Worshipping God

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." - Psalm 100

This Thanksgiving I was blessed to have all my children, son-in-law and granddaughter at our home for the holidays. This morning as I sang praises to the Lord during our services at the McKnight Road Church of Christ I was keenly aware of how blessed my family has been this past year. Given the fact that both of my daughters suffered near fatal injuries this past year and that both were present to sing "Blessed Be the Name of the LORD" this morning with the church.....well, it does not get much better than that! I can truly say that I was singing with gladness and thanksgiving. I look forward to the time when all of God's saints will join in that everlasting chorus. Blessed Be the Name of the Lord!

Internal vs. the External

In the story of the Fall, we read in Genesis 3:6:
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise....".

Where does sin begin? I believe this passage shows us that it begins internally first. But, it has an external result: "She took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." So first the desire begins inside of us, and then the result is a fall from grace which is external to us.

Before Eve and Adam sinned, Satan had previously fallen from grace. Isaiah 14: 13-14 in describing Satan states:

You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north;

Thus, even for Satan who does not have a physical body like ours, the source of his rebellion began in his heart. What is the problem of the world today? It is a heart that is not attuned to the God who created us. Each of us, like Eve, wants to choose what it is that we do. Jesus taught us in the same manner. If a man lusts in his heart for a woman, then he has already committed adultery. If a person hates his brother, he is guilty of murder (in the eyes of God). Satan wants a kingdom like God. In fact, he was entrusted with the earth by Jehovah God from the beginning of creation. But, in his rebellion he wants to be ruler of this world forever. The message of the gospel is that there will come a day of reckoning and of final judgment for Satan, his angels and all of humankind. The only refuge on earth that is not under the control of Satan is the church. Jesus promised his disciples that the gates of hades would not prevail against his church. But, that means that everything else in this world is still under the authority of Satan. That is why our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the "the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. " [Ephesians 6:12] Outside the body of Christ, we have no hope of surviving in the fallen world. It is only the blood of Christ that gives us hope of our salvation by faith in Him. We must make sure that our internal heart is set upon Him, so that each of our lives in the external world in which we live does, in fact, become a beacon of light in this dark world.

A Man of Stature

All of our nursery school Bible teachers who taught us that Zacchaeus was a "wee little man" probably did us a great disservice! Let's look at what Luke actually says about him:

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

First, notice the two attributes of Zacchaeus. He was the "chief" tax collector. This was a man who was in charge. How did he get that kind of authority? I suspect because he collaberated with the Romans, which is why tax collectors were especially hated. No one likes paying taxes. But, paying them to a foreign government that was sucking the lifeblood out of the economy and shipping it back to Rome really upset the local Jewish population. Secondly, Zacchaeus was "rich". He was politically connnected and wealthy. Those two things will give anyone swack in today's society. Yet, I suspect that Zacchaeus found himself profoundly lonely. People with wealth sometimes have great difficulty cultivating relationships with others. They are always wondering, "Do they just like me for my wealth?" Zaccheaus was also ostrasized by his own people for his collaberation with the enemy. He was a "sinner" in they eyes of his own people and stood outside the covenant. No doubt Zaccheaus had once been bar mitzvahed, having grown up within his community. However, Jews who wanted to get ahead often became "Hellenized"; in that they adopted the local Greek culture and language to "blend in" among the commercial world of trade of their day. Greek was the universal language of commerce. Jews who attended the educational schools of their day to learn the history and culture of the Greco-Roman world would be cut off from their former orthodox Jewish community of believers. Even today, the so called "reform" movement of Judaism embraces the current local culture and rejects things such as "kosher" as being antiquated customs of past times. Orthodox Jews don't consider reform Jews to be really Jews. Zacchaeus would have been branded at best a "liberal" of his day. But, in spite of the power and wealth, there was a void inside of Zacchaeus that tugged at his heart. Something about the teaching of this new rabbi, Jesus, caused Zachaeus to be consumed with a desire to hear what Jesus had to say. Contrast that to so many these days who could care less what God has to say! The picture of Zacchaeus "running" ahead so he could see Jesus is illuminating. Generally, powerful rich people do not "run" anywhere. For a man dressed in middle eastern garb to run, he had to lift up the hem of his garment so he would not trip. In Semetic cultures, this is considered "uncouth". It was a social disgrace; but, Zaccheaus did not care. In much the same way, powerful rich people do NOT climb trees! But, Zacchaeus was driven to do whatever he had to do so that he could see Jesus. I suspect that when Jesus stopped and spoke to him, Zacchaeus probably just about fell out of the tree. "What! The rabbi wants to come to my house?" In fact, Jesus wants to come to everybody's house. And, the result is that salvation came to Zacchaeus's home that day through an encounter with Jesus.

I find it fascinating that Jesus affirms that Zacchaeus is "a son of Abraham". Jesus restored his relationship to his Jewish heritage that had been taken away from him by his own community. God is not a respector of what people think of you. God looks upon the heart and calls each of us to him. It is does not matter how broken, messed up, or sinful a person's life is when they are called by God. What matters is the response. God wants to have relationship with his family. He wants to come to your house and dine with you because he cares about you. When a sinner accepts the invitation of God's grace, there is a "change" in that person's life. The change in Zacchaeus was immediate and apparent. He gave 1/2 of what he had to the poor! Talk about some major life change. He also agreed to make restitution to anyone whom he had defrauded by a measure of fourfold. I have no doubt that Zaccheaus celebrated the best day of his life on that day. And, I would be willing to bet that he slept well that night for the first time in years. Salvation brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Zacchaeus was not a wee little man; but, instead he is a man of great stature within the Kingdom of God.

Worship

In 2 Chronicles 5 we read about Solomon's dedication of the Temple:

"11 Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions; 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jedu'thun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with a hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever," the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. "

What a sight that would have been to behold! With trumpeters and singers in unison with "other musical instruments" in praise to God. The fact that God's shekinah filled the house of God such that they "could not stand" signifies that God's presence is so overwhelming that it knocks them off their feet. And the song is about how his "steadfast love endures for ever". It is a scene that is prophetic of what we are looking forward to in heaven.

And yet, when the disciples were on the road to Emmaus and dialoguing with Jesus, Luke wrote in 24:32:

"They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"

I believe that whenever two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, that within the heart of a believer it is possible to experience the light of God's love. And the effect can be the same as it was in the days of Solomon. It is one of the reasons that the Chuch gathers on the first day of the week so that we can collectively experience the love of God within worship.

Thanksgiving

And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. [Lev. 22:29]

When Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices to the Lord in Genesis, one was accepted and the other was not. It seems to me that today two different believers can offer the same gift; but, one might be acceptable to the Lord and the other is not. The difference is in the heart of the believer. The passage of Leviticus quoted above gives us an insight into the instructions of sacrifice. When one offers something to the Lord it must be offered with one's heart so that "you may be accepted".

We all need to be accepted by the Lord. And, sacrifice and thanksgiving are the keys to entering into a covenant relationship with a living God. God has made it clear from the beginning of creation that what he wants of us is relationship.

I love the story in I Chronicles 16 when David brings the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brethren. And what did they sing?

"8 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! 11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually! 12 Remember the wonderful works that he has done, the wonders he wrought, the judgments he uttered, 13 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! 14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, as an everlasting covenant to Israel, 18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance." 19 When they were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it, 20 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 22 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" 23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come before him! Worship the LORD in holy array; 30 tremble before him, all the earth; yea, the world stands firm, never to be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" 32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, let the field exult, and everything in it! 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever! 35 Say also: "Deliver us, O God of our salvation, and gather and save us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. 36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" Then all the people said "Amen!" and praised the LORD. "

As we enter into our season of Thanksgiving may we offer up to the Lord our lives in a way that will make us acceptable to Him who made us. We need thanksgiving in our lives to make us whole. When we truly learn to praise God we will be blessed by his presence in our lives. Try singing and praying the scriptures set forth above today! See if they don't bless your life and help you become more in harmony with God's soverign will for your life. Maranatha!

Calling Down Fire From Heaven

And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. [Luke 9: 52-55]

This story in Luke 9 has always intrigued me. James and John sound a lot like the religious right I hear today. Once one become convinced of his or her moral and political correctness of one's position, then any means can be used to justify the ends. Thus, a zealous opponent of abortion can "justify" murdering a doctor who works in an abortion clinic as "saving" the lives of the unborn. The only problem is look at the reaction of Jesus. He "rebuked them". In October of 1553, John Calvin had the same problem in Geneva with a Spanish physician by the name of Michael Servetus. From Calvin's point of view, Servetus was a heretic. If a heretic teaches someone something that is false, then that person could cause others to lose their soul. Thus, the only solution in Calvin's mind was to permanently remove the heretic. Servetus was condemned to die by being burned at the stake. It was reported that they stacked green wood around his feet and placed a wreath full of sulpher on his head. Accounts of Servetus' death suggested that he suffered for over 30 minutes in a smoldering, smokey fire that caused him a great deal of suffering before his death. Not exactly what we would expect from a Christian point of view is it?

Titus 1:9-11 suggests that an Elder "must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach -- and that for the sake of dishonest gain." But the only weapon at the disposal of an Elder is the Word of God. Never were Jesus's disciples commanded to take up arms. In fact, the one time that Peter raised his sword in defense of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus commanded him to put his sword away as he healed the ear of the servant whom Peter had attacked. After Jesus rebuked James and John, the scripture says they went on to another village. It seems to me the message is like the parable of the sower. Some are going to get it. Some are not. And, all we can do is sow the seed and let God do the harvesting. As much as we want to call down fire from heaven on our enemies, the example of Jesus is to do good to those who persecute you. Loving your neighbor as yourself. That is what it is all about.

Let Your Light Shine!

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. [Matt. 5:14-16]

To shed a little light (pun intended) on this consider the following analogy shared by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez in their book Attracting Perfect Customers:

"Imagine a lighthouse standing strong and tall on the rocky shore of a beautiful harbor. The water is calm, the sky is blue, and many boats are out to sea. But off in the distance a storm cloud is forming. It approaches the shore very quickly. The sky is getting darker, the waves are getting rougher, and many of the boats are being tossed about on the water. As the rain and the wind pick up strength, the power of the beam of light emanating from the lighthouse increases. The darker the skies become, the brighter the light shines to provide safety and security in the midst of the storm.
Now imagine that the lighthouse gets upset because some of the boats are choosing to follow their own path. The lighthouse feels that it is not successful if its light is not guiding all of the boats in the sea. It sprouts arms and legs and runs up and down the beach acting like a search light, doing its best to catch the attention of all the boat captains, attempting to encourage more of them to depend on the light.
What do you think would be the result?
Most likely, the boats whose captains were depending on a steady stream of light to guide them safely around potential dangers would be damaged or destroyed in the chaos and confusion. Other boats might be steered dangerously close to shore so those on board could get a better look at the spectacle. Still others would be perfectly content to stay where they are – out at sea, relying on their own navigational equipment. The result: very few boats would be served well or at all by the lighthouse.
The lesson to be learned is that lighthouses don’t wade into the water looking for boats to serve. In that same way, your responsibility is to stand still and keep shinning your own distinctive light, to keep polishing the lens to assure that your light has the brilliance to break through the darkness and attract the attention of only perfect customers."

“How distinctive can I possibly be?” you might be asking yourself. Or, “on what rocky point am I supposed to be standing and what kind of light should I be sending?” The answers are: stand where God has placed you and send out the light He’s given to you. Let me put it this way: You’ve been designed by God to be a laser beam – not a defused glow; but to be a sharp spear – not a rounded, blunt instrument.
The sharpness of your “point” (your individual uniqueness) just from the perspective of physiological makeup is the result of fifteen thousand communication lines for each of the one hundred billion neurons within your brain. There will never be another person with the same brain structure that you have. And, that’s just the beginning of your uniqueness. Over time, some of those connections get stronger and others weaker according various generic features, experiences, related natural talents, etc. Thus, some of your connections become super fast T1 lines (using Internet terminology) while others become more like two cans with a string stretched between them. Some will work and convey information really well for you and others will become virtually useless. How those “lines” develop in each person determines his or her personality, temperament, coordination, the manner in which he or she is best able to transmit, receive and understand information, etc., etc., etc. From that basic human design and plan by God, every person emerges as a distinctively talented individual blessed and/or cursed to react to the world in his/her own enduringly unique way. And…it is from this uniqueness that our initial light is intended to shine. If we attempt only to duplicate the mechanics practiced by another or someone in your particular field rather than to identify and use the one-of-a-kind composite created for us by God, we are essentially turning our backs on who we were intended by God to be. It is, in fact, our uniqueness that determines our ability to serve as a lighthouse to communicate with people and guide them to safety.

The Bible puts it this way: Whatever gifts we’ve been given by God should be developed and used by us. (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11) You are the light of the world…Put [that light] on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house [all who are in the harbor of where your beam can reach]. (Matthew 5:14-16) Your distinctiveness, therefore, is based on God’s specific design of you (even to the number of hairs on your head – Matthew 10:30) and that the very special purpose and good works for you to provide come from living the life He intends for you. Seek to find that design; receive the Light of Christ and become not just distinctive in your practice or business, or in your physiological neuron connections, but as a son, daughter and servant of God.

Let your light shine today wherever you find yourself planted by God. Your job is to be a lens to allow God's light to shine through you. Don't worry about catching other people's attention. Just do the good works and let God through His Holy Spirit use you to be a light unto the nations.

Conquering

"He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." [Rev. 3:21-22]

The thought that we have to overcome or conquer can at times be overwhelming. It becomes that way when we think that we have to do it all alone. However, Jesus told his disciples that his yoke was "easy". Yet, in the sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his followers in Matt. 7:14 that the "gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Another paradox! The yoke is easy, but the way is hard. How can this be?

One of the more neglected passages is Jesus's statement that "I came to cast fire on the earth." [Luke 12:49] What is that fire? There is a stirring deep in the bones of a believer that comes when a child of God falls on one's knees and offers to invite God to come and live within one's heart by the power of Holy Spirit. Trusting God to deliver us grants to a mature believer spiritual ears and eyes that allows one to see the work of the kingdom. To test that insight, it should create renewal and lead to service. If it bears "fruit" then the effect can be seen in the lives of people.

I hear so much emphasis on the sermon. We must understand that while public worship is important, it is only important if it is the beginning of a process. The matter of chief importance is the steady continous ministry of all of the members of the church. The call is to get ready for ministry. This cannot be learned in a 25 minute sermon on Sunday morning. I think that when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles at Pentacost, it appeared visably as "tongues of fire" [Acts 2:3] and produced great boldness in the proclaimation of the gospel and the life of the early church. We need to pray for renewal and for God to send his "fire" upon us! The picture is that the fire empowers and allows a believer's heart to set another on fire when it comes into contact with the heart of a non-believer. That is how we conquer! God in us. It is not just a nice idea or paradigm. It is the ultimate reality of the Christian way.

Simplicity or Complexity?

There are many novel theological twists and currents in modern thinking these days. "What is the timing of the Lord's return?" Is the church the new, true "Israel"? Who will be here to suffer the pangs of the Great Tribulation? I am reminded of the debates in the middle ages about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin? But, all of those interesting topics tend to fade when one stands in a cemetary before the grave of a loved one who is about to be lowered into the cold dark ground.

I have come to discover that in the basic matters of life and death in our sin-battered society, the divine provision comes to us garbed in simplicity. There are, no doubt, great theological complexities that must be examined by scholars who use the Bible as a guide to truth. But, for the millions of us who are not really equipped to grapple with such theological complexities, who operate in the realm of the daily, practical stuff, the Word comes to us in a kind of simplicity that no human being can deliver. For example, 2 Cor. 5:8 says:

"We are confident,yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

Absent from the body, present with the Lord. That statement, in eight short words, answers what every grieving saint asks at death, "Where is my loved one now?" A true believer who exits this frail tabernacle of flesh will be immediately transported into the presence of the living Lord. And, what happens to our bodies which are deposited like shriveled seeds into the earth?

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. " [1 Th. 4:16-17]

The Lord will descend. Saints' bodies will be raised. All living believers will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air. Is this concept difficult to grasp? No! The apostle set the record straight in clear and simple terms.

When I was a young man, there was an evangelist at my church who wrote a book that I still have. The name of the book is Simple Trusting Faith by W. Carl Ketcherside. I was blessed to have been taught by Carl at an early age that without faith it is impossible to please God. The writer of Hebrews says it this way:

For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. [Heb. 11:6]

As we have previously written about on this blog, the elements of faith are so simple that even a young child can grasp it. Indeed, it is those who call themselves wise who complicate the message and make it hard to understand. Jesus had some choice words for those who taught in that manner. May we always be those believers who hold to the simplicity of a simple trusting faith in the one who made and redeemed us.