Does God Owe Me Anything?
This summer, our worship team went on a mission trip to New Orleans. The main focus was construction – repairing remaining damage from Hurricane Katrina, and getting to know the people at those homes. We were split up into several teams, with each team at a different house. My team had the opportunity of meeting and talking to several people who had lived there during Katrina. Their outlooks on their lives and their situations was strikingly different.
For example – we met a man who’s house had been devastated. Completely unsalvageble. He lost everything and lived in a FEMA trailer for 2 and a half years. His response? “It wasn’t so bad. There were others who were a lot worse! I got along just fine.” Then, we met a lady who had only had a couple of feet of water in her house. Many repairs needed, but definitely not total devastation. She’d lived in a FEMA trailer for several months. Her response? Anger and lawsuits. The trailer wasn’t up to specs, etc., etc.
This difference has had me thinking ever since. Obviously, I don’t know the ins and outs of each of their situation, much less what it must have been like to live in their shoes. But, it raises the question, “What am I entitled to?” In a country of financial aid, welfare and loans, we are groomed to believe that we are entitled to a certain standard of living. But, when you think about it, why should we be?
The same can go for our spiritual life. “I’m a good person. I deserve a great life. I deserve no pain. I deserve to have fun. I deserve good things. I certainly don’t deserve hell.” In a world of “self-esteem boosting,” we are groomed to believe how great we are and what we deserve. But…how does that fit with God’s word?
God’s word vividly describes our condition apart from Him. We are morally evil (Gen 8:21), spiritually sick (Matt.9:12), slaves to sin (John 8:34), blinded to truth (Eph 4:18), lovers of darkness (Eph. 5:8), children of wrath (Rom.5:10), and most importantly, we are spiritually dead (Eph.2:1). Any one of these things alone means that I am sinfully wretched. Try and comprehend being ALL of them.
It’s almost funny that we could consider ourselves “deserving” of anything.
That’s it right there. That’s the key.
If I “deserve” anything, I suck God’s power and grace right out of salvation. Any god that was merely giving me what I was entitled to, is no more powerful than the checkout lady at the grocery store – giving you what you paid for. The point is, we haven’t earned a thing! It’s only by God’s grace that I am free, saved, and empowered to glorify Him!
I don’t know why he chose to love us and save us by His grace. But I know that ALL of the work and glory comes from Him. My job is to praise Him for it.
Now that’s a God worthy of worship.
Our new Romanian friend
A couple of weeks ago, the worship staff had a unique opportunity to invest in a worship leader from another country. Raul Chirica is from Iasi (pronounced Yahsh), Romania, and was in the states for a couple of weeks. Our team had the great privilege to get to know him and spend time learning from one another. We always welcome the opportunity to meet with worship leaders from other countries. One important part of our ministry is to invest our resources and time into training and equipping people for ministry outside of Brook Hills. When we meet people who are already doing the work of Christ in another part of the world, we jump at the chance to spend time with them to share information, methods and to encourage one another with what God is doing throughout the world.
Romania is a country roughly the size of Oregon, in Central Europe with a population of about 21,400,000. The major religion there is Eastern Orthodox. Evangelical Christians there are very misunderstood and sometimes persecuted. A year or so ago, a small group from Brook Hills took a mission trip to Romania and met Raul. One of our musicians was on this trip and began a friendship with him. Raul plays guitar, piano and cello, has a great voice, and writes music. He leads worship in his home church where his father is the pastor. When the Brook Hills team was there, the worship ministry was contacted to see if there might be a possibility of us working with Raul at some point.
So, a couple of weeks ago, Raul came into the office for a couple of days and we spent some time together. Our team met with him throughout the week showing him how we do different things in our ministry. He spent time with us doing some day-to-day tasks such as stage reset, rehearsals, meetings, etc. We also had some practical training times.
We studied the Biblical Non-Negotiables of corporate worship together. In a nutshell is says:
1) God is more pleased with purity than professionalism, substance than style, and attitude than appearance.
2) Worship seeks to please God rather than man, and our evaluations should be based on what He thinks rather than what we think.
3) Worship involves a rhythm of revelation (who He is) and response (our reaction to that), so that the Word must be central in worship.
4) We are a community of faith, not just individual worshippers, so participation is vital. 5) Worship should reflect the unity (we belong to Christ) and diversity (every nation) of heaven.
There was a songwriting time where we encouraged him to make the Word central in writing songs, to write for the purpose of corporate worship and edification of the church, as well as some practical things (song structures, choosing the right key, etc.) We talked about how the goal of our songwriting is not to come up with “great songs” for the sake of great songs, but to encourage and challenge our congregation to seek Christ and to be active in our faith.
We also spent time talking about purity in our lives and ministries. We must pursue purity in order to know God more and in order to be an effective example in our ministries. One of the struggles that Raul faces is that in Romania, he has experienced fame. He is a well-known musician there. Not only does he lead worship in his local church, but he also plays in a band outside of the church. Many people recognize him from television and he must continually keep his motives and humility in check.
Raul was able to see how we go about planning worship services, working with our pastor, leading our volunteer teams, rehearsing and recording. His situation is a bit different than ours. He has a smaller team that he leads worship within a smaller church. We were able to share some ways to lead our teams effectively as we seek to honor God.
One of the most encouraging things about our time with Raul was hearing about the ministry he has back home. His church is very involved in the community. There is an area in Iasi called the Phantom Block. Most of the members of his church are from this area and because of the poverty there, it is a great opportunity to show the love of Christ. People are coming to faith in Christ and then ministering in these areas. There are a lot of children there who have HIV. They are the outcasts. Raul ministers to these children personally and shared about how God has changed him to be able to love these kids. He also leads a small group of younger boys where he is sharing his faith and challenging them to follow Christ.
We also were able to have some “fun time” with Raul. The weekend that he was here, our staff and families went down to the lake and spent the day on the water. Raul had his first jet-ski ride and his first inner-tube ride. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and having fun. Afterward, he wanted to eat pizza for dinner. There was a funny moment when he asked where the ketchup was. He was willing to try ranch dressing instead, but exclaimed… “This is weird for me. I not like.”
We really enjoyed getting to know Raul and training him in some areas as well as learning from him. We are praying for him and his ministry in Romania. On the following Sunday, we were able to lead worship with him. It was such a great picture singing with him…us in English, he in Romanian. Truly a small picture of what worship in heaven will be like…people from every nation and language.
Something to Check Out…
A member of my small group recently told me about a web tool you can download to help you study the bible called E-Sword. Despite the cheesy tagline (”the Sword of the Lord with an electronic edge”) it may be something worth checking out. I was looking around the website this week, and there are some cool features such as access to various bible translations, commentaries and dictionaries and even a parallel bible feature. That last one is what I’m most interested in. The whole software package is available to download for free, which is nice. I’m sure there are more flashy looking software packages out there, and ones that are available for MACs (this one isn’t), but this may still prove helpful. I’m going to download it to my PC at home and see if I like it. Visit their website if you’re interested: http://www.e-sword.net.
What’s Next? Part 2
We need to be responsive to God’s calling on our lives not to build our own kingdoms, but to see that His work is carried from generation to generation. Let us wear the calling well.
I though it might be good to ponder what is does mean to ‘pass along.’ Well, for me, it is really two fold. Not only passing along the how, but also the why. If our disciples only understand the how and not the why, we have failed. I think both are important, but if I were to identify the most important of the two, it is definitely the why. The ‘why’ of ministry is what is reproducible, the ‘how’ is not always so. Reproducibility is an important word for our ministry at Brook Hills, because we want everything we do to be for the glory of God in all nations. The ‘why’ will not consist of the kinds of sound systems we have, the way we run rehearsals or how to record a great CD project. Instead, it will be more about why humility and honesty in worship are important, why Biblical community is an important component of our corporate gatherings, etc. If I have ‘but a moment’ to speak into someone’s future as a leader in the local church, the ‘why’ must be what they learn.
I have also found that the ‘why’ cannot be communicated enough. Repetition of these fundamental tenants is imperative to your team’s and your church’s understanding of why we worship. It is so easy in our American churches to replace the ‘why’ with the ‘how’ as the most important discussion. I urge you to avoid that at every turn.
As an aside, we live among a visual generation and they will model what they see and model it well. The ‘why’ can’t be about empty words–it must be lived out. What the younger generation sees as successful, they will copy. So with that said, let’s lay out a few practical tools for investing.
1. Start earlier rather than later–we began a few years ago laying the groundwork for identifying potential worship leaders early within our local church. We feel it is important to invest in the future of minstry, so we spend a great deal of time building relationships, teaching skills, hanging out with teenagers and college students. We do our best to encourage them with our words and to provide opportunities for successful ministry. They travel overseas with us, they play with our bands on the weekend, they lead their peers in worship–all of the opportunities for investment.
2. Realize that the harvest looks different than it used to–Don’t write folks off because they look different. I would say, without question, all of our younger players and leaders look very different than I do. There are a lot of reasons for this but, I remind myself often, this generation has been raised by the fashion industry, tv, movies and sometimes, no parents. It is still a generation full of potential. Where their choices are not honoring to the Lord, we discuss it. Where their clothes, tattoos and piercings are simply different than what I would choose, it is not an issue. We want the Spirit of Christ to be the unifying factor in our relationships with one another, not the superficial things.
3. Develop a culture of encouragement–This is fuel for the young. Take time to mention success, affirm something small you have noticed. Allow them to see that you are invested in them and watching what they are doing. On the flip side, make sure the small things stay small. People know if they make mistakes, we don’t always have to speak it. Mistakes are not about character. It is more important that the big things get addressed.
4. Don’t assume that people know everything–Youth are enthusiastic and confident–this is one of the things I love about them. But we need to remember, it doesn’t mean they can handle everything. One of the key components we look for in interns is teachability. We have had to remind some that they are with us primarily to learn, not to teach. Establishing this aspect of their role is important or we can miss our opportunity as a teacher/mentor.
Some will struggle with the realization that they don’t know everything. Be patient enough to be there in the mistakes and the good times. Continually teach the heart over and over and over and it will bear good fruit. And remember, when mistakes are made, put the ball back in their hands.
5. Let people see a whole life and not just a platform experience–I think one of the most important things within our ministry at Brook Hills is that we all live with an open door. Almost on a daily basis, I have someone come by, sit down and just start talking. I have realized that I need to be prepared for way more questions about living than music-how to live with integrity in a world of compromise. If anyone on our team were ‘closed door’ kind of folks, we would miss a lot of opportunities.
6. Be prepared for young people to do things far greater than you will–in the end, this is a reward of a life lived investing in others. We long to see this within our ministry. I hope that you do as well.
I wanted to close this post with a prayer for you within the context of your local ministry:
God help us to be a determined people, worthy of the holy calling you have placed on our lives. May we not raise up a generation of babes, but disciples who will go far beyond where we are, toward Christ. As we share life with others in this way, may our churches hear it in our songs, see it in our relationships and experience it in our leading. Let us be courageous leaders willing to give ourselves away without agenda or pride. Let our ministries not be about our record deal, our trendy appearance or our opportunity, but instead marked with humility and serving alongside. May what is seen onstage also be the same as what is unseen. And let us ultimately realize that our jobs are not our right, but instead an incredible honor. With one another, let us be generous, loving, prayerful and committed.
All for Your glory among the nations–Amen.
Where’s your mission field?
This last month and a half has been SOOO busy–due in part to preparations for the worship team’s next project. On Sunday, we’re heading to New Orleans for a week-long mission trip. It has been 4 years since Hurricane Katrina hit the city, and there is still so much rebuilding to be done. So we’re off to build some homes. I am so excited by what God has in store for us next week. And although we’ll be focused in large part on nails, drywall, paint and lumber, the real mission is spreading the Gospel of Christ. It always is, no matter where we are. I think that can be a bit of a disconnect for some, myself included. Traveling to Sudan, Honduras, India, and other countries, where poverty is high and many still have not heard the Gospel, it’s easy to see that these places are “the mission field”.
But what about the 98% of the year when you’re not overseas? What about all of the time when you’re not on an organized mission trip somewhere? There is a sign you see on your way out of the parking lot at Brook Hills, and it says that you are now entering the great commission. All you’ve done is drive out of the parking lot onto the street, but you’re already out in the mission field and you haven’t even left the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter whether you are at home, at work, in the grocery store, in South Africa or wherever. Your mission field is just as important locally as it is globally. So spending time in the Word and in prayer becomes even more important, so that you will be prepared to serve God in all that you do everyday, wherever you are, both here and over there.
Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20,”Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You and I cannot change hearts, we cannot save people, but we are disciples of Christ, and God uses us to share His Word and the truth about His Son, so that He can be glorified and He then softens even the hardest of hearts. Our pastor has put it this way: show the Word, share the Word, teach the Word, and serve the World. My prayer is that God will turn me outward so that through what I say, what I do, wherever I go, others will see Christ first, and that I will be unafraid to share and talk about what an awesome God we have and how amazing His grace is. It is so easy for us to forget amidst all the busyness of life, but maybe we should all stop and check in every once in a while and ask ourselves where our mission field is…because it’s wherever you are.
May the Lord help us remember that we are always on mission.
We can’t make you worship
I saw a passage a couple of years ago that changed the way I lead worship. 1 Corinthians 14:22-25. In a very small nutshell, it says that if an unbeliever comes into the church while everyone is prophesying (proclaiming the Word of God), he will repent and turn to God.
We live in a church-culture that is becoming more and more “seeker-sensitive.” I feel like the motive behind this movement is good. But, I think we’ve missed the boat when it comes to church and more specifically corporate worship.
Think about this:
Romans 3:10-11. Verse 11 says there is “no one who SEEKS God.”
John 4:22-24. Verse 23 says that there are “worshipers the Father SEEKS.”
Luke 19:10. Christ came to “SEEK and save what was lost.”
Okay, so there is no one who seeks God. In fact, He is the one who seeks us.
My daughter turns three next week. We’ve got the big party planned, rented a princess “jumpy, moon-walk, blow up thing”, got the princess cake…the works. Can’t wait. The goal of her party is to celebrate her life. To make her feel loved, appreciated, and special. What if on the day of her party, we just ignored her and spent all of our energy on the guests? She got no cake, no presents, no ice cream, no Happy Birthdays. Instead, we gave everyone else the presents. The cake had their names on it. They got to jump in the princess moon-walk, but not her. We sang “Hap – py Birth – day to ALLOFYOUWHOCAMETOTHEPARTYTODAY.” If the goal is to make my daughters day, why would we just make everyone else’s day and ignore her?
If worship is to bring praise to God, to exalt Him, to bring Him honor, to worship Him, to celebrate who He is, why would we give it all to the guests? We’re not worth it! Keep reading Romans 3 all the way to verse 18. We were DEAD without Him. When you’re dead, you don’t have an opinion or a preference. But He is LIFE! He is AMAZING! He is Holy, Sovereign, and Mighty! HE deserves our praise.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1
So…I’ve stopped trying to please people in corporate worship. Sure, we want to always do our best to not allow any distractions, and to do the best that we can at whatever we’re doing, but ultimately, it’s not about any of us. It’s about what HE wants.
Now, there are a couple of ways that I react to this. First, as a worship leader, I feel a sense of relief that I don’t have to try to please a group of people from all ages, backgrounds, tastes, opinions, etc. I’m just not that good. But in another way, what an incredible responsibility and privilege to try to please God! Fortunately, He never changes. AND, He sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at me. So, again, I’m off the hook.
I’m so thankful that He desires our worship. I’m so thankful that He has allowed me to do what I do. I’m so thankful for our church family who understands that we’re not trying to entertain them.
Changes.
As a famous songwriter once wrote, “The times they are a changin.” This statement is applicable probably more than ever in my wife’s life and mine. My name is Josh Poore, and I just graduated from college about a month and a half ago. About three weeks ago I got married, about a week and a half ago we moved to Birmingham from Jackson, MS, and a week ago I started working at The Church at Brook Hills. It’s been pretty fast and furious for Lydia and me, as one can imagine. However, through experiencing all of these physical changes in our lives, I have been reminded of a couple important spiritual truths: a) I am consistently inconsistent, and b) God is sovereign and never changes.
Just like the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, I am constantly thrilled and enticed by other things that claim they can satisfy my soul. As a result I find myself pursuing these things that are themselves like me, changeable. It’s like “striving after wind,” as Solomon describes it in the book of Ecclesiastes, and not at all satisfying. On the flipside…
God is eternally unchanging, as He Himself says in Malachi 3:6, which is contradictory to how, in the next verse, He describes Israel, who has “turned aside” from God’s “statutes.” However, there is hope, as He continues in verse 7: “Return to me, and I will return to You.” The truth here is both inescapable and beautiful: only when I, who am constantly moving, remember and submit to the fact that I am anchored by God, who is eternally immovable, can I truly have peace in this life.
I think the same truths apply for music in worship services. As we all know, worship music is constantly changing, but the subject of these songs must always be our everlasting and unchanging God.
The hope I have for my family and ministry at Brook Hills is that we may always cling to Christ, who is the solid rock. “All other ground is sinking sand.”
What’s Next?
We welcome two new interns this week and I wanted to take the opportunity to dive into why it is a priority for us to invest in the next generation.
Last Friday, a few guys from our staff returned from a conference in Chicago. Darlene Zschech spoke about this topic during one of our sessions and my heart was almost shouting an audible ‘AMEN!’ This is not a new concept for us at Brook Hills. We have been making a very intentional shift towards disciple-making and away from kingdom building (our own kingdoms). But, it was encouraging to see someone of great influence among worship leaders globally, speaking with the same voice. It was also beautiful to hear how this has played out in the life of a ministry who has made discipleship a priority for over a decade. Since many of you probably didn’t have the privilege to hear her, I will try to summarize her comments here and add some thoughts of mine as well.
I believe we are at a place in the global church, where the harvest is coming at us like never before. This puts us as leaders at a crossroads. We can either choose to continue building our own kingdoms, or we can choose to empower those coming behind us.
We, meaning anyone currently leading in ministry, need to realize the importance of reproducing. This is vital whether you are 20, 40 or 60. This doesn’t need to be something that threatens us, but instead shows us that our finest days are ahead. What a privilege we have to become a bridge for future ministers to cross–headed to places we never even dreamed.
All throughout scripture, we see that God’s plan is for His people to pass His work from generation to generation. Here are a few places found in Psalms.
Psalm 45:16-17
Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
Psalm 71:16-18
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.
Psalm 145:1-13
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
All of these passages show the beauty that is reproduction ministry. We must realize we are one more link in a chain. Just as we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, let us hold high those who will follow us. May they find us faithul with the calling on our lives.
Check back later for Part 2 of this post. Trying not to be too longwinded.
New Guy
To secularize, or not to secularize…
That’s the question. At least, if we’re going by the look and feel of modern worship these days, it seems like that’s the question alot of worship leaders are struggling over. It’s a touchy topic, too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lead worship (at places not to be named) and been asked by some youth minister with spiky hair to “just start off with a cool song the kids will like.” The rest of the conversation goes like this:
Me: What do you mean?
Spike: Maybe some Fall Out Boy?
Me: Well, that’s not really what we do…
Spike: I think it would really connect with the kids.
Me: Right, but, is that really what the weekend’s abo…
Spike: Look! There’s a girl with a Fall Out Boy t-shirt on! You gotta do it, man. They’ll go nuts.
Me: Well, we don’t even know any of their songs, so I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Spike: Ok, cool man. I trust you (the Christian way telling someone you think they’re about to blow it, but it’s on them.)
Me: Thanks. So, you want to pray before we get started?
Spike: Sure, let me go make sure the Family Guy clips are loaded into the computer first
So, we know we’re supposed to engage people, but how? Scripture tells us clearly that seeker-friendly worship is a bad idea, because there’s really no audience for it (Romans 3:11). 1 Corinthains 14:24-25 tells us that it is when we speak prophesy about God that people are drawn to Him. Clearly we are to engage with the Holy Spirit, not the weekly top 40. The way I see it, in most worship services we have 30-45 minutes to worship the Most High God with singing. I’ve never been able to justify wasting 5 of those minutes singing “fun songs that they’ll like.”
But what if the song relates to the message? I find it funny that when I usually run into this argument, it’s someone who hasn’t suggested a single worship song that relates to the message, just a secular one. I smell a smoke-screen. And if the only song in the whole world that ties into your message is “Since You’ve Been Gone,” then I can’t help but be curious about just how Biblical your message is going to be.
I had a good friend tell me once, “people can find ‘cool’ in a million different places all day long, and the thing is, all of those places do it better than us. But they can only find truth here.” I think there’s alot of wisdom in that. We have to realize that our job is not to have the coolest rooms, or the best bands, or the brightest lights. These things might make alot of people show up weekly. But just like the amount of hands raised in worship, or the number of amens in a sermon say nothing of the actual work of the spirit, the number of people who show up every week says nothing of whether or not they are being discipled. That only happens when God and His Word are made higher, and we, along with our ideas, songs, words, and resources, are made lower.
Just like the (kind of) old song says:
Turn Your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.