A Sacrifice of Praise

Recently I attended one of the larger churches in the Brisbane region.  The church building has all the amenities of a modern, lavish fellowship in the States.  For a price lunch could be purchased after the service in the church's outdoor food court.  The building was bustling with activity:  Sunday school for the children, a large information desk with several attendants, greeters, ushers, and on.  It was the kind of place it would be easy to keep to yourself, show up late, leave early, and keep a low-profile.

From the moment the service began, it was flash and dash, razzle-dazzle.  About twenty people filled the stage as lights flashed above and behind them.  Cameras would shoot close-ups of the half-dozen people towards the front of the stage who danced as they sang, and the image simultaneously projected on enormous screens.  I couldn't help but notice the strikingly similar style of them all.  They were all young, energetic, attractive, the males sporting short mustaches and tousled hair, and the team all clapped with the same form.  When they raised their hands it was as if they had been trained by the same "worship" teacher, imitating a single motion.  But there was something strangely absent in the hoopla and showmanship of the worship team.  Oh, I heard them say the name of Jesus many, many times.  But I'm not sure that Jesus was there.  He wasn't really needed.

I jotted down some lyrics from the songs:  "You make me stronger...we're breaking down these walls...it's the sound of victory."  Huh.  I must disagree with the premise.  Jesus does not make us "stronger" because that assumes we have a measure of strength in ourselves.  Paul said when he was weak, God was strong!  No, apart from Jesus Christ we are all like Samson when the Spirit of God left him:  weak, blind, bound, taken captive, imprisoned, and enslaved.  Can we break down a spiritual wall?  Jesus is the one who by Himself as broken down the wall of separation as it is written in Ephesians 2:13-14:  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation..."  We cannot break down a wall, we cannot calm a storm, we cannot even lift our own heads!  It was David who wrote in Psalm 3:3:  "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head."

As I watched the people on stage saying the name of Jesus, eyes closed, with hands raised in identical fashion, it occurred to me that many people believe the display on stage is "worship."  I am convinced the people on stage believed it was worship too.  No:  it was singing and dancing.  A song is no better than the message, and the message was humanistic.  Worship is the praise, adoration, and glorification of God.  Worship of God can be enjoined through the skillful playing of instruments, singing, or dancing.  "Worship" is not something reserved for Sundays with flashing lights and electric guitars.  Worship is submission to God in every facet of life.   I had the feeling I was watching the prophets of Ba'al on Mount Carmel trying to call down fire from heaven.  But God is not like a dog that comes when you whistle.  James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

We are in the age of the "All You Have To Do Is Believe" gospel, with a little "g."  It is uncommon in modern churches to hear about the necessity of repentance and confession of sin.  A man cannot be converted until he has repented; he cannot repent until he has been convicted; he will not be convicted unless he is faced with the All-powerful righteous God.  It is the impending harsh consequences that move a felon to confess his crimes.  In the same way, a man must confess before God his gross sin and rebellion.  It is the goodness of God, not the harshness of our punishment which leads a man to repentance and salvation through faith.  Hebrews 10:19-22 says, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, [21] and having a High Priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

During the service I was not angry or indignant.  But I was certainly grieved because of the lack of sound doctrine according to scripture.  Christianity is not about what God can do for man, how He can prosper our finances and do miracles in our lives.  When we follow the doctrine of humanism (God exists for the happiness of man) we sever the head of Christ from the Body of Christ.  Our power becomes political, not spiritual.  Our focus becomes activity, not piety that God would be glorified.  Many would rather rejoice in their flesh than repent.  God would rather godly sorrow than our songs with self-empowering themes.  2 Cor. 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."  I think it's time for us to come to God on His terms for a change.

There are an infinite number of ways to worship our LORD and Savior, for He is infinitely good and worthy of all praise.  Informal, liturgical, traditional, there are many styles for many tastes.  But if the salt has lost its savor, it is garbage.  Make sure that Jesus is the savor that marks your meetings.  Ephes. 5:2 says, "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  Instead of offering strange fire before Him, let us offer ourselves as a sacrifice of praise, worshiping God in spirit and truth.

Fear is good?

Tonight I had an unplanned adventure.  This evening at dusk, I decided to take a run past the bridge on Illaweena Street.  Once I reached the bridge, I decided to crawl under the fence and run a trail along the motorway that I have been theorizing loops to the top of my street.  Crows croaked to each other overhead, and animals rustled through the dead sticks and leaves on my right.  Early on I decided that I was committed to finishing the loop, dark or not.  Though I was running uphill, my pace quickened.  On my left was a fence separating me from the oncoming cars on the motorway and to my right was a thickly wooded forest as I ran down the rocky path, wide enough to accommodate a full-size truck.

I had not run far before I ran through a single strand of spider web to the face the thickness of dental floss.  Great, I thought to myself, knowing that the path eventually narrowed ahead.  As I ran I quickly took inventory of my shirt, making sure that I had not picked up some fearsome Aussie eight-legged beast.  Now I don't consider myself afraid of spiders, but the thought of running face first into webs of spiders whose fangs are visible to the naked eye in the dark did not sound good.  Jesus, I need you to get me through this, I prayed out loud.  "Do you trust me?"  Yes, LORD.  "Then trust me to lead the way.  Nothing will harm you."  As much as I wanted to turn around, I pressed on through the falling darkness.  By this point I knew where I was and I thought of the thickening woods towards the end of the path.  What was I thinking, running through the woods after dark?

Was I afraid?  I suppose so.  I could feel adrenaline tingling through my legs and arms, bringing goose bumps to the surface.  If there was no such thing as fear, there would be no need for adrenaline!  Then it occurred to me:  if there was no such thing as fear, there would be no impetus for faith.  Why trust God if you are capable in yourself?  It is fear of burning to death which moves a person to jump three stories from a burning building onto the pavement beneath.  That person does not have a death wish:  he wants to live.  He wants to live so badly that he is willing to jump from a height that under normal circumstances he would never consider.  Fear stimulates the need to exercise faith.

Before I preach, I experience a full-range of emotions.  I am excited about what God has called me to deliver, but I tremble at the monstrous responsibility of the task.  Should a messenger tarnish the King's command, his blood will be on his own head.  There is a reverential awe that turns a man toward complete reliance upon the Holy Spirit for utterance, for without anointing it will be wind without effect.  Like Joseph when he was asked to interpret Pharaoh's dream, I can say the ability to preach is not in me.  But I know it is what God has called me to do, and so I will do my part to be faithful to that calling when opportunity presents itself.

I challenge you to answer the question:  what makes you afraid?  God knows.  Allow your fear to direct your heart towards deeper faith in Jesus.  True to His Word, I emerged from the forest in the dark without harm.  Adrenaline is a powerful chemical that enables us to push harder, to "fight or fly" with strength beyond natural capacity.  When fear strikes, faith can be stronger.  Faith in our God allows Him to work supernatural wonders in our lives which bring Him glory and praise.  I believe fear is a good thing because it moves a man to pray.  It coaxes us to jump for salvation found in Jesus Christ alone.  When we reach the end of our ability and we recognize this, we must rely upon the One who will see us through.  We will say like David in Psalm 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."  Those who fear God need not fear, because fear moves a man to faith.

Faith is Believing, not Seeing!

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."
Hebrews 11:8

There is a common assumption among Christians today that we need to have all the answers before we can interact properly with skeptics of faith.  Many will intentionally avoid discussing their faith because of their lack of knowledge.  The fact remains that if you have Christ you can share Christ.  We live in a day when education and knowledge are glorified like never before.  The trouble is, the Christian walk is does not hinge upon knowledge, but faith.  Our faith is according to knowledge, but true faith trumps facts every time.

Abraham is a case in point:  by faith he obeyed God.  The scriptures say in Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord had said to Abram:  "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."  Abraham didn't know all of the facts.  He didn't know where he was going or how the pieces of his life would fall into place.  He didn't know how he would water his flocks or if there were unseen dangers in the wilderness.  But all the things Abraham did not know was overshadowed by what he did know:  He knew God, and he heard God's command.  Based on his faith in God he obeyed Him.

In my current situation, this is a great encouragement to me.  Since I made the call upon my life in Australia known to people, I have been asked all kinds of questions I still have no answers for.  People desire dates, particulars, a schedule, how I will afford the move, how I will obtain a proper visa, if I have considered homeschooling, will I sell my house, on and on and on!  I have been faced with well-meaning comments like, "If you want people to support you with prayer and finances, you need to give them more information."  I have no idea how anything will be worked out in the end, even today.  But I know the One whom Abraham trusted and obeyed:  I know God, and I have heard the call to Australia.  God is worthy of all glory, honor, trust, and obedience.

I do not see it as any less than a divine miracle by God's grace that man can know God.  His ways "are past finding out," but He has revealed Himself to us through the beauty and order in nature, the testimony of our conscience, His infallible Word, the Law and the Prophets, Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of scripture, His love, teachings, sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection from the dead, and ascension, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.  Because our God supplies all our needs, Jesus says in Matthew 6:25:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"  Life is more than food and clothing, but often we reduce it to that level:  physical needs and physical comfort.

God supplied the needs of the apostle Paul through his trade as a tent-maker and the contributions of the saints.  But to say that Paul received physical comfort in this life would be a bold-faced lie, seeing he was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, falsely accused, and his life was often threatened.  He ended up dying for his faith in Christ.  He writes to Timothy and us in 2 Tim. 1:8-12:  "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, [9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, [10] but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. [12] For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."  Paul entreats us to share in suffering for the sake of the Gospel according to the life God has graciously granted us.  Paul knew whom he believed (God), and was persuaded that God had redeemed him from death and would keep him.  Paul didn't know all the facts.  But he knew God and that what God promises He is able to perform.

My temptation is to be in a hurry to have details concerning a visa or employment worked out and in so doing step out of the will of God.  Did you know Moses knew God had called him to deliver the children of Israel before the burning bush?  Acts 7:23-25 tells us, "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. [24] And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. [25] For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand."  Moses would flee from Egypt and spend 40 years tending his father-in-law's sheep.  Then the Lord spoke to him through the burning bush and called him to return to Egypt for the purpose of delivering God's people.  Moses tried to help out in his own way by killing the Egyptian.  He tried to force things.  God needed to get the glory for the deliverance of the Israelites as a testimony for all nations of His power and might, not Moses.  God humbled Moses and granted him meekness for the task He had appointed for Him.

Joseph was another that God visited at a young age with dreams of being a great ruler.  He was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery.  He went from being the most loved of his father to being a slave in the house of Potiphar.  He was accused of rape and sent to prison.  During that time by God's wisdom he made known the dreams of two men which both came true.  Though Joseph asked the butler to remember him and help him be delivered from prison, he was forgotten entirely for two years.  A day came when Pharaoh had a dream and it occurred to the butler that Joseph could interpret dreams through the power of God.  Joseph was whisked out of prison, washed, dressed in proper clothes, and made his appearance before the ruler of all Egypt.  After interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he was promoted to second in command in all Egypt.  I'm sure this was not the way Joseph would have figured the dreams God gave him in his childhood would be worked out.  He knew God was faithful and that His plan was perfect.

Whether because of your life right now or the uncertain days in which we live, now is the time to place our faith in God and His plan.  It is not about my life, but about God receiving the glory, honor, and praise He deserves from this breath.  Only God could make such a conversion!  I still do not know the times or seasons which God has in His own power, but I want to be obedient.  I know God, and I know what He has said.  He will never leave me or forsake me.  Don't be deceived to think you must have all the facts in order before you proceed.  Trust God, for His is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or think that His name would be lifted up throughout the earth.  Where you are going is not as important as who you follow, for God will lead the way.

Dinner at the Landman's

For a little change of pace, I put together a video about spare ribs, a Landman specialty.  The taste of South Africa in Australia!  Dinner was a special treat, and there were "Ribs for All!"  I thank God for the Landman family and for his remarkable provision.