Where is the Lord's house?

My trip to Myanmar made me think deeper about the issue of "places of worship."  In John 4, the Samaritan woman questions Jesus about the proper place for worship.  His response to her is that the Father is looking for worshippers who worship in Spirit and Truth.  But what about all of the examples in the OT where God calls His people to come worship Him in the Temple?  Or where the Psalmists long for worshipping in the Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Zion?  This seems to create a yearning for location specific worship.  Psalm 122 really had me thinking about this:

A Song of Ascents. Of David.  

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

David had such a longing to go to the house of the Lord.  He loved the city, the brothers and companions there, and he longed for the peace of the city.  David's heart is not to be lost.  It carries into the life of a Christian.  But Psalm 122 is no longer about the city of Jerusalem.  It is about the church!

In Hebrews 8-10, the author goes to great length to explain that the tabernacle, sacrifices, and law are all only a shadow of heavenly realities.  They were given to show us how dim everything is in comparison to the magnificent glory of God.  That glory was fully displayed in Jesus Christ.  What He came to do was to shine light on the shadows so that we could see clearly.  And that is why we see Psalm 122 in light of Hebrews 8-10, the church IS that city bound firmly together, the church IS the house of the Lord (I Corinthians 3:9-17, Ephesians 2:11-22, I Timothy 3:14-15).

So let us walk back through Psalm 122 through the lens of a church reconciled to God through the redemptive work of Jesus.

1)"I was glad..." - Someone who has been bought by the blood of Jesus has been born into a new family. The church is that family.  The Scriptures really do not entertain the idea of a lone ranger Christian.  Our heart is that we are glad to "go to the house of the Lord!"  And by house of the Lord we do not mean the church building.  We mean that we are glad to be gathered with our church family whether it be in corporate worship, dinner, serving our neighborhood, rejoicing over the birth of a child, or mourning the loss of a loved one.  A follower of Jesus is GLAD to be with the people of Jesus.  You will not know this gladness unless you've lived among the people, unless your feet have stood in the gates.  So taste and see that the Lord is good.  Enjoy the company of the house of the Lord.

2)"A city that is bound firmly together" - The church is united in the bond of peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You know that you have found a true church family when nothing can shake them.  It was recently shared with me that about 50% of the churches in New Orleans ceased to exist after Hurricane Katrina.  Why?  Because the storm washed away their buildings.  But those that continued to exist had a bond stronger than brick and mortar.  They were firmly bound together by brotherly love and service.  Our churches are only as strong as our dependence on the unifying work of the Holy Spirit.  If we have to manufacture community, then whatever we are being, we are not being the church.

3)"The tribes go up... to give thanks to the name of the Lord." - The church is a people made up of those giving thanks to the name of the Lord.  Thanks for what?  Not only thanks for His numerous gifts in our lives, but one particularly unifying cry of praise.  We thank Him for His unparalleled gift of salvation!  This is why there is no one like our God.  What sets our Lord apart is that Jesus came to die for us, defeated sin, death, and Satan, and is reigning in His church even now.  We give thanks for this!  A church must be characterized by their praise of the glorious name of Jesus.

4)"Pray for the peace..." - there are 3 areas that David prayed for peace and the church should follow suit.

• Bring security to those who love the church!  The Lord has given us much strength within the church, providing living stones (Christians) who stand firm for the sake of the Gospel.  Pray that their steadfastness will not waiver.  Pray that more believers will be secure stones in the wall and not be tossed to and fro by the cares of life.
• Peace among brothers and companions.  Pray for the unity of the church!  The glory of God will be displayed among the church if we are unified in Him.  If we have no love for one another, then the love of God is not in us at all and we are liars.  Pray for the kind of love that would cause God to die for His creation.
• Pray for the good of the church.  When was the last time you prayed that the church would be successful in God's mission to the world?  Pray that God would give the church favor in the workplace, marketplace, schools, and neighborhoods.  Pray that the church would be given opportunities to bless the city she lives in.  Pray for the GOOD of the church!

The Lord's house is His people.  The church is the Temple of the Living God, Jesus.  Do not look to this mountain or that mountain to find worship, worship the Lord in the midst of His people!  You will find many glorious, messy, truths about God among His church.  I hope that you will come and find Him among us.

God's Glory Is His Power, Presence, and Praise

Glory is a strange word.  It has very little real significance in our every day usage.  I do not hear it very often in every day talk, so when I come to the scripture and see it everywhere it creates a conflict for me.  Several years ago in my personal study of John, I realized that Glory was more than an abstract concept, it was vital to understanding what Jesus was all about (John 1:14).  If we do not rightly understand the Glory of God we do not rightly understand Jesus or why He came.

Romans 1:23 informs us that the problem with man is that we have exchanged God's glory for images of man, birds, animals, and creeping things.  So at our core is a Glory problem, or as it is stated in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (fall short = lack).  We do not possess what we should about God, namely His glory.  And our fallen nature stems from this lack of Glory.  But what is this Glory?  Well Romans 1:20 says that His eternal power and divine nature should have been clearly perceived.  Trace the word Glory in the OT and when it refers to God, it was either a display of His power in miraculous ways or a manifestation of His presence to the people.  God's Glory is His power and presence on display!

What makes this even more amazing is that Jesus, called the Glory of God, is also described as being the power and presence of God on display.  Colossians 1:15-20 tells us that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus and that all of Creation came about and is sustained through Him.  Look at Hebrews 1:3, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."  Jesus is the radiance of God's glory, the imprint of His nature, and upholds the universe by the word of His power!  Glory is Power and Presence on display!

But God's Glory revealed demands acknowledgment.  This is the other use of the word Glory.  We give glory to God when we recognize His Glory.  By glory we mean praise.  In giving praise to God we are not giving Him something that He does not already possess, like a Christmas present.  Rather we are recognizing a truth that already exists.  We are joining with all creation to declare the mighty deeds of God (Psalm 19:1).  In fact, the only saving response to our recognition of the revelation of God's is to give praise to Him (Ephesians 1:11-14).  The Glory of God on display in Jesus moves us to give Glory to Him.

"Zeal For My House Will Consume Me!"

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (Psalm 69:9)

How does this picture make you feel about the man holding the whip? Just pretend you don't know what's going on here. What are some thoughts that come to your mind? Do you think of someone who is honorable and right? Do you think of someone who is loving and caring? Probably not.

We have trouble with this account in scripture because it doesn't fit our neat and tidy understanding of Jesus as the lowly servant who takes it on the chin. He gets angry. He gets aggressive. He gets downright violent. But if scripture teaches that He is without sin, then what drives the Son of God to the point of passionate, zealous anger towards what is taking place in the temple.

The answer is found in John 2:13-22. At the time of the passover, Jesus heads to Jerusalem. And coming upon the temple he finds the buying and selling of sacrifices there. He finds men changing out foreign money for the local Jerusalem currency. These are services of convenience for the travelers to the temple. But God is not concerned with our convenience, He is concerned with the state of our heart. And these money changers and sacrifice sellers were busy turning a profit on the religious needs of the day. Their hearts were waxed cold and the glory of God was far from them.

As Jesus fashioned the whip that He would use to drive them out, the passion must have grew within Him. You see the temple was not just a place for religious activity to occur. It was not just a place to visit. It was truly the place that God had promised to meet His people on earth. It was where He agreed to reveal Himself to them. It was not the temple that Jesus was zealous for, but for the glory of God. Which, being the son of God, was His own glory.

Yes, I am saying that what made Jesus so angry was that the people were defaming His glory. They were not just making a mockery of the temple, but of Jesus Himself. Jesus' ultimate passion was that the nations would see His glory and worship it. Does it sound selfish? Well not quite when you read on in John 2.

Jesus' glory is defined and shown by His death and resurrection. That's what He meant when He said, "destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." To display His glory for the nations meant their salvation! The glory of Jesus is our greatest benefit. So of course He was indignant when they defamed His glory, because they were defaming the very glory that could bring them salvation from eternal damnation! The thing Jesus was most passionate and most zealous for was His glory that would bring salvation to the world. He is passionate about His glory which makes Him passionate about us!

But what dug into my heart in this text is this question... what are we zealous for? Are we this passionate about the glory of God? Or are we more passionate about America, sports, or our wealth? What do we pursue at the cost of everything else? I'm afraid that the american church has become more zealous for herself than for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. We have become more zealous over matters of form and outward expression than for the glory that dwells in the temple. How do I know this? By the very lack of manifestation of the glory of Christ. When zeal for the glory of Christ returns to our churches, then expect that glory to show up in power and might. Bow down and be amazed at the Jesus who turns over tables. Oh that we might get zealous for the glory of our risen king Jesus. What would it look like if He turned over some tables in our hearts?

Striped Candy Worship

It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games, and refreshments.

This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and even brought into being a new type of church architecture designed to house the golden calf.

So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed and heterodoxy in practice. The striped candy technique has been so fully integrated into our present religious thinking that it is simply taken for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part of the teachings of Christ and His apostles.

Any objections to the carryings-on of our present golden calf Christianity is met with the triumphant reply, "But we are winning them!" And winning them to what? To true discipleship? To cross carrying? To self denial? To separation from the world? To crucifixion of the flesh? To holy living? To nobility of character? To a despising of the world's treasures? To hard self-discipline? To love for God? To total commital to Christ? Of course, the answer to all these questions is "no."

Quote from "Man: The Dwelling Place of God." by A.W. Tozer

When were these words written? Take a guess. I can't be exactly sure, but sometime during the 50's or early 60's when A.W. Tozer was editor of The Alliance. I'm sure the talk about striped candy tipped you off that they may have been written a while ago, but the part about how the church looks sounds eerily familiar.

I especially am drawn to the response of some when we confront them with talk of "golden calf Christianity." "But we are winning them," they say. And Tozer replies winning them to what? If anything makes my heart burn it is this. What are our churches winning people to? We see baptisms and memberships, but are these things our mission? Is that what we are here for?

Lately I've been listening to John Piper's sermon series on John. A thought from John, (the Gospel, not Piper) is pounding in my head. That there were a group of people who believed in the signs and wonders of Jesus, but Jesus would not entrust Himself to them. What is that all about? People were showing up in crowds and really believed that He could do miracles, but He was rejecting them. Why? Doesn't Jesus want everybody? Why would He reject those who come believing?

Because, it says in John 3, He knew their hearts. He knew that they were coming for the striped candy, for the miracles. And Jesus is no candy man. He is not a peddler of sweet satisfaction, but the Savior of sinners. We love to quote II Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." We focus on the wishing part and not the repentance. But what does Peter go on to say?

II Peter 3:10-11, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!"

We are not attracting people with striped candy. Our worship is not for them. Our small groups are not for them. Our churches are not for them. Our worship is backwards because our theology is backwards, and our theology is backwards because our worship is backwards. It begins, is sustained, and ends with the glory of God. Let us stop making our striped candy and start proclaiming the saving power and riches of Jesus Christ!

Preaching With Silence

I have been doing an overview of the corporate worship of the nation of Israel in the OT for an Elder's retreat that begins this evening. Something has captured my attention in this preparation. God always takes the initiative. With Abraham, God did the calling. With Moses, God started the fire on Mt. Horeb. With the nation, God came down onto Mt. Sinai. With Joshua, God revealed the sin of Aichan. Even when David had the idea to build a Temple, God says, "we'll do it on my time." Josiah found the book of Law. Nehemiah was sent back to Jerusalem. All of these initiations by God were either the formulation of corporate worship or the start of great revival among the people. God did something to make them bow low, He spoke, and then the people were to act. What if we functioned more like this?

When was the last time you searched out God to just speak to you? Not to speak to you about this decision or that decision or this idea or that idea, but just simply allowed God to speak. I feel that our Sunday morning gatherings are so full of our own words and speaking, that God is hushed so that we might hear what we have to say. Our own competing ideas about singing, our own creative initiatives using art, our own lengthy prayers, our own fascinating sermons that captivate the audience. But what would God say? I wonder if He closes His ears to our noise, just like He did in the days of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the rest of the prophets.

I am convinced that we should spend much more time in quiet submission before God than we should in saying anything to Him. Let God speak first, then we may respond when the time is right. In preaching, God should always be the initiator of a sermon. Until God has spoken, then you don't have anything to say. "But what if God does not speak to me that week?" Then either you have not been in His word or you should keep your mouth closed. I am completely struck by how many times Israel returned to the word of the Lord and they responded to the truth. Outward reforms did not accomplish much, but when God's word was read, things happened. You don't need more outward reform in your life. What you need is for God's word to be inscribed upon your heart. Then, and only then, will the words that we speak have any weight to them. Silence first, then preaching.

What Will It Profit A Man...

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:24-26

I've often looked at this verse through very high and holy eyes. "Oh I most certainly would give up the whole world in order to take up my cross and follow Jesus. It will be difficult but I'm willing to go where you will have me to go." But I want to flip this around a little. What would it look like for you to gain the whole world? What would that mean to you?

I think for me it would mean complete and total freedom and power. If I gained the whole world I would have access to the endless accumulation of knowledge. I honestly would want to be the smartest person alive. And not only this but I would want to have the kind of freedom to act like a child, playing childish games, taking in childish pleasures, and just doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I would do everything within my power to return to a simple state of mind, where there are no consequences for my actions. If I could gain the whole world, I would live out a kind of carefree existentialism where nothing and nobody could stop me, because I would be completely unconcerned with others.

What would it mean for you to gain the whole world? I'm sure your vision is different from mine. It's kind of fun and exciting to consider all the possibilities, to be the richest, to be the smartest, to be the sex god, to be the most powerful person, or whatever your concept of gaining the whole world might be. But what would it cost to actually get there? What would it take to achieve your vision of gaining the whole world? Interesting, because it actually may not be that hard for most of us to at least gain a piece of our vision, our dreams.

This is what scares me. What benefit comes from pursuing your vision of gaining the whole world? Some pious and upright people might say, "NONE!" I would disagree. I think I might quite enjoy my life as a slacker with all the potential in the world skating through life without a concern for how I abuse and use others with my superior knowledge. The question may not be benefit but rather gain. What do I GAIN by chasing down the whole world? In the end, the answer to that question is absolutely nothing. We maintain status quo, we keep what we have. We try not to gain anything, so that we don't have to lose anything. We live, we die, eat drink and be merry.

But what if we headed in the opposite direction? What if we decided to give up our pursuits of gaining the whole world? What would that cost us? What would you lose? Here's something we don't talk about much. Most of us, even many of Jesus' believers, live under the pretense of chasing after our vision of gaining the whole world. We put pretty labels on it, like careers, families, security, investment, or sometimes even ministry. But we're really pursuing our agenda for world domination. And yet we feel like we've gotten nowhere, that we've gained next to nothing. Why? Because we haven't embarked on the one journey that really matters, to lose everything.

What a paradox it is to follow Jesus. In order to gain anything, we must lose everything. In order to live in Christ, we must first die in Him. In order to save my life, I have to first lose it. Which direction are you headed in? At the end of your life, (which by the way could be sooner than you think), will you have spent your time trying to live it up, pursuing what you want or will you have lost yourself in Jesus in order to find the kind of true life that only He can give?

Creation and The Word (Psalm 19)

Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." I love sunrises. They are pure and they declare the majesty of how great God is. They remind me of warmth and power and life. When I consider how God set the sun in its place, I realize how truly small I am. All at once it makes me want to know Him and yet afraid of how LARGE He really is.

Psalm 19 is powerful to me. Verses 1-6 deal with the truth that screams from His creation. It makes you want to spend all day and night admiring His work. When I take my dog, Roxy, on a walk at night, I am always amazed at the clarity of the stars and the moon. They look like a picture. We talk about HD and 3D, but God's design in the sky is waaaay better. It cries out, "I Am!" But creation alone might lead us to worship the creation and not the creator.

That's why He gave us His word. Psalm 19:7-14 deals with the work of God's word. The sun warms your body, God's law warms your soul. When I go to the beach, I want to spend all day and night there. When I open God's word, I want to spend all eternity in it. It amazes me that some people could live on the beach or in the mountains and not wake up every day freshened by them. But I live an hour from the beach in either direction and rarely go. Sounds crazy. But God has given us light and life in His word and it's available in our homes, on the internet, in bookstores, on the radio, on cd, and on and on and on. But we take it for granted. I suggest waking up early sometime, grabbing your Bible, and reading Psalm 19 as the sun comes up. At least in that moment you will realize that God is really GREAT!

Sing A New Song

Singing in the church worship service has been a big deal for a long time. Some people think we should only sing psalms from the Bible, some think we should only sing hymns, some think we shouldn't use instruments, some think that music should match the culture it is in, and some people just don't like to sing. I spent a good portion of my life in the last category.

But singing is a powerful part of our relationship with God. Much of the old testament is written in poetic form and many of the psalms refer to the use of instruments in praising God. There was even an established worship band in the temple. Paul and Silas were singing praises to God in jail and Jesus and the disciples sang some hymns on the way out to the garden of gethsemane. I have recently discovered that by the praise of my lips combined with the power of music, God can move His holy spirit in His people in a powerful way.

But there is a new song that the book of Revelation talks about. In Revelation 4:9-10 it says, "and they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

We have been redeemed! That's our new song. So many people in the world around us are banging the same drum. "The economy's bad", "my marriage is in tough shape", "my life feels empty", "how's the weather", "how'd the magic do last night", and on and on and on. Or as Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun." Nothing new, except the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is a great reason to rejoice.

Here's the sticking point. Do people hear us singing a new song about the redemption price paid by the blood of God Himself, or do they hear us singing the same song as everyone else? What separates us is that we have a purpose in life and that purpose is to glorify God in everything we do. That's our new song. And each one of us has a new story to tell. For me it all began with a song on a cool summer night in the mountains of NC.

Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse,
relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown hath broken every barrier down; now, to be thine, yea thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.