Thou Art Worthy

I recently had a conversation with my father about a preacher (Paul Washer https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EAMuoucAEY0# ) we had heard who was cautioning the American Church on its humanistic bent. I told my dad, that I was concerned with a statement that Washer had made, “Church is not about meeting the needs of the people”. I was taken aback by this statement especially considering many of my previous entries have been all about loving and caring for people the way Christ cared for the people of his time. I mean after all didn't Christ meet the physical needs of those who followed him around, like in the story of feeding of the five thousand? (remember that story for later)

But my dad made a comment that stuck with me as I was expressing my concern, “People sometimes want the things Christ can provide and not Christ himself.” Hmm, I've definitely seen that. People who use God as “fire-insurance”, if you will.

So this topic had been in the back of my mind but I really hadn't had time to digest it when I came across John 6 in my daily devotions: Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. Now we all know this story, in fact, I just used it to illustrate my point above about the importance of meeting the needs of the people around us. So as I’m reading the passage I’m thinking, “This is the perfect passage to prove my dad and that Washer guy wrong! Our first and foremost thought should be about meeting the needs of the people!” Aaaaaaaand then I got to verse 26, “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.’”

Whoa! That’s almost word for word what my dad had told me earlier this week (I just want to insert here how cool I find it that God always finds a way to weave my devotional passage into something relevant in my life! He’s so awesome!). So I began to really think more about the initial comment that sparked this conversation, “Church is not about meeting the needs of the people”.

So what then is Church’s primary goal? God is. God and his glory is what church is all about. And this brings me back to thesis of Washer’s sermon: the American church has made things too much about us: man. And not enough about God. After all, isn't he kind of the point of, well, everything!

Personally, I think a good litmus test of where we place our emphasis on in our churches is how many times we sing the words “I, me, us, we, our” in our worship songs. Too often our “worship” songs are not really about God but about what God has done for US, or how WE feel about God, or what WE need to do better for God. Very rarely is the song simply just about God’s greatness and who he is. (Which is why I love “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin because it solely focuses on God and him independent from us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pF11qnJ8rw )

Now all this to say, I don’t think it necessarily wrong to sing songs about what God has done for us (because he has done some pretty amazing things!) or our response to him, the problem is when it becomes all about how God relates to us when we need to realize that while we are nothing without God, God is not defined by what he does for us or how we feel about him or even what we do for him. In other words, while we will always be dependent on Him, He will ALWAYS be independent from us. Kinda puts things into perspective now doesn't it.

Ok back to the “point of church” thing. Now this is tricky, because I don’t think we are called to forsake meeting the needs of people (Obviously, as we see from Jesus’ ministry it is vitally important). But it’s not the most important. The danger, as Washer points out, is that once church and Christianity becomes all about meetings one’s needs what happens when the church can’t meet all their physical and emotional needs? Does that mean God ceases to be good?

I think this is hard concept for us Americans to understand because of the endless prosperity we live in. However, most of our fellow humans do not. Many Christians around the world live in dire poverty. I had the humbling experience of witnessing this first hand while I was in India a few years ago. And you know what, while the church there did seek to meet people needs often times due to financial restraints they were not met fully and guess what? Their faith still grew rather than diminishing.

 In other words, if our emphasis is just on meeting people’s needs their faith is going to die the instant we stop meeting those needs. And as Christ makes it very clear, we will have trouble in this world. Our needs will not always be met (and for many Christians they are not). But if this is our main emphasis and our selling point of God then when that trouble comes it will be like the seed that fell on shallow ground. Our faith will die, just as the seed did.

Our “selling” point to people about God is the Gospel not all the “perks” of being a Christian. Because truly living like Christ is hard work and our needs aren't always going to be met, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Or as the Message puts it: “Jesus was curt: ‘Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.’”

Ok, ok. So what’s my point? As I've written before it’s important that we are loving and caring for people the way Christ did which often means meeting their physical and emotional needs but more importantly we need to be pointing them to God and the Gospel. Having your needs met means nothing without the Gospel. Therefore, the Gospel and Christ is the point of church.  God wants people who love him not the “stuff” he can give them.

So the challenge for myself (and all of us really): is to look into my heart and discern – do I love and follow God because of who he is and because he is the Great I Am or just because I like the benefits of God having my back? 

May we all love and follow Him for simply being the God who is worthy to receive honor, glory and power (Revelation 4:11). Amen.

“Thou art worthy, thou art worthy

Thou art worthy, oh Lord

Thou art worthy to receive glory

Glory and honor and praise

For thou hast created, all things created

For thou hast created all things

And for Thy pleasure they are created

Thou art worthy, oh Lord”

As always if you have comments, questions, thoughts, complaints, or ramblings, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me here or leave me a comment! 

Everyone loves a wedding.

Everyone loves a wedding.

It seems to be engagement season! My favorite season! Everywhere I look, I see couples falling in love, getting engaged and tying the knot! And it’s all so beautiful!

On New Year ’s Eve my brother-in-law got engaged and so did a good friend! These two events sent me into wedding fever! My time is now consumed with pintrest wedding boards, wedding dress websites, stalking people on Facebook I barely know just to get a glimpse of the dress and flowers, and reminiscing as I look back on my own wedding photos. I know. Pathetic. What can I say – I LOVE weddings!

But to top it all off, I recently found The Bachelorette: Ashley and JPs Wedding on hulu+. (Yeah, you can judge me for this) I was so excited to watch the 2 hour TV special about the couple’s happy day and as watched, I started to see a theme emerge: people love weddings. People love to watch others in love. And they all wish that against all odd the couple stays in love forever.

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend about the sudden wedding/engagement fever that has been going on around us. And as we discussed marriage and relationships someone uttered the phrase: “well no one wants someone to get divorced!” But as we all know, the sad truth is that divorce is an all too common thing in our generation and culture. Which begs the question, why are so many people clinging to the idea of a lifelong marriage when they know the statistics belittle such an idea?

For those of you who are judging me for watching the bachelor/bachelorette, it’s ok. I know it’s ridiculous. But the one thing I always find interesting is how determined all the participants are on finding lasting, true love. These people aren't there for flings, they want eternal love. And they chase this idea of true love even though many are on the other side of their previous “happily ever after”.

People love wedding because they want to believe true love still exist. That lasting love exists. And why do they want to believe this? Because at their core this was what they were made for: a perfect, eternal, true love.

“I was made to love you. I was made to find you. I was made just for you, made to adore you. I was made to love and be loved by you. You were here before me. You were waiting on me. And you said you’d keep me, never would you leave me. I was made to love and be loved by you.” 

The “you” in this song refers to God. I love this song by tobyMac because I feel that it so perfectly articulates what all these people hearts are yearning for when they go into a wedding, hoping, praying, that maybe just maybe this will be an everlasting love.

We were made to love and be loved by God. Throughout the Bible, but especially in the book of Revelation, we are given a beautiful picture of a wedding. We are given a picture of a bridegroom preparing a place for his bride and how he will come redeem her and together they will live happily ever after. Seriously.

For all of you who thought the Bible was a boring, old book full of dos and don’ts – you’re wrong! It’s really the most beautiful love story ever written! See the bridegroom is Christ, who is God. And his bride is his church. And by church I mean all that love him (unfortunately there are many people in the “church” who don’t love him and there are some who love him but have been pushed out of the church - but that’s another topic).

 Ok, so back to the bridegroom/bride thing. First off, don’t be weirded by the terminology, when people think marriage they think sex but don’t worry God doesn't want to have sex with you but he does want intimacy with you (the whole reason he created sex in the first place). But again. Focus! Think about that couple you know who just has the best marriage. What does it look like? The key characteristic is probably love. but not the ooey goey love (though that might be there to) but true love. unconditional love. This is the kind of love God has for you. Yet, so much better because it’s true unconditional love. we humans have yet to master complete unconditional love. but God has. and that’s how he feels about you.

But like in all good marriages there needs to mutuality of love. If some dude falls helplessly in love with you but you could care less, you two probably aren't going to have a great marriage (if you get married at all). That’s how it is with God. We are his bride or at least he wants us to be. But we have to accept his proposal. Now let me be clear, even if you throw the ring back in his face, call him a liar and cheater, he will always, always, always continue to love you! But are you going to be married? Nope. Which means you are going to miss out on all that great stuff being married brings, like that great house (aka heaven) he is preparing for you.

So what’s the point of this now seemingly endless blog. God loves you and he wants you to accept his proposal so that he can be your perfect groom. And what is this proposal you may ask. Belief. This is the only thing God asks of us.  “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

When you accept what Christ did on the cross for you, you will experience the love of God. And this makes you his bride. This is what you were created for. To be his bride. To love God and to be loved by him.

This is why people love weddings. Weddings are a beautiful illustration of the love between God and his people and deep down everyone longs for that eternal love only God can give.

So next time you’re at a wedding, rejoice with the happy couple. But let their love and happiness remind you of a much greater, stronger love.

For some of you this may be old news. others it may be old news but with a new face. but for still others, this may be new, confusing, or just plain weird. Either way, you have questions, comments,  or nasty remarks email me by clicking here. Or you can leave a comment. ~ EJ