Try Singing On Your Way to Church

Why? When God’s People Gather, God’s Presence Is There

PREVIEW: The New Testament teaches us that we no longer need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship—a good thing, since it no longer exists. Under the new covenant, God, himself, continually dwells in you, personally—you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet while God dwells in you individually, your salvation is not to be divorced from God’s people collectively—the church. You and I, together, make up the new covenant temple of God. As we come together corporately, the very place where we gather—church building, school auditorium, family room, under a tree—along with those who gather, are the temple of God, his holy dwelling place on earth. Something powerful happens when we, the body of Christ, come together to exalt the head of the body, Jesus Christ. As Christ is worshiped, God’s presence fills the temple. And that is something to sing about!

Try Singing On Your Way to Church - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 84:10

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked..

Do you sing on your way to church? The Israelites did. There was a whole series of songs written just for people on their way to the Tabernacle and, later, the temple in Jerusalem. While this is not officially one of them, they were called psalms of assent. These songs usually extolled the blessings of belonging to God and the anticipation of coming to the earthy dwelling that housed God’s uncontainable presence.

Perhaps we ought to revive that tradition. I’m sure it would heighten our anticipation of entering the Lord’s presence with the community of believers and deepen our experience of his mighty presence in the house of worship.

Of course, the New Testament teaches us that we no longer need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship—a good thing since it no longer exists. Under the new covenant, God, himself, continually dwells in you, personally—you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) Yet while God dwells in you individually, your salvation is not to be divorced from God’s people collectively—the church. You and I, together, make up the new covenant temple of God. (1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:15-17; Eph 2:20-22)

As we come together corporately, the very place where we gather—church building, school auditorium, family room, under a tree—along with those who gather, is the temple of God, his holy dwelling place on earth. Something powerful happens when we, the body of Christ, come together to exalt the head of the body, Jesus Christ. As Christ is worshiped, God’s presence fills the temple.

Now, that is something to sing about!

If you have lost the kind of anticipation for going to church that makes you sing, I would suggest you have misplaced your understanding of what the community of believers is all about. I would challenge you to go back and find it—it is crucial to your spiritual health. When you come to church, you are coming into the very place and to the very people who are now the dwelling place of God! And where God dwells, there is both earthly joy and eternal pleasure. (Psalm 16:11)

One day of the kind of earthly joy and eternal pleasure we experience as God dwells among his people is better than a thousand days on the best beaches of Maui or on the rides at Disneyland or on the greens at Pebble Beach or in between the sheets of your bed. If you don’t get that, your vision is clouded.

So start singing about it on the way to church, and pretty soon, it will get into your spirit and you will begin to see what the psalmist saw—and then you can write your own psalm of assent.

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Do you sing on the way to church—whether you are alone or with your family? Start this weekend, and over time and with consistent singing, you will experience a renewed sense of excitement over going to the house of your God.

Naming Names

There is a Time to Get Good and Angry

PREVIEW: There is a time when it is appropriate for you to get good and angry—not just good, and not just angry, but good and angry! Now the question is, when is that appropriate time? I don’t think I can give you a sure-fire answer for every situation, but there is a clue here within this psalm that seems to echo other times in Scripture where good anger was called for. It is when the people who are upsetting you are upsetting you because they are hindering, hurting, or plotting the destruction of God’s people and God’s plan. It’s not when someone cut you off in traffic, or took your seat in church, or pulled out fifteen coupons in the “15 Items or Less” check-out line when you were in a hurry. It’s when their motive, known or unknown to them, is to destroy the work of God. That’s when it is appropriate to pray like the psalmist: God, make them pay.

Naming Names - Ray Noah

MY JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 83:1-5,16

O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.” With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you. …Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

“May my enemies know the fiery terror (Psalm 83:14) of your judgment; make them to know the tempest of your storm (Psalm 83:15). Make Edom, the Ishmaelites, the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, Tyre and Assyria (Psalm 83:6-8) like refuse on the ground (Psalm 83:10), nothing more than a tumbleweed tumbling along (Psalm 83:13). Make them pay, Lord!”

Have you ever prayed like that? Have you ever gone before the Lord and named names, calling down the fire and the fury of heaven upon the heads of your enemies? Have you ever been brutally honest with God?

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless it’s called for. If you are doing that a lot, it may reveal more about the condition of your heart than the people with whom you are upset. Perhaps you need to do a little soul work, asking God to do a deep work of healing in your heart, teaching you how to truly forgive your enemies, and learning how to patiently put judgment in his just hand.

Yet there is a time when it is appropriate for you to get good and angry—not just good, and not just angry, but good and angry! Now the question is, when is that appropriate time? I don’t think I can give you the definitive answer for every situation, but there is a clue here within this psalm that seems to echo other times in Scripture where good anger was called for. It is when the people who are upsetting you are upsetting you because they are hindering, hurting, or plotting the destruction of God’s people and God’s plan. Psalm 83:3 says,

With cunning, they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

So that’s it—that is how you get good and angry. It’s not that someone cut you off in traffic, or took your seat in church, or pulled out fifteen coupons in the “15 Items or Less” check-out line when you were in a hurry. It’s when their motive, known or unknown to them, is to destroy the work of God. That’s when it is appropriate to pray like the psalmist.

But here’s another clue that will keep you good when you are angry: Don’t just pray for their ruination; pray for their redemption. At the very least, pray that the Divine punishment brought down upon their heads will serve as a witness to others of the glory of God’s great name (Psalm 83:16).

So, if you can manage to include those two aspects authentically in your prayers, go ahead, name names!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: When was the last time you came to God in prayer and poured out your heart in an unfiltered way? If it has been a while, maybe it is time. And don’t worry: God is big enough to handle your unvarnished upset.

Hassled By “The Man”

There Will Be Liberty and Justice for All

PREVIEW: Human longing for God’s justice has been a common theme in every age—including ours. Too often, the powerless have been hassled by “the man,” with impunity. Throughout history, the rich have built their wealth on the backs of the poor, men have treated women as chattel, adults have neglected children, ruling parties have disenfranchised minorities, captains of industry have enslaved “lesser” human beings, and those who have the means to prevent and eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease have stood by while the lives of untold millions have been needlessly imprisoned in misery and whose lives have been ruined. Perhaps at some level, even you have felt hassled by “the man.” There is something in us cries out for God to intervene, isn’t there? And sometimes, we feel as though the God of justice who rules from heaven above has turned a blind eye to the plight of the unfortunate. But there is a day coming when God will rise to bring both the living and the dead to full account. And on that day, justice and fairness will finally and fully reign throughout all of creation. It may not seem like it today, but that day is coming.

Hassled By “The Man” - Ray Noah

A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 82:1-4,8

God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”: How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.

The opening line is a little confusing. Who are the “gods” that Almighty God is addressing? According to the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, God is speaking to one of three possible audiences: (1) human judges who are condemned by the Great Judge for being unjust; (2) the principalities and the powers of other nations that oppress Israel; (3) pagan deities judged by God, who rule the darkness of the world.

Whatever the case may be, his entire psalm is a plea for God to rise up against the powerful who use their positions of power—either through aggression or neglect—to harass and abuse the powerless: the poor, the orphan, the destitute, the oppressed. In fact, this psalm is more than a plea; it’s a challenge, really, to the Almighty to do what a righteous God ought to do: Ensure liberty and justice for one and all.

That has been a common theme in every age—including ours. Too often, the powerless have been hassled by “the man” with impunity. Throughout history, the rich have built their wealth on the backs of the poor, men have treated women as chattel, adults have neglected children, ruling parties have disenfranchised minorities, captains of industry have enslaved “lesser” human beings, and those who have the means to prevent and eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease have stood by while the lives of untold millions have been needlessly imprisoned in misery and whose lives have been ruined. Perhaps at some level, even you have felt hassled by “the man.”

There is something in us that cries out for God to intervene, isn’t there? And sometimes, we feel as though the God of justice who rules from heaven above has turned a blind eye to the plight of the unfortunate. But there is a day coming when God will rise to bring both the living and the dead to full account. And on that day, justice and fairness will finally and fully reign throughout all of creation. It may not seem like it today, but that day is coming.

The Christian must never forget that we are people of the resurrection. What does that mean in this context? Simply this: We follow a Risen Savior who rose from the tomb victorious over death, hell, and the grave. And that is a permanent reminded that Jesus broke the chains of sin, sickness, and suffering on the days he rose from the tomb, and in so doing, sent notice throughout time and eternity that he will not rest until the rulers and principalities and world systems and spiritual dominions that have caused the ruination of God’s plan for the human race are brought under his fair and just dominion.

It may not seem like it today, but the empty tomb and the Risen Savior we celebrate are to remind us, not just on Easter Sunday, but every day, that God has not turned a blind eye to this planet, nor to you. So, on this day, be reminded that “the man’s” days are numbered.

And when “the man’s” number is up, then the innumerable and unending days of the rule and reign of the Son of Man will begin—and then there will truly be liberty and justice for all!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: As an act of faith, offer up praise to Almighty God for his just and true judgments, and give him thanks that you will live forever in Eden restored.

The Big “If”

Unconditional … with Conditions

PREVIEW: God’s unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy—for which we are all unspeakably grateful—come with some conditions for us. There is a sense in which his unlimited grace is limited, his unlimited love is limited, his unlimited mercy is limited, and we must do some things to unlock the door for them to operate in our lives in a transformational way. There are some big “ifs” to this relationship we enjoy with God. But “if” you are fulfilling the big “ifs” in your relationship with God, then you can expect an unimaginable supply of unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy.

The Big “If” - Ray Noah

A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 81:8,13-14

Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel! …If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

We often speak of God’s unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy—for which we are all unspeakably grateful. But let’s not forget that God does have some conditions for us; there is a sense in which his unlimited love is limited; there are some things we must do to deserve his mercy. There are steps we must take to access the blessings of his grace fully. There are some big “ifs” to this relationship we enjoy with God.

God is a conditional God. Did you notice how the psalmist put it? “If” God’s people listen to him, “if” God’s people obey him, then, and only then, will he fight on their behalf and give them victory. The psalmist is only echoing what is taught in a hundred other places throughout Scripture: The blessings of the covenant that God has made with us are conditional—God’s unconditional, unlimited, and undeserved favor flows to us only as we walk in loving surrender to his rulership over our lives. God has covenanted to bless us as we covenant to obey him.

In our Christian culture, there has been a tendency to emphasize grace in a way that is not balanced by truth, love that is not balanced by obedience, and mercy that is not balanced by authentic repentance. That has led to what has been called “easy believism”—an unhealthy and risky view of salvation. It is time for us to reexamine what Scripture tells us rather than mindlessly allow current preaching trends to adjust what the Bible teaches to what our culture finds acceptable. We must adjust our beliefs and behaviors, as painful and costly as that might be, to what God’s Word says, not vice versa.

So, on this particular day, as you examine your heart, honestly and openly ask yourself if you are living up to your end of the bargain. Check to see if you are meeting the conditions of the covenant. The painful part of doing that may be that you are required to do some costly realigning of your life.

The upside is that if you are fulfilling the big “ifs” in your relationship with God, then you can expect an unimaginable supply of unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy.

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Are you expecting God’s unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy today? Then, ask yourself if you are living up to your end of the covenant. If you are carefully listening to his instruction and lovingly obeying his voice, then you have nothing to fear. If you are not, then offer up a sincere prayer of repentance.

Prayer For a Once Mighty Nation

Mercy is God’s Specialty

PREVIEW: How do you pray for a once-godly nation—Israel in ancient times, America in the current hour—that is now suffering the just punishment for rebellion? You do what the psalmist did: Boldly, persistently, and unashamedly pray for restoration! God has been very clear that consequences will follow sin; the law of sowing and reaping is unmistakably clear in Scripture. Yet the psalmist, along with other Biblical writers, often placed their hope in the mercy of God—and prayed like crazy for a crop failure. I think it’s okay to pray for a crop failure. In fact, I would even say it’s wise to pray that way. Why? God may just substitute his mercy for discipline. The Message translation says of God in Micah 7:18, “Mercy is your specialty.”

Prayer For a Once Mighty Nation - Ray Noah

A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 80:1-3

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

How do you pray for a once-godly nation that is now suffering the just punishment for rebellion? You do what the psalmist did: Boldly, persistently, and unashamedly pray for restoration!

Three times, the psalmist made the exact same appeal for the restoration of Israel—Psalm 80:3,7,19.

Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Each appeal is more intense than the previous, building to this crescendo of importunity in the final verse. He even sneaks in another plea for revival in the chapter’s penultimate verse—Psalm 80:18,

Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.

This guy is bent on spiritual awakening and national renewal in Israel!

What is interesting about Psalm 80—which you would agree is especially applicable for America for right now—is that this desperate cry for restoration came during a time when the Almighty had removed his blessing because of the nation’s persistent rebellion. It was most likely written at the tail end of the Northern Kingdom’s rebellious run as a nation, and they were suffering the harsh reality of life without the protective hand of God—deservedly so!

How like America! We, too, have strayed from our once-declared dependence upon the Almighty’s protective hand. We have abandoned the collective sense of our national raison d’être: To serve God’s purposes in the earth. Our belief that American greatness results only from Divine Sovereignty has been severely damaged, perhaps without remedy. Some have said that we have traveled so far down the road of spiritual rebellion that God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah if he withholds punishment on this nation much longer. That is really what we deserve.

But in truth, isn’t what was true of Israel, and what is true of America, true of you and me, too? At the end of the day, aren’t we all undeserving of anything but God’s judgment? Yet what is even more interesting about Psalm 80 is that the appeal for restoration is not based on the worthiness of Israel, it is rather rooted in the immutable character of God—who is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love and delights to show mercy rather than send calamity!

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
(Psalm 103:8-14)

Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:13)

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
(Micah 7:18)

God has been very clear that consequences will follow sin; the law of sowing and reaping is unmistakably clear in Scripture. Yet the psalmist, along with other Biblical writers, often placed their hope in the mercy of God—and prayed like crazy for a crop failure.

I think it’s okay to pray for a crop failure. In fact, I would even say it’s wise to pray that way. Why? God may just substitute his mercy for discipline. The Message translation says of God in Micah 7:18,

Mercy is your specialty.

Since mercy and grace are what makes God, God, why not tap into them and pray for the restoration of a once mighty nation—and perhaps, a once blessed life!
=

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Today, join me in praying for the restoration of a once mighty nation. And if you need to, for a once blessed life!

No Longer A Christian Nation?

It’s Time to Take a Look in the Mirror

PREVIEW: For the president, the leader of the free world and our national spokesman, to proclaim that America is not a Christian nation should ignite a holy conflagration among Christians. But not, perhaps, in the way you think. The fires of revival will never burn again in America because of political or social activism. Don’t forget that! That is not to say you should disengage as a political or social activist. By all means, if that’s your deal, go for it! What America needs most is another great awakening! And that will only happen as believers act like believers and churches act like churches are supposed to act. That will only happen as we, both individually and corporately, humble ourselves in repentance and prayer. As the great revivalist Charles Finney said, “There can be no revival when Mr. Amen and Mr. Wet-Eyes are not found in the audience.”

No Longer A Christian Nation? - Ray Noah

A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 79:6

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.

A decade or so ago, Newsweek magazine headlined “The End of Christian America” while President Obama explained to the Turkish people that America is not a Christian nation.

Technically, you could make that argument. For sure, there are a lot of Christians and churches in America—which I believe to be the catalyst for America’s unprecedented greatness. Yet when you look at America culturally, politically, internationally, morally, judicially, and spiritually, does the evidence tell you that, indeed, we are a Christian nation?

Biblically, you can see the danger of mistaking our national politics for the true faith. Just because we hang the Ten Commandments in a courtroom, or insist that school kids “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” or have “In God We Trust” on our coins, or claim the deep spiritual roots of our forebears does not guarantee the “Christian-ness” of America. Just go back to any number of places in the Old Testament and see how that mindset worked out for Israel.

But while it might be technically and biblically true that we’re not a Christian nation, to do so with the sense of pride that seems to be behind these current-day pronouncements should cause us, one and all, a great deal of concern. You see, spiritually, any nation, including the great nation of America, that does not acknowledge God or call upon his name, or root their national values in the unchanging moral laws that he has made known is a candidate for Divine wrath, according to not only this particular psalm, but a whole host of other Biblical teaching as well. Pride in our spiritual diversity now will one day cause our corporate knees to turn to putty as we stand before the judgment of Almighty God. Those who are so bold today will not be on that day!

For the president, the leader of the free world and our national spokesman, to proclaim that America is not a Christian nation should ignite a holy conflagration among Christians. But not, perhaps, in the way you think. The fires of revival will never burn again in America because of political or social activism. Don’t forget that! That is not to say you should disengage as a political or social activist. By all means, if that’s your deal, go for it!

What America needs most is another great awakening!

And that will only happen as believers act like believers and churches act like churches are supposed to act. That will only happen as we, both individually and corporately, humble ourselves in repentance and prayer:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).

As the great revivalist Charles Finney said, “There can be no revival when Mr. Amen and Mr. Wet-Eyes are not found in the audience.” Renewal will only happen as we truly live out our faith in deed, not just in word. Renewal will only happen as believers begin to clean up their act. The next great spiritual awakening in America will only happen when Christians get serious about penetrating this society as salt and light exemplifying the real Jesus and the real kingdom, living proof of a loving God to a lost world.

So let me ask you this: If you were the only Christian left in America, and the spiritual renewal of America depended on your witness, what hope would there be for America?

Sounds like you need to get with it! Me, too!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: Take some time to reflect on the statement: If you were the only Christian left in America, and the spiritual renewal of America depended on your witness, what hope would there be for America? Then, do something about it.

Parental Neglect

It is Easier to Build a Child Than to Mend a Broken Adult

PREVIEW: I have a deep concern that we have been in a fifty-year or so cycle of parental neglect. I’m not just talking about our culture; I’m speaking of the church. Christian parents have been neglecting one of the most basic and important roles that God calls a father and mother to play in the lives of their children: Teacher. You see, the better we become at doing church, the more parents have abdicated their duty to teach their own children the sacred things of God. We have outsourced that to the children’s pastor, or the youth leader, or the small group mentor. Not that I have anything against those people—those are roles God calls people to serve within his family—but frankly, pastors and mentors have not been called to the primary role of instructor in your child’s life—you have! They are only there to assist you and complement the spiritual foundation you are laying down.

Parental Neglect - Ray Noah

A JOURNEY OF WORSHIP // Psalm 78:4,6-7

We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation, the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then, they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

I realize my title is a bit negative, but I have a deep concern that we have been in a fifty-year or so cycle of parental neglect. I am not just talking about our culture; I am speaking of the church. Christian parents have been neglecting one of the most basic and important roles that God calls a father and mother to play in the lives of their children: Teacher.

You see, the better we become at doing church, the more parents have abdicated their duty to teach their own children the sacred things of God. We have outsourced that to the children’s pastor, or the youth leader, or the small group mentor. Not that I have anything against those people—those are roles God calls people to serve within his family—but frankly, pastors and mentors have not been called to the primary role of instructor in your child’s life—you have! They are only there to assist you and complement the spiritual foundation you are laying down.

The psalmist calls us to pick up the mantle and begin to teach our children well. The parent’s job is to teach, train, and equip so well that when the child comes of age, they will not refer to “the God of my father,” but will exclaim, “my Lord and my God.” You see, God doesn’t want to be your child’s grandfather, he wants to be their Heavenly Father. That is less likely to happen if you surrender your teaching role to another.

Likewise, you are called to teach them the things of God so well that they not only will continually remember the mighty acts of God, but they will know in no uncertain terms that it is now their role to pass the sacred things of God on to their children, who will, in turn, pass it on to their children, and thus, a perpetual cycle is established where “the next generation would know.”

This is a lengthy psalm, but I would suggest it provides the core curriculum that must be mastered in every godly household if the Christian community is going multiply a godly heritage throughout Planet Earth. Within it you will find:

  • History 101—the mighty acts of God among his people. (Psalm 78: 12-16)
  • The Law of Cause and Effect 201—what happens when God’s people rebel. (Psalm 78:18-21)
  • Ownership 301—God’s sovereign choice gives him the right to place demands upon our lives. (Psalm 78: 68)
  • Living On Purpose 401—honoring God by living a life of integrity and skill (Psalm 78:70-72).

All your child needs to know can be learned in Psalm 78. Recess is over—time to get to class!

MY OFFERING OF WORSHIP: If you are a parent, ask the Lord to show you how you can reclaim the role of primary teacher in your child’s life.