Outreach; Post #1: Acts 2

I'm going to be starting a series of posts about outreach. It is an integral part of the church to reach out to those around us (Jesus told us to with the Great Commission), and a lot of our churches do not do it so effectively. It is unfortunate that our churches can so struggle with it. It is often easier to help out by supporting missionaries or evangelistic ministries than raising a question or comment to our neighbors, coworkers, or friends about Christ or our home church. Why is that, you may ask?

Well, for one, our culture does not want to believe that there are any absolute truths. In fact, that seems to be the only absolute is that there are no absolutes. It is certainly frustrating to try to discuss with someone the need for Christ when he or she thinks that there is no such thing as sin and most people are "not bad." On the other hand, a lot of those folks believe that we're the misguided ones. They may think to themselves, "why would this person want to limit what they can or can't do? If anyone wants to do something, they should be able to do it." Sometimes, for all of us, it simply feels like we're banging our head against the wall. Those ways of evangelism and outreach worked for a time: during modernism (up between 1980-1990). But the people and thought processes of this generation are amazingly different.

Believe me, there is so much to like about this postmodern generation. I don't know if there has been a time in humanity when a generation has been so willing to step up to the plate in volunteering for what the individual perceives as noble causes. Just alone, the voting rate for this generation (1980-1990) is the highest ever recorded. This generation of people WANTS to be actively involved in working and serving in communities, changing circumstances and livening up the nation to act, work, and serve.

But as this is going on, our churches are having a very difficult time remaining strong in life, fellowship, discipleship, and health. We're just not doing a great job in realigning the way we evangelize, the way we reach out, and the way we approach others in the name of Christ. If we can try to do what the Bible says, it would be easier, though. Acts chapter 2 is a great model to follow. While there is 2000 years between that church and the one in our midst, humanity is amazingly similar now to then. Human beings still long for the same things: friendship, community, comfort. Acts 2 demonstrates great examples for us to follow.

First, God used a great work to amaze the people who were not endowed with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In this case, tongues were spoken to everyone in their native language and they were astounded. I'm not saying here that churches need to speak in tongues to get the message across. What I am saying is that this was a mighty work of God, and our churches ought to reach out in the means of works or a work to the surrounding community.

Second, explain why the work was done. Peter addressed the crowd when they were in bewilderment of the great work completed in their midst, and explained biblically what was going on. This could be as simple as someone explaining that we are doing this to serve the Lord and to help them in their journey. Peter used and cited the Gospel message, of how Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, so that all people could receive the good news of Jesus Christ, enter in to His Spirit, and live with Him forever in heaven.

In response, three thousand were added to the church that day. 3,000! That is an incredible number. Now, this was ordained by God; but if we are obedient and do what God tells us, even if it seems like an impossible feat, He will accomplish so much more than even our wildest expectations allow us to think.

Then, when all that work is finished, Acts 2 summarizes the inner workings of God's ministry. Their devotion to fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer; their devotion to serving one another, praising God...all this was outward demonstrations of an inward realization that God came first in their lives. And God added to their numbers daily.

When all is said and done, and that outreach project is over, God continued to work in the lives of the people. They put God first, and he continued to bless that ministry. He brought others who wanted the same things- all were like-minded- and he blessed all of them in bringing others to the Lord.

It's awesome to think that God could do the same thing now. In fact, I know He can do it. We've just got to continue to look towards Acts 2 and submit to God to help us be bold in our works. He'll bless it. This generation needs Him, and God wants to use us; He has called us to be His hands and feet. Let's do it.

Coming back to Life

I've been away for a while, mostly due to full time job search and working in my church part time. It's been a while but I would love to share some great places to go for some great information on worship:

1. Ron Man is a very knowledgeable guy when discussing worship. He is very heady but that is what I most appreciate about his writings. A lot of times we forget what we're doing, why we're doing it, and Ron is awesome at keeping someone like me honest. Always theological in his articles, this discussion explains a bit what Christ is and does in our worship.

I had read an awesome article a couple months ago in WorshipLeader magazine which was similar to Ron's thoughts here. We really can take the onus off ourselves in worship when we allow Christ to do HIS work in the hearts and minds of the people we are "leading." It is frustrating as a leader to not really sense others honestly praising God. These types of articles remind us that it's not really our job. God does the work. We simply want to allow God to do it, get out of the way, and ask Him to break hearts for His glory.

2. Lifeway's Research Blog has a GREAT article by Ed Stetzer. This really articulates well the "Worship Wars" going on in our churches across the country.

Some thoughts on this:
I have sensed some difficulty on this topic in my own position but God is working it out in His time. I believe that compromise can become our idol fairly often in our churches today. Instead of thinking about how to best serve God, we often decide to marginalize everyone by being people focused instead of God-focused. I constantly pray to God for direction as I am going about planning songs, preparing our worship folks, and discussing with them and others certain ideas I have moving forward. It is best to be open about things but, no matter what, you can never please everyone. I purposely am transparent when it comes to these things. It is upsetting that styles and genres can be SO divisive.

God says it Himself: Man looks at the outward appearnace but the Lord looks at the heart. It doesn't matter whether saved or unsaved: we look at the color of the carpets, the quality of the furnishings, the lighting, textures and music. I think that God has kind of hard-wired us this way for some good reasons: making sure we maintain progress during our lives and taking care of what we have (being good stewards).

I have recently discussed with a couple folks here that no matter what style we choose, we want to approach our music with excellence. God knows our heart and that shouldn't even be a question when it comes to music in our churches. This is not "American Idol," "Making the Band," or even "America's Got Talent." I don't think that should even be an issue. If it is, then we're not even CLOSE to what God intends for His ministry in our churches today. But we definitely want to make sure the people up there have both the heart of a servant and a voice that makes a "joyful noise" to everyone who hears. I'm not interested in "consumer worship." But I am interested in music that brings people to the throne of God with nothing standing in their way.

Worship Ministry/Thought of the Day

I am excited about happenings in the worship ministry. Coming up next week is a worship service on the beach at Ocean Grove. Tuesday night at 7:30 pm, we will be serving at the Pavilion. I am hoping that a bunch of people will come and be excited about it. We’ll see…this is the first time we will be doing worship outside of our church doors and while Ocean Grove is about as Christian of a town there can be, I hope there will be people there who do not know God. I really, more than anything, want God to be evident (He’s always here so I can’t say “show-up”) there. There can be a feeling of weirdness when we’re not at our home church, so I pray that God could get us around that. I know that if He wants to, though, He could bless this thing with so much.

Well, right now things are going well. I have been so blessed with such awesome, talented, and humble people in our church body and worship ministry. It has been a wonderful opportunity to continue to serve and see God doing great things through the ministry.

However, we are going to be, sadly, saying goodbye to one such member, Terrence K., as he moves to Maine. He’s got such a humble spirit and kind heart. He is also an incredibly talented piano player who we will surely miss. It has been a great time knowing and playing with him and although he says he will be coming down a couple times a month to the church, I cannot see that being best for him and his family. I hope that things will be working out for him in this move and that they’ll find a place where they will b comfortable and happy!

WORSHIP THOUGHT: A few minutes before I started writing this blog, though, I prayed. The economy is yet still shrinking, I am still under-employed, and one of our most faithful servants is going to be leaving. But I lift up this prayer to God because of who He is:

I call on Your name, o God, and You hear my cry. I listen for your still small voice and there You are. I praise You, God, because of Your faithfulness that endures forever. Lord, even when my circumstances seem overwhelming and my life can seem desperate, I know I can trust You. In times of trouble, You are there and guide me. Though things may seem impossible, nothing is impossible with You. Thank you that You care enough for me, even to endure death, that You continue to love me and help me through the difficult times. I will praise Your name all the days of my life.
-Amen

God is great. I hope that this prayer serves as a reminder of that. So often we can forget! But He is there; more than there, HERE; He is real, and wants to carry your burdens for you. No matter what life brings you, God can handle it. Release them to Him and know a peace that surpasses all understanding. Please be encouraged with this today.

Life Check

Well, life has been busy lately...good busy! We've got lots going on at church what with the Worship Night this week and Ocean Grove Worship coming up in a couple weeks. But I am really excited about what God is doing in and through the ministry. God is really moving in musical worship at the church lately! It's really cool and exciting to know that people are praising God and actively seeking Him to rule in their lives!

Throughout this time, though, I am thoroughly enjoying this book Worship Evangelism by Sally Morgenthaler.

She talks about how God can move in an unbeliever when he or she is around believers who worship in the service and experience genuine encounters with God. She cites a lot of biblical examples, particularly in Psalms, that often say "I will praise You among the nations" or "may all the peoples praise You." I'm envisioning people who come into our service and are changed over time from baby Christians to faithful disciples of Christ.

I do not totally agree with all of her thoughts because there are going to be a lot of people who won't step foot in churches because of either feeling burned by churches before, a negative view of the church, or other personal sentiments or feelings. We do need to step out of our church "bubbles" (as Pastor Adam so eloquently put it) because Jesus told us to. But, I do think that there are some awesome ideas that are represented here that are important for us to recognize.

If we can embrace some of these ideas as believers and allow ourselves to be free in our worship to God, He could do some awesome things not only in us but THROUGH us! We do, though, need to be ready to let go of our inhibitions, pride, and allow God to use us to glorify Himself in our worship expressions. Of course, our worship is to be reverent, relevant, and biblical, but God is glorified in our praises...it is important to Him. It should remain important to us, as well.

Thanksgiving in Worship

Circumstances of life can be hard. No matter how hard we work, no matter the time, talent, or treasure we put into anything, there is no telling what can happen in the future. Even the richest people in the world can look at what they don’t have rather than what has already been given. God brings us the most difficult times to refocus us and make us sure to rely on Him. But there is always something to be thankful for.

Whether we have a job, family, friends, the church, or our daily sustenance of food, clothing, and shelter, it all pales in comparison to the love our God has for us when He sent His Son to this world and die so that we might live with Him forever in heaven. Our thanksgiving automatically bleeds into our worship and praise to God. When we start to recognize all of the blessings God provides for us on a day-to-day basis, we can bring that recognition all the way to the foot of the cross. Let us praise God as He wants to be praised and remember the perfect blessing He has given us: eternal life.

Time with God

Sundays have been so awesome since we started this praise and worship study. We are actively, as a worship team, open to Him, willing and receptive to how He would see us be used in worship. I don't know; maybe it's just me, but I am certainly sensing God taking us someplace during worship times. I praise Him so much for allowing us to see who He is...I welcome His presence, and my focus has certainly been moved to see Him enthroned in our praises.

I know with the busy-ness of life, we can forget to spend time with God. I always spend time everyday in prayer and I consider my lifestyle an act of worship to God but oftentimes my bible study time can be dry and unproductive. I can find myself sometimes drifting and losing my focus and forget to dig deeper in the reading. The team study, though, keeps me accountable. I want to make sure I am focused as I am reading and learn how God wants to be worshiped because others can tell when someone's not pulling their weight. Group accountability can be a very good thing.

I think God wants those up front to worship in real ways. 2 Timothy says that He gives us a spirit of power, the same as all believers, to worship Him with our whole hearts. The ways in which we worship (standing, singing, lifting hands, shouting, clapping, etc.) are acts of submission. Paul says in Corinthians 4 that he was a fool for Christ...what does that look like today?

If we spend time with God everyday, we can become very comfortable in heartfelt worship. As long as we recognize Him as Lord over our lives, raising hands and exuberance in worship can become a very natural thing. It's important to God.

Worship to God?

Our worship team small group has been both uplifting and enjoyable. It has been uplifting in the fact that we have over ten people just from the worship teams themselves caring about wanting to grow more in their worship and know more about what worship is. It has been enjoyable because people have been so willing to share their hearts, desires and struggles, in just the little time we've been together already. God is certainly moving in our hearts in the time we've been together.

Anyway, I pose this question...what is God's purpose for worship? Why do we do it? Why not just come in on Sunday morning to hear a great message? It's obvious that worship means so much to God...it is more than a warm up for the preaching. In fact, based on what is in scripture, it is much more important to God than receiving a message. Just recognizing the passivity in receiving a message versus the activity in praising God should make us aware of the importance of praise in our devotional and corporate worship times. Now trust me...I am not minimizing the value of discipleship in any way. But I am seeing, based on the scriptures, that God cares more about our corporate reaction and glorification of Him than the corporate activity of receiving a message.

It is my prayer that people in the congregations and the masses in the world would share with God all their feelings, emotions, and expressions of love unashamedly on Sunday mornings; that we might let loose our exuberance and passion for God before the congregation without reservation. Worship is not for us to warm up for the preaching...it is for Him to be magnified.

Settling Yourself in Restless Times

You know, oftentimes when our weeks become long and hard with work, family obligations, or special priorities, our lives can feel so bogged down. We can easily slip into this mode of "what now?"

I remember when I was working on my undergrad and taking on 15 credits that semester (for those of you who don't know, music courses are often .5, 1.0, and 2.0 credits...at least at MSU, so I would often be in classes 25-30 hrs./week), I was also leading worship services and had about 12 hours of private music students to teach. Having my fiance at the time, also, I wanted to be able to spend time with her but due to my obligations, I rarely saw her.

I started to become bitter. Although my work at the church and the private lessons were blessings from God and things that I would regularly enjoy, I often loathed the fact that I needed to take my valuable time away from things I wanted to do and concentrate on things that were starting to take their toll on my attitude and mentality. I started to think about things I would rather be doing.

If you are reading this and are at that place where the things you once loved just are not making you feel special anymore, there's a verse that may help you:

Psalm 42:5-6 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

See, Korahites (the auther of this Psalm) was reminding himself of the blessings God has provided for the Hebrew people. What I needed to do was recognize that these things that bothered me really are not a hindrance; I needed to remember what they were really...blessings.

Now, maybe you're stuck in a job you don't like but God has you there anyway. Find small ways to contribute to His kingdom; witness to a coworker, run an errand for someone...do something nice you may not normally do. Then, and only then, can you start to enjoy being in the place God has you serving right now.

I've become much better about time management now. I'm not driving myself crazy with work needed to be done. I've slowed down because I realized my lifestyle was not a healthy one. I now spend time with Cayla and Grace much more and my work is what it should've been in the first place: a joy.

God bless!

Thoughts on Praise and Worship

I put up a sign on the side of my church office (which is conveniently located about 12 feet from the main entrance of the auditorium) that contained a John Piper quote. It may be seen as controversial but I'm just trying to stir the hearts and minds of the worshipers. The quote said: "Missions exists because worship doesn't." (BTW: I'm NOT just talking about music here)

I don't know if people even looked at it before walking by. In fact, no one said boo about it until I showed one of our awesome servants in the worship ministry, Terrence, the quote. Once I directed his attention towards it, he turned his head and squinted his eyes in a look of disbelief. "What?," he said. Right next to that bold statement I had placed a small summary of some of John Piper's thoughts written in Let the Nations be Glad! - The Supremacy of God in Missions.

I told Terrence to read on a bit as he was eager to disagree.Now, I took the quote out of its context which certainly is a dangerous place to go (we all know how that can get) in order to attract attention but we can look at that statement in varying ways: one, we don't worship and, therefore, we must evangelize in order to compensate; two, evangelism is not as important as worship; or three, if we worshiped, we wouldn't have to evangelize.

The truth is that Piper was explaining that worship IS most important; it is our heartfelt praise and thanksgiving to God. Our communication and realization of who God is, His awesome being and perfect work, should be brought into focus and we are to be worshipers first. Piper goes on to say that missions begins and ends with worship. This is true. We go out because of the inspiration and realization of who God is through our worship. The end result of our spreading the gospel is simply more people recognizing God for who He is, and worshiping Him, as well.

See, Terrence wasn't wrong. His feeling was that Jesus called us to evangelize due to the Great Commission. That is of utmost importance to our ministry. In fact, if we didn't, we would be disobeying God. But, it is through inspired and reverent worship that we recognize how good God is, and how worthy He is to be proclaimed and testified to the rest of the world, whether at home or abroad.

SWBC Worship Small Group #1

Tonight was great...we're going through Bob Sorge's book, Exploring Worship, as a team small group. Since we just handed out the books tonight, we haven't begun reading. This night was special, though, because we could share our thoughts on our worshipping experience and how we worship in our personal and corporate times.

Before our discussion, we watched the first module of his video series. The focus and idea behind the talk was the fact that worship and all facets of worship (praise, petition, supplication, etc.) go under the umbrella of prayer. It's like one of those "duh" moments, you know. I knew it all along but tonight was the first time I was brought to light about that fact.

Think about it though...if you and I came to a worship service and actually anticipated that it would be actual prayer time, how much different would your worship be? What might we do differently? How might we alter the way we worship?

In all my worship experience, I have never really seen it for what it is; intimate, true, and heartfelt communication with God. As a worship leader, I often think about how I might lead a congregation to the throne of God. But I think when I talked it over with him, Paul Koonce (tbc's Min. of Music) said it best (I'm paraphrasing a bit here): "Worship first, lead second." It is surely true. Going to the throne of God is most important. We can't lead the congregation there without going on first. It is surely true.

Prayer is the aspect of communication with God. When we see it for what it is, all other parameters come in to focus.

Simple Thoughts

I've been a bit of a Mr. Mom as of recently what with my leaving my school teaching job and my wife picking up more hours as a pediatric nurse. It just feels a bit off. Not a big deal, and I do love spending time with my daughter, but I just feel like I'm not doing my husband and fatherly "role" very well.

But I know God is in everything.

I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1 - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

While I do not believe this will be the "norm," I know that God has ordained it this way for a reason. Right now, I can see the impact of being closer to Cayla and learning some valuable parenting lessons in the process- patience, unconditional love, how to listen and infer.

They certainly are valuable, aren't they?

I know that God is right there with me. And, you know what, He's had to do that same thing with me. He never had to learn anything, of course, but He's definitely had to have been a dad to me. I think right now He's using this time to help me see what He's had to do. As I grow it seems like I, just like Cayla, can be so needy. But, instead of wanting that duck over there like she does, I want that car or that house over there.


Hmmm...maybe I can use this time to humble myself, repent, and recognize my blessings rather than just keep asking for stuff.