Countercultural Prayer
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7) We live in a culture where worry is assumed. We live in a culture where anxiety is epidemic. Look across the coffee shop, the classroom or the dinner table and you will see people who are stressed and unsettled about how things will turn out – energy drained and consumed with trying to control the uncontrollable. This is where we...
Read MoreWorship Moves You
Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! (Malachi 1:10) Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:10–12) As the church we are called...
Read MoreHoly and Ordinary
Revelation 4-5 I mentioned in my sermon this week an idea that I thought might be a good illustration of the sermon topic. By now it is known simply as the infamous “no coffee or bagels” idea. In case you missed us on Sunday it went something like this: Instead of actually setting out coffee and bagels we just put out directions to a coffee shop and a bagel shop. If people are so concerned with coffee and bagels they could go directly to the source. We could also set out a sign that pointed to the sanctuary which said “Worship of the one true God this way.” It seems simple enough to me… want...
Read MoreEverybody Worships
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8) There is something inside the genetic code of every human being that makes us designed for worship. It works best when we worship God. worship misleads us when we worship gods that are not gods, it creates huge disappointment. It misshapes us. N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope, writes: “When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like...
Read MoreTransformed By Worship
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalms 73:21–26) One way think about worship is being in the presence of God. You cannot worship without being in God’s presence. It is impossible to come into the his presence and not...
Read MoreSunday is …
”Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’” (Acts 5:29-32) The last half of Acts 5 is a pretty important part of the Christian story. The Church, the followers of Jesus are out in the world doing things on their own, the movement is...
Read MoreFans, Bring Your “A” Game
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100) True confession time: you...
Read MoreWho’s Calling?
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1) So let me get this straight, according to the apostle Paul — according to the Bible — I need to live a life worthy of the calling I’ve received. Hmmmm. I remember when I got my first cell phone. Almost nobody had one and so I’d often call Kelly just to say, “I’m talking to you from my car!” Now, most everybody has a phone with them all the time. There is no place where we are out of reach and cannot receive a call. Some days it seems like everybody is calling all day long. But we are talking about...
Read MoreGod Is For You
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death...
Read MoreHearing God’s Voice
Have you experienced any additional nudging from the Holy Spirit this week? Are you listening more closely throughout the day? I’d encourage you to write down the promptings you hear throughout the day, either taking note as you hear/obey them or reflecting at the end of the day. It will be a great visible reminder of how God is present with us as we journey through our week. On Sunday we talked about hearing God’s voice and discussed: a) Does God really speak to people; is it reasonable for me to expect God’s going to speak to me? b) How can we set ourselves up to be listening? c) If we do...
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