God-Focused Worship

The Cure For Designer Deity Syndrome

SYNOPSIS: We love a customized church experience. We expect worship services to be tailor-made just for us. We expect the praise, programs and preaching to satisfy our preferences. We want church designed to meet our needs, music tuned to our exact tastes, preachers crafted to our specifications, messages that mesmerize, and a made to order God—a “Burger King God” who says, “Have it your way”. That is what I would call “designer god syndrome.” Nothing can be further from the “spirit and truth” worshiper of John 4:24 that Jesus said God the Father is seeking. When it comes to God, and the way you worship him, why don’t you say to him, “Have it your way!” That is God-focused worship—which by definition, is the only way to worship.

Project 52—Memorize:
John 4:23-24

“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at the well of Sychar was suffering from what I call “designer deity syndrome”. This was a fairly common syndrome among worshipers not only in Jesus’ day, but it is in ours as well. It occurs when we attempt to come to God on our terms rather than his; when we make worship more about us, and what we like, than about God, and what he likes; when, in effect, we recreate God in our image rather than approaching him as beings created in his image.

That was the problem with the worship of the Samaritans. They had corrupted worship to fit their own needs to the point Jesus said, “You don’t even know what you’re worshipping.” (John 4:22) They had become Burger King worshipers. Do you remember the old Burger King advertisement? “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us. Have it your way.” That little jingle is fitting for what we modern day “Samaritans” are doing with our experience of worship.

We love a customized church experience. We expect worship services to be tailor-made just for us. We expect the praise, programs and preaching to satisfy our preferences. We want church designed to meet our needs, music tuned to our exact tastes, preachers crafted to our specifications, messages that mesmerize, and a made to order God—a “Burger King God” who says, “Have it your way”.

Some time ago, Los Angeles Magazine ran an article called “God For Sale”. The author said, “It is no surprise that when today’s affluent young professionals return to church they want to do it only on their own terms. But what is amazing is how far the churches are going to oblige them.” Newsweek Magazine added, “They’ve developed a pick and choose Christianity in which individuals take what they want and pass over what does not fit their spiritual goals…”

That is what I would call “designer god syndrome”.

Nothing can be further from the “spirit and truth” worshiper of John 4:24 that Jesus said God the Father is seeking. When it comes to God, and the way you worship him, why don’t you say to him, “Have it your way!” That is God-focused worship—which by definition, is the only way to worship.

If you will learn what it means to do that, you will drink water from an altogether different kind of well–-and as Jesus promised, you will never thirst again!

“Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped”  ~Jack Hayford

Reflect & Apply: If you have been guilty of engaging in “Designer Deity Worship”, perhaps this would be an appropriate prayer to offer right now:  “Father, free me from designer deity syndrome. Forgive me for making worship more about me than about what pleases you. Teach me to truly worship you in Spirit and in Truth.”

Get It Together

Oneness With Christ Demands Oneness With One Another

SYNOPSIS: If the spiritual unity that Paul calls for in Ephesians 4:2-3 is going to be a reality in your fellowship, then you must personally make it your job to live out the six virtues he says produce that unity: humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort and peace. You must live them out so compellingly and attractively that you become the primary source of a unity pandemic in your church. Now make no mistake: that won’t be easy. That’s why Paul said that you must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.”

Project 52—Memorize:
Ephesians 4:3

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

What is unity? I’m not so sure I know what it is, but I sure know when it ain’t!  Biblical unity is oneness of purpose.  It’s simply putting my own agenda—preferences, opinions, demands, expectations—on the back burner to allow God’s purpose for his family, the church, to be my first and consuming passion.

That doesn’t mean you and I won’t have different opinions, desires or preferred ways of doing things; it just means those differences are not going to become issues that divide and distract us.

Unity is not uniformity. In fact, in Ephesians 4:7-12 Paul talks about the variety of spiritual gifts given to us as individuals.  That means there is great variety and diversity in the body of Christ—by Divine design. But in the diversity of those gifts, as well as diversity of personalities and passions, God gave leadership gifts to certain people (Ephesians 4:11) to coach and coax that diversity into singleness of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Why?  So we can reach,

 “Complete unity…and the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

Now how do we get to that kind of unity?  In Ephesians 4:2-3 we are asked to cultivate six virtues:  Humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort and peace. 

If spiritual oneness is going to be a reality in your fellowship and mine, it will have to be a place where I make it my job descriptions to live out those six virtues so compellingly and attractively that I become the primary source of a unity pandemic.

Now make no mistake: That will not be easy.  That is why Paul said that we must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit…”  Unity doesn’t come easily.  The drift is always toward division—it is easy to float into that eddy. It takes effort and endurance to go against the current to stay in harmony with one another.

The word effort means to be diligent, to be zealous, to make haste to do something, in this case, being eager and fully dedicated to maintain the unity of the Spirit.  It refers to a holy zeal to guard our Christian unity.  Why do we need holy zeal?  Because Satan’s number one goal is to divide you and me. That’s why each of us needs to take the responsibility for the spiritual unity of our church.

Without these six virtues, it really does no good to talk about unity.  But, as we see in Ephesians 4:16, when these virtues of unity—humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort, and peace—are lived out in our fellowship, “The body will build itself up in love as each part does its work.

And other than the salvation of a lost soul, I would argue there is nothing more precious to God than seeing his family completely, indestructibly united in love.  That is why Jesus spent a goodly part of his last hours praying desperately for it (John 17:20-23).  He knew that without unity, we would fall apart.  But if we could get it together, Jesus knew that nothing could stop us.  Vance Havner once said,

“Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them get together they can stop traffic.”

If we get together in unity in our church, we’ll stop traffic in our community.  And that’s God’s desire for us.

Believers all belong to the same Lord, and are thus one with each other. Therefore anything that denies our oneness with each other denies our oneness with Him.”  ~John MacArthur

Reflect & Apply: What part is the Holy Spirit prompting you to take on in efforting unity in your fellowship?  Read and reflect on Romans 12:17-19, then go do what you must do!

Perfect Peace

Pursue the Prince of Peace

Synopsis: Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

Project 52—Memorize:
Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Perfect peace!  Is there really a way to cultivate that kind of peace?  Let me suggest 3 or 4 things.

First, you’ve got to recognize that God is the only source of true and lasting peace.  You and I cannot produce and sustain that kind of peace on our own.  It only comes from God…and from being in right standing with him.

Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as the God of peace.  Peace is what identifies and defines God, even though he is never isolated from conflict.  God is in the middle of a cosmic battle with Satan for control of the created order…and yet he is completely unruffled by it. God is peace! And the Apostle Paul gives us this wonderful promise in II Thessalonians 3:16:

“The Lord himself will give you peace always by all means.”

Peace originates in the character of God and comes from him. You can pursue peace apart from the work of the Holy Spirit until you are blue in the face. You can’t achieve it!  The only sustainable peace in life comes from the God of peace through the Prince of Peace, who will produce through the Holy Spirit the fruit of peace in your life.  So recognize the Source of true peace—God!

Second, don’t pursue peace; pursue the Source of peace. The peace of God will come as a natural result of the relationship we nurture with God. So our focus needs to be on the Source and not the by-product. Paul said in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus himself is our peace, who has broken down every wall of hostility.

Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully,

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

The word staid in the Hebrew meant to prop yourself up by or to put your full weight upon God for protection and security.  When you are leaning on God, you don’t have to stay awake at night worrying about tomorrow; you can literally say to God, “There’s no sense in both of us staying awake tonight…since you’re going to be up all night anyway running the universe, why don’t you handle this while I sleep.” Pursue peace and you’ll never attain it; pursue God and you’ll get peace!

Third, develop a world-view that is dominated by an eternal perspective.  In other words, discipline yourself to look at everything that has happened and everything you are facing through the lens of God’s sovereignty, power, love and his inexorable plan for the ages—which includes all the details of your life. God is control! Therefore, nothing can rob you of your peace.  Jesus said in John 14:27,  

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be trouble and do not be afraid.”

Living with heaven in view in your everyday life will create the necessary conditions needed for inner peace. It will force you to see everything from an eternal perspective. It will remind you that God is in control of everything and has a purpose in all things. It will allow you to see things that once destroyed peace as opportunities to trust that God’s plan is being worked out in your life. That is the best recipe for peace.

Finally, refuse to wrestle with the peace-destroying issues that are threatening to disrupt your world. Release them to God in gratitude-laced prayer. The best-known passage on this is Philippians 4:6-7—and it is perhaps the greatest peace-thereapy there is:

“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”  

When we practice that kind of praying, here is what we will get out of that deal: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

When things are causing turmoil in our lives, Paul says take them to God in prayer. But notice what kind of prayer: Prayer that is dominated by thanksgiving. Why is thanksgiving so important? It releases truth into your spirit: The truth that God is sovereign, that he is the source of provision and that he has a plan in the particular things we’re praying about. That is what thanksgiving does—that is why it produces peace. It reminds you that God is still running the universe—and he’s perfectly capable of taking care of you!

When you are in right relation with God, when you are fixing your thoughts on him and looking at all of life with heaven in view, when you are practicing gratitude, then you can live daily, hourly, minute-by-minute with this powerful and wonderful gift: The transcendent peace of God.

“Peace is the settled assurance that because of God’s care and God’s competence, this world is a perfectly safe place for me to be…although it doesn’t always look like it.”  ~Dallas Willard

Reflect & Apply: What are the things that are robbing you of peace today? The Apostle Peter encourages you to cast them upon God (I Peter 5:7).  How about practicing your casting today!

Act As If

Be Strong - Act Boldly!

SYNOPSIS: When the Bible commands you to be strong and courageous, what does that mean for your life today, practically speaking? Simply put, it means that you would just “act as if” God is in charge. Now that sounds great, but how do you bring that out of the vague clouds of theological agreement and into the real world of what is assigned to you today? Well, on this particular day, it will be fear, not problems, that will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of measurable progress! So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. Now with that in mind, what action steps do you need to take with God at your side to move from good intentions into ruthless obedience? Write out those steps … then boldly take them!

Project 52—Memorize:
Joshua 1:9

“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.”

As you read Joshua 1:1-9—the setting for this verse—you can’t help but notice the repetition of the phrase, “Be bold and courageous.”  My guess is that Joshua has a bit of a fear problem going on as a result of the overwhelming leadership challenge that had been thrust upon him.  That’s why four times God reminded him to just “act as if God were with him”—which he was, of course.

Isn’t that really what being bold and courageous is? To just “act as if” God is in charge.

Like Joshua, you may have a pretty big task in front of you, and what typically happens in those cases is that you begin to doubt. You begin to question: “Is it really God’s will that I do this? Will he be with me? What if I fail?” Doubt sets in. And when doubt sets in, fear is not far behind. And when doubt and fear team up, you’ve got a recipe for spiritual paralysis.

That’s like the Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown was standing there waiting to catch a baseball, and he says, “A pop fly!  I’ve got it!  It’s all mine.”  Then he says, “If I catch this ball, we’ll win our first game of the season.”  Then he starts praying, “Please! Please let me catch it. Please let me be the hero.  Please let me catch it. Please!” 

In the next frame, Charlie says, “On the other hand, do I think I deserve to be the hero? The kid who hit it doesn’t want to be the goat. Is baseball, a game, really that important? Lots of kids all over the world have never even heard of baseball. Lots of kids don’t even get a place to play at all or have a place to sleep or…”

And just about that time the ball drops right in front of him—bonk! Linus comes out and says, “Charlie Brown! How could you miss such an easy pop fly?”

Charlie says, “I prayed myself out of it.”

We do that sometimes, too. We start doubting the opportunities that God places before us, and pretty soon we talk—or pray—ourselves out of them. But like Joshua, God says to us, “Have confidence in the fact that I want to bless your life and give you success.” 

A. B. Simpson once said, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small; our expectations too limited.” Four times God said to Joshua, “Don’t you get it? You can do it! Go for it! I’ve got you covered.”  In other words, “Be determined and confident. Act as if I will be with you and help you out—because I will!”

God said that to Joshua, and made sure that it was included in his Holy Book, because he foresaw that today, fear, not problems, will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of victory!

So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. He promises!

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect & Apply: What is the task that is before you today? Take a moment to envision tackling it as if God were right in front of you. Then, act as if!

Humility

Forget About Yourself

SYNOPSIS: Forget about yourself! Try it. Practice being absent minded when it comes to you. Get you out of your thoughts, and replace them with prayers of blessings and plans for serving other people in your life. As Jesus did, give yourself away with absolutely no thought of getting anything in return. Surprise someone with compassion. Heap some unexpected and undeserved kindness on another.  Find the most unlikely object of God’s love, and love them like God would. Try it, and you’ll experience a little bit of heaven on earth.

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Proverbs 22:4

Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.

Humility!  It is one of the preeminent qualities of Jesus’ character (Philippians 2:1-11) and one of the highest duties of the authentic Christ-follower (Colossians 3:12-14).  Yet while humility is a virtue we all laud, and hope to possess, we need to remember that in the days of the Biblical writers, the pagan world scoffed at the idea of humility. To them, pride and dominance were highly regarded, while meekness of character was to be avoided at all cost.  So a Biblical writer promoting personal humility was a radical concept in the ancient world.

But those Biblical writers redefined humility in a more noble light; they saw it as simply having a right estimation of oneself rather than what the world saw as a weakness and a character flaw. Having a proper estimation of oneself—that’s really what humility is.  I think biblical humility was defined quite nicely by the kids who built a clubhouse and then posted these rules on the door:  Nobody act too big, nobody act too small, everybody just act medium. 

That’s good:  Not too big, not too small…just see yourself as God sees you.  That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he taught about humility in Romans 12:3,

“Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought to, but think soberly, according to the faith God has given you.”

It is this proper estimation of yourself that sets something quite powerful loose in your world and produces the kind of “riches and honor” that Solomon talked about.  You see, on the one hand, humility frees you from self-centeredness and arrogance, while on the other, it releases you from the vicious trap of low self-esteem. And in the process, true humility enables you to enter into a powerful lifestyle of ministering to the needs of others.  That’s what humility does—and there are not too many forces in this world that are as powerful as that.

So how can you cultivate this kind of humility?  There are many ways, but here is one:  Start thinking more of others and less of yourself.  Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

I came across a parable about man who was talking with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I’d like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”  The Lord led him to two doors.  He opened one of the doors and the man looked in.  In the middle of the room was a large round table.  In the middle of the table was a large pot of mouthwatering stew, but the people sitting at the table were thin and sickly; they appeared famished.  They were holding spoons with very long handles, and each found it possible to reach into the pot and take a spoonful…but impossible to get the spoons back to their mouths. The handle was longer than their arms.  As the man shuddered at the sight of their misery, the Lord said,  “You have just seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and found the same large round table with a large pot of mouthwatering stew in the middle.  These people had the same long-handled spoons, but unlike the first room, these were well-nourished and joyful people.  The man said, “Lord, I don’t understand.” The Lord replied, “It is simple—it takes one skill:  They’ve learned to feed each other, while the miserable think only of themselves. You have just seen heaven.”

Let me give you a challenge for this week: Forget about yourself! Try it. Practice being absent minded when it comes to you. Get you out of your thoughts, and replace them with prayers of blessings and plans for serving other people in your life. As Jesus did, give yourself away with absolutely no thought of getting anything in return.  Surprise someone with compassion. Heap some unexpected and undeserved kindness on another.  Find the most unlikely object of God’s love, and love them like God would.

Try it, and you’ll experience a little bit of heaven on earth.

“He rides pleasantly enough whom the grace of God carries.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Reflect & Apply: Identify one person whom you can serve this week—and do it without being noticed!

Soul Music

Forget Not His Benefits

SYNOPSIS: Praise the Lord, O My soul, and forgot not his benefits. Forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, compassion … just to name a few. Now what soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life sustaining blessings that God graciously gives! So what don’t you offer up some unfettered praise today!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Psalm 103:11-12

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.

I love this psalm—it’s my favorite. It is probably right up there with the Twenty-Third Psalm for most people, and I suspect it has made your Top Ten, too!

David is on his game in this psalm; he’s in the sweet-spot of Divine favor, the blessing zone, if you will, as he calls up from his memory banks his Top Ten list of why it is so good to belong to God:

  1. Forgiveness—Psalm 103:3
  2. Healing—Psalm 103:3
  3. Redemption—Psalm 103:4
  4. Compassion—Psalm 103:4
  5. Satisfaction—Psalm 103:5
  6. Justice—Psalm 103:6
  7. Revelation—Psalm 103:7
  8. Patience—Psalm 103:8
  9. Mercy—Psalm 103:9-14
  10. Love—Psalm 103:17

No wonder David “bookends” this psalm with “praise the Lord, O my soul.” (Psalm 103:1, 22) What soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life sustaining blessings that God graciously gives!

Of course, these benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18:

To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant keeping.

God keeps his covenantal promises to bless only those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

All I can say to that is “praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!” (Psalm 103:2)

So take some time to remember the benefits of belonging to God. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

“He rides pleasantly enough whom the grace of God carries.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Reflect & Apply: One of the greatest benefits of belonging to God is the removal of our sins when we confess them and repent of our sinful ways.  Psalm 103:11-12 says God pardons our sins and removes them as far as the east is from the west.  Last time I looked, that was a long way.  How great is the love of a God who would do that.  How about taking some time to express your thanks to God that he is in the sin removal business.

 

 

 

 

The Victory Parade

Christ Is Leading Us In Triumphal Procession

SYNOPSIS: Do you feel bogged down in life’s journey? You are not! In reality, you are in marching in Christ’s victory parade. So don’t allow your faith to rise and fall on the empirical evidence of right now. Patiently trust on those days when you are slogging through life, because soon enough, the procession will take you by the final grandstand. Others have already finished the parade, they’ve stood in the winner’s circle, they’ve received the victor’s crown. Now they are waiting for you in the cheering section at the finish, urging you on to victory. So is the Victor!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // 2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

What a great promise: God always leads us in triumphal procession! In other words, we are marching in Christ’s victory parade. He has taken us captive and we are happily his trophies of grace in the Victor’s procession. Wherever the parade leads, we are giving off the smell of victory!

That sounds a bit ethereal, but in reality, what that means for you is that in every turn of the path, good or bad, smooth cruising or rough road, not only have you already won, even better, your winning is a witness to the triumph of Jesus Christ. Whatever comes your way—it doesn’t matter—in the end, you win. Since you are in Christ’s victory parade, you are a victor!

Now in reality, the road you are on may seem like anything but a parade. But if what the Apostle Paul wrote is true—which we confidently accept by faith—then in a practical sense, we never need to be discouraged in this journey by unknown outcomes. Perhaps you can’t see the twists and turns in the road ahead, but God knows them, and that’s all that matters. He is steering you to the finish. So travel with confidence! It is really a victory parade you are in, and Christ is leading it.

Moreover, don’t be intimidated by the either the impossibility or the length of the journey. It could be the road you are traveling is difficult, even treacherous, and with no end in sight. In truth, the path to victory always is, so get used it. You are only walking where the greats have trod! And since the path is really the parade route, take courage, Christ is leading you to victory.

Finally, don’t get disturbed by delays. Perhaps you feel like you have bogged down in the journey, but remember, you are in a victory parade. Don’t allow your faith to rise and fall on the empirical evidence of right now. Patiently trust in spite of delays, because soon enough, the procession will take you by the final grandstand. Others have already finished the parade, they’ve stood in the winner’s circle, they’ve received the victor’s crown. Now they are waiting for you in the cheering section at the finish, urging you on to victory.

And best of all, so is the One who has led you in this triumphal procession all this way. Once you see him, what seems like a difficult journey now will appear in reality then as nothing more than a victory parade.

So let me say it again: this journey you are on is really a victory procession, and Christ is leading you in triumph.  So act like it is a victory lap—soon enough it will be!

“To choose what is difficult all one’s days, as if it were easy, that is faith.” ~W. H. Auden

Reflect & Apply: Is there a fear or discouragement impeding your faith journey at the moment? Rethink it—Christ has already won your victory and is leading you in triumphal procession. Allow that truth to make a difference in how you walk.