The Heart of Worship

 There are a lot of things that I do not like about modern worship music. I am old enough to remember the old hymns and choruses. I remember when we did not have to stand up just to sing in church. I remember when hymns were written by people who were real Christians. And we sang them to the Lord like He heard us. We have drifted far away from what I remember.

Today we sings songs about God and about Jesus. We sing songs where the focus is I, me, my, or mine. We sing about feelings not faith. We stand like we are at a concert, not in church. And the big failing is we think because we feel something we have been touched by the Holy Spirit.

It is possible to be moved emotionally and the Spirit not be present. It is possible to feel emotionally high and there is nothing of God present. Feelings and the Holy Spirit are not the same thing. I have heard music that moved me to tears and I have felt the surge of music that brought me to my feet. Rarely do I feel that in church.

First, music must be God focused and God worshipping. Second, God will inhabit our praises and we may feel nothing. Finally, Let the music bring us to our feet. There is absolutely nothing spiritual about standing up to sing. Feeling goose bumps is not evidence that God is moving.

We still must worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth!

Advice On Dating?

 Pastor Rubi announced that he would be preaching on dating. I was looking forward to hearing what he had to say on this subject. Instead, he preached like an old man who is telling young people what to look for in a potential mate. Nothing on dating. He came across to me like he was upset or annoyed by the subject that he chose to preach on.

I went home slightly disappointed. I figured he would speak mostly to young people about dating. I figured that I would have to glean among the sheaves to get something that would be useful to me. I didn't figure that he would not preach on dating after he went out of his way to announce his intentions.

The next day I went shopping for books on dating for widowers and older men. I ordered three books on this subject. They will be at my front door in a few days. I know how to get for myself what I didn't get in church.

I do not know if dating is in my future. I do not know if marriage is in my future. I am trusting that God will work this out for me when the time comes.

When Good Friends Leave

 An old friend informed me that he and his wife are leaving the Fellowship. They have been around for many years. They once were valuable parts of one of our churches. They got into a conflict with their pastor, and they left the church where they were saved under a dark cloud of accusation.

Their problems followed them to the Fellowship church they transferred to. And now, after a few years of feeling ignored and unappreciated, they have decided to just leave and go somewhere new where their Fellowship baggage carries no weight.

I have written before that very few people leave our churches over doctrine. It is usually over relationships or pastoral insensitivity. If you talk to your pastor and then he preaches on what you told him that is a deal breaker. If you tell a friend in confidence something and soon everyone in church knows about it that is a deal breaker. When you leave and you are the bad guy that is proof that you needed to leave.

This guy has been a good friend. I am not surprised or shocked that they have left. I will not follow his example and leave.

Things That Help A Church Grow.

 I am not an expert. But it seems to me that there are several things that are common to a growing church.

First, there must be a friendly people. A crowd draws a crowd. So any church will only grow in proportion to the size it currently is now. It's rare for a church of 30 to grow to 300. But a church of 300 can grow to 500 pretty easily. As long as the people there are willing to be enlarged and to welcome new folks.

Second, there must be quality ministry. No church will grow beyond the ability of the pastor to minister to it. A church with a terrible song service will have a hard time keeping new people. A one message pastor will not keep an audience coming back to hear what is new. The pastor and the people on stage must be appealing.

Third, there is the God factor. Talent works for a while. Charisma works for a while. But a church that grows and maintains their growth needs the Lord to be active in their midst. There needs to be an anointing and a blessing upon the ministry for people to be helped and changed for lasting growth. The Holy Spirit will help us if we set out to consecrate ourselves to His work. Find out what God is doing, and do that.

Is growth the end all of ministry? Are we exclusively focused on larger numbers? Numbers matter. The Bible kept count of things, so should we. God will not do our part, and we cannot do God's part. But together we can do something bigger than we can do on our own.

Time To Grow Up

 There is something that I see in our Fellowship that seems to be hard for me to understand. What I am talking about is the idea that everything is for everyone. Every service is for everyone. Every sermon is for everyone. Every ministry is for everyone. Every responsibility is for everyone. A music scene aimed at reaching young people but old folks feel the need to be there. Discipleship or leadership meetings and guys who will never go and never lead still want to be there. These are folks who would attend a marriage retreat if they could even if they are not married. If the doors are open they feel the need to be there.

In First Corinthians chapter 12 Paul uses the analogy of the the human body to explain how the church works. Go read it for yourself. There are different parts of the body that do different things. All are necessary. All are important. All are needed. And all are different and have different needs. This is true in your natural body. This is also true in the body of Christ.

It's normal when a brand new convert is so excited and wants to be in everything. Everything is brand new. Everything is fresh and something to be explored. But at the end of life, once the years have rolled on, things change. We cannot do what we used to do. We have tried everything; some things have worked, some things did not work. Marriage is different. Ministry is different. People change as they grow up and grow older. At least things should change. 

I see people acting like children and I wonder what is wrong with them. I do not admire them or honor them. Grownups acting like children is not cute. They are drinking milk when they ought to be eating meat.

Work out your own salvation is how the Bible puts it. If you are middle aged and still haven't figured out your place I feel sorry for you. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is foolish. It's time to grow up.

Attire Diminishes The Message

I just saw a guy preaching at Calvary Chappell South Bay. He was preaching on compromise. He was a middle aged white man. He was preaching. He was wearing a flowered shirt, khaki pants, and flip flops.

I'm sorry, but his attire made his message weak. I didn't hear his name and I don't care to know. 

"...for man looks at the outward appearance..." 

God may see the heart, but I don't. I was shocked to see a man dressed in flip flops behind any pulpit.

Truth or Theory?

 Science asks us to believe things that are abstract, assumed, or hypothetical. They give us an idea and ask us to believe, with no shred of proof, and accept their idea as fact. Science and mathematics live in the realm of theory or the theoretical.

God lives in the realm of truth. He only speaks truth. His word, the Bible, is only truth. 

"...Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4

We walk by faith, not by theory or assumption. God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We believe in Jesus because we have believed the Gospel. We believe in Jesus also because He has changed our lives. He has delivered us and we have been born again. This is not a theory to us, it is truth experienced.

One area where science and truth do not agree is in the idea of infinity. Infinity is an abstract idea which cannot be measured. But infinity is in contrast with the nature and character and revelation of Christ. God is not infinite. He is great and lifted up and mighty in wisdom and power. He holds creation in the palm of His hand. God does not have to be infinite, He just has to be greater than us. God is so great that Christ was sent to save us from our sins. Fully man and fully God, but limited in human form. Adam was created in God's image and likeness. Jesus came in man's image and likeness. God is Spirit, Christ is a faithful high priest to make intercession for us to God.

If you want your life built on solid rock, live for Jesus. Believe in unfounded and unproven theories and your will soon find yourself adrift on the sea of uncertainty and loneliness.