Friday, July 29, 2016

Why Do We Serve?

I'm reading a short book by Henri Nouwen entitled, In the Name of Jesus Reflections on Christian Leadership. My pastor read it last summer and highly recommended it.

While reading a segment about the re-instating instruction of Jesus to Peter to "Feed my sheep" something occurred to me.

As an aside, has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? This is such massive evidence of how different I (the creature) are from God (the Creator). Things occur to me all the time! By this stage of life and ministry, I expected to more stuff figured out. Less to discover. Less to learn. But God continues to teach me new things, and He graciously teaches me old things in deeper ways. What a great God we worship!

So back to the "feed my sheep" epiphany...

This is not a new passage for me. I have read it many times, studied back in college, and have even preached from it before. 

You probably remember the scene: Jesus and Peter meet on the beach after the resurrection. Peter has gone back to fishing for fish. After having breakfast together, the Master asks the fisherman, "Do you love me?" Peter responds, "You know I do." And Jesus speaks those familiar words: "Feed my sheep."

It was just one of Nouwen's sentences that grabbed me: "Having been assured of Peter's love, Jesus gives him the task of ministry."

Assurance of love, then resumption of ministry. We serve people (feed sheep) out of love for God. 

I know. It's not groundbreaking.

Or is it?

In my experience and observation, we often serve people out of a need for their love and acceptance. Somewhere beneath the words we speak are the truths we feel: If I serve them well, they will love me. I'll be part of the group. I won't be lonely any more... for a while.

We also serve people out of a need for workers in our ministry. Few of us would admit we've ever done this, but I suspect most of us have thought, "I'd better serve them well or I won't have them at the piano/drums/mixer (fill in your own blank) any more. Then I'll be in real trouble."

We may even serve people out of a sense for what it does in us. Some psychologists have gone so far to say that altruism doesn’t exist. While I disagree with them, I'd have to say some of us serve in part because of how it makes us feel. (I'll leave it to you to discern how much is some or part.)

When we serve people in those ways we consume them.

But Jesus came to give life. "Christ in us" wants to give life to those we serve.

The only way we can do that is to serve them with love for God as the source. With love for God as the cause. With love for God as the motivation.

And I don't know about you, but I need to do a better job of sitting in God's Presence, letting Him love me. Knowing His love. Feeling His love. Trusting His love.

And then I can serve people in the way Jesus did, the way He trusted Peter to serve them: from God's love fueling heart, mind, and soul.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Don't Break God's Heart

Why attend worship?

If, for example, I am amply fed in Bible Study time, then why go to worship? After all, in my small group I learn about God. I develop deep friendships with people--friends that would do anything for me. I can even give God His tithe and my offerings online or in my small group. So why should I choose to attend worship?

A friend of mine once wrote a short story about a very sad birthday party. All of the friends arrived at the birthday girl's house. They brought presents. They played games. They talked and talked and talked. But they never gave presents to the birthday-girl. They didn't include her in their play. They talked to each other, but never to her.

Carl's story powerfully portrays the difference between Bible Study and worship.

In small group Bible study we learn the great truths of God's word. We talk about God. We delight in His truths. We discuss the amazing things God does in our lives and the lives of others. This horizontal kind of small group experience is essential in our quest to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

In worship we take knowledge and turn it into relationship. Rather than talking about God's majesty, we talk with God about His majesty. Rather than singing about how much God loves us, we sing our love songs to God. In this vertical time, we express our love and we experience His love.

In other words, Bible study is like a woman telling a friend how much she loves her husband.

Worship is a wife telling her husband how much she loves him.

Church, you are the Bride of Christ.

We must not, we can not, neglect the opportunities we have to tell Jesus how much we love Him.

The single greatest power you possess is the power to choose. We all choose to--or not to--follow Jesus. We choose to obey or deny. To do right or wrong.

Some who claim Christ choose not to worship. They decide to sleep, or play, or work. A few serve at church but never take time to pray and sing from their hearts to the heart of God. Speaking of singing, many will say the music isn't their style. (I'm glad my wife's love for me doesn't depend on the style of clothes I wear, or the way I trim my beard.) Some even attend a gathering set aside for the Bride to engage her Bridegroom and still choose not to worship.

To sum it up, when we choose not to worship we break God's commands. And His heart.

Please, brothers and sisters, don't break God's heart.

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Leading with Soul (Open Eyes)

Titanic was an epic film. The story demands such a telling. I remember when it was released (1997) and there was a running commentary among my friends: "Why would you pay money to see it? Everyone knows how it ends!"

I'm glad I went to see it.

Not only do I love movies, I was indelibly marked by a single phrase from Titanic. You might have missed it, or maybe I was late coming to an understanding you've had for a long time.

When Smith asked how long 'til the ship sinks, Thomas Andrews answers, "An hour... two at most." And then Smith responds with, "And how many aboard, Mr Murdoch?"

Here it is. The moment I was undone in that movie theater almost 20 years ago... a moment I've never forgotten.



"2,200 souls on board, sir."


Not 2,200 people or 1,500 passengers and 700 crew. No breakdown by 1st class, 2nd class or 3rd class.

Souls.

When we stand before the church to lead worship--whether as a singer or instrumentalist, we aren't leading songs or music. We're not just leading heads and hearts.

We are leading souls.

And that is one of the reasons I want my eyes to stay open as much as possible.

See the connection?

The folks you and I are leading to the throne of grace don't want to be led by a voice or a body. They don't want to be led by a musician or even a pastor.

They want to be led by a soul.

Our eyes are windows to our souls.

Let's not close the windows. Let's not seal off our souls.

Let's use our eyes to engage our brothers and sisters with words of encouragement and testimony. Join me in ensuring we focus attention on the God of the heavens when the text is directed to Jesus, the lover of our souls.

In other words, let's lead souls with our soul.

I'm curious... how do you do this? Or how have you seen it done well?