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?

After Being Saved

I had an interesting discussion recently about what happens - or rather what should happen - after someone "gets saved." Before we even start into such a conversation, it's probably worth stopping to define that term.

There may be several different perspectives on what it means to "be saved." For the sake of this dialogue, let's just agree that it is the term applied to the event of someone making a decision to become a Christian.

I know there's not even agreement on what that means, but cut me some slack here. After all, it's only a discussion.

In today's Protestant churches in the west, someone becomes a Christian when they make a conscious decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Often it is followed up with a baptism ceremony ... which is simply a public proclamation of that earlier decision. The baptism of course isn't required for the decision to be real. It merely represents what already is. Some churches don't even practice it.

At any rate, the discussion we're having centers around what happens after this. When someone makes a decision to become a Christian, how do churches and church leaders follow up with them? In many churches - maybe even most churches, the individual may receive some literature, an invitation to attend some classes, etc. There may be a process to officially join the church membership. But generally speaking, that's about it. Few churches really go much further than that.

As you might guess, I have a view on this. I think there's a serious disservice in how churches handle these "just saved" individuals. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's a ministry travesty. Let me explain.

People often make decisions to become a Christian, and then fail to follow through. In other words, they don't live any differently than before. Often they are not found in church years later. In some cases they become incredibly religious at first, but then "backslide" and drift away from their faith altogether. There was a special news segment in New York last week about pastors in the pulpit who no longer believe in God! Can you just imagine?

I think people who turn to God and then backslide, or people who make professions of faith (such as in baptism) but then don't go any further are worse off than people who never turned to Him in the first place. Consider the following prophecy:

"... They claim to follow the Lord, but then they worship (false gods) too. ... I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord's guidance or seek my blessings." - Zephaniah 1:5-6 (NLT)

Now consider people who've fallen away from faith in today's world. Or consider people who would consider themselves devout church goers. Some of them, for example, think nothing of spending weekends at the lake house during the summer. Or they may spend their time and money on sports, entertainment or material wealth - and still attend church regularly. Are these people who claim to follow the Lord, but are still worshipping other gods as well? (If so, God has some sobering news for them!)

I know, you're going to ask me to shut up. You may be thinking that I'm about to say our salvation isn't secure. God forbid! The popular thinking in American Christianity today is that "once saved, always saved." It's true that the Bible tells us that when we have our salvation, it is secure. Nothing can take it away from us. And that popular thinking of course believes that the salvation became secure as soon as we made that conscious decision to become a Christian. We simply make the decision, maybe get baptized, and then forevermore have hold of that salvation that we can't lose. Right?

Jesus said, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." - Matthew 7:21 (NLT) That seems pretty clear. Only those who do God's will can actually get into heaven. Do churches let people know about that condition when they "get saved?"

You know, this isn't just the dilemma of new believers either. Many times, seasoned Christians or even preachers can be missing the mark (for heaven). Jesus said, "On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord!' We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me ..." - Matthew 7:22 (NLT)

So doing the work of the Lord isn't sufficient to get me into heaven? There's another condition? Serving in my church ... even casting out demons and performing miracles in Jesus' name don't get me into heaven? It seems that if Jesus never knew you, there is no mansion on the streets paved with gold for you. How could this be so?

It's worth considering the word "knew" in what Jesus said here. When we look up the word "knew" in the Bible, it is most often used in the context of extreme intimacy. For example, he "knew" her and she became pregnant with his child. The Bible uses this word to express something considerably stronger than awareness or familiarity.

Therefore, in the Bible, we should understand "knew" to be the highest level of intimacy possible -- and in the context of an exclusive love relationship. So if you want to go to heaven, it will require that extremely intimate ... and exclusive relationship between Jesus and you. Are churches passing that information along to those people are are newly "saved?"

For several years now, I've been deeply saddened by the prevalence of so many evangelists who tell people that all they have to do is "say a simple prayer." The Bible makes it clear that saying one simple prayer is not all you have to do. That's a good starting point. But if one goes no further than that, he or she may well live their lives under the deception that they are headed for heaven - without that actually being the case! As such, they are worse off than before. (See Zephaniah 1:5-6 above.)

So here's the thing ... our entire spiritual future rises and falls on just three things, according to the Bible. They are as follows:

1. Deep, exclusive intimacy with God.
2. Sincere efforts to obey God.
3. Consistent application to the end.

The greatest news is that if those three things are present, nothing can keep me out of heaven. Not my sin, not my failures or fears or weaknesses. Why? Because these three (3) things are the perfect evidence of the salvation that I can't lose.

So my deep sadness is that people are being "led to Christ" by sincere Christians who themselves are sincerely wrong. And if what we tell the "newly saved" is wrong, then it seems possible that they may perish. Only God knows of course. But the Bible makes it clear that our teaching should be sound. It must be accurate. God will decide what to do in the end, but He asks us to be diligent and focused on accurate teaching of His truth.

When someone gets "saved," we must take the responsibility of shepherding them into that exclusive love relationship with God. We must teach them God's will for their lives, and teach them to obey Him. Finally, we must encourage them to consistently apply themselves to that relationship and doing His will.

So how about it, churches and Christians in America? Are we doing that?

Christian Leadership

So I'm browsing through this giant Christian bookstore, which appears to have everything but a cappuccino bar. And I notice there is a plethora of books on leadership. It seems to be the mantra of today's Christian culture (at least in America.) I seem to recall my own church has a huge focus on leadership. It even offers special training for those who would be leaders.

There is strong evidence in this Christian bookstore that my church is not alone. It seems that many churches are espousing leadership in one form or another these days. At least as many of those churches are actually purporting to instruct on leadership.

It seems we have instructed the church today in nearly everything ... but becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. (Who could forget the "Women Thou Art Loosed" Cook Book?) We have filled the people with doctrines for success ... but not deity. We have given the Christians manuals in the form of self-help for marriage, diet, child-raising, relationships, therapy, physical exercise, careers, etc. But we haven't given them Emmanuel.

I was asked the other day the difference between Baptists and Presbyterians. It is not difficult to recognize someone from the different traditional church backgrounds. Nearly every congregation seems to develop a particular slant or system of traditions. And while most of those are Christ-based, some of them ultimately obscure the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. In other words, they don't make you like Jesus. Rather, submit yourself to their way of thinking and you will become like them. (I thought the goal was to become like Jesus!)

Is this wrong? Maybe not, but for us it should never be enough. As true Christians, we should be seeking to be like Jesus --- and not like men (or women) whom we think are righteous and holy. We want the kingdom of God --- and not the kingdom of American Christianity. (Or at least I think we do.)

The thing is we all need to be vigilant to submit ourselves exclusively and diligently to the Holy Spirit, the Words of Jesus Christ and the will of God, our Father. We should be constantly striving for the standards of the kingdom of God. What is the character and nature of God? Shouldn't those be considerations in all of our decision-making? Any focus or goal other than Christ Jesus would seem ripe to become a source of potential deception down the road somewhere.

The Bible says that in the last days, even the very elect will be deceived (Matthew 24:24). Who are the "very elect?" Aren't they the contemporary leaders of today's churches and para-church ministries? Aren't they those we would consider to be spiritually mature? Aren't they the authors of today's Christian books? And if they can be deceived, what is the source of their deception? Wouldn't it have to be a focus on something other than Christ Jesus?

Look at what Jesus did with common men. In just over three years, He transformed very average men and women into fearless disciples, who were literally filled with the Spirit of God. They were so filled, in fact, that they did not wince at suffering; they did not withdraw from sacrifice. They were fearless warriors for the kingdom of God. Isn't that where you and I want to be?

These ordinary people were equipped with spiritual authority over demons and they exercised power over even illnesses. They were living proof that Christ transforms ordinary people into extraordinary disciples. Couldn't three years of undiluted Jesus transform you and me the same way? These men were as average and as human as we are today. The difference between them and us is simply Jesus ... or rather the amount of Jesus. He is the only difference.

Of course one might argue that things were different in Bible times. After all, that was over 2,000 years ago. But God is unchanging. Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday and as He will be tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Physically seeing Jesus isn't required --- or He would have stayed on the earth in His human form. No, the same Spirit that worked through Jesus to transform people then is the one that is poured out on you and me today. Said differently, we have everything we need to become as passionate and effective as the men and women who actually walked with Jesus over 2,000 years ago.

So what will make the difference? If the need in us is for an undiluted, uninhibited Jesus, all we need then are hearts that will not be satisfied with something ... or someone less than Him. You see, if we focus on the differences in the Christ-based religions, we can readily miss the point. The true purpose of any church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Those disciples should look like the ones raised up over 2,000 years ago too. God doesn't raise up denominations or ministries. Rather He raises up slaves of Jesus Christ.

When we recognize that the goal is not ministry or church growth .... but slavery, we can finally begin to see the power of Christ restored in our churches. So the pattern for leadership is really pretty simple. Leaders must be individuals whose burning passion is conformity to Jesus Christ. The issue is not one method or tradition over another. The only question is whether we can fill our churches with people who are sincerely seeking, with burning passion, Jesus Christ in all His fullness.

God can use just about any church structure if the people in it are genuinely seeking Him. But I would argue that there is no form of Christian leadership that can ultimately prevail without a singular focus on Jesus Christ. Now, how can I wade through the plethora of Christian books on leadership and church models to find that?

Obama Discipled?

Okay, I just had a revelation. I've been trying to figure out who Barack Obama is. His walk doesn't seem to match his talk. I couldn't figure out why. The man has said he is a follower of Christ. I know what that means. I just didn't see it in Obama's behavior. I was looking for the fruits of the Spirit - and not seeming to find them.

I've prayed about this issue. Specifically, I've asked God to show me what He sees in Barack Obama. I was stunned by the revelation He gave me. The poor man may have made a decision for Christ - but he has not been taught what it means to follow Christ. It's called discipling. It seems to me now that Mr. Obama has never been properly discipled, or taught the ways of Christ.

Barack's family background is dicey. His mother went through two marriages. He moved around a lot. Between his mother, father and step-father, we have Muslim, atheist, agnostic - or just indifferent at best. Certainly no one there was teaching Barack who Christ is and what His followers really look like.
(http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2007/dec/20/chain-email-gets-obama-religion-wrong/)

Given the fact that Obama's encounter with Christ and profession of belief in Christ as the Messiah didn't occur until adulthood, he would have to look at his adulthood for that teaching.

Jeremiah Wright, Jr., the long-time pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago was the man that Obama credits for his conversion to Christianity. After that conversion, Obama sat and listened to Rev. Wright and his teachings. This would be discipleship. At least one would hope that to be the case.

Now not everyone is really discipled by the pastor of their church. Some find spiritual mentors and teachers whom they can spend more quality time with. Some won't listen to their pastors. Some of the pastors in churches today see themselves as the "senior preachers" instead of senior pastors ... and do no discipling themselves.

But everyone born into God's family, as followers of Christ, must learn the ways of Christ. They must acquire the mind of Christ. If they don't, then they aren't. They may be "saved," as the evangelicals call it. But they remain ignorant of Christ's ways and don't produce what the Bible calls fruits of the Spirit.

So I'm looking at Mr. Obama's life. He's tried to be as open as possible about his personal life. (That's a good thing.) But the only spiritual father I see in his life is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. And I'm afraid he doesn't look too good. Why? Look at his teachings. Hatred. Racism. Divisiveness. Blame. Judgement.

This man even claims that the U.S. government "invented AIDS" to wipe out the black race! So we can add flawed, deluded thinking to his list of character defects. It may be that Mr. Wright is a charismatic speaker and has a lot of people attending his church. But it is clear from his teaching that the man doesn't really know who God is. It is even more clear that he is not someone who could effectively disciple a Christian leader.

Barack Obama has not been taught the importance of tithing. He has not been shown the close relationship between humility and leadership. He has not been taught how to live a life above reproach. It may be clear that Obama has become a Christian and that he lives his life to his best understanding of what that means. It is becoming increasingly clear that his knowledge of what it means to follow Christ (or his willingness to obey Christ) are lacking.

So if we elect Barack Obama as our next U.S. president, how are we going to get this man discipled?