Psalm 122:1 "When they said, 'Let's go to the house of God', my heart leaped for joy".
The past few weeks I have been in a really conteplative mood. I don't know if it was the Philosophy class I was taking for school or if it was a stirring of my soul by God. Maybe it was a little of both.
I heard a story today that seemed to sum up the whole debockle that I have about the way the church does worship. I must say, I have been everywhere and seen pretty much seen everything done in the name of worship. Most of what I find is that I am just as empty and unsatified when I leave as when I came in; probably more so, becacuse I don't understand how people can say that they have had an experience with Almighty God and still say and do the things they do. I am so weary of seeing a group of young people get up and lead worhsip who have no idea what it means to walk with God. Anyway, the story goes....a young couple had been blessed with a new baby so they decided to throw a big party to celebrate the birth. The house was decorated with flowers and banners all welcoming the arrival of their brand new baby. The people came bearing their gifts; they ate their cake and drank punch just like every other part. It was truly a celebration. Suddenly someone spoke up, "So let's see the little tike", so they all rushed to the bedroom where the litle one had been left sleeping. A horrible discovery was made. Before the party, the parents had placed the baby on the bed in their bedroom for a nap. As the guest began to arrive, the host and hostess mindlesly gave instructions, "Just throw your coats on our bed". One by one, the guest threw their coats on the bed until finally the baby could not stand the weight and suffocated. The whole reason they had come to the party was to honor the baby, but all the while they ignored the focus of the party.
That is a tragic story but it is a story that I witness all the time. You have too, if you are honest. We get so caught up trying to arrange and design the perfect party that we lose the real focus of the party. The guest come in, toss their coats on the bed and before long, what should have been the focus of our party has come to a tragic end.
Suppose the baby would have cried? Maybe it did but the filter of the coats drowned out the cries. Each Sunday we arrive at church and mindlessly throw our coats on the bed. The Father is crying out, "Look at me!" but the sounds of His cries are muffled by the weight of our stuff and the music we play to honor Him. O my soul! My heart aches for the reality of worship. My soul pants for the presence of God.
I remember when I was a worship leader that I would often be criticized because I didn't mingle and socialize before the service. Most Sunday mornings, I had retreated to a quiet spot to just listen to what God was saying. It was like dialing the phone and waiting to get a connection and then saying, "Hold on" and passing the phone to someone else and saying, "Someone wants to talk to you". You can tell the ones that are expecting to meet God during a service by the conversation that takes place when they enter the sanctuary. I would love to enter a sanctuary and find that worship had already begun, not because I was late but because God had already shown up and His people were responding.
Tommy Tenney tells a story in "The God Chasers" that has always stuck with me. He tells the story that one Sunday morning that the restaurants and stores are all checking their watches becuase the normal "church crowd" has not shown up at the normal time. After investigating, it's found that the Spirit of God had shown up at church and the entire congregation had had an encounter with God and was still at church on their faces before God. My summation doesn't give the story justice but you get my drift, right?
I have learned in most cases that when God gives me something to share with others, that it is meant for me first. This is not exception. I have not been going to church with an expectant heart. Maybe the reason God hasn't shown up is because we are no longer on heaven's GPS. Maybe it's because one person has lost their focus....me.
I am confused and dissalusioned right now. I still believe in God as much as every but I am finding that I no longer believe in Christians. How could I? I struggled the past few weeks with thoughts that maybe God wasn't as powerful as He once once. Maybe He had lost His spark. Why else would there be so many people who are satisfied with what they're getting from church. I see it every week and I am heartbroken.
I spoke with a friend of mine a few days ago. We talked about a lot but the subject finally came around to worship. I'm just of the opinion that God doesn't speak to us anymore. Why else would there be a constant stream of secular songs being turned out. New artists appear on the scene every day. This doesn't happen in Christian music. When an artist the caliber of Rachel Lampa can't make it in Christian music, something is wrong. Give that girl a song equal in feeling to something that Adele would sing and I bet you it would turn the world on it's ear.
I dare someone to get a fire in their boosom. I dare them to get a passion for God and serve the Lord in reckless abandon. I dare them. You want to know why that world vomits at the very tought of us? Because we talk all this stuff about how powerful God is and how He will meet your every need and we're so focused on living the good life and trying to keep up to the standards of the world, that it's hard to see that we put of trust in God.
Anyway, sorry if this post seems random. I try to write how I feel and today I feel...well I don't even really know how I feel. I'm just disappointed in the people that claim the name of Christ. I have lots more to say about this but I will save it for another post because right now I can't even talk about it. My faith in God is strong but I don't understand why He seems powerless to control what His children do, me included. I am losing my faith in these Christ followers who try to convince others how much better life would be if we join them. Really? When will God finally get tired of all the bull crap we shovel?
We talked alot about free will and foreknowledge in philosophy class. I have always been thankful that God created in us a will to choose between right and wrong. I think it shows how much God loves us, that He would give us the opportunity and ability to choose to do what is right. I am questioning how loving that decision really was. With the ability to choose what is right, we were also given the ability to choose what is wrong and to purposely hurt those we are commanded to love. Many have chosen that path and have chosen to live a life that dishonors God. The Bible says that in the last days it would be like this but it doesn't say how difficult it would be to witness it being fulfilled. When will God get tired of all the bull crap?
I dare you to live a life of holiness. I dare you to give God control of your life and YOUR ACTIONS. I dare you to let Him move.
Verse of the Day
“[He Gets the Last Word]Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 MSG
Blessings
Allen
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