This weekend Harvey our teaching pastor spoke on spiritual gifts from Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12.

I noticed that each of the gifts (and we can argue all day long about which ones are "still around") all point to something that God is passionate about. Obvious perhaps, but I never made this observation before.

"7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

To summarize, most of the gifts have to do with the communication of TRUTH and the carrying out of HEALING. Our God is a God of both of these.

I led worship this morning for Paradox, the high school ministry of Grace Church. Not something I do often, but circumstances allowed for me to fill in. They meet off-site from the church, up the street, next to a Domino's pizza.

I should have taken a picture to show you what I saw as I was leaving.

As I got in my car (maybe 30 feet from inside the ministry room), I saw a car parked next to mine. It had 2 decorations on the back of the vehicle.

1. Darwin fish.

2. Bumper sticker reading "Dear God, please save me from your followers."

That sums up Reno.  That car represents not just a sizable group here but truly the majority.  Those in the south have a different set of challenges to be sure, but doing ministry in a place where adults haven't even heard of Jonah and the whale is an exciting and difficult place to be in ministry.

It's weird to think that I have been rather excited for the past few months for the new ESV study Bible to come out. Not because it's weird to be excited about God's word, but weird because not too long ago (10 years), that concept was completely foreign to me.

And so, I have the new ESV and am very excited about it. To channel my excitement into something useful, I am going to make some brief observations on the book of Genesis.

GENESIS

Gen 1:
Always been fascinated by the idea of "night and day" counting as one day, and not "day and night".

Gen 2:
Interesting that Adam is assigned the naming of animals before Eve is introduced. This could be so that the first marital argument would be delayed to a later date.

Gen 3:
God says "don't eat this fruit or you'll die".
Woman says "we can't touch this fruit". (not what God said)
Satan says "you will not die" (a lie) but he ALSO says something true..."you will know good and evil". He loves to mix truth and lies...
Woman saw practical and positive things about the fruit and decided to pursue that instead of obey God's voice.

Gen 4:
9 generations in, we see the first Biblical example of music (with instruments I might add).

Gen 5:
235 years in, people begin to "call upon the name of the Lord". "Worship" occurs hundreds of years before music is mentioned.

Gen 6:
v3:Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."
What in the world?

Gen 7:
Why aren't the animals in the water killed too?

Gen 8:
Kind of humorous that some of the animals survive the flood in an ark just long enough to then walk off the ark and be sacrificed. Bummer for them.

Gen 9:
Lex talionis applied to animals. Wow.

Gen 10:
Language begins, but soon with disastrous results. Unity in of itself is not a Godly virtue. The question, "to what are we unified?" is key. People can be unified in their rebellion against God...

Gen 11:
v4 Why would they build a tower AND a city? If the plan carried out, they thought they'd have access to heaven...That to me is like buying a plain ticket to Hawaii but booking a hotel in Elko. Maybe to protect the tower?

Gen 12:
v1 From the very beginning of Abrams promise, it is clear that he will have to leave what is familiar; "leave your country", "leave your father's house".

v19 Would love to know how Pharaoh figured out the plagues meant wife and not sister.

Gen 13:
v17 Would you be tempted to walk a little further than you were told?

As I was reading in the Psalms today, it occurred to me one of the many reasons that music and singing as personal worship is really "hit or miss" for a lot of people has to do with comfort.

Not immediate comfort (think the climate controls for driver and passenger in a car). More like, an overall comfort in life where we have no immediate needs.

I should preface this by saying that singing to God is commanded in scripture, and there are no qualifying statements about singing only being performed by people that love music, (like me) or people that are really talented (like others).

It seems that comfort and singing are rarely next to each other in the scriptures. Singing has often through human history been a means of comforting the soul, or at the very least expressing something that you feel. This occurs most often in times of trouble, times of sorrow, and times of elation or joy. These are not neutral places for the soul, but instead a time when a person is most aware of themselves and their Creator.

The problem for many church attenders is that they sit through a church service and feel nothing. The problem for many worship leaders and service planners is that worship is not about emotion and sometimes emotion can even lead us away from true worship.

From the pain of David in the Psalms fleeing from his enemies desperately trying to save his life, to the richness of the old Negro Spirituals, there is undoubtedly a connection between great anguish and powerful, evocative music. Joy and deep peace have been a spring of art as well, but an exciting joy (the birth of the child, a financial windfall, a new relationship) is what leads to song. Not a stripped down, temporary joy, like the joy I feel over my favorite burrito at Qdoba.

I guess my point is this; comfort in many ways removes the human need to respond to anything. At its most basic level, the human soul will seep in apathy and a numbing stillness unless provoked. Grace seems pretty provocative to me.

I pray that we would be a provoked people.

Many in my age group are apathetic and in some cases even hostile towards the local church.  The most common reason?  Church is messy.

It may be oversimplified in my mind. No one questions that the church is made up of people that are broken. Therefore, churches are inherently broken, sometimes in obvious areas and other times in more difficult to perceive ones.

This is a part of what Jesus sees in His bride regularly, and lovingly works through and despite her on a regular basis.

The rub comes in when believers see said brokenness and decide that they will have nothing to do with the local church. Rather than being the catalyst for change that the church may desperately need, they isolate themselves and turn into the church's critic rather than her champion.

I hope that the brokenness of the church at large is a means for us to never take credit for advancement in the Gospel, a humbling presence that allows us to welcome others into our community, and ultimately, something we admit openly to give glory to our Maker for.

We are messy.  We are sick.  That's why we need Jesus so badly.

"It is hard to worship to the more poetic songs. I enjoy them but it is hard to worship. Why do we do those songs in worship?"

I think I know what you're asking, and I would love to ask you some clarifying questions, but as is often the case in church feedback, this card was unsigned.

1. Poetry is the heart of lyrical composition, whether put to music or not. The greatest example of musical worship we have in the Scriptures, the Psalms, are poetry. In the original Hebrew, some Psalms were even alliterated! Literary genius or nightmare, depending on who you ask.

2. Worship is both a time to praise God with things that are true, and encourage one another with truths about our God. I addressed this issue a few weeks back on stage. Some songs are written with the "audience" of the song being God, others with the audience being the room full of people. I do not see this as inherently bad, as long as the things that are being sung are communicating truth and the hope of the gospel. I run the songs that my teams play at Stones through this filter, and if somehow you were offended by my selection, I do apologize.

3. People tend to see "worship time" primarily about how they feel. This is dangerous and contrary to the Scriptures.  The musical portion of a service (and to be even more specific, the portion of that time where you are singing along) is only part of what a life of worship looks like.

4. We play songs that are commonly referred to as "specials" that are meant for reflection (see #2). These songs are not meant for the congregation to sing along necessarily.  These are helpful in having the people just "receive" a truth rather than rehearse them orally.  Sometimes, it can be easier to listen when you're not worrying about how your voice sounds to the person next to you.

Lastly, I appreciate your wrestling with these things. It makes me feel less crazy, because i think of these things often.

Thanks again for your question!
Donald

I was reading Amos today and saw this:

"The Lord GOD has spoken;
who can but prophesy?"

This really struck me.  In other words, if you could do the most impressive thing possible (tell the future), you are only peeking at what God has put into motion.  Reading the newspaper for tomorrow, and writing the article are not the same thing.

It's a reminder to me about God's sovereign hand in the world (macro) and in my life (micro). Since we don't know what tomorrow will bring, it seems the wisest course of action is to tap into what God is doing and leave your plans behind.  He is good.  He is for you.  But he is also for His glory and that is an important and beautiful thing.

The word "conform" has some serious baggage. People immediately associate conforming with a weakness of mind and character. The strong will be unique (even if that means they are the same kind of unique as everyone else).

I had a thought during the sermon this week at Living Stones, that is obvious but never quite hit me like it did that night.

God wants us to conform to His son for many reasons, including:

1. Jesus was and is perfect. Perfect is good. Really good.

2. The more our lives look like Jesus, the more we accomplish our purpose in life, to glorify God. What does that mean you ask? Well, live like Jesus and you are glorifying God. Circular I know, but no less true.

3. When we are conformed to the pattern Jesus set, we are healthiest spiritually. This is true for us as individuals, and corporately. We are best meeting others needs when we conform to Jesus.

I would also point out that being like Jesus is the most unique thing you CAN be in this fallen world.

The weight of this question is unmatched and its answer is completely crucial to a life that honors God. Worship is core to the Christian experience and is ultimately what all humans are created to do. It is the supreme purpose of human life, and our hardwiring for worship is constantly seen all around us. From sports fans to newlyweds, it is clear to see the human propensity towards worship.

With that said, the word ‘worship’ is one of the most misused words in modern Christendom.Worship has come to mean something isolated and limited, commonly synonymous with the musical portion of a church service.Music in a religious building is not necessarily worship.Worship most often has nothing to do with music at all.This is an important distinction.Making worship synonymous with music is limiting and unbiblical.The truth is thatworship can and should happen frequently without music playing a role.In addition, music even music at a gathering of the church, is often not Biblical worship.

An example of this would be to say that “all cars are blue”. It is true that some cars are blue, but the blanket statement that all cars are blue is obviously false. Some cars are red, and still meet the requirements of being a car. Furthermore, the ocean, your neighbor’s house, or your jeans may be blue, but none of them require gasoline or can get you to work in the morning. Just as blue is one possibility for the color of a car, music is one possibility for the means of worship. Just because something is blue, it is not necessarily a car, nor is worship always mean a time of song.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5

Unfortunately, many people have so strongly tied music to their understanding of worship, that they only think of God’s greatness when musical accompaniment is available! Music can not be the mediator between God and man. Jesus Christ is the only mediator, and it is common to see people worship the emotion that music can bring or even worship the music itself. These are both empty idols compared to our great God.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:16,17

From this passage we see that worship is all inclusive and not limited to one activity.Worship is the giving of our whole being for God’s glory.The mark of true worship in Scripture seems to consistently include two elements.The first, is that God’s place and priority in our lives is elevated.Secondly, the Holy Spirit gives conviction of our sins and leads us to turn away from those sins and turn towards God.The core of worship is understanding that only God is worthy of our affection, our attention, and our devotion.The worship of other things will always be an enticing but ultimately unfulfilling endeavor.God desires us to worship only Him, because He is the only worthy receiver of our worship, and it is in that relationship that we are fulfilled.

True worship is a response to what God has done and is doing with the obedient pouring out of our lives.It is key to recognize that worship is never ceasing but ongoing.It is not a time on Sunday, nor is it a specific place, but continual worship happens at all times and all places.Worship at Grace Church happens through a wide variety of means:It can take place in our lives as we interact with others and with God.It can happen while singing to God during a service or gathering.It can take place when people attend a small group or home fellowship and share their lives with others.It can take place when people serve or volunteer both within the church and in the community.Most importantly, it happens everyday in the lives of those who pursue Jesus as the center and authority of their life.Worship can happen corporately or privately, and each has its place in the Christian life.

Worship effectively changes how we do everything. It affects the way we think, watch, listen, eat, relate, and live. We love those that make our lives complicated because God loved us while we were His enemies. We look for ways to show His love to others. While living in a world that says that material things will make us happy, we cling to the Truth God has given us in Scriptures, that only He can satisfy. All of these elements tie back to the Gospel message, that Jesus has paid the price for sinners and requires a life of faith in Him.