Seeking With a Passion

"Such people the Father seeks" . . . is right out of the conversation our Lord had with the Samaritan woman about worship in John 4.  Too many times our questions about worship are the same as the Samaritan woman's.  We ask how and where questions because we are wanting to settle the issues of style and form.  But our Lord's answers cut across all of that and go to the heart of worship, the reality of spirit and truth.  It's all about our attitude and spirit in our approach and operating from truth.  

Our Lord actively is seeking, looking, desiring true worshippers.  We see it in the attitudinal differences in Cain and Abel's worship and what was acceptable to God.  It is not that God is lacking something in Himself.  He does not need our worship.  Since creation He has been complete, perfect, and sufficient.  But, our Lord God, creator of all things, desires the adoration of His created people. He looks for it, longs for it, gazes out for it, cares about it.  When we come with Abel's attitude we find ourselves in the center of His desire for us.

Moses gives us God's desire in the Torah in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD require of you?  He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.  And you must always obey the LORD'S commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."  Keeping God's commands are tied to loving Him; obeying His statutes emanate from fearing Him; serving Him is a matter of all that we are.  So it is with our worship.

And then Micah gives us the same view point about 700 years after Moses.  Micah illustrates an individual coming before the Lord asking what is necessary in the Lord's eyes.  "What can we bring to the LORD?  Should we bring Him burnt offerings?  Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves?  Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?"  Then in verse 8 of Micah 6, the prophet reminds the questioner of the teaching of Moses:  "No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good and this is what He requires of you:  to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." 

God requires transformative worship within us that leads us to outward acts of genuine spirituality. God is actively seeking those who relate to Him from the inner man, from the heart. True worshippers come before God in spirit and in truth.   We were privileged to worship with a church yesterday that demonstrated this beautifully in their worship.  Praise be to God!  mjm

Observations on Worship

After more than a month since retiring from full-time music/worship ministry, and after visiting several different churches, I have some observations to make about worship. My belief that our worship begins and ends with the heart has not changed.  The Lord looks at the heart.  Our own attitude of heart determines our worship experience; our encounter in His presence.

We've been in every size church and been reminded that the size of the church, the number of people gathered in His name, is not the determining factor in whether I worship or not.  It takes only two or three for the promised presence of the Lord.

We've seen different arrangements or orders of worship.  Again, my experience of the presence of His presence was not determined by the order of the different elements of worship.

We've heard all different styles of music used in worship expression.  The style doesn't get in the way of my worship as long as my heart is tuned for His praise and expecting to meet Him and His manifest presence.  

We've encountered every level of ability in those who were called to the leading of worship in all kinds of different churches.  Again, ultimately my own heart was the determiner of my experience with God.

So, ultimately, it is about my own heart.  Is it sometimes easier in certain circumstances of worship?  Sure, according to that which I am most comfortable with.  But, is every worship experience supposed to be easy?  Maybe not.  

In regards to that, I have been puzzled a few times where the worship leadership had not considered who their congregation is.  In preparing and going as a missionary to Zimbabwe, Africa many years ago, one of the things we were challenged to do was to study and understand the culture where we were ministering.  We could not force our own heart language, both musical and spoken, on the people in another culture and expect them to worship authentically.  

And here in our own country, we should not assume that every church is that same generational or sub-cultural make-up.  We should not do worship that is the "popular" way of doing worship today, forcing it just because it is the newest or most popular.  Nor should we assume that everyone's musical heart language is the same as it was 100 years ago.  We should understand who we are ministering to and with, taking that into consideration when we craft worship experiences.  That will make our worship experiences much more participative by all and more authentic in given situations.  Then we can stretch a bit by introducing either new and/or old to those worship experiences, enhancing and enlarging on that which may be more authentic; creating an environment of meeting needs of all sub-cultures and/or generations. mjm  

50 Years of Following

Sunday was a unique experience of worship for me as I led worship in my home church of Hollis, Oklahoma.  It was a full circle worship experience in following the calling of God.  I told the congregation that almost 50 years ago I was playing the invitation on the piano as church pianist and got up off the piano bench during the invitation, leaving the organist to play alone.  I walked across the front of that very room to share with my pastor that God was calling me to full time music ministry.  

In the congregation there sat my former Sunday school teachers, church training union leaders and adult choir members.  There were adults who had been in my 40-voice junior choir that I directed my junior and senior years in high school.  The lady on the organ Sunday morning was my accompanist for the junior choir.  The acoustic guitar player is a junior in high school and is the drum major of the Hollis Tiger Band (which I was also my sophomore, junior, and senior years).  I knew his grandfather.  

It was a great experience singing of the greatness and faithfulness of God with that particular congregation...at this particular time of following the Lord's plan for my life.  God has been so good and so faithful.  We look forward to knowing what He has in store for part-time ministry opportunities in the future.  

Someone asked me yesterday how retirement has been.  I'm not sure.  I've been with grandchildren, as of Friday, for 28 straight days.  I have been squeezing in time to work on orchestra scores for our Sept. 5th Rockwall Philharmonic Concert at the Harbor, played/sang for a funeral, a wedding, taught some piano and voice lessons, and led worship at my home church.  And, on top of that, Fran had a great mission trip to Zimbabwe where the Lord blessed abundantly.  

It has been wonderful to stop and see what the Lord has done and to contemplate His continuing to lead us in His plan for us.  We just continue worshipping Him!

What's Important to God

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)  Oh yes, we all know it by heart to the point that we have almost lost the realization of the power and fullness of meaning to the believer's life and worship.  It almost becomes something we say without thinking.  However, in reality it is the key to what is important and what really matters to the God of Creation whom we worship. 

This 25-word text is a precious pearl of truth.  The truth is we could search all of the important libraries of the earth through every book of every language and we would never find any 25-word text that could begin to compare to John 3:16.  No other text has the power to impact the human race as this one.  

So, what is the gem of truth found in this passage.  Each person matters to God.  "God so loved the world."  The whole intent of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is wrapped up in the truth of this short passage.  We see in others and even have experienced in our own hearts the great sense of loneliness and lostness; the thought that plagues every heart that nobody really cares about me.  Echoing throughout our heart are the words, "I don't really matter to anyone.  Nobody cares about me."  But we come to discover in the sent one, that this is Satan's lie.  Found in this nugget of truth is the fact that God cares about every individual no matter the circumstance of life.  

This is the simple wonderful truth we have to live by, to worship with, and to share faithfully to everyone in every place possible . . . "as we go".  

Too many have swept quickly over this verse thinking that God loves the human race.  And, He does. But it becomes much more personal.  He loves and cares about you.  There is nothing in your life, in your worship, in your going that does not matter completely to Him.  You mattered so much that He gave His only begotten Son!  Now, take that to worship! When we grasp that truth fully, our worship will never be the same again.  mjm

Trust and Obey

That old hymn has much to say even though we sometimes sing it without thinking through the full meaning of it. It is kind of like two wings of a bird. "Trust" and "obey" are the two wings of the Christian as we seek to rise in Him!  They absolutely go together.  We obey because we trust.  We trust so that we are able to obey.  If we try to obey without walking in faith, we get nowhere.  If we try to faith something apart from obedience, it will end in nothingness.  It is two sides of a coin.

Even though trust is on one side of the coin and obey on the other, we as believers and the church as a whole have tried to split them apart. We tend to make it all about believing.  Believe God wholly and then move to obedience and Jesus will become your all in all. There are no shortcuts to God's presence. Moses had to spend 40 years on the backside of the desert before he experienced the burning bush. It is all in God's timing. Only He can direct us into the path leading us into the manifest presence of God.  This path has nothing to do with convenience or shortcuts. Our great High Priest did not take a shortcut but followed the path all the way to the cross. He went the full distance to become our Mediator and High Priest and now sits on the right hand of the Father.  

He is the only guide to usher us into the presence of Holy God. The enemy works overtime trying to come between God and us. But we who have found Christ in all His fullness of the God-head have found the perfect Guide. When we follow Him with all that we are we can find the kind of rest and peace that only comes in God's presence.  The following sums it all up:

That I Might Know Him

by Max I. Reich (1863 - 1945

That I might know Him! Let this be life's aim,

Still to explore the wealth stored in His Name.

With heaven-bought intelligence to trace

The glories that light up His sinless face:

that I might know His power day by day,

Protecting, guiding in the upward way:

That I might know His Presence, calm and pure,

Changeless midst changes, and midst losses sure:

To dwell with Him, in spirit, day and night;

To walk with Him by faith, if not by sight;

To work with Him, as He shall plan, not I:

To cleave to Him, and let the world go by:

To live on earth a life of selfless love;

to set the mind and heart on things above:

Till I shall see Him without vision dim,

And know Him as I know I'm known of Him.

First Day of Retirement

First day of retirement I had to keep telling myself - "This is the day the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.  First my administrative assistant, Cheryl found things that I had not taken care of that we needed to take care of.  There were some loose ends I had missed.  I am really going to miss her.

I am baby-sitting three of my grand children, Kade, Lily, and Grey for the next couple of weeks with Fran in Zimbabwe and Mary Michele, Rylee, and Kyle in South Africa.  I don't know if you should pray for me or the grand children. I took them to Urban Air yesterday morning with Gillian.  They had a ball and Gillian, our adopted daughter from China took pictures of this American oddity. 

Then prepared beds to give to the refugee ministry to make room for two new bunk beds for grandchildren.  My grandson, Kade and I then launched forth in putting together a bunk bed for about a two hours of quality time together.  I let him read the instructions and study the pictures and he really enjoyed doing it together.  During this time Lily was making cup cakes with Gillian in the kitchen and Grey was on his kindle.  

Middle of the afternoon I was looking up something on my computer and a virus hit it for the first time ever and I ended up with the blue screen of death.  So, my computer was down for about six hours being worked on by an apple technician.  Now its clean with extra protection and working beautifully.  

Finally, only a half of retirement and I received a call from a church wanting me to start immediately leading their traditional service.  I wasn't really ready for that and it did not seem to be a good fit, plus I want a little time before jumping into something new.

So, that was the major events of my first day of retirement ending with baths and bed for three wonderful grandchildren as Nana is busy packing for Zimbabwe.  mjm

The Road to Missions

There is a great need in our world for the gospel.  That goes without being said.  More than a third of the population of the world is unreached with the gospel.  The only possible way they will be reached is if Godly believers respond to God's call on their lives to go both as long term and short term missionaries.  And then of course the church must support those who are in the field.  We know Jesus' command.  We know the need.  Therefore out of both, we know that missions is mandatory.  

But is the key to missions just about knowing the command and the great need of people?  The only way we will be fruitful in reaching the world is helping our people to become God-worshippers. It takes great human effort to convince people of the need and even the command.  But if people become authentic God-worshippers with their hearts turned fully to God, then participation in God's mission and even supporting missions comes very naturally.  It is as overflow of the love, adoration, and worship of our "worthy of worship" God.

If we are to see the mission of God flourish it will happen only in seeing that the road to fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) of our Lord is through the living out of the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31).  Mission emphasis would not be needed if we were truly worshipping.  Worship and Missions go hand in hand.  "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised . . . splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. . . ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come into His courts! . . . Worship the Lord in the splendor of Holiness; . . . say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns!'" The glory of the Lord is the road to missions!  Hallelujah! mjm

Two Sides of Praying for Worship

In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, "I give you the authority and power . . . over all the power of the enemy." There is no one who has manifested and exhibited more love and compassion than Jesus.  He very patiently ministered with all-consuming love to crowds of sick and tormented people.  He worked to the point of exhaustion to relieve human need . . . but there is another side.

We see Him furious with religious bigotry that would rather see a man remain deformed than violate religious tradition.  His hand brandished a whip as He rejected religious commercialism in the house of God Almighty.  

So when we see both sides of Jesus, we get a glimpse of both sides of prayer.  It is to see the need for compassion and weeping with those who weep.  And it is to enter into unabashed warfare when we see satan, the adversary with his program and plan to violate territory that is rightfully Christ's.

When we pray for worship, we need to be aware of both sides, also.  There are people in every worship service who come with hurt and defeat.   And satan cannot abide the praises of the people of God.  We literally do spiritual warfare when we join hearts in unified praise.  So when we approach worship and praying for worship, we need to sense both sides.  

Persistent prayer is invading the impossible for the glory of God!  mjm

Freedom and Worship

Freedom is a biblical theme that finds expression both in the spiritual and social realms of our lives through salvation in Jesus Christ.  When we look at both the Old and New Testaments we find that freedom is a very complex and multifaceted concept.  The Bible addresses political freedom, freedom from the institution of slavery, freedom from oaths and obligations, freedom from guilt and punishment, freedom from sinful and destructive habits.  In Christ some of these overlap, but these basic categories of freedom enlighten us about the freedom we have in Christ.

Paul teaches us that we have a new freedom in Christ.  It is the freedom from sin.  It doesn't mean we are sinless, but Paul shows us that we not only have freedom from the penalty of sin, but freedom from the power of sin over us.  The Spirit empowers us to resist habitual disobedience.  

Freedom is not the ability to do whatever one desires.  Otherwise we would become slaves to our own passions.  Rather the Bible clearly states that freedom is the ability to deny one's self, to deny one's desires in the interest of pleasing and glorifying God in our obedience to Him and our worship of Him.

We must not take our freedom to worship Him as we see fit for granted.  I have been in worship where believers were dragged from the church and beaten on a Sunday morning because they were not attending a political rally down the street.  In fact I was preaching when it was taking place, not knowing if they would try to stop me; I just kept preaching.  In America we are free from those kinds of things and yet we take for granted opportunities to worship Him.  May we glory in the One Who gives us those kinds of freedoms to bring glory and honor to His name!  mjm

The Lord and Beethoven

First, the Lord's word says in I Corinthians 14:15 " . . . I will sing with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind (understanding) also."  Notice that the word "spirit" here is not the Holy Spirit, but our spirit.  This is referring to our emotion and all that makes up our spirit.  In other places in scripture we find the Holy Spirit involved in singing.  So, we sing with all that we are with understanding of what we are singing.  When we do this the result is singing with passion.  God made us to feel deeply and gives us the ability to understand His ways and His glory. 

Now you are probably thinking, "What does any of this have to do with Beethoven?"  Well, Beethoven was quoted as saying, "To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable."  I would add to his quote . . . "To sing or play a wrong note is insignificant; to sing or play without passion is inexcusable."  

Because of the great God we serve and in whom we minister, we should be so full of praise and thanksgiving that our singing and playing of praise should always be full of great passion of heart. I have always said that if I can't do it with whole-hearted passion, I won't do it at all.  Our worship is always to be whole-hearted.  How can we not do it with passion?  I've actually been made fun of and misunderstood at times as a worship leader because of the passion within me.  But one apology I will never make is singing, worshipping, and serving Him with whole-hearted passion. Blessings on you as you do the same.  mjm

He's Been Faithful

We are able to "know in whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12)  God calls us, keeps us and is completely faithful to empower us to do that which He calls us to do.  "Because of His great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." (Lamentations 3:22-24)  What joy, what rest, what hope to know that the one we worship is not only worthy, but His lovingkindness, great compassion and complete faithfulness make us able to completely rely and depend on Him.  He is always faithful to those who seek Him and put their hope in Him. 

Anything and everything God asks us to do is for our ultimate good and His glory.  In every circumstance we find ourselves as we follow Him completely, we must view our circumstances in light of God's character.  Our only real hope is in the character and promises of God.  He never calls us to anything without His complete faithfulness to carry us through.

Even when we are in the pit of disabling despair His Spirit whispers to our souls, reminding us of who He really is.  Though at a given moment we may not "feel" it, still we can know that His steadfast love never ceases and that He has promised to never forget us or forsake us.  There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His eternal love and faithfulness.  Not only is it truth. It has been proven out over and over in lives of service and ministry directed by Him!

I am so very thankful that I can say and sing - "He's been faithful to me - Great is Thy faithfulness!" mjm

Come to Worship . . .

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind . . . " (Mark 12:30)

...WITH ALL MY HEART - The Lord wants our total devotion.  He is not willing to share our heart with another.  He must be the primary object of our affection.  Coming from deep within is our whole-hearted adoration and praise to the Lord.  Deut. 5:7 says, "You shall have no other gods before me."  I Sam. 16:7 says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me," says Ps. 51.  God wants all my heart, not part.

...WITH ALL MY SOUL - It takes the full expression of all our emotions to love Him.  My soul will rejoice; He restores my soul;  my soul rests; my soul yearns; my soul praises; my soul pants - all come from different places in God's Word.  If we truly love someone there is emotion involved.  We must not make all of our worship cerebral.  There must be a full range of emotions involved when we worship Him.

...WITH ALL MY STRENGTH - It is appropriate, according to Scripture, to express physically what is happening or transpiring in our spirit.  We use our bodies and the physical in our work and in our play and recreation, but the very highest use should be in worship.  We honor and glorify Him in our bodies with great strength. We are told our bodies are temples and "Therefore, 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 worship." (Rom. 12:1)

...WITH ALL MY MIND - "Do not be conformed to this world, . . . set your minds on things above not on earthly things, . . . prepare your minds for action" are all words from scripture reminding us to not be distracted by this world, diverting our attention from Him and eternal things. Whether worshipping privately or gathered with the body of Christ, God is worthy of our full and laser-focused attention on Him when we worship.  When we meditate on His character and attributes it deepens our understanding of Him and enhances our expressions of worship and praise!  mjm

A Tribute to a Faithful Father

There was a young man in his early teens who felt that God was calling him to music ministry.  It was the very early days of music and worship ministry coming into its own in the church.  He grew up in a family that worked very hard but had very little and he started throwing a paper route as a very young man.  He bought his own bicycle, becoming somewhat self sufficient at an early age. He quit school in the 8th grade and went to work at the cotton seed oil mill where his father was superintendent.  He fell in love a few years later and at 17 married a girl who was also 17.  She finished high school after they married.  About 3 years later she was with child.  Back then they didn't know whether it was a boy or girl until the birth.  But the young man prayed . . . "God, I failed to follow you, quitting school and all, to be the minister you wanted me to be.  If you will give me a son, I will dedicate him to music ministry in your name."

The son was born . . . and it was me.  Without any real musicians before in a family of mostly athletes, early on I became very interested in playing piano.  At age 7 my parents sacrificed more than I realized and bought me a brand new piano (on a salary of around $90 a week as a machinist/welder).  I took to it and my mother made sure I practiced.  She said to me more than once, "We sacrificed a lot for you to have this piano . . . you will practice."  As a 9 year old, being brought to church from the beginning by my faithful parents, I was saved in a revival with Bo and Dick Baker in our church.  From that moment I wanted to play and sing just like Dick Baker.  I was student director of the high school choir and high school band and drum major.  I was church pianist from 12 years of age, playing for the adult choir in our church and conducting a 40-voice Junior Choir my junior and senior years of High School.  I got a scholarship to Hardin-Simmons University.  Without my father saying anything other than that he wanted me to go to college, I pursued a Church Music Degree from HSU.  A short while after I graduated, my quiet father told Fran and me the story of how he had given me to God for ministry.  All those years he never pushed me, just simply made it possible for me to have the tools to grow.  I had no idea that my faithful earthly father had given me back to the Heavenly Father for His ministry and glory.  There could be no better heritage and I am so grateful that my dad stepped up in the way he could.  I am grateful to the Heavenly Father, also, for giving my dad 86 years+ to see what God would do with a bashful little guy like me.  Thank you to both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father on this special day!  mjm

Worship - the Old and the New

I'm not talking about old and new styles, but Old and New Testaments.  Proverbs 16:2-3 reminded me of some thoughts on motive and worship as I was reading yesterday morning.  I have often spoken through these blogs of how "missions" and "worship" are intertwined.  John Piper is quoted by many saying, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church.  Worship is."  John Piper explains thoroughly that the worship he is talking about is not the outward expressions but the simple inward expression of adoration and devotion.  It is the inward experience of the heart.  

I was reminded of this when reading Proverbs 16: 2-3,  "People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.  Commit your actions to the LORD,  and your plans will succeed."  I'm afraid our motives for worship sometimes get stuck on the outward expressions that are carefully laid out by our Lord where worship is tied to place and form.  This is where we begin to worship "worship" if we are not careful and aware.  Place and form are meticulously laid out for us in the Old Testament.

However, Jesus frees worship from place and form with the most explicit example, which we find in John 4:20-24.  Here He uses the word proskyneo, which is the Old Testament word for worship that gives weight to the outward and localized meaning.  But then He transforms it into a meaning that is mainly inward rather than outward, and mainly saturating all of life rather than localized.  It is worship in "spirit and truth".  Now true worship is carried along by the Holy Spirit and mainly an inward, spiritual event, not mainly an outward happening.  In fact this is the reason for the words by Jesus in Matt. 15:8-9, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me."  

In fact the Lord shows us what worship looks like in the Old Testament, but then makes clear in the New Testament that those outward expressions must spring forth out of a totally devoted passionate heart for God.  This kind of worship permeates all of life outwardly.  This is the essence of both Ephesians 5:18-20 and Colossians 3:16, both showing the "overflow" of worship.  Our joy in the Lord itself is an honor to His all-satisfying worth before it becomes our outward expression of praise and adoration.  If not, our praise and adoration is in vain.  This is why Paul continually tries to tell us that all of life is an expression of our worship.  All of our life should enhance our complete satisfaction and "rest" in our God.  

Our motive for worship is to experience inwardly His manifest fullness, completely satisfied in Him to the point that our goal is to see that experience happen among all the peoples of the world. John Piper puts it in these words, "May the power of the gospel awaken the dead, bring them from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God, so that they see Him and savor Him with all their hearts.  And may they be radically satisfied in Him that they are freed from the fears and pleasures of this world and follow Jesus on the Calvary road of love.  Then others will see their good works and give glory to their Father in heaven - and the Word will go on from glory to glory." The New says if we worship Him properly inwardly we will see the outward expressions laid forth in the Old and our motive for worship will be in sync with the Father's plan and His plan for missions will always succeed.  mjm

It is Well

Most everyone knows of the story behind the writing of the hymn It is Well with my Soul.  The story of the successful attorney, Horatio Spafford, whose four precious daughters perished in the sinking of a ship.  His wife was miraculously saved.  On his way to meet his wife across the ocean, as he reached the place where his daughters had drowned he wrote, "When sorrows like sea billows roll . . . it is well with my soul."  The hymn in its entirety is a picture of hope that millions have sung since being given the assurance of the faithful God whom we serve.

Circumstances do not control our lives or our worship.  Mature Christian faith is evidenced when there is inner peace no matter the surprises or difficulties that come our way.  We live with a confidence in our heavenly Father.

In Psalm 34:14-15 we are challenged by the words of David to always do good; turning away from evil, searching for peace and maintaining it.  That peace that passes all human understanding can only come from intimate fellowship with the Father.

Sometimes it is not difficulties or evil but just being completely overwhelmed that challenges us in our circumstances.  But again, David says in Psalm 142:2-3 that even when we are overwhelmed the Lord Himself shows us which way to turn.  What a blessing!  What comfort and assurance!

In I Peter 4:19 we are reminded that if we are suffering from doubt, or wanting to give up, that God wants us to keep  on doing what is right and trusting in Him who created us as He has promised to never fail us.  

And then, if we are in great trouble we are reminded in Ps. 46:1 that God is always our refuge and strength and ever present to help us.

Then in Galatians 2:20 we find the secret to actual trust no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. It is the Christ life living in us that gives us the power to "rest" completely in Him and be able to say quietly and sing confidently - "It is well, it is well with my soul". mjm

Attract and Please vs. Honor

It is very easy in worship and church music today to fall into the trap of attracting and pleasing, rather than the honor and glory of God.  The worst possible thing a church can do is to choose music and worship forms according to the taste of their youth and children when their tastes are not yet Biblically understood and formed.  

When you look around today you see many churches who have sacrificed their identity in an attempt to please certain people.  The church is called to be set apart to be an alternative community in our world.  If they are taught, young people can enjoy and identify with a wide range of music.  And more importantly, youth who love to sing in worship are usually the children of parents who sing and worship in joy and gladness - with passion.  

Youth and children should be taught by their parents and congregation why some of the older members value certain songs and yes, even hymns.  They need to be taught why our worship contributes to keeping our focus on God and nurturing us in His ways as individuals and as the body.  As a part of their discipleship we also should encourage them to bring to our worship planners new music that accomplishes the goals we have mentioned.  

We must be vigilant about finding what is appropriate for our mission and goals as a church, bringing young and old together as a community.  Constantly keeping in the forefront music and worship that will appropriately nurture us on both individual and corporate levels must be consistent.  May we pray together - "Lord, worthy of our worship, forgive our using worship to attract or please, rather than simply to honor and glorify you."  Amen.  mjm

God Gave the Song

Yes, that's the title of an old song by the Gaithers.  But it highlights a great Biblical truth. Throughout the whole of scripture we see this truth told and demonstrated.  The People of God have always been a singing people.  Robert Ingersoll, the famous atheist, left clear instructions that there would be no singing at his funeral.  To him the heavenly throne was empty and without hope - why would we want song?  John Wesley said, "Beware of singing as if you were half-dead or half-asleep.  Lift up your voices with strength.  Be no more afraid of your voice now, or more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan."  And then of course there is the old hymn that says, "Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God."  

Some people say that they just don't like to sing, or that they don't want others to hear them sing. The problem with that kind of reasoning is that the person isn't singing for the people surrounding him in the pews. He should be singing for the glory and pleasure of God.  David Jeremiah says "the joyfulness of the joyful noise isn't determined by the social evaluation of your instrument, but by the divine evaluation of your heart."  

We need to be reminded that Jesus is the song.  He is the "new song" spoken of in scripture.  He is the song of our hearts and our lives.  It is in redemption and hope in Him that we are commanded over and over "to sing the new song."  We are given much to sing about.  We sing because of His Word and Spirit indwelling us.  There seems to be implication for singing because of the rich diversity of our individual experiences, as well as the diversity of our different experiences from one another.  Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs implicate that diversity of response to God's wondrous grace.  

God's song is a special way for divine blessing, comfort, and strength.  Even in the depths of suffering, we are able to turn our hearts to the Song God has placed there.  Someday we'll stand before the throne singing and proclaiming praises to the King of Kings with an excellence and eloquence never dreamed of.  But, we must not wait.  God has given us a song here in the earthly realm; a preview. . . a foretaste of glory divine! mjm

Our Worship in the Church and in the World

Believers are notorious for trying to separate the vertical and horizontal dimensions of worship. But, it is clearly not Biblical to do so.  The linkage between the two is clearly shown by Paul in his letters. We cannot do a thorough study of Rom. 12:1-2, Ephesians 3:10-11, Col. 3:16, and Eph. 5:19 just for a few and not see that God-ordained ministry of praise and prayer and edification are very intimately linked in the New Testament.  Paul transforms definitions of worship to include the work of Christ, the preaching of the Gospel and new life discipleship of believers.

We don't just "go" to church to worship God.  Believers are meant to worship God in every sphere of our lives.  When our worship works itself out in our response to God's grace we realize that our ministry to others is our service or self-giving to God.  It becomes God's work in the midst of our lives.  Prayer and praise are our faith responses to the gospel -  edifying the congregation - not for self edification.  And we cannot effectively give and receive ministries to one another apart from our meeting and engaging God.  

Service and ministry exercised in love amongst the people of God and the world has to be an outworking of the Spirit's transforming power because we have been with Him!  All of it is our significant way of worshipping and glorifying Him.  Paul clearly says to us that the "vertical" and "horizontal" should not be artificially separated.  One part of the gathering of God's people cannot be "worship time" (prayer and praise) and another part "edification time" (preaching and teaching) because both activities culminate in the same place.  

When God ministers to us and we respond to Him we end up ministering to one another in the gathering of the church for worship.  Prayer and praise is not an end to itself and preaching, teaching, and ministry are not an end to themselves.  We worship God because of Who He is, and in response to His grace towards us.  The edification of the church is an extension and culmination of our devotion and service.  They are divinely linked.  mjm

His Work and Our Response

When we think of the work of God we usually immediately think of the cross and resurrection. There is good reason because it is a culmination of the redemptive work of God seen in God's purposes throughout history.  Even though God's past works are in redemptive history, we still must be aware that He continues to work His wonders among us today with the same power, might and majesty of the past.  It is true there are no more burning bushes, no atoning sacrifices or resurrections.  But God still works today, even in the ordinary.  Ordinary gathering of God's people in praise and prayer and we experience the glory of God.  Ordinary preaching brings the spiritually dead to life.  When God's people gather we are giving Him another opportunity to work among us, changing lives and glorifying His own name.

In covenants throughout God's Word there are always two parties.  God speaks and delivers and we then respond in faith and repentance.  But actually even faith and repentance are not our part, as God even grants faith and repentance.  But He does call for us to respond; growing in grace; remaining faithful to the end.  

Wonderfully we find the Psalms demonstrate over and over that dialogical sense of worship.  When God demonstrates His wondrous works in creation, preservation, judgement, and redemption the response seen in the Psalms is confession, praise, thanksgiving, lament, and whatever else might be an appropriate response to the Divine.  

Vagueness about the object of our praise will always lead to making our own praise the object. Praise can become an end in itself if we are caught up in our own "worship experience" rather than being completely caught up in the God whose character and acts are the only proper object of our worship. 

God is faithful to meet His people in Christ as the Holy Spirit works through the people's worship: confession of sin, declaration of forgiveness, songs of praise, confession of the faith, preaching leading to obedience, prayers, and sacraments.  The Person and Work of the Triune God must always be front and center in our worship.  What we prefer or "feel" at the moment becomes sentimental individualism, rather than God-focused worship.  He works . . . we respond!  mjm

His Majesty Speaking

Last blog we talked about our prayer spawned by the modern hymn . . . "Speak, O Lord".  In John's vision, recorded in Rev. 1:9-19, we see the transcendent glory of the appearance of Christ that is a description of His Majesty!  We need such a vision of Christ in our worship that not only informs us of the vision of the church as it is, but as it can be.  We need a 21st century vision of His Majesty, Christ the Lord, that will unveil a new and fresh encounter with Him in worship.  

If a king or even the president of a country entered the room, we would sit up, take notice, and seek to honor the office of the person.  And yet every time we enter the room gathered with God's people for worship, we are in the presence of the King of all Kings in all of His glorious majesty.

Having a new vision is not a sensation-seeking ecstasy or a form of escapism.  It is the confronting of the King of all Kings - a stark, earth-shaking, staggering shaking of our senses with a fresh, very realistic encounter with His Majesty, Lord of the Church!  This worship doesn't include tameness, predictability, numbing formality or our own prison-like presuppositions of what worship is.  It must begin with a private encounter of total upheaval in our own personal experience, allowing Jesus to deal with us in a private setting, preparing us for gathered worship.  The reason for this is so that the same realities that gripped John can grip us:  Experiencing the reality of the Majestic person of Christ, the reality of His position of authority in our lives, and the reality of His glory and power found in His completeness.

God is waiting for those who would dare to hunger and thirst for an unusual visitation of His Majesty to our 21st century generation.  He desires us to seek His glorious power and might in every culture, every nation, and every church.  Are we prepared for His Majesty to speak?  Are we prepared to seek Him with everything that we are in Christ?  Do we really hunger to honor and glorify Him?  He is so ready.  Are we?  mjm

Speak, O Lord

"Speak, O Lord" - That should be our prayer when we worship privately and when we gather as the Body of Christ for worship.  Just today I dedicated this song to our pastor as he has faithfully preached God's Word to my family for some 30 years in two different churches where we have served together.  This song is another of the great modern hymns that have been penned by Keith and Kristen Getty and Stuart Townsend.  In this blog I want to pull some lines from this wonderful hymn and speak to them.

"Speak, O Lord as we come to You, to receive the food of Your holy Word.  Take Your Truth, plant it deep in us, shape and fashion us in Your likeness."  Why?  So that Christ might be seen in us in deeds of love and faith, fulfilling His purposes for His glory.  May that truly be our heart's prayer over time  as we gather for worship.  

The text goes on to challenge us to full obedience, reverence and humility, testing our thoughts and our attitudes.  This is the true result of . . . "Letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom; singing Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs with thankfulness in your hearts." (Col. 3:16)

On this Memorial Day Weekend, as we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, we need to consciously and consistently pray that His words of power that can never fail or come back void - His truth - will prevail over unbelief in our nation today.  

Finally, "speak, O Lord, and renew our minds, help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us."  I have always loved and tried to live by the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." And Proverbs 16:3 in the Amplified Bible: "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed."  I have held on to that in the past and continue for the future, praying that God's Kingdom and "Church will continue to be built and the earth be filled with His glory!"  What a song!  What a life!  What a Lord! mjm

A Full Spectrum of Worship

There is insight to be had about the mystery and majesty of worship in all styles of worship and worship music.  I'm reminded of that with Paul's words: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been His counselor?  Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him?  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever! Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).

God has gone past finding out; more powerful and holy and gracious than we can imagine.  He has gone beyond our highest thoughts and deeper than our most intense emotions.  And yet. . . He calls us to worship Him.  Though mortal, flawed, fallen creatures, we are to offer our worship to God - the eternal, perfect, all-wise Creator and Lord of all!  Churches and many in the church approach worship differently.  Given our limited perspectives, how could it be any different?  Until we see Him face  to face, our worship will always be partial.  Until we know fully as we are fully known, our worship will always be incomplete.  As we worship Him to the best of our ability, that will differ among His chosen ones as they worship.  Because of where I have led worship for the last 25 years and my belief in multi-generational, blended worship, I think there is something for us from most all of the differing approaches to worship.

First the Formal-liturgical kind of worship reminds us that worship is vertical, Biblical, and Godward in approach.  That is not a bad thing for us to contemplate as we worship Him.

Second, there is the traditional Hymn-based worship.  There is a theological richness found in the musical, texted form of hymns that must not be neglected by the worshipper.  And they don't have to all be only the old hymns.  The Gettys and Stuart Townsend, as well as others, are providing wonderful new hymn expressions with theological depth that we need in our spiritual walk.  We need both old and new.

Third, there is "contemporary" worship. . . which is somewhat of a nebulous term because it means something different to different people.  For the most part it uses the musical and stylistic language of the present generation to lead people into an authentic expression of worship, and sometimes into a keener awareness of the presence of God in our midst.  It has given expression directly to God where many times the hymns were expressions about God.  So it does expand our worship expression in a meaningful way.  The danger is worshipping it as a style, rather than worshipping Him, and it becoming more performance-oriented with small "praise teams" and bands.

Then there is the influence of Charismatic worship.  The good of this is that it points out that worship without the Spirit is dead.  The goal is that worshippers experience some measure of the fullness of God, including the Holy Spirit.  The pervasive problem is some of the shaky charismatic theology that goes along with it.  This kind of worship will be more faithful to God's Word if it lets go of the outcomes in worship, allowing God's Spirit to "blow wherever and however He pleases" (John 3:8) and rejoices in the true role of The Spirit in pointing to Jesus - especially His victory through suffering.

Then there is Blended, Multigenerational worship.  Worship is both divine and human.  Blended worship hopefully tries to blend the best of all the different approaches in an effective way.  It is divine in God's grace standing behind, motivating and empowering worship.  In that sense it is all about God.  But it is human in that we as worshippers must recognize His worthiness and seek to give expression to that worthiness in ways that please Him.  There is a hopefully gentle tension between the different styles that is inclusive to all generations and the body who gathers and worships together willingly yielding to one another's tastes and approaches.  This yielding is Biblical. 

As Jesus-followers we want and need the written Word of God to guide us in matters of faith and practice, including worship with discernment and sensitivity to the Spirit, realizing the vastness of His mystery and majesty in worship.  mjm

Wherever . . . I'll Follow

In one of the first blogs five years ago I talked about Matt. 4 when Jesus says to Peter and Andrew, "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  As I said earlier we tend to emphasize the last part neglecting the first part.  Jesus call for us to come to Him is really our call to worship.  If we are to experience the leading and power of God in our lives we must first come to Him. The more literal translation is come follow to me.  It is not just an invitation to follow Him, but to get to know Him.  "If you follow me, I will lead you to myself, follow me to me.  Jesus is both the journey and the destination!  Col. 3:4, "Christ . . . is our life."  This is our invitation to be true God-worshippers.  The pursuit of Jesus and following Him with all our heart, mind, and soul is true worship.  

That is what I have tried to do with God's call on my life.  If you count when I became church pianist and accompanist for the adult choir in my home church, I have been in music ministry for right at 54 years.  One Sunday night as a junior in high school, determined to be a band director, God spoke to me as I was playing "Wherever He Leads, I'll Go" for the invitation.  I left the piano, went to my pastor and told him that God wanted me in music ministry.  I followed through with all of my adult years being spent in music ministry in Texas and Oklahoma.  I spent some 7 years as a music missionary to Zimbabwe.  At God's leading I came to FBC, Rockwall 25 years ago.

I have always known ahead of time when God was about to lead me in a new direction.  A few months ago, he began working on me again.  I had asked Him for the last two or three years to please let me know when it was time to retire from full-time ministry.  Note:  not retiring from ministry, just full-time ministry.  God has given Fran and me a complete peace that now is the time. God's peace has amazed me as I have had to face what I am walking away from.  God is so good and merciful.  Thanks to so many of you who have been so faithful to pray for us all these years of ministry together.  I am not worried in the least about you because if God has made it so clear to me that this is the time, then He has something much better for you.  God's richest blessings on you as you continue to worship Him with all your heart, mind, and soul.  mjm

Worship Only God!

One of the gravest dangers I have seen in the resurgence of the emphasis on the worship life of the believer and the church over the last few years is that if we are not very careful we can end up worshipping a way of worship, style, even a "worship leader" or form of worship rather than worshipping Him!  Worship is not about worship; it's about Him!  It is not an event but a lifestyle.  It must be cultivated daily in our lives, not just once a week.  It is not a performance done but a presence experienced.  Unless in both our personal/private worship and in our gathered/corporate worship we have experienced the presence of God it cannot be Christian worship.  There is no worship apart from God Himself.

When our focus is on the actual manifest presence of God, our interest in certain forms, styles of music, styles of worship, all our contrived bells and whistles are of little interest.  When our personal worship is nurtured on a daily basis it feeds and fuels the gathered worship of the body as we gather weekly and experience the presence of God Almighty! I have often said the church's worship is not dependent on how well the preacher, music leader, worship leader, worship choir, etc., does their thing.  No, the church's worship as we gather is totally dependent on the nurtured daily worship of the body of Christ before we gather.  When a congregation full of people have been with God and then gather together, God will be in the house in all His glory!

If it's that important, let's review some musts in personal nurturing of our daily worship lives:

Quietness - We each must find a place in our lives without distraction, withdrawing for a time from the world and finding our peace in God Himself.  Our lives are too full of noise and commotion. Yea, even our churches are.  Finding a quiet place is a challenge but it is well worth the effort.  We must learn to be still; only then will we know He is God.  We must learn to wait patiently and quietly on God.  Noise is the enemy of our soul nurture.  Some of the old saints would practice what was termed "tarrying."  They would get on their knees and tarry in God's presence until the light broke forth into their hearts.  

Scripture -  All our worship begins and ends with the Bible.  The Bible must have a prominent place in the daily life of every believer.  It is the divine roadmap leading us to Holy God.  Our reading of it must not be a marathon but a slow, deliberate soaking in the message.  To use a cooking term, the scripture must be allowed to marinate in our minds and hearts, nurturing our hearts.  We must always approach it realizing that God is speaking His living Word to us.  And we must not fail to meditate to the point of memorization . . . "hiding His Word in our hearts."  

Prayer -  Our prayer lives must move beyond "getting things" from God.  It must become not simply getting our prayers answered but fellowshipping in the overwhelming presence of God. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue of intimate fellowship.  Tozer once said, "The key to praying is simply praying," . . . engaging the very God of the universe in wonder and adoration, resulting in spontaneous worship.  

Hymns - Yes, we live in a day when some have come to disdain hymns.  At the risk of sounding old and out of touch:  after the Bible the hymnal is one of the most important and valuable books for meditation and worship.  You need not wade through heavy theological treatises to become a theologian.  Just spend time meditating on some of the great hymns of the faith and you will become a growing theologian.  

Finally, devotional readings of some of the great saints are important to our personal worship. Simplifying our lives is also important to our personal worship.  Too much activity or just too many things in our lives can suck the life out of us.  We must constantly go through our schedule and eliminate, putting certain activities on the altar of sacrifice that we "may know Him."  And then lastly, friendships can be one of the most potential dangers to our worship life.  Our chosen friends can make or break our deeper walk with Christ.  Cultivate your dearest friendships with people who make Him their priority and constant companion.  "I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things.  And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.  But he said, 'No don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book.  Worship only God!'" (Rev. 22: 8-9) mjm

A Song and a Prayer

Yes, I know there are songs with those lyrics, but I want to discuss the idea of a song and a prayer from Revelation 5:8ff.  In this passage we see the church represented by the twenty-four elders, with their leading the members of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation in worship of the Lamb.  

But what did these lead worshippers carry with them into the presence of Holy God?  What were the two things that gained them entry into His glorious presence? "...the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense."  The harp is representative of a song or music and the incense represents the prayers of God's people.  With music and prayer in hand they proceeded to sing!  Praise is only half the battle.  Without the offering of incense, a choir and a church committed to prayer, it is impossible to adequately worship Him.

After reading Jim Cymbala's book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire some 20 years ago I became convicted that our worship choir needed to be a praying people if we were ever to lead worship effectively. My desire was that our worship-leading choir become known as a praying group of people and that we fervently pray for the worship in our church.  In 2 Chronicles 20 we see that we are to be the lead warriors as members of God's choir and it is impossible for us to do that apart from a devoted prayer life.  We would have to be a people of prayer.  

Part of the job description for worship leaders is that we be prayer warriors.  The very weapons of our warfare in breaking through to worship are praise, prayer, and prophecy ("telling forth" the truth of God's Word).  Without prayer we are in danger of bringing incomplete and unacceptable offerings of worship to God.  Unfortunately, many times we have the harp in one hand and nothing in the other. As a worship-leading choir, God's choir, we must see the value of prayer.  We must pray constantly, and with all our heart be models of this for the church we lead in worship.  It will unify us in purpose and in song.  May we always have ...a harp in one hand and golden bowls full of incense in the other.  mjm

God's Choir

Dave Williamson talks about three kinds of choirs.  I want to take the basics of what he has said and enlarge upon it from my own experience in church choirs for the past 53 years, starting as the accompanist of the church choir in my home church.

There are basically three kinds of church choirs seen in my lifetime.  The Volunteer Choir, the Commitment Choir and the Covenant/Worship Choir.  All three of these approaches have certain characteristics and purposes.  

First of all there is motivation and agreement:  In the Volunteer Choir it is between you and yourself.  In the Commitment Choir the motivation and agreement is between you and others, but in the Covenant/Worship Choir your motivation and agreement is between you and God.  The reasons for becoming a part of the choir for the volunteer is to sing and develop friendships.  For the Commitment Choir it is those same things plus being a part of a worthy organization.  And then there are all of those things plus the most important: a calling to lead worship. That is the Covenant/Worship Choir.

Then there are the reasons for staying with it after joining.  The volunteers stay because the director meets their expectations and not too many expectations are placed on the volunteers.  For the Commitment Choir the organization itself meets expectations and acceptable expectations are placed on the choir member.  For the Covenant/Worship Choir the choir member is faithful no matter what expectations come from the director and/or others because his faithfulness is determined by his covenant with God Himself.  Expectations vary among the three.  The Volunteer Choir member shows up occasionally - as is convenient.  The Commitment Choir member almost always shows up. The Covenant/Worship Choir member is always looking as to how he can contribute in meaningful ways with a full commitment of preparation to lead others to the throne in worship.

The most meaningful outcome of each of these three:  The Volunteer Choir has a good experience singing and has the congregation's applause.  For the Commitment Choir it's about good use of time with good singing and building relationships.   However, for the Covenant/Worship Choir the best outcome is growing in personal worship and enhancing and enabling the congregation's growth in worship.  

Finally, the primary focus for the three - The Volunteer Choir's focus is to sing and have fun.  The Commitment Choir has a sense of purpose, singing for Jesus and seeking to develop relationships. But the Covenant/Worship Choir has all of those plus: worship and leading worship in spirit and in truth so that the congregation might experience His presence and power! I am so thankful that I have the privilege of leading a Covenant/Worship Choir.  Does every choir member see it that way?  No, but the majority do.  Praise be to Him! mjm

God's Calling to Lead Worship

When we talk about God's calling to lead worship many people assume we are talking about the person who leads worship rather than those who lead worship.  Yes, I was called to lead worship at a young age and prepared to do that.  However I have always  believed, according to Scripture, that the choirs of the churches I have served were also called, and no less than myself, to lead worship.  God lays out a divine plan and then calls and equips His people to carry it out. I believe - on the foundation of God's word and with every fiber of my being - that people who sing in the worship choirs of their churches are called out to do so.  That is why I have never asked for volunteers.  And I have noticed over the years that people who consider themselves volunteers don't last.

Also we see in God's Word that calling always leads to covenant.  I love what Dave Williamson has to say about the definition of covenant based on God's call:  "A covenant is created by the intentional, unconditional acceptance by man or woman of something spiritually significant which has originated in the heart of God and which He has requested of you, and empowered you to do." When a person accepts and responds to God's call a covenant is created.  

The very reason I constantly talk to our worship choir about two big picture issues is because of the above.  I constantly stress prayer as it keeps us connected to God's call and our covenant with Him to lead worship.  And I constantly remind the worship choir that our primary purpose and role is to prepare musically and in prayer to lead and usher our people into the manifest presence of God in worship.  If we aren't prepared musically, we're too concerned with the music.  If we haven't prepared through prayer, we are not anticipating and expecting the manifest presence of God.  If you are a choir member, remain faithful to your calling.  If you are one of the congregation, please be faithful to pray for the worship-leading choir and the worship services every week.  mjm

Clapping Hands in Worship

I am asked about this on a fairly regular basis as some think it is inappropriate in worship and others state Biblical mandate.  In the church today clapping is almost used as much as singing. Psalm 47:1 of course is the most used mandate that people quote - "O, clap your hands, all you peoples!  Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" In certain church groups these days even though you find this mandate there would be discomfort with both clapping and shouting. Unfortunately that is probably because as human beings do, it has been misused as much as it has been Biblically practiced.

As we respond appropriately to the majesty and greatness of our God, all that He has done and the blessing of His power and presence among us, with our worship comes those times when applause brings us into a greater dimension of praise as God reveals His glory and presence among us.  On the flip side clapping at the wrong time can be disorderly, meaningless, or redundant.  And, if it is mindless as a habit it has no authentic meaning  for worship among the gathered people of God.  In that passage we might see that usually clapping goes hand in hand with verbalized praise.  But it needs to be done in worship in an orderly fashion and during appropriate times.  There are times when our choir has presented a powerful expression of praise when it is very appropriate for the congregation to respond in applause.  I have to admit that there have been times where we sang something contemplative and heart searching and even convicting when I felt the applause was mindless, without attention to what had just been sung. Quite frankly, in those moments I sometimes cringe. 

As with singing and praying our applause needs to  be used with understanding.  There are Biblical principles of the use of applause.  There is the declaration of victory and joy!  "Making a joyful noise unto the Lord." The Bible affirms in many places triumphs in praise. In our own human experience clapping is used in a celebration of victory and spontaneous expression of delight. When we see that Christ has won the victory, how can we not respond?  

It is also an expression of welcoming approval or affirmation. In the Old Testament we see where a King on the occasion of his coronation is clapped for by the people. In the same kind of way why would we not affirm the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ, welcoming royalty into our midst as we worship Him, giving Him His rightful place of rule in our lives?

Just as we shake hands in agreement, in the culture of ancient Israel they struck hands to indicate agreement or the sign of a covenant. In a sense when clapping hands we are confirming our covenant with God's promises and our preparedness to appropriate the truth reflected in His word.

Finally, in a real sense the clapping of hands can be a weapon of spiritual warfare.  Satan and his demons can not stand the praise of Jehovah God.  As seen in Scripture clapping is an enhancement and extension of our praise to God!  Let's give God a hand of praise in orderly fashion at the appropriate times.  mjm

Building Your House of Worship

No, I'm not talking about a physical building.  "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." (Hebrews 13:15)  "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 Amp.) Finally, "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,  which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."(Col. 1:27)

We see clearly in these passages that we are to become "His House of Worship".  The building is the presenting of our body, our voice, our heart and complete availability to the Lord, His power and presence, and His Word.  

Our house of worship is framed right where we live.  A wonderful blueprint, supplies, and materials for construction of our house of worship are found in His Word - beginning with the wonderful ancient worship book:  The Psalms.   God's unchanging truths and principles of worship flow forth from the pages of the Psalms.  It is one of the reasons I committed years ago to read all the way through the Psalms every month.  

These great exhortations of David, calling Israel to the worship of YAHWEH, are the guidelines to New Testament believers as we learn to worship.  These truths are timeless.  Humility, confession, repentance, childlikeness, and an open-heart before our Lord gives us instruction and inspiration for building our individual houses of worship.  

And, quite frankly, the worship of the gathered church is totally dependent on each of us building our  individual house of worship.  When that happens, the church will be completely overwhelmed by the worship of the people of God and the power of His Holy presence among us.  Let us build our house of worship so that when we gather - God is in the house!!! mjm

The Power of Song

There are many places in Scripture that give us insight into the power of song in God's system. I want to focus on some of them here.  

First is the power of song to give victory over oppression and fruitlessness.  In Isaiah 54:1 we find the story of a barren woman being challenged to sing in the face of her barrenness.  In the culture of ancient Israel a barren woman was considered worthless.  In this situation of hopelessness, she is commanded to sing. When she begins singing, immediately she is encouraged to make ready for the coming baby.  This problem of barrenness brings about God's promise and the promise is brought about through song. This call to new life is brought via a song.  I'm immediately drawn to the principle of . . . new life, new song. . . as seen in God's Word also.  Singing is not just something we do, it is one of the ways that God demonstrates and shows forth His power.  

Second is how song relates to the creative power of God.  We can look to Job 38 where a dialogue is taking place between the Lord and Job. We are apprised of the fact in this passage that singing was actually a part of God's creation of the world.  This principle of song relating to the creative power of God carries into our own experience of singing as we are made in His image.

One of my favorite places in scripture that helps me see the power of God involved in song is 2 Chronicles 20, where God chooses the choir to lead the army into battle.  We see in this passage that God wants song to be seen and experienced as victory in battle.  Song brings victory in battle. Many of us as believers have experienced this many times over and know that God also works His power in this way.  

Finally, not only does song bring victory in battle, creative power and victory over barrenness, it also brings release from bondage.  When we see the story in Acts 16 of Paul and Silas delivered from imprisonment in Philippi, we see before our very eyes a demonstration of the principle of song bringing miraculous release from bondage.  We need to take to heart the power of song in our worship experience -- in our personal private worship, as well as in the worship of the gathered body! mjm

Loud Voices in Worship

More than once in the Old Testament are we challenged to sing or shout to God in a loud voice! Now some say, "Well that was for the Old Testament".  Mostly in the Psalms do we see those declarations.  Do we forget that Psalms was the worship guide for the New Testament Church?  

There is nothing more basic than God's people singing in worship.  There is nothing the gathered people of God participate together in more than singing unto the Lord!  It is a powerful way for our extolling Him and a way of welcoming His ruling power into our midst in worship.  When God's people praise, the devil and his angels tremble and the Lord rises in strength and vigor to move among His people.  

Because of scriptural foundations and our own experiences we know that God manifests Himself among His people who wholeheartedly, not half-heartededly, worship Him with "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs . . . singing out loud and making melody in our hearts before and to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19).  As we "let the Word of Christ dwell richly in us . . . singing" (Col. 3:16) in our daily lives, song becomes a powerful experience of sustenance, triumph, and our ongoing discipleship and growth in Him!  mjm

Brokenness vs Brilliance

I have spent almost my entire life studying music only to feel there is so much more to grasp and understand.  In fact the more I study the bigger the whole world of music becomes and the more I realize my lack of "expertise".  I also have studied worship most of my adult life only to find that the more I study the more I am humbled with the realization that I really have no expertise in understanding worship from God's perspective.  Experiencing His presence in worship serves only to keep me understanding how little I know and how totally dependent on Him as opposed to my "experience".  My heart's desire is to know what really honors our Lord, knowing my understanding is so limited. 

"In Spirit and in Truth" . . . from John 4:23 has always intrigued me in trying to understand what is at the heart of worship.  In seminars and classes over the years I've heard a lot about balance in worship because of this passage.  And yet I have also heard and read many who have said one or the other was more important in understanding worship.  In our Western Christian tradition most theological presuppositions about worship focus on "truth" or on the cerebral; on the mind rather than the heart.  It is more objective thought of God's revealed Person, nature, and His attributes.  But this focus is more on our mind's ideas about God rather than our heart's hunger for Him.  

Sometimes we make "mind" and "spirit" synonyms.  But in fact . . . "in truth" is a companion phrase indicating that with worshipping in spirit . . . the heart . . .there is active involvement of the intellect as well.  There are those who are suspicious of this because our value system maximizes intellect and minimizes the worth of emotion.  The heart is more emotionally centered and in our western thinking should take back seat to reason.  But the question arises:  is the mind less subject to deception than the heart?  In both 2 Cor. 4:4 and Job 11:7 we see that even though the intellect is a wonderful gift from God it is still prone to deception.  

God's Word seems to show us that in our worship God is not looking for something brilliant, but something broken:  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart - these O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).  It would seem that God's concern when we worship Him is not how many grandiose thoughts we have about Him, but how passionately our hearts desire and hunger for Him.  It would seem that God desires worship that desires and treasures His presence, worship that humbles our hearts and worship that sacrifices, expecting God's response that leads us to share God's love by every means.  God may be more interested in our brokenness than in our brilliance.  It reminds me of something one of my African friends once said, "It is not by our own cleverness we have arrived."  mjm

The Ultimate in Worship

Christ is central and the ultimate in worship.  Hebrews ascribes that Jesus Himself, His worship, His honor and praise become the pure essence of everything we think, plan and prepare for when we do worship. Whether we are leading or following in the act of worship, His glory and honor must be our supreme objective.  All worship flows from the fountain of revelation found in Christ Jesus. When the Holy Spirit takes us into the Word and to the Savior, through our worship we magnify His name so that others are drawn to Him as we lift Him up. Then, worship's glorious purpose comes into fruition.

This is the reason it is so important to we keep ourselves filled with His Word.  From that place the Holy Spirit overflows our spirits with Christ, renewing our minds in truth, taking hold of our thoughts with His perfect love and bringing control over our lives by His Kingdom rule and presence.  And, that is what illuminates and animates our worship.

Our perspective of His place in worship is shaped by the seven statements found in the first three verses of Hebrews.  He is:

• appointed the heir of all things (v.2)
• the way in which the world was created (v.2)
• the radiance of God's glory (v.3)
• the exact imprint of God's nature (v.3)
• the upholder of the universe by His power (v.3)
• the Savior from sin and Redeemer of sinful man (v.3)
• the exalted Lord - His majesty on high (v.3)

This is the One to whom we bring our praise, adoration and thanksgiving!  This is the One whose love and grace spurs our rejoicing!  Our Creator God is the glorious One who gave us this Jesus. And His appointed Comforter, the Holy Spirit, overflows our lives with enabling power, giving us the inclination to glorify Him - Jesus, the Lord! 

Let our anthems, hands, hearts, and voices be raised in genuine worship of the ultimate in worship! mjm

My Abiding . . . His Abiding

I have always loved John 15 as it talks about our abiding in Him; the word "abiding" carrying the meaning of our continually remaining in Him.  "Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."  (John 15:4-11)

A precursor to these words in chapter 15 are these words in chapter 14: "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.  And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."(John 14:21) We know that God is omnipresent and all-seeing.  That knowledge is our challenge to walk reverently before Him, relating to other people with love, justice and good works.  But in this verse in John 14, Jesus is saying to us that He wants an intimate, tender, personal relationship with us in an even richer dimension of God's presence.  Here in verse 21 we see a move from the objective reality of God's presence to the subjective relationship of God's abiding personal presence.  This is the platform from which we are able to call on and experience the manifest presence of our Lord in both our private and public worship.  

God's awesome resurrection power and presence become reality in our abiding; leading to His abiding power and presence as we call on and anticipate with great expectation His manifest presence in our midst as abiding-worshipping believers.  Simply put, our abiding leads to His abiding, which leads to His manifest presence among us.  Praise be to the Lord! mjm

Easter Worship . . . "Here We Go"!

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."  

(I Cor. 15:20). We sang a song in worship today, "The End of the Beginning".  It reminded me that because we know the end of the beginning it changes everything, including our worship.  And then, in our last service one of our choir member's children (out of the mouths of babes) timed right at the grand pause at the end of the "Hallelujah Chorus" right out loud said, "here we go."  It was great.  Because it's true, when we live in the power of the resurrected Lord, get ready, here we go!  

Everything hinges on the resurrection of our Lord.  Without resurrection we might as well give everything up.  But because of the resurrection from the dead all heaven breaks loose in our lives and in our worship.  Earlier in this passage Paul lets us know that all preaching and worship is ludicrous, pointless, meaningless, and worthless "if Christ has not been raised."  In fact everything we understand about God hinges on God's follow-through of His promise to raise Jesus.  All of the promises of God to His covenant people culminate in His fulfillment of this promise.  Without it our faith has no foundation, our worship has no purpose, and our worship has no "presence".  

Because of the resurrection of Christ Jesus every Sunday is Easter as we celebrate the joyous reason we worship - the resurrection!  We can know as we worship that God welcomes us into this story, this hope, this forgiveness, this new life, this resurrection, this joy!  In our celebrating Easter may we be eager to share with the world - He's Alive!  That is a game changer in our lives and in our worship!

And by the way, the fact that He arose is not the end.  This Resurrected - Victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming again!  Here We Go!  Hallelujah!  mjm

Resurrection Worship

"And as they were coming down the mountain, He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead." (Mark 9:9).  I think this verse could also speak to us that we say nothing or do nothing until the Son of man has risen in us . . . until the Resurrected Christ so dominates us that we are under His power and teaching.  When we get right on the inside we will see Jesus' teachings and be amazed at things we didn't see before.  If our worship is to be real and authentic we must experience the Resurrected Lord Jesus and know what it means to have His victorious, risen life living in us.  We must be in communion with His risen life before worship can really be born in us. Does His resurrection life have its way with us? That is a prerequisite to worship.

We must experience both His death and resurrection in our own lives to prepare us for both personal and gathered church worship.  Romans 6:5 states: "For if we have been united with Him in death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."  The proof that we have been through crucifixion with Christ is that we become more and more like Him.  The incoming of the Spirit readjusts our lives Godward.  Jesus' resurrection gave Him authority to impart the life of God in us.  His resurrection life shows itself in holiness.  Once we decide the "old man" is identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades every part of our lives - taking charge of everything.  Our part is walking in His light and obeying all that He reveals in a life of holiness.  We then belong to a new order of spirituality as the resurrected Christ lives in and through us.  Christ in you - the hope of glory.  When all of this is the case, worship comes seamlessly and naturally in our daily and weekly worship.  And, we celebrate Easter - the resurrected life of our Lord - everyday!  mjm