Awe Inspiring Worship

One of the most inspiring things about our world is the stars.  Stars scream of such an amazing, indescribable, and beauty that such poems as twinkle twinkle little star cannot even comprehend.  I have come to believe that we should see worship as this same, awe inspiring moment where words cannot even touch the surface.

Traditionally, worship has been confined to a set system.  We have our church bands prepare, the sermon is written, and the slide-show is prepared.  Much of the preparation of these worship modes often try to fit the latest hip style of culture.  For example, many churches have moved from the hymn books that sat in front of us, to the latest contemporary music.  There is nothing wrong with these songs, but if the church forgets why it is moving on from hymnals, then we have lost the meaning of worship.

It is crucial for the church to not try and entertain the congregation, but bring people to worship God.  This is something that I really appreciate about the MVNU Chaplin.  Every time he gets up to do the opening prayer, he stresses how important it is that the students remain silent, and to seek God into our very presence.  If the latest contemporary music merely focuses on trying to entertain, then we ignore the chance to have God present with us in our services.

This goes back to the very story of Acts chapter 2.  The disciples gathered together, seeking to have the presence of God come to them.  After the Spirit came, they worshiped God.  They did this through the "apostle's teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42)."  Imagine being at this scene.  An unexplainable event has just happened, and they began to worship through these acts.  It's something that we cannot even picture today.

I have been reading a book called Art & Faith by Jon Bowles.  Jon talks about the beauty of art in our world and how we have come to ignore it.  When we look at the stars, we see the beauty of them, but then when we look at them again, we do not have the same experience as the last.  We tend to limit ourselves to the great mystery presented to us.

When looking at the Scriptures, there used to be an awe inspiring mystery about them.  Now, people believe that it is all figured out.  That we have God wrapped up in this box that we can carry around and say, "Look!  This is who God is, believe!"  This is not the case, for our words cannot even come to grasp the concept of God.  The Chaplin at MVNU said in a chapel prayer that we should apologize to God because our words cannot even speak of His amazing beauty.

When we worship, we are invited to come and worship a God who is mysterious and loving.  The Scriptures speak of this characteristic that gives humanity His Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 2).  We are invited as humans to experience the awe inspiring presence of God in our services at church, and even within our own prayers to Him!

The Importance of Building a Christian Community

Community is a necessary part of life.  We, as humans, need to be around other people.  They provide for us friendships, encouragement, advice, and love.  Without our connection to others, we would be lost beings trying to fend for ourselves.  This need for community not only applies to the world in general, but more importantly to the church.

Church is the typical description of a community.  The church is a community come together in worship and love for God and others.  Love for God and neighbor is foundational in the ministry of Jesus Christ (Matt. 22: 35-41).  Worship is foundational to the church as the community looks toward God for guidance.  This worship is then reflected in the community as they go out and love others.  We hear this a lot in church (or I hope we do!).  Yet, many people are left wonder what in the world does this actually mean? 

The hardest part of the church has been to describe the things of Christianity to a post-Christian society.  Our world is filled with the things of culture: money, beauty, drama, as well as many other things.  The church has to learn how to speak to this society.  One problem that I see, and I know I contribute too, is using terms that people do not understand.  For example, what does it actually mean to love others?  Does this merely meaning giving money to the poor?  What does worship mean?  Does it mean music, preaching, or something else?

The main two topics that I wish to describe as being a Christian community are worship and loving our neighbor.  These are two important aspects of the church that we learn through the New Testament Scriptures.  This can be clearly seen throughout the ministry of Jesus as he both teaches his disciples, and how Jesus himself showed love for others (John 3:16).  Another example we see of the community in worship and love of neighbor is the church in the beginning of Acts.

In Acts chapter 2, we see a tremendous amount of things going on.  First, in chapter one, we have Jesus leaving and a new disciple added.  After this, the Holy Spirit comes down on the place that they were (vv. 1-4).  The apostle Peter then gets up and gives a sermon to the people with a great amount of teaching of what it means to be a Christian.  What is the key verse about living as a community is verse 42 where it says, "They (the disciples and those who heard his sermon) devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." 

This is a brief story of the beginning of the community of the church.  The themes of worship and loving our neighbor I believe to be essential to the community of the church.  In the next few blogs I would like to be able and share my thoughts on the community of the church. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts or any reflections you have! :)

Seeking a Personal Relationship with God.

Intellectual accent is an important part of life.  Our world focuses on certain truths, even though most in our culture say all truth is relative, these truths are still necessary.  Knowledge is an important part of life that is important for our education, professions, and daily lives.  Yet, knowledge can only go so far in its search for somethings.  One of these things is search for God.

Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that we should stop searching for knowledge of God.  But I do believe that there is something deeper.  A personal relationship takes us to a place before God that knowledge can never reach.  This is something that has been very hard for me to understand.  I am a very intellectual person and like to think through everything.  God does not want us to just know who He is, He wants us to have a relationship with Him.

Throughout the story of Scripture, God calls out to humanity.  God even goes as far to offer His Son Jesus Christ to save us from all our sins.  But what does all of this actually mean?  Does it mean that we can point to Scripture and say, "here is some proof?"  Can we do that for Jesus as well?  It is very easy to do that because we like to have something tangible to believe.  That is the whole basis for reason, it must be proven!

If we focus on trying to prove who God is, then that is when we make God this cognitive idea that we try to figure out.  That is not that God of the Bible!  God is characterized as a God of love (Pss. 81:1; 136:1; Hos. 3:1; Rom. 5:5; 1 Jn. 4:9, just to name a few).  God's very being is not something that can be poked or prodded.  Instead, we become humans working with God in more of a relational way.

John Wesley, the founder of Wesleyanism and the Methodist church, was a minister throughout his years in college.  He became a minister proclaiming the news of God.  Yet, it was not until after he was already a ministry that he felt something more.  Wesley searched to understand who God was, instead of trying to have a relationship with God.  After that, he felt his heart strangely warmed and became even more effective in his ministry and his preaching of holiness.
 
Wesley's preaching of holiness was a description of this life of growing in relationship with God.  Our relationship is not a static thing that once we merely accept who God is that we can call ourselves "Christian."  Holiness is more dependent on living in such a way that we give everything over to God daily.  By this, I mean that our lives are to follow the very example of Christ.  We are to read the Scriptures, pray for God's guidance and strength, and begin to understand God by living in the story of love.

This can even go a step further.  In Romans 5:5 the verse reads, "and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."  This love is something that we only receive by accepting God into our hearts.  That love does not just remain empty either, but it compels us to go and love God and our neighbors.

Knowing What you Believe, and Living What you Believe

What does it mean to be a Christian?  Does this belief not focus on living the life that Christ lived on earth?  Christ is the beginning of this mission of Christianity.  Without Christ's life, death, and resurrection then there would be no such thing as Christianity.  Even if you may consider Christianity a "religion" and not a practice, I believe that Christianity is stereotyped this way because Christianity has given up.

Christianity's main ideas are focused on the life of the church. The church is a community that comes together under a set belief system.  People come together under one building to worship God, and to live the life of Christ.  Where many people have given up on Christianity is within knowing what you believe, and living that belief.


Both knowledge and action go together.  They do in fact represent two ways of life, yet they are held together in unison.  For example, you do not become a school teacher without knowing what it is your teaching.  A person cannot make a statement such as, I know what the laws of physics are, without ever taking a class on physics!  Same goes for Christianity, we cannot profess to be Christ followers, unless we know what we believe about Christ.

What many professing "Christians" like to do is say "I believe in Jesus," but then never see that person do anything to show that.  For example, I heard a student in a class say that they believed in Jesus Christ.  Yet, they then denied any knowledge of the Scriptures!  My question is how can you even know and follow Jesus Christ without ever knowing about him?

Another excuse many people use is how academia has taken these concepts, such as Christ and the Church, and made them out of reach for the every day person to understand.  As much as I would like to disagree with this statement, you cannot help but see some truth in it.  But should this deny our search for the knowledge of God?  Does not God want to be known? 

If we answer yes, then scholars cannot help but search for at least a framework to understand this deep and divine mystery known as God.  It's amazing to see the vast theories about who this God is and to understand that our finite words cannot even reach the divine mystery of God!  Anslem, an early church father, once described this search for God as "faith seeking understanding."  This life invites us to both know who God is, and also to live out that faith.

I do not mean that everyone of us should become biblical and theological scholars.  But I am saying that our churches, from the pastor, to the Sunday school teacher, to the bible studies, have a tremendous opportunity to discover the vastness of who God is.  Let us not ignore the search for who God is, but let us search for who He is and become participators in the dynamic story of God.