Worship – reverent honor and homage paid to God (dictionary.com)

I thought the “worship wars” had died off, or at least died down, but I am seeing more and more articles and blogs about it every day. One would think by now we had gone to our neutral corners and decided to let people and churches answer this question for themselves, but I guess it will never go away.  How sad for the Christian church that we cannot stay out of other people’s business.
I hear the complaints from inside an individual church, but that is for that group of believers to work out among themselves. What I don’t get is why one leader feels the need to criticize another group’s practices. If what they are doing works for them and they are not doing anything to hurt or hinder The Kingdom, what business is of mine or anyone else’s?
I still hear the voices of, “it has got to be hymn’s with a choir” while others say, “it must be modern choruses and a praise band.” They are both right and they are both wrong. If hymns and a choir work in a specific context then they are right and would be wrong to do anything else.
Personally I do not believe it is so much the style of the music but the attitude of the worshippers. I like a blend of old and new and I like an extended set of music that makes musical, thematic, and theological sense. Too often the musical worship part of the service is so chopped up with other things it is difficult for me to get into a flow of worship.
I also need music that is done well. I have sat in services where it is obvious the musicians have not had enough time to work out all the transitions, chords, timing, and other things. I believe anything we do in worship should be the best we can give. Time needs to be given to planning and preparation. I led worship for many years and in the beginning would show up on Sunday morning, select a few hymns and go. It did not take long for me to discover that if I did not spend some time preparing my heart and selecting songs that worked together, I was not going to worship and the people in the congregation were not either.
Finally I want more participatory time and less observation. By that I mean I want more time singing as a congregation and less “special” music. There are certainly times when I can worship while others are singing, but I worship more and best when I am participating and not watching. Maybe this is an area I need to work on my attitude.
A word about the unbeliever in worship. I personally do not believe an unbeliever can worship God. I believe they can participate, they can enjoy the music, they can even play an instrument in the service, but they cannot worship a God in whom they do not believe and accept as Savior. Their presence in one reason I believe we must do things well and that are relevant. Music is important in our society and there are people who will judge not only the local church, but The Kingdom, if things are not done as best as they can be done. You may not think this is the right thing for them to do, but it is a reality. Do with it what you like.
As I have grown older my taste in worship music has changed. I still love the old hymns, but I want more. I want the piano, but I also like to hear some guitar and drums, in balance. It does not need to be fasts and loud, but it can get there when appropriate. I do not need a constant low-key, slow rhythm, but it is certainly nice at times to slow down and meditate. God can use all styles of music to honor and worship Him, as long as my heart and attitude allow.
No one style is God’s style, He looks at the heart; the style is for us. God created us as individuals with different needs and desires. Why not embrace the differences?

This is cross-posted at howard.chbcblogs.org.

While in seminary I took a class that dealt with the Middle East. One of the things I remember well is the professor, who was from that area, talking about the groups in the area. One was either Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. The thing about the designations was they did not necessarily describe the spiritual condition or belief, but they were a distinction based on heritage and where one lived. To be considered Christian one does not have to profess faith in Christ or have a relationship with the Savior, it is just who you are. It would seem the same could be said in the US now.
While we have had cultural Christianity for as long as the term has been used, it seemed that at one point people at least had an understanding of orthodox beliefs and agreed with those beliefs. That is no longer true. In a study by the Barna Group they found that most self-described American “Christians” do not believe in a literal Satan or Holy Spirit or believe the Bible is any different than any other religious text such as the Koran or the Book of Mormon. I will let you read the article for yourself but the most eye-opening part of it is at the end when they break the research up by distinguishing between “born again” Christians and “notional” Christians.
I have either attended or been employed by conservative Southern Baptist churches all my life and I am sometimes jolted by what some members have to say about the Bible, God, salvation, and a host of other beliefs. I had one lady tell me the she did not care what the Bible had to say on the subject we were discussing. She felt the traditions we had observed were more important so that we did not offend a certain group of people in the church.
I am beginning to wonder if we do not need a new distinction for what we call those who believe in Christ as Savior and seek to have a personal relationship with Him. It seems even the term Born-Again Christian is somewhat sullied and confusing these days. So what should we call ourselves? I have seen people use terms such as “Jesus Follower”, “Believer”, “Jesus Lover”, “Disciple”, and many others. One who calls himself a Christian should be a follower of Christ, or be Christ-like. Like so many terms, our culture has distorted those terms and, as one definitionhttp://www.answers.com/topic/christian states, Christian can mean to be “humane.”
In reality it probably does not matter what one is called as long as they are living the life God has called them to live. Maybe true believers should attempt to take back the term instead of giving it over to a perverted meaning; after all it is a Biblical word, Acts 11:26, and should retain its meaning. We need to live a life worthy of the name and be proud of what it stands for. While some may use it as derision, we need to stand proud and make our Savior happy that we claim to be one of His.
Too often in this day churches try to fit into society by justifying the social norms. When Jesus was praying for His disciples, John 17, and those that were to follow (meaning every believer to come), He recognized that the world would hate them because they were proclaiming the Word He gave. We are called to bring the world to repentance, not to love us. If we are being embraced by the world perhaps we are doing something wrong. We should love them and do all we can to reach them, but never should we accept the sin that is separating them (or us) from God. If we are going to be worthy of the name Christian we need to be different. Our God is the only true God. The Bible is the only revelation that will show the path to a relationship with that God. And the Holy Spirit is the only one who can draw us into a relationship with the Savior which means there is only one way to heaven, God’s way. That may be a hard saying for some, but for the simple minded like me it makes it much clearer than having to wade through many different belief systems.
So if you want to call yourself Christian, accept what the Bible says without trying to rationalize the hard stuff out.

The book of Numbers (in the Bible) is interesting. You would not think so by the title and when you start it does not have that quality that reaches out and grabs your attention. The first few chapters contain information about a census and how they are supposed to build and furnish the tabernacle, and then bam, God lit the camp on fire because some people are complaining about hardships. And then they complain about the manna and God gives them quail until they are were literally sick from it. Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses so God makes Miriam leprous. Then the twelve are sent into the promise land and the majority report is negative, the people are distraught so God punishes them by giving them an additional forty years in the desert. Then it is back to the laws.
I want to focus on the reaction of the people to the report of the spies. But first let’s recap the journey to this point. God had systematically punished their enemy with plagues that culminated in their release from slavery because the death of the first born of every Egyptians. After they were on their way God placed them in a position so they could see Him deliver them in a way only He could. He let them cross a sea on dry land and then wipes out the enemy by first fighting them and then drowning the entire army so there is no way the enemy can pursue them further.
The entire time they were traveling, not only was God giving Moses specific directions but also there is a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke confirming to the people that God was with then and directing them. He fed them, gave them water, and gave them a system of laws. So now they are ready to go into the Promised Land and they get the report that indeed the land is bountiful and the fruit is magnificent. But there is one problem; the people there are big, they have big walls around their cities, and taking it could be a big problem. Caleb says that is true but we can do it.
Everything they said up to this point is ok and true. The problem is what happens next. Ten of the twelve begin to stir up the people telling them it is impossible to take the land God has promised them and led them to. How crazy is that? Look at all He has done over the past few months in their site. These are not stories they had heard; they lived them! Their reaction is amazing. They would rather return to Egypt as slaves than face the big problems in front of them.
They had forgotten that they had not had to fight a single battle without God going before them to prepare the way. They were going to have to work for the land and God never told them this would be easy, but He did promise them great things if they would follow Him and do what He told them to do. What they forgot is that their God was bigger than any possible situations they would face. It would not be easy and the work would be hard, but in the end they would succeed. They paid a big price for their disobedience and lack of faith. Most of them died without seeing the promise and the people had to wait another 40 years to receive that promise.
It is easy to condemn them for this, but how often so we do the same thing? We see God work in great ways and then He gives us a new direction and we balk at it because it looks hard, or we are uncomfortable with what we will have to do to get the better thing. We say, I know things were not good like they were and God is going to give us something better, but it’s going to be __________ (hard, different, uncomfortable, a struggle; take your pick) so let’s go back.
We see it all the time. Companies that don’t want to change, people who don’t want to take a chance, but more importantly churches that do not want to follow God. It’s clear that if you don’t step out on faith and follow the leadership God has put in place you are going to die. We would rather stay in slavery rather than struggle with change and reach a community that is dying all around us. The people of Israel were in slavery for 430 years. It was a miserable existence, but they would rather return to that than face the giants that stood in the way of what God had promised. We shake our heads, clack our tongues and condemn them for their lack of faith while we do the same thing.
Here is a principle we need to remember; God does not call us to do anything of consequence that is easy. If it were easy we would not need God to accomplish it.
The question we need to answer is what is God calling you to do and what is God calling our church to do to have an impact for the Kingdom? And then is our faith big enough to allow the God we serve to show His power and faithfulness. God will accomplish His purpose, but will we get to be a part of what He wants to do?

This is cross posted to howard.chbcblogs.org

The past week was spent in Biloxi, MS working on houses for people impacted by Katrina. Three and half years later the rebuilding goes on and probably will for years to come. The church with which we have been working,Lemoyne Boulevard Baptist Church, has done a great job during this time giving of themselves and their resources.

Many from other states have been working for over three years, living in travel trailers, dealing with volunteers on job sites, feeding the volunteers, keeping material and supplies organized, and giving their personal resources so the work can continue.

The one thing that is beginning run dry is the money. As these things go, interest turns to other projects and money is sent to other places. All of this started when people sent money to the church so that they could rebuild the building. Instead of taking it all and using for their purpose, the people of the church began using the funds to help those around them rebuild. They did rebuild the church building and began using as a place for volunteers to sleep and eat. They did not do so opulently, but did it well and with style.

For over three years individuals, companies, and churches have been sending money and materials to keep the work going. If you will remember, FEMA and insurance companies were sometimes slow to get money to the individuals that needed to make repairs, so LBBC helped them remodel and rebuild without any expectations of recovering the resources expended. Many of these people would take grant and insurance money they received later and give it to the church so they could continue building. But all thing eventually end.

While the flow of volunteers is slowing, they still have a steady stream of people willing to help. As with money, the people resources are slowing. Our group of 5 was the only one there last week and another group will be coming in Thursday this week. As you can imagine working in that area during the summer in tough so the flow will be even slower during those months. They will probably finish the houses they are working on now and build one more house before ending the work in the Fall.

The need is still great there and the building will continue, but the ministry of LBBC will end. They have done a great job and having impacted the lives of hundreds of people in a great way. Not only have they helped remodel home damaged by Katrina, but they have built many homes from the ground up. Most of these were handicapped or elderly people who otherwise would not have their home.

More importantly they have fulfilled the command of Christ to care for those in need. Too often churches do not do what they are called to do in these situations. Not every church in Biloxi was called to do what LBBC was called to do, but they realized the call and met the challenge. This has not been easy. The church had to share the space with volunteers all week and then be ready to for regular Sunday and worship on Sunday. They had other ministries that carried on when they could hardly move through the hall. Staff members moved forward with their various ministries while much of the focus was on helping people rebuild their lives and houses.

The staff and members of LBBC deserve a lot of thanks for the work they have done. They have worked without any expectation of a stand ovation or a pat on the back. They did it because that is what God has called them to do. They will receive their reward in heaven but I want to thank them now. Every time we leave we are thanked for our work, but we get to go home and continue our lives but they stay there and continue their work.

Thanks LBBC people! You have done a great job!

This item is cross-posted to my ministry blog.