FOUR TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WALK WITH GOD

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

August 12, 2009

Good Morning!

LET ME ASK YOU FOUR TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WALK WITH GOD:

In an age of casual Christianity and mediocre spirituality, it behooves us to take careful stock of our lives, asking the penetrating, hard questions, with the understanding that one day we will give an account to a holy God who reminds us that “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14) “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5) (See Matt. 5:20; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10)

Are you going deep with God? By that I mean, are you studying God’s word regularly, carefully, and in depth? How about memorizing key passages and praying them into your life? Are you internalizing quality spiritual material in the vein of Elizabeth Elliott, Richard Foster, Cynthia Heald, C. S. Lewis, George McDonald, Henry Nouwen, J. I. Packer, John Piper, John Stott, A. W. Tozier, Dallas Willard, and Philip Yancy, etc? Or are you only reading light weight, quick fix religious fast food caliber material that is so prevalent today? Are you choosing to associate with men and women of spiritual substance, who challenge you to the core to be hard after God; to be great for God?

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…Train yourself to be godly…Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth...He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” (Jer. 29:13;1 Tim. 4:7b; 2 Tim 2:15; Pro. 13:20 )

Do you possess a passion for holiness? By that I mean a passion for Christlikeness. An exercise to help you intelligently answer that question is to prayfully review Galatians 5:19-23 as to where you really stack up. Tell me, do you gravitate toward what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise? (Phil. 4:8) Or are you inclined toward that which is sensual, pride-based, and materialistic? Does your heart truly yearn for God? Does your daily schedule and check book strongly suggest that the knowledge of and service to the Holy One is your top priority?

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God… One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple…To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (Psa. 84:2; 27:4; Pro. 8:13)

Are you a broken vessel before God? Or does your pride rule your life? Are you grieved over your attraction to sin? Do you have a tendency to react whenever someone crosses you, challenges your authority, or corrects you? Do you secretly pride yourself on your achievements, ministry, financial success, and social status? If you are truly honest, are you focused primarily on yourself or on serving others?

“The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise… All who fear the Lord will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech…Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Psa. 51:17 NLT; Pro. 8:13; Phil. 2:3, 4)

Are you intentionally engaging with the lost (the “unconvinced”) with a view toward influencing them toward Christ? Or are you hunkered down in your holy huddle, safe among the churched? "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men…When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous…I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some… " (Matt. 4:19; Lk. 14:12-14; I Cor. 9:22b)

My prayer is that you are having a great week!

R. Dwight Hill

FEAR

FEAR (Alarmed concern, anxiety, apprehension, consternation, dread, fright, panic, terror, timidity, trepidation, unease)

Fear is like back pain: Paralyzing. Immobilizing. Consuming. Certainly it is not God’s idea of how we are to live our lives. Rather, it is God’s intention that we be free from fear: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand…For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline...I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears…” (Isa.41:10; 2 Tim. 1:7a; Psa. 34:4)

The raw truth about fear is that it is the absence of faith in not believing God:

· [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mk. 4:40)

· “[Jesus] replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matt. 8:26)

· “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psa. 112:7)

What is it that we fear the most?

* Failure: “I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground…” (Matt. 25:254b) (See Psa. 42:5; Isa. 31:1)
* The future: “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psa. 112:7)
* People: Isaac lied to Abimelech that his wife was his sister. (Gen 26:1-11) (See Gen. 12:20-20; 20; Pro. 29:25)
* That God is not with us: “O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.” (Psa. 30:7) (See Psa. 10:1; 13:1; 143:7)

Even some of the best people in the Scriptures stumbled in fear. For example:

* Elijah, after courageously confronting and destroying the prophets of Baal, fearfully runs from Jezebel, who threatens his life. (I Kin. 18:16-19:3)
* Peter boasts that he will lay down his life for Christ and then fearfully denies him. (Jn. 13:37; 18:15-27)

The Enemy of our soul wants us immobilized by fear. God, however, implores us to trust him and be free from fear:

* “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you." (Deu. 3:22)
* “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Jos.. 1:9) (See Jos.. 1:5-9)

* "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." (Isa. 35:4a)
* “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” (Psa. 46:1,2) (See Jos.. 8:1; Matt. 10:28; Psa. 23:4; 1 Jn. 4:18)
* “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Jn. 14:27)

May I entreat you to join the company of courageous people who believed God and overcame their fears:

* Peter and John defied the authorities’ prohibition in witnessing for Christ. (See Act. 4:7-13; 5:17-32)
* Paul in facing trial and probable death: "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem , not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” (Act. 20:22-24)


My prayer is that you are having a great week!

R. Dwight Hill

How to prepare for worship

Engage Both Heart and Mind in Worship
John Ortberg and Pam Howell

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

There's an old joke among Meyers-Briggs users. Question: what happens when a passionate, hyper-expressive, exquisitely emotional feeler meets a logical, hyper-rational, Mr. Spock-type thinker?

Answer: they get married.

Too often deep thinking and profound feeling never meet in the one place they are most needed: in worship. How can we worship in ways that both engage the mind and touch the heart?

Learn more with a five-session course on Worship.

Some churches specialize in generating emotion. The platform people are expert at moving worshipers to laughter or tears. Attenders gradually learn to evaluate the service in terms of the emotion they feel.

In time, however, the law of diminishing returns sets in. Prayers are offered in highly emotive style and bathed in background music. Stories have to get more dramatic, songs more sentimental, preaching more histrionic, to keep people having intense emotional experiences.

Such worship is often shallow, sometimes artificial, and rarely reflective. Little attention is given to worshiping with the mind. It produces people who have little depth or rootedness. They may develop a "zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2). They become worship junkies, searching for whichever church can supply the best rush.

This is Scarecrow worship: it would be better if it only had a brain.

On the other hand, some churches focus keenly on cognitive correctness. They recite great creeds, distribute reams of exegetical information, craft careful prayers ahead of time. And yet the heart and spirit are not seized with the wonder and passion that characterize those in Scripture who must fall on their faces when they encounter the living God. No one is ever so moved that she actually moves.

This is tragic because, as Dallas Willard writes, "to handle the things of God without worship is always to falsify them."

Those who attend such services may be competent to spot theological error, but the unspoken truth is they're also a little bored. Their worship is dry—it does not connect with their deepest hurts and desires. Rarely does it generate awe or healing, and never raucous joy.

This is Tin Man worship: if it only had a heart.

Some attempts to bring head and heart together have led not to the glimmering Emerald City, but to the Wicked Witch's forbidding dungeon guarded by drones. At times we've gotten it backwards, managing to combine in a single service the thoughtfulness usually associated with chandelier-swinging Pentecostals with the emotional expression of Scottish Presbyterians.

There must be a better way. How can we pursue worship that links well-ordered minds to overflowing hearts?
Yellow brick makers

People have the tendency to approach worship as consumers. The focus is on my experience, sitting back with arms folded and saying to those leading worship, "Wow me." Do something to grab my attention, catch my interest. They assume worship is like watching a movie; it's something I critique afterward.

Can you imagine the Israelites, freshly delivered from slavery, before a mountain that trembles violently with the presence of God (Exod. 19), muttering: "We're leaving because we're not singing the songs we like. Like that tambourine song, how come they don't do that tambourine song anymore?"

"I don't like it when Moses leads worship; Aaron's better."

"This is too formal—all that smoke and mystery. I like casual worship."

"It was okay, except for Miriam's dance—too wild, not enough reverence. And I don't like the tambourine."

No, Scripture doesn't read like that. The people were filled with awe and wonder and trembling and hope and fear, because there in the middle of nowhere, before this bunch of ex-slaves, was God.
Getting a head start

In our day—when the beauty of liturgical traditions, the freedom of charismatic expression, and the intellectual rigor of the Reformation are being cross-fertilized—we have a wonderful opportunity to pursue worship that balances intellect and passion.

We must address the issue head-on, so we often challenge our congregation:

1. Prepare yourself to worship

Football players prepare for the big game. Sales people prepare for a big pitch. And worshipers should prepare to worship, both mind and heart. We frequently tell our worship attenders that they should prepare at home and even in the car enroute to the service.

2. Invest yourself fully in each moment we're together, regardless of how you feel.

Too often in worship people experience what psychologists speak of as mindlessness. They go on autopilot. Worshipers need to be taught not to wait for something to grab their attention. They need to say to God, "I'm fully present—listening, praising, confessing, responding—every moment of worship. I offer myself fully to you."

3. Learn to make the most of the service.

Some people need to be encouraged to become freer in their expressiveness. It can be like when someone hits a home run. The stadium erupts with celebration: hugs, high fives, roars of joy, blowing kisses, arms raised in triumph.

Some worshipers need to say something like this: "I'm not going to raise my hands way up like that in church. After all we're not celebrating a home run. But since we are celebrating that Jesus died for my sins, saved me from hell, overcame my guilt, was raised from the dead, and will share his triumph with me through eternity, maybe I'll at least put my hands in my lap with palms up."

On the other hand, some may become so expressive that they create a distraction. They need clear, gentle (sometimes not-so-gentle) reminders to balance their desire for expressiveness with what will help the body of Christ.

The single most important aspect of balanced worship, though, is making sure our hearts and minds are fully engaged and devoted. When this happens, moments will come when worshipers feel and understand God in ways no one could have planned.

ODB: One Passion

July 15, 2009
One Passion

READ: Luke 14:25-35
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. —Luke 14:26


Nechayev, a 19th-century disciple of Karl Marx who had a role in the assassination of Czar Alexander II, wrote: “The revolutionary man . . . has no personal interests, no business affairs, no emotions, no attachments, no property, and no name. Everything in him is wholly absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution.” Although his motives and goals were wrong, Nechayev’s statement shows the singlemindedness of commitment.

Jesus wanted true commitment from His disciples. In Luke 14, we read that large crowds joined Him as He traveled toward Jerusalem (v.25). Perhaps these casual followers considered themselves to be His true disciples, but Jesus taught that following Him was more than just knowing facts about Him. He explained what it really meant to be His disciple when He defined the cost of discipleship: Nothing, not love for father or mother or even one’s own life, was to take precedence over loyalty to Jesus (vv.26-33). His disciples (then and now) must acknowledge that if God is to be primary in their lives, possessions and even social relationships have to be secondary.

Jesus calls His followers to be absorbed in a single, exclusive thought and passion—Him. — Marvin Williams

Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray!
While the world perishes, we go our way
Purposeless, passionless, day after day;
Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray! —Cushman

Our love for Jesus is the key to spiritual passion.

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