Never Ending Worship

It's hard for me to imagine what it must have been like to be the children of Israel during their days of journey to the Promised Land. Just considering the pillar of cloud & fire, the tent of meeting, or the veil over Moses' face after being in the presence of God blows my mind.

This weekend, I was fortunate to be a part of some special worship services. On Saturday evening we joined Jonathan David Helser in Christiansburg for an incredible worship experience. Then...Sunday came...and we were just overwhelmed with the presence of God in our second service. While I did not see a pillar of fire, nor did I have to place a veil over my face; His presence was just as real. What I am learning is what we do with God's visitations prepares us for future manifestations. We can choose to ignore what He is doing in the hearts and lives of those around us by moving through a service. Or we can take the time and allow His Spirit to continue to minister to hearts. We chose the latter and were blessed because of it.

The past few weeks of preaching through the series of messages on praise have been very encouraging to me. I cannot tell you how many believers (young, old, new, and seasoned) who thanked me for giving them insight into the meaning of the Hebrew words for praise. As they walk in what they have learned, they will experience a greater intimacy in worship. This is what God is looking for from His people.

However, we should not contain our worship and praise of God to a structured setting. As people who walk in relationship with God, the whole world is a sanctuary. We should be able to worship God in any setting and praise Him in any circumstance. When we choose to praise and worship God wherever we are, we are simply joining the rest of His creation. As the heavens declare the glory of God, we should declare His praises in our generation.

May we be the ones who continually cover His throne with our praises. May we never relent in pursuing the purity of His presence. May our hearts continue to hunger and thirst for the living God. May our worship never cease. He is worthy of all our praise.

"Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: 'Praise the Lord, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.'" {Isaiah 12:3-5}

The Release of Praise

I'm currently working on the final sermon in a series of messages entitled "Let His Praises Ring." We have been looking into the 7 Hebrew words that are often translated as "praise" in the Psalms. My hope in all of this? To be a part of the release of praise from God's people that changes worship from entertainment to intimacy.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have re-visited trying to learn the guitar. This is something that I have wanted to do for a LONG TIME. However, as we all learn, things get in the way or we get frustrated in the process. So...I'm back to establishing the callouses on my finger tips, learning the chords, and practicing finger exercises. Thankfully, I have a friend from church who is helping me through this process. I look forward to a time when I'm playing sound rather than feeling like I'm playing a letter in the alphabet.

Some people may wonder why I would be willing to dedicate myself to this learning process. I mean...I'm not planning on being in a band. I have no intentions of joining the praise team (although if I could fill in - that would be cool!!!). For me it is all about the praise. I long to "zamar". In other words: I want to praise the Lord upon the strings. Singing is something that I have always enjoyed. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. God has grown me in the area of praise, so I don't have a problem lifting hands, celebrating His goodness, shouting His praises, dancing before Him, or bowing down. But I long to praise Him through the instruments. I look forward to a time when I can just sit and play in His presence.

Worship/Praise to me is all about the passionate pursuit of the purity of His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy. There is a completeness that only comes as I enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. While learning the guitar has been a personal goal (something I have wanted to do since I was a child), I see the importance of worshiping the Lord with all that He gives me. If I can add playing the guitar to my praise of Him then it will only enrich my time of worship.

This is all a part of the passionate pursuit. It's a complete abandonment of all that I am (and have) for His glory. God is worthy of my praise - ALL OF IT!

Think about the ways that you can praise Him. Maybe there is a song that needs to be sung, a poem that needs to be written, a painting that needs to be painted, a dance that needs to be danced, or a testimony that needs to be given. The release of praise from a heart that is centered on worship can affect the atmosphere around you. It will draw you into a more intimate encounter with God. And the good news: He longs to be in your presence. He is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.

Join me in the passionate pursuit. May we never be satisfied until we are engulfed in the purity of His presence. It's time for the people of God to release their praise!

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" ~ Psalm 150:6

The Beauty of Evangelism

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" {Romans 10:14}

All too often it is easy to read the Word and come away with a limited understanding. Case in point: We can read Romans 10:14 and allow the responsibility of evangelism to fall upon the shoulders of the preachers. This is where we have to move beyond our limited vocabulary and understanding of the Bible. The word translated "preacher" from the Greek literally means "to be a herald, to proclaim after the manner of a herald." It is with this understanding that we can clearly see the work of sharing Jesus ("Him whom they have not believed") belongs to all of us who know Him as Lord and Savior.

The beauty of evangelism is that God uses the ordinary people of the world. It doesn't have to be the professional. We don't have to wait for some divine moment of inspiration. We are simply sharing that which has affected our life the most. To quote a friend of mine: "Jesus is mine...but I'll share Him with you." It really is that simple.

The idea of proclaiming after the manner of a herald paints a beautiful picture. As one who cries out in the streets, we have a message that can change the entire world.
- As a herald we understand the Urgency of the message. Time is short and people need to hear.
- As one who cries out in the streets we understand the Importance of the message. If we do not communicate the love of God to a lost world how will they ever know?
- And as a "preacher" of the Gospel we understand the Value of the message. This is the one message the entire world needs to hear. Wrapped up in the Gospel is the most incredible story ever: God's unfailing love for a people that He created! "How will they hear without a preacher?"

You may wonder why God has chosen this method to win a lost world unto Himself. Romans 10:17 provides the answer: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Faith in what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ is the method that God has chosen to redeem a lost world. But the faith comes to us by hearing the Word of God. Think about it - Every time the Word of God is shared then the Holy Spirit has something to work with...something to build our faith upon. The Bible contains the incredible story of God's epic love. When we share it, the world has something to believe in.

Do you know Jesus? If the answer is "YES" then you have something to share. Are you willing to share Him? May you experience "The Beauty of Evangelism" as you become one who cries out in the streets.

Are We Leaving Room for God?

I was awakened to a wonderful devotional reading from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. The title of today's entry was "Leave Room for God" and was founded in Galatians 1:15, "When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace". Paul is referring to the calling He received from God and how it broke through in His life. The question we have to ask is: Are we leaving room for God to break through in our lives?

The following is an excerpt from Oswald Chamber's devotional:
"Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute...Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides." (January 25th entry)

What an exciting thought...God breaking in at any moment to perform what He chooses. Don't you find that exciting? Or could it be that you haven't given God any elbow room? This is a struggle for many believers and their churches. We tend to put God on a program. He can break through in certain areas but not over here or over there. He can break through during the preaching but not the singing. He can break through in prayer just not in the testimonies. He can break through at 11:30am just not 11:55am. See where I am going with this? Who are we to tell God when He can or cannot move?

The break through of God is what every believer should long to experience. We have to view these moments as something special rather than something scary. It may sound strange to some of you but there are those who fear a move of God. They fear what it will do to their lives, their schedules, or their list of priorities. What I have discovered is that our fear of God's break through moments is typically rooted in our unwillingness to follow God in certain situations. It amazes me that people actually fear the call of God on their lives. I remember when God called me and I was actually hoping He would! I wanted to serve Him. I wanted to be used by Him. There was a part of me that actually hated the idea of going through the motions or just sitting in the pew. I looked for God to break into my existence as a believer and He did. Although preaching was the furthest thing from my mind, I did not resist His call. I, like Paul, can see the hand of God as He "separated me from my mother's womb, and called my by His grace."

It is during this time of looking for God to move upon our lives that we have to understand the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is my Savior but He is so much more. He has every right to invade my life. He has every right to call me by His grace. He has every right to break into our church meetings. He has every right to break into my preaching. The thought of God surprising us by His Spirit should be something that brings great anticipation.

What I am sharing with you today is something that has actually happened in my life. I have experienced those surprise moments when God moves and speaks in ways that we did not anticipate. It changed my doctrinal views. It changed my theological stances. It altered my perception of order. And it totally changed how I "do" church. I can no longer be satisfied with 3 points and a poem when it comes to preaching. Just singing the songs during worship has been thrown out the door. I am not moved by just having a time of prayer. In every situation, every circumstance, and in every meeting; I am looking for the unexplainable, and indescribable move of God upon the hearts and lives of people. We have been called for this!!!

May you be surprised by God today!
May you be moved by His presence!
May you be awakened by His Spirit!

All you have to do is give Him room.

Taking Time to Consider

Happy Friday to everyone. Hope your day has been blessed. It's time for PBC's annual Pastor/Deacon Retreat. This is an event that we have been doing for several years now and it's always a blessed time. I can also say (with all honesty) that this time of fellowship has helped unify our church body.

As I was preparing to blog today, I came across 1 Corinthians 4:1, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." What a compelling thought! When you consider all that the Apostle Paul could have stated here, this is an amazing verse. He could have said, "Consider us as Apostles of Jesus Christ." It would have been an accurate statement. Instead...he chose to focus on the mission that God had given them.

What I enjoy about our annual retreat is that it gives us time, as pastors and deacons, to focus upon who we are in the body of Christ. It's a time of encouragement, edification, and strengthening of the ministry that we all perform within the church. It's also a time to simply consider who we are in Him. Through this fellowship we have found a unity that would not otherwise exist. I have heard the horror stories of pastor/deacon relationships and decided that I didn't want to tell them. So several years ago we put this plan into action. Let's take some time to fellowship together, get to know one another, and share in some things that would better equip us in ministering to the people. The result: God has blessed our relationship together and allowed us to work together instead of apart.

This weekend will be full of fellowship, teaching, and sharing. We are able to share some things that will help our deacons better perform their ministry, and they are able to share some things with the pastors that help us as well. What I discovered in other churches is that this type of relationship did not exist. There was never any "down time"...pastors and deacons were always interacting "professionally" in the ministry roles. However, what I discover in the Word is that we are to treat one another like family. It's hard to operate as family if all we ever do is the "business" of the body without ever interacting on a personal level. I have encouraged several pastors to do this type of retreat with their deacons. My encouragement to them is that their churches would benefit from it.

And when you consider us...or anyone else who serves in the ministry of the body...consider us as "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." Our positions do not define us. Instead, we are defined by the precious message that we carry - we are defined by the marvelous mysteries of God.

Have a blessed weekend!