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“Worship” is a very confused word.  Most often when we hear it, it is meant to communicate something about singing religious music or attending a religious event in a religious location.  So now that I’ve irritated you by using the “R” word 3 times in one sentence, let me assert that I do not believe the word “worship” refers to that which we would consider “religious.”

Worship, in my opinion, is speaking or acting in a way that puts Jesus first, Others second, and You last.  When you do this, you’re acting the way Jesus would act if He were You….no matter where you are.  THIS is the heart of worship, and this weekend I had the pleasure of working my butt off with a few dozen volunteers to rebuild a terribly damaged roof for a 91-year old low-income widow.

Two of my favorite verses about this:

“I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12:1-2)

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

I am certainly supportive of gathering with other followers of Jesus to worship….BUT, how would the world be impacted if Christians were focused on worshiping God primarily outside of religious places and events?

“It’s Not “Go And Become Disciples”” Jesus did not say, “Go and become disciples.” Of course, you can’t give what you don’t have, so becoming a disciple is important. But for at least one generation, we have emphasized “becoming” at the expense of “making.” The result? We have created a spiritually obese generation of disciples with no vision to make other disciples. They are spiritual overeaters that don’t get enough exercise. It has created a huge bottleneck for reaching younger generations with the Gospel. Most Christians today are not contagious. We sneeze and nobody catches what we have. The solution? There is a lot to it – like training. But the starting point is that we need to recast the vision for “making” disciples. And what if you are already making disciples? Make sure you’re equipping your disciples to “make” disciples, not just “become” disciples. You’re not making disciples until your disciples are making disciples.” –Patrick Morley

Would you consider yourself a follower of Jesus?…a “Christian” (which literally means “little Christ”)?  If so, then hear this: The world we live in could care less about the doctrines we believe, because they don’t believe that we care.

The way we live our lives, the way we gather together, the way we position ourselves in the world, our financial priorities…everything must reflect Him.  If not, then we are missing His intent, thereby missing Him within us, and mis-representing him to the world around us…and falling into the same trap as the Pharisees.

What was Jesus’ reputation in society? A man of extravagant grace to the weak and sinful, but strongly opposed to the religious establishment that put up barriers between people and God.  He personally sought relationship with His Father through holy living, fervent prayer, and personal sacrifice…but in His dealings with the surrounding culture was characterized by such scandalous grace for those in need, and mercy for those living in sin, that He was excommunicated and murdered by those who thought that godliness was about upholding all the rules and keeping impure people out of the fellowship.

In our world, in our culture, in this day, we need to reflect the truth that each of us has been forgiven of much.  We need to be known and appreciated as people of self-sacrificial love for people who don’t believe what we believe, rather than a bunch of self-righteous zealots who shut the door of the Kingdom of God in peoples’ faces.

What pattern is your life weaving?

Most of us are one or the other, but not both.  It can switch back & forth; depending upon the circumstances we find ourselves in, or the current condition of our own fragile egos.  Grace-oriented people tend to live from their hearts, focused on finding the good in others and building bridges between people.  Truth-seekers are more about discerning wisdom and meaning in everything, understanding the world within them and around them in terms of what is right & wrong.

Which are you?  Which is right?  Which is more reflective of Jesus, and His will for us?

Jesus is both.  He has the uncanny ability to hold one without losing grip on the other.  We’re most often not like that.  (This is probably going to sound funny, but I think that women are better at this than men.  It’s related to multi-tasking, and everyone knows that men, for the most part, are lame compared to women in this.  Do I mean that women are stereotypically more like Jesus than men?  Yeah probably.  But that has nothing to do with this blog, so I digress….)

Why is this important?  Because I think we’re all lopsided toward Grace OR Truth, and if we’re really going to live the life of Jesus, and reflect Him to the world around us, we need to learn to embrace the TENSION He invites us to live inside of between the extremes.  This is about balance.  This is about the big picture.  This is about Jesus’ ability to teach unashamed against sin, and simultaneously to extend friendship to the sinner.

A group of very religious men once brought to Jesus a lady who had been caught in the act of adultery.  (which brings a bunch of questions into my mind, but once again, I digress…)  They wanted to see which side Jesus would land on.  It was a trap, because the law of the land at the time demanded that the woman be stoned to death. I can almost hear their rage-filled, raspy voices yelling condemnation.  Jesus, after ignoring them for a bit of time, simply says “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  One by one, they all let go of their stones and leave. Jesus speaks to her:

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  (John 8:10-11)

I think this is absolutely amazing, and something that all of us who want to follow Jesus need to learn more about.  Jesus extends grace/friendship, “neither do I condemn you”; but maintains truth/right & wrong, “leave your life of sin.”

This hits me between the eyes….between the extremes of legalism/judmentalism on one side, and looseness/complacency on the other.  Am I condemning someone that Jesus is calling me to love? Am I ignoring the sin of someone Jesus is calling me to confront?

What is Jesus saying to you today?

I can’t think of a better way to respond to the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, or to honor the people who senselessly died there, than to share about the good, life-giving projects that Catalyst is involved with.  There always seems to be plenty of bad news in the world; but by sharing & giving away some of the time & energy & resources we’ve been given, we can overcome it with good…at least in the world within our reach! 

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Click this link to learn about the good that 100 volunteers did for a struggling single mom and her family in August 2014 at the HOWARD PROJECT near Portland, OR.

Any act of self-sacrifice done on behalf of another, with no benefit sought for the giver, overcomes evil in this world and becomes a conduit for the overpowering love of God in it.

This morning during my Bible time, I came across Psalm 9.  At first I didn’t recognize it, but as I continued reading I realized that parts of this Psalm were the basis for one of my favorite songs from back in my days as a worship leader.  For those of you who’ve only known me for the past 15 years or so, it’s probably hard to imagine me as the guy on a church stage with a guitar and microphone, but that was one of my main roles in several ministries back in the day.
 
Psalm 9 Song Lyrics:
    I will praise You, Oh Lord with all my heart.
    I will tell of Your wonders. I’ll be glad and exalt in Thee.
    I will sing praises to Your Name, Oh Most High!

Those days are long behind me now; and if I’m being totally honest, I don’t really miss them.  Not because I don’t love to sing worship songs to God…I do.  But as the years have gone by, and I’ve met and sang songs with thousands of worshippers, I have not seen much genuine, lasting transformation happen as a result of it.  I think we’ve put too much emphasis on it.  Call me disillusioned or skeptical, but it’s always bugged me how the word “worship” has come to be defined as “singing worship songs in a religious setting”….and how so many fervent church-goers walk out of the “worship center” and it makes little difference in how Jesus is made manifest in their daily lives.  This is why I’m not nearly as “into it” as I used to be…why I don’t sing all the time in those environments.  I’m often looking around wondering how many of the people closing their eyes, raising their hands, and singing with all their hearts actually really truly mean what they’re singing and intend on living it out on Monday through Saturday….or….do they think that this is what God wants from us, that these kinds of moments are what He needs to see from us in order to bless us.  Is that what worship means?

The word “worship” in the New Testament is most commonly derived from the Greek word “PROSKUNEO”…which literally means to “kiss towards”…or, figuratively, to “blow a kiss”….and it virtually never refers to singing.  Singing was mentioned a few times in the New Testament, but for the most part it was a function of the Old Testament temple.  So what does “worship” refer to? What it DOES refer to is living.  Worship is not a religious activity…it is living a lifestyle that honors, loves, and blows kisses to God in the midst of daily life.
    Worship is being kind to irritating people.
    Worship is obeying and honoring your parents.
    Worship is sacrificing what you want for the benefit of another.
    Worship is telling the truth even when it hurts.
    Worship is speaking words that build others up in love.
    Worship is being a faithful employee.
Worship is living this kind of God-honoring lifestyle, not because was HAVE TO in order to be accepted by God, but because we WANT TO OUT OF GRATITUDE for what He has done for us out of His IMMEASURABLE GRACE!

My favorite “worship” scripture is Romans 12:1-2 – “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is; His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

It seems like my last post struck a nerve!  That’s good.  I think that God’s Word, and thereby His intentions, are often manipulated to mean things He did not intend.  There are many false teachings and myths that are widely believed, and this ends up eroding the faith of people who are seeking truth.  After reading the last post, my good friend Bruce Ecker emailed me the following:

This morning I met with a younger guy for coffee.  He’s about 27, is working in a retail job he hates, and is at a fork in the road regarding his career.  He wanted to ask me questions about construction, non-profit work, and generally making wise decisions according to God’s Will in a world full of options.  We had a great conversation, and it was a pleasure for me to share some of the pearls I’ve picked-up along the winding path of my own life.  I remembered feeling the same way many years ago.  One specific thing I remember from those days is the feeling of absolute DREAD that, if I made a wrong decision, I would totally screw-up God’s master plan for my life…and spend the rest of my life hurting because of it.  There is this belief, which is held onto by many but which I consider to be unbiblical/false teaching, that God has pre-written a very detailed script for each of our lives…all our decisions, relationships, circumstances, etc….and that our job is to figure it out so that we can be “in His will.”

Now, don’t get me wrong here.  Scripture is very clear, often, that God has plans for our lives….and even uses the word “predestination” in some places.  But if we read carefully, we find that God is much more concerned about our characters than our circumstances….in fact, some of God’s greatest work in Biblical people and modern people alike is born out of failures, unwise decisions, and outright sin.  God does not condone or promote our frail tendencies toward sin, but we should all be eternally grateful that His Will in our lives is not limited by it!  God’s will is about who we are and how we honor Him with our lives…how that plays-out is, I believe, is up to us.  Romans 8:28 is a key in unlocking this.

Here’s a closing email I just sent to my friend,

Some days it seems that from the moment we wake up until our heads hit the pillow, we are bombarded with lies.  Our media/advertisement addicted society constantly entices us with empty promises….and we often believe them:
   “If only I looked like….
   “If only I had….
   “If only I could eat & drink….
   “If only I could wear….
   “If only I could have sex with….
   “If only I could experience….
   “If only I had more money….
   ….THEN I WOULD BE HAPPY”

I wonder…if an alien from outer space came to America today and formed an opinion about our values by watching TV & movies, reading the news, watching us live…if it might come to the conclusion that we were all addicted to indulging ourselves with things that don’t satisfy us.

Ultimately, true fulfillment cannot come from circumstances, things, places, pleasures, experiences, even relationships.  We chase these things because we were made to pursue fulfillment, and we’re suckers for counterfeits!  We were created to find fulfillment in active partnership with God. Jesus and His early followers had much to say about this:

“The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…”  (Paul, in Titus 2:11-13)

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:6-10)

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So you can be even more sure that God will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith! Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them. The thing you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you. So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Jesus, in Matthew 6:25-34)

“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jesus, in John 4:14)