it shown like an angel in the room. He knew what was real and what was not, regardless of the falsehoods being spewed. It didn't matter what man said about him for his faith was not in man.

We'll talk more about Stephen in Chapter 7 when something that is so unthinkable to us here in America happens to him for his faith in Jesus.

Asking for so little, when there is so much more!

Acts 3:1-16 - One day Peter and John were going up the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said "Silver or gold I do not have, but when I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held onto Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. by faith in the name of Jesus, this man who you see an know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

The story we see here is so tragically true for many Christ followers and non-Christ followers alike. It is a story of complacancy, and of asking for so little when there is so much more to be given.

The passage says that the man was being carried carried to the temple gate where he was put every day to beg. That was his life! Carried out in the morning to beg, and carried away at night to who knows where. He knew nothing better, nothing bigger.

The passage also says that he called out to Peter and John, but I'm guessing that he wasn't calling out specifically to them at the start, because we read that Peter yelled for the man to look at them. The beggar was merely going through the motions, not expecting anything. He was calling out to the people walking by because that's what he always did. He hadn't focused his attention anywhere or on anyone. The saddest part is that the only reason he focused on Peter and John was because he thought he was going to receive some money!

This is mirrored in many people's lives today. We walk through life doing the same things we've always done without much regard for the effect it has on our lives. We don't try to make anything different happen because "that's just the way I am, and nothing's gonna change." We don't expect anything of ourselves, our lives, our circumstances, or our God, and only focus on any one part of that if we are going to get something selfishly in return.

However, here's where the passage gets interesting. In verse 6, after Peter has the man's attention, he gives him the most amazing gift one could ask for in his position. In the name of Jesus, Peter healed him and he walked for the first time in his life! The crippled man was crippled no more, and praised God by running and jumping all over the place. He was after money, but instead, God stirred this man's faith through Peter and he was completely healed.

We also have the opportunity to enjoy this kind of miraculous wonder in our hearts, minds, and souls. All we need to do is focus our attention on the One who can give us this gift! We have to stop being short sighted in our ways and allow God to give us a bigger perspective on what the gift of His Son really did for us. It takes getting out of the mundane "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food." prayer life and relationship we had with Him as a child, and focus our eyes on who God is in our lives TODAY.

Only then can we allow our faith in Jesus to grow to the point that we can be spiritually, emotionally, and even physically healed by His awesome and limitless power in our lives! It takes discipline and maturity to develop this mindset.

Ephesians 4:14 speaks to this: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

As we practice living Worship as a lifestyle, this is a most important point. We must be disciplined and mature in our relationship with the Father. We must not sell ourselves short by maintaining a "this is just the way I am" attitude. We must always expect more of ourselves in Christ because there IS MORE WHEN WE ARE IN CHRIST!

We're all still human after all... for now.

As some of you may or may not know, I was ordained as a full fledged minister of the Gospel by Glenn Park Christian Church on Sunday night! It was an evening full of family, friends, love, laughter, music, singing, and even a light show by God. He decided it would be great to make His presence known by shutting off the power to the building during the prayer by the Elders to commission and ordain me. Pretty cool actually!

The journey to get to this moment in time was a very long one, filled with many hard lessons learned. Here are just a few of the lessons picked up along the way, in no particular order:

1. God has a plan for you. If he's not done with your plan yet, He will bring it to fruition... even by allowing you to walk away from a high speed rollover accident in a top heavy 4x4.

2. If you're not good at studying in high school, you won't be any better in college.

3. Your first love isn't always "the one"

4. Your soul mate will smile and say "that's nice!" when you bring home musical gear instead of an engagement ring on multiple occasions, no matter how much she really wants one.

5. NEVER buy an RV for a band with your own money...

6. If you're not in credit card debt now, don't get there. If you are in credit card debt, get out quickly!

7. Moving away from home for the first time is hard, but moving back home after 2 years of living on your own is even harder.

8. Driving a school bus is only fun for the first few weeks... Then it becomes what it is: Debt reduction!

9. Being a dad is one of the most frustrating and yet most fulfilling responsibilities at the same time.

10. Extended family members are "interesting" at times...

11. There are times when moving your family 1400 miles twice in 15 months is just part of God's plan, even when it looks completely insane to most people.

12. When you are in the center of God's Will for your life, it may seem like things are a little too good. Whatever you do, don't make turmoil for yourself just so you'll have something to worry about. Instead, enjoy the fleeting moment of being in the center of His Will, because when He moves, it'l get bumpy for a while. He's just moving so you don't get complacent, and so He can fulfill His plan in you.

I tell you all of this in order for you to see a journey. The disciples had been on a journey with Jesus, and while His walk with them on earth was drawing to a close, He was doing His best to prepare them to be His hands and feet after He was gone.

I was reading this morning in Acts Chapter 1. If you aren't familiar with this chapter, the first 11 verses tell the story of Jesus being taken into Heaven after His resurrection. Here's a snippet from what I read today:

Acts 1:4-8 - On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

The verses that really caught my attention were where Jesus says "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

See, just like the disciples were asking for a date of deliverance, I often find myself asking the same question and getting the same answer from God. It's as if He says "why are you questioning my plan? It's on a 'need to know' basis, and you don't 'need to know'." Some things never change, eh?

What's interesting to me is that the disciples were looking for a restoration of Israel to a prominent power in the region. I'm often looking for the next big thing, the next goal, the next plateau, etc... However, Jesus was already thinking on a higher level. He was speaking of the kingdom of His Father, and not an earthly one. He desired for the disciples to think on a spiritual level, and He desires the same for us.

A life of Worship thinks on that spiritual level. It is less concerned with earthly issues and more concerned with kingdom building. It is a life that has already experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon it, and responds by following the giver of the Holy Spirit with everything it has.

Let's work on remembering that God gifts us with life from moment to moment, and even though we may not know where life is headed, He does and is directing us in His timing. Worship Him in all aspects of your life, and let Him sweat the details!

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Ok, so I haven't put anything out there for a post in a while...  Stuff has been so crazy lately, what with trying to balance a full time church position, a part time school bus route, and a growing family at home.  However, something happened this week that made me stop and take notice of how short and strange life really is.

The local and national headlines are currently running a story about Dr. George Tiller, who was a local abortion provider here in Wichita.  I say "was" because he was shot and killed Sunday morning while ushering at his church.  

Here's a little history on him:  Dr. Tiller had been in the headlines back in 1991 during Wichita's "Summer of Mercy".  There were hints and allegations at that time that Dr. Tiller had been performing abortions on young girls that did not have the proper permissions given by parents or guardians.  There were also some allegations of illegal late term abortions happening as well.  The Attorney General of Kansas was leveling these accusations, and had launched several investigations into what was really going on.  When pro-life advocates caught wind of this, they started major protests against Tiller and his facility.  During those protests, many citizens, church members, and ministers were arrested due to their protests being on private property, which is illegal.  Dr. Tiller was also forced into a high security lifestyle, including armed guards and a bulletproof vest when out in public due to many bodily harm and death threats leveled at him during this time.

Dr. Tiller referenced this in an interview given to one of the local news stations, when he matter-of-factly stated that what he was doing was legal, moral, and ethical.  His basis for this rationale was the experience he had as a doctor in taking care of women who were dying from "back ally" abortions that had been performed by unlicensed medical practitioners.  He felt that he was saving more lives by performing abortions in a safe and sanitary medical environment.

As a pro-life advocate this rationale is understandable, but not supportable.  Those women could have chosen to go through the birth process and then given the children up for adoption versus having any abortion of any type.  Life begins at conception when the DNA from the mother and father combine to form a completely new and unique DNA.  Regardless of "viability", this is a new life created that deserves an opportunity to grow and have a chance at life.  Abortion is, in my opinion (and I believe in God's eyes), murder.

Dr. Tiller had been on trial over the past year, and had been put there by two former Attorney Generals that had been disgraced and mired in scandal themselves.  Whether or not those issues played a hand in Dr. Tiller being acquitted of 19 felony counts is unknown, but the fact remains that he was acquitted and allowed to resume his life.

Now back to what happened to him on Sunday.  A man in his lat 50's walked into Reformation Luthren Church on Sunday, stepped up to Dr. Tiller as he was ushering, and shot him in the temple which killed him instantly.  One might say that this was poetic justice, but it was in fact murder.  

Romans 12:18-19 says - If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

If we are to live Worship as a lifestyle, we cannot take sides in something like this.  While we may not approve of Dr. Tiller's actions when he was alive, we also cannot count his death as "justifiable homicide" either.  We are called by God to obey the laws where we live.  That is BIBLICAL.  Currently in America, abortion is legal but murder is not.  While our ethical standards may cause us to abhor Dr. Tiller's profession and the trail of physical, spiritual, and emotional baggage the women carry post-abortion, we cannot justify "an eye for an eye" due to what the passage in Romans 12 says.

I urge you to pray for the Tiller family.  His wife watched it happen from the choir loft, and his daughter watched it happen from the congregation.  I urge you to pray for those who were in the congregation that day.  I urge you to pray for the man who killed him.  I urge you to pray for the young ladies that will be walking into the clinic when it opens again next Monday.

I also urge you to remember that the next moment is never promised to us.  All God promises is to sustain us in THIS moment at THIS time.  Let's worship Him for each and every one of those we are given, as they are a gift!

The Pursuit of Worship - Week 3 FINAL CLASS ENTRY!!

Questions to Ponder from last week:

1. Do I see the music and the preaching portion of worship services as different items, or as two parts of the same collective thought of worship?

2. Is Communion just something I do, or do I believe that it is an important way to obey and continually proclaim Christ's work on the cross?

3. Do I believe that Jesus is deserving of extravagant respect or admiration, and if so, do I actually practice this in my own life?

4. How can I worship God in the beauty of His holiness, and allow Him to pour His "holy" into my "unholy"?


Here we are in the last class entry for the Worship as a Lifestyle class! I hope that you've all found it enjoyable and useful.

As we come to gather together in worship each week, there are 2 major dynamics that we deal with.

The first is the human dynamic. This dynamic has to do with the orders of service, musical style, educational programming, sermon topic, technology usage, etc...

This dynamic in and of itself is not bad, and is a very beneficial part of our daily and weekly forms of communing and fellowshipping with God.

The second is the spiritual dynamic. This has to do with the Holy Spirit having a hand in all that we do when it comes to our worship relationship with God.

Any purely human dynamic is a worthless excercise unless it is touched and guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, directing our paths as we worship personally and corporately.

This week will concentrate mainly on the spiritual dynamic, as it pertains to the elements of worship.


We touched on two human dynamics in worship last week as we spoke of the following elements of worship.

1. The Ministry of the Word - be it through song, teaching, preaching, or reading.

2. The Worship of the Lamb - The proclaiming of His holiness, and of the completed sacrifice that is the cornerstone of the believing church today.


Before we moved onto the third element of Worship, let's take a look at three things that constitute the primary parts of Worship.

1. The Central Person - Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who has come to bring us to the Father.

John 14:6 [NIV] - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

We magnify the Son of God for His perfect sacrifice that allows us to come into an abiding relationship with the Father, and we magnify the Father for the gift of His Son that allows us to experience that relationship. As the Holy Spirit moves in us, we remember this, and hopefully desire to move into a deeper relationship with God that causes us to share His love with an unbelieving world.


2. The Centerpiece - coming to the Lord's table.

Matthew 26:26-29 [NIV] - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the convenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

In the church, the Lord's table has been a central figure in worship for Ages. many churches have a table from which Communion is served. however we are NOT speaking about furniture here. This centerpiece that we speak of is NOT centering on a physical table, but rather upon the act of receiving the elements of Communion. We focus on worshiping the Lamb for the completed sacrifice.


3. The Centerpoint - The living Word of God, the Scriptures.

Joshua 1:8 [NIV] - do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 1:1-3 [NIV] - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

The most common church furnishing that represents this is the pulpit. It is the focal point from which the Word is brought to the people. Whether in songs, meditations, sermons, or prayer, this is generally the place where those items are presented on any given Sunday. Again, as with the Lord's table, this has NOTHING to do with the physical piece of furniture, but rather with the living Word brought forth as the center of our knowledge of and relationship with God.


The pursuit of worship, and an authentic worship relationship with God has to have these primary parts for our 3rd element to take place.

3. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit - Enabling care and prayer for one another, and drawing people to the Savior.

Wherever Jesus is the Center Person, His completed sacrifice is the Centerpiece, and the Living Word is the Centerpoint, the Holy Spirit will have free reign to minister.


How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit effect our worship today?

The Holy Spirit's one main objective is to magnify Jesus Christ. He will come into any situation, regardless of doctrinal tradition or liturgy, where those who come to worship Him make these three primary points the focus of there efforts in fellowship with God.

If I focus my energies on Jesus (His life, death, resurrection, return, and what that mans in my life as I fellowship with Him), then the Holy Spirit has the ability to come into my life and make great and miraculous transformations in me that can only come from within that right worship relationship.


The Holy Spirit makes the Word of God alive as we read, speak, and sing it, just as it did when it breathed the Word into existence through the lives and quills of the men who wrote it so long ago.

There is an awakening within the body that the Holy Spirit desires to bring forth. It is the realization that there is amazing power within the living Church that can be released when the people come together.


It is pivotal to understand the power of the people of God when they gather, understanding that it's the best opportunity they'll have to experience 2 things.

1. The opportunity to care for and share the love of God with one another - It takes more than just coming and sitting in service, shaking hands during the greeting time, and talking with those that we are comfortable with. It even takes more than inviting a new family out for lunch after church! These things are valid, but they are incomplete without truly sharing our hearts with each other.

We talked in class about how surface-laden our greeting times at church can be. We ask someone "how are you doing?", and they generally shake our hands and nod hello. However, what happens when we ask that same question and someone actually STARTS TELLING US HOW THEY REALLY ARE DOING? We cringe, pull our hands back, and look for the early exit almost every time. This is especially the case with new or unfamiliar people! How different our church experience could be if we would just be authentic and share each other's burdens!

Galatians 6:1-2 [NIV] - Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. but watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The pursuit of an authentic worship relationship takes allowing the Holy Spirit to remove the timidity and self consciousness that causes us to shy away from opening up to share, and to be shared with. We are instruments or tools to be used by God to care for one another, and to carry each other's burdens.


2. The opportunity to draw people to the Savior - This is commonly referred to in a church service setting as the invitation time. However, it is the work of the Holy spirit from before that person even found themselves int he parking lot that is where the invitation really stared.

There is a thought that "there must be more" that is stirred in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. While this may happen on its own, it is generally caused by someone in their lives who is pursuing an authentic worship relationship being used by the Holy Spirit as a model.

When they are brought into a place of worship where that model is being demonstrated, the Holy Spirit can draw them closer to a place where their need for Christ can be evident to them, and they can have the opprotunity to come into that worship relationship with Him.


Ultimately, having a right worship relationship with God is a culmination of understanding that there is a Price that needs to be paid (a sacrifice), that there is a Purpose for it (intimate fellowship with our Creator), and that we are to continually Pursue that relationship.

Please understand that this is NOT a one time thing. This is NOT a yearly, monthly, or weekly event. This is a daily decision that must be made to continually submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and live according to the principles set forth in the Bible as they pertain to a life that worships Him.

Let us work together to live lives that worship God all day, every day, and in every way!

The Pursuit Of Worship - Week 2

Questions to Ponder from last week:

1. Am I at a point that God can bring a new Jubilee in my life?

2. Am I ready for a recover of what was lost and a discovery of what God is doing now?

3. Am I trying to bring back the glory of God in my life by my own plans, or in God's way?

4. What can I change in my life that will allow God to make His presence manifest?


This week, we are going to start taking a look at some of the elements of the pursuit of worship. Our final journey starts in the book of Acts.

Acts 13:1-2 [NIV] - Now in the church that was Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

this passage speaks of the church at Antioch, which is really the springboard of bringing the ideas of worshiping God to the world. It was the place where Barnabas and Saul (changed to Paul by God on the road to Damascus) were set apart by God because they were pursuing a relationship of worship with Him by ministering to the Lord and fasting.

The idea of ministering to the Lord is an Old Testament terminology, dating back to when the priests would offer animal sacrifices in anticipation of God's salvation. It was, after all, their Bible at the time since the New Testament was being lived and hadn't been written yet. The New Testament form of ministering to the Lord was the idea of worshiping Him and bringing Him a sacrifice of praise (present your bodies as a "living sacrifice"), rather than an animal sacrifice.

This picture of the early church at worship brings us to the questions of how we pursue worship today. Our desire is the same as theirs, which is to have the presence of God move among us. In order to do that, we need to look at the 3 key elements of Worship.


1. The Ministry of the Living Word - with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, and manifesting His Word through preaching and teaching.

First, let's take a look at the songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Many scholars believe that God's intention for His Word was that it not only be spoken or preached among the people, but that it be sung as well. The songs that are written in the book of Psalms are evidence to this, because the songs sung by the early church are now in Scripture for us to read.

We talked in class about the difference between these three types of songs. A "Song" can be equated to a modern worship tune. It generally is sung straight through, with the occasional repeat of certain parts. A "Hymn" is a song that tells a story. It usually has more than one verse, and takes us on a journey through each verse to the end, possibly with a refrain or chorus in between. A "Spiritual Song" is a song that is borne "in the moment". It is something that is put on our hearts by the Holy Spirit at a specific moment in time. Harp and Bowl worship is done this way, where a reader takes a passage of scripture and reads part of it, while singers instrumentalists take it and sing/play it as an offering to the Lord.

The reason we come and sing praises to God is not simply then to have an uplifting of our spirit, to feel better about ourselves, or to prepare our hearts for the preaching. It's not simply something we do to "get to the good stuff".

Colossians 3:16 [NIV] - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

we need to come to the realization that, by singing these songs that are praises to God based in Scripture (though not necessarily word for word), we are not just revitalizing our joy or recharging our batteries. We are also instilling the Word of God in our hearts as we sing.

No matter the style, whether a chorus, a hymn, or something that is birthed by the Holy Spirit at a particular moment during the service, we pursue God's truth by worshiping Him in song.


Now let's look at opening the Bible itself and receiving a message from the Lord through preaching and teaching.

Titus 1:1-3 [NKJV] - Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but ahs in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

Preaching is not separate from worship, but rather an integral part of the pursuit of worship. Each of us may not be pastors or teachers, but we don't have to be in order to understand this. Listening to the teaching of a pastor or leader so that we may learn and apply to our lives what the Scriptures say is an important part of pursuing an authentic worship relationship with God.

It is in these times when the Word is taught with an understanding of the seriousness of the contents that is tempered with a compassion for the audience to which it is being taught that it comes alive.

We talked in class about how this is played out in the church today. There are those that have all the desire and passion in the world, but no Biblical foundation to temper their actions. Those people tend to get an idea, run in a direction, and ultimately crash and burn while taking a few other people with them. Then there are those that choose to come in and gain all kinds of Biblical knowledge, but have absolutely no desire to impart that wisdom to others. Both are self-destructive for the church as a whole, and neither are healthy. It takes a balance of both to make ministry effective.

There will be times that the Word will cause someone to make a course correction in their lives. There will be times that the Word will bring a revelation or epiphany to someone in need of a word from the Lord. There will be times when the Word will comfort someone who is going through a difficult time, and times when the Word will uplift someone who is seeing the blessings of God in their life. It is only when the Word is taught and preached with that understanding and compassion when the underlying theme is the mercy, grace, and truth of God, that these moments of clarity can be fully realized by those who are pursuing that authentic worship relationship.

Isaiah 40:1-2 [NIV] - Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

We see the ultimate realization of the Word being preached and taught when, through the birth of Christ, the Word became flesh.

John 1:1-2, 14 [NIV] - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It is important that the church have a concept of these two, the singing and the preaching of God's Word, coming together as a single expression of pursuing and ministering to the Lord. It is a living ministry that clings to this concept, because it is a true ministry of the Living Word.


2. The Worship of the Lamb - Exalting God's holiness, and proclaiming the completed sacrifice.

The word liturgy is a word that describes worship patterns. It has to do with the elements and rituals that we use when we come before the Lord and welcome His presence among us.

This word has been derided and made to be something of an old-fashioned habit in the postmodern church, but the reality is that every church has one! There are elements, whether your church is "high church" or "modern church" that you practice on a weekly basis. These are your liturgy.

In the pursuit of worship, it is the vitality and acceptance of those elements in a congregational setting that can lead people either toward or away from an authentic relationship with Christ.


There is no more common liturgy in the church than the remembrance of what Christ did for all of humanity at the cross. Some common names are Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. All of these describe the action of taking bread and juice (or wine) as the sacraments to remember the body broken and the blood poured out for many.

I Corinthians 11:23-26 [NIV] is where Paul outlines how we should remember the sacrifice of our Lord - For I received from the lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he borke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

We follow this liturgy in order to obey what Jesus told the disciples to do in the upper room on the night He was betrayed, as well as to continually proclaim the completed sacrifice that God made for His creation to be reunited with Him.

Regardless of how often this is observed (weekly in the Christian church, monthly in the Baptist church, and on special occasions in the Nazarene church), it is always in appreciation of the sacrifice Christ made for us, and we are all tied together by the common thread of proclaiming glory to Jesus for taking our sin upon Himself.

We see in the book of Revelation the heavenly scene of worship when it comes to this very subject.

Revelation 5:11-12 [NIV] - Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

We see the word Worthy in this passage, which is derived from the word Worship, or Weorthscipe in the Old English dialect. It means extravagant respect or admiration which we should certainly give to our Lord and Savior.

Psalm 29:1-2 [NIV] - Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

We are to ascribe glory to the Lord, for He is worthy of it.


This exalting of Christ's holiness is a basic principle in worship. We do so for a number of reasons. We exalt Him because He was the pure lamb, sacrificed for our sins and iniquities. We exalt Him because it is through His blood that we are washed clean and made holy in the sight of God. We are made holy because His is holy.

The Bible speaks to how the blood of Christ (and our remembrance of it through the liturgy of Communion) thwarts satan's attempts to turn us toward loving ourselves more than God.

Revelation 12:11 [NKJV] - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.


We are also called to worship God in the beauty of His holiness, but how many people come to church each week that the last thing they are liable to feel about themselves is beautiful? It can be this way for any reason.

Maybe they have baggage from the way they have been mistreated, brutalized, or devalued by the world. Maybe they were the victim of a scathing comment or an indifferent judgement just that day. People come to gether for worship feeling anything but lovely, and completely aware of the sin in their lives.

If, when they come to worship, all they see and hear is an exposition on the perfection of God in His holiness, and not the direction of God using His holiness to bring us back to Him in an authentic and real worship relationship, then the pursuit of worship has been thwarted in their lives. This is why we exalt God's holiness, and also proclaim the complete sacrifice of Christ on the cross which allows us to shed our sins at the foot of the cross and come into a right worship relationship with Him regardless of how many times we "blow it".


That relationship allows God to give us freedom, and beings a transformation of epic proportions in our lives.

II Corinthians 3:17-19 [NIV] - Now that the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.

It is through this process that God pours His "holy" into our "unholy". Think of it like a trip to the dentist. Just as they drill out the decay and death in a tooth and then fill it with a new substance that makes the tooth whole again, God drills out the death and decay in our lives and fills it with Himself to make us whole again.


There is not anything that we need more in the battle against powers and principalities of powers, as the Bible puts it, than a resourcing in knowing how to face the weakness of our own flesh, the weight of our own sins, and the viciousness of the evil one. We overcome through the completed sacrifice through the blood of the Lamb, and through worshiping God in the beauty of His holiness.

Jesus has triumphed, and after we receive Him as our Savior, we can come and continually receive Him and pour His truth into our current circumstances through these liturgies in order to face each day head on.

Through the ministry of the living Word in song and in preaching, and the worship of the Lamb through exaltation and Communion, we see and transformation in our lives as we pursue an authentic worship relationship with He who made us and saves us.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Do I see the music and the preaching portion of worship services as different items, or as two parts of the same collective thought of worship?

2. Is Communion just something I do, or do I believe that it is an important way to obey and continually proclaim Christ's work on the cross?

3. Do I believe that Jesus is deserving of extravagant respect or admiration, and if so, do I actually practice this in my own life?

4. How can I worship God in the beauty of His holiness, and allow Him to pour His "holy" into my "unholy"?