What is Worship Anyway? - Intro

Do you know how many Christian churches are active in America today? 

A reliable estimate is that there are roughly 350,000 religious congregations in America right now. Only about 12,000 of those are what are considered non-Christian. 

That 12,000 includes your Hindus, your Muslims, Buddhists and Satanists, Wicca, Scientology, and UFO cults, and anything else you can think of, all in just less than 5% of the total. 

Of course, Catholic and Orthodox also take about 24,000 away from the total. That leaves around 314,000 congregations that are considered Protestant or Christian (other).

Within the walls of those 314,000 congregations can be found, should one look, endless programs and activities which churchgoers busy themselves with, from the expected small group Bible studies, worship music concerts, and choir practices, to the not-so-expected, naïve, and somewhat misguided “holy yoga,” to the downright bat-guano-crazy dirt-bike-ramp-jumping-over-pastor-while-he-teaches gimmicks, poorly designed to lure the unchurched, all of whom likely laugh at the downright embarrassing lengths to which pastors will go to attract more tithing members. All that to say this: lots of churches are busy providing lots of programs and activities to lots of congregants, seekers, and reluctant husbands of churchgoing wives.

In light of these statistics one might come to the conclusion that American churches and churchgoers are pretty darn good at worship. Well, one would be wrong if one held the facts concerning how Americans classify engaging in religious activity up against worship as defined and practiced in the Bible. Fact is, good reader, we are failing, both miserably and dismally. I just couldn’t decide on an adverb. They’re both so descriptive and appropriate...

In this series of blog entries I will painstakingly, but humorously, attempt to run a virus scan and perform a cleaning on brains which have inadvertently downloaded a common form of Churchianity malware. I will predict the following three scenarios concerning how this series is received:

• Some of you will read through the series with your super-smart melon-heads nodding furiously in agreement, shouting “amen!” from time to time, causing your family to once again question your sanity. I applaud you, for you are astute far beyond your peers and perhaps should be writing this series.

• Others among you will flatly reject what I present in favor of your preconceived beliefs, which have been, like I said, accidentally “downloaded.” I pray for your souls! But seriously, please know I care deeply for you and would gladly buy you a triple grande caramel macchiato if you wanted to hang out with me. I am that desperate for friends.

• But a few of you – you know who you are… don’t be shy – you will read this series with open eyes and hearts and you will rejoice at the Scriptural truth wave flowing through and washing away the grime of that wishy-washy worship mindset. 

Please know, I implore you, I don’t think I’m some kind of pious Christian guru, gracing you with my amazing understanding of spiritual matters. Everything I know I have learned from others. I will include a list of references and influences at the end of the series, just so you know I’m not making this stuff up.

For this first entry I just wanted to give you some solid statistics and make you aware of the series, in hopes that you will return in two weeks to begin this journey with me. I will, during the series, present you with some more statistics that will likely sadden you and even cause outrage. Some of you with especially tender hearts will weep. I did when I discovered this truth. But for now, let me leave you with an encouraging message from Someone very special...

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.”

Jesus of Nazareth

To continue reading this series, What is Worship Anyway? Part One, click the link.

Sacred or Secular?

As I was driving my son to school this morning we started discussing the subject of, for lack of a better term, spiritual time management. The idea is that the more religious (or spiritual, for you progressive Christians out there) activities one takes part in throughout the day the more godly that person is. So, the idea is that if you fill your day with Bible reading and praying and building orphanages (only Christian orphanages!) then you are more holy than the poor schmuck who has to work at a secular job 10 hours a day, and then go home to take care of his family and their needs before squeezing in a few Bible chapters at the end of the day and drifts off to sleep saying his nightly prayers.

The message I was trying to send to my son was that this is wrong. We shouldn't think like this. We shouldn't be dividing our day into two categories; one for religious activities and the other for everything else. There is no biblical precedent for this mindset - at least none I can think of.

Someone who truly loves Christ brings Him along. I know this sounds flippant, but hear me out. I'm not talking about taking Him along like a child would smuggle a stuffed animal on a trip, by cramming it into a backpack or lunchbox. Rather, I envision calling up a close friend to go on a long drive or to take care of some unpleasant business. You do this for company, for help. These kind of friends are the ones you are so close to that you know a 3 hour car ride will feel like minutes, that you won't feel embarrassed when you have to do some menial task in their presence. The Bible says that there's a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. That Friend, for us, is Jesus.

Jesus died on a Roman cross in your place, so what makes you think He stops at the door when you go to work at a retail store, or that He doesn't accompany you when you're plunging a toilet, or that He ever leaves you... EVER?

With this knowledge we should make every effort to erase these lines we draw between the sacred and the secular. For the Christian who really loves his or her Lord there don't need to be any such categories. So, my challenge to you, reader, is this: instead of toiling to make sure the sacred activities outweigh the secular, realize that every activity is sacred and treat them as such. Sacred, sanctified, holy... these words all mean the same thing - set apart for a special reason or purpose. Our lives, our entire lives as followers of Christ, are set apart for a special reason and purpose.

The Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, accompanied by Christ, and observed by the Father every second of every day. For these reasons all that we do, everywhere we go, is in His presence and sight, and therefore should be treated with the same awe and reverence as Moses had at the burning bush.

This knowledge should do two things: First, it should cause us to cut some things out because they just don't fit with a holy life. I'll use myself as an example - Jesus is with me on the I-15. 'Nuff said. Second, it should help us to stop striving to tip the scale of daily activities on the holy side.

Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

The Signature of the Creator

Just Proving the Bible, No Biggie

Often in the course of conversations with folks who are skeptical about the authenticity of the Bible, the question arises as to how it could even be proven if it were true. The argument is that since the Bible was written so long ago there's no way to prove it is actually the Word of God. 

Well, as it turns out there is a way to prove the Bible is from God. We can authenticate the Bible the same way we authenticate works of art. There are indeed the undeniable brushstrokes of the Creator all over this Book, and His signature is also present. But, what would the signature of an omniscient, timeless Being look like? In this case the signature comes in the form of history being written in advance - prophecy.

Unlike other so-called holy books, the Bible is full of prophecies. Many have been fulfilled. A few have not yet come to pass. But in all of them there is one which stands out. One that never ceases to impress me. The prophecy Gabriel gave to Daniel in the ninth chapter of his book is that prophecy.

I Dare You

Read to the end and tell me this isn't the most astounding messianic prophecy you've ever heard of. And that is a double-dog-dare.

Did you ever notice how a few different times the crowds had attempted to take Jesus and declare Him king, but that every time He slips away? Ever wonder why, especially in light of the account in Matthew 21 when He actually took the time and effort to arrange his entry into Jerusalem as King? Read on.

Way back in Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel payed a special visit to Daniel as he was in the middle of prayer. His purpose for the visit? To share a few pieces of headline news... from the future! Doc Brown wouldn't have been cool with that, but he wasn't even born yet, now was he?

The Triumphal Entry

In this chapter Jesus makes His "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. As the crowd waved palm branches and shouted "hosanna," just like the prophet Zechariah foretold so many decades prior.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." - Zec 9:9

"Hosanna" means "oh! save," so the people shouting Hosanna directly ties into this prophecy as well - "... having salvation..." or "having the power to save."

But this isn't the the most amazing prophecy by far...

In part 2 I'll get into the angel's message to Daniel.

Father, Forgive Them...

... But Do They Really Not Know What They're Doing?

On the cross, facing imminent death, unthinkable pain, and... of course, the judgment for my sin and yours, Jesus looked out with compassion upon those at the foot of the cross. Some were crying, but most were not. Most of them begged and pleaded for Him to be on that cross, and at the time when Christ was on the cross they were cursing Him, blaspheming Him. They hated Him without cause and they really didn't know what they were doing. They didn't believe that Jesus was their Messiah. They certainly didn't believe that He was God in the flesh. They simply did not know they were killing the Source of Life. They didn't know they were shaming the Prince of Peace. They really didn't know. That brings me to my point.

When Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing," that was a very specific prayer for a specific group of people at a specific time. The problem is that many modern Christians act as if it's a part of the Lord's Prayer and use it as a blanket supplication for all people for all their sins for all time. It wasn't prayed in that context, and it's not applicable most of the time. A popular Christian band recently released a song using this prayer just as I have described. It's catchy, I guess.

Here's why this prayer is being misused most of the time: Humans, for the most part, know when they are sinning. God has given humanity a conscience, and has sent His Spirit into the world to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. So, it's just untrue to pray, "they don't know what they're doing." They know…

See, when Christ prayed this prayer He was asking the Father to forgive those at the cross because they didn't know they were crucifying and cursing the Son of God. Now, we can certainly apply this when we pray for our unsaved friends and family for their disbelief. But to pray for someone who is committing adultery or stealing from the till at work and ask God to forgive them because they don't know what they're doing is flat wrong. Pray that God convicts their heart and that they respond. Pray that they repent and RUN from sin. But don't pray that God forgives them (because they don't know what they're doing). They know.

Stepping back off my soapbox and running for the back door. Do not pursue. I am faster than you.

A Few Thoughts On Worship - Part One

A.W. Tozer said, concerning worship: "Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us."

Now, I am not sure where this quote comes from, but I believe that Tozer is here referring to our corporate worship services, and specifically the music we use as a venue for worship, rather than worship as a lifestyle or our service to God and others as worship.

What Tozer is calling for is some introspection on the part of those responsible for organizing and facilitating corporate worship through song. This goes just as much for other media venues such as drama and video, but sung worship is much more common, so we'll leave the others out for this discussion.

Worship leaders, team members, what are we striving for? Are we striving to please God, to offer up a sweet-smelling aroma of worship as we stand before the Bride of Christ to lead the way to His throne - to His feet - or are we striving for something less?

We'll explore this topic further in my next post...

John the Baptist: A Lesson in Political Correctness

As I opened my eSword to research for this series I was slightly shocked by what I found. See, my plan is to chronologically catalog the teachings of Jesus in short, bite-sized portions, and so you can imagine my surprise when I opened to what I mistakenly assumed were His first recorded words as an adult and found that they addressed the very class of religious people which started the original discussion in the first place!

Unfortunately, I had mistaken the words of John the Baptist for Jesus' words (I guess I wasn't looking for the red!) What I thought was the very first address from Jesus, as He began His short earthly ministry, was directed at religious hypocrisy; specifically the Sadducees and Pharisees, who were quite good at living pristine, pious lives outwardly while completely missing the point inwardly.

I'm not going to attempt a full commentary here or even quote the passages, but please read them on your own for a better understanding of my write-up. The events of what I though was Jesus' first public address can be found in Matthew 3:7-10 and Luke 3:7-14 (just click them). I just want to briefly boil down the situation in question and present the essence of what John meant to teach through the encounter. That goes for all future entries addressing the teachings of Jesus as well. But first a quick observation.


The first thing I think anyone will notice when reading this passage is the perceived harshness and severity of John's message to the religious masses. In contrast to the lovable, cuddly "Buddy Christ" found in modern pop-culture who just wants to hug everyone and doesn't want anyone to be offended, the guy who seems to be everyone's "homeboy", the real Jesus wasn't afraid to offend, which we will explore in a future installment. But as we see here, neither was John. PC was not in his vocabulary. It's almost as if John meant to alienate some...

So, the emphasis here is that of warning. John brought to the attention of the religious folk that there is a coming judgment, and that unless there was a serious change that they would be facing it in the not-too-distant future. The change wasn't necessarily an outward one, although it would show on the outside. John told them to "produce fruit consistent with repentance". This fruit would later be elaborated on by Paul. It is called LOVE.

These religious people were counting on their Jewish heritage, their blood relation to the patriarch, Abraham. Like a sledgehammer applied to a watermelon (thank you, Ghallagher, for the imagery), John demolished that dependence and brought to light the brutal truth that their relation to Abraham meant absolutely nothing, in terms of securing a right standing before God and escaping His wrath. That and 30 pieces of silver could buy you a slave, a potter's field, or the life of a Messiah...


John went on to say that the ax was already laid at the root. We're going to skip the national and eschatological ramifications of this for the moment and simply tackle the personal application:


Religious people, beware.

The fruit of the Spirit, which is consistent with repentance, is love. Love manifests itself in the form of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If these are not apparent in your life, though you attend church 7 days a week, hand out Gospel tracts everywhere you go, tithe 80%, support missionaries in the 3rd World, or even organize children's theater productions, you are not in that place of right-standing before God that you think you are.

In closing, it is important to clarify that right-standing with God does not come from having love and patience and joy and peace. According to the Bible love, which shows itself in all of the aforementioned ways, emanates from the Spirit within. That is not to say that someone without the Spirit cannot love, or even have all of its manifestations in spades... I guess the bottom line is best summed up by John, from His 1st epistle:

If you do not love you do not know God, because God is Love.

WDJT? (What Did Jesus Teach?) Introduction

My buddy, Marc, said something to me recently that has resounded in my soul... Then he said it again. It has caused me to really ponder this topic. To paraphrase, Marc said that, while he doesn't know whether or not Jesus was the Son of God, he believes that Jesus got it right; He understood being human and He lived the way a human should. I agree.

I think that Marc's observation is incredibly poignant. Putting aside the question of His deity (which I fully believe to be true) if Marc is right then each one of us should be paying close attention, not only to what Jesus did, but what He said; what He taught even when He wasn't "teaching".

If the Biblical narrative is to be trusted as pertains to Jesus' life then following are some of His chosen endeavors: He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, fed the hungry, and advocated for the children. These are indeed commendable causes, and activities we should emulate to the best of our ability (I haven't been able to feed thousands out of a Darth Vader lunch box yet...) But what I would like to do in this series of short blogs is to focus on what He said, rather than what He did.

Before I start, in post 1 (this is only the intro), talking about His teachings during His 3.5 years of ministry, I'll just include here His only previously recorded words.

At age 12 Jesus took a trip to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover and decided to hang back at the temple - you know, blowing the minds of the priests and wot not... totally normal - but His parents hadn't realized and had left without Him. Long story short, when they discovered He was not among their caravan (which was not a 1st century minivan) they went back to Jerusalem and found Him at the temple.

Astonished to find Him mingling with the religious elite, Mary questions Jesus as to why He stayed back. His answer was, in modern terms, "Why are you looking so hard for me? Didn't you realize that I would be in my Father's house?"

Could Jesus have meant that He didn't leave them, but they had left Him, as some commentators suggest? Sure. This would answer the question of whether He was being disobedient or not, and I think it's a great observation. But I believe that the most amazing aspect of this, His first recorded utterance, is found in His description of whose house He was in.

You see, in the Old Testament it wasn't common at all to speak of Yahweh in such intimate terms as "Father". There wasn't this notion, as we see today, of everyone being God's children. God was seen as King of the universe; the transcendent, eternal, omnipotent Creator. Jesus wasn't using a 21st century cozy colloquialism in this scenario. He was identifying Himself as the Son of the One whose house He was in. No Hebrew in the 1st century world would have questioned what He meant when He claimed to be God's Son, and that is confirmed when He is crucified for making the same claim 21 years later.

Thanks for reading the intro, and please wait with great anticipation for part 1! I promise to try and keep the subsequent entries much shorter.

Blut und Boden, Blood and Soil

The Nazi's had a saying, blut und boden, which means "blood and soil." This idiom represents the theory that the person you are is solely the result of your genetic heredity (blood) and your environment (soil).

Though Nazi Germany has fallen, and violently so, this belief is still on the intellectual scene. For instance, the infamous evolutionary biologist and best-selling author representing the "New Atheism," Richard Dawkins, has said that we are just dancing to our DNA (a reference to the 'blood' in 'blood and soil'). This idea that a man is nothing more than the chance product of his DNA and his environmental, social, and familial influence is a necessary facet of naturalistic Darwinian and Neo-Darwinian evolution.

Think about it...

If there is no God, no purposeful Creator, and the universe is simply a vast collection of intrinsically valueless and purposeless matter and energy hurtling through time and space with no particular direction or goal, then how can we be anything more than the outcome of blut und boden?



But...

If there is a God, and if we were created purposefully, and if there are external and internal forces other than genetics and environment shaping who we are, then we're so much more than the sum of our genes and our experiences; we are dancing to more than the music of our DNA. We are dancing to the music of the Singer who created the universe with a sentence... "let there be."

Now, in an ironic twist, whether or not the principle represented by blut und boden has any merit, the phrase is true in a theological sense. It goes like this:

In forming Adam from the earth, God stooped low and "got His hands dirty," so to speak, and created man in His own image. So man is the product of soil, if nothing else.

Then man, in seeking to serve himself and fulfill his own selfish desires, created god in his own image, thus "stooping low" and "getting his hands dirty" in a different sense...

So, in seeking to re-create man in His own image God stooped low again, this time getting His hands bloody, and that at the hands of man whom He sought to save. So, man again stooped low and this time getting his hands bloody as he murdered the very God who gave him life and who was at that very moment dying in order to give him eternal life.

Every man is the product of blut und boden.

We know that we were formed from the soil, but in light of the above, how are we the product of blood?

Either you are guilty of the blood of Christ, or you are declared innocent, not guilty, through the blood of Christ. Either way your state in relation to the blood governs your decisions, thus forming who you are.

Guilty of the blood or innocent through the blood; which are you?