resonant worship:: let it resound ::

Our focus in life should NOT be on acting more holy.

Yeah, I said it… sounds wrong, doesn’t it?

Our focus in life SHOULD be on finding and expressing our joy and satisfaction in God.

Still sounds wrong, doesn’t it?  Sounds selfish.  Sounds self-serving instead of God-honoring.  Here’s why it’s not:

If we focus on living a better life or even being a better person, we’ve missed it.  God is not glorified in our moral uprightness, accomplishments or service UNLESS they flow out of a satisfaction that is rooted in Him.  Don’t hear me wrong - moral living and service are great goods.  They are not the goal of life, though.  Glorifying God is the goal, and satisfaction in Him alone is the “how”… when we find our joy in God, He sets us free from the love of the world and the things of it (greed: money, power, etc. & pride: being liked, being seen as good or holy, etc.)… the moral rights and service then flow out of that life of joy and satisfaction in who God is, what He has done for us in Jesus, and the ministry of His spirit to our souls.  As we begin to truly see that He is infinitely more satisfying than anything in this world, our lives begin to bear the fruit of ever-increasing righteousness/virtue and service… and that fruit is itself a testament to God’s work in our lives, thus it glorifies Him.  He gets all the credit, because He alone is filling us with all we need to live a Godly life - He alone is the “author and perfecter of our faith”… nothing that we could ever do would make us more holy… it’s an act of God - in Christ, literally!

Therefore, let’s pursue Him!  Let’s plead with Him to reveal Himself to us, that our satisfaction in Him might overflow into authentic worship and service that reflects that deep and lasting satisfaction in God to a thirsty and searching world… and ultimately, in and through that kind of life, He will be glorified.

⁵³Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

John 6:53-57

What in the world is Jesus saying here?  Many of his “followers” turned their backs on him after this bold statement.  At first glance it seems Jesus may have gone off the deep end… moving from a brilliant visionary and charismatic leader to a nut-job cannibal.

The question quickly becomes: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEED ON JESUS?

I think we find the answer in many places throughout the Scriptures, but sticking with the passage we are looking at, I think we can see it in verse 56.  When Jesus says that “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him,” he is NOT talking in physical terms, but spiritual.  Later in this passage, he exposes this:

⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

John 6:63

So, given that he is referring to the spiritual realm, we know that the emphasis is not on his physical body.  I believe that we eat his flesh and drink his blood as we look on him and believe… as our souls concentrate on Christ, see the glory of his cross, and receive his gift of grace (notice I didn’t say, “as our minds receive his gift of grace”… true salvation occurs deeper than the intellect).  This is how justification occurs. This is how sanctification occurs. This is what the life of a believer is to center around… a continuous looking on and believing in Christ as God in the flesh and his graceful work on the cross for us.  As we look on him and believe, we are receiving/eating his flesh and blood.  As we see him for who he is- the Son of God -we are saved and matured in our salvation/sanctification. This is the meaning of “remaining” or “abiding”. This is what it means to return to your “first love”.  Return to God’s grace manifested on the cross.

Eat and drink again the glory of it all: Jesus, the God-man, died a horrible death and paid the price for all of your sin, though he had not sinned… and he did it all with love in his eyes for you… that you could know the joy and fullness of life found only in God’s presence. You were an enemy of the almighty God, and instead of just smearing you off the pages of history, he chose to love and reclaim you by his own sacrifice.  WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS!

Continue to look on it- on him -and be saved.

Earlier in the passage, Jesus responds to a question that puts to rest the notion that this whole issue of life and Godliness is about works:

²⁸Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:28-29

He also adds that God is the one who draws people to himself… another blow to works-based righteousness.  This is heavy actually… it hints at predestination. Whether or not you hold to that doctrine, the clear fact is that, in some way or another, God is the initiator in salvation:

⁴⁴“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:44

So, the take-away?

Look on Christ… stare into His face on the cross.  Find him in the Scriptures.  Look for him in the world around you.  Ask God to draw you into an intimate knowledge of him as God and Savior.  Trust him…

…and repeat.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

-James 5:16

and so, we’re encouraged to confess our sins to each other.

how we doin’ on this one?  I mean really?  it seems to be a hallmark of the church of Christ… that we have open communication and accountability regarding our sin.  in fact, it almost seems to be a necessary ingredient to spiritual maturity.

sometimes I wonder if we’ve bought into a lie that says confession is between God and me only* , and our sins are really not anyone else’s business.  we confess our sin to God again and again, but wonder how or if real change will ever come.  everyone else seems to be doing “fine”, so we assume we’re just especially weak and can’t get it together or that we should already have it together… just look at all these other people that apparently do.  so, we wear the mask; pretend that everything is ok.  we hesitate to open up for fear of rejection.  I mean, come on… if we actually let people know who we really are - that we struggle with pride, anger, lust, or greed - they’d think we were freaks and we would be humiliated.  hmm… “humiliated”… sounds familiar.  maybe we NEED a little humiliation.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

-Matthew 23:12

we’re encouraged to take preemptive action and “humble ourselves”, not wait for God to do it.  if we expose our sinfulness, we are in essence humbling ourselves… we’re actually just acknowledging the truth.  when we do that, it magnifies God.  walking in the truth always glorifies God.  because the truth reveals the gospel… that He loves and saves us through the cross of Christ, making us holy irregardless of our inability to act holy.

the truth is that we ALL have things to confess… to get out in the open so that we can grow and heal and mature in our faith.  we also need partners to come alongside us and pray for us that we “may be healed”.

Celebrate Recovery is my favorite place to lead worship… period.  there is a spirit of worship in that place like none other.  just by walking in the door, people are taking off their masks… saying, “I don’t have it all together” … “I NEED God.”  the place is oozing with humility and weakness, and yet it is the most alive, joyful, hopeful, unified, even, in a sense, peaceful group of people you can find.  “a broken spirit and a contrite heart” God does not deny… in fact that is the sacrifice He desires!  this is what Christ’s church is… people who acknowledge that they need Him and His cross; desire to turn away from evil and draw near to God; to train themselves in righteousness; to look to the needs of others; to live on mission for God.  confession is both the starting point and a place we are to return to often.

so I challenge you: confess your sins to someone… all of ‘em - even the “big” ones.  let the cat(s) out of the bag!  give yourself the opportunity to walk in the light of truth, where true freedom is found.  then continue in your confession.  don’t ignore the fact that you still sin; embrace what it means!… God’s love is so big and His salvation so great that he grants mercy and grace for each new day!!  this is not to say you should embrace the sin… that’s the very thing we are warring against… our attack just looks different, in that instead of trying to conquer sin by pure willpower, we submit to God in our weakness and ask for grace to seek Him more and sin less.  as you progress in this, I believe you’ll be able to rejoice in the fact that God is releasing you more and more from the hold of sin on your life!

humble yourself.  God will lift you up!

[* = our sins ARE ultimately against God alone - a slap in His face… but (1) they do affect others negatively and (2) practically speaking, a large part of our ability to have increasing victory over sin is found in exposing it to the light]

I’ve got a good friend who very much shares my appreciation for creative genius.  below is an email I received from him last night with a link to creative yumminess unmatched by anything I’ve seen or heard in quite some time… taste and see:

You follow this link at your own risk–the risk that you will see something that makes you feel bad about yourself.  Much like how watching Victor Wooten in concert makes me realize how pathetic my bass skills are (okay, were, I have no current bass skills), what this guy has done with YouTube videos is simply ridiculous.  Essentially, he’s scoured YouTube and mixed videos from a number of unrelated contributors into a single, cohesive piece.

You have been warned,

TE

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

6 If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. 7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

I’ve been studying the spiritual disciplines lately, and wanted to look at the surrounding context of “discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness”. while studying the passage from 1 Timothy 4, along with a good commentary, a few spiritual priorities that characterize “a worthy servant of Christ Jesus” emerged.  here are 3 things that we as followers of Christ are to be about:

1. Nourishment from God’s Word (4:6)  ::  this is the most foundational spiritual priority.  without intimate, personal knowledge of God’s Word, how can we truly know God, give and receive accurate, life-giving/transforming teaching & training, or live out God’s mission for His glory?  His Word is the primary means by which we receive the grace/gift of faith. “so faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  though the Holy Spirit is the active agent, faith is born and matured as a result of exposure to the gospel of Christ, which is the central story in God’s Word. “1 now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…6 and without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:1&6)  the only way to be “sure of what we hope for and and certain of what we do not see” is to know what/Who it is we hope for and what/Who it is we are certain of… God’s Word provides this knowledge.
2. Training in godliness (4:7-9)  ::  though there is some benefit from physical training (bringing the body under control, not giving in to it’s urges), Christ-centered spiritual training leads to godliness which has ultimate benefit for the body and spirit.  as we discipline ourselves in Christ-centered spirituality, our reward is the glorious knowledge of Christ Himself.  as an overflow of that knowledge, we gain ever-increasing access to the life-changing power that Christ offers as a result of His mind-blowing exchange of His death for our life.  godliness will become more and more a part of who we are as we commit ourselves to growing in our knowledge of Christ.  godliness is the goal.  training is the means.  God’s glory is the end.
3. Mission (4:10)  ::  whereas the first two spiritual priorities find their meaning in the hope of Christ’s salvation, all of our effort in ministry is also tied to this hope.  salvation, sanctification, glorification, worship, evangelism — everything the Christian is and is to be about — should center on the cross of Christ.  mission is a natural outgrowth of intimate knowledge of Christ’s saving grace.  as we know Him and His heart (as we grow in godliness [#1] through the disciplines [#2]), we are compelled to be a part of His work — to see people become His disciples for the glory of God.

so, how are we doing on these 3?  do they characterize your life?  are you feasting on God’s Word?  disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness?  engaging in God’s mission to make His salvation known?

may these 3 things own us!… for God’s glory and our joy.

:: make sure to let me know how you did.

what is the gospel? what is the pure, clean, unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ? here’s a table I’ve been working on that compares aspects of many false gospels we encounter even under the umbrella of the “church” to the gospel Jesus preached and lived.

this list is not exhaustive… anything to add?  any objections?

the well made its encore appearance the night of Dec. 7th with a crowd of thirsty God-worshippers nearly twice the size of the original night.  once again, it proved to be a beautifully paradoxical time of being filled with life as we poured out our worship on Jesus.  there was such an amazing energy in the room from before the first note played to the time I turned off the lights and walked out the door.

I believe the Spirit of God chooses to work in new and different ways, at different times, in different places, through different means and different people - basically, however He sees fit… and we need to be attentive to the direction HE is leading.  I’m beginning to think this is one of those things He is leading.  it’s not a crowd thing… a lot of people can draw a crowd (at least for a short time) using certain techniques and charismatic personalities.  it’s a Spirit thing.  the well seems to be something people have their heart in the right place with, and more importantly, something God’s heart is displayed in and through.  although we used the gifts and talents of the people involved to make the night the best we possibly could, I don’t think anyone left with the impression that the night was about anything other than worshipping Jesus.

so, what is to come of the well?  that’s still to be determined.  we have a great group of leaders that are seeking God’s vision and guidance for future ministry to and through our local fellowship, and I’m trusting that God will direct us in how the well fits into that vision.  in the meantime, I continue to thank God for what He has done through this ministry and ask Him to allow us to be used in real ways that make a positive spiritual impact on individual lives –> our local culture –> the world. 

:: special thanks to Karly Kenyon for these sweet shots of the night! ::

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

The valley of the shadow of death holds no darkness for the child of God. There must be light, else there could be no shadow. Jesus is the light. He has overcome death.

Dwight L. Moody

what a great thought!  even in the bleakest of circumstances, Christ is there… he is never absent.  there are times in our lives when the shadows seem to grow dark and cover us, but there is a Light behind that shadow that will break through eventually… there MUST be a light for there to be a shadow.

so, the question is::  where is our focus in valley?

are we caught in the shadows, head down and fearful? or do we look past our present circumstances and put our faith in the God who casts the shadows, trusting that He is in control - willing and acting on our behalf for His name’s sake?

there is peace to be had in the valley.

there is joy to be had in the valley.

for we carry this hope:: Christ in us, the Light of the world… shadows lose their weight in light of Him!

we continued our Acts series Sunday morning with a look at Paul’s arrival and arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-40).  Sam did a great job with the text, bringing out the fact that Paul went to the temple in spite of the fact that he knew it was not necessary… he didn’t hold on to his freedom at the cost of building a bridge to people.  it was a great word on the balance between legalism and license.

because we believe that worship is more than simply the music, we normally try to bridge the gap between our worship through music and our worship through teaching/hearing the Word, and create a service in which the music and teaching compliment each other thematically.  this was an exception to the rule (we also don’t like rules ;).  instead, I planned an extended music set before the teaching that focused on the basics of the gospel.

we began the service by teaching “Our God Reigns” (Brandon Heath).  I really like this song and think that it will be an easily attainable anthem for our people.  after the opportunities and greeting, I read Psalm 96:1-10 as a call to worship… “sing to the LORD a new song”… calling all who are in Christ and have a voice to raise it in praise to our God.  the time that followed was really refreshing… it was great to hear people singing out their thankfulness for Jesus.  then I prayed out to the teaching, and Sam closed the service with prayer.  I enjoy responding to the teaching with music on most occasions, but I must admit, it was nice not to have to come back up!

we did a medley of “Before the Throne of God Above” and “In Christ Alone” that was amazing!  if you’re a worship leader, email me and I’ll get you the chart for it.  I borrowed from Shane & Shane’s version of “Before the Throne” and Natalie Grant’s version of “In Christ Alone”, and the result was awesome… not only do the songs flow well together musically, the message of each work together to provide a powerful, clear look at the reality of the gospel for those who believe - Christ died our death, we are hidden in Him before the Father, we have a glorious hope and future as a result.

we also did Joy William’s version of “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”… it’s just plain beautiful.

the music texts for the day were rich, and I really enjoyed the glaring centrality of Christ and the gospel.

here’s the set list ::

• Our God Reigns >> Heath

VIDEO :: ANNOUNCEMENTS :: GREETING

PSALM 96:1-10

• Agnus Dei >> Michael W. Smith
• Before the Throne/In Christ Alone >> Charitie Bancroft / Keith & Kristyn Getty
• How Deep the Father’s Love for Us >> Stuart Townend
• You are My King (Amazing Love) >> Billy James Foote

how was your weekend celebration experience?