Mephibosheth.This seldom recognized character of the Old Testament is one who is easily dismissed as being one in a long list of bizarre names which many of us glance over as being an insignificant person in Scripture;however, his story speaks a powerful truth that needs to be present in the heart of a worshiper. His story, found in 2 Samuel 9:6-13 and 19:24-30, presents a man who has been the recipient of unfortunate circumstances more than once in his life. A tragic accident at five years old left Mephibosheth crippled for the rest of his life (2 Samuel 4:4). To make matters worse, by right, he was an potential heir to the throne of Israel which would have propelled him to a respectable life within the kingdom. Unfortunately, his grandfather Saul had destroyed that opportunity by losing the throne because of disobedience to the commands of the Lord. His father, Jonathan died when he was five and for several years he had to live in fear for his life not knowing what King David would do concerning the lineage of Saul. To his surprise, the King welcomed Mephibosheth into his family as one of his own sons (2 Samuel 9:6-1). Again, that was short lived as during the rebellion of Absalom, David fled Jerusalem, once again leaving Mephibosheth's fate uncertain.
During the time of David's absence from the palace, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came against the reputation of his master and accused Mephibosheth of being a traitor against King David. Ziba's deceit allowed him to be granted all Mephibosheth's inheritance (2 Samuel 16:1-4). Once more, Mephibosheth's life was given the "short end of the stick." He had lost everything---identity, possessions, and reputation. If the story were to end here, we could see the many parallels to our own lives. Like Mephibosheth, we too were given the right to be an heir. But our grandfather, Adam, disobeyed God and we lost our inheritance. At a very young age, we too become crippled when we were met with the tragic fall of our sin and although the King has offered to make us as one of His sons, our enemy has taken away our identity to make us feel as unworthy servants of our Master.
The difference, however, was that Mephibosheth was not defeated. Although he had no possessions,no identity, or no worthwhile reputation, there was something in him that no man could ever take away: a heart to be in the presence of the King! Think about that for a moment. Can you really say that the single most important thing in your life is to simply be in the presence of Jesus? Mephibosheth could have been distraught over the loss of his earthly pursuits. For all he knew, his secure "position" of being an invited guest at the King's table was now over. Yet, we do not see Mephibosheth crying out against injustice nor do we see him begging for the blessings of the king; rather, Mephibosheth cries out from the depths of his heart to his king "I only want your favor and to be in your presence" (2 Samuel 19:4,30).
Worship for Mephibosheth was not based on conditions. It was based upon the desire to simply be with his king. Although the enemy was attacking him and trying to destroy his life, Mephibosheth still looked for his king. The palace may have seemed empty and the king appeared to not be seated on the throne, but Mephibosheth still saw that his king was the one who ruled and reigned. How was this possible? How was he able to do what most of us would have struggled greatly at? The answer was not because in what he saw David do for his life but it was because of who he knew David to be! Sparing his life was a great enough act to gain Mephibosheth's loyalty. His reaction to the king in saying "Why should you even consider a dead dog like me?" (2 Samuel 9:8), shows the gratitude that Mephibosheth had toward David. But in David, Mephibosheth saw a love like no other love he had ever known. He came to know the heart of the man that went beyond keeping his promises of simply taking care of Mephibosheth, but bestowed upon him the right to be called a son of the king!
This brings us to the point. We base our lives upon circumstances so much that we often allow those things to cloud our vision of who God truly is. Both positive and negative events in our lives make us walk around the palace without concern where our King is in the midst of our lives. We feel no concern when the King isn't upon the throne and an imposter has taken over our kingdom. We are simply content to enjoy the blessings of being a "son" in the palace and eating at the King's table. The mystery of Mephibosheth worship is one of posture. It never ceases to see the King upon the throne of life no matter what life will bring. It knows of a King that loves like no other and if all that the King has given was to be taken away in this life, a worshiper like Mephibosheth would be fully satisfied to bow at the feet of the King and remain forever in His presence.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Worshiping From Afar
Do you ever worship from "afar?" For many of us, we've not considered that question. After all, we want to be close to the Lord so why would we want to worship Him from a distance? We are captured by certain worship songs that draw us close to the heart of the Father and make us feel as if we are being held in His embrace. As infinite as God is, He has allowed Himself to be a God that can be personal and "one on one" with those who desire to know Him. So why would I even consider worshiping Him from afar?
If you have ever been in the position of a worship leader for a local congregation, you may have experienced the desire of certain congregants who have longed to worship God from afar. The cultural shift to a postmodern mindset has influenced the approach to worship on the emphasis of making Jesus a "personal God." It is important to the understanding of modern Christians that God be able to relate to us and to show us in a deeply personal way that He loves us. For this generation, "truth" must be more than a conceptual fact that can be verified through logic or science; rather, "truth" must be something that is personally experienced. These are the worshipers who wholeheartedly embrace the music of modern worship. It is intimate, relevant, and easily personalized. There is however, another group of people within the Body of Christ who desire to return to the music of the past: the old hymns!
Hymns often convey the deep theological truths that have been central to the Christian faith but are not without their problems. Lyrically, they are rich with poetic phrases in a language which simply do not communicate to the modern Christian. Musically, many of them are not as engaging as the current rhythms of contemporary music. The argument that many use against their usage is that they simply are not relevant for today's church. In some ways I am inclined to agree. I believe that using hymns with outdated language and foreign rhythm patterns from generations ago makes it a difficult tool in inspiring worship in the church. The essence and goal of the hymns, however, is absolutely necessary but unfortunately lost in the modern day church setting.
As great as the songs about God being near and close to us are, they are at the same time dangerous if the church does not balance that perspective of God. What is commonly called as God's "imminence," it is the seeing of a God that is "near" to us. Yes, He is near and yes, He is intimately personal. But God is much,much more than that. If all I see Him as is my "personal God" then I run the risk of making Him someone that accommodates me. He becomes a God that fits my way of thinking and I can comfortably live out my Christian faith knowing that God is my "closest friend."
The essence of the "hymns" focused upon what is called God's "transcendence." In a simple definition, it is God who is far away because He is the omnipotent,omniscient, and omnipresent unfathomable God! It is God's majesty and splendor that is displayed in ways far beyond our understanding. As much as we would like to believe it, I have to agree with D.A. Carson when he said, "God is not our friend, we are God's friend." He simply cannot become that common to us. Because we have so focused upon being "relevant" to the world around us, we have also strayed and attempted to make God relevant as well. We have lost the awesomeness of God that distinguishes Him as Creator and Ruler of the Universe. We've lost the response of Isaiah who saw the transcendent God and cried "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (Basically, I'm going to die!) We have promoted God as love, grace, and mercy and have left out the fact that he is King, Judge, and to be feared.
The truth is, unless we learn to see the transcendence of God, we can never come to fully appreciate His imminence. In fact, if the imminence of God is not making you realize His transcendence, then what you are seeing is not a true picture of God. When God drew close to Isaiah, the prophet then realized God's transcendence and he was never the same again! (Isaiah 6). In worship, both a transcendent picture of God and an imminent picture of God must be realized. His transcendence draws us to imminence while His imminence draws us to His transcendence. If its been a while since you worshiped Him from afar, ask God to once again open your eyes to see Him in His glory and transcendence allowing yourself to be surprised at the wonder and awe of our Lord!
If you have ever been in the position of a worship leader for a local congregation, you may have experienced the desire of certain congregants who have longed to worship God from afar. The cultural shift to a postmodern mindset has influenced the approach to worship on the emphasis of making Jesus a "personal God." It is important to the understanding of modern Christians that God be able to relate to us and to show us in a deeply personal way that He loves us. For this generation, "truth" must be more than a conceptual fact that can be verified through logic or science; rather, "truth" must be something that is personally experienced. These are the worshipers who wholeheartedly embrace the music of modern worship. It is intimate, relevant, and easily personalized. There is however, another group of people within the Body of Christ who desire to return to the music of the past: the old hymns!
Hymns often convey the deep theological truths that have been central to the Christian faith but are not without their problems. Lyrically, they are rich with poetic phrases in a language which simply do not communicate to the modern Christian. Musically, many of them are not as engaging as the current rhythms of contemporary music. The argument that many use against their usage is that they simply are not relevant for today's church. In some ways I am inclined to agree. I believe that using hymns with outdated language and foreign rhythm patterns from generations ago makes it a difficult tool in inspiring worship in the church. The essence and goal of the hymns, however, is absolutely necessary but unfortunately lost in the modern day church setting.
As great as the songs about God being near and close to us are, they are at the same time dangerous if the church does not balance that perspective of God. What is commonly called as God's "imminence," it is the seeing of a God that is "near" to us. Yes, He is near and yes, He is intimately personal. But God is much,much more than that. If all I see Him as is my "personal God" then I run the risk of making Him someone that accommodates me. He becomes a God that fits my way of thinking and I can comfortably live out my Christian faith knowing that God is my "closest friend."
The essence of the "hymns" focused upon what is called God's "transcendence." In a simple definition, it is God who is far away because He is the omnipotent,omniscient, and omnipresent unfathomable God! It is God's majesty and splendor that is displayed in ways far beyond our understanding. As much as we would like to believe it, I have to agree with D.A. Carson when he said, "God is not our friend, we are God's friend." He simply cannot become that common to us. Because we have so focused upon being "relevant" to the world around us, we have also strayed and attempted to make God relevant as well. We have lost the awesomeness of God that distinguishes Him as Creator and Ruler of the Universe. We've lost the response of Isaiah who saw the transcendent God and cried "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (Basically, I'm going to die!) We have promoted God as love, grace, and mercy and have left out the fact that he is King, Judge, and to be feared.
The truth is, unless we learn to see the transcendence of God, we can never come to fully appreciate His imminence. In fact, if the imminence of God is not making you realize His transcendence, then what you are seeing is not a true picture of God. When God drew close to Isaiah, the prophet then realized God's transcendence and he was never the same again! (Isaiah 6). In worship, both a transcendent picture of God and an imminent picture of God must be realized. His transcendence draws us to imminence while His imminence draws us to His transcendence. If its been a while since you worshiped Him from afar, ask God to once again open your eyes to see Him in His glory and transcendence allowing yourself to be surprised at the wonder and awe of our Lord!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Us or Them?
While sitting in my Sunday school class yesterday, the class was presented with some troubling statistics that spoke of the church's failure to reach their world for Christ. Among the discussion points that sparked a spirited debate was in considering if the given statistics were an accurate assessment of today's Christian or if it was skewed due to the fact that the world carries a presupposition of postmodern thinking? Us or Them? It's an interesting question to tackle and like yesterday's class, an argument can be made for both. The real question, however, was not explored. What the church should be asking is "What has changed?" Culture has always been in a state of change and inherit to the world is a hatred for the church. Since the fall of man, those in the world have always opposed God. The church, on the other hand, has had its moments of significant impact upon the world. Even in America, we have experienced Great Awakenings and extended revivals that have significantly affected our nation. Although the world is opposed to the church, there was once a time in our nation when the world actually had respect for the church. Things are much different today. Yes, there is the truth that in the last days the world will increase in wickedness; however, the world has always been practicing wickedness in the eyes of the Lord. So what has changed?
An honest answer to the question is simple: the church, like culture, has changed with the trends and fads of life. The church has become more like the world than the world like the church. This is the source of the problem. Why does the world consider the church to be "hypocritical, judgmental, and anti-everything?" Because the church is behaving like the world. We've promoted it in our churches by developing church growth businesses, seeker sensitive theology, and emergent heresy---and we call it "the church!" Although we have a difficult time finding a strong Biblical argument for finding ways to make the church "attractive" for the world, we label it as a form of creative evangelism in which we are trying to become "all things to all men." The end result is many converts but few disciples!
We cannot be Jesus to the world when for the most part, the church has no clue of who He is. Sure, we know about Him, but do we really KNOW Him?
This brings me to my point. True Christians have always been hated by the world and that's the way it should be. They should not be able to relate to our belief system, worship, or our culture within the four walls of the church. This however, does not excuse us from the one part of us that can relate to the world----Jesus Christ. After all, He is the Creator of this world. The issue is one of worship. The more we truly worship, the more we capture the heart of God. The result of worship should be Christ-likeness and their lies the problem. The reason the world sees us the way they do is because they cannot see Jesus through our lives. Gandhi said it best when he said something like "Your Jesus I like, it's His followers that I don't." Our methods, our debates, and even our relational attempts with unbelievers will not work---unless the life of Christ is radiating through our lives. The best thing that the American church can do for reaching this world is to come back to the heart of worship. Make the Christian life about Christ once again. If you're still unsure that worship is the key in reaching the lost, think about the 120 disciples in the upper room seeking the face of God. They were hated by the world, but they went forth in the power and presence of Christ winning people to Jesus.
An honest answer to the question is simple: the church, like culture, has changed with the trends and fads of life. The church has become more like the world than the world like the church. This is the source of the problem. Why does the world consider the church to be "hypocritical, judgmental, and anti-everything?" Because the church is behaving like the world. We've promoted it in our churches by developing church growth businesses, seeker sensitive theology, and emergent heresy---and we call it "the church!" Although we have a difficult time finding a strong Biblical argument for finding ways to make the church "attractive" for the world, we label it as a form of creative evangelism in which we are trying to become "all things to all men." The end result is many converts but few disciples!
We cannot be Jesus to the world when for the most part, the church has no clue of who He is. Sure, we know about Him, but do we really KNOW Him?
This brings me to my point. True Christians have always been hated by the world and that's the way it should be. They should not be able to relate to our belief system, worship, or our culture within the four walls of the church. This however, does not excuse us from the one part of us that can relate to the world----Jesus Christ. After all, He is the Creator of this world. The issue is one of worship. The more we truly worship, the more we capture the heart of God. The result of worship should be Christ-likeness and their lies the problem. The reason the world sees us the way they do is because they cannot see Jesus through our lives. Gandhi said it best when he said something like "Your Jesus I like, it's His followers that I don't." Our methods, our debates, and even our relational attempts with unbelievers will not work---unless the life of Christ is radiating through our lives. The best thing that the American church can do for reaching this world is to come back to the heart of worship. Make the Christian life about Christ once again. If you're still unsure that worship is the key in reaching the lost, think about the 120 disciples in the upper room seeking the face of God. They were hated by the world, but they went forth in the power and presence of Christ winning people to Jesus.
Monday, May 9, 2011
"Is He Even Listening?"
I had a great opportunity the other day in being able to further my friendship with a "brother in arms" who has an extensive worship ministry that has literally impacted thousands of people around the world. As he shared from his heart, I was both enlightened and encouraged in my faith. During our conversation, he had relayed a conversation which he had with a worship leader who was struggling with the current condition of the apathetic church. While this leader was at a worship conference and the constituents were discussing various topics on worship ministry, this leader said something profound which brought a holy "hush" over the crowd. In recognizing all that worship leaders do to ensure that the worship service has the meaning and impact that we desire it to, the leader simply responded "...but is He (God) even listening?"
Is He even listening? I think of the passage in Amos 5:23-24, "Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never ending stream." As Amos spoke these words, he was doing so to a people who neglected to worship the Lord through extending "justice" and doing "righteousness." In fact, this was one of Israel's besetting sins. They had failed to feed the hungry, help the poor, and extend mercy to their fellow man. In one sense, the worship practices of Israel had become nothing more than self-absorbed expressions of ritual.
I wonder how that compares to the world in which we live today? Has the church become so self-absorbed that we are no different than Israel was in Amos' day? Don't get me wrong, I love to worship the Lord. As a song writer and worship leader, I am especially drawn to the songs that promote a deeper intimacy with the Lord.But have we become so consumed with drawing close to God that we have failed to draw close to man? Mark Labberton, author of The Dangerous Act of Worship describes worship as being "the dangerous act of waking up to God and to the purposes of God in the world, and then living lives that actually show it." This begs the question, "Is my worship true worship if it does not change my life in such a way that I am showing my connection with the Father by actually fulfilling His mission for this world?" The message of the Gospel goes beyond mere words followed by a prayer. It is the life of Christ in action through our lives.
Jesus proclaimed that "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..."(Luke 4:18). Worship for the Jesus went beyond simply experiencing God; rather, he allowed people to experience God through His life. That is the essence of justice. To be God's hands and feet reaching and going to those who in are need. Is He even listening? Without a doubt He hears the cries of those in captivity and those who are afflicted in spirit but what about when I cry out to want to experience Him more? Perhaps it is that he hears but will only listen when I decide to allow Him to be experienced through me to a world in desperate need of His saving grace.
Is He even listening? I think of the passage in Amos 5:23-24, "Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never ending stream." As Amos spoke these words, he was doing so to a people who neglected to worship the Lord through extending "justice" and doing "righteousness." In fact, this was one of Israel's besetting sins. They had failed to feed the hungry, help the poor, and extend mercy to their fellow man. In one sense, the worship practices of Israel had become nothing more than self-absorbed expressions of ritual.
I wonder how that compares to the world in which we live today? Has the church become so self-absorbed that we are no different than Israel was in Amos' day? Don't get me wrong, I love to worship the Lord. As a song writer and worship leader, I am especially drawn to the songs that promote a deeper intimacy with the Lord.But have we become so consumed with drawing close to God that we have failed to draw close to man? Mark Labberton, author of The Dangerous Act of Worship describes worship as being "the dangerous act of waking up to God and to the purposes of God in the world, and then living lives that actually show it." This begs the question, "Is my worship true worship if it does not change my life in such a way that I am showing my connection with the Father by actually fulfilling His mission for this world?" The message of the Gospel goes beyond mere words followed by a prayer. It is the life of Christ in action through our lives.
Jesus proclaimed that "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..."(Luke 4:18). Worship for the Jesus went beyond simply experiencing God; rather, he allowed people to experience God through His life. That is the essence of justice. To be God's hands and feet reaching and going to those who in are need. Is He even listening? Without a doubt He hears the cries of those in captivity and those who are afflicted in spirit but what about when I cry out to want to experience Him more? Perhaps it is that he hears but will only listen when I decide to allow Him to be experienced through me to a world in desperate need of His saving grace.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Missing the Heart of Worship
As I was recently browsing the internet, I came across a powerful song in which the lyrics and music captured my attention. What made the particular video so powerful, beyond the stated, was the broken individual who was leading the song. I watched as the passion and heart of this man called out with a voice of faith to the "Healer" of the sickness that was taking his life. With oxygen tubes attached to his nose, it seemed as if every struggling breath he took was for the glory of the Lord. My heart welled up with compassion as I thought about the humility portrayed by this dying man who was not giving up his faith in the midst of the fight and who decided with every breath that he would worship the Lord.
My curiosity always seems to get the best of me when I come across stories that inspire me to further consider my walk with the Lord. As I searched for more information about this man, the Lord used his story to challenge me but not in the way I would have expected. As beautiful as I thought this story was, it had a shocking outcome. This man who had beautifully sang his praise before the Lord had a dark secret that not even the closest to him knew about and as with all things, the truth was finally revealed: this man was not dying nor was he sick! To make matters worse, thousands of dollars were collected on his behalf as he attracted the sympathies of those who connected with his story. In the end, it was revealed that the man created this lie in order to attempt to ease his pain from an addiction to pornography.
My interest in this story continued as a scripture came to me in the middle of the night. Isaiah 29:13 states "The Lord says, 'these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." I begin to think about how in the case of this worship leader, this verse spoke truth; however, as I thought about the verse I realized it was also speaking to me! One thing in which often forget is that when it comes to sin, God sees it all the same. Yes, it was an incredibly selfish act on part of this worship leader to have deceived so many people in the name of Christ; however, does God see my selfishness any differently? What about the times I "worship" Him and my thoughts are thinking about what I have to do for the day? What about the times in which I offer a "shout of praise" while the whisperings of sin exist in my heart?
At the very heart of worship lies an integrity of spirit. To pretend to honor the Lord with my words while there are things in my life which do not honor him is missing the heart of worship. Worship is not an "act" of my faith. It is the very essence of my faith. All of my life---my thoughts, my words, my activities should reflect the fact that I am a worshiper of the Lord Jesus Christ! By attempting to convince myself otherwise is to be a friend of hypocrisy. I may relish in the fact that I am a "Christian" and that God's "grace is enough," but I cannot call myself a worshiper if there are areas of my life that do not please the Lord. We can pretend that God accepts our worship on our own terms (...worship made up of only rules taught by men)but in the end, we would only be fooling ourselves.Worship is not about God accepting us. Our lives in Christ are not meant to remain the same. Worship is about us accepting God into our lives----our actions, thoughts, activities, motives, and in the things that bring us pleasure. If we will strive to become like Christ in all things, then we will find that we have grasped the heart of worship.
My curiosity always seems to get the best of me when I come across stories that inspire me to further consider my walk with the Lord. As I searched for more information about this man, the Lord used his story to challenge me but not in the way I would have expected. As beautiful as I thought this story was, it had a shocking outcome. This man who had beautifully sang his praise before the Lord had a dark secret that not even the closest to him knew about and as with all things, the truth was finally revealed: this man was not dying nor was he sick! To make matters worse, thousands of dollars were collected on his behalf as he attracted the sympathies of those who connected with his story. In the end, it was revealed that the man created this lie in order to attempt to ease his pain from an addiction to pornography.
My interest in this story continued as a scripture came to me in the middle of the night. Isaiah 29:13 states "The Lord says, 'these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." I begin to think about how in the case of this worship leader, this verse spoke truth; however, as I thought about the verse I realized it was also speaking to me! One thing in which often forget is that when it comes to sin, God sees it all the same. Yes, it was an incredibly selfish act on part of this worship leader to have deceived so many people in the name of Christ; however, does God see my selfishness any differently? What about the times I "worship" Him and my thoughts are thinking about what I have to do for the day? What about the times in which I offer a "shout of praise" while the whisperings of sin exist in my heart?
At the very heart of worship lies an integrity of spirit. To pretend to honor the Lord with my words while there are things in my life which do not honor him is missing the heart of worship. Worship is not an "act" of my faith. It is the very essence of my faith. All of my life---my thoughts, my words, my activities should reflect the fact that I am a worshiper of the Lord Jesus Christ! By attempting to convince myself otherwise is to be a friend of hypocrisy. I may relish in the fact that I am a "Christian" and that God's "grace is enough," but I cannot call myself a worshiper if there are areas of my life that do not please the Lord. We can pretend that God accepts our worship on our own terms (...worship made up of only rules taught by men)but in the end, we would only be fooling ourselves.Worship is not about God accepting us. Our lives in Christ are not meant to remain the same. Worship is about us accepting God into our lives----our actions, thoughts, activities, motives, and in the things that bring us pleasure. If we will strive to become like Christ in all things, then we will find that we have grasped the heart of worship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)