It's been overstated that the purpose of our lives is to "worship God". Being a worship leader I believe that my job is to create the best opportunity for people to enter into worship. I think most of our life can be reduced to creating or taking opportunities...

Friday, October 06, 2006

An Unbeliever's Guide to God

I must confess that I'm an impressionable person. I'm a salesman, by trade and by heart. I love to influence, and honestly, I love to be influenced. I don't know that I'm the guy that people call for ideas, but if you come up with an idea that I can get behind, I'll sell your idea.

I've never come up with, or thought through anything new on my own, for all Truth is God's Truth and already exists. As Rob Bell puts it in his book, "Velvet Elvis," our job as Christians is to go through the world pointing out the truth of God. Our job is not to be right. When we become "right" we are separated from those we see as "wrong". John Fisher says that Jesus never sees the world as "wrong" so much as he sees it as "lost." What a great way to put our job in reaching the world.

Today I had a great, and revealing, conversation with a girl at work. She and I were talking about different kinds of churches and denominations. She mentioned that her husband doesn't like churches that are too "evangelical." I asked her to explain what she meant, and she said that he doesn't like it when he feels like the church is "pointing it's finger at him." Wouldn't it change the world forever if Christians put the fully-loaded pointer finger back in the holster and opted to bring light to the presence of God in the world instead. Our job is not to be right, but to declare the Glory of God. To point out His acts of power, provision, artistry, healing, compassion and the like.

So what does this have to do with my influence? Again, I love to influence and be influenced. But I really have to be careful not to see God in this world through my eyes and proclaim that as the only truth, like somehow I've figured it out. You see, we all see the world differently, but that makes us the same. We all have different ways of finding God in the world. Instead of pointing a finger at an unbeliever, condemning their sin, howabout digging into their soul to find out how they think God speaks to them? You never know what your influence might teach you about the Truth of God in the world.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Don't Step on a Crack, You'll Break Your Momma's Back!!

When I was a kid, I would sing dumb little lines like this one over an over again. It was fun though, to try to walk all the way home from the bus stop, not stepping on one crack. As hard as it was, there were times that I was sure that something bad would happen to my mom if I failed her! I'm not sure that I ever did it successfully, not necessarily that I stepped on a crack, I probably just let my ADD mind get distracted again... And don't worry, my mom's okay! She is probably seeking medical treatment, but more from what I put her through growing up than from back pain!

I have been reading a lot of Old Testament passages lately about the lengths that the Levites(Old Testament Priests) would go through to get prepared to meet with God. God gave them, through Moses and Aaron, all kinds of regulations of how to keep themselves pure before coming to the temple. They were to wash in such a way, and wear certain clothes, and keep from touching certain things. All of these commandments were given to the people, in the words of God, "So that they will not die." Not, so that they will receive a blessing, or so that they'll be happy. "So that they will not die." God meant business!

The Levites took the presence of God so seriously that when the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place, he wore a rope around his ankle and bells on the bottom of his robe. That way, if for some reason, ANY reason, he wasn't completely cleansed, and his disobedience before God caused his death, the other priests could still retrieve the robe he wore without entering into the Most Holy Place themselves.

What reverence. Makes me think twice about coming to the presence of God with something against my Christian Brother, or unconfessed sin, or with a rebellious heart. You should also decide that before you come to the presence of God, you purify your sacrifice. Don't be haughty or hasty with the presence of God. Walk carefully into His presence. Don't step on a crack!