My thoughts on worship...

September 14, 2009

A STUDY IN BIBLICAL MUSIC

(This is for my friend Neil Kovak's ministry, "The Fishers of Men Music Ministry" ... become a fan today!  Click Here!)

Before you read any of the following article below, let me first say that although there were no guitars (acoustic, electric, or bass), no amplifiers, no effects (reverb, chorus, distortion, delay, wah, etc.), and no keyboards (pianos, synths, etc.) in any of what follows, I sincerely believe that all of the aforementioned, wonderful instruments are very pleasing to the Lord and are mightily used by Him in praise and worship today! (Oh, yeah, I didn't mention horns, flutes, and drums because they actually did exist in ancient Biblical times...yea for horns, flutes, and drums, too!). Now, where did I put that harp and lyre?

Although the prohibition against images (Deuteronomy 20:4) prevented Israel from developing an impressive tradition of visual art like the Greeks, music played a central part in its life. Every facet of its life and every stage of its history were marked by music. Music was present when people greeted each other and said farewell (Genesis 31:27 - "Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?"; and Luke 15:25 - "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing"), when they married and were buried (Jeremiah 7:34; 48:36), when they went off to war and were welcomed back from it (Judges 20:34; Isaiah 30:32 - "And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the Lord lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; and in battles of brandishing He will fight with it"). From the least to the greatest, biblical people sang and played instruments (1 Samuel 16:18; Job 30:31). At the everyday level we find romantic songs, working songs, and yes, though unwise in the presence of the Lord, even drinking songs (Isaiah 22:12-13 - "And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!'"). Major events in the life of the people, such as the exodus from Egypt, conquering the Canaanites, recapturing the ark, dedicating the temple, crowning the king and returning from exile, were celebrated in music and song. Indeed, the Israelites excelled in music, perhaps more than any of their contemporaries, and nowhere more so than in their corporate worship. From the beginning, music and song were at the heart of temple worship (2 Samuel 6:5,14; 1 Kings 10:12; 1 Chronicles 15:15-16), a tradition that continued when the second temple was built (2 Chronicles 29:25; 35:15; Nehemiah 7:1; 12:27-43). The scale on which this took place was impressive (1 Chronicles 15:19-21; 16:4-6,39-42; 23:5-8; 2 Chronicles 5:12-13; Ezra 3:10-11). There were string, wind and percussion instruments. The number of personnel required by this extravaganza and the overwhelming atmosphere of joy and festivity are beautifully captured in several passages (e.g., Psalms 68:24-27; 149; 150). All this is seen as a natural or fitting response to what God has done for his people, whether corporately (Psalms 147:1) or individually (Psalms 13:6; 27:5-6; 71:20-23). This role of music and song was continued in the early church (Acts 16:25; 1 Corinthians 14:14-15,26; Ephesians 4:19; Colossians 3:16).

The evocative image of singing a "new song" appears nine times in the Bible (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10; Revelation 5:9; 14:3). An implied contrast to "old" songs, it is an image of the transformed life of faith, the dynamic, ever-changing nature of a life lived in fellowship with God, and the perpetual renewal of God's mercy in the life of a believer.

Sometimes God or his Spirit is said to be the source of the skills that produce music and song, so that music assumes the quality of a gift and inspiration (Exodus 31:3,6; 35:25; 36:1; 1 Chronicles 15:22; 25:7; 2 Chronicles 34:12; Psalms 33:3). David describes himself as the God-anointed singer of Israel's songs (2 Samuel 23:1). But the Bible also speaks more directly of God as a composer of songs and of the divine wisdom they contain (1 Kings 4:29,32). In Psalms 40:3 David claims that it is God who "put a new song in my mouth" (RSV). Alongside the image of God as lawgiver, therefore, we should place the image of God as musical composer (Deuteronomy 31:19). He is also a performer: his heart "moans for Moab like a flute" (Jeremiah 48:36 RSV), and he exults over Zion "with loud singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

The book of Revelation can serve as a summary of what music means to the biblical imagination. Trumpets serve a ritualistic purpose of announcing the advent of times of judgment and redemption. References to harps lend an otherworldly atmosphere to the picture of heavenly realms (Revelation 5:8; 14:2; 15:2). Most pervasive of all is the singing of the saints in heaven over their redemption and glory (Revelation 5:12-13; 7:12; 11:17; 14:3; 15:3).

(from Dictionary of Biblical Imagery © 1998 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.)


September 12, 2009


"For the battle is not yours, but God's"

2 Chronicles 20:5-22

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 and said: "O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?
7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,
9 'If disaster comes upon us — sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine — we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.'
10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir — whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them —
11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you:'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you."
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever."
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Most of us worship God when things are going well. And while worship can and should be a daily joyful exercise, and also an expression of praise for the Lord’s victories, remember that worship and praise has also been commissioned by God as one of the most powerful weapons in our spiritual arsenal.

So we can learn something from Jehoshaphat. He assigned worshipers to lead the armies into battle- and Israel crushed her enemies! Worship brought forth the victory in the midst of battle! (Well, actually, God did the work of winning the battle, but the victory came THROUGH worship!)

In the midst of your spiritual battle(s), learn the power of praise and the weaponry of worship, to disarm principalities and powers in heavenly places. When fears, doubt, discouragement, and despair threaten to overwhelm you – war against them with praise and worship. Learn to praise Him in the midst of the battle…and soon enough you’ll be praising Him even more, for the victory!


September 10, 2009

"Can't Sleep?"

It's 3:30 a.m. I fell asleep hours ago. But, now I'm awake and can't fall back to sleep. Does anyone else have this "problem" at times? Consider this...

1 Samuel 3:3-10
3 ...and while Samuel was lying down,
4 that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”
5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”
And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
6 Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!”
So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.
9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

Now, I cannot say that it was the audible voice of God that I heard tonight, or even in times past such as this one, but this I do know...to try to go back to sleep is fruitless. Toss...turn...drift off, but then awaken again...toss...turn...and repeat this until the sun comes up again...why does this happen? It could very well be that you, like me at times, neglected to spend the quality "alone" time with the Lord during the day as we should have, and God, being very jealous for us, is desiring to simply fellowship with me at a time when there are no other distractions! The Word says that God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Sometimes, I feel like I need to remind Him that I need to do both of these! But God's jealousy for me wins out over even my own physical need for sleep. And I know that spending time with God is the best thing I could ever do, at any time of the day or night. He loves me so much and wants to be with me and fellowship with me and be intimate with me, but He's ever so patient with me, that He'll wait until all the distractions of my day, of my mind, are at rest and far away. And, like a lover rolling over with an intimate embrace during the night, He gently calls to me, He whispers my name, He kisses me ever so softly...He longs to spend time with me. As I imagine that it is simply sleep that is evading me, I, in sheer futility and in such human insensitivity, try so hard to fall back to sleep.

Well, like I said earlier, here I sit typing this, now it's 4:00 a.m., and I've just spent about 30 minutes in intimate closeness and fellowship with my God. I know why I couldn't sleep...and I am so glad He awakened me. I am taking these few minutes now, before I do go back to sleep, to tell you of my middle-of-the-night encounter with the living God who loves me. When I realized why it was that I awoke, I said, along with Samuel, "speak, Lord...for I hear You." As I listened, tears filled my eyes. Who is this God that loves me so much? He stopped me in mid-sentence even as I tried to repent of not spending this kind of time with Him earlier. "It's OK...it's OK...we're together now...rest in My presence...in My peace." And He held me close, and I worshiped. I wanted to sing out loud to Him, but I also didn't want to wake my beautiful wife (who really does need her sleep and who will be getting up in about 2 hours from now!). I am sitting at her computer in her office now as I type this to you. My heart and mind are now at rest, and I know that "He Who watches over me neither slumbers nor sleeps", and knowing this makes me even more secure in Him. I love Him so. I will go back to bed now and most surely will worship as I lay there. But this time I'm sure that I will awaken in the morning fully refreshed from my time with God tonight. I am confident that I now will be able to fall peacefully asleep as I am woshiping Him.

Good night, Lord. Good night, everyone else!


September 8, 2009

God’s Grace for Our Worship

God requires, and deserves, perfect worship. We are certainly not capable of that. But the wonderful truth is that God has in Jesus Christ likewise provided for the perfect worship that He requires. Jesus always presents to His Father a perfect offering of worship, and He does so in our place and on our behalf. This is God’s grace for our worship. And as we don’t need to fear that our salvation or our sanctification is ultimately dependent on our own strength and our own efforts alone, so we don’t have to fear whether our worship has been “good enough.” In and of itself, it of course consistently falls pitifully short; but IN CHRIST, as He gathers up our meager efforts into His own perfect offering, our worship is always perfectly acceptable to the Father — not because of its excellence, but because of the excellence of His Son. This also means that, whatever the outward style, form or manifestation of our external worship may be, a marvelously unifying truth is that wherever true worship is taking place, it is doing so because Christ our Mediator and Worship Leader is present in the midst of His people empowering and leading our people. Regardless of the outward trappings of our worship (architecture, dress, music style, etc.) the fact is that there is only ONE way to come to the Father in worship: and that is, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Mediator guarantees us full and unfettered access to the presence of the Father. Hence we may speak of worship as a gift of God’s grace. Our standing in Christ and our access through Him enable and empower our grateful praises. “We give Thee but Thine own, whate’er the gift may be.” Worship is our gift to God, in grateful response to all that God has done for us and given to us in Jesus Christ — but only because of His grace for our salvation, for our sanctification, and for our worship.


September. 6, 2009

I was raised in the Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church in America) from birth. After college came seminary (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia), and following my graduation with a Master of Divinity degree came ordination and pastoral calls to three Lutheran congregations (between 1979 and 1995). Traditional, liturgical, denominational...all important ingredients in my developing a rich appreciation for the hymnody of the church. First was the black hymnal (pre-1958), then came the red hymnal (1958-1978), then the green hymnal (post 1978)...and I had the chants, liturgies, settings, and almost all of the hymns (300+ in each different version) memorized!

OK...enough about my traditional background, I offered all of that simply so that you would appreciate my qualifications to comment on this subject...let's actually get to the subject at hand. "...To Hymn, or Not To Hymn".

There seems to be a tension in evangelical, charismatic, and Pentecostal churches today (maybe even within some denominational congregations as well!) which centers around the genre of music and congregational praise & worship that is used in worship services by pastors and worship leaders. Some use contemporary praise choruses and songs almost exclusively, with the words of the songs being projected on a wall or screen for the congregation to follow along with as they sing. Others use a traditional or even contemporary hymnal, with hymnal racks in each pew or on the back of each chair. Still others combine both of these...contemporary praise and worship songs and traditional hymns, and vary with how they disseminate the words to the congregation (printed bulletins, some projection on screens and some use of hymnals, etc.). Invariably, very few people are completely satisfied by the style of worship that is used at their church! If specifically asked what they would change about the worship service, among the length of the service and the volume of the sound system, the most frequent "complaint" is that the congregation does not sing enough of (or too much of) one of the two styles of worship music expression. In fact, I am regularly asked by congregants, "Can we sing a traditional hymn or two the next time you lead worship?" It is obvious to me that this is an important issue and needs to be addressed!

Which style of worship expression is best? Contemporary? Traditional? Yeah, right...like if I gave you an answer to that you'd accept it anyway!!! Let's be real with each other, OK? Many of the traditional hymns of the church are extremely spiritual, exciting, intimate, scriptural, and are a comfort to those who grew up with them. Many more of them need to be relegated to the "circular file" because they are not scriptural at all and are utterly un-sing-able and would literally kill any atmosphere of worship that was present before that hymn was begun! Yet, the exact same thing could be said about some contemporary praise and worship choruses and songs. So, what criteria should we use?

Let's turn to the Bible and see what it says about the subject...

Ephesians 5:18-21
18 ...be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Colossians 3:16-17
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

OK...I don't think that anyone would argue with the fact that in these two passages, the "psalms" that Paul refers to are the "scripture songs" that are found not only in the book of "Psalms", but in other places in scripture as well. Psalms are scripture. They are the "songbook" of Israel in the Bible.

Perhaps one of the least understood concepts is what Paul refers to as "spiritual songs" in the above passages. These are utterances of worship, praise, and thanksgiving that are spontaneous, sung "in the spirit", which may be in a known or unknown tongue or language. They may be private (used in personal devotions) or public (used in corporate worship). These "spiritual songs" would be intensely personal, prompted by the Holy Spirit, not rehearsed or previously written, and would be completely appropriate to the personal or corporate worship setting and situational context of the participants.

Well, that's two of the three genres that Paul mentions. Now, what do you suppose he meant by a "hymn". Which specific "hymn" do you think he had in mind? "How Great Thou Art"? or, "Just As I Am"? How about, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"? The truth is, Paul meant none of these. In fact, there are no "hymns" on record that were written prior to the 17th century! How could Paul have known any of these, then? He couldn't have! So, what is he referring to when he says, "hymns"? Well, he's talking about SONGS used in worship, praise, and thanksgiving, songs which were CONTEMPORARY in his day! These songs were sung, maybe as a "spiritual song" at first, maybe by a songwriter or musician, and then written or learned and repeated in congregational worship. Think about this for a minute...what we consider to be an old "traditional hymn" today was, in fact, a contemporary praise or worship song in its own day! The ONLY thing that differentiates a contemporary praise/worship song of today from a traditional hymn of the past is the TIME PERIOD IN HISTORY in which it was written! To be sure, there are musical differences, tempo differences, subject differences, etc., etc., but in a hundred years perhaps what we consider "contemporary" today will then be considered to be "traditional" at that time!!

So, where do we come out in our quest for "...To Hymn, or Not To Hymn"? It's a matter of personal preference...that's ALL!!! If you grew up with "traditional hymns", then when you hear them or sing them again they will undoubtedly bring back memories for you. That's why you long to sing them again today! But I've met folks who were raised in the church from the time they were children who NEVER heard of hymns at all! Think of it...there are folks out there who have never heard "How Great Thou Art" or "Crown Him With Many Crowns"! Does this mean that they are missing something and are somehow "incomplete" in their worship repertoire? No more than for a contemporary worshiper accusing a traditional worshiper of the same for not knowing the praise song, "I'm Trading My Sorrows"!

I'm wondering why we can't include all of Paul's THREE worship, praise, and thanksgiving genres in all of our congregational worship experiences...not legalistically, but generally! To leave any ONE of them out of our worship of God would be our own loss! Let's not just focus on hymns or contemporary songs. I think the more important question should be, "what about the 'spiritual songs' that we NEVER use"? These are the true "entering in" songs of the heart by each worshiper, each worship leader, each congregation. These songs are like the personal note that you hand write inside of a Hallmark card (in addition to the pre-printed sentiment). Rather than bickering about not enough hymns or too many contemporary songs, I think we should sing more "spiritual songs"! Perhaps then we wouldn't care about the frequency of the other two so much!


September 2, 2009

Let's launch out into the deep in this note, shall we? Let's talk about some things that are very scriptural but also very misunderstood, disavowed, resisted, denied, and even forbidden in the Church. How 'bout "Worship and the Spirit of Prophecy"?

At this point, most denominational pastors and people are saying, "What's that?!". Others are saying, "Oh, no! Not that!" Yet others are thinking, "I've heard of it, but we don't do that here". And then some are saying, "Prophecy passed away long ago with all of the other spiritual gifts."

1 Chronicles 25:1, 3
1 David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals...
3 ...who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.

In these verses we see that it was not only acceptable, but intentionally commanded that among the worshipers were those who would prophesy as the harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals were being played. There is also the implication here that the music itself was prophetically inspired!

1 Samuel 10:5-6
5 After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them...

These verses speak of Saul just prior to his being anointed as king of Israel. It is unmistakable that worship, praise, and prophesy are intricately bound together. Not only are prophetic utterances a "natural" part of worship, but musicians themselves can function prophetically as well! By playing with sensitivity to the Spirit, a prophetic musician can "unlock" a worship service and inspire an entire congregation to connect intimately with the Lord. An anointed musical interlude, played spontaneously in the Spirit at the proper moment, can sometimes carry more impact that the spoken or sung word!

Worship has, for too long, been thought of only as what we, the worshipers, offer to God from our hearts. However, worship, like prayer, is an intimate conversation with God. It can't be all that intimate if only one of us is speaking, can it?!! Far too often this is the way the worship service goes:

Fast praise songs, then medium ballad songs, then mellow, intimate songs of worship, followed by the phrase, "You may now be seated", which indicates to all that the worship portion of the service is OVER now and it's time to move on with the PRE-PLANNED AGENDA! What ever happened to flowing in worship, lingering in worship, singing a new song to the Lord from each heart, from each person, allowing the Spirit to move amongst the congregation? It's MISSING from most worship services because we really don't care what God wants, we only care about making sure the service goes according to plan and ENDS on time! Wouldn't it be something if a pastor spent hours and hours preparing a message that, once Sunday morning came and the Holy Spirit really started to flow in intimate, spontaneous worship, he NEVER got to preach because the WORSHIP did not end but took up the ENTIRE TIME!!! How TRAGIC would that be?! Of course I'm being sarcastic here, not to injure anyone but to make a point. The real tragedy is that such a thing NEVER happens in our worship services. Prophecy is God speaking to His people. Prophecy can come from a spoken word in a known or unknown (then interpreted) tongue (thank God that some churches still allow this), but it can and WILL come through music and worship if we submit ourselves to the Spirit of God and allow Him to speak in the midst of our worship! Think of it...God gives us the authority to "allow" Him to speak! If we choose to NOT allow Him to speak, He won't speak. Then we're simply engaging in some nice religious songs. Then our worship isn't really worship at all, because worshiping in Spirit and in Truth acknowledges that God wants to and WILL speak to us as well. It's time that we gave God His due time to speak to us in, through, and during worship! Anything less is truly our loss.


August 31, 2009

In my last note I went through my "Top 10 Reasons to NOT Worship". I suppose from an instructive point of view this wasn't much help except to point out ways that God would NOT pleased with us. I purposely limited my comments to how NOT to worship so that as you read through them you might identify something about YOURSELF in them and be convicted in your own heart by the Holy Spirit. I did not write the "Top 10 Reasons to NOT Worship" so that ANYONE would use them in any accusatory way towards ANY OTHER PERSON! They are to serve as a corrective to the Body of Christ and it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin so that once convicted the sinner would be literally driven to God's mercy and grace in repentance, asking for and receiving full pardon because of the blood of Jesus! I've said this before, and it bears repeating..."if the shoe fits, wear it".

As I also mentioned in my last note, there really is only ONE reason TO worship. Let me explain...

Isaiah 29:13
...these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their worship of Me is taught by the commandment of men...

God tells us from His Word that our worship of Him MUST come from our hearts, and in order for that to happen our heart MUST be near to His heart. But let's find out from His Word what else must flow from our hearts in order to please God...

Deuteronomy 6:5-6
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

Here we read that we must LOVE God with ALL our heart, with ALL of our being, NOT just part of it. But how is it possible to love God? Can love really be commanded? Does God really mean, "You'll love me or else!! Love me or I'll destroy you!" Of course not! No more than you can command a wife, or a husband, or a mother, or a father, or your children, or anybody else to love you. So then, how is it that we come to love from our heart? Once again, let's allow God's word to interpret itself...

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

and...

1 John 3:1
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

and, once again...

Romans 5:5
5 ...the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

and, yet, just one more verse...

1 John 4:16-19
16 God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Here is my conclusion, then. Worship is not worked up. Worship is not orchestrated. Worship is not even planned. Worship IS the very Love that IS GOD HIMSELF as He dwells in us. If you do not have the Love of God in you, you are not His, and you CANNOT worship Him. The Love of God, the Spirit of God, the Person of God, all of these living IN you is what makes it even possible to worship God. The Love of God and worship are inseparable. You simply can't have one without the other. Worship FOLLOWS God's Love and is prompted by God's Love in you. Worship becomes your expression of love back to the God Who loved you FIRST! And it is His Spirit in you that even enables you to comprehend this, so it is really His OWN Spirit that is motivating and enabling you to worship HIM.

God IS Love, and He has shed His Love (ALL of His own Self!) abroad in our HEART!!! The Greek word that is used for our English equivalent of "shed" is more like "gushed out, overflowed, poured out to over-filling, burst forth", etc. God's Love first convicts, because that is all it can do in the life of a sinner or non-believer. The conviction of sin, and the remedy of the blood of Jesus, when fully realized (can it EVER be FULLY realized, though?), makes a person realize the length and depth that God was willing to go to in order to save, heal, deliver, and empower him/her. It is ONLY then, AFTER a revelation (something that the human mind is incapable of grasping) of the Love of God in our heart, does that SAME heart want to do nothing less than fall down before the ONE who loved him/her first. When the Love of God is revealed, I don't care what the situation may be at the time, worship in Spirit and Truth WILL follow. Those who won't allow God to reveal the fullness of His love for them in their hearts will usually be very critical of those who do allow it. You'll usually hear statements like this, "it doesn't take all that to worship God", or "I can worship God in my own way, I don't have to be like that", or, "we just don't worship like that here!" Such statements are self-revealing...those who actually make them might as well confess that they simply do NOT have the Love of God in them and they would rather NOT worship God as He desires to be worshiped. I am not saying that any one method is better than any other here. I AM saying, though, that if a person truly knew the Love of God, then the issue of HOW to worship would be a NON-issue. It would be simple...just follow your heart...no matter what others think, no matter what others say, no matter what religion or denomination or leadership says.

So, in closing, what is the ONE reason why we DO worship? Because God has gushed out, burst forth, and overflowed His Love in our hearts, and that overflow can't be contained, won't be contained. We express back to God in the best, most sincere, most uninhibited ways that we can, "I love you, Lord". This is magnified exponentially when an entire family truly worships, even MORESO when an entire congregation worships...and yet God desires more..."Thy will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN"...

And, here's how it's done in heaven (the way God wants it done on earth, even NOW!)...

Revelation 4:8-11
8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

and...

Revelation 5:11-14
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

How about you? Do you have a revelation of the Love of God, of how much He loves YOU? Only then can you love Him in return...only then can you be a true worshiper. Are you a true worshiper?


August 29, 2009

Top 10 Reasons Why NOT to Worship

a) ...because you "have to". That's legalism, religion, and it's putrid in the nostrils of God. It's not genuine, it's not from your heart, and God doesn't accept it at all. Save your breath, your time can better be used watching a soap opera.

b)...because you'd feel guilty if you didn't worship. That's a lie of the enemy who seeks to get you into condemnation. Again, it's not genuine worship and God doesn't receive it at all. It may soothe your guilty conscience for a while, but all you've done is play the enemy's game, one which is impossible for you to win.

c) ...becaiuse it's Sunday morning and that's what you do on Sunday morning. Stay home and sleep, it will be time better spent. God hates your religion.

d) ...because everybody else is doing it. God is not interested in everybody else (well, He really is, but not as far as YOUR worship is concerned). Conformity is phony. It seeks recognition. Again, it's not genuine, and it's certainly not from your heart. Even if everybody else is sincere in their worship, God will not accept your worship because the intent of your heart is not right before Him.

e) ...becauseyou're in a position of visibility and responsibility in the church, and you need to be a good example for others. Well, you're on the right track, but sorry, no cigar on this one either. Worshiping to prove to others how holy you are or to falsely show them how it's "supposed to be done" when your heart is not in it is, once again, dung to the Lord.

f) ...because the worship team is playing...I feel compelled to sing to support them and let them know they're doing a good job and encourage them. Again, a good humanistic motive, but you missed God's bulls eye by a mile. Trying to encourage others when your heart is far from God is worshiping in the flesh, not in the spirit. More dung.

g) ...because I really like the song that's being played. Hypocrite! Can you worship when it's a song you don't particularly like or even know?

h)...because I'm a worship leader or team member...it's expected of me. Quit. Resign. When your heart is right and duty takes a back seat to intimacy, maybe you'll be qualified to lead again.

i) ...because God wants me to. Again, close but no cigar. God doesn't want your worship, He wants YOU. When He has YOU, He'll have your worship.

j) ...because I can sing or play well. Damnable pride...gets you every time. The scriptures say "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." God would rather have 5 people who have terrible voices worshiping from their heart than 100 people who have professional voices singing only because of the quality of their voice.

That's all for now. This list could go on for many, many more ways to NOT worship God. There really is only one acceptable way to worship God, even though that true worship may take many forms...we'll talk about that next time. If any of the above described you, here's your homework...REPENT, PRAY, HUMBLE YOURSELF, ASK GOD TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU AND SHED HIS LOVE ABROAD IN YOUR HEART. If you do that, you probably won't even need to wait until my next installment on the positive side of "How to..." of worship.


August 27, 2009

Awesome worship last night at Living Waters Christian Center in Mystic Islands, NJ

Lauretta and I spent a wonderful afternoon and had a fabulous dinner with Pastor Steve and Linda Mears in New Gretna, NJ. We then experienced the most intimate, sensitive, and Spirit-led worship that we have in years with their congregation, Living Water Christian Center. No clock, no agenda. Worship, prayer, ministry, and the Word, all as the Holy Spirit spontaneously willed. I'm confident that God's heart was touched, and consequently, everyone was touched by God. Awesome!


August 27, 2009

I came to a new understanding of worship last evening. I always knew this, but it went from my head to my heart of understanding, making a rhema word for me that I'll never forget. I am convicted because last week I wrote to our worship administrator about 4 new songs that were planned for our Sunday morning worship set, which I had myself convinced that it simply wouldn't be conducive to an atmosphere of intimate, relational worship since the congregation would not know the songs. I thought it would be more of a performance than a congregational participation event. I was wrong about that. Sunday came, and the worship was powerful, yet intimate. People entered into the presence of God, even through the new songs. But last night God brought me to even a new place, a higher place with Him, and a more in-depth understanding of how He desires the Church to worship Him corporately. Lauretta and I worshiped with the congregation pastored by our dear friend, Pastor Steve Mears, Living Waters Christian Center in Mystic Islands, NJ (south Jersey shore). His wife, Liinda, was the only worship leader and team member (keyboard, vocals), along with two harmony singers, and there were only 25 people in attendance. We worshiped for well over an hour with absolutely no regard for time, the clock, service agendas, etc. And every song we sung was unfamiliar to me, new to me...I did not previously know even one of them. Yet, as I humbled myself, as I "went with the flow" and entered into worship, the presence of God permeated my entire being as I raised my hands, my heart, and my voice, at times kneeling, at other times laying prostrate at the altar. Tears of intimacy flowed unhindered, God accepted my worship by filling me with His love and His presence. And I was not alone. The altar area was crowded with others who were experiencing the same marvelous presence of the Lord. While we were all worshiping together there were also periods of quiet time, where no song was played or sung. These times were amazing, as the sound of people weeping in His presence, laughing quietly in joy, spontaneously worshiping in tongues, and other expressions of worship could be faintly heard throughout the room. Pastor Steve was quietly ministering to people during this time, which was totally Holy Spirit led. People were healed during the worship time! This didn't have to wait for the "scheduled" altar prayer ministry time at the end of the service! No one in the room had any consciousness of time as it seemed that we were "caught up" into the very throne room of God. No one wanted to leave that place. The Holy Spirit worshiped in and through us as one body.

So, what did I learn? ...something I knew already but had forgotten over the past few years... I "re-learned" (remembered) that God is not as much in the "order of service" as He is in the desire of our hearts. The actual songs used in a worship "set" are like springboards, starters. Then the songs themselves become largely unimportant as they lead to the true song of our hearts being sung to the Lord. I realized my need and my desire for more of such times of intimate corporate worship. I once again am desperate for worship services that flow in the Spirit for hours. I realize that I am so dissatisfied with the concept of a "worship set" of songs, with a scripted service, and with the legalistic imposition of the confines of linear time (the clock!). I realized that I haven't really, really worshiped in the Spirit in a very, very long time, even though I thought I had. I was conditioned to worship "in the box", and I became used to it, and it was good at times. But last night...well, I loved it. I want more of it. I have to have more of it. I am simply ruined now for "regular church services", which we so erroneously call "worship services", where worship is relegated to the first 20 minutes and is seen only a a prelude (warm-up) to the message. I am jealous for God, I just can't get enough of Him, and I never want to presume to tell Him how a "worship service" should go ever again.


August 25, 2009

My thoughts on worship for today are more practical than devotional or theological, and I have no one particular church in mind as I write these thoughts. This is meant for the body of Christ in a general, and... "if the shoe fits, please wear it!"

Pastors, elders, deacons, and all other leaders of any influence with people...YOU need to be the example for the rest of the congregation to follow in worship. I know my previous notes spoke to each individual's responsibility for their own worship attitude and expression, but the fact remains, sheep need to be led. It really bothers me (and God?) when all worship leadership is left to the one worship leader (and worship team) on the platform while all the other pastors and lay leaders are running around taking care of administrative tasks (or other things) and are absent from the worship experience. The modern Church is totally mistaken when its pastors and leaders make the determination that worship is simply the PRELUDE to the important "stuff" which follows (sermon, prayers, etc.). To the contrary, worship is the PRIMARY reason for gathering corporately as the body of Christ. I think it is totally contrary to the Spirit of God for pastors to be totally absent from the worship set and then strut onto the platform for the "highlight" of the service (THEIR sermon!). It is simply not right for elders, deacons, intercessors, and other leaders to do the same thing. Personally, I won't ever ask for prayer, counseling, or ministry from any leader who is not an intimate worshiper. There is no task in administering the church that is more important than corporate worship. No sign ups, no ushering detail, no prayer request, no sound problem...nothing!...(there are others who could handle these details)...worship comes first, and EVERY pastor and every congregational leader need to be the VISIBLE, leading examples in worship for the rest of the congregation, even if you can't sing and don't feel that demonstrative...you need to be there leading in worship by example. The sheep WILL follow, and the Spirit of God will be pleased and then bless the elements of the service that follow worship! I have even forsaken all other elements of the service (sermon included!!!) when the Spirit of God was powerfully and intimately moving in worship...it was so good that I simply said, "No sermon today, it would be a SIN to quench this spirit of worship to keep our own agenda and "order of service"..we're going to spend the entire service today simply worshiping!" If the Spirit of God was moving like that in YOUR church service, would you have the humility and the obedience to follow the Spirit like that? I'm not boasting in myself, but in what the Lord can do through us as we humble ourselves and follow Him in obedience.

This is not meant to criticize or judge, as, like I said, I have no one church in mind as I write this, but, as you read this, if God uses this as a means of conviction for you, don't fight it, go with it. I pray the grace, mercy, peace, and shekinah glory of the Lord fill all of the worship services of every congregation, worship leader, and pastor (and other leaders). "If the shoe fits, wear it!"


August 23, 2009

Isaiah 1:10-15
10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah:
11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.
12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear.

At first glance, it sounds like the Lord is REALLY angry at the rulers and people of Sodom and Gomorrah. And we think, "Well, they are wicked people, so they deserve the Lord's wrath." But at closer examination, we see the Lord is actually speaking to HIS OWN PEOPLE...the children of Israel! He's calling them names! He's likening them to the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah! But what have they done to deserve this? Look at all of the things they are doing. Are they not the very things the Lord has commanded them to do? Are they not doing them? They ARE doing them! They are doing EVERY ONE of them! RELIGIOUSLY! And that's the PROBLEM! It's not WHAT they are doing but the state of their HEART in HOW they are doing what God commands. They have become so GOOD at sacrificing (offerings), burning incense (praying), keeping new moons (Holy Communion?), sabbaths (going to church), the calling of assemblies (congregational meetings), the sacred meeting (church worship services), feasts (church holidays and special services), etc., etc., but their HEARTS are far from Him. All of these are a TROUBLE to God, and He is WEARY of them! He says that even in the midst of doing all of these commanded things, when His people "spread out their hands" (pray, intercede, petition, worship, etc.) that He will HIDE HIS EYES from them and will NOT hear ANY of their prayers. They will be like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to Him.

What is worship to you? Do you worship from your HEART? Or, is it a religious exercise for you? Do you notice (and are bothered by) every little thing around you (too loud, too soft, people coughing, babies crying, people dancing, too hot, too cold, etc., etc.), or are you completely focused on the Lord who you are worshiping? Do you get LOST in worship, or are you always "safe", able to "find your own way" and not get lost in the Spirit? Are you so good at worship (or, what you call worship but really is just singing) that God is saying to you that He is weary of what you are doing?

Church, it's time that we let the Spirit of the living God out of the box we've kept Him in for so long. It's time that we let go of what we want and offer to the Lord what He wants. It's time that we stop focusing on the songs we like and begin entering in no matter what the songs are. It's time that worship becomes an intimate experience with the presence of the Lord instead of the routine spectator sport it has been for ages now. It's time that we empty the pews into the aisles, into the altar areas...it's time we danced, twirled, laughed, cried, kneel, lay prostrate...not that these are what make worship genuine, but when we follow our HEART in worship all of these WILL occur because God will move us out of our comfort zone and into HIS! Worship will be genuine, unbridled, uncontrolled by the spirit of religion, and instead of being wearied by it God will delight in US.


August 21, 2009

Worship is not hard thing to do, although sometimes it seems that it is such a difficult "place" to find. In fact, worship is not something we do or find at all. Worship is more of a verb of "being" rather than "doing". When a fish swims, when a bee gathers nectar from a flower, when a mountain is snow-capped and looks majestic, when the waves unceasingly roll in on the shore, all of these are worshiping, because that is what they were created to do. All things were created and called to their own purposes by God. When something or someone flows, lives, exists, effortlessly in that calling, that is worship, an expression of fulfilled purpose, an affirmation expressed back to the Creator of all things. When a husband provides for his household and loves his wife as himself, that is worship. When a wife loves her husband and cares for her children, that is worship. When children play, that is worship. And God says, "It is very good." God is visible in all of the attributes of His created nature, and His creation is ever crying out to get back to its original purpose (most of which was lost in the fall of Adam and the entrance of sin into the world), that of giving glory to the Creator by simply BEING that which it was created to be. Disharmony and chaos indicate an interruption in the flow of purposefulness, pursuing or allowing that which is not a part of God's purpose. That is why it is so very difficult to come to church and START to worship. Worship does not START in church. Yes, it should CONTINUE there, but it should start and be maintained in the very purpose and passion of our very lives themselves. We were created by a loving God who desired nothing more than to enjoy a holy fellowship with us. Herein is true worship...recognizing God not only for who He is, but recognizing who we are in relationship with Him and each other and living in the flow of purposefulness in which He created us, both individually and corporately. Worship is a flow of BEING. Worship is not a song...it's not a prayer...it's not a posture. It encompasses all of these but is much, much more...it is EVERYTHING about our relationship to and fellowship with our Creator, our Father, our God. If you wait to go to church each week to worship, you missed it by a mile. If you think worship in church was good, just see what it can be when you have worshiped all week long!
 
 
August 19, 2009

When it seems that worship isn't "flowing" the way it should, don't be so quick to judge the worship leader, the team, or the songs. There is a spiritual principal and truth that every Christian needs to be living lives of worship to the Lord in everything we do and at all times. It could very well be that the cares and distractions of this world, those which take our mind and heart off of worshiping Jesus, are the culprits in our false judgment of the quality or effectiveness of worship at a service. Rather than coming to church TO BEGIN to worship, worship all week long as a lifestyle. Then, coming to church will not be a "start" and "stop" form of worship but simply a continuation, in a corporate setting, of the worship that has been flowing all week long out of your heart. Nothing will be able to interrupt or corrupt that heart of worship! Come to church "worshiped up" rather than looking to the worship leader and team to get you kick started in worship. It'll make all the difference in the world to you!


August 18, 2009

True worship (in Spirit and in Truth) will undoubtedly invoke the criticism of the spiritually barren. But real worshipers are willing to pay the price and worship anyway! A choice is set before us: we can choose to please man, or we can decide to please God. It rarely seems possible to do both.