Hello, I figured that I would try something a little different this week. Below is a link to a audio file I created.
Enjoy
Stephen
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Worship
Worship - the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a divine power or supernatural power (Webster's Dictionary)
There is something missing from this definition...does anyone spot it? Let's see if you can pick it up as we go along.
Here are some expressions of worship that I have been apart of:
1. The singing of contemporary Christian praise songs from a power point with full guitar and drum accompaniment
2. Singing contemporary songs from a power point with people dancing and fainting in the aisles
3. Singing hymns from the hymnal with an organ
4. Singing hymns from a power point screen with a piano
5. Singing hymns from memory with and without musical accompaniment
6. Singing contemporary songs with clapping and raised hands
7. Singing hymns without moving any part of the body other than your mouth
8. You get the picture
Depending on where you are demographically, economically, and culturally, you and your church will have different definitions of what worship is. Each church or group worships through methods 1-7 and beyond because they believe that that is the best way to express their adoration. Some reference Scripture and others tradition to support their preference. Long story short, there are a lot of ways that Christians express the reverence for God. In fact, churches have split over things such as the style of worship which is silly but that is for another time.
Look at the above list. Any similarities? If you figure out the similarity (which connects all generally accepted manners of worship), compare it with the previous Webster definition of "worship". Figure out what is missing yet? To late, here it comes:
The similarity with all the variations of worship that I listed above (again, these were gathered from visiting several different churches and their description of their worship time) is "singing". Almost every good Christian will say that worship time HAS to include singing. That is the best and only way to show God how much you adore Him. Right? The missing thing from the definition (the secular definition) is "singing". No where in the definition of worship does it say "Thou must sing". So what does this mean? It means that we are going to ignore the correct amount of bodily movement and instruments that should be allowed during church services (David danced naked to the blare of trumpets...just saying 2 Sam 6:14-15), and focus on how to worship.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Our spiritual act of worship is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. I am not saying that we are not to praise God with our words and songs, Scripture repeatedly calls for it. What I am saying is that we get out of focus. Us living...is worship. Us using our blessings (intelligence, breath, health, money, property, skills) while giving Him credit...is worship. Us obeying His commands...is worship. Us loving our enemies...is worship. Us not getting upset when we get cut off in traffic...is worship. Us respecting our bosses and professors no matter the jerkiness...is worship.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Jesus lived to die. He was a living sacrifice. His power came not from His singing or instrumental skill or hand raising but His death. The offering of His life was His worship to His Father. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice because He was perfect, without blemish. Cleanse yourself and become clean so that your life can also be accepted as a living sacrifice to God.
He demands your all. He wants more that just singing from your mouth. He desires to hear the beautiful noise coming from your obedient hands and reverent heart.
Live to die as a sacrifice to God. Live to die in your worship. Live to die. Live worship.
There is something missing from this definition...does anyone spot it? Let's see if you can pick it up as we go along.
Here are some expressions of worship that I have been apart of:
1. The singing of contemporary Christian praise songs from a power point with full guitar and drum accompaniment
2. Singing contemporary songs from a power point with people dancing and fainting in the aisles
3. Singing hymns from the hymnal with an organ
4. Singing hymns from a power point screen with a piano
5. Singing hymns from memory with and without musical accompaniment
6. Singing contemporary songs with clapping and raised hands
7. Singing hymns without moving any part of the body other than your mouth
8. You get the picture
Depending on where you are demographically, economically, and culturally, you and your church will have different definitions of what worship is. Each church or group worships through methods 1-7 and beyond because they believe that that is the best way to express their adoration. Some reference Scripture and others tradition to support their preference. Long story short, there are a lot of ways that Christians express the reverence for God. In fact, churches have split over things such as the style of worship which is silly but that is for another time.
Look at the above list. Any similarities? If you figure out the similarity (which connects all generally accepted manners of worship), compare it with the previous Webster definition of "worship". Figure out what is missing yet? To late, here it comes:
The similarity with all the variations of worship that I listed above (again, these were gathered from visiting several different churches and their description of their worship time) is "singing". Almost every good Christian will say that worship time HAS to include singing. That is the best and only way to show God how much you adore Him. Right? The missing thing from the definition (the secular definition) is "singing". No where in the definition of worship does it say "Thou must sing". So what does this mean? It means that we are going to ignore the correct amount of bodily movement and instruments that should be allowed during church services (David danced naked to the blare of trumpets...just saying 2 Sam 6:14-15), and focus on how to worship.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Our spiritual act of worship is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. I am not saying that we are not to praise God with our words and songs, Scripture repeatedly calls for it. What I am saying is that we get out of focus. Us living...is worship. Us using our blessings (intelligence, breath, health, money, property, skills) while giving Him credit...is worship. Us obeying His commands...is worship. Us loving our enemies...is worship. Us not getting upset when we get cut off in traffic...is worship. Us respecting our bosses and professors no matter the jerkiness...is worship.
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Jesus lived to die. He was a living sacrifice. His power came not from His singing or instrumental skill or hand raising but His death. The offering of His life was His worship to His Father. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice because He was perfect, without blemish. Cleanse yourself and become clean so that your life can also be accepted as a living sacrifice to God.
He demands your all. He wants more that just singing from your mouth. He desires to hear the beautiful noise coming from your obedient hands and reverent heart.
Live to die as a sacrifice to God. Live to die in your worship. Live to die. Live worship.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Avoid the Lion
I am a male.
As a male I am wired to be sexually triggered by visual and auditory stimulants. These stimulants often go by the name of pornography. My gender has built into us a seemingly never ceasing drive to satisfy the desires created by those stimulants.
I am a male living in the internet age of unlimited access to untraceable pornographic access.
This last week has been a bad week for me. I grew up with a strong father figure and very strict boundaries about what I take into my mind, and I know what is wrong and right...but there is this game that I like to play. I like to find likes on the Internet...simple links like a book store or the news and see how close I can get to porn without actually looking at porn. Because obviously that would be a sin. I caught myself playing that game a couple times this week, including this morning. It is wrong. It is shameful to admit. It is a sin.
But I do not struggle with it as bad as some people...I am not addicted and my main struggles are when I am bored and by myself. It is not like I am some sexually possessed monster. It is just occasionally and the images are not even that bad...
...I am not as bad as some people...
...it is not that bad... ...I have it under control...
I do not struggle with pornography as much as others. I also do not struggle with drug addictions as much as others. I do not struggle with violent anger as much as others. I do not struggle with alcohol, pride, liiing, homosexuality, depression, (fill in the blank) as much as others.
We may not struggle as much as others but we still struggle.
Life is full of struggles. Life is a war.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Despite my solid upbringing and the boundaries that I set for myself on movies, shows, and books, I still struggle. I will struggle for the rest of my life. The roaring lion will always be there waiting for me to slip. He is waiting for you too. Waiting for that one time that you lose focus and give in...a moment of human weakness and the devil will pounce. And I can guarantee from experience that he does more than just roar when he gets a piece of you...but there is hope. Here is the full text:
1 Peter 5:6-12 (NIV)
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
There is a battle plan for this war:
1. Vs 6-7 - Humble yourself to God. You will not win this fight by yourself. Do not carry this burden but cast it upon the Lord's immeasurable strength. Pray and read scripture. Remember...you are loved.
2. Vs 9 - You are NOT alone in this fight. "you know that your brethren THROUGHOUT THE WORLD are undergoing the SAME kind of sufferings." Find someone that you can be accountable to. Someone that you can have as a partner in this fight so that can keep you in check.
3. Vs 10 - God makes you strong. He lifts you up gives your heart the strength that it needs to stand fast and firm in the face of any enemy. It is NOT your strength but the strength that comes from God. There will be suffering, you already know that but "the Joy comes with the morning".
4. Vs 11-12 - He is the Truth. He is Eternal. Thus you can stand fast.
Psalm 56:4 (NIV)
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
As a male I am wired to be sexually triggered by visual and auditory stimulants. These stimulants often go by the name of pornography. My gender has built into us a seemingly never ceasing drive to satisfy the desires created by those stimulants.
I am a male living in the internet age of unlimited access to untraceable pornographic access.
This last week has been a bad week for me. I grew up with a strong father figure and very strict boundaries about what I take into my mind, and I know what is wrong and right...but there is this game that I like to play. I like to find likes on the Internet...simple links like a book store or the news and see how close I can get to porn without actually looking at porn. Because obviously that would be a sin. I caught myself playing that game a couple times this week, including this morning. It is wrong. It is shameful to admit. It is a sin.
But I do not struggle with it as bad as some people...I am not addicted and my main struggles are when I am bored and by myself. It is not like I am some sexually possessed monster. It is just occasionally and the images are not even that bad...
...I am not as bad as some people...
...it is not that bad... ...I have it under control...
I do not struggle with pornography as much as others. I also do not struggle with drug addictions as much as others. I do not struggle with violent anger as much as others. I do not struggle with alcohol, pride, liiing, homosexuality, depression, (fill in the blank) as much as others.
We may not struggle as much as others but we still struggle.
Life is full of struggles. Life is a war.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Despite my solid upbringing and the boundaries that I set for myself on movies, shows, and books, I still struggle. I will struggle for the rest of my life. The roaring lion will always be there waiting for me to slip. He is waiting for you too. Waiting for that one time that you lose focus and give in...a moment of human weakness and the devil will pounce. And I can guarantee from experience that he does more than just roar when he gets a piece of you...but there is hope. Here is the full text:
1 Peter 5:6-12 (NIV)
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
There is a battle plan for this war:
1. Vs 6-7 - Humble yourself to God. You will not win this fight by yourself. Do not carry this burden but cast it upon the Lord's immeasurable strength. Pray and read scripture. Remember...you are loved.
2. Vs 9 - You are NOT alone in this fight. "you know that your brethren THROUGHOUT THE WORLD are undergoing the SAME kind of sufferings." Find someone that you can be accountable to. Someone that you can have as a partner in this fight so that can keep you in check.
3. Vs 10 - God makes you strong. He lifts you up gives your heart the strength that it needs to stand fast and firm in the face of any enemy. It is NOT your strength but the strength that comes from God. There will be suffering, you already know that but "the Joy comes with the morning".
4. Vs 11-12 - He is the Truth. He is Eternal. Thus you can stand fast.
Psalm 56:4 (NIV)
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
This world has nothing against you. You are strong. You are firm on His rock. Do not fear man for what can they do?
I write this letter as a confession of my own weakness and struggles but hopefully also as an encouragement in whatever sort of battle, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, you might find yourself in.
I once heard the following saying: "A true warrior can always put one foot in front of the other"
"A true believer, by God's Grace, can always put one foot in front of the other."
God Bless.
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