Lifting Praise Together

"Lift up His name, with sound of singing; lift up His name in all the earth.  Lift up Your voice and give Him glory, for He is worthy to be praised."

Lyrics from "Holy, Holy" by Tim Hughes

I woke this morning to the lyrics of a song we sung as a congregation last Sunday in my mind.  It is lovely when God wakes us with a song in our hearts as we consider His goodness and faithfulness to us.  God enables us to praise and worship Him as we walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, and this worship is manifested in many ways:  praying according to His will, personal choices, giving ourselves to Him and gathering as the Body of Christ.

When COVID restrictions ramped up last year and we were unable to meet in person, the sound team at our church worked to organise a live-stream of the sermon and recorded praise songs.  After churches were allowed to gather in person, we mused over whether it was wise to continue the live stream because it might serve as a poor substitute for meeting together with other believers.  A healthy Christian walk requires more than sound doctrine, for we cannot have true fellowship with God and one another should we remain isolated.  We decided to continue the live-stream because it was meeting a need for those who were unable to attend, and the rest we would leave it in the LORD's hands and the conscience of each one.

Recently I was thinking back on the church I attended in my youth and how people treated the time of worship as a sort of buffer before the sermon.  Because there were few in attendance the team would start a little later, and as people noticed the team starting later they would arrive later still.  Now I do not believe it is a sin to arrive late to church, but it is fitting to consider what your lifestyle says about your priorities.  There are things we are never late for:  your wedding, a job interview for our dream role, the HSC exam, when you are playing in the grand final, when you have tickets to your favourite live show, responding to a summons for court or an appointment.  The reality is none of these things are as important as the appointed hour to draw near to God in faith on a Sunday or whenever the Body of Christ gathers.  This gathering together is elevated far beyond any social duty, a spiritual discipline and exercise of grace.

Now these views may seem extreme, but there is no biblical support to overrule them.  Church attendance ought not to be used as a primary gauge for spiritual health.  Those who arrive early every week are not more righteous than one who sleeps in or must work and misses church entirely because both are born again by faith in Jesus.  Meeting together in obedience to God for fellowship with the saints is a great opportunity to serve, praise and glorify God together as one, to lift up His name with the sound of singing and open His word to hear what the almighty God says to us.  Those who miss church really miss out on the blessing of serving, ministering His truth to others and affording more opportunities for others to serve.  It is more blessed to give than to receive, yet how can one give unless one is there to receive it?  It is a blessing to receive from God all He supplies by His grace, for He is worthy to be praised.  Gathering in one accord is more important for a healthy Christian than for a deathly sick person to go to hospital.

As long as the church is comprised of human beings on this earth, some things will remain true:  people  will miss church, at times be late, and will avoid the front row like the plague.  But until our LORD Jesus gathers His church to Himself, let us continue to consider one another--those who have prepared lessons for the children, the worship team, those who greet, serve and pray.  Let us consider the lonely, the hurting and troubled souls among us as it is written in Hebrews 10:23-25:  "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  We are a peculiar bunch to be sure, but we are Christ's, He is ours and we are one in Him.

The Grace Perspective

My wife and I have been working to compile hard copies of documentation as evidence at an upcoming meeting with the New South Wales Tribunal to resolve issues with the builder of our house.  We are blessed the Australian government has provisions in place that supports consumers and holds contractors accountable to the contracts signed by both parties.

During this process it occurred to me in the justice system the burden always falls upon the victim to take legal action to receive the benefit.  In our case it meant filling in applications online, providing all requested information, paying fees, providing access for Fair Trading to inspect the home, making inquiries with involved parties, printing copies for the Tribunal, cancelling other plans to attend the Tribunal meeting and affirm we are honestly telling the truth.  I have never heard of guilty parties commencing legal action against themselves!  It falls to the victim to take the initiative in the pursuit of justice.

Going through this legal process has further opened my eyes to the grace of God.  When man sins, He sins against the righteous God who created the universe and all mankind.  God sent Jesus to earth as the innocent party though offended and disgusted by man's sins and transgressions that never came into His mind (Jeremiah 19:5), and chose to take legal action at the expense of His own beloved Son to redeem and forgive the guilty parties!  God loves Jesus His righteous only begotten Son, and He also loved sinners enough to make Jesus an offering for sinners so we could be justified by grace through faith in Him.  A hurting victim desires the book thrown at the guilty party, yet God took action to save souls by His grace and provide eternal life, forgiveness and perfect peace.

The marvelous grace God has extended to us ought to shape our hearts and minds as it says in Hebrews 12:28:  "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."  Without faith we cannot please God, and without grace we cannot acceptably serve Him.  It is appropriate for Christians in the world to make use of the justice systems governments have put in place to protect citizens knowing we are saved by grace through faith.  Instead of bitterness, our hearts ought to be flooded with blessing.  God's grace brings gladness that will not be shaken even when the justice system on earth falls short of expectation.

In Jesus' Hands

"One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, ⁹ "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

John 6:8-9

Feeding 5,000 men with a lad's five barley loaves and two small fish seemed a ridiculous suggestion.  The answer to Andrew's question was obvious, for they would have insufficient for five lads, much less 5,000 grown men and their families.  However, I give credit for the lad for volunteering the use of his food and Andrew for making his offer known to Jesus.  In the hands of Jesus the bread and fish were blessed, broken and miraculously multiplied, and all in attendance were enabled to eat until satisfied.

It was a generous thing the lad did to give all his food to Jesus and entrusted all he had to Him.  It seems he was not concerned about going hungry himself, a fear which perhaps kept others from offering what food they carried.  The result of the lad's giving resulted in more than stomachs being satisfied but the opening of eyes to recognise Jesus as the prophet Moses spoke of they ought to listen to.  John 6:14 affirms, "Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Eating all the bread and fish they wanted satisfied the people for a day, and recognising Jesus as the Bread of Life God sent to seek and save sinners provided abundant life for eternity.

Isn't it a glorious thought that the little we have--which is totally insignificant and unable to meet the needs right before us--in the hands of Jesus can be multiplied and eyes can be opened to Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour?  Nothing committed to the hands of Jesus is wasted either, for the disciples gathered up 12 large baskets of leftovers after all had eaten.  Those baskets were a testimony of God's grace and abundant supply.  Jesus didn't need the food of the lad to do His wonders, and He doesn't need us.  Whenever we notice a need that is bigger than our ability to meet or fathom, it is wise for us to commit our concerns, possessions and our lives into His capable hands.

When confronted with the impossibility of procuring food for the people, Philip thought in terms of money.  It wasn't money Jesus was looking for but a heart willing to generously give all to Him in faith.  The lad gave without suggestions or demands how his offering should be used.  One thing we can be certain of is Jesus knew the needs of the lad and the people, and He is able to meet them in His miraculous way.  Are you willing to trust Jesus enough to give Him all without care so others will know Him?

Pursuing Peace and Holiness

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ¹² Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."

Hebrews 12:11-13

The writer of Hebrews told readers they had forgotten the chastening of the LORD demonstrates His love as the good Father of adopted believers.  When God chastens and rebukes us it stings, but God always has a profitable purpose for all He allows us to endure.  While we do not rejoice over the pain, we ought to rejoice over God's love and how His correction and training produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness down the track.  A healthy child is born after intense labour pains, and praise the LORD He who redeems our temporary pains to produce the enduring and peaceable fruit of righteousness.

In light of God's chastening, our response is to be strengthened in faith according to the knowledge of God's goodness and care.  Hands that hang down ought to re-grip the plough Jesus spoke of, and put weight on those feeble knees as we look to Jesus to sustain us every step to progress.  The word "paths" literally means "wagon tracks."  The imagery is fitting in context of walking in Gospel truth.  Jeremiah 6:16 reads, "Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'"  Since Jesus identified Himself as the One who gives rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-30), our righteousness is found in Him by faith.

When a wagon or car passes the same way in a field, over time a track is formed that can be followed by others.  "Follow the trail," we say to hikers unfamiliar with an area because the trail made by others provides safety and guidance to a predictable and desirable end.  Hebrews 12:14-15 continues with clear markers along this path:  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled..."  As members of the Body of Christ, walking in peace with others, holiness, and in the grace of God promotes healing rather than being dislocated.  The pursuit of peace, holiness and God's grace is a routine of holiness which we ought to embrace to improve our spiritual health and grow in maturity.

Believers often view miraculous healing as something we only receive by faith without physical effort, and this passage appears to contradict that simplistic view.  While Jesus physically healed all who came to Him during His ministry on earth, their bodies went on to see corruption:  they experienced injuries, illness and ultimately the death of their bodies.  If we will be well, if we will promote the healing process having been made complete and whole in Christ, God holds us accountable to respond to His chastening with repentance and humble obedience.  We are to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon us.  It is one thing to be disciplined by your sin and the consequences, and even more concerning to be scourged by God before whom all tremble.

When we seek to make peace our pursuit, holiness our habit and the righteousness our route by faith in Christ, this is a godly daily routine that promotes spiritual health and vitality which bears good fruit.  Praise the LORD He works in us both to will and do His good pleasure according to the riches of His grace.  We could never earn such love and care from our great God and Saviour who leads us every step of the way.