The Corporate Gathering And The Sum Of Its Parts

What a great morning this past Sunday! It is truly a blessing to be able to worship our God together as the local body of Christ at Crossroads Community Church!

The following is an excerpt from a book I've been reading entitled "Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives On Worship And The Arts" by Harold Best. It talks about the unique environment that is created when individual believers, who are all fully indwelt by the Spirit of God, meet together with other individual believers, who also are fully indwelt by the Spirit of God:

In a synergy, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and in a particular way, the coporate gathering is this kind of synergy...Even though Christ is the same in a single believer as he is in a million believers, a corporate gathering is somehow more than the sum of its individually indwelt parts, especially in this sense: no one has the same story. Everyone is diversely working out his and her salvation, and the Holy Spirit is at work making a sum of this diversity. Christ is at work with him, presenting this combined story, Sunday after Sunday, synergy after synergy, to the Father. This will not show itself visibly or measurably but authoritatively, powerfully and spiritually. The power does not lie in sheer numbers, for where two or three are gathered, the synergy is just as real. The power and the glory of this is inward, in the heart of each worshiper. If the Holy Spirit chooses to make this outwardly manifest, and should the entire assembly break into unpredicted ecstasy (whether in charged silence or Pentecostal polyphony), so be it. Our task is to be so spiritually alive that readiness for anything is as normal as lighting the candles or singing a chorus.

Sunday mornings are a melting pot of the goodness and faithfulness of God in each of our lives, and when we come together to lift up and glorify his name as one, it is, as Best puts it, a "synergy."
The main argument of Best's book is that God is a being of continuous "outpouring" (outpouring of himself), and since we are created in God's image, we were neither created TO worship, nor FOR worship, but that we were created worship-ING, and that our worship is indeed "Unceasing." The issue then is whether the object of our continual worship is God or something else. I highly recommend this book to you; it will challenge your thought process, and how you view worship.

Holding Faith And A Good Conscience

This Sunday Pastor Todd wraps up 1 Timothy chapter 1, with the apostle's call to "wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience." He's spent the majority of this first chapter warning us against getting sucked into false teaching and doctrine, but to hold fast to the "gospel of the glory of the blessed God."

We realize that this "good warfare" we are called to wage is not purely against teachers with wrong doctrine, but in a greater sense, against the "devil's schemes" as Paul says in Ephesians. In chapter 6, he tells us

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We must take take seriously the call to hold fast to faith and a good conscience. This is a call to godly living and integrity in each of our lives! And I know in my own life, this is a significant battle each and every day that leaves us bruised and battered at times.

The good news is that we rely not on our own strength, but on the strength of an all-powerful, sovereign God, who equips us to do that which he has called us to do!

This Sunday, we will corporately seek God's strength and wisdom in our lives, that we might walk in a manner worthy of our calling as Christians. We'll start the service with "Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)" which has such a great chorus: "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, Your love makes me sing!" It reminds us that we're not offering God something he needs when we sing, but we're responding to how he has met our needs, both by being who he is, and because of his perfect plan of redemption in our lives!

Then we'll have a few short announcements, and then a baby dedication! How great it is that these parents want to stand before the church body and commit to bringing their child up in the ways of the Lord, and how great it is that the church body commits to encouraging, and helping them to keep that. Then we'll sing some more: "Be Glorified" again cries to God to accomplish his perfect will in our lives through his strength, and we'll learn a new song called "Lord Jehovah" which is a song of commitment on our part to bow before the Lord's throne and bring glory, honor, and praise in everything that we do. Right before the sermon, we'll sing "Change My Heart Oh God" as turn our hearts to the life changing truth of scripture and seek the Spirit's sanctification through it.

Pastor Todd will preach a message entitled "Don't Let Satan Blow It Out" calling us to the same charge Paul give to Timothy.

Then we'll respond with two "Take My Life" songs: the great hymn "Take My Life And Let It Be" and "Take My Life (Holiness, holiness, is what I long for)"

Looking forward to worshiping with all of you this Sunday!

Sunday October 7, 2007

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope your week thus far has been filled with examples of God's faithfulness and goodness (even in the trials!). I am so excited to come and worship together with you this Sunday as my first "official" Sunday as Worship Director!

Even as I consider what the title "Director of Worship" connotes, I hope that we will together learn what it means to worship God with the entirety of our lives. Many people have isolated the word "worship" to mean the singing of 5-6 worship songs in church on Sunday. If that were my only responsibility, my title would be much more accurate if it were "Director of Music." However, it is my passion and desire for all of us as part of God's bride to be more than "singers of worship songs," but to truly be "worshipers."

We'll explore much more about what this means in the coming weeks, months, and years (God willing), but I want to continue to emphasize the opportunity of coming together with the community of believers that call Crossroads home (and also with those God would bring to visit). When we gather together to pray, sing, give, sit under teaching from God's Word, and edify each other, we are bringing glory to God!

Hebrews 10:19-25 offers us a glimpse of the joy and responsibility of entering the "holy place" by the blood of Christ:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

So we see that we must come with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, coming with our sins confessed and forgiven by our just and faithful God! And we must hold fast our confession of hope: the gospel, which is exactly the theme that the apostle Paul is writing to Timothy about in his first letter, which Pastor Todd is preaching through right now. We must consider how to "stir up" each other to good deeds, encouraging and exhorting each other to live out our lives as those worthy of the call of Christ. We must not neglect meeting together; be at church, don't miss, the body suffers when one of it's parts is missing. And encourage one another; we are God's chosen people, we have an unfailing God, and a sure hope of salvation from the consequences of our sin!

Just a quick look at the service so you can prepare:
I'll be introducing a new song by worship leader Tommy Walker called "How Good and Pleasant" which comes out of Psalm 133, as a call to worship. We'll have a few announcements, and then sing some songs that direct our thoughts to the Word of God, and specifically to the ideas found in the passage Pastor Todd is preaching from- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (reading the passage=always a great way to prepare) : "Amazing Grace," "Overwhelmed," and "Immortal, Invisible God, Only Wise." Pastor Todd will then bring God's Word to us, and we'll follow that with a time of communion where we will also be able to respond in song with "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross." We'll end the service by singing "Majesty" by Delirious, rejoicing in the hope of our salvation through Christ!

I look forward to seeing all of you at 9:30 am this Sunday as we gather to worship our great God!

Stand Firm in the True Grace of God!

Crossroads' youth group, Foundations, began a study of the book of 1 Peter last night at their biweekly Bible study ("biweekly" meaning every two weeks, somehow it means both "every two weeks" AND "twice a week" in the dictionary...go figure). Kyle Ruggles is heading up this ministry, and it's a privilege and pleasure to serve with him.

He gave us a little background of the environment in which Peter was writing this letter: Nero had burned Rome to the ground in order to make room in the city for him to build his legacy (literally, to build buildings, structures, monuments, etc. that people would "ooh" and "aah" over), and he's gone and blamed the Christians for it!! Naturally, these Christians would be encountering some significant persecution, both from Nero, and from other Romans, and Peter is writing to encourage and instruct them.
He states his purpose and theme of the book in his final greeting:
"By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him,
I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring
That this is the true grace of God.
Stand firm in it." (5:12)

Kyle then talked to us about his initial greeting in verses 1 and 2. Immediately we encounter the word "elect" which necessitates at least some discussion on predestination. Kyle was thankfully honest about the fact that we were not going to solve this centuries old debate at our hour-and-a-half Bible study, and he briefly explained the seemingly opposing ideas of predestination and free-will, and the reality that because God's ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours, that in his perfect will and plan, these things somehow work together, and better display his glory.

Verse 2 describes the process of salvation, that God foreknew those who would be his children, sprinkled them with the blood of Jesus Christ, and sanctifies them through the Spirit. He then gives his customary: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Kyle then asked the big questions: Do we have peace? Are we at peace with God?

The Roman Christians were struggling to keep their faith alive, and no doubt they went through periods where they lacked peace. Wondering why God would allow them to go through the things that were happening, wondering if he would be faithful to provide for them, to take care of them. Realize that these questions probably opened their mind to bigger issues: if God isn't saving me now from these earthly trials, how do I know he'll save me from his own infinite wrath that I deserve because of my sin??

If you want to know how Peter reinforced their weakening faith, just read the rest of 1 Peter ch. 1! He doesn't tell them any new secret, he tells them the gospel!!

How often do we wonder if God will be faithful in our lives. Probably not that many of us have experienced persecution such as the Roman Christians were experiencing, but we have our own trials and hardships, and we (I know I do) catch ourselves wondering why in the world God is letting these things happen, and if he will come through (sometimes the ways we think he should "come through" for us can be a little skewed as well).

I'd encourage you to read 1 Peter 1, and to put yourself back in Rome in 64 AD, in the shoes of a 1st century Christian, and to understand that the gospel is living and abiding within you, so that nothing in this world can shake you from the firm foundation of God's Word!

"...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable,
through the living and abiding word of God;
for 'all flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.'
And this word is the good news that was preached to you."

UCLA Update

Just wanted to thank those who prayed for the Campus Crusade event last night at UCLA. There was a good response (both in numbers, and in attitude), although John (Book) said it was probably competing with many other things going on around the campus. They had a great time of worship singing, and time to get to know each other and sign up for Bible studies, etc. They even gave away an 80 gig iPod! Let's keep that ministry in our prayers, that God would work through these students and empower them do accomplish his perfect will among the UCLA community.

I took this about 5 minutes before we started, all those front rows filled in pretty good.

Pray for UCLA

John Book of Crossroads called me up the other morning and asked if I'd be available to sit in and play drums with the Campus Crusade group that meets at UCLA. I was excited to do so, as I do not often get to play the drums these days, but also that this would be the first time I will have been a part of a Campus Crusade event!

I had never actually been on the campus of UCLA, but when I went down to University Lutheran Chapel (which is right next to campus) to rehearse with their worship band, I was struck with the gargantuan size of the school. So many students living in such a close proximity who need the gospel! It made me very thankful for the ministry of Campus Crusade, that they would go in and take God's truth to a demographic that is becoming increasingly secular and "scientific," and who for as much as they wail for "tolerance," are becoming more and more INtolerant of Christianity (noted celebrity Ben Stein is actually making a documentary on this called "Expelled").

Would you worship through intercessory prayer for the ministry of Campus Crusade at UCLA, and especially for this first meeting of the quarter that takes place tonight at 7:00 pm? Pray that God's truth would break through walls of intellectualism and doubt, and that his Spirit would be mightily at work on that campus!

I'll be sure to take some pictures, and recap a little bit after the event. Remember to pray tonight at 7:00 pm!

Sometimes God Doesn't Open Doors...

Instead, he opens huge airplane hangar wings!

As many of you know, Jess and I currently live in a little apartment in Pasadena. Valencia is not that incredibly far away, but a thirty minute drive is still a thirty minute drive, especially when we want to try and be as involved as we can with the Crossroads community.

We were thinking that we'd move out to Valencia when Jess finished her master's/credential program at Azusa Pacific University, which would be 1.5 years from now, at which point I would also have more hours at Crossroads, and we'd be in a better position, financially, to move. But God had other plans for us...

One of the gals from the Crossroads family, Kathleen (I'm sorry Kathleen, I don't remember your last name!!), offered to rent us her condo in Valencia for a really great price...for Valencia. That was still a little more than we were comfortable with, and we were praying that God would lead us and direct us to where he wanted us. Then yesterday afternoon, Kathleen sent me a text message saying she had just spoken with a family from Crossroads who offered to pay $200 a month towards our rent for our first year!! Jess and I couldn't believe it!

So it looks like we'll be able to move out to Valencia in the coming weeks, and we'll be able to invest more in our community, and church family! Jess will face a little bit of a trek coming home from APU twice a week, but the 210 freeway rarely has traffic, especially at 9:30 pm, and we'll save on our commute on Sundays and during the week out to Valencia! I can't stop using exclamation marks!!!

So we are praising God for providing so amazingly for our needs, and for this family who has blessed us beyond what they probably realize (I wish they could've heard Jess on the phone when I told her...)!

Now, if anyone wants to help us move, or has a truck we could borrow... ;0)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your request be made known to God
– Philippians 4:6

For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious about your life,
as to what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow,
nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about your clothing?
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,
will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Do not worry then, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’
or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’
For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;
for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
-Matthew 6:25-33