Fighting stale worship; A succinct plea to pursue holiness.

Arguments and ideas are constantly being put forward to ensure that within our churches and home groups we make worship more easily engageable and relevant to our audience. This is a good thing but is it the better part?? My belief is that we need not address these concerns primarily but to ask this question, “What is worship and how am I worshiping?”

It seems to me that worship should always be God centered. No one with any lick of spiritual sense would argue against this. But to answer the question of what is worship we have to factor in ourselves, for worship is an interplay between ourselves, corporate and individual alike, and the Most High God. Of course we are addressing God in our worship, it is our sole purpose for showing up to a worship setting. But also, we must be aware of ourselves, our hearts and our minds. Worship, true worship, is about God and what we bring to Him to show our affection. I’ll state this very simply. When worship gets stale it is because we have ceased to bring God anything of value.

In order to go forward in our lifestyle as worshipers we must be ever increasing the fervor and adoration we bring before the Holy One. Which means we must increase in our giving to Him whatever He wants and considers good and acceptable and we must decrease in trying to bring whatever is not acceptable and pleasing to Him. My argument is that if worship is boring and tired we do not need to pump up the sound, find a cool band, or change every and all settings around us in order to more fully engage our other senses. I fear that charismatic circles and seeker sensitive churches are missing the point when we try to redefine worship to be relevant and engageable. Instead we should be redefining ourselves according to biblical morality and our pursuit of wholehearted obedience. There is nothing more engageable to our natural and spiritual faculties than a tender and sensitive heart before Yahweh, our creator God.

We must pursue holiness if we want to feel the Lord’s presence in the place of worship for holiness is the place where His glory dwells. Like the Psalmist sings, we must “Worship Him in the beauty of Holiness.” We cannot expect to come into church and be wowed by God if it is all up to Him to show up and manifest His presence. The water level of His spirit will go up if we as a people are ever pulling away from the world and it’s spirit. We cannot come before Him expecting anything unless we have rightly prepared ourselves to receive of Him because He cannot give us anything other than what is His nature; things like holiness, goodness, love, patience, hope etc etc. The question is really whether or not we actually want these things or if we want to just hang out and have cool lights and candles and coffee and talk about stuff that doesn’t even pertain to aspects of God and call that our spiritual worship to appease our consciences.

If this sounds harsh I do not apologize. When it comes to our faith and the crucible of the formation of Christ within us it is imperitive to cut out any cancers of worldly ideology and get back to the ancient paths that the holy fathers of the faith walked in. Moses never had to redo his worship setting in order for tangible glory to rest on the tabernacle, he merely did what was prescribed by God and asked the people to not sin. Same with Solomon, David, and the like. God made the place of worship by heavenly design and then asked us to walk in humility with the promise that if we do, He will come. The error is when we stop conforming to His word and start reasoning our culture and fads into the place designated as holy. In order to fight stale worship we need to resolve to change our hearts, all else is faulty shifting of religious ideas, one after another with no power to save, heal, deliver, or sustain. Again I will say it simply; if our worship is boring it is because we have stopped wholehearted pursuit and settled into compromise, and it is compromise,  no matter what hipster fad you tag on it.

Being prepared for the end…

It’s not enough to have correct doctrine or theology to be able to stand in the onslaught of terror that is about to hit the earth. Correct doctrine is in rare form these days concerning the latter times but true revelation is right around the corner for those who have ears to hear, and the signposts couldn’t be clearer. Still, even if we had all correct understanding and factual data, and were in the camp of biblical truth, that is not a guarantee of being able to stand, unmoved in the face of disaster. Soldiers who train for years in their respective branches with focused expertise and practice, still have to respond in real time on D-day when their buddies fall limp from 50 caliber machine gun fire mowing down any and all in its radius.

It’s not only an issue of doctrinal clarity, it’s an issue of heart reality. It’s about having the mind of Christ and character that is worthy of His shed blood. The Father took Jesus through character training for 30 years, boot camp so to speak, for three years of front line ministry and only one week of tactical offensive assault. If the son of God was hidden for 30 years in order to have correct character development (just think about the passage in Hebrews: He learned obedience by the things He suffered, and I doubt this learning took place only at the cross) then how many years of training should we be prepared to endure in order to stand?? I realize this may sound funny or “off” to some but realistically, if we get mad at someone cutting us off in traffic to the point of sinning toward that person, what makes us think we will be unflinching when persecution hits hard? If you don’t think it’s coming then stop reading but if you do, start praying.

It is logically impossible to call Jesus merely a moral person.

I have been reading a lot of C.S. Lewis lately. Mostly his philosophical musings that led him to the logical conclusion that he did believe in Jesus as Messiah, thereby renouncing his previous position of an athiest. He makes some good points about the illogical argument that Jesus could ever be a mere moral teacher, which is the view that a lot of smart unbelieving people hold concerning Christ’s claims.  He did indeed have a claim on more than morality, and it is irrefutable for any logical mind, when it reads Christ words at face value, to call him merely a great moral teacher. For those of you who are somewhat familiar with what I’m saying you will recognize Lewis’ term for this argument as “Lord or lunatic.”

Here is one angle for the “Lord or lunatic” argument. Jesus did indeed claim himself to be Lord and Master utterly and fully, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He declared that it was impossible for anyone to lay claim to God or heaven apart from His person. He declared that He was the way, truth, and life, fully and completely. Lewis asserts that any designation to Jesus as a mere moral figure, while denying His godhead, must be refuted because Jesus himself claimed His existence born of God the Father. If Jesus was lying He would be automatically disqualified from moral figure status. How could one lie about his identitiy and still be a moral pillar?? To those who stand on a postion of “situational ethics”  you can try to argue around this wrench in your wheel but when you consider the context of Jesus claim to Lord, Judaism in the 1st century, you cannot expect that any thoughtful person would have bought into any “situational ethic” argument. At the time, for Jews, it was the law or paganism, the lines were not  blurry. So “thou shalt not lie” was a law that if Jesus broke by falsely claiming Lordship it would have automatically exempted Him from morality, according to the law.

Either Jesus was a liar, thereby disqualifying Himself from moral teacher status, or a lunatic that seriously viewed himself as a Messiah when he was just another man of ambition. However, to this second argument that He could be a lunatic, not knowing what or who He was, save possibly knowing He had ill founded thoughts of granduer, we must postulate that Jesus was actually a brilliant man, knowing full well who He was as is shown in the N.T. time and again when  He stunned the rabbis and moral teachers of the day with His clarity on the law and the prophets, the backbone of Judeo thought and government.

So, either Jesus was a liar and an immoral man, or a lunatic who was deluded in His thoughts of Messiahship.  To the lunatic idea we must say that it is not even fathomable considering His words and commentary on the law and the prophets with which He constantly stunned the authorities by His authority and clarity on the subject.

Or He is actually who He says He is, both Lord and Christ. To me, Lewis’ ideas leave little room for the  “liar but still moral” position and even less room for the “lunatic” idea.

There are many other angles that many liberals will come at this argument with but Lewis did a good job in cutting off these two avenues of assault on the topic. Lewis’ argument is sound and I thought I would share it with you to chew on. For more on the subject just grab an athiest and begin a dialougue.

Tower of Babel…Again

In the March/April edition of Science Illustrated there is an article entitled “Building Toward the Clouds.” It’s an article about some of the tallest buildings in the world; how we engineer them and what materials we use to build them. It’s quite interesting and I’ll hit the main points but if you have a minute, stop at a news stand and read it if you’re so inclined.

The reason I am writing on it is because I am seeing so many signs of the times we are living in and it seems like everywhere I turn, even in secular media and articles, that God is warning us and showing forth the wisdom of His word through the many prophetic passages in scripture that compel us to take heed and to be watchful of the time and the hour.

The main thing that got my wheels turning on this whole thing was not so much that men are designing and planning these giant structures. Indeed that is nothing new for we have been raising buildings of enormity for years, ever since the industrial revolution began in the 1760’s and competing for the title “world’s largest” ever since. No, the thing that stirred me and wrenched my insides while reading was the sheer speed at which these high rises are going up and the lengths to which men are going to design buildings that never stop piercing higher and higher into the clouds.

According to the figures, the current tallest building in the world is the the Burj Dubai in United Arab Emirates which opened in January this year and tops out at 2,297+ feet. The title of world’s tallest before the Burj Dubai was the Taipei 101 in Taiwan which reached 1,670 feet tall in 2004. In the space of a little over four years we had raised the two tallest buildings in the world. But that’s not even the whole and sum. Plans for two more “world’s tallest” are already in motion. One of which will dwarf the Burj Dubai. The Mubarak Tower, planned to open 2023, is estimated to reach 3,284 feet in the heart of Kuwait City. That’s almost double the height of the Burj. Want more staggering stats?? Try this. The plans for the Nakheel Tower, again to open in Dubai with an as of yet unset opening date, is to reach 4,593 feet tall. That’s close to a mile high, for a man made structure!

Now most may read and marvel but I seriously wanted to vomit while reading. It’s not so much that I am against Science or Industry or any of those things. On the contrary I am grateful for the advancements the Lord has graciously granted to and through the minds of men and women in their respective fields. But one passage of scripture was weighing on me that caused me to be wary of what I was reading and perceiving in my heart.

“And they said, Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. ” Genesis 11:4

This is what moved me to write this post. All of mankind is moving in this same spirit as we reach the climax of this age. Building castles for ourselves with no regard for anything other than comfort. Paraphrased they are saying what those builders in Gen. 11 said; “Hey let’s build comfort around our sin and make ourselves look like gods. We have the wisdom, the strength, the “how to”, nothing can stop us. We can build like God, we can build higher, stronger, faster.” And what terrifies me is that, in Genesis 11, the Lord went down to Babel and destroyed it by dispersing these wicked people to the four corners of the earth. Why? To delay the fullness of transgressions (Daniel 8:23) before the allotted time. Which begs the question, “Why aren’t these cities and buildings being destroyed before completion like Babel was?” Whether or not you believe that God is a righteous judge who would do such a thing is for another post altogether. But if He did it then, why does He not do it now? I don’t have a clear answer, just another question. Could it be because we are at that time when the fullness of transgressions may be upon us and that the Lord is allowing it to play out so that the light becomes bright and the darkness becomes pitch black?? What I see is a dividing line being drawn and while the wicked say in their hearts that there is no God, He neither sees or hears or cares, those who have a heart to understand will wrestle with the clear prophetic voice of scripture that points so clearly to the inevitable end of the wicked and struggle to communicate the warning signs that pop up, day in and day out, in articles, the news, and whatever else we may see all around us.

I often wonder what John the Baptist would say if he walked the streets of L.A. or New York. Would he be able to say anything or just weep at the many faceted injustices and blatant wickedness? What would Ezekiel do if he walked through our churches? I don’t even want to think about that one. Do you see my point. Is everything ok as we imagine it to be? Watch therefore, be ready.

The bush is still burning…

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.” Exodus 3:2-3

I feel the Lord saying, “Who will turn aside from their path and look at what I am doing? Who will take time to turn aside to look? Who among you will ask why?”

Moses became the deliverer of a nation and a hero of the faith not so much because he did miracles, confronted kings, and walked in power and authority. He did do all these things and more but this was all secondary and only after this one moment in his life where he saw something he didn’t understand and stopped what he was doing to seek and ask “Why”?

Take time to turn aside from what your doing today and ask questions. For in the asking of questions we begin a dialogue with God that very well may lead us to do great exploits in Him that causes deliverance for an entire people group and re-writes history forever.

My God, what are you doing today?

Prophecy is friendship unto understanding…

I am convinced. There is little prophetic voice in the church because few are those who are true friends of the bridegroom that actually stand and hear His voice (see John 3:29). There is nothing abnormal about a spouse knowing what their partner will say next simply because they have spent so much time learning how the other thinks. Why then is such a large portion of the church thrown off when a prophetic voice rises up to say what the Lord is going to say, if indeed that voice has stood in His council and learned the thoughts and intentions of His heart (see Jer. 23:17-22). The only true church that will exist in the end of days is the church that moves in unity and agreement with his heart. The only true church must, of necessity, be a prophetic church or it will only be humanitarian aid that will pass as quickly as it came. We were never called as believers to be only helpers in a needy world, we were called to be burning and shining lamps that exemplify and radiate the knowledge and beauty of God.