Encouraging or Preventing Worship of God

With my new responsibilities of overseeing the worship along with the youth at Gracepointe I was thinking of my own role in God's worship and directing the people. I want to point the people to God and not be a distraction. With last's week's blog and the poor signage pointing the wrong way I thought this one would be a nice compliment to it. It reminded me of some thoughts I had from John's gospel last year.

Last Year I was hosting a Bible study at my house and we were going through the Gospel of John. John chapter 2 has the famous story of Jesus clearing the temple. We usually focus on the problem that was the traders and money changers making huge profits in the house of the Lord. Jesus gets upset rightfully so and says "That they are turning his father's house into a market or a house of robbers!" So we in turn nod in agreement and say you greedy jerks.

But going through this book again I was stuck at how another reason that Jesus had such zeal for his Father's house. His Father's house was about meeting with the people, but in this situation was that zeal also about the prevention of Gentile worship?

The only area that the nations had to approach God at this point in history was in the court of Gentiles. What the Jews were effectively doing was preventing Gentiles from approaching God in any meaningful way. Imagine trying to worship in a church with men walking up and down the aisles yelling "Peanuts? Popcorn?!" This would be disturbing to say the least. This would have been a complete misunderstanding of their mission to the world. Israel was always supposed to be about presenting God to the world, instead they withdrew and made it about themselves and stunted evangelism.

Hmm...This made me think about where we are as a church. Do we actively promote non-Christian participation? Is this the same thing? This was about gentiles wanting to worship God. Do non-Christians want to worship God? Should the church have a non-believers section? Is the function of the church to cater to the desires of the people? We could go this direction but the seeker sensitives have already tried this. It really amounts to watering down the Gospel to reduce all the uncomfortable squirming in the seats.

In fact I have been involved in these kinds of discussions many times. I think it is a good question to ask, but I think it is misdirected to ask this of Sunday morning worship rather than of the  people themselves. You can never water down the message or else the question "Will somebody want to come hear?" has answered it self. You want to change the look of the building? Go right ahead, that doesn't really matter so much.

Later in John 4 Jesus told the woman at the well that with his advent the place of worship was no longer the issue. It was now about how they worshiped. Why? Because the place of worship at the temple was replaced in his own body and thus the place of worship is replicated in our own bodies. We are the temples now (1 Peter 2:5). So do we invite non-Christians to worship of the true God or do we repel it? Do our lives promote interest in God? Do our lives point to his?

A much better question.

The way the church has a court of the gentiles is in outreach. The Gospel. This means just as the gentiles had to enter through the gates of the temple and come to the house of the Lord on his terms. They now have roaming temples that approach them, but they still have to enter by the Lord's terms, his Son.

So the question is as a roaming temple does my witness present the Gospel or prevent it? Now let's not confuse this question with their response to it. A lot of people have been doing this lately. If someone is offended that Jesus is the only way out of their slavery to sin, then that is not the temple's fault. See the challenge should be at the moment of this question "Who do you say that Jesus is?" When we try to put other things before this question we are in danger of getting them offended/interested because of the wrong message. We make it about the temple grounds rather than who the temple is supposed to be pointing them to.

This was the money changers problem. In their effort to make people use the right currency and the right offering they sidelined the actual worship of God. This is not to say that using the right currency and the right offering wasn't important. It actually was important. But where they were doing it, and how they were doing it took focus away from the people meeting with God.

This is why it is dangerous for us to try and come up with new ways to present the Gospel or ways to soften the blow of the message or to try and avoid unnecessary offense in presenting it. It has to be raw because it will always be a rock of offense, a stumbling block, or the first building block in their own temples. This is what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:6-10.

When we tell people that Jesus loves them unconditionally before they come to terms with the Gospel, apart from the Gospel, well the Gospel itself seems a bit unnecessary. If Jesus already loves me why do I need to repent and believe? If Jesus is all about loving me then why do we need all that theology and those doctrines? This can get confusing to say the least. We don't want to cause confusions and cause them to ask "Am I unconditionally loved? Then what is all this denying myself temptation and self-control about?"

See, if we mess up the message we accidentally present universalism and then we wonder why people get offended when they actually come into church. And they hear some of that theology. This is how people get upset with institutions. This is why they say they like spirituality but they dislike the church or religion. They like all the he loves me talk but they don't like all the what loving him looks like talk.

That is not to say "let's have the gospel without this love business" no, not saying that, but love has to be properly couched in the gospel to the get the message right.

We should say "You are loved by God and that looks like him giving his Son for your sins to break down the wall, the chasm, between you both." We have to enter into his love through his Son. This is the point of John 3:16, "Yes he loves you, but it looks like something, it looks like this." If we do not present it this way we let the world bring their own definitions of what love means into their belief and that can get sticky.

Just like gentiles couldn't bring their own currency into the temple, or use a blemished lamb as a sacrifice.

Was there any way for Morpheus to have softened the blow for Neo when he explained to him what the Matrix was?  No, Neo had to see it for himself so he could come to understand his place in it. Once you understand what the Matrix is there is no going back, that is why they had to choose the red or blue pill first.

Someone is either going to continue their journey towards God or continue their journey away from him. These are the only two options, so we need to make sure our presentation of the Gospel is not unnecessarily sending people on their way away from him. Or worse yet, letting people think they are travelling with God when they haven't been born again.

This does not mean that it is all dependent on us. God draws those who he will. All we can ever do is water and plant because it is God who gives growth. But as we saw with the money changers in the temple, God still has something to say to way we treat his worship and direct the worshipers.

Hopefully we encourage the worship of God and not prevent it. I want to encourage God's worship in all aspects of my ministry, with both the youth and with the actual worship service, so help me God.

thanks

A contextual Sigh-nn

After travelling across the country (thank God we have arrived!) and seeing sign after sign directing me where to turn, where to merge, where to exit, and even what speed to drive, I was reminded of this little episode that played out in my life last year.

Signs are supposed to instruct, to help, to inform, to guide. Signs are a good thing, but...

While I was driving to work one day I saw man on the way, he was standing out on the corner of a fairly major intersection. He was holding a sign. It was one of those signs that teaches biblical truth. At least I assumed that was the sentiment.

It was one of those signs that had two truths, one on the front and one on the back, both from first John. The first side I saw said "a child of God does not go on sinning" at first I was like, OK, an apt truth. But then he spun the sign to reveal the other side. It said "anyone who sins is of the devil".

The first by itself may have been an exhortation to brothers to step-up their faith, to stir up the good works inside of them, to continue on the narrow path, to even check to see whether or not we are in the faith as the apostles remind us. A little bit of exhortation from a fellow believer? I like that, however, that wasn't the truth at all, when the two messages are coupled together it rang like a scathing contrast: Christian are good and everyone everyone else is bad. With the messages together it was no longer an encouragement, it was people retreating to their respective camps with knives out. It was us versus them and clearly we have the upper hand. We have the leg up and not only that but you are horrible people. It was not an invitation to life change or a welcoming to the gospel.

Signs that condemn do nothing but anger and create walls, or make us swerve off the road.

Now these verses in this vacuum of context are not true. They are half truths. It does not contain the next crucial verses, it doesn't contain the context in which it says, but when we sin God is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness.  Without these thoughts, this message is pretty hopeless.  The Bible can say a lot of things when we print individual verses on signs, boards, and cards. The Bible can be made to say many things it is not intending when it is not allowed to speak for itself.

So this sign did not speak truth. Christians do not sin. So wait, what if at some point I did and sometimes do, am i now not one? Oh dear...

He who sins are sons of the devil? So what there is no hope for me, then why say anything? What is that supposed to do except make me angry? Oh dear...

No! The Bible in untrained hands or presented thoughtlessly as this only kills. As Paul says the letter kills but the spirit brings life. The Spirit illuminates the scriptures, but his job is made difficult if we only choose bits and pieces and ignore the rest. People, do not talk about sin without a remedy! Do not talk the judgement without the invitation to repentance and the welcoming arms of God!

Our sin does separate but this is not the complete story. He loves us so he sent his Son to die! This is like when the news quotes presidential candidates out of context to undermine their platform but much much worse. 

If we aren't communicating hope then we don't understand the gospel. We have to understand the hope is in the message not the hearing. If people don't hear the hope then that is on them but we have to present it! Otherwise we just continue the pendulous nature of us against them, sinners versus saints. Guns drawn armor on. 

The word gospel means good news. It is not good to simply know that God is angry with me. People have to also know what to do with that information. The good part comes in that God has done a work to repair that wounded relationship. Not only has he done the work but he offers to us the results of that work himself.

This is like those people who say "I am not mean I am just being honest". They parade it like a virtue, when everybody else is silently noting how much of a jerk they are. See if we only tell people the truth of their situation without any remedy we will simply close doors. This is why we are taught to speak the truth in love. It had to be complete to be true and the delivery is also important. 

I remember thinking that if I saw that guy the next day that I would have to stop and talk with him. I can only assume he meant well but it would be more helpful if his sign had said "The End is Nigh". That would at least elicit a response of some kind, but the one he had, stated the way it was, simply laid down a barricade between who is in and who is out. This differences between who is in and who is out is not a helpful conversation apart from the Gospel. That kind of truth is only revealed after people have an encounter with Jesus through the gospel. We understand this truth afterward and it prompts us to go and tell it on the mountain. We understand both sides of the truth and it fills us with awe and love and it is supposed to fill us with compassion for those who need it as well.

Telling half truths may as well be lying. God offers forgiveness to all, if we would only come. This is similar to the Calvinist and Arminian debate. If we only are interested in God's part, and God's part has nothing to do with us then why bother talking about it? If we are only interested in our part and our responsibility then why bother bringing God into it at all? This is what happens when we press a particular point without its context within the fuller picture of revelation. 

We are not operating in vacuums here.

God did not without context tell us we are sinners, nor does he tells us without context we are loved. There is background information that these truths communicate upon. Doctor's offer help within the context of sickness. Mechanics repair within the context of malfunction. Gardener's sow and tend within the context of wild overgrowth. Trainers train within the context of misbehaving puppies. 

Finally the Savior saves within the context of the people of the earth being eternally lost. He offers life where there was only death. So start telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us God.

That way the sign will lead people to God rather than away. 

thanks

Yes Brother I Do Lift

Since we are moving and I have been busy I will post a bit of shorter one this week. This is something I wrote awhile back but I was thinking about it again because of us moving across the country and as I have been busy all week packing and lifting all our belongings onto a truck so...

Be strong if your strength comes from the Lord and be weak if your weakness gives way to the Lord's strength. Do not lean on your own understanding but lift your shoulders as he gives strength. Re-new your strength and rise up like eagles because we wait for God's movement. He gives strength to the weak and gives help to hopeless. I have no strength on my own. But I do lift my head to the one who gives all that I need. I lift my eyes up to the mountain where my help comes from. I stands as he gives my bones strength and I walk as he give my body life.

I am weak truly and he is strong. But my weakness allows for his strength to rise. In my weakness he is strong so I am made strong in turn. I can keep moving as he gives me his Spirit and breath.

I can drown on own, but I am ready to soar. I can fail and create massive destruction on my own just fine thank you, but God makes all things new.

For I was dead and he made me alive. For I carried the stink of death, and my smell appealed only to my fellow walking dead. But now I carry the aroma of life leading to life that he grants. He gives me the help that I need beyond my need, the needs that I don't understand and sometimes don't see. I cannot rest on my laurels if I even have any. I rest in his strong arm. I lift my head because I know where my strength comes from. I lift my head from the many sorrows to the Father of lights.

I also lift my voice as I call on the name of the Lord. I lift my voice and call to the one who strengthens in the days of adversity. I lift my voice to the one who guides when the night continues on for too long. The days are darker but I can lift my voice to the ever present help in time of need.

I lift my face when my soul is downcast. I lift my face when my tears draw my head down. I lift as he holds me, as my own might is nothing. He holds and guides and draws. He is with me. He is in me. He is for me. He loves me. So I can press on. I can continue the race till the reach that place that puts all the world to rest. 

He gives me rest so I can rise in the morning. He gives me grace so I can rise despite my failings. Just as I will rise when he calls my name. I lift my myself into his hands. But really he has lifted me.

I rise when I fall because he helps me to stand. I lift my heavy heart when my heart is overwhelmed.

I lift my hands to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I lift them because he was first lifted for me. He spread out his hands to show them the kind of death he would die. We was lifted up on the cross and draws all the world to himself. 

As he was lifted up and brought down to the depths of the earth, his life and body afterward was lifted into the sky for one the day he will return. Until then I lift my head till he returns knowing that he will lift me up when I lay me down for the final sleep.

So I lift my arms to the work of the Gospel as he has called and shown me the way. I lift my strength and give it to him to use as he gave his all for a world that did not weep as his own sacrifice. I lift as he leads and I go as he calls. I lift because he taught me how.

He taught me to lift my head when I didn't really want to, he shortened my tether and held me close so that I would learn to lift my heart to him. So I lift my heart to the one who holds it eternally dear. I lift my faith to believe in him and I continue to do and I will with his help.   

Oh, you were talking about going to the gym? Er, well I uh, maybe tomorrow.

Thanks

On God and gods

A new year but still an old theological debate. By the time I wrote this many had already taken the task of answering this question and thank God, more people need to speak up about this. But it is going around so I will still add my two cents. Of recent the question "Don't we all just worship the same God? The Jews, Christians and all their denominations and what about the Muslims? Isn't it all the same God of Abraham? Aren't we just looking from different vantage points reading slightly different descriptions? Haven't you seen that tolerance and co-exist bumper sticker with all the world religions represented on it? Geez! Are we all approaching the same God who just seems to give different and conflicting marching orders to different peoples? Well with the rise of Radical Islam this is a good question to ask. This is not simply the case of Christians trying to be different for differences sake, these truths have gravitas, they carry meaning. As a famous person once said, ideas have consequences. 

Well let's look at it. Let's get Biblical a moment. The word of God gives testimony about what we are supposed to believe, this is why we place such weight to what is written. This is why even the Qur'an calls Christians people of the book. So what does that book say? The Bible records for us the character and nature of God. It says:

35. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:35,36

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." John 13:20

He who has the Son (Jesus) has the father, he who does not have the son does not have the father. 1 John 5:12 

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 
1 John 2:23

This is even foretold in the Old Testament.

13. I saw in the night visions,and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.  Daniel 7 

This is why Jesus frequently refers to himself as the Son of Man. The Father (God) is inextricably linked to the Son (Jesus). 

It other words there is a sense in which the Jews are approaching the right God but attempting to worship him wrongly. But can this be said the Islam? Does simply the idea that Isaac and Ishmael shared a Father in Abraham mean that a religion that rose literally hundreds of years later that pays lip service to that God mean anything? Well I think we have to seriously look at what the teachings say? How is God described what does he ask of his people? And finally, this is the linchpin, what do they say about Jesus?

This is the issue. If they acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the messiah come into the world, God's own son that shares nature with the Father then they are true, if not they are Antichrist. This is an explicit teaching of the Bible. No blogger can change this even if it wins friends and influences people. As creatures we have to come to God on his terms. 

If God condescended and humbled himself to take on the form of a human being in order to testify that he himself had the keys to death and eternal life and that nobody could approach his father, who he is himself one with, then apart from his known message and offer of redemption, are we really being intellectually and theologically honest in arguing that another religion that is hostile to that  truth is the same thing? 

If we have one math book that teaches that 1+1=2 and we have another math book that teaches that 1+1=3 then they cannot both be reliably teaching the same thing. Even if we were attending a conference on math solidarity and peace among mathematicians. I would hope that there would be enough integrity in the room for someone to stand up and say we have crossed over from math into silliness. 

The Bible is explicit. Paul specifically makes the case that even if it was an angel was to appear to you and were to preach to you another gospel that they should be accursed. Why? Because it would be messing with the very revelation from God himself, the very revelation that teaches how to have peace with God. In other words God is not going to contradict himself and confuse his people, but perhaps his enemies will...

Go and read Islamic history. This is exactly the story of how it happened. An angel from "god" appeared and gave new and conflicting testimony. A good follower of the God of Abraham would have recognized the revelation as new and quite different and thus not from the true God. They already had other books not included in the cannon. A good follower of Christ would have further asked and what do you say about Jesus? Is he Lord and God? Well the answer is clear from the Qur'an, No! He was just another prophet from (same god?) of which now Muhammad is greater.

The Bible records Jesus saying of himself from the Gospel of John:

"I am the way the truth and life no one comes to the Father but by me."

"I am the resurrection and the life."

"I am the gate, whoever enters through me will have eternal life."

and to prevent the idea of two Gods Jesus says of himself "I and the Father are one." 

This is how we get the idea of trinity along with the Holy Spirit, 3 in 1. These are exclusive Christian truths that no Jew or Muslim will claim or stand for. We have to consider theology here. If Jesus was just another one in line of people who at one time or another was privileged enough to speak on behalf of god for a bit, he really is no better than Moses, Isaiah , Jonah or perhaps even Mohammad. Jesus really should not be saying the kinds of things he said. We shouldn't be revering him the way we do and we should surely stop writing songs about the guy.

But God is a jealous God who will not share his glory with another. The writer of Hebrews writes:

The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father,   and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God's angels worship him.”7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire.”8 But of the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

So Jesus is quite different from other men. Jesus is quite different even to the angels who owe him worship. This is not another prophet in line of the prophets. This man is God's own Son who claims worship for himself. Jews recognized this which is why they put him on the cross. The Qu'ran cannot and will not claim this, in fact neither will the Jews. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says of him in Colossians 1:

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

If we want peace with our fellow man we need more than a bumper sticker understanding, we have to follow it to the source which is a man Jesus, we do not however pretend all our gods are the same. This is why Jesus came, anybody can use the word god and fill in the meaning. Hinduism literally has millions of them, our planets are Roman Gods fashioned after the Greek gods and Zeus, who was that thunder guy? We have lots of gods in our history, we are not short on gods. Just because someone in your ancestry has a common relative does not mean your gods are the same, especially with conflicting revelation.

This is why all the many denominations of Christianity share confessions and creeds. We hold that Jesus is the only begotten Son and that he and the Father are both one.  The spirit proceeds from them, their is one God with three persons we have a holy trinity. We have certain confessions that demarcate faith in God or something else. If we have these confessions in common so we can disagree on baptism and liturgy and music. This is why the counter argument that certain theologians also had different gods because they worship differently does not work. We have church history and heretic councils when their gods were actually different and wouldn't you know it, it was about the theology. 

If we agree, we can have many flavors on a Sunday morning as long as we honor Jesus Christ as Lord. When not? Well this is why Mormonism is considered a cult to Christians, they do not share the belief that Jesus is the unique and only begotten Son of God in the flesh worthy of all our worship. Interestingly enough their revelation was also given by an angel of which we were already warned about. This is why people who say they want Jesus or God but don't like theology unfortunately do not understand how it works. Jesus gave us specific testimony that we either accept or reject. The Father (God) sent Jesus because he does care and specifically want us to believe and act in a certain way, it does matter. People will always create other ways to god and even gods themselves but the Father only recognizes the way of his Son. Certain things can never be denied or else we have 1+1=3 and only silly people will agree to live in such nonsense. 

Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life no one can come to the father but by me. There is no other prophet who gives aid. This is why even Jews need the Gospel. This is why Christians who know their Bibles will never agree to a statement that we all worship the same god, it is not to be petty, it is not to be belligerent, it is because it is not a simply a question of method but of who is actually on the other end of those prayers. 

Let's stop arguing for solidarity when there is none, but gain a little understanding. Instead read the Bible and see who it is we actually are seeking or not. Find out who it is you are reaching for as Michelangelo painted. Because there are many gods out there, but there is only one true God. Maybe we should find out who he is. 

thanks