I've been turning my radio and headphones to more worship music lately. What catches me are lyrics that magnify and glorify our great God. I find myself to have wasted money on worship songs that are man-centered and have lyrics that seem to imply that "God's my boyfriend/girlfriend". What ever happened to the elaborate doctrines and lyrics of the Psalms and hymns in our worship services? I'm not trying to be hyper-critical, but mindful of the fact that we worship leaders over the past few decades have chosen some wimpy songs to lead the people of God into worship with.
Compare the lyrics of this contemporary worship song and hymn:
I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the Healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
I will daily lift my hands
For I will always song of when Your love can down
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
You can see the difference in doctrinal depth here. Yes, they are both doctrinally correct, but which one gives a deeper understanding of God? Do you see what I'm saying? Here is a comparison with another contemporary song and hymn:
Draw Me Close
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I'm Your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
Nothing else could take your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way
To bring me back to You
You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know You are near
Come Thou Fount
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my hear to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise my sign of victory
Hither by Thy help I'm come
And I know, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wand'ring from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand'ring hear to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O, take and seal it
Seal it for They courts above
Now I'll take a step away from hymns and look at more contemporary worship songs that have deep doctrinal depth. Here is one of my favorites:
Counting On Your Name
My name is written on Your hands
You call me Your own
You call me Your own
Now I am Yours
No earthly power could tear us apart
Tear us apart
I'm counting on Your name
I'm counting on Your name
Counting on Your name to save me
I'm trusting You're the way
I'm trusting You're the way
Trusting Your the way
My Savior
My life is built on nothing less
Than Your faithfulness
Your faithfulness
Counting on Christ and Christ alone
I'm hoping in You
Hoping in You
How is that compared to:
Arms of Love
I sing a simple song of love
To my Savior
To my Jesus
I'm thankful for the things You've done
My loving Savior
My precious Jesus
My heart is glad
That You call me Your own
There's no place is rather be
(Than) in Your arms love
Your arms of love
Holding me still
Holding me near
In Your arms of love
Now I know some of these songs are probably your favorite worship songs, and you've probably got some things of your own to say to me. Before you do, think about the point of this post: do my songs I use to lead the congregation of God into the worship of God lift high the name of God? What's the point of worship? To make God's people feel warm and have an emotional high? No way! It's about bringing people to feet of the God of the universe and letting them praise Him for who He is and what He's done. It's about singing the praises of God. Let the Holy Spirit have reign over people's emotions with songs filled with good doctrine not good ideas.
Yes, harsh, but I think necessary. Praise God for who He is and what He's done. Lead the people of God in songs of good, sound doctrine.
Blessings,
Nick
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Emotions Run High!
Emotions make us human. The ones we choose to embrace tell a lot about who we are. We all have "good" emotions that we feel: happiness, joy, excitement, love, compassion, peace, thankfulness, etc. But we also have "bad" emotions that we feel: sadness, sorrow, hate, anger, unrest, bitterness, etc. These all play a huge part in how we conduct our Christian lives. There are correct ways to use these emotions and the Bible tells us how to use them.
How do we use our emotions to glorify God?
Our lives are to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed; but since we have fallen natures, this is impossible to do most, if not every single time. Therefore God gave us the Bible to help us align ourselves to His nature. It is very important to remember that emotions swing back and forth. They are unstable and not a good standard for a guide in life. Emotions should compliment a standard for living and not be the standard for living.
What does the Bible say?
Here are some emotions that the Bible focuses on and how it tells us the right and wrong intentions for their use.
Happiness, Joy, Rejoicing...
There are times for us when acting on being happy and joyous are good, but there are times when these emotions are sinful.
A few examples of rightly rejoicing are always rejoicing in the Lord (Philippians 4:4), rejoicing when a person trusts in Jesus for salvation (Luke 15:7), rejoicing with another person who is rejoicing (12:15), and rejoicing in justice (Proverbs 21:15). We would all agree that these are good uses for happiness and rejoicing, but the Bible also has clear guidance on when these emotions and acting upon them are sinful.
Being happy about or joyous about something that dishonors God, His character, and His plans are sinful. Ways that these emotions dishonor God are being happy in sin or about sin (Romans 1:32, 6:1-4), being happy with calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20), happily being in alliance with injustice (Psalm 94:20-21), and happily making yourself more important than God (Romans 1:20-23).
Hate and Anger
Yes, there are correct times when hate and anger are to be acted upon, but I can almost guarantee it's not the way you're thinking of. As Christians, we are to hate the things that God hates and love the things that God loves. The first example of hatred is going to be a little more in depth because most Christians can't grasp the limit of how far hate can go.
Hatred for sin is the number one hatred we should have (Proverbs 8:13). It is our ruthless enemy and our nature is riddled with it. We will battle against sin until the day we die. There are two big problems that Christians have with this.
The first problem Christians have is a love for their own sin and a hatred for other people's sins. They want to hang on to their own selfish sins and criticize others about how they don't obey God. Sounds obviously crazy, doesn't it? But it's true. We don't hate our sin with a loathsome, passionate hate. We don't get angry with the sin in our own lives like we should.
Secondly, many Christians blur the line between hating sin and hating sinners. We are to hate sin, but we are to also love the sinner. Yeah, I know this has been used as a cop-out for "friendship evangelism" and cowardly approaches to evangelism, but that's not where I'm going with this. Jesus told us to love our enemies, and I believe that means we are to love God's enemies too. We are not to be friends with the world in the sense of living as the world lives and approve of how they live, but we are to go into the world as Christ did and love those who are at odds with God giving them the Gospel of reconciliation to God. The problem is that most Christians can't distinguish that. They see someone who doesn't believe as they do and they mark them off as if they were a leper, hating them because of how they live or what they do. Do you not understand you were in that exact same standing with God as this person is before God so graciously reached down and saved you? Quit being a hypocrite and love as Christ loved! Correct hatred does not breed hatred for people. It breeds compassion, love, and a desire that they be saved.
Hatred for injustice, calling good evil, and evil good are a few more ways we are to use hate to glorify God.
Anger goes right along with hate since they are very close emotions. Anger usually has to do with sin against others or you. A few examples of being rightly angered is when someone slanders God, slanders justice, misuses the Bible, or does evil to others and you. The correct response to this isn't revenge. God will deal with that in His timing. Our response could be as simple as educating the offender, seeking justice (again, not revenge!), or turning the other cheek. We can be angry, but we are commanded to be angry without sinning and don't go to sleep on your anger (Ephesians 4:26).
I realize that is a lot to dwell on for one blog so I'll leave this entry as is until my next post. Think about these things and check to see if you are rightly using your emotions to glorify God.
Worship Him with every emotion.
Blessings,
Nick
How do we use our emotions to glorify God?
Our lives are to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed; but since we have fallen natures, this is impossible to do most, if not every single time. Therefore God gave us the Bible to help us align ourselves to His nature. It is very important to remember that emotions swing back and forth. They are unstable and not a good standard for a guide in life. Emotions should compliment a standard for living and not be the standard for living.
What does the Bible say?
Here are some emotions that the Bible focuses on and how it tells us the right and wrong intentions for their use.
Happiness, Joy, Rejoicing...
There are times for us when acting on being happy and joyous are good, but there are times when these emotions are sinful.
A few examples of rightly rejoicing are always rejoicing in the Lord (Philippians 4:4), rejoicing when a person trusts in Jesus for salvation (Luke 15:7), rejoicing with another person who is rejoicing (12:15), and rejoicing in justice (Proverbs 21:15). We would all agree that these are good uses for happiness and rejoicing, but the Bible also has clear guidance on when these emotions and acting upon them are sinful.
Being happy about or joyous about something that dishonors God, His character, and His plans are sinful. Ways that these emotions dishonor God are being happy in sin or about sin (Romans 1:32, 6:1-4), being happy with calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20), happily being in alliance with injustice (Psalm 94:20-21), and happily making yourself more important than God (Romans 1:20-23).
Hate and Anger
Yes, there are correct times when hate and anger are to be acted upon, but I can almost guarantee it's not the way you're thinking of. As Christians, we are to hate the things that God hates and love the things that God loves. The first example of hatred is going to be a little more in depth because most Christians can't grasp the limit of how far hate can go.
Hatred for sin is the number one hatred we should have (Proverbs 8:13). It is our ruthless enemy and our nature is riddled with it. We will battle against sin until the day we die. There are two big problems that Christians have with this.
The first problem Christians have is a love for their own sin and a hatred for other people's sins. They want to hang on to their own selfish sins and criticize others about how they don't obey God. Sounds obviously crazy, doesn't it? But it's true. We don't hate our sin with a loathsome, passionate hate. We don't get angry with the sin in our own lives like we should.
Secondly, many Christians blur the line between hating sin and hating sinners. We are to hate sin, but we are to also love the sinner. Yeah, I know this has been used as a cop-out for "friendship evangelism" and cowardly approaches to evangelism, but that's not where I'm going with this. Jesus told us to love our enemies, and I believe that means we are to love God's enemies too. We are not to be friends with the world in the sense of living as the world lives and approve of how they live, but we are to go into the world as Christ did and love those who are at odds with God giving them the Gospel of reconciliation to God. The problem is that most Christians can't distinguish that. They see someone who doesn't believe as they do and they mark them off as if they were a leper, hating them because of how they live or what they do. Do you not understand you were in that exact same standing with God as this person is before God so graciously reached down and saved you? Quit being a hypocrite and love as Christ loved! Correct hatred does not breed hatred for people. It breeds compassion, love, and a desire that they be saved.
Hatred for injustice, calling good evil, and evil good are a few more ways we are to use hate to glorify God.
Anger goes right along with hate since they are very close emotions. Anger usually has to do with sin against others or you. A few examples of being rightly angered is when someone slanders God, slanders justice, misuses the Bible, or does evil to others and you. The correct response to this isn't revenge. God will deal with that in His timing. Our response could be as simple as educating the offender, seeking justice (again, not revenge!), or turning the other cheek. We can be angry, but we are commanded to be angry without sinning and don't go to sleep on your anger (Ephesians 4:26).
I realize that is a lot to dwell on for one blog so I'll leave this entry as is until my next post. Think about these things and check to see if you are rightly using your emotions to glorify God.
Worship Him with every emotion.
Blessings,
Nick
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Live by Truth
Pilate asked the greatest question of all time, "What is truth?" The sad part is that the answer was staring right in front of him. We see Jesus talk about truth a lot in the Bible. Truth is very important to God, and it transcends man's emotions, thoughts, and reasoning. Isaiah 55:9 says,
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (ESV)
Our fallen, sinful emotions sway in the wind of our sin nature. Our thoughts seek to please ourselves or mankind rather than God. Our reasoning does what benefits others or ourselves above what benefits God. Every ounce of our being is sinful because it contradicts God's truth infinitely.
But what is truth? When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene before He was arrested He was praying for us. He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 ESV)." God's word is truth. So then my question is:
How do we live by truth?
After Jesus was baptized He went straight into the wilderness to fast and be tempted by Satan. His first test after fasting for 40 days without food was Satan's mockery of how Jesus was hungry and could turn stones into bread to eat. Jesus had an interesting reply quoting the Old Testament, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4 ESV). Here Jesus was starving, yet He still lived by the Word of God first before the desires of His flesh.
It is necessary for us to be in God's Word as much as we can. Not because "that's what good Christians do", but because that's what Christians need. We can't live a strong, victorious Christian life without refreshing ourselves with God's Word.
Forgive this analogy.. since the Twilight book saga came out vampires have become a huge trend in movies and TV shows. Most of us know from these movies, shows, and books that vampires need blood to stay strong. Without it they weaken and in some shows wither. Well, the Christian's need for the Word of God is kind of like a vampire's need for blood. If we aren't reading the Bible and meditating on it, how can we expect to fight temptation and be strong in our faith? Our faith will wither and weaken without the strength of God's Word giving us power and strength.
But living by truth comes at a price since the people and systems of this world do not operate by God's truth. Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:34-39 that following Him and His truth may cost us because truth is so opposite and sometimes even condemned by those in the world:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Jesus uses some of the closest relationships imaginable here. Family members, friends, business relationships, or any other relationships of the closest nature may be severed because of your following Christ. Paul says to live with men as peaceably as you can, but there may come a point where your path of following Christ causes separation from loved ones, and Christ gives the ultimatum: "whoever loves anyone more than Me is not worthy of Me." We must find our primary satisfaction in God and His truth above everyone and everything.
This weighs heavy on my heart. This is not an issue to be taken lightly. There is a cost to following Christ and His truth. Am I willing to make a stand for God that can result in me being made an outsider? Am I willing to be the "Jesus freak" in my classes at school because I don't follow the philosophies being taught? Am I willing to lose the respect of my professors and peers because God's truth doesn't match up with their reasoning? Am I willing to let others sever a relationship with me over my following Christ and the truth of the Bible? Am I willing to let loved ones hate me because of my love for God is greater than my love for them? For the glory of my God I say, yes!
May our hearts long and pray for the salvation of those who do not love God, may we long for them to enjoy the truth of God's Word, and may we long to see them satisfied in God for who He is.
Worship our God is spirit and truth today. Let Him humble you in the strength of His truth. Let Him quiet you with His love.
Blessings,
Nick
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (ESV)
Our fallen, sinful emotions sway in the wind of our sin nature. Our thoughts seek to please ourselves or mankind rather than God. Our reasoning does what benefits others or ourselves above what benefits God. Every ounce of our being is sinful because it contradicts God's truth infinitely.
But what is truth? When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene before He was arrested He was praying for us. He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 ESV)." God's word is truth. So then my question is:
How do we live by truth?
After Jesus was baptized He went straight into the wilderness to fast and be tempted by Satan. His first test after fasting for 40 days without food was Satan's mockery of how Jesus was hungry and could turn stones into bread to eat. Jesus had an interesting reply quoting the Old Testament, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4 ESV). Here Jesus was starving, yet He still lived by the Word of God first before the desires of His flesh.
It is necessary for us to be in God's Word as much as we can. Not because "that's what good Christians do", but because that's what Christians need. We can't live a strong, victorious Christian life without refreshing ourselves with God's Word.
Forgive this analogy.. since the Twilight book saga came out vampires have become a huge trend in movies and TV shows. Most of us know from these movies, shows, and books that vampires need blood to stay strong. Without it they weaken and in some shows wither. Well, the Christian's need for the Word of God is kind of like a vampire's need for blood. If we aren't reading the Bible and meditating on it, how can we expect to fight temptation and be strong in our faith? Our faith will wither and weaken without the strength of God's Word giving us power and strength.
But living by truth comes at a price since the people and systems of this world do not operate by God's truth. Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:34-39 that following Him and His truth may cost us because truth is so opposite and sometimes even condemned by those in the world:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Jesus uses some of the closest relationships imaginable here. Family members, friends, business relationships, or any other relationships of the closest nature may be severed because of your following Christ. Paul says to live with men as peaceably as you can, but there may come a point where your path of following Christ causes separation from loved ones, and Christ gives the ultimatum: "whoever loves anyone more than Me is not worthy of Me." We must find our primary satisfaction in God and His truth above everyone and everything.
This weighs heavy on my heart. This is not an issue to be taken lightly. There is a cost to following Christ and His truth. Am I willing to make a stand for God that can result in me being made an outsider? Am I willing to be the "Jesus freak" in my classes at school because I don't follow the philosophies being taught? Am I willing to lose the respect of my professors and peers because God's truth doesn't match up with their reasoning? Am I willing to let others sever a relationship with me over my following Christ and the truth of the Bible? Am I willing to let loved ones hate me because of my love for God is greater than my love for them? For the glory of my God I say, yes!
May our hearts long and pray for the salvation of those who do not love God, may we long for them to enjoy the truth of God's Word, and may we long to see them satisfied in God for who He is.
Worship our God is spirit and truth today. Let Him humble you in the strength of His truth. Let Him quiet you with His love.
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Pick and Choose
The beauty of the Gospel isn't that it makes a person pretend to be who they aren't. It's beauty is that God takes you as you are and changes you into a completely different person.
This begs the question to you, Christian, why do you pick and choose who you accept and despise? Is there any sinner that deserves to be shown the love of Christ over another? Let that question settle in for a minute..
Truth be told, you didn't (and don't) deserve to be given the love, grace and mercy of God any more than the lost sinner next you does. Brother and sisters, don't pick and choose who to love. Don't you understand the great love that has been given to you? Don't you want the enemies of God to be reconciled to Him as friends just as you are? How could you not?
Christians for centuries have looked a sinners in disgust. They have detested those who practice sin openly and in secret. They have categorized sinners as unworthy and untouchable, all the while forgetting that they used to be just like them. Yes, sinners are unworthy and detestable in the eyes of God, but that's what the cross is for! The blood of Christ makes sinners worthy and clean in the eyes of God! How dare you start judging and condemning sinners! Your job is to show them the love of Christ in word and deed.
What did Jesus do? He ate and drank with the sinners while calling them to repentance. We for too long have played the part of the Pharisee looking askance at sinners while parading our pride and arrogance of being better than the poor, wretched, lowly sinner. Your arrogance is disgusting to God.
The healthy are in no need of a physician, but the sick are. If man was righteous in himself, he wouldn't need God, but we all know that no man is perfect. Every single person living on the earth is in need of the righteousness of God through faith in the Gospel. Until you understand the grace that has been given to you and the love that has been shown to you, you will never love the lost. You will continue in your pride and arrogant attitude of "I'm better then them because I'm a Christian." Are you really a Christian? Do you understand the great Gospel our God? He came to seek and save the lost..
Don't pick and choose those who you think need to hear the Gospel. Give it freely.
Don't pick and choose who to show the love of Christ to.. Show it freely.
Don't be a hypocrite and hide the love of God from everyone. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be a hypocrite and believe the Gospel but hold your nose high above everyone else. That's not the love of God. Speak the truth about sin and judgment to come.. Speak of the grace and mercy and love through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.. Save the judgment and condemnation of sinners for God..
Worship Him today,
Nick
This begs the question to you, Christian, why do you pick and choose who you accept and despise? Is there any sinner that deserves to be shown the love of Christ over another? Let that question settle in for a minute..
Truth be told, you didn't (and don't) deserve to be given the love, grace and mercy of God any more than the lost sinner next you does. Brother and sisters, don't pick and choose who to love. Don't you understand the great love that has been given to you? Don't you want the enemies of God to be reconciled to Him as friends just as you are? How could you not?
Christians for centuries have looked a sinners in disgust. They have detested those who practice sin openly and in secret. They have categorized sinners as unworthy and untouchable, all the while forgetting that they used to be just like them. Yes, sinners are unworthy and detestable in the eyes of God, but that's what the cross is for! The blood of Christ makes sinners worthy and clean in the eyes of God! How dare you start judging and condemning sinners! Your job is to show them the love of Christ in word and deed.
What did Jesus do? He ate and drank with the sinners while calling them to repentance. We for too long have played the part of the Pharisee looking askance at sinners while parading our pride and arrogance of being better than the poor, wretched, lowly sinner. Your arrogance is disgusting to God.
The healthy are in no need of a physician, but the sick are. If man was righteous in himself, he wouldn't need God, but we all know that no man is perfect. Every single person living on the earth is in need of the righteousness of God through faith in the Gospel. Until you understand the grace that has been given to you and the love that has been shown to you, you will never love the lost. You will continue in your pride and arrogant attitude of "I'm better then them because I'm a Christian." Are you really a Christian? Do you understand the great Gospel our God? He came to seek and save the lost..
Don't pick and choose those who you think need to hear the Gospel. Give it freely.
Don't pick and choose who to show the love of Christ to.. Show it freely.
Don't be a hypocrite and hide the love of God from everyone. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be a hypocrite and believe the Gospel but hold your nose high above everyone else. That's not the love of God. Speak the truth about sin and judgment to come.. Speak of the grace and mercy and love through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.. Save the judgment and condemnation of sinners for God..
Worship Him today,
Nick
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
How Deep Is His Love?...
I used to be very legalistic. It was to the point that I had no understanding of God's love for me. It was like I needed to make sure I was on God's good side before I could even feel loved by Him. I realize now that during those years I was robbed of knowing God's love because I was trying to please Him to help Him love me (like that's even possible!). This video broke me and made me realize just how much more God loves me in spite of my sin, and this is possible only, only, only, only because of God's work in my life.. through faith in Christ's redemptive work on the cross and the receipt of the blood-payment through His resurrection from the dead. I pray you are blessed and broken by this video.
Our God is great.. He is worthy of all praise, glory, and worship.. May He be glorified in us as we are most satisfied in Him and His grace. He loves us.. He loves you..
Our God is great.. He is worthy of all praise, glory, and worship.. May He be glorified in us as we are most satisfied in Him and His grace. He loves us.. He loves you..
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Worship Is Meaningless...
...without the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Speaking of congregational worship, we have replaced the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship with moving lights and lyric backgrounds; not everywhere or in every church, but it is becoming a more and more popular scene. We have abandoned the essential requirement of the power of the Holy Spirit in us to worship God. King David so desperately knew that he needed the Holy Spirit in his life. Before Pentecost (Acts 1-3) the Holy Spirit was not commissioned to be the Helper for everyone who believed in the Messiah to come. He was a gift. Presently we have taken for granted the help of our God through His Spirit in us. We grieve Him and give not attention to His work or will in our lives. David knew that he needed the Spirit in order to have communion with God. He cried out to God in the Psalms,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10-12 ESV)
I think I've realized that I need to give up the effort on "getting people to worship" in my own strength. I can talk about God and how great He is until I'm blue in the face, but until I rely on the Holy Spirit to work in the praises of His people, I will get nowhere. Instead, I think now I will ask the Holy Spirit to do that for me. I will engage the Spirit during worship as an example to the congregation. I am a lead worshipper, not a worship leader (thanks to Matt Redman who coined that phrase in his book The Unquenchable Worshipper). I should be encouraging the congregation to engage the Holy Spirit with me. Worship is passionate, personal, precious communion with God.
I pray you see where I am coming from. Are light shows, extravagant lyric backgrounds, or even instruments necessary to engage the Holy Spirit in worship? No. Why then rely on them more than the Spirit Himself? I do not say this because I am completely against lights and backgrounds, but as an inspection into our own reasons and motives for worship.
To my fellow lead worshippers, engage the Holy Spirit as an example to your congregation. Remind them to engage the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on your talent or appearance (but don't neglect them either). Rely on the Holy Spirit.
To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, engage in communion with the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on the music or stage settings to move you. The Holy Spirit is enough. We worship Him, not our experience.
Lastly, don't be quick to judge others. You don't know the hearts of men. Work on your own heart and it's problems. Just be aware of your reasons for worshipping.
Blessings,
Nick
Speaking of congregational worship, we have replaced the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship with moving lights and lyric backgrounds; not everywhere or in every church, but it is becoming a more and more popular scene. We have abandoned the essential requirement of the power of the Holy Spirit in us to worship God. King David so desperately knew that he needed the Holy Spirit in his life. Before Pentecost (Acts 1-3) the Holy Spirit was not commissioned to be the Helper for everyone who believed in the Messiah to come. He was a gift. Presently we have taken for granted the help of our God through His Spirit in us. We grieve Him and give not attention to His work or will in our lives. David knew that he needed the Spirit in order to have communion with God. He cried out to God in the Psalms,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10-12 ESV)
I think I've realized that I need to give up the effort on "getting people to worship" in my own strength. I can talk about God and how great He is until I'm blue in the face, but until I rely on the Holy Spirit to work in the praises of His people, I will get nowhere. Instead, I think now I will ask the Holy Spirit to do that for me. I will engage the Spirit during worship as an example to the congregation. I am a lead worshipper, not a worship leader (thanks to Matt Redman who coined that phrase in his book The Unquenchable Worshipper). I should be encouraging the congregation to engage the Holy Spirit with me. Worship is passionate, personal, precious communion with God.
I pray you see where I am coming from. Are light shows, extravagant lyric backgrounds, or even instruments necessary to engage the Holy Spirit in worship? No. Why then rely on them more than the Spirit Himself? I do not say this because I am completely against lights and backgrounds, but as an inspection into our own reasons and motives for worship.
To my fellow lead worshippers, engage the Holy Spirit as an example to your congregation. Remind them to engage the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on your talent or appearance (but don't neglect them either). Rely on the Holy Spirit.
To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, engage in communion with the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on the music or stage settings to move you. The Holy Spirit is enough. We worship Him, not our experience.
Lastly, don't be quick to judge others. You don't know the hearts of men. Work on your own heart and it's problems. Just be aware of your reasons for worshipping.
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, November 28, 2011
You Say You Love God... But...
Do you love others?
I mean, do you love others as Christ as loved you? Do you love those who are poorer than you? Do you love those who aren't as healthy as you? Do you love those that the world despises? Do you love those that don't measure up to the standard of you morality?
Face it, Christian, do you love the least? Do you serve them? Do you show them the love that Christ has shown you? If not, then why do you call yourself a Christian if you don't do to others what Christ has done to you? Do you think you are more important than the least? More righteous than the immoral? Too high class to pay attention to the lowest class? Do you think you are better than those who don't believe what you believe? Where is the love of Christ?
A preacher once said, "The church today is largely sleeping. It's like a great bedroom, and all the Christians are saying, 'Please don't wake me up! I want to keep on sleeping!'" The majority of what we call the church today is unaware of the dire necessity for the love and compassion of Christ that needs to be shown to the world; not only to each other but also to the world! We go around judging and condemning each other and the world when we should be encouraging each other and sharing the Gospel (in both speech and proof of action) with the world. Quit condemning each other over trite issues. Quit condemning the lost who are already condemned. Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save it! It is His right and duty alone to judge when He returns. So quit your condemnation. Quit your self-righteous attitudes. Quit your high and mighty prideful love for yourself. Start loving others the way Christ would have you do!
Mark Cahill, a man I would call a "reality is the motive" speaker, says "Engage the culture, or it will engage you!" He understands that we need to not shelter ourselves from the world and engage the world as Christ did. We need to go out into the world and reach sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark shares the love of Christ in places with people that most Christians would detest. He gives them the Gospel and loves them with God's love. He engages them as Christ would have. Why? Because he knows that this is the mission Christ as called us to engage in. Mark not only says he loves God but his actions show it.
If God is precious to you, the things that are precious to God become precious to you. So if you say you love God and don't love your fellow Christian or someone who is lost, can you really say you love God? God hates sin and He hates sinners (Psalm 105), but He still to chose to love them and give them a way to be made reconciled to Him. Will you choose to love others, Christian or not, the way Christ has loved you?
There are two things I want to clarify before this blog entry ends. First, to love your fellow Christian does not mean look past their sin. It means to encourage, exhort, and carry each others burdens; and it means to call them out on sin in compassion and meekness. Second, to love a person who is not a Christian does not mean you legitimate their lifestyle, nor does it mean you give them approval of their sin. If you are legitimating their lifestyle and approving their sin, you don't understand sin and why it is wrong. It is your job to show them love and compassion, and not compromise the Gospel in doing so. Remember that you used to be an enemy of God as they are now so don't put your nose up at them. If it weren't for God's grace, you would still be in their position.
If you love God, you will love your fellow man. Simple as that. If you say you love God but don't love your fellow man, rethink your pride and humble yourself before God. Ask Him to give you a love for those He loves. Put your worship of God into action. Remember that we love because He first loved us.
Blessings,
Nick
I mean, do you love others as Christ as loved you? Do you love those who are poorer than you? Do you love those who aren't as healthy as you? Do you love those that the world despises? Do you love those that don't measure up to the standard of you morality?
Face it, Christian, do you love the least? Do you serve them? Do you show them the love that Christ has shown you? If not, then why do you call yourself a Christian if you don't do to others what Christ has done to you? Do you think you are more important than the least? More righteous than the immoral? Too high class to pay attention to the lowest class? Do you think you are better than those who don't believe what you believe? Where is the love of Christ?
A preacher once said, "The church today is largely sleeping. It's like a great bedroom, and all the Christians are saying, 'Please don't wake me up! I want to keep on sleeping!'" The majority of what we call the church today is unaware of the dire necessity for the love and compassion of Christ that needs to be shown to the world; not only to each other but also to the world! We go around judging and condemning each other and the world when we should be encouraging each other and sharing the Gospel (in both speech and proof of action) with the world. Quit condemning each other over trite issues. Quit condemning the lost who are already condemned. Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save it! It is His right and duty alone to judge when He returns. So quit your condemnation. Quit your self-righteous attitudes. Quit your high and mighty prideful love for yourself. Start loving others the way Christ would have you do!
Mark Cahill, a man I would call a "reality is the motive" speaker, says "Engage the culture, or it will engage you!" He understands that we need to not shelter ourselves from the world and engage the world as Christ did. We need to go out into the world and reach sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark shares the love of Christ in places with people that most Christians would detest. He gives them the Gospel and loves them with God's love. He engages them as Christ would have. Why? Because he knows that this is the mission Christ as called us to engage in. Mark not only says he loves God but his actions show it.
If God is precious to you, the things that are precious to God become precious to you. So if you say you love God and don't love your fellow Christian or someone who is lost, can you really say you love God? God hates sin and He hates sinners (Psalm 105), but He still to chose to love them and give them a way to be made reconciled to Him. Will you choose to love others, Christian or not, the way Christ has loved you?
There are two things I want to clarify before this blog entry ends. First, to love your fellow Christian does not mean look past their sin. It means to encourage, exhort, and carry each others burdens; and it means to call them out on sin in compassion and meekness. Second, to love a person who is not a Christian does not mean you legitimate their lifestyle, nor does it mean you give them approval of their sin. If you are legitimating their lifestyle and approving their sin, you don't understand sin and why it is wrong. It is your job to show them love and compassion, and not compromise the Gospel in doing so. Remember that you used to be an enemy of God as they are now so don't put your nose up at them. If it weren't for God's grace, you would still be in their position.
If you love God, you will love your fellow man. Simple as that. If you say you love God but don't love your fellow man, rethink your pride and humble yourself before God. Ask Him to give you a love for those He loves. Put your worship of God into action. Remember that we love because He first loved us.
Blessings,
Nick
Friday, November 25, 2011
Quit Complaining... God Doesn't Have to Explain
Many people think they are entitled to an explanation from God about everything that happens to them in their life. They think that God is responsible to them; that He has to tell them everything because He owes it to them. After all, the Bible says that all things work together for good for Christians. So why shouldn't I get an explanation about what goes on in my life? I find this to be a funny concept because God doesn't talk to us in audible voice (not to say He can't, He just usually doesn't since we have the Bible to guide us now) so why would we expect an answer from Him as if He is going to speak to us like that? I think it's better to say that people want everything to happen to them in such a way that they can make reason of it in their own logic. Otherwise you have to rely in faith that God is working everything out, and why would a Christian want to do that [insert sarcasm]?
We complain all the time about our circumstances: "Why am I going through this?", "Why would God let this happen to me?", "I wish my life was easier.", "God, what in the world is going on here?"... Look at the actions of Job after he lost his livestock and children:
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:20-22, ESV)
How many of us would have this response to losing our children and wealth? What did Job know that caused him to have this response? That answer is simple. Job knew that God owned his life and all that had been given to him. He knew that God could give and take whatever He wanted from him. After all, we came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything given to us is a gift from God so don't find Him at fault when something is taken from you; whether it be a possession or loved one. Job went through a lot more than what 99% of us will ever go though, but he still praised the Lord through it all. So my question to you is:
Will you trust God as Job trusted Him?
Trusting God means understanding that He is in control. It means not complaining about how you think things should be. It means giving your own logic and understanding a break and letting God work things out for a change (all you worrywarts out there...). Isn't God bigger than all your problems? Don't you think He can handle minor details in the universe? After all, He did speak it into existence.
I'll leave you with what Paul told the Philippians:
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:14-17, ESV)
Worship God today knowing He is in control.
Blessings,
Nick
We complain all the time about our circumstances: "Why am I going through this?", "Why would God let this happen to me?", "I wish my life was easier.", "God, what in the world is going on here?"... Look at the actions of Job after he lost his livestock and children:
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:20-22, ESV)
How many of us would have this response to losing our children and wealth? What did Job know that caused him to have this response? That answer is simple. Job knew that God owned his life and all that had been given to him. He knew that God could give and take whatever He wanted from him. After all, we came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything given to us is a gift from God so don't find Him at fault when something is taken from you; whether it be a possession or loved one. Job went through a lot more than what 99% of us will ever go though, but he still praised the Lord through it all. So my question to you is:
Will you trust God as Job trusted Him?
Trusting God means understanding that He is in control. It means not complaining about how you think things should be. It means giving your own logic and understanding a break and letting God work things out for a change (all you worrywarts out there...). Isn't God bigger than all your problems? Don't you think He can handle minor details in the universe? After all, He did speak it into existence.
I'll leave you with what Paul told the Philippians:
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:14-17, ESV)
Worship God today knowing He is in control.
Blessings,
Nick
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Praising God in the Unexpected
This past week I was involved in a pretty bad car accident. I was leaving a stop sign on my turn and another car ran its stop sign t-boning me at 50mph. We traveled about 30 feet from where the impact occurred. My first thought after everything stopped moving was "Thank You, Jesus!" I was still alive and not badly injured! My truck is totaled and I'm pretty beat up, but I'm still alive and walking.
Having a relationship with God with the understanding that I can praise Him in the good and bad times is a wonderful thing. When the bad times roll around I know that He is on my side and will protect me as He sees fit. So why get mad at the situation and God when He is in control. If I was supposed to die that day, or at least be seriously injured, it would have still been in His control. Praise Him that I am okay!
My question for you is:
Will you find reason to praise God and make an effort to see the good in any given situation?
It will test your faith. If your faith is weak, ask God to make it stronger. He would be more than happy to help you. If your faith is strong, press on and keep letting your life point to Him for all the world to see.
Blessings,
Nick
Having a relationship with God with the understanding that I can praise Him in the good and bad times is a wonderful thing. When the bad times roll around I know that He is on my side and will protect me as He sees fit. So why get mad at the situation and God when He is in control. If I was supposed to die that day, or at least be seriously injured, it would have still been in His control. Praise Him that I am okay!
My question for you is:
Will you find reason to praise God and make an effort to see the good in any given situation?
It will test your faith. If your faith is weak, ask God to make it stronger. He would be more than happy to help you. If your faith is strong, press on and keep letting your life point to Him for all the world to see.
Blessings,
Nick
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Why don't people worship?
As a worship leader, I have trouble wrestling with the fact that some people just don't want to worship. They don't want to sing or lift their hands in praise and adoration to God. Now that doesn't mean they are less of a Christian than the person next to them who is singing their heart out and raising their hands because the person next to them may just be there under pretense. Although I do think that a person's understanding of doctrine immensely influences the response of a person to God through music (and life, but I want to focus specifically on musical praise to God). As a worship leader, I can do all I can to make the environment perfect for an emotional drawing of a person, but without understanding great doctrine (like who God is, the Gospel, regeneration by the Spirit, the sinful state of man, grace, mercy, redemption, adoption of the children of God, etc.) we have nothing to base our praise and adoration of God on (this is a perfect reason to sing songs that have deep, meaningful doctrine).
Too much effort is being placed on making the environment the main influence to help people praise God. There are moving lights, laser lights, fog machines, animated slides for lyrics, and rockin' bands with sweet guitar licks and drum solos. Are these wrong to implement into a worship service? No, but if they are the main instrument used to influence people to worship, then yes, it is wrong. Are we worshipping, praising, and adoring God or the coolness of the environment?
My fellow Christian leaders, If we are not teaching our brothers and sisters about how great our God is, they will never be able to worship Him! If we never elaborate on the person and characteristics of God, how can they worship Him? If we put most of our focus the environment influencing the people, how is that not robbing them of praising God? How is that not robbing God of praise? No wonder the people don't worship and complain when the worship service wasn't perfect or wasn't exciting enough! Teach them of the greatness of God! Teach them of His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, His patience, His kindness, His beauty, His majesty, His authority, His power, His wrath, His making a way for people to escape that wrath through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the list goes on and on! Understand that it is not the environment that causes people to worship God. It is the relationship they have with Him that causes them to worship. God isn't impressed by our feeble attempts at making worship look cool. His delight is in the worship-filled, praise-filled hearts of His people that adore Him. If we don't teach this to the Church, they will never know what the purpose of worship is. They will never come to the understanding that musical worship is not about how cool everything looks or how entertaining it's supposed to be.
Brothers and sisters, God is great and mighty. He is a fortress of strength and power. His authority knows no boundaries. His wrath is infinite against sin, but His love, grace, and mercy are infinite towards those in Christ. He is forever our King and Friend. He will forever be our Savior. He never stops interceding for us all day and night. He never stops carrying us through our struggles. He never stops holding us when we are weak. He never restricts His hand of mercy upon us. He never ceases to be great! He never ceases to be majestic! He never ceases to be holy! He never ceases to be righteous! He never ceases to have control over all of His creation! Who is like our God!
Who is like our God!
So why don't people worship? Because they don't realize the greatness of their God. They don't sing songs magnifying the greatness Him, songs that tell of who He is and what He has done. Leaders, take your people to the throne of God and leave them in utter amazement and awe of Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Too much effort is being placed on making the environment the main influence to help people praise God. There are moving lights, laser lights, fog machines, animated slides for lyrics, and rockin' bands with sweet guitar licks and drum solos. Are these wrong to implement into a worship service? No, but if they are the main instrument used to influence people to worship, then yes, it is wrong. Are we worshipping, praising, and adoring God or the coolness of the environment?
My fellow Christian leaders, If we are not teaching our brothers and sisters about how great our God is, they will never be able to worship Him! If we never elaborate on the person and characteristics of God, how can they worship Him? If we put most of our focus the environment influencing the people, how is that not robbing them of praising God? How is that not robbing God of praise? No wonder the people don't worship and complain when the worship service wasn't perfect or wasn't exciting enough! Teach them of the greatness of God! Teach them of His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, His patience, His kindness, His beauty, His majesty, His authority, His power, His wrath, His making a way for people to escape that wrath through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the list goes on and on! Understand that it is not the environment that causes people to worship God. It is the relationship they have with Him that causes them to worship. God isn't impressed by our feeble attempts at making worship look cool. His delight is in the worship-filled, praise-filled hearts of His people that adore Him. If we don't teach this to the Church, they will never know what the purpose of worship is. They will never come to the understanding that musical worship is not about how cool everything looks or how entertaining it's supposed to be.
Brothers and sisters, God is great and mighty. He is a fortress of strength and power. His authority knows no boundaries. His wrath is infinite against sin, but His love, grace, and mercy are infinite towards those in Christ. He is forever our King and Friend. He will forever be our Savior. He never stops interceding for us all day and night. He never stops carrying us through our struggles. He never stops holding us when we are weak. He never restricts His hand of mercy upon us. He never ceases to be great! He never ceases to be majestic! He never ceases to be holy! He never ceases to be righteous! He never ceases to have control over all of His creation! Who is like our God!
Who is like our God!
So why don't people worship? Because they don't realize the greatness of their God. They don't sing songs magnifying the greatness Him, songs that tell of who He is and what He has done. Leaders, take your people to the throne of God and leave them in utter amazement and awe of Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)