All of the “Pauline Epistles” (fancy term for letters in the New Testament written by Paul the Apostle) bear similar resemblance in the way arguments are developed… and looking at a text that we have been examining in the letter to the Romans, you can see this pattern of writing – systematic, linear argument and thought process – show itself again.
The way he wrote allows us to examine what he said in such a way that we are always conscious of what he talked about previously, what he is saying presently, and provides a foundation for the things he shall say in future passages. And so we can naturally move from talking about 3-fold foundational principles (my unique take on Romans 12 and its application to a worship ministry) on which to build an authentic and God-centered ministry through self-sacrifice, the transformation of the Holy Spirit and humility.
From somewhere in the book of Romans:
… Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we who are many form one body…
People who have grown up in evangelical-leaning churches would testify to the fact that this is possibly one of the most examined, quoted and over-used passages of scripture. However, in all my years of being in the church, I have only heard it talked about within its context perhaps once or twice. These words are extracted from a thought process that Paul is building upon in the book of Romans and if you look at the “foundational principles” that we talked about, it becomes easy to see the context in which this text lies.
People that are not willing living sacrifices… people that are not allowing the work of the Holy Spirit to transform them… people that are not overcoming pride through humility have a difficult time with the principle of one body with many members – each member being equally important. Ministries that have not emphasized the above-mentioned principles first may SAY that they agree with the Paul’s passage on “the body”, but will struggle to make it a reality because it is only lip service and not an actual ministry-defining value.
Churches that are torn apart because people and ministries cannot work together as the body of Christ go through trying times because the people and the ministries are too “jacked up” on themselves to see with transformed eyes of humility, and self-sacrifice.
City-wide church movements struggle to gain traction because churches across denominations inwardly refuse to acknowledge each other as equally important members of the body of Christ even though their leadership may pay lip service to it.
It’s curious that while individuals, ministries and churches may say that they buy into the principle of one body with many parts performing different functions, the reality of the church today is that we are a broken and fragmented bunch that have little-to-no real impact in society… at least that’s what the people outside of the church think.
As worship facilitators at Woodvale, our ministry to this church is just as important as other ministries to this same church. As individuals, there is no single person that is more important than another… and if you do not believe me, go ahead and excuse yourself from the ministry for a while and watch in amazement as the gap you left is instantaneously filled.
For 10 years of my life, I was an aspiring athlete and I remember the times when I would tweak some obscure muscle in my belly, arm, or leg… all of a sudden, my body was not well because of the pain that one little and seemingly useless part of my body was hurting. People that have gone through physical health challenges can tell you countless stories about how some small part of their bodies that goes pretty much unnoticed caused them so much trouble when it started malfunctioning.
Therefore, larger than the issues surrounding self-importance, is the issue of pain and suffering. If one member of the body suffers, the WHOLE body suffers… and this has a direct impact on what we do as facilitators of worship. If we are functioning well as a ministry that operates in humility and looks out for one another, it goes without saying that the suffering of one member has the ability to affect a whole ministry and a whole church.
So what now?
I believe that there is a far more powerful positive effect that can be realized in interpersonal relationships, ministries, churches and even at the inter-church, interdenominational level if the principle of “the body” is turned on its head and used to empower the body of Christ instead of destroy it.
The fact that we are a “body” means that sickness can spread through our members and wreak untold destruction, but by the same token, it means that sickness can be reversed if the body parts perform their function…
A “whole”, healed person is useful in creating a “whole”, healed ministry and “whole”, healed ministries influence the formation of “whole”, healed churches.
You may have noticed by now that I keep talking (pretty much every blog entry) about the contrast between churches that are getting things right and those that are not quite on the ball. My reason for talking in this way is because I am convinced that my purpose here at Woodvale is to help all that I serve alongside understand that CONNECTING PEOPLE TO GOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. A church that is “on the ball” is excellent at this.
A wholesome ministry that functions well, helps the church achieve this objective… a broken and fragmented one does not.
I challenge you to be a part of establishing and building a ministry and a church whose foundation is rock-solid and who understands that we are all equal members of one body set loose on this earth to advance the kingdom of God. It is certainly not an overnight process, but as we start by becoming living sacrifices, God’s fire deals with real issues in our life bringing about a transformation through the renewing of our minds and we are then strengthened to walk the road of victory over pride through humility. These individual processes help us to become better at functioning in healthy God-birthed unity with one another.
Romans 12: 4 - 8
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The pride of life
I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I have a lot to say this week and my hope is that you’ll be able to break it down into bite-sized chunks in order that you will understand the thread of thinking throughout the post.
I also apologize that this blog is not more christmas-like... but with the over abundance of christmas messages, readings, carols, etc... I would like to think that it will not be sorely missed in this blog.
So....
The past 2 posts on his blog, in my opinion, represent 2 of three foundation stones for my structure of thinking about worship and approaching each gathering of Christians that I lead in worship.
The first foundational principle about offering oneself as a living sacrifice is the completion of the principle of a “Sacrifice of praise”. The second foundation of a non-conformist attitude and a transformation of the mind moves us closer to being in step with the kind of leader that God chooses to use in ways that nobody could have imagined before.
Most people, however (I am one of them), find the third foundational principle the most difficult to deal with and this is the principle of humility.
Following below are some thoughts I wrote down about “ the pride of life” some 2 years back and how we can overcome it through Humility.
----------------------------------------------------
Think about life and humanity as we know it. If you are brutally honest with yourself and with those around you, you’ll agree with me in acknowledging that the easiest way to expose “the pride of life”; or the “ostentation of living” – ostentation is a big word to mean pretension, display, showiness or flamboyance – is to bring one’s reputation under scrutiny. Their reaction is VERY telling. Many of us have staked our reputation on temporal things in our lives or around us. For some of us, it is our intellect, while for others it is our numerous life skills. For others, it is our sports ability, while for others it may be our musical and artsy ability. Whatever it is, we have things for which we have been recognized publicly and we subconsciously and subtly start to place undue importance in these things. When these things are challenged we react negatively and it is a telling sign of the pride of life.
Many of the things that we have placed undue importance in and therefore allow pride to grow… many of these things do not need us to defend them. If really you have super sporting ability, the talent speaks for itself and does not need defense or flaunting. You do not need to walk around saying, “I’m the man!”
If you truly are an intellectual, your intellect will cause ripples among those with whom you interact on intellectual matters… it des not need your defense. If you are a truly gifted musician or artist, your music will become timeless and your gift will make such huge waves that you do not have to flaunt it. However, the temptation of pride is so subtle that it lures us into the trap of placing such high and yet undue importance in such things, only to be revealed when those things we have staked our reputation and self worth on are challenged.
You see, from the time you’re a child, there are numerous moments where you receive appreciation, affirmation and acknowledgement for things that you do; for who you are, or even for gifts, talents or special abilities that you have. There’s no problem with the praise that you receive because of these things, however, hardly anybody tells us that just because we have received praise for these things, it is not a license to place intrinsic importance in these things. We live in a society in which everybody flaunts their abilities, and so it is not any wonder that we find ourselves going along with the flow and being lured into the same kind of behavior: making a public show of who we are, and bringing unnecessary attention to our abilities, defending our gifts which should defend themselves, and defending the talent and position that should speak for itself. No matter who you are, you constantly face the tendency to be this way, and this is one of the ways that pride shows its face in our lives.
And then there are those of us that fall into the trap of being proud that we are so humble. And lots of energy and time is spent in creating opportunities for the display of our humility. Or we spend time wishing that the brash and obnoxious person we are in contact with could be as humble as we are… we are the perfect example of humility, modesty and meekness, and they really should learn from our example and be more like us!
However, there is an even uglier side of pride that I only discovered in my life recently. It’s the tendency to be overly self-effacing so that more and more praise is heaped; huge amounts of affirmation are dispensed. Because in being overtly brash, the amount of praise given would not satisfy the huge pit that my giant ego created. Somewhere in my mind, I had come to the primal understanding that I could get more praise and recognition about certain gifts by putting on a show of being humble or pretending to attach little value to a thing that was in fact so precious to me and a source of deep vanity and pride.
Something that I have increasingly come to understand is this: The sin of the pride of life takes root when we start to hinge our identity on temporal things – things that require us to call attention to them and is thus revealed in us when somebody challenges these temporary things.
On the surface, it seems inexplicable why we should somehow try to defend these temporal gifts, abilities, and positions. However, I believe that deep inside every single person, there is a basic understanding – a God-given understanding – that these things that lure us into pride are temporal. They are temporal because there will come a day when your gift cannot be used; there will come a day when you shall be removed from your position; there will come a day when your special abilities will fade. That is why it unconsciously becomes so important to us to flaunt it, and to defend it when challenged and even in the absence of challenge because it won’t be there one day.
Pride can only be overcome by humility
Humility is sometimes erroneously understood as putting oneself down; or as refusing to accept due praise and recognition. It has erroneously been made to seem – by some – that in order to be humble, you do not use your gifts and abilities with excellence for fear of bringing unnecessary attention to them. It has also been misconstrued by others to imply bringing as little attention to oneself as possible.
In the culture in which I grew, humble people did not look at elderly and respectable people in the eye it is considered brash and confrontational. Perhaps your version of humility requires you to dress as cheaply as possible or even to deny yourself any sort of comfort.
Does your version of humility require you to be overly self-effacing? Maybe it goes deeper than just a visual display… maybe your version of humility requires you to inwardly count all your abilities, gifts and position as worthless and therefore causes you to refrain from using them.
I believe that humility is so much more than just these things. Humility begins with identity realignment. The things in which you have placed personal importance – the things that you have hinged your identity and reputation on - are the things that have the ability to lure you into pride, or show you the path to humility.
I believe that for us, humility starts by becoming Christ-like and as I mentioned last week, by a renewing of the mind. By coming in contact with the person that walked this earth and perfectly embodied humility both in his heart and in his actions – this person is Jesus Christ. Outside of him, any other kind of humility is a façade.
Your identity in Christ is something that is received through faith, and is the only permanent thing on which you can hinge your whole identity. I am coming to understand more fully the importance of having an identity and a reputation that is firmly built on something that’s not temporary. If you understand that who you are and what you are able to do is because you are first and foremost a child of the most high God and he has called you his son or daughter, everything else in life gets realigned around this concept because you realize that it’s all worthless… everything else is temporary! You are able to see your gifts, talents and position with the perspective that God created them and gave them to you. And because they are powerless to lure you into pride, you are able to use them as God initially intended and in the process, instead of bringing all the attention to you, you are able to bring praise and honor to him through their use.
Your worth as a Child of God is tremendous – the price he paid to get you back shows it – and you do not need to defend it, and neither does God. Your worth comes from him and is completed by your faith in him. And so everything that you formerly used to bring definition and worth to who you are instead becomes a tool and an avenue to bring him glory.
Does that mean that there is no more recognition for the things you have done? No there isn’t, but it’s no longer important whether there is or there isn’t. You no longer need to call attention to your exploits.
So… what now?
Because we are a fallen people, each one of us is prone to succumbing to the sin of the pride of life – one of the most deceitful and hidden sins common to mankind. An even bigger problem with pride is that while all are prone to it, a significantly large percentage of us are not even willing to admit that we have allowed this cancer to consume us so much.
Unfortunately, for those of us for whom it is a struggle, the longer it takes to admit that we are being destroyed by this cancer, the bigger it grows within us and starts to choke the life out of us and those around us. Before you know it, the church leadership has to contend with unpleasant congregational members that are quick to see the wrong in everything in the church and yet are too proud to be open to correction or meaningful dialogue. Suddenly families are being ripped apart because the members in the family are too proud to sit down and have meaningful and level-headed discussion. Suddenly we find ourselves in a cut-throat world where it is the norm to have everybody living a life of selfish ambition, exploitation and greed because pride does not let them see the needs of those around them.
Do you know what’s absurd in all this? Almost every last one of the people caught in this web really and truly does not think that they are proud. This is the ultimate deceptiveness of the pride of life – its ability to remain concealed and fool the one it has trapped. It is regrettable, but it is the truth.
Only Jesus has the ability to cut through the lies and expose us for who we truly are. Only Jesus has the power to peel back the layers and help us see the damage that the cancer of the pride of life has caused in our lives and those around us. But he’s a gentle and caring doctor because the bible says that he understands, and is sympathetic to our situation because he was tempted in every way… even in the area of the pride of life.
---------------------------------------------
Matthew 4: 1 – 11
Philippians 2: 1 – 11
Romans 12: 3
---------------------------------------------
I believe that with every new level we achieve in our excellence in execution and presentation and seeing God’s hand of blessing, we experience a new and even more challenging test in the area of pride. I have seen the root of pride drive a wedge between people that were inseparable. I have also seen it completely destroy the foundation of ministries that seemed rock solid in the past. We need to make sure that we are constantly on our guard against the enemy’s subtle schemes to wreck our ministry together.
I got your back in this… do you have mine?
I also apologize that this blog is not more christmas-like... but with the over abundance of christmas messages, readings, carols, etc... I would like to think that it will not be sorely missed in this blog.
So....
The past 2 posts on his blog, in my opinion, represent 2 of three foundation stones for my structure of thinking about worship and approaching each gathering of Christians that I lead in worship.
The first foundational principle about offering oneself as a living sacrifice is the completion of the principle of a “Sacrifice of praise”. The second foundation of a non-conformist attitude and a transformation of the mind moves us closer to being in step with the kind of leader that God chooses to use in ways that nobody could have imagined before.
Most people, however (I am one of them), find the third foundational principle the most difficult to deal with and this is the principle of humility.
Following below are some thoughts I wrote down about “ the pride of life” some 2 years back and how we can overcome it through Humility.
----------------------------------------------------
Think about life and humanity as we know it. If you are brutally honest with yourself and with those around you, you’ll agree with me in acknowledging that the easiest way to expose “the pride of life”; or the “ostentation of living” – ostentation is a big word to mean pretension, display, showiness or flamboyance – is to bring one’s reputation under scrutiny. Their reaction is VERY telling. Many of us have staked our reputation on temporal things in our lives or around us. For some of us, it is our intellect, while for others it is our numerous life skills. For others, it is our sports ability, while for others it may be our musical and artsy ability. Whatever it is, we have things for which we have been recognized publicly and we subconsciously and subtly start to place undue importance in these things. When these things are challenged we react negatively and it is a telling sign of the pride of life.
Many of the things that we have placed undue importance in and therefore allow pride to grow… many of these things do not need us to defend them. If really you have super sporting ability, the talent speaks for itself and does not need defense or flaunting. You do not need to walk around saying, “I’m the man!”
If you truly are an intellectual, your intellect will cause ripples among those with whom you interact on intellectual matters… it des not need your defense. If you are a truly gifted musician or artist, your music will become timeless and your gift will make such huge waves that you do not have to flaunt it. However, the temptation of pride is so subtle that it lures us into the trap of placing such high and yet undue importance in such things, only to be revealed when those things we have staked our reputation and self worth on are challenged.
You see, from the time you’re a child, there are numerous moments where you receive appreciation, affirmation and acknowledgement for things that you do; for who you are, or even for gifts, talents or special abilities that you have. There’s no problem with the praise that you receive because of these things, however, hardly anybody tells us that just because we have received praise for these things, it is not a license to place intrinsic importance in these things. We live in a society in which everybody flaunts their abilities, and so it is not any wonder that we find ourselves going along with the flow and being lured into the same kind of behavior: making a public show of who we are, and bringing unnecessary attention to our abilities, defending our gifts which should defend themselves, and defending the talent and position that should speak for itself. No matter who you are, you constantly face the tendency to be this way, and this is one of the ways that pride shows its face in our lives.
And then there are those of us that fall into the trap of being proud that we are so humble. And lots of energy and time is spent in creating opportunities for the display of our humility. Or we spend time wishing that the brash and obnoxious person we are in contact with could be as humble as we are… we are the perfect example of humility, modesty and meekness, and they really should learn from our example and be more like us!
However, there is an even uglier side of pride that I only discovered in my life recently. It’s the tendency to be overly self-effacing so that more and more praise is heaped; huge amounts of affirmation are dispensed. Because in being overtly brash, the amount of praise given would not satisfy the huge pit that my giant ego created. Somewhere in my mind, I had come to the primal understanding that I could get more praise and recognition about certain gifts by putting on a show of being humble or pretending to attach little value to a thing that was in fact so precious to me and a source of deep vanity and pride.
Something that I have increasingly come to understand is this: The sin of the pride of life takes root when we start to hinge our identity on temporal things – things that require us to call attention to them and is thus revealed in us when somebody challenges these temporary things.
On the surface, it seems inexplicable why we should somehow try to defend these temporal gifts, abilities, and positions. However, I believe that deep inside every single person, there is a basic understanding – a God-given understanding – that these things that lure us into pride are temporal. They are temporal because there will come a day when your gift cannot be used; there will come a day when you shall be removed from your position; there will come a day when your special abilities will fade. That is why it unconsciously becomes so important to us to flaunt it, and to defend it when challenged and even in the absence of challenge because it won’t be there one day.
Pride can only be overcome by humility
Humility is sometimes erroneously understood as putting oneself down; or as refusing to accept due praise and recognition. It has erroneously been made to seem – by some – that in order to be humble, you do not use your gifts and abilities with excellence for fear of bringing unnecessary attention to them. It has also been misconstrued by others to imply bringing as little attention to oneself as possible.
In the culture in which I grew, humble people did not look at elderly and respectable people in the eye it is considered brash and confrontational. Perhaps your version of humility requires you to dress as cheaply as possible or even to deny yourself any sort of comfort.
Does your version of humility require you to be overly self-effacing? Maybe it goes deeper than just a visual display… maybe your version of humility requires you to inwardly count all your abilities, gifts and position as worthless and therefore causes you to refrain from using them.
I believe that humility is so much more than just these things. Humility begins with identity realignment. The things in which you have placed personal importance – the things that you have hinged your identity and reputation on - are the things that have the ability to lure you into pride, or show you the path to humility.
I believe that for us, humility starts by becoming Christ-like and as I mentioned last week, by a renewing of the mind. By coming in contact with the person that walked this earth and perfectly embodied humility both in his heart and in his actions – this person is Jesus Christ. Outside of him, any other kind of humility is a façade.
Your identity in Christ is something that is received through faith, and is the only permanent thing on which you can hinge your whole identity. I am coming to understand more fully the importance of having an identity and a reputation that is firmly built on something that’s not temporary. If you understand that who you are and what you are able to do is because you are first and foremost a child of the most high God and he has called you his son or daughter, everything else in life gets realigned around this concept because you realize that it’s all worthless… everything else is temporary! You are able to see your gifts, talents and position with the perspective that God created them and gave them to you. And because they are powerless to lure you into pride, you are able to use them as God initially intended and in the process, instead of bringing all the attention to you, you are able to bring praise and honor to him through their use.
Your worth as a Child of God is tremendous – the price he paid to get you back shows it – and you do not need to defend it, and neither does God. Your worth comes from him and is completed by your faith in him. And so everything that you formerly used to bring definition and worth to who you are instead becomes a tool and an avenue to bring him glory.
Does that mean that there is no more recognition for the things you have done? No there isn’t, but it’s no longer important whether there is or there isn’t. You no longer need to call attention to your exploits.
So… what now?
Because we are a fallen people, each one of us is prone to succumbing to the sin of the pride of life – one of the most deceitful and hidden sins common to mankind. An even bigger problem with pride is that while all are prone to it, a significantly large percentage of us are not even willing to admit that we have allowed this cancer to consume us so much.
Unfortunately, for those of us for whom it is a struggle, the longer it takes to admit that we are being destroyed by this cancer, the bigger it grows within us and starts to choke the life out of us and those around us. Before you know it, the church leadership has to contend with unpleasant congregational members that are quick to see the wrong in everything in the church and yet are too proud to be open to correction or meaningful dialogue. Suddenly families are being ripped apart because the members in the family are too proud to sit down and have meaningful and level-headed discussion. Suddenly we find ourselves in a cut-throat world where it is the norm to have everybody living a life of selfish ambition, exploitation and greed because pride does not let them see the needs of those around them.
Do you know what’s absurd in all this? Almost every last one of the people caught in this web really and truly does not think that they are proud. This is the ultimate deceptiveness of the pride of life – its ability to remain concealed and fool the one it has trapped. It is regrettable, but it is the truth.
Only Jesus has the ability to cut through the lies and expose us for who we truly are. Only Jesus has the power to peel back the layers and help us see the damage that the cancer of the pride of life has caused in our lives and those around us. But he’s a gentle and caring doctor because the bible says that he understands, and is sympathetic to our situation because he was tempted in every way… even in the area of the pride of life.
---------------------------------------------
Matthew 4: 1 – 11
Philippians 2: 1 – 11
Romans 12: 3
---------------------------------------------
I believe that with every new level we achieve in our excellence in execution and presentation and seeing God’s hand of blessing, we experience a new and even more challenging test in the area of pride. I have seen the root of pride drive a wedge between people that were inseparable. I have also seen it completely destroy the foundation of ministries that seemed rock solid in the past. We need to make sure that we are constantly on our guard against the enemy’s subtle schemes to wreck our ministry together.
I got your back in this… do you have mine?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Radical Minimum Standard (title borrowed... not mine)
I have a thought that I have shared with many congregations, groups and individuals when I have the chance to talk about the church and the fact that even though we are in the world, our new-found identity as members of the Body of Christ, grafted into his family requires us to not be OF this world.
I’m sure you have heard me say at least once that we need to become less Canadian and more Christian.
Because we live in a society in which the 10 commandments are regularly/generally followed with minor exceptions here and there, for many of us, there is not much distinction between our lives as Canadians before we knew Christ and our lives now that we are Christians.
I submit that because we call ourselves Christians, the state, country, kingdom to which we belong ceases to be our earthly state. As much as our physical bodies may exist and operate in a physical, earthly state, our citizenship changes and I think that this is what Paul talks about all throughout the book of Romans… helping the Roman Christians to understand the fundamental truth that their allegiance should be first and foremost to their newfound identity and should trump their original allegiances and patriotic tendencies.
Paul builds on a poignant charge to offer ourselves as “Living Sacrifices” holy and pleasing to God (which we looked at last week) with an even more demanding charge to refuse to conform any longer to the pattern of the world.
Because the pattern of the world in which we find ourselves – post-modern, post Christian Canada – bears some kind of resemblance to the pattern we should be following, my thought is that it is even more challenging for us as worshippers and Christians living in this society. The reason our “world” resembles Christianity so much is that we live in a society that was founded on Christian principles… and so just like children resemble their parents and share many traits, so our society right now resembles the Christian culture that founded it. The difference, however, is that the similarity only starts and ends in the resemblance, but does not continue to the motives, the values, and even the principles; and is evidenced by the fact that the patterns of the “world” in which we live cause as much harm (or even more) to society as the good they desperately try to do.
Therefore, this pattern, even though it bears resemblance, isn’t really a genuine pattern and therefore we must make sure that we are not conforming to a pattern that is counterfeit and extremely deceptive when it first sets in. I understand and will even concede that a lot of what Canadians (culture, patterns, tendencies) do is good, but if we are called to be non-conformist, it means that our minimum standard becomes more radical than the one in which we live in order that we are “set apart” as scripture calls us to be.
I believe that the church today needs to undergo what Paul calls a “transformation by the renewing of the mind” to capture the true essence of the radically different pattern of the kingdom of God on this earth. I also strongly believe that the “world” actually longs for this pattern of the kingdom of God because they are desperately trying to make this world a better place and exercise justice and mercy; albeit from their skewed point of view.
True justice and mercy can only be understood by somebody that has allowed the Spirit of God to reveal to them the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross – understanding that Jesus’ death was to satisfy Justice, and his victory over sin and the grave extended to us is an extravagant show of mercy. A worldview – a pattern - that acknowledges this is then able to exercise Justice and Mercy for more than humanitarian reasons.
What does this mean for us as worship ministers?
I think the answer comes from the last sentence of verse 2 in Romans 12, which says,
“ Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will”
A worship team that has chosen to live a life inspired by the Holy Spirit, that recognizes that their call is to be more than just conformists to the pattern of this world, is a worship team (I believe) that shall see in increasing measure God’s perfect will for their church and worship gatherings.
I therefore call all of us to a radically different minimal standard that requires us not only to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, but to live lives that may sometimes bear resemblance to the world, but are actually remarkably different. Obviously none of this is possible without yielding your life to the work of the Holy Spirit and the transforming power that he has… but we each have to make a cognitive decision to put ourselves under his will in order that this may be accomplished in our lives.
Romans 12: 2
----------------------------------------------
If you are a member of the choir, you’ll probably remember the first talk I gave when we resumed meetings for the fall in September ’07. One of the things I said back then is this: “You are on my side!”
If you were there for that meeting, you’ll probably remember that I said “Politics and political maneuvering has no place in the worship ministry at Woodvale”… and by politics, I was referring to using the processes of dissention and underhandedness to create a majority of dissenters and people working against the leadership – basically the bad side of politics.
I am happy to say that as a team, we are doing quite well in this area and I would like to urge us to keep this as a cornerstone value of our ministry. Because we are on the same side, we need not spend sideways energy fighting each other because there is a more important battle that we have to win – the battle for the souls of our congregation, family members, etc…
I think that this is directly tied in with the thoughts about being non-conformist with relation to the patterns of this world. May they see in us the ability to put differences aside to achieve the common goal of connecting people with God, and when we finally come before Jesus to give account for the ministry he placed in our hands, I pray that we will not be found wanting because we wasted time fighting each other and not the enemy.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers!
I’m sure you have heard me say at least once that we need to become less Canadian and more Christian.
Because we live in a society in which the 10 commandments are regularly/generally followed with minor exceptions here and there, for many of us, there is not much distinction between our lives as Canadians before we knew Christ and our lives now that we are Christians.
I submit that because we call ourselves Christians, the state, country, kingdom to which we belong ceases to be our earthly state. As much as our physical bodies may exist and operate in a physical, earthly state, our citizenship changes and I think that this is what Paul talks about all throughout the book of Romans… helping the Roman Christians to understand the fundamental truth that their allegiance should be first and foremost to their newfound identity and should trump their original allegiances and patriotic tendencies.
Paul builds on a poignant charge to offer ourselves as “Living Sacrifices” holy and pleasing to God (which we looked at last week) with an even more demanding charge to refuse to conform any longer to the pattern of the world.
Because the pattern of the world in which we find ourselves – post-modern, post Christian Canada – bears some kind of resemblance to the pattern we should be following, my thought is that it is even more challenging for us as worshippers and Christians living in this society. The reason our “world” resembles Christianity so much is that we live in a society that was founded on Christian principles… and so just like children resemble their parents and share many traits, so our society right now resembles the Christian culture that founded it. The difference, however, is that the similarity only starts and ends in the resemblance, but does not continue to the motives, the values, and even the principles; and is evidenced by the fact that the patterns of the “world” in which we live cause as much harm (or even more) to society as the good they desperately try to do.
Therefore, this pattern, even though it bears resemblance, isn’t really a genuine pattern and therefore we must make sure that we are not conforming to a pattern that is counterfeit and extremely deceptive when it first sets in. I understand and will even concede that a lot of what Canadians (culture, patterns, tendencies) do is good, but if we are called to be non-conformist, it means that our minimum standard becomes more radical than the one in which we live in order that we are “set apart” as scripture calls us to be.
I believe that the church today needs to undergo what Paul calls a “transformation by the renewing of the mind” to capture the true essence of the radically different pattern of the kingdom of God on this earth. I also strongly believe that the “world” actually longs for this pattern of the kingdom of God because they are desperately trying to make this world a better place and exercise justice and mercy; albeit from their skewed point of view.
True justice and mercy can only be understood by somebody that has allowed the Spirit of God to reveal to them the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross – understanding that Jesus’ death was to satisfy Justice, and his victory over sin and the grave extended to us is an extravagant show of mercy. A worldview – a pattern - that acknowledges this is then able to exercise Justice and Mercy for more than humanitarian reasons.
What does this mean for us as worship ministers?
I think the answer comes from the last sentence of verse 2 in Romans 12, which says,
“ Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will”
A worship team that has chosen to live a life inspired by the Holy Spirit, that recognizes that their call is to be more than just conformists to the pattern of this world, is a worship team (I believe) that shall see in increasing measure God’s perfect will for their church and worship gatherings.
I therefore call all of us to a radically different minimal standard that requires us not only to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, but to live lives that may sometimes bear resemblance to the world, but are actually remarkably different. Obviously none of this is possible without yielding your life to the work of the Holy Spirit and the transforming power that he has… but we each have to make a cognitive decision to put ourselves under his will in order that this may be accomplished in our lives.
Romans 12: 2
----------------------------------------------
If you are a member of the choir, you’ll probably remember the first talk I gave when we resumed meetings for the fall in September ’07. One of the things I said back then is this: “You are on my side!”
If you were there for that meeting, you’ll probably remember that I said “Politics and political maneuvering has no place in the worship ministry at Woodvale”… and by politics, I was referring to using the processes of dissention and underhandedness to create a majority of dissenters and people working against the leadership – basically the bad side of politics.
I am happy to say that as a team, we are doing quite well in this area and I would like to urge us to keep this as a cornerstone value of our ministry. Because we are on the same side, we need not spend sideways energy fighting each other because there is a more important battle that we have to win – the battle for the souls of our congregation, family members, etc…
I think that this is directly tied in with the thoughts about being non-conformist with relation to the patterns of this world. May they see in us the ability to put differences aside to achieve the common goal of connecting people with God, and when we finally come before Jesus to give account for the ministry he placed in our hands, I pray that we will not be found wanting because we wasted time fighting each other and not the enemy.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Starting out...
My desire is to see the worship ministry at Woodvale Pentecostal Church become so undeniably potent that what happens during our services becomes so much more than a duplication of services gone by, but an encounter with a transcendent, all powerful God.
My desire is that what happens at Woodvale through our worship services and encounters with God shall spill out into the congregations in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and even to the rest of the world.
I believe that we have entered into a new season as a church and that as God moves through all the ministries here at Woodvale, we too should position our hearts, lives, and energies in such a way that we capture God's heart for worship at Woodvale Pentecostal Church.
This blog is going to contain my thoughts on scriptures, concepts and ideas about worship that I feel led to share with the members of the worship team at Woodvale Pentecostal Church.
There will be a new entry every week, so feel free to bookmark this page and check back weekly for my most current blog about worship and music.
Blessings!
P
My desire is that what happens at Woodvale through our worship services and encounters with God shall spill out into the congregations in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and even to the rest of the world.
I believe that we have entered into a new season as a church and that as God moves through all the ministries here at Woodvale, we too should position our hearts, lives, and energies in such a way that we capture God's heart for worship at Woodvale Pentecostal Church.
This blog is going to contain my thoughts on scriptures, concepts and ideas about worship that I feel led to share with the members of the worship team at Woodvale Pentecostal Church.
There will be a new entry every week, so feel free to bookmark this page and check back weekly for my most current blog about worship and music.
Blessings!
P
Living Sacrifices?
I do not know if you have ever heard this before...
Somebody once said that the trouble with "living Sacrifices" is that they have a habit of jumping off the alter when the fire is turned on.
Anybody that has been in the church for a while has gained an understanding of what a "sacrifice" is, and therefore knows that in the ancient Jewish tradition, from which Christianity was born, the sacrifices to God were burnt up at the altar.
The concept of "Living Sacrifices" is taken from Paul's letter to the Romans and he launches into this concept after talking about the fact that we should be deeply grateful for the salvation that we have received and come to understand as gentiles. Jesus was born among the Jews and he worked really hard to reveal himself to them; but while many of them rejected him then, and still do even to this day, he chose also to reveal himself to the gentiles because he is a savior for all humanity.
Paul launches into the "living sacrifices" concept as a reflection on his argument/thesis about Jesus being a savior to all mankind and asserts that our Spiritual (reasonable) act of worship in view of this is to allow ourselves to be sacrifices.
But it is MUCH MORE than merely ALLOWING yourself, because that may suggest coercion at some level. He takes it up a notch and asks you to willingly OFFER yourself as a living sacrifice... making no room for coercion and making it about a cognitive process in the mind of the gentile unbeliever. According to Paul, it SHOULD be our natural response if we truly understand what it means for us to be grafted into the family of God through Jesus. This privilege requires us to willingly place ourselves on the alter of God and allow his fire to consume us even when it starts to get searingly hot and uncomfortable.
Because we are a worship team that seeks to connect people with God and see him move in ways that we could not have even began to imagine, we have to familiarize ourselves FIRST with the concept of being Living Sacrifices. Understand that what God wants to do in our church is not all going to be fun and games...understand that there will be rebuking, breaking, shaping, re-making, molding... processes that will not be easy for all of us as a church to go through, but as he refines us and changes us into the church he wants us to be, the people who lead the charge - pastors, and volunteer leaders - have to allow these processes to start with them first.
So instead of being an unwilling, unsuspecting Living Sacrifice that jumps off the altar at any sign of discomfort, I call you to a mental, spiritual and physical posture of surrender and humility. I call out to you to realize that in view of God's mercy and forgiveness, our reasonable, spiritual response is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God and allow him to refine and transform us.
Romans 12: 1
------------------
Speaking of the process of refining and transformation, I would like to bring to us all a thought that I have shared with everybody on the worship team at least once.
Communication
Whether you realize it or not, when you stand (or sit, in my case) on stage, your body and facial expressions have a subconscious resting place and if we are brutally honest, for most of us, it is not one that facilitates worship.
I cannot count the number of times I have sat through worship services where the worship team look like they were dragged out of their beds and forced to stand on stage and sing. I cannot count the number of times when I have watched a cantata or other choir presentation and wished most of the choir had not showed up because of the sour expressions on their faces.
All the entertainers and good speakers that we either loathe or love understand one fundamental principle... you communicate so much with your body without EVER SAYING ANYTHING.
A worship leader that desires to connect with the congregation well enough to be able to subsequently connect them with God understands that he or she cannot allow him or herself to be standing on stage with a nonchalant expression. This person understands that you cannot stand like an expressionless tree and somehow expect that people will emotionally connect with a God that spared no expense to get them back to him. This person grows in the understanding that in order to be a witness of exuberant worship, it has to start with them, and flow out to the congregation... or else a congregation that desires to be exuberant will feel awkward because the leaders do not "endorse" it through their actions. I know some will start to counter this with the whole conversation about varying levels of exuberance... but understand that a stoic worship team trains and eventually produces a stoic congregation. Conversely, an expressive worship team trains and eventually produces an expressive congregation; albeit haltingly at first, but without restraint in the end.
What is the picture of worship that you want to see at woodvale? You have to become an image of that picture before we see it manifest at the congregation-wide level here.
I'd like to end by making sure that you understand that this entry is about spurring us forward... not patting us on the back. I value you all, I respect you all, and I am thankful to be on the platform, in Jesus' service, and on the battlefield with all of you.
For his glory and for his fame!
Somebody once said that the trouble with "living Sacrifices" is that they have a habit of jumping off the alter when the fire is turned on.
Anybody that has been in the church for a while has gained an understanding of what a "sacrifice" is, and therefore knows that in the ancient Jewish tradition, from which Christianity was born, the sacrifices to God were burnt up at the altar.
The concept of "Living Sacrifices" is taken from Paul's letter to the Romans and he launches into this concept after talking about the fact that we should be deeply grateful for the salvation that we have received and come to understand as gentiles. Jesus was born among the Jews and he worked really hard to reveal himself to them; but while many of them rejected him then, and still do even to this day, he chose also to reveal himself to the gentiles because he is a savior for all humanity.
Paul launches into the "living sacrifices" concept as a reflection on his argument/thesis about Jesus being a savior to all mankind and asserts that our Spiritual (reasonable) act of worship in view of this is to allow ourselves to be sacrifices.
But it is MUCH MORE than merely ALLOWING yourself, because that may suggest coercion at some level. He takes it up a notch and asks you to willingly OFFER yourself as a living sacrifice... making no room for coercion and making it about a cognitive process in the mind of the gentile unbeliever. According to Paul, it SHOULD be our natural response if we truly understand what it means for us to be grafted into the family of God through Jesus. This privilege requires us to willingly place ourselves on the alter of God and allow his fire to consume us even when it starts to get searingly hot and uncomfortable.
Because we are a worship team that seeks to connect people with God and see him move in ways that we could not have even began to imagine, we have to familiarize ourselves FIRST with the concept of being Living Sacrifices. Understand that what God wants to do in our church is not all going to be fun and games...understand that there will be rebuking, breaking, shaping, re-making, molding... processes that will not be easy for all of us as a church to go through, but as he refines us and changes us into the church he wants us to be, the people who lead the charge - pastors, and volunteer leaders - have to allow these processes to start with them first.
So instead of being an unwilling, unsuspecting Living Sacrifice that jumps off the altar at any sign of discomfort, I call you to a mental, spiritual and physical posture of surrender and humility. I call out to you to realize that in view of God's mercy and forgiveness, our reasonable, spiritual response is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God and allow him to refine and transform us.
Romans 12: 1
------------------
Speaking of the process of refining and transformation, I would like to bring to us all a thought that I have shared with everybody on the worship team at least once.
Communication
Whether you realize it or not, when you stand (or sit, in my case) on stage, your body and facial expressions have a subconscious resting place and if we are brutally honest, for most of us, it is not one that facilitates worship.
I cannot count the number of times I have sat through worship services where the worship team look like they were dragged out of their beds and forced to stand on stage and sing. I cannot count the number of times when I have watched a cantata or other choir presentation and wished most of the choir had not showed up because of the sour expressions on their faces.
All the entertainers and good speakers that we either loathe or love understand one fundamental principle... you communicate so much with your body without EVER SAYING ANYTHING.
A worship leader that desires to connect with the congregation well enough to be able to subsequently connect them with God understands that he or she cannot allow him or herself to be standing on stage with a nonchalant expression. This person understands that you cannot stand like an expressionless tree and somehow expect that people will emotionally connect with a God that spared no expense to get them back to him. This person grows in the understanding that in order to be a witness of exuberant worship, it has to start with them, and flow out to the congregation... or else a congregation that desires to be exuberant will feel awkward because the leaders do not "endorse" it through their actions. I know some will start to counter this with the whole conversation about varying levels of exuberance... but understand that a stoic worship team trains and eventually produces a stoic congregation. Conversely, an expressive worship team trains and eventually produces an expressive congregation; albeit haltingly at first, but without restraint in the end.
What is the picture of worship that you want to see at woodvale? You have to become an image of that picture before we see it manifest at the congregation-wide level here.
I'd like to end by making sure that you understand that this entry is about spurring us forward... not patting us on the back. I value you all, I respect you all, and I am thankful to be on the platform, in Jesus' service, and on the battlefield with all of you.
For his glory and for his fame!
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