The Beneficiary of Praise

"I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praise..." {Psalm 18:3}

I am currently preparing a series of messages on praise. One of the thoughts that occurred to me today (while listening to the PBC Praise Team practice) came as a question: Who is the beneficiary of praise?

Ultimately, our praise should bring glory to God. The psalmist makes it clear that God is worthy to be praised. It is because of His worth that I lift my hands, shout, sing, etc. Our God is an awesome God who is worthy of praise.

Our praise of God should lead us to call upon Him.
Our praise to God should lead us to live for His glory.
Our praise to God will lead us to walk humbly before Him.
Everything we do as believers in Jesus Christ should be done to draw attention to the God who is worthy of praise.

However, I am also the beneficiary of praise. There is a release through praise that cannot come any other way. Just as there are things that can only be dealt with through prayer; there are some things that can only be dealt with through praise. When I am willing to humble myself in the presence of God, I can release pain through praise and receive peace. I can lift my hands in surrender - God gets the glory and I enjoy the blessing. I can shout unto God with a voice of triumph - God gets the glory and I get the victory. In all of these things, God and I both benefit from true acts of praise and worship.

I don't know what you may be going through this week but I want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to find some time to praise God in the midst of it all. The Bible teaches us that in His presence is fullness of joy. Get into the presence of God and watch these things fall away. Your problems may still be there when you get done but you don't have to drudge through them. Praising God brings about a whole new perspective in life. It's all about getting to a place where you are no longer magnifying your problems but you are magnifying God.

I just had this conversation with someone the other day. Sometimes we need a perspective change. Praise to God changes perspective. All of a sudden our problems are minimized. They may not leave but the definitely look different. If I am going through a difficult season then I must have time set aside to praise God by myself. This isn't about getting together with the whole church. This is all about getting into a solitary place with God. I praise Him for all the good things He's given. I praise Him for my family and friends. I praise Him for all His benefits. It is in that process of praise that I actually feel the heaviness come off of me. I'm elevated because I am elevating Him who is worthy.

Here's your challenge: Take the rest of the day to do as the psalmist: Call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised."

If We Can Get This...

It was only a three letter statement. However, in those three words the entire world was changed: "IT IS FINISHED!" Jesus had done all that He came to do. He had accomplished all that the Father had asked of Him. And before He would take His last breath, He shouted out the words that would shake the very foundations of the world.

If "it is finished" then why do we default to legalism?
If "it is finished" then why do we try to change people before they come to Jesus?
If "it is finished" then why don't people enjoy their salvation?
If "it is finished" then why don't we smile more?
If "it is finished" then why don't we share the Gospel?
If "it is finished"...

Is it possible that we don't really believe that "it is finished"? Maybe there is something inside of us that tells us that we have to work a little harder, do a little more, or meet a certain standard. When will we believe that Jesus Christ did it all?

If we can get this...
~ It will change the way we live
~ It will change the way we do church
~ It will change how we treat one another
~ It will change how we pray
~ It will change how we praise & worship
~ It will change how we read the Bible

Think about it:
You don't have to read the Bible to find a list of "do's and don'ts". You can read the Bible to have a personal encounter with God. When you spend time in His Word it's shouldn't be about learning a legal system but getting to know the God who authored it.
When you pray...you don't have to spend a lot of time getting yourself to a place to be heard. God's Word says that you can come boldly before Him.
When you go to God in worship...it's not about trying to do something to please God but rather a time to pour your affections upon Him. You can lavish Him with your praises.
Everything changes because "it is finished."

As a "New Covenant" believer, the only thing from the Old Covenant that belongs to you are the promises. You are qualified to receive them because you are in Jesus. There's isn't a law to satisfy, a standard to meet, or a penalty to avoid. Jesus has fulfilled all that the law required and allows you to live in it by faith. Your life will reflect what the law says because this is the life that God has designed. If we will walk in the revelation of the New Covenant, we will find that God's commandments are not burdensome. Our lives will become a symphony of praise.

We are still early enough in this New Year that I can encourage you in a new process. When you wake up in the morning, go ahead and begin praising God for the New Covenant you have in Jesus Christ. Thank Him for the grace that is available to live out your faith. Sing praises unto Him and you will find that in His presence is fullness of joy. Not only will it change your day but it will change your countenance.

May the Lord bless you.

Somebody's Praying

I was riding in the truck with my daughter this morning when (out of of nowhere) I began singing "Somebody's Praying" by Ricky Skaggs. Just singing those words stirred a humility inside of me that is often easy to forget. Where would we be if someone had not been praying for us?

Read the lyrics:
Somebody's praying
I can feel it
Somebody's praying for me
Mighty hands are guiding me
To protect me from what I can't see
Lord I believe
Lord I believe
Somebody's praying for me

Angels are watching
I can feel them
Angels are watching over me
There's many miles ahead 'till I get home
Still I'm safely kept before Your throne
Lord I believe
Lord I believe
Angels are watching over me

Well I've walked barren wilderness
Where my pillow was a stone
And I've been through the darkest caverns
Where no light had ever shone
Still I went on 'cause there was someone
Who was down on their knees
And Lord I thank you for those people
Praying all this time for me

I don't know about you, but I immediately began to think of my grandparents. All those years of laboring in prayer over the grandchildren. When I look at where my life is now, I have to stop and thank God for praying grandparents.

The privilege, opportunity, and power of prayer is amazing. It is through prayer that we can see eyes that are blinded to truth opened. It is through prayer that we are able to keep ourselves from worry and anxiety. It is through prayer that Jesus taught how we are to bring everything before the throne of God and believe that He will answer us. When we pray...great things happen.

Tonight PBC will gather for prayer. This is one of the most important things we do all week. Prayer has guided us, comforted us, protected us, and equipped us for use in the kingdom of God. As much as I love gathering for the larger worship service, this time on Wednesday evening has become a much anticipated event. I'm always amazed at how God moves upon the hearts of His people during this time. I'm also thankful for how He has answered this group of warriors who are willing to battle through with prayer.

I encourage you to find a place of prayer today. If you can't get away from the desk - pray. If you have to spend a lot of time in the vehicle - pray. If you are at home - pray. Enter into the presence of God and watch Him change your atmosphere. And while you are there...give thanks for those who have prayed for you.

Somebody's praying for you.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

So where do we go from here? It's a simple question really. One that is normally asked when we have reached a particular destination and need direction. It's also a question that I have asked several times while following after the will of God. "Lord, I know you have led me to this point, so where do I go from here?"

This question has been a dominating theme in my personal and church life. What do you do when you begin to experience things that are not a part of the "norm" of the church? How do you handle God revealing things about Himself and His Word that is contrary to what you have believed? How will we respond? Well...I don't know about you, but I'm going to abandon myself to the will of God. It may seem reckless to others but I have always tried to follow after the heart of God. This "abandonment" in my life has meant that I have had to change my thinking, my theology, and even go against some training...but it's an amazing journey.

I have also seen this thought process in others. It's especially true when they are challenged with ideas about their faith. Sometimes it reveals itself as a crisis of belief (did God really lead me here?) while other times it is just a question of "are you ready to move forward?"

Think about Israel coming out of Egypt. God has brought about a miraculous deliverance from slavery. Not only were they able to leave Egypt but they were able to come out with spoils. They witnessed the mighty hand of God come against the Egyptian idols. They watched first hand as locusts devoured the land, water turned into blood, destructive hail fall out of the sky, and the death of all the firstborn in the land. If that were not enough, they even watched as God parted the Red Sea so that they could escape the enemy on dry land. Then they came to the place of promise. God had said that He would give them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they stood on the other side of the river in unbelief. This is the part of the story where I scratch my head. God could do all of those other things yet they did not believe that God could deliver the giants of the land into their hands. But before we raise up in condemnation of Israel, we have to ask ourselves this question: What is it that I fail to believe God can do in my life? Where do I go from here?

Has God been revealing some things that you have yet to enter into? Is there a promised land of equipping, blessing, or provision that you have failed to believe that He could actually give? Most of us wouldn't say that would we? We normally say that we believe God can do anything He chooses to do. He is Almighty and All-powerful. What we normally don't believe is that He will actually do it for us.

Psalm 78:41, "Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." The word translated "tempted" here means to put God on trial. Instead of believing His promises and testing His Word to see if it would work, they put Him on trial as if in a court of law. They did not believe God was able to perform His promises. They tried Him and found Him guilty of lying. Since they did not believe God's promises, they did not obey His Word. As a result, they found themselves wandering in the wilderness.

One of the unfortunate things about this whole story is that we have created a belief system that says it is God's will that we wander around in the wilderness as a way to build up our character. WRONG!!! God's will was for the children of Israel to enter into the rest of the Promised Land. It was their unbelief that sent them wandering around in the wilderness. This is where you have to ask yourself if you are willing to wander around in a wilderness of unbelief ready to accept something that is almost as good as what God wants to give.

Where are going to go from here? Are you ready to move forward with what God is revealing? Are you tired of wandering around in the wilderness of unbelief? Are you ready to have God's best? Be careful of anything that would try to distract you. There are plenty of people on this journey who did not experience what they thought they should experience and created a whole belief system on why God doesn't work a certain way. Abandon yourself to God - Walk in full confidence and faith in Him - Watch God perform His Word to you. He never fails!!! There is a promised land of abundant life waiting for you.

What Is My Passion?

I just finished watching Francis Chan preach at the Passion 2011 conference in Atlanta. It was one of the most challenging messages that I have heard in a long time. The question I came away with: What is my passion?

Chan shared some of his experiences of travelling overseas to meet with persecuted believers. What was most interesting about his experience is that when he would ask the church about their experiences, they would look at him confused. Many of them simply figured that every believer in the world experienced persecution because Jesus said that it would happen. The question that he asked that I found most interesting came while he was talking to a pastor from one of these countries. He said, "Don't you have people here who call themselves Christians?" The pastor replied, "Why would anyone do that? To call yourself a Christian means that you could die!"

The consumer mentality that has hit the American church is devastating. Persecuted believers around the world don't understand how people get to "choose" the church they attend and can "change" churches whenever they feel their needs are not being met. It's literally a laughable concept to them because they don't get to choose, they don't get to change, and they aren't looking for their "needs" to be met. Let me ask you a question: Do you think Christianity in America would be drastically different if we didn't have so many choices?

I'm not bemoaning the fact that we are a free country. I love our freedom! I'm not criticizing America for having many churches. What I am trying to point out is that because we are like this we have lost the understanding of what the body of Christ is all about. The early church wasn't trying to find the place that met all of their expectations. The early church was looking for a group of believers that would allow them to fellowship, worship, grow, and become the force in the earth that is the kingdom of God.

The consumer mentality that I mentioned about gives us the idea that we can shop around. We can look for a place that has the music we are looking for, the type of preaching/teaching that we like, or style of service that best suits us. This mentality has also caused a lot of conflict in the body. When things begin to change within a particular church, some of the members will stand against it. The concept is often built around a conviction but the attitude is often "this isn't what I paid for!".

Ask yourself this question: Does my life reflect what I say I believe?
Think about it...
I'm not trying to bring conviction or condemnation to you. I simply want you to look at your own attitude and thought life as it pertains to the body of Christ. Am I willing to hear from the other members of the body? Am I able to worship with the different styles of music? Does what I believe about Jesus change the way I treat the people around me? Do I share the Gospel with the lost? We can go on and on but I think you get the point. What we believe should make a difference in how we live. This isn't legalism - it's truth manifested in our lives!

Can an eye say to the hand "because you are not an eye then you don't belong to the body?" According to Scripture...NO! In the same way, ears would not lift themselves up above the mouth, etc., etc. This is the beauty of God's design in the church. Different offices, different talents, different giftings all coming together with one purpose: Edifying the body of Christ for the purpose of sending people out into the fields that are white with harvest.

Will we be the generation of believers that do more than sing the songs and attend the services? Will we be the generation that makes it all about Jesus? If (and when) we do, it will change everything. Our lives become a symphony of God's goodness in the world. Our churches become the force that the gates of hell will not be able to withstand. Our marriages will become sanctuaries where the God who created us will be honored. Every part of life will be affected...everything will change.

Take some time today to thank God for the fellowship of believers that surrounds you. Give glory to God that you can even call yourself a believer. Begin to ask the questions that I asked about and then allow the grace of God to align you with His Word. And while we are at it, let's stop looking at what the church can do for us and see what we can be doing with the church. It's time for a change. Let's make it happen!