Local church revolution part...

I'm just going to drop the numbers because I don't know how many of these there will be.

Can we talk about "worship" for a minute?

The word "worship" has several meanings. It is both a noun and a verb. For the sake of this post I want to consider worship as an action word that means "ardent devotion; adoration." ⁽¹⁾

We say that we worship money or that we worship a certain music group or we worship a certain person or a certain activity. The truth is not that we worship the wrong things. It's just that we overuse the word worship. A lot of people devote a lot of their time to the pursuit of money and riches. I don't think that's exactly the same as having a devotion or adoration of wealth. To be consumed by something is not the same as loving it. Case in point, I spend a lot of time on the Internet. My wife has accused me of letting the Internet become my god. It is true that I am fascinated by the Internet and exploring it is one of my favorite things to do. But, I don't have any devotion to the Internet or my computer. To say I worship the Internet is a misuse of the word.

It is technically correct (according to the dictionary) to refer the ceremonies and rites that surround the practice of religion as worship. That's not the kind of worship I'm talking about though. Music style and preaching and sacrements are activities that we associate with worship but you can participate in all of those without truly worshiping. You can be present in a church service and not have any sense of adoration or devotion to the One who is the subject of the event.

True worship is not just the expression of worship. True worship is a condition of the heart. It is ardent devotion and adoration.

Worship of God comes from meeting Him and understanding ourselves in the context of Him. When we see ourselves in context with the Creator of the Universe then we cannot help but to worship him. We are microscopic, completely insignificant next to His greatness and yet He humbled Himself and and was murdered so our relationship with Him could be restored. When you feel His Love you will know that it is real. When you get a glimpse of the depth of His love you cannot help but to worship Him with ardent adoration.

Worship isn't about the things you do, it is about the motivation behind those things. Singing can be worship whether the song is from the hymnal or the latest TobyMac CD. That is because singing as an act of worship comes from the heart of the worshipper. The same goes for tithing, praying, serving others and every other aspect of Christian religion. These are all empty without the context of God's love. These things are worship when they are expressions of the worshiper's devotion to God.

So what's the action step for the local church? Stop misusing the word worship. Don't call empty traditions worship. Don't confuse people's enthusiasm for worldy things with worship. Don't argue about "worship" style. Instead paint a picture of true worship for your members. Challenge them to find that place of devotion where they can worship God from their hearts.

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Footnotes for Pastor Chris. You know I love you man!
1. Dictionary.com : http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=worship

A little clarification

I had a meeting with Pastor Chris last week and it was mostly about my posts in this blog. He was concerned that I was angry at the Church in general and Miami Baptist specifically. He also expressed some concern about what people who come to the church web site might think if they clicked through to my blog and began reading my recent posts. That's my interpretation of what he said. He may have meant something else entirely.

In any case, I would like to take a few minutes to clarify what is going on here. I am not angry and I am not even close to leaving my faith.

I am concerned that over a long period of time the Church as a whole (the worldwide body of Christian believers) has lost touch with it's calling. We've replaced true faithful living according to God's Word with a man-made religiosity that is loosely based on scripture. We are in danger of becoming like the Pharisees that Jesus spoke out against in His time. I believe that the symptoms of this slide towards legalism and superficial expressions of religion are present in most local churches including Miami Baptist. I don't want us to go any further down that path. I want a mulligan! I call for a "do over!"

Whether you are playing golf or kickball, sometimes you fail so miserably that you earn a second chance. Our God is the God of do-overs. He gives us so many chances to right our path when we fail. It's time for the church to dust itself off and focus itself to the fundamentals of the faith with renewed determination. So what does that mean?

For me, it means calling every expression of "religion" in my life into question. The core of my faith is unchanged but everything around it subject to inspection. That means that I don't question if Jesus was the Son of God. I do question whether or not rocking out to Relient K (Christian group) and rocking out to Green Day (secular group) are fundamentally different in any way. Where is the line between entertainment and worship? I don't question my Salvation. I do question whether or not people need me to wear to Christian t-shirt to know that I am saved. How do I minister? How do I worship?

To answer these questions I am throwing the baby out with bath water. I admit it. I am not going to assume that anything we're doing already is correct. If we are going to build a Church then I know the foundation is solid because God established it. But I think people want to choose the paint before the building has been framed. We need to seek out the fundamentals of Jesus' teaching and learn to apply them. That is what these recent blog posts are about. It's about finding the foundation and starting a discussion about what to build on it.

More suggested reading...

Small Church, Big Mission
"The church takes missions involvement so seriously that you have to wonder if it remains small because prospective new members fear they'd have to work too hard to keep up with the old-timers."
Tony W. Cartledge (read more)
found on: Biblical Recorder
Note: The article is a big pat on the back for a small NC church. Although the article reads like the pep rally for little churches, this specific church seems to have avoided focusing on itself and is actually making a difference.

Our number one priority?
"Church growth, however, is not necessarily evangelistic growth. Many congregations grow primarily through the transfer of people from other congregations and through biological growth."
George Bullard (read more)
found on: Biblical Recorder
Note: George makes some salient points then turns the whole thing into a plug for strategic type church programs sponsored by State and National Baptist organizations.

Relevancy is Simple
"Is the church responding? Well, maybe. I see signs of life. In the U.S., we’re light on our feet, and every few years, some new trend leaps up: the Jesus movement, the charismatic movement, the Willow Creek phenomenon, the emergent church. Meanwhile, the broader church lumbers on, learning from the young radicals, trying to retain the best of the past. As long as we don’t become a corporation, an institution, I have hope. We’ve got to keep listening go the Spirit."
Phillip Yancey (read more)
Interviewed on: Relevant Magazine

The Devil's Done His Job
"### yeah, the devil's done his job alright, 'cuz we're all in the pews now.
### yeah the devil's done his job, 'cuz we're all in the dark."
Meadow Rue
Heard on: Stupid Church People Podcast #38
Note: SCP is sometimes thought provoking, but mostly offensive. Not for kids.

Asking the tough questions...

Here are a couple interesting articles on current movements in the Church.

The Death of Postmodernism
Relevant Magazine

Postmodern Christianity
Creative Loafing

Church Advertising is a Waste of Time
Church Marketing Sucks