Someone who recently stopped attending our church made the statement that going to church was like going to work. That statement has been rolling around in the back of my mind now for a couple weeks. I believe in sacrifice, and I believe in selfless giving, and serving God through serving others, but I don't believe it should be work. It should be worship.
I am a fanatic for the Word of God. I insist that Word be the basis for all we do or say, teach or preach. I believe in, and strive for, sound doctrine and theology in everything I teach, or preach, or write. But somewhere in the midst of this, there must be a place for joy, for gladness, for singing, for thanksgiving and for praise. There is something in us all that longs to break free from the constraints of time and our self-conscious preoccupation with what others think, and just lose ourselves in the presence and the power of God.
I feel that in many churches (even the one I lead) there is something missing, and it is that "something" that drives people to go from church to church looking for something. Most of them cannot put their finger on it. They cannot even explain with words what they feel in their heart, but they know what it is and they know what it isn't, and far too many aren't experiencing it, whatever it is.
Is it relationship with God that is missing, and the church fails to encourage? Is it the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit? Is it transformational revelation that lifts us above the facts and allows us to see His face? What is it? Whatever it is, I want it!
Some with say that it is not it, but Him. However, He has always been and will always be, so it is not just Him, but it is encounter with Him. It isn't about where He is, but about where we are in relation to Him. ( cf., Martin Buber)
Psalm 100 point us to it. It is about joy, gladness, singing, and knowing. It is about entering, praising, and thanksgiving. Sometimes I think I have it, but at other times it seems to elude me and I find myself at church working instead of worshipping.
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3 comments:
I would say sometimes God just moves them to get what they need there. When I was younger, I was part of Brownsville Revival, then God told me to go to Toronto to get what I needed there, then I went home to Kansas City to get some more ministry from IHOP. It was just what God was doing in that season. I would also encourage you to see your assembly is just one expression of the Church in your city. The people did not leave the church, they just left your fellowship or assembly.
Peter Vandever
www.myspace.com/petervandever
I do not believe you "get" anything from church. Where you are supposed to get is from your relationship with God. You give in church. You give of your time talent and treasure. This is what is missing from most churches and has lead to an americaized or consumerism mentality in the church world. After we have been saved and discipled, it is no longer about what we can get, but what we give, and that responsibility never ends. If we are discipled properly, than we maintain our relationship in fellowship with the Father through Holy Spirit thanks to the blood of Christ! We do not have to chase around a "move" of God all over the world. I preached a series of sermons many years ago at Conyers on the Tommy Tenney book called the God Chasers, and I somewaht regret it. Although the principles were sound, the name is a misnomer. God chases us by His Spirit and through His people and once He catches us, He puts us on the trail of chasing others that He wants, you know the last, the lost and the least. Chasing a move of God (espically going to other cities to do it) is about the most ridicuous thing I have ever heard of. How did the early christians ever make it without dropping everything and hoping a plane Brownsville. Now I am not knocking what happened in Brownsville, and if you want to get on a plane and go visit, I do not find any scriptural or any other problems with it. But to chase from city to city after a move of God to "get" what you need is a little short sighted. Is God not able to give me what I need right in my home in Covington, GA? Is He not omnipotent enough to move on me there? I am not going to buy the arguement either that He is looking for my "sacrifice" to take time of work and spend money to go somewhere else to get what I need...to me that is akin to the money changers and dove sellers in the temple, sure it cost you something, but that is not the sacrifice God is looking for...see Isaiah 58:6-10(actually the whole chapter) and that is even moreso in the NT.
Now as far as looking for a move of God. God already moved 2000 years ago at the cross, the tomb and the upper room and gave us ALL that we needed. He is now waiting for us to move...in our communties where He has placed us or wherever He sends us. Now if he sends you to Brownsville or to China to chase after those He loves, I have absolutely no problem with that. You want to see a move of God wherever you are invite the people in that most do not want...the prostitute, the john, the addict, the homeless,the hungry, the smelly, the people that will not be able to pay tithes for along time. How about the widow and the orphan, the number of kids with no Father figure in this area is astounding, and it is a self perpetuating problem. You sew into those people who have nothing to give and you meet their needs as best you can, do not focus on what you cannot do, just do what you can. Sure it means that your carpet and walls may get a little dirty, and because it will cost you money it means you will not be able to replace it as often as you like. But let me let you in on a little secret, when people do what God says to do, He takes care of them! You want revival in our churches start bringing in the people as mentioned above and do what you can and let God deliver them, you will see an unbelievable revival! Sure some of them will take advantage of you, some will steal from you, some will fall back into their addictions and it will hurt...but at least you will have some feeling again, not just going through the motions....and you will have been obedient to the Word of God and to the model Jesus set for us. Also, when the success do come and the Father miraculously or over time delivers and heals someone, revival will flow like never before because people will again believe that God can really help people. You know what you need for revival is new, you cannot get new if you just get people that just go from church to church dissatisfied, you get rehash instead of revival. You have to go out into the world. Remember the parable of the great feast - the invited guests(church folks) were too busy to come, so the master sent the servants(discipled christians) into the highways and byways to compel them to come in the sick, the lame, the haught(the orphan, the addict, the poor), then that had the feast master wanted to give them.
I did not mean to be so verbose, but the Kingdom is so upside down and backwards from what the world and most ime the church looks likes. Actually it is the other way around, the kingdom looks like it should...it is everything else that is upsidedown and backwards. One last thing, this is not only about racial integration in churches, which many churches are getting good at, but about socio-economic integration, which most churches are terrible at, but we will all be together in the kingdom, so why not now.
We go to church to worship God not to "get" Since when has God been the God of of "the give me what I want" mentality.
He demands our worship, He demands our love, our reverence.
Great post Richard, keep up the good work.
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