The perfect church service (Part 2)

Create an environment where focus is possible.

Leo Balbauta

 

I entered the church building.  There was a pleasant silence, though no one directed this.  True, there was a sign on an overhead that read something like this,

 

“Honor the presence of God.” 

 

And those present did just that.  Though the church was large, somehow, all agreed to focus on God.  I was aware of no distractions.  No one coached me to praise God or worship Him.  All around me seemed to do so of their own free will.

 

Then it happened.

 

For seemingly no reason, I felt overwhelmed.  I began to cry and worship God.  His presence filled me and the large auditorium.  Some cried with me.  Some sang.  Some prayed.  I only noticed because I felt a connection with everyone in the room, though we didn’t speak to or for each other.

 

I contrast this experience with a time in which I tried to focus on God and a woman next to me said,

 

“You don’t look like you’re praising God!” 

 

I didn’t know (or care) how someone was supposed to look whilst praising God. I was more curious as to how and why she noticed me, when she should have been noticing God!

 

She distracted me that day. 

 

But on the day of silence, where God was honored, though many praised in variety, none distracted me.

 

The leaders created an environment where focus on God’s presence was possible.

 

The perfect church service

The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.  C.S. Lewis

 

6 gather. 3 men.  3 women.  All God’s children. In his name. Under his authority. For his glory.

One mind.  One will.  One purpose.  One focus.

Silent.  Sitting.  Praying.  Seeking.

 

The home owner speaks.  “The Spirit led me to sing this song.”

The others heard the same, or felt peace, knowing the Spirit gave them nothing…yet.

 

He sings.

 

They feel God in the room.  They bow and worship.  Some cry.  Some clap.  Some praise.  Some remain silent.  Some stand. Some lie face down.  All focus on one purpose:  God’s presence.  Felt.  After the moment of praise, silence descends again.

 

They pray.  They seek.  She speaks. “The Lord Jesus is leading me to share what I learned yesterday.”

 

All agree.  She shares. A man receives exactly what he needed to hear to make the move of his life.  A woman receives exactly what she needed to converse with her mother.

 

“I feel led to speak as the Spirit leads me.”  All agree.  He speaks a spiritual language.

“I feel led to interpret this language.”  The speaker of the unknown language agrees.  The other four agree.  The interpreter speaks.  The Presence is felt.  All receive wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, individually and collectively.  They praise The Presence.  He responds in them and with them.

 

They sing, pray, dance, stand still.  Each acts freely.  None contradict the Presence or each other’s presence. 

 

The time ends. 

They talk freely. 

 

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

 

 

 

 

God's First Question (Part 2)

Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.  John 8:14

And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 
Matthew 3:17

“I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Eric Liddell

Jesus knew His origin and destination, the answers to God's ultimate questions: 

"Where have you come from and where are you going?"

In knowing these, He felt God's pleasure, the smile of God from the heart of God.

When you fulfill your purpose, when you live according to your origin and destination, you will touch the heart of God and feel God's pleasure in you!

Imagine that!

Imagine being a singer.
Imagine singing your heart out, pouring out your life in your heart song.
Now imagine touching God.  Imagine tears filling the eyes of Jesus.  Imagine overwhelming the Spirit with deep emotion.

This is what it's like when you know and live according your origin and destination.

Imagine being an artist who paints a tree with the moon in the background.
Imagine the sense of fulfillment you have when what you felt when you saw this mysterious scene is perfectly captured in the portrait.
Now imagine God whispering to you, "Finally, someone understands me.  Finally someone sees what I see."

I believe this is what it meant for David to be a "man after God's own heart." 
I believe God finally found someone in Israel who really understood Him, that David alone understood how God felt.

As it is written by the Prophet Jeremiah,

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

 

You are made in the image of God in such a way that you understand and know Him like no other creature. 

 

In this you will feel Gods pleasure. 

This is your origin and destination. 

This is where you come from. 

This is where you are going.

The Power of The Peacemakers: The Children of God

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

The Lord Jesus Christ, Prince Of Peace

I believe emotions are infections, received and given.  God's children infect the world with peace, or so they should.  They do this in two ways:  positively and negatively.

Positively, the children of God may establish or maintain peace.  Hear the words of the Lord Jesus that illustrate this:

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Luke 10:5-6

According to Jesus, his followers had the power of peace, the power to impart peace to those willing to receive it.  The assumption of the Lord is that this peace came from within his followers.  He said "your peace" will rest on "a man of peace" or "it will return to you."  So the peace within the followers of Christ will rest upon those who are receptive.  Therefore, if you are a follower of Christ, the peace of the Lord is in you, as it is written, 

 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."  John 14:27

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:19-21

This is the power of the peace maker, the power of the child of God!  This is the powerful positive infection of God's peace.

Now for the "negative."

In the words of St. Augustine, "Peace is the tranquility of order."

In other words, the child of God not only establishes and maintains the peace of God by the Spirit of Peace, but he or she may be called to restore order, to expose and eradicate disorder or chaos, as it is written,

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."  

Ephesians 5:11

Presently, I am a "peace officer," according to scripture, "Gods avenger"--

  

"Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer."  Romans 13:3b-4

As an officer, I have found that I love peace and order, and I hate conflict and disorder.  My goal is not the use of force, but the beauty of peace, the very peace of God, a glimpse of heaven. 

All of God's children can give this glimpse. I believe they may do so by their very presence, and especially by the power of peace imparting words.  The children of God may establish and maintain peace by simply being present, and especially by their peace imparting words.  They may also restore peace by exposing and eradicating the darkness of disorder.  

May all who possess the peace of Christ be peace makers, and thus be rightly called the children of God!

 

Was Jesus ever OBNOXIOUS?

The answer should be obvious to us.

But it isn't.

The word "Christian" means "Christ like."

If Christians are obnoxious, then they communicate to those who don't believe in Christ that they are being like Him; and that He is, indeed, obnoxious.

I was once accused of this, which means at that moment, I was not being like Christ.

According to dictionary.com, the word "obnoxious" means:
  
Annoying or objectionable due to being a showoff or attracting undue attention to oneself.

Let's focus on the word "annoying," which means:

To disturb or bother (a person) in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates.

Jesus was NEVER described as annoying or irritating.  Yes, some hated him to the point of killing Him, but not because He was annoying or irritating to listen to or be around.  Quite the opposite.  Notice these descriptions of Jesus from scripture:

People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Mark 7:37 NIV

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. (That He was possibly the Messiah) Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” John 7:32,45-49 Parenthetical note mine.

Notice, they didn't say that Christ did SOME things or MOST things well...except that sometimes His voice is irritating...AND OBNOXIOUS!  The guards, sent to arrest Him, couldn't stop listening to Him.

Now what makes me write these words are two experiences I've had recently where I've experienced obnoxiousness among my brothers and sisters in the Lord, the obnoxiousness of which I myself was accused one time in the past.

One is a musician...specifically a "Christian Rapper."

The others are ministers, speakers I've heard on "Christian Radio."

I'm torn with the Christian Rapper.  (I actually bought his CD for my birthday.)  I love the music and the words, but the WAY the words are spoken irritates me at times.  I've tried to be open minded to his style, or his accent, or his personality...and part of me really likes how he raps.  But part of me feels irritated for two reasons:

1.  At times I simply cannot understand what he is saying.

2. At other times, even when I do understand the words, I don't understand the references.  Alot of rap is highly slang oriented, as well as  American youth culture oriented, which is understandable because youth are usually the target audience.  But this doesn't lessen the annoyance of not being able to follow what the rapper is saying sometimes.

After all, as Paul said in dealing with the abuse or misuse of tongues in I Corinthians 14, all languages have significance in the context of COMPREHENSION.  In other words, it is pointless for the speaker to speak in such a way that FAILS to be comprehensible to the listener. 

Because of the target audience situation, I can bare the irritation of point two.  But point one is different entirely.  Part of the issue with not understanding the rapper seems to be his exaggeration of a southern accent...but at times it becomes ridiculous.  The way the rapper pronounces certain vowels is just plain WRONG!  Not simply an accent...but wrong!  To the point where English vowels simply lose their meaning.  Now this is not an issue of "proper English" or "Ebonics" or anything related to race or ethnicity.  Some ethnicities simply don't use vowels in their native languages the way Americans do.  I perfectly understand, respect, and even like this.   

What I'm speaking of is the EXAGGERATION that I hear in the rapper's communication.  It sounds like he is TRYING to mispronounce these vowels, as if he is REVELING in the inaccuracy of some of his southern accents.  For example, take the word, "ungodly."  This rapper pronounces it "an-Gad-lih."   

OK.  

I'm from the south, born and raised in Macon, Georgia.  Some say I don't have very much of a southern accent (which may be due to my mother being an English teacher.)  Yet there are words that betray my southern origin.   But there is NO excuse for "an-Gad-lih."  NONE! 

In addition to all of this, his voice sounds somewhat whiny and juvenile at times, which leads me to my issues with some Christian ministers on some Christian radio stations. 

Some of the male ministers sound like they just turned 13...whiny, cracking, grating voices.  It seems like they are trying to express sincerity, or passion, or intensity, maybe even comedy.  But they sound like they just reached puberty, which is not how Christ sounded.

I don't listen to these men or the rapper and think, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”  

Quite the opposite!  I usually think, "This guy sounds EXACTLY like the last guy did!"  Or, "This rapper sounds like a Christian version of Lil' Wayne,"  aka "LIL WEEZY!!"

 (LOL!  I finally have an excuse to write those words!) 

I hope you are with me, that you "feel me."

I'm not saying Christians shouldn't use slang or can't have a southern accent, or pronounce things "wrong."  I'm saying that the effect we have on people when we speak or act should NEVER be obnoxiousness.  Of course this doesn't mean people will always like what we say, or like to listen to us.  But their hatred shouldn't be based on our inherent annoyingness.  Instead, they should hate us as they hated our Lord:  Because we live and speak the truth in such a convicting way that they know where they stand in their rejection of God.

 

Does Jesus HATE your PERSONALITY? (part 1)

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." 
Luke 9:23 NIV

Now by the words above, does Jesus mean you can't "be yourself" and be his follower at the same time?

Does he mean that you must deny your "personality?"

Or does he like some "personality types" better than others?

In fact, what was Jesus' "personality type?"

The impression I get when I read the Bible is that there were many a variety of personalities in Biblical history.  But it didn't seem to be focused upon them  Not really.  In other words, the Bible doesn't seem to make a very big deal about "being yourself," being "true to yourself," "finding yourself," "loving yourself," "self-esteem/worth/value," etc. 

For sure, we are to "love our neighbors as ourselves," so it ASSUMES that we love ourselves, and that we know how to love ourselves.  It also assumes that there is nothing wrong with basic self-love. 

But as C.S. Lewis pointed out in his essay, "Christian Literature," the Christian focus is not on "being yourself," but rather being like Christ, and in being like Christ, one's individuality comes naturally and unexpectedly.  Christ put it this way,


"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

As C.S. Lewis points out once again, when a person forgets about being "unique," or "making an impression," they actually stumble upon uniqueness and make a good impression.  Christ commanded his followers to deny themselves in the sense of self-centeredness, or living according to and for their own will, honor, and pleasure ALONE.  In other words, the will, honor, and pleasure of Christ were to be supreme;  and the will, honor, and pleasure of one's neighbor were to be seen as equal to one's own, even considered ABOVE one's own.

So the issue is not self-love or even self-hatred.  It is not about being ourselves, or not being ourselves.  It's about a kind of self-forgetfulness that comes from a greater purpose:  God's knowledge and likeness. 

Think of like this.

When you are really into someone, totally absorbed in how wonderful he or she is, you forget about yourself for the time being because you are so focused on how wonderful the person is.

This is how it should be in our love for God, and how it will be when we really encounter Him.  God is so beyond beautiful that we forget about ourselves when we are with Him.

Now in seeing Him, we want to be like Him, and in wanting to be like Him we are actually truly ourselves.  Even in imitating Him we find uniqueness without seeking it, losing self-consciousness and gaining the liberation of selfless self-expression.

What Jesus Wants Me TO DO (PART 3)

standards.

by what standards can i know i am indeed following the Spirit, the real Spirit of the real God?

personality and ability

an ambassador of the Lord Jesus named paul said the Spirit's personality is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  paul said you can't be too much of any of these.  it is written in the scriptures, and was said by the Lord Jesus, "let everything be established by two or three witnesses."

two or three.

so i feel that i don't necessarily have to focus on all 9 personality traits of the Spirit.  i can focus on two...or three.  so i focus on self-control manifest in gentleness.  i focus on this because i struggle with harshness, which is not a personality trait of the Spirit.  i know from paul that to live in agreement with the Spirit, or to follow the Spirit, i must focus my mind on what the Spirit desires.  i know he desires gentleness.  and i can know that if i focus my mind on this, on gentleness, then the Spirit is focusing on this with me; that we agree.  as it is written, "how can two walk together unless they agree?"  so, if i agree with the Spirit, He agrees with me and will walk with me.

by the Spirit's personality expressed in me and through me, i can know that i am indeed with Him.

i also know by the Spirit's abilities in me that he is with me.  in a word:  POWER!

by definition, supernatural power.  going back to personality, the scriptures speak of God's "eternal power and diving nature."  so His personality is a divine personality.  he's not just a nice person, he is a divinely nice person.  in other words the nine personality traits must be DIVINELY experienced and expressed.  it's not just love, joy, and peace, but GOD'S love, joy, and peace.

and it's not just power, but ETERNAL power!  supernatural power.

something behind my words should be powerful, supernaturally powerful.  it shouldn't just be intelligence, or emotionally compelling tones, or a strong relentless human will.  i should know things that only God can reveal, i should create feelings that are beyond what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.  and my words should be as irresistible and irrefutable as the very words of God would be if he were writing this blog.

divine personality and supernatural ability

these two prove to you that God is in me, that you are ENCOUNTERING GOD IN ME.

nothing less than these two
settle for nothing less if i claim to speak from God.
settle for nothing less if anyone else makes the same claim.

What Jesus Wants Me TO DO (PART 2)

i sometimes feel overwhelmed by the bible and churches and denominations and debates and arguments and comments and posts and blogs and life...until i think about what Jesus wants me to do AND FOCUS ONLY ON THAT.

i want to see people healed just like when Jesus healed them...no "waiting for healing to 'manifest.'"  no "naming and claiming" healing and prosperity.  i want to see people saved...from demons, deception, disease, debt, and directionlessness.

what can i do but trust the Spirit in all of this?

all i can do is lay hands on my sick children and command sicknesses to leave just like Jesus did, believing that He is still alive and doing the same things He did in the past.  because he doesn't change...because "Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever."  all i can do is what he did by faith in him. 

when i tell people about Jesus, am i responsible for whether they accept him or not? 
i am only responsible to do what He did--to tell people the good news:  that the Kingdom Of God is near!

so i'll do that, no matter what happens.

i believe i have enough faith...Jesus said if we had faith the size of the smallest seed of all, that would be enough to move mountains with a command. 

i have enough faith to say, "in the name of Jesus, be healed."

"in the name of Jesus, come out of them."

i have enough faith to pray to God in the name of Jesus and expect the will of God to be done.

so.
i'll simply do that.

i'll do things in such a way that God and God only receives all glory.

what if my children continue to cough?
well, what if they continued to do whatever they wanted after i told them and demonstrated to them the will of God?  am i any less responsible to do those two things?

i feel the same way about healing them.

who alone has the power to save and heal?  Jesus.  not me.
so i'll do what i'm responsible to do, naturally and supernaturally, physically and spiritually.
i will rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

that's all i can do.
if i lay hands, and the sick person remains sick, then i'll love them and comfort them with all of my ability, spiritually and physically, naturally and supernaturally.  the least i can do is pray for miracles and the supernatural.  what other hope do i have except in the one who is all powerful and all loving?

i believe this is what Jesus wants me to do.
so i'll do it.
period.

What DID Jesus DO? (Part 2)

Alright.
So we're not in Galilee.
How do we apply the last post?

I'm an officer.  As a God appointed governing authority (see Romans 13) I demonstrate the authority of Christ Jesus in heaven and on earth, a spiritual/supernatural authority as well as physical/natural authority. Whenever I enforce the laws of the land that agree with the laws of God, I manifest the fear of the Lord on earth, and bring about order on earth as there is in heaven.  I "bind" demons to silence, inactivity, and absence, destroying the works of the devil--the works of lawlessness, chaos, and rebellion.  I experience the power of the presence of God by the Spirit's power.

A teacher would experience the authority of THE TEACHER.  It was said that Jesus taught with authority, an authority that astonished and amazed those who heard; an authority that even struck fear in those who challenged them, silencing them in shame.  So it should be with the believer who is a teacher, whatever he teaches, whatever instructions she gives.

A homeschooling mother proclaims the good news to her children, teaching them the ways of the kingdom, manifest in her children's relationships to each other, their father, and their mother.  If any of them are sick, she lays hands on them and heals them, just as Jesus did, and would do, in the same situation.  And if, God forbid, her kids are attacked by demons, she casts them out with calm authority, and they leave at her word.

A mail carrier becomes God's messenger, and when he speaks with neighbors that meet him in his deliveries, he heralds the good news of God's kingdom, a heavenly mail carrier, if you will.  If any need prayer, healing, or deliverance, and sense The Healer with her, the mail carrier prays as she is asked or sought out, and those who receive their mail also receive Christ the healer in the mail carrier.

Wherever the believer goes, the Spirit of God goes with him.  Wherever the believer goes, the power of God goes with her.  The presence of God, which is the kingdom of God, has indeed come to earth, and is experienced in Spirit filled, Spirit lead followers of Christ!

A believer who sees an accident on the road can stop and heal the ones in the accident.  When the paramedics come, they will find no one in need of medical attention.

A security guard can silently cast out a demon when encountering a violent person, and then skillfully subdue the criminal physically. 

The power of God is univeral and all applicable. 

In whatever situation you find yourself in, you possess power and the Spirit if you believe in Christ the Lord.

He is the same yesterday today and forever.  He is in you if you believe. Therefore, do what He would do in the same situation.  If someone is sick, in His name, heal them.  If someone suffers mental torments, in His name, cast out the demons, the source of the mental oppression.  If someone is down, in the name of Jesus, preach the good news.  If someone is confused, in Christ's name, teach the principles of the kingdom.

Do what Jesus did.
Do what He would do.