Presidential Faith ... in Action

Donald and Melania Trump attended at (Washington, DC) church yesterday - the day he had called the nation to prayer.

Trump had designated yesterday as National Day of Prayer, specifically asking the country to pause to pray for the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. That hurricane, which hit the Gulf Coast last week, appears to be the most devastation natural disaster ever to hit the U.S. President Trump has already asked the U.S. Congress for nearly $8 billion in aid to the victims of this hurricane and the resulting flooding. The Texas Governor estimates they will need more like $125 billion to recover. But I digress.

Here's what I want to talk about today. It was front page news that our President & First Lady attended church. Looking back, it seems that neither of them have attended any regular church services since he took office. They have only attended when the church service was to inaugurate or otherwise honor Trump. This isn't a strong expression of Trump's faith.

Now, lest you think that I'm ragging on Trump, let me also mention the fact that Obama rarely attended any church services during his eight years as President. It was the same with his predecessor, George W. Bush. In fact, of all the modern Presidents of the U.S., only the Carters and the Clintons are known to have attended church services on a regular (weekly) basis.

I long to see our modern Presidents more open about their faith. Maybe Trump, with his addiction to expressing himself on Twitter, could tweet the Scripture passage that he and his wife read and meditate on together each day. (They do do that, don't they?) You know, I wouldn't mind if our President and his wife were zealous about the God they serve. I'd like to know that my President is a man under authority, that He is surrendered and submitted to Christ in every way possible.

I'd really like to see our President at least occasionally leading the nation in public prayer. To be fair, Melania Trump publicly read the Lord's prayer in a ceremony a few months ago. But again, that made front page headlines because it was so remarkable. We're not used to seeing much in the way of outward 

expressions of faith from our President or First Lady. It's something I'd like to get used to. And of course, I'd like to know that they are regularly attending corporate worship services - as God's Word commands them to. 

I've read the arguments (maybe excuses) about modern Presidents don't attend church regularly. Those range from not wanting to be disruptive to not creating a security scenario. But really don't those are valid reasons. The Scriptural command doesn't have an exception clause that lets Christ-followers off the hook if they think it might be an inconvenience to others or that it would be too much trouble for their security detail. Both of those things can be overcome. 

If the President and his family were attending the same local church regularly, the drama would die down. Jimmy Carter still teaches Sunday School, for example, and his fellow parishioners seem to be managing pretty well. Similarly, the security details could be worked out so that the church would be secure enough to ensure the President's safety. Years ago I worked in England, and had occasion to visit a couple of the Queen's castles. I recall that even the Queen of England attends local church services in well known cathedrals or chapels where security has been arranged and where chaos has been overcome.

Quite frankly, if the President and his family wanted to join my local church, I would be deeply honored to get to worship, pray, and study God's Word with them. And I know that as a pastor, if I knew the President and his family would be at my church each week, I'm confident that my staff and I could work with the Secret Service to keep it secure. Moreover, I could work with my staff and parishioners to keep the carnival atmosphere to a minimum.

The faith of our Presidents is documented. Not a single President of the United States has ever identified himself as an atheist. All have said that they believed in God, and there was an assumption that that meant they also worshiped and submitted to God. The only exceptions have been Thomas Jefferson - who eventually denied that Jesus is God, and Abraham Lincoln - who was so secular that even people who knew him well questioned his faith. (See chart below.)

What is less documented and less known, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our Presidents. Jimmy Carter, for example, is the only President of the United States that is ever known to have taught Sunday School. (He still does!) We have few examples of Presidents praying, reading their Bibles, worshiping, or making disciples as Jesus commanded us to. (Matthew 28:19-20) 

I remember one time the pastor of our large church actually got up on the stage with the singers and worshiped in front of all of us. He is a terrible singer - bad voice and can't carry a tune. But seeing his heart surrendered to the Lord and him delighting in the worship moved me to tears. It encouraged my heart to see my leader worship our God.

So here's the thing. If I were President of the United States, I'm pretty sure that I would want to start my Presidency with a prayer service. In fact, my inauguration speech would include a call for the nation to pray with me. I would ask Americans to pray for me to have wisdom and discernment. I would ask them to pray that God would allow me to see what He sees, hear what He hears, and even think through things with the Mind of Christ. I would ask that my people pray for me to be humbled before the Lord and before my fellow Americans.

As President of the United States, I would pledge to my constituents that I would make confession a regular practice - and I would tell them the name of the individual that I would be confessing my sins to on a regular basis. (James 5:16) I would tell them the name of the spiritual adviser whom I would be giving authority to hold me accountable, to challenge me and ask me the hard questions on a regular basis. My weekly radio address (a Presidential tradition) would include prayer for our nation - my people would hear me pray. And I would implement regular time of prayer and worship with my staff, and even invite members of Congress to pray and worship with me. (We might have to move that Bible study to the National Cathedral!)

I don't believe the God of the universe can be expected to bless our nation if we as a nation are not submitted and surrendered to Him in real, tangible ways. I believe that there must be evidence that we are actively service the Lord in our everyday lives. (It's called Fruit of the Spirit.) Most of all I don't believe any of this will happen without our country's leaders setting the example. So of course I'm very glad to see that Mr. & Mrs. Trump were in church yesterday. I only hope and pray that this will become a regular thing for them!

Won't you join me now in praying that the Lord put a fierce hunger and thirst for God's Word into the hearts of our President and First Lady? Let us pray that God will draw both of them to Himself, and that a desire to seek Him first will overwhelm both of them.

True Worshippers ... Aren't Late

I'm sure I'm going to get a backlash for writing this.  Let me just acknowledge that up front.  I'm going to call out something so central to Christianity in our culture that someone will have to berate me for it.  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."  Or, "Who are you to judge?"  "Judge not, lest you be judged."  Yes, I will get those emails for today's blog.  I fully expect to get some that will remind me that it's better to get there late than not at all.  But I am not persuaded.  After all, it is my blog.

Jesus said, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know ... Yet a time is coming ... when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.'  (John 4:22-23)

Maybe I'm taking it a bit out of context here, but what kind of worshipers do you suppose Jesus had in mind here?  What does it mean to worship "in spirit and in truth?"  Does our heavenly Father really seek worshipers at all?  And if He does, what is it about worship that particularly pleases Him? 

Psalm 99 (1-9) sets the tone for me.  "The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble ... let the earth shake.  Great is the Lord ... He is holy.  The King is mighty ... Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy.  Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy."  And that tone is set in the beginning of the Bible and it continues to the end of the Bible.  Just about every single book of the Bible seems to give me clear direction on how I'm supposed to regard the Lord, my God. 

But it's not a tone that we seem to embrace in our regular weekly worship of the Lord.  It happens in my church.  It happens in many churches.  The music starts, the worship begins --- and people stroll in.  They saunter in, quite casually.  In many American churches they have their coffee in hand, or maybe a cold drink. 

Others around them are worshiping the Lord, but they interrupt their worship to greet their friends and give them a hug.  Or they interrupt the worship to get the seat that they want.  I'm truly not judging them.  But for me, there is something going on. 

I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE KING!  How could I consider being late?  It's an ordained time, when people whom God has called to lead me are prepared and ready to take me to a fresh encounter with my Savior.  Honestly, it feels disrespectful not to be early. 

If I have concert tickets or tickets to a sports game or a play, I always get there early.  If we're going to a movie, we always make sure we're there in plenty of time to get our popcorn and get seated during the previews.  Is not the Lord as important as the latest movie or sports game? 

I said that the tone is set in the Bible.  Listen to how it ends.  Look at those worshipers Jesus said the Father is looking for.  "Day and night they never stop saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.'  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne ... the twenty-four elders fall down before Him ... They lay their crowns before the throne and say, 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor ...'"  (Revelation 4:8-11)

Are these the kind of worshipers that you sit beside in your church?  My wife and I, we make it a habit to get to the church on time.  We're usually seated before the music starts playing.  Our church even starts with a song before the worship - and displays a stop watch, counting down the time until the worship will begin.  Usually this is to empty seats.  We often remark how empty the church is.  But then it fills up.  Somehow, between the time that the worship begins and the time that the sermon begins, the 'big house' fills up. 

But was God really honored?  Did He feel the love, while the worship leaders sang to empty seats and the worshipers getting their coffee, dropping their kids a their Sunday school classes, and greeting their friends? 

I want to stop people and ask them, "Do you know who God is?"  I'm teaching a class at my church right now and we recently talked about people whose God is too small.  I suspect that may be the God that most of us are worshiping.  For if we realized His true magnitude, could we dare not be in our seats and ready to give Him praise at the appointed hour?

I love my church and I love its people.  I love my fellow Christians in other churches.  But seriously folks, we are getting this wrong.  Is it possible that we are not the worshipers that our Father wants, but rather that He's being relegated to the worship we want? 

If you're a pastor or worship leader, please consider this an exhortation to confront the bad behavior that you see in your people.  (And I know that you see it!)  Don't be afraid to offend them.  They will be truly offended if God discards them because they never really knew Him.  Don't be afraid to offend them, when they are offensive to Him. 

I'm not saying you have to stop the service and rebuke the late comers.  But maybe you could preach on the subject, and then announce that "from now on," the doors will be closed when worship begins and people can only be seated late during the transitions (from worship to teaching, etc.). 

I remember attending Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan many years ago.  That's exactly what they did.  There were television monitors in the lobby and late comers could watch the worship on the monitors, waiting for a chance to join them.  You were only late once, and you realized you were missing out on something important.

I also remember worshipping at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago.  I was amazed to see people lining up at the locked doors to the worship center.  When the doors opened, it was like a contact sport to see who could claim the seats down front.  (It was very exciting to imagine people that interested in declaring God's greatness!)

But alas, I don't attend those churches.  I attend my church and your church, and the one around the corner.  I attend that church that wants to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable, like they matter.  But I worry that in the process, we make God feel the opposite.

Can we as true worshipers, knowing the one true God, ever afford to be late?

Obama's Church

How Obama picks a church and which one he picks.

White House staff prefers a church that serves the needy and is close by. Secret Service prefers a church that can easily offer the security accommodations the President requires.

The White House is busy vetting. Churches are busy lobbying. Invitations are coming into the White House, each extolling their virtues. Ultimately, the Obamas will decide, but the White House has been flooded with invitations from churches and from individuals trying to influence their choice of churches.

Each church seems to believe that if the Obamas pick them, their church will be "blessed."

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Okay, I wrote the above words on April 6th of this year. Then I just saved the blog and never published it. I thought I would wait and see what church the Obamas picked. Sadly, they haven't made a public pick of a home church ... yet.

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Does this mean that Barack and Michelle Obama are now part of America's famous "unchurched?" I suspect it does. Perhaps their allegiance is still to their "home church" in Chicago --- which ripped and shredded America, crying racism all the way. We'd like to think it's not.

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But come on ... wouldn't it be smart of the Obamas to take a stand with some church that is credible? After all, they claim to be praying people. To whom do they pray?

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I am not against President Obama. But I cannot find words strong enough to describe the yearning in my heart for a godly leader in my country. I guess I will continue to pray that God draw my President close to Himself. I shall pray that the Holy Spirit convict him (and his wife) to make a public commitment to a Christian community. I will hope, beyond all hope, that our President will submit himself to a spiritual leader who is truly a man of God.

G

The Old Testament book of 1 Kings, in chapter 16, speaks of an Israeli king named Omri. He is clearly described as a capable and effective leader. In fact, he sounds downright charismatic. I imagine that he offered the people hope that they could believe in. Unfortunately, 1 Kings 16 goes on to tell us that he sinned greatly. Moreover, he convinced his people to follow him and do things his way, thus leading them into sin. God was greatly angered and punished the entire nation.

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I marvel at the fact that we serve this same God today. I wonder if the lessons of history are being repeated in our nation today. It seems that Americans have always been quick to understand what a blessed nation we are, under God. But we continue to be slow to respond to the responsibilities of being God's chosen nation.

G

Like I said, I yearn for a President that will lead us in righteousness, in ways that honor this living God. I hope you'll yearn and pray for that too!

SMU

In October 2006, Playboy magazine came to town to do a photo shoot entitled The Girls of Conference USA. Twelve schools were in the conference, including Texas notables, Baylor and SMU. But the two reacted very differently to the Playboy initiative. The Dallas Morning News said the issue caused the two schools to "bare their souls." (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/102106dnmetplayboy.284af08.html.)

Indeed, Baylor raised a hot protest and absolutely forbid its students' participation in any way. Christians were proud of Baylor. We Baptists were proud of Baylor. I'm pretty sure God was pleased with Baylor that day too. On the other hand, SMU took a Switzerland approach, and feigned indifference. It's position was that the nude and nearly-nude photo shoots of its students were "not condoned" by the school --- and therefore the school was off the hook morally.

Do you supposed God really buys that? Should we Christians buy that?

Recently, SMU has suffered the painful deaths of three (3) students from alcohol or drugs. It seems that some of the SMU students have a penchant for alchohol and drugs, and it has become known as a party school. A task force was named to study what could be done to curb the culture of alcohol and drug abuse at SMU. Their recommendations? Among other things, establish an on-campus pub! (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/020208dnmetSMU.7c4597dc.html.)

The task force talks about changing the culture and creating an environment where students can be safe and healthy --- by serving them beer and wine in a school-operated pub. Are we believing this? What moral standards does SMU live by? Well, let's look at the name, Southern Methodist University. Who are the Methodists? Does their school bear testament to their religion?

Traditionally, Methodism has believed in the Armenian view of free will, via God's grace. Methodism affirms the traditional Christian belief in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as the orthodox understanding of humanity and divinity of Jesus. Sacramental Theology within Methodism tends to follow the historical interpretations and liturgies of Anglicanism. (This stems from the origin of much Methodist theology and practice within the teachings of John and Charles Wesley, both of whom were priests of the Church of England.)

It is a traditional position of the Methodist church that any disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason, it is said, one reads and interprets Scripture. By reason one determines whether one's Christian witness is clear. By reason one asks questions of faith and seeks to understand God's action and will.

This church insists that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.Most Methodist churches annually follow the call of John Wesley for a renewal of their covenant with God.

It is not unusual in Methodism for each congregation to normally hold an annual Covenant Service on the first convenient Sunday of the year, and Wesley's Covenant Prayer is still used, with minor modification, in the order of service. In it, Wesley states man's total reliance upon God, as the following excerpt demonstrates:

...Christ has many services to be done. Some are easy, others are difficult. Some bring honor, others bring reproach. Some are suitable to our natural inclinations and temporal interests. Others are contrary to both... Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us....

I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal...

So it would seem that these Methodists are Biblical Christians. They recognize Jesus Christ and live by the same Bible that the rest of us live by. What then can be said for SMU? Are they using logic and reason to interpret Scripture? And what of Wesley's prayer? Is SMU teaching its students that they are not their own? Do SMU students learn to be brought low for the causes of Christ? Do they learn to yield all things to God's pleasure and disposal?

I'm not being cynical here. I'm just being realistic. Christians are supposed to be materially different than the sinful, fallen world around them. So it is time to stop playing this Christian charade. The travesty of Christianity is the Christians who behave badly --- and mislead the world about what Christianity is and who God is.

SMU, you are a beginning to look like a blight on the face of Christianity. Step up to the plate and return to walking the talk of Christ. Instill some moral fiber in your students and enforce a moral standard that they can live by.

Take a stand against photo shoots for Playboy magazine. No pubs for your students. Period.

What Worship Is

It happened again today. I got to church on time, and was surprised to see so many people missing. There were lots of great parking spaces near the door.

Dropping my son off at his Sunday school class, I noticed that very few children were there yet. In fact, some of the classrooms were empty, with just a lone volunteer waiting for the eager children to show up. And it was 9:15; time for the church service to start.

In the worship center, there were lots of great seats. It wasn't even half full. The band started and the singers started and there was great music. "Lord, You are good and your mercy endureth forever!" It's one of my favorite songs. (I used to be in a band that sang it often.) But there was something missing. Where were the people? About ten or fifteen minutes later, they started streaming in. Some had their Starbucks coffee in hand. Steaming hot. Many of them arrived after the worship portion of the service was complete. They’d missed worship entirely!

I watched a movie this weekend with my family. It's called Duma. It's the story of a boy who adopted a big cat in Africa. When it was grown he was trying to return it to the wild. He had taken a motorcycle with a side car into the desert, where it ran out of gas. Pushing the vehicle along, the big cat jumped on board and was sitting comfortably looking out the dash window. It was a hilarious moment as the boy stopped and said to the cat, "Do you even know what wild is?"

If I were the worship leader in our church, I believe I'd be very tempted to interrupt the worship time and turn to these people strolling in late with their lattes. I'd stop the music short, and turn my attention directly to them so they'd know whom I was addressing. And I would probably say something like, "People, do you even know what worship is?" That I am so bold may be the reason why they have never asked me to lead worship in our church! Seriously though, it is a question that deserves an answer.

Do we even know what worship is? I suspect not. The Bible is chock full of instructions about worship. Mostly they center around two things though. First, do it. Second, make it genuine. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? Why then can we not seem to accomplish that?

I know, I know. You're saying, "But my church does do worship and it's awesome!" But I beg to differ with you. Your church may have talented musicians and singers, high tech graphics and videos, a superb sound system and play wonderful music. But if you are not there physically, mentally and spiritually, it is NOT worship. God does not tell us to go and watch genuine worship --- or stroll in at the end of genuine worship. He tells us to be genuine in our worship.

King David was perhaps one of the most memorable worshippers in the Bible. He broke all the rules, including dancing like a fool. God called him "a man after my own heart." (Oh that God would refer to me like that!) David wrote much of the Psalms. Let's look at some of what’s said in the Psalms about worship.

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; ... Psalm 96:9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 98:1 Sing to the LORD a new song, ... Psalm 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 149:1 Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Do you see the message here? Where does it say watch the worship? Is there any place where it says applaud the worship? How about strolling in with your non-fat, double cream, grande latte in your most comfortable flip flops and jeans? Not finding this there? Me neither!

Folks, it’s all about recognizing who God is. It’s about being so taken … so impressed with God that we rise to the occasion to honor Him. When I lived in England, I remember seeing Queen Elizabeth on the street one day. When she passed by, people stopped and saluted. They genuinely loved her, revered her and wanted to show her honor. Shouldn’t it be the same way with God?

I’m not one to just simply sit and whine about things I don’t like. No, I like to look for truth. And the truth is that God has some pretty strong feelings about worship. He wants us to worship Him. He created us to worship Him. He intends to meet us in our worship … connecting His heart with ours as we worship Him. Simply put, this is terribly important to God.

On the flip side of this, God is not enamored with this sham that many of today’s Christians call worship. Let’s not be deceived about that. He wants genuine worship from people who are genuinely His. Anything less repulses God. Yes, it repulses Him!

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth to honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. … You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!” (Isaiah 29:13-16)

He’s saying that our hearts are not sincere. He’s saying that we simply go through the motions. He wonders if we know what worship is. And it turns out that God has some strong words of repentance for people like us.

Hear this word, … this lament I take up concerning you: This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live; … Seek the LORD and live, … You trample on the poor …. you have built stone mansions, … you have planted lush vineyards, … (but) I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. … I hate, I despise your religious celebrations; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me … offerings, I will not accept them. …. I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” (Amos 5:1-23)

He’s saying that we need to get a clue. We need to learn what worship is. We need to do it now. He’s saying He’s fed up with our empty, shallow excuse for genuine worship. We are sinners and He knows it. We need to be giving Him honor and respect --- not just because of who He is, but because of who we are as well. He’s saying He doesn’t give a rip how talented the musicians or how fine the instruments. If our hearts aren’t in it, then God is not interested in our noise.

So I wonder if anyone’s heart could be in the worship at their church --- if they are not there when it occurs. We cannot outsource our worship to the professionals. We can’t assume that if everyone else is worshipping we've got it covered. Nor can we assume that “getting fed” in the sermon is all God cares about. He did not create us to be fed. He created us to worship Him.

Worship is supposed to be a true celebration, coming from the heart (not the head or the stage). It praises the Lord for who He is. It recognizes what God has done in our lives and in the lives of others. It is a show of humility and respect. We worship to praise God, to fill our hearts with His Holy Spirit, to grow spiritually as individuals and as a church, and to be obedient to God. More than anything, God wants our respect in worship. It disappoints Him when we are rude, disruptive or inattentive to the worship that is intended to grow us spiritually in Him.

Finally, worship appears to be a learned lifestyle and not a once-a-week act or performance. I may have to be the guy to tell you that you can’t be a genuine Christian if you can’t take worship more seriously. If you think you can learn that lifestyle and get what worship is though, then I’ll see you at church … on time!