Spiritual Authority

Dear Worshippers,

I am at District Conference this week in Dover, Ohio. It is an annual gathering of the pastors, other official workers, and numerous lay representatives from the Central District of the C&MA, comprised of nearly 90 churches in eastern Ohio and the entire state of West Virginia. We conduct business for the District as well as enjoying several times of corporate worship and prayer and hearing from God’s Word. It is a very enriching time and I thank the church for sending me and the other staff members to represent you.

Probably the most significant act of business next week will be to elect a new District Superintendent, who serves essentially as the pastor of the pastors in our district while providing numerous other avenues of leadership. Our current D.S. Gordon Meier has served for 9 or 10 years and I believe has been in the District Office for around 18 years. Our District has been richly blessed by His Christ-like, faithful service. We truly thank God for this man, and his lovely wife and helpmate, Barb.

This time of transition is a crucial one in the history of our district and the advance of the Kingdom through the Alliance in this region. We have benefited from Gordon’s leadership and long for the next anointed leader to exercise his role of spiritual authority with similar excellence and humility. We as a local church will be blessed through this new leader. You will be blessed. To that end I want to entreat your prayers.

We have had a nominating committee working on this for months. They will bring a recommendation to us. Pray for the delegates of conference that like them, we will hear of the voice of the Lord and confirm the selection by election of our new D.S. or to otherwise discover together the will of the Lord.

When I was reflecting on this process last week, the faith of the centurion in his encounter with Jesus came to mind. He understood chains of command and the blessings of following them. He affirmed Jesus authority over sickness and the life of his servant at the very least. You will remember the account:

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:8-12

In the days ahead, and stretching on for years, may we know the blessing of serving under one who has such a clear understanding of the authority of our Christ. Pray with our staff as we go to participate in the process of his selection. And pray for our families back home and our safe return on Thursday. Thank you.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is… Humility

Dear Worshippers,

We complete our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the twelfth and final value, Humility. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Humility. It has been defined as a modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc. Though it is listed last, it is certainly not the least of the values. One might say that for any true worship to occur, humility is a prerequisite. While I would agreed with that, we offer it here at the end because it is so important to not only start from this position in worship, but to maintain this position. A position of submission, meekness, unworthiness. When we consider God, we should assume such a position. With this in mind we offer that worship is… Humility. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

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

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

But Samuel replied:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams. I Samuel 15:22

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

The first passage here is from the dedication of the Temple which Solomon built. It is outlining how the people of God can return to Him if they walk away. It is instruction for both lifestyle and for the gathering of worship. It makes me think of the song “The Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman. “I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about You Jesus.” This takes humility. It is humbling to acknowledge that even our worship can become something that is not at “all about” God, which it is supposed to be.

If our worship is to be all about God, where better to look for an example of how to live that way that to the person of Jesus Christ. The Philippians passage, believed by some to be a hymn that was known by the early church, clearly portrays the humble attitude of Jesus, and exhorts us to have the same. If He had such an estimation of the Father, we should as well.

The I Samuel passage affirms this as well by teaching that God wants more than just the outward trappings of worship, he wants the heart. A heart that is willing to obey and to heed the voice of God is a heart that is rightly positioned to worship. God is certainly interested in right responses to His glory, but He wants those responses to generate from deep within heart of the worshipper so that worship is not so much a series of actions as a way of life, like in the final scripture.

A worship lifestyle is pictured here: not only in the first two statements, but especially in the final one. “Walk humbly with your God.” Did you notice that this is a short list of things that Micah says “the Lord require[s] of you”? This is not optional. In order to do this we must have a proper understanding of Who He is, and who we are in the light of Him. This implies not only knowing, but ongoing relationship – walking with Him. And how are we supposed to walk? Humbly. Humility should mark our relationship to God, our living with Him, and this demonstrated through every act of worship, but especially when we gather.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is… Acknowledging the Universal Church

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the eleventh value, Acknowledging the Universal Church. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

When we gather to worship we join our praise with the church across all generations and all continents. This perspective is important as it helps us to understand that the kingdom of our God is much larger than our local expression of such. The Nicene Creed, written in the 4^th century A.D. puts it this way: “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.” What catholic means in this context is the true Christian Church of all times and all places. With this definition in mind we offer that worship is… Acknowledging the Universal Church. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. Romans 16:16

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Notice how the first passage says “to him be glory in the church…throughout all generations.” It does not say churches, but singular church. There is one church throughout all generations. This is very significant as we gather for worship. We are joining many who have gone before and will come after us.

This next verse acknowledges that there are many local expressions of the church. We are one body with different gatherings. When we come together we should remember there are others doing the same thing all over the world. Our love for the other churches should be obvious.

The “great multitude” here is the church triumphant. Their group is made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. They are unified in their praise of our God as they stand before His throne in heaven. Gathered from across time and space, we will worship with them eternally.

The “great cloud of witnesses” again acknowledges those who have gone before. For the writer of Hebrews, that was a particular group. For us, that group would include the writer of Hebrews, his audience, and all those who have been counted in that number since then. One day we too will be counted in that cloud by those who come after us.

The song that come to mind is “When the Saints Go Marching In”. My grandmother used to sing that. I can vaguely remember her playing the accordion and belting out “Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number…when the saints go marching in.” What a privilege to in faith accept the redeeming work of Christ and turn from our sin, thus enabling us to be counted in that number, who, across time and space will worship Jesus, the head of the church.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Humility.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is… Recognizing the Priesthood and Ministry of all Believers

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the tenth value, Recognizing the Priesthood and Ministry of all Believers. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

Contrary to those who prefer churches where worship feels more like a performance by those on stage, we desire to be a worshipping body, with each person engaged in the drama that is corporate worship. Danish philosopher–theologian Sǿren Kierkegaard spoke of worship as a drama and criticized the noninvolvement of many in his own church. He “insisted that in true worship the members of the congregation are the actors, the ministers and [other worship leaders] are “prompters” and God is the audience.”*

In the most earnest sense, God is the critical theatergoer, who looks on to see the lines that are spoken and how they are listened to…The speaker is then the prompter, and the listener stands openly before God. The listener, if I may say so, is the actor, who in all truth acts before God.

With this drama in mind we offer that worship is… Recognizing the priesthood and ministry of all believers. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2:9

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men."(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:7-16

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. I Corinthians 14:26

This follows the previous value, engaging the whole person, intentionally. We are commanded to love the Lord, and part of the way that finds expression is to love others. As we declare our praises together, our preference for one another is one of the most significant things that can communicate the love of God. In our services of blended worship, traditional and contemporary are brought together in an attempt to give every worshipper a voice for their praise. While you may not like one song, there likely will be something else that you will. In that moment you have the opportunity to embrace God’s heart by preferring others, instead of yourself.

Each of us brings something unique to the life and ministry of our church, and accordingly to the worship service. God’s desire is that we would each find our place in that body of believers and use our talents and gifts to minister to Him and to others. We each have a role to play in this drama as the kingdom of priests that will bless the Lord and His people as we discover and exercise those abilities while pursuing unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” [Ephesians, see above]

One of the best examples of this ministry in corporate worship is when we pray in small groups. This gives an opportunity for each worshipper to make a unique contribution to the experience. While not everyone will desire to pray, some will. The requests that are shared also give some the opportunity to express, gifts of mercy or helps. Others may speak wisdom into a situation in conversation after the service has concluded and we are enjoying “The Fellowship of Faith”.

“That the church may be strengthened.” That is how the last passage ends. The point of the priesthood and ministry of all believers is this. Let us listen to the “prompters” and each of us strive to find our role in the great drama of worship that plays out every time we gather. May God be pleased with our “performance.”

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Acknowledging the Universal Church.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

*Don Hustad, Jubilate II, p. 315

Worship is… Engaging the Whole Person

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the ninth value, Engaging the whole person. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

When you even begin to consider the why of worship all you have to do is consider the beauty of God which we focused on last week. Worship is the epitome of other-centeredness, partly because it should consume the entire worshipper in the act of adoration. Archbishop William Temple said it this way.

Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of the will to his purpose-and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for …self-centeredness.

The way we are choosing to put it is, worship is… engaging the whole person. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? I Corinthians 14:15-16

There is more to a person than what can be seen, but the intentions of those unseen things, heart, soul, mind, conscience, imagination, will are demonstrated through that which is seen, the body. When we worship, scripture clearly shows that both the seen and the unseen parts are to be engaged or active.

So what about the unseen portion in particular. In contemporary thought, the soul of a person is often regarded as the combination of the intellect, the emotions and the will. These are to be engaged in worship as we can see in the first passage, but what about the spirit. As Paul shows us in the second passage, there is something else at work here.

Worship is more than singing songs, and praying prayers, it is engaging the spirit. Worship really begins in the spirit of a person, as they are invigorated and brought to life by God’s Holy Spirit. This is made clear in the lack of understanding mentioned by Paul. Not everyone understands this aspect of worship. I am not talking about tongues in particular, but the activity of the Spirit in general. It simply will not be understood apart from the work of the Spirit in the spirit of a person. [This distinction is not easily understood, but clearly spoken of in Job 7:11, Isaiah 26:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12.]

Let us worship God with our spirit, soul and body.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Recognizing the priesthood and ministry of all believers.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Recognizing and Expressing God’s Beauty

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the eighth value, Recognizing and Expressing God’s Beauty. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

There are a myriad of ways that God’s beauty is expressed in His creation. Whether the grandeur of nature or the magnificence of His creatures reflecting His grandeur, there are a multitude of ways that God expresses His beauty to us. When we recognize that beauty as a revelation of something about the Creator that is worship. When we engage in beautiful expressions that are intended to reveal the beauty of God, that is worship as well. So in both the revelation and the response we worship. Worship is…recognizing and expressing God’s beauty. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Oh, worship the Lord in the holiness!

Tremble before Him, all the earth. Psalm 96:9 [NKJV]

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.

⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.

⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary. Psalm 96:4-6

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. Psalm 135:3

Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

The beauty of God is unique, for it is perfect. The saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, does not apply to Him. While beauty is a matter of opinion with regard to the creation, not so with the Creator. He is beauty. Then again…

For the unredeemed soul, the holiness of God is a dreadful thing. For the redeemed, it is beautiful. The passages above from the Psalms and from Philippians give very clear instruction that our response to God revealing Himself as beautiful should be worship. It delights the soul, and ultimately is the one needful thing in the life of the believer.

Probably one of the weakest areas in evangelicalism is the use of the arts to convey the beauty of God. Certainly, we use music in our attempts to do this, but for a number of reasons we have neglected the visual and graphic arts. There is a new era developing however in the Church in which we are recapturing some of the talent that has been forsaken or poured out in other pursuits. May God be glorified in all our talents as we seek to express His beauty.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Engaging the whole person.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…A Spiritual Discipline

Dear Worshippers,

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the seventh value, A Spiritual Discipline. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

When we are for worship there are an infinite number of thoughts going through our heads: Where is so and so? I am so tired. Thank you Lord for another day. Does anyone even notice that I am here and I am crying? I sure don’t like that song. I am not praying in a small group, no way. I wish I had more to give You Lord. Not matter what may be on our minds as we gather for worship, we must bring it all and place it at the foot of the cross. We must fix our eyes on Jesus. We must train ourselves to give Him glory, for worship is…a spiritual discipline. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as

living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1-2

…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. I Timothy 4:7b-8

The first passage is one of the most common scriptures used when anyone talks about worship. In view of God’s mercy we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. This is one of the primary scriptures to consider when thinking about whole life worship. That is to say we do not offer ourselves one Sunday morning, then climb down off the altar and live for ourselves until next Sunday. However, the probably with a living sacrifice is that is exactly what can happen.

This is where the spiritual discipline aspect comes into play. Recognizing that we have offered ourselves to God, we keep ourselves before God in this most life-engaging act of worship. While this is the only appropriate response of the redeemed soul to mercy of God, that does not make it easy. This is where the second passage comes to life.

We must train ourselves in this. While again this is the response of the entire life, our focus has been on corporate worship in particular. So how does this come to bear on that value. If we train ourselves, as unpleasant or at least demanding as that process is, there is promise for this present life and the life to come.

I have often half-jokingly teased people about being in choir because it prepares you for heaven. While I do not think we will be in one eternal worship service as our minds might conceive of it, their will be worship in heaven. If we engage ourselves now in this discipline, it will be to our advantage somehow in eternity. But not only then, now as well.

And what does this training look like. Well, it must include doing things that we know are good for us: getting up and going to church when we do not feel like it, praying in small groups when the opportunity comes, giving of the “first fruits” of our labors to the Lord, actively listening to what God is saying, actively saying things in response-in word, in song, in deed among a myriad of other things.

I encourage you to discipline yourselves to worship…it does the body good…pass it on.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…Recognizing and expressing God’s beauty.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Worship is…Transgenerational

Dear Worshippers,

I am going to keep prayer before you, but for now a respite as we resume the series on the Core Values of corporate worship in our church. If you were not at church last week when the brochure containing them was distributed I have attached it for you convenience. Please read it and familiarize yourself with the Scriptures that teach these values which the Elders have embraced and adopted…

We continue our journey through the core values of our worship this week with the sixth value, Transgenerational. As I keep saying, you may be surprised that none of the things the Elders have adopted as core values of our worship are necessarily music-oriented. Actually none of them deal with elements at all, but rather with the essentials of worship. They are more the why than the what of worship, if you will.

When we are for worship we are a diverse group. We represent different church backgrounds, neighborhoods, ethnic groups, nationalities, cultures, career paths, family make-up, etc. One of the greatest spans we cover is that of generations. Though there are a number of opportunities for the respective generations to gather together within the life of the church, we believe that our corporate worship should be Transgenerational, or across the generations. There are any number of Scriptures that speak to this value, but here are the ones we have adopted for inclusion in the philosophical document:

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

…¹¹kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

¹² young men and maidens,
old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD. Psalm 148:11-14

¹⁷'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Acts 2:17-21 [Joel 2:28-32]

¹²I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
¹⁴I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one. I John 2:12-14

In the first two passages the Psalmist is describing corporate worship or instructing in it’s practice. In the Acts passage, which quotes Joel’s prophecy, Peter is declaring the prophecy to have been fulfilled in the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. That same Spirit is at work today. And in the passage from I John, we read the words of a letter that were meant to be read to the church when it was gathered for worship, obviously across the generations.

When we gather for worship, we must appreciate the fact that we are approaching the Lord with members of other generations. I say appreciate because it is important that we are more than simply sensitive to this fact. We must gather with the expectation that the Lord desires to speak to us through those other generations, through aspects of worship that may be more meaningful to them, and sometimes directly through the members of those other generations. The Lord is so gracious to help us understand the timelessness of worship as we gather to worship across the generations each week, but this is only one of the ways we reach beyond ourselves in worship to see more of God.

Stay tuned…NEXT WEEK…Worship is…a spiritual discipline.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Changes

Dear Worshippers,

For the last several weeks I have been challenging you to enter into a deeper life of prayer. I have asked you for a commitment to a prayer ministry for the worship life of our church, but really centered around knowing Christ better. I have been discouraged that so few of you have responded, but I took that discouragement to the Lord. I believe He has showed me a number of things.

Prayer is not for a few but for all of us. Jesus’ call to prayer in Matthew 9 was not issued to just the spiritual giants, but to all of us. We all need to be praying, and then going and serving. Prayer must be our first work , or all of our other work will be for naught. Let us pray.

This is not a guilt trip but a conviction course. I am not trying to guilt you into praying more. Jesus taught that the Spirit would come to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment [John 16:8]. If you are feeling guilty for not praying, that is not from God. If you are feeling convicted to pray more, that is. It is not my words that bring conviction, but the work of the Holy Spirit.

Change is not a simple thing. What I am feeling compelled to ask you to do will require some changes in your life. You can not continue to spend your time the same way. You can not continue to practice the same set of spiritual disciplines. You must make some changes. That is no easy task. Jesus’ teaching of self-denial and cross-bearing demonstrate this.

It was this last one that really hit me today, first on a personal level and then broadening to include the ministry we share.

How are your resolutions going? A month into the New Year many people have long forgotten the resolutions they made, which likely would have required some changes in their lives. While mine was not a resolution, I have committed to more systematic prayer as I desire to grow in my relationship with Christ this year. I have failed in one area of this endeavor because I have not made the changes in my living to facilitate it.

I wonder how many of you are not willing to commit to pray because you are afraid you do not have the abitily to make the necessary changes in your life to fulfill the commitment? I want to encourage you to submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to amaze you with His ability. I am praying for a revival in our church. Will you be a part of that? Will you join me in prayer? Become an InterCessor today!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

NOTES

♪ CHOIR – Join us this week as we are continuing work on the Easter musical “I’ve Seen Jesus”. Click here to hear some clips and read a brief description.

♪ ORCHESTRA – Upcoming Schedule We play next this week, 2.10 and then follow the forthcoming schedule. EASTER schedule is attached. Click here to hear some clips and read a brief description of it.

♪ DVD’s – I have them for “There is Peace…” for those of you who would still like one. At the office and with me on weekends.

January 2008

Dear InterCessors,

Thank you for answering the call to prayer. For a long time the leadership of the Alliance has said that prayer must be our first work. This ministry, a broad group of people praying collectively for the worship life of our church, will ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing. I believe we can move mountains. I believe Jesus gave us great authority that we too often fail to exercise. Thank you for being willing to “get in shape”, or rather to assist the worship life of our church to do so, through your prayers.

This is the commitment I would like to ask you to make. I am calling the InterCessors to spend 2008 as follows.

1. Praying everyday through a monthly prayer card (3-5 minutes)

2. Waiting on the Lord following this to hear His voice (1-2 minutes)

3. Praying on Sunday morning for the worship experience of the church gathered.

4. Praying the rest of the week for the worship experience of the work dispersed.

Eventually I would like to add a fifth phase, possibly later this Spring once the team is a little larger

5. Praying once a month during the service with other members of the team for God to reveal Himself and His people to respond.

Just reply that you would like to be an InterCessor and I will add you to the list for monthly updates.

Divine Power – Daily Living

Dear Worshippers,

Last week the thrust of my thoughts to you centered on Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” I continue to challenge you to pray today but from a slightly different perspective. I also want to offer a practical suggestion.

Last week I shared some thoughts from Matthew Henry regarding God stirring His people to pray as a sign He is about to bestow some special mercy on them. I think I was thinking of a particular event or season of blessing, and though that may be what God is doing as He stirs us to pray I came across another verse last week that broadened my thinking and brought it in line with the vision God has given us for this ministry we share.

As I was preparing for Small Group last week I came across a few verses in 2 Peter 1:3-4. Allow me to select a portion of those verses for our consideration. “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life…He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.” Escaping the decadence all around us and sharing in His divine nature are the supernatural by-products of using His divine power for daily living, appropriated to us as we know Jesus better.

While I am praying for special mercy to come upon us in a remarkable way as a church, these words gripped me right from the first five…“As we know Jesus better”. How do we get to know Him better? By spending time with Him. Prayer is one of the ways we do that.

Now for the practical. I shared with choir a few weeks ago about hearing someone on Christian radio talking about spending different times in prayer and meditation over the course of the day. The Biblical foundation for this is solid with examples like Daniel and David being a couple. I purposed to alter my life a bit to try to include a short time of prayer in the late morning, afternoon, and evening in addition to my quiet time with God in the morning which includes Bible reading and worship.

Over the last week I have begun to practice this with greater regularity. It has heightened my awareness of the activity of God in my life. It has given me a greater burden for those around me with a proportional ability to through the Spirit to show compassion. It has helped me to live in the presence of God, experience Him more and more, and as I obey Him to know Him better.

2 Peter 1:3-4 has come alive to me. I am not saying to be religious or legalistic about it, but I want to encourage you to find a way to know Jesus, because when you do, you will find divine power for daily living, and that is special mercy if there ever was one.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Our Mission – In Prayer

Dear Worshippers,

I wrote to you last week to challenge and encourage you to be a part of an increased focus on and activity in prayer for and through our Worship Ministries. I shared in choir last Wednesday night [hope to see many of you tomorrow] that God has really stirred my heart through Pastor David’s message THIS IS YOUR MISSION the previous Sunday, January 13. I have been reflecting on his word and God’s word in that passage (Matthew 9:35-38) over the last week, and the stirring has continued.

As I was preparing this Tuning I consulted Matthew Henry’s commentary to see what insight he might have and it confirmed everything the Lord had been speaking to me. Of this passage about our need to pray for the Lord to send out workers he wrote, “Let us pray that many may be raised up and sent forth, who will labour in bringing souls to Christ. It is a sign that God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it. And commissions given to labourers in answer to prayer, are most likely to be successful.” [emphasis mine]

Those words gripped my heart. “God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it.” That is what I am asking you to prayer for: some special mercy. Won’t you agree with me for that?!?

What does that look like? I believe it will look a little different in every circumstance as we “bring souls to Christ”, but it will be marked by one thing. Resurrection power.

In my preparation for Easter, I have again come across the verse in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” That is what will mark us as we ask and God answers by sending us out into the harvest field. Yes, I said us!

Notice the verse in Matthew 9:38 does NOT say, “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out OTHER laborers.” [ESV] It just says laborers, so God may and probably will answer our prayers by sending US. But when we pray, we have to ask with a willingness for the answer to come through us.

How will we respond when He sends us? How will we respond if we don’t' hear? How will we hear if we don’t listen? How can we listen if we are always talking in prayer? Join me in a new season of prayer as we seek to know Christ and the power of His resurrection poured out through us.

I am so excited I can hardly type quickly enough. I am praying for you to be caught up in the fresh, new thing God wants to do in us. This is our mission – in prayer.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Relationships

Dear Worshippers,

I am continuing to learn that life and ministry are all about relationships. Over the last week I have received a number of emails responding to this communication I fondly call my “tunings”. Without fail they reflected to me the relationship I have with each responder, some more intimate than others, while all very warm and honest. Though I may not have replied to all, I do consider every response valuable and appreciate each taking their time to share their thoughts. I am thankful to God for the relationship I have with each of you.

I did not mean to sound like I was about to quit writing, though it must had sounded that way. I was simply trying to evaluate the usefulness of what I had been communicating. The Spirit led me into that as part of a larger process of retooling in a sense. I will continue to write, Lord willing, as I pray that those who read will seek a similar kind of freshness in their service to the King. As I journey along, I am thankful to have each of you as companions in pursuing Christ-likeness.

This next part of the journey for me is going to be marked by prayer, as these tunings will reflect before resuming the Core Values series. Prayer is really about relationship. As I take time and relate to God in conversation, I get to know Him better. I can express to Him my concerns about my walk with Christ, my family, this ministry and our church for starters. He shows me His heart on these things and I come to a place of rest as I enjoy His presence.

I invite you to cultivate that relationship as well in 2008. Over the last couple of years with varied success I have attempted to organize a prayer ministry for our Worship Ministry. By God’s grace and for His glory, I am committed to revitalizing that ministry. It began with seven men a few of years ago, then expanded to include a larger group almost two years ago. The point of it was to have some things to pray about regarding the worship life of our church, with the ultimate goal of having teams praying not only for our services but during. I am making it my goal to see that happen in some form this year.

I have included below the text of my original communication to those who committed to be InterCessors as well as a list of ongoing and immediate requests. This will give you more information to make a prayerful consideration of involvement in this ministry. Do not be afraid or discouraged. God wants us to approach Him in prayer. We are going to do more of that in the days ahead as we pursue a deeper relationship with Christ and each other.

NEXT WEEK: Our Mission-In Prayer

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

[March 2006]

Dear InterCessors,

Thank you for answering the call to prayer. For a long time the leadership of the Alliance has said that prayer must be our first work. This ministry, a broad group of people praying collectively for the worship life of our church, will ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing. I believe we can move mountains. I believe Jesus gave us great authority that we too often fail to exercise. Thank you for being willing to “get in shape”, or rather to assist the worship life of our church to do so, through your prayers.

This is the commitment I would like to ask you to make. I am calling the InterCessors to spend 2006 as follows.

1. Praying everyday through a monthly prayer card (3-5 minutes)
2. Waiting on the Lord following this to hear His voice (1-2 minutes)
3. Praying on Sunday morning for the worship experience of the church gathered.
4. Praying the rest of the week for the worship experience of the work dispersed.

Eventually I would like to add a fifth phase, possibly in the fall once the team is a little larger

5. Praying once a month during the service with other members of the team for God to reveal Himself and His people to respond.

Communication and Evaluation

Dear Worshippers,

For almost three years now I have been writing this regular note. It has been a very profitable exercise for me because it forces me to think about worship and compose those thoughts into a compact form. The thoughts have been about our services in particular and the life of worship in general. But I am entering a New Year and am assessing the value of some of my commitments. In that process I came to this. I wanted to give you an opportunity to let me know if it is something that is beneficial to you, which would require reading it of course. I wondered if anyone has visited the blog where the entries can be found. Are there any suggestions you might have? Maybe the Lord wants to use you to help me reshape this tool.

As I considered requesting your input, I realized that some of you have been grafted in to this local church family or our worship ministries since this all began, so the history and background of why I do this might prove helpful. I have borrowed some of my own words from that first entry in 2005 to shape your thoughts…

TUESDAY TUNINGS

As I considered what to call this ongoing project, I wanted to pattern it after Pastor David’s in as many ways as possible. The day of the week on which it will be generated and a summation of the actual body of work were foundational to this concept. I wanted a different day of the week, and preferred earlier so as to come before rehearsals on Wednesday, and give more time to ponder before Sunday. I am not in my study on Monday, but Tuesday also meets the aforementioned demands while also providing time to reflect on the previous Sunday while it is still a fresh memory. Thus, TUESDAY.

Then in addition to the summation of the work, THOUGHTS for Pastor David, I liked the whole alliteration thing. Actually, I got hung up on it for a time, until my Lord delivered me. I am certain you all can understand what I am talking about as you consider your own personality strengths, which can become weaknesses if not managed well. Anyway, as I was reflecting on the name of this project about a year ago [2004], the Lord brought the text of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” to mind. Particularly the first stanza.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise His name-I’m fixed upon it-Name of God’s redeeming love.

The Holy Spirit quickened my mind to the first phrase in particular. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; My prayer through considering this ministry communication tool was indeed that God would use it (Come) and prepare our hearts (Tune) to communicate the fullness of Who He is. In those moments, I believed the Lord clarified this vision, through the words of the hymnist. I am certain a similar thing has happened to many of You. {Thank You, Lord for speaking to us in a variety of ways.} I want God to tune our hearts to sing of His matchless and glorious grace, and I will do whatever it takes for me to help you in that, in obedience to my Lord’s command. Thus, TUNINGS.

As we begin and continue this journey together, may our Lord Jesus, come and tune our hearts to sing loud songs of praise like the angels above to the glory of His grace and His redeeming love…

So share your evaluation with me. Is it helpful? Is it useful? Is it worth the time I spend crafting and sending it? I really want to know. Please speak the truth, in love of course. A simple reply should suffice. What the tuning does for me each week is to help me see a smaller snapshot of what God is doing right now, God’s fingerprints on this ministry. I am expecting Him to bring clarity through this process through you.

For those of you who read expecting an encouragement for your life of worship here is a devotional thought I received last week that I found particularly beneficial. It might help you answer why we sing new songs, in a fresh way. I know it will for me.

Psalm 144:7, 9

Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me... I will sing a new song to you, O God. NAS

Have you ever noticed how many times in the book of Psalms it speaks about singing a new song? What are some of the reasons why we need to sing a new song? I believe there’s one in that passage that I’ve just quoted: Every new deliverance calls forth a new song.

So as we go through life, from time to time we find ourselves in the situation where we have to call out to God for deliverance, but out of that deliverance there comes a new song. We learn something new about God, there’s a new depth in our experience and to give true and adequate expression to that new revelation and that new depth, the Holy Spirit gives us a new song. Sometimes it’s a song in a language we know; sometimes it’s a song in an unknown language.

But remember, a time of need is going to be followed by deliverance, and deliverance is going to call forth a new song. And when that deliverance comes don’t try to go back to some old song but be ready for the Holy Spirit to give you a new song that appropriately expresses the new truth, the new revelation, the new blessing that you’ve received out of that new deliverance.

So bear that in mind as you go through this path of life, a new deliverance calls forth a new song given by the Holy Spirit. - Derek Prince

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Dear Worshippers,

May the peace of our Prince fill your hearts and homes this wonderful Christmas season and all through the New Year, regardless of the circumstances in which you may find yourself. It is a joy and a delight to share this ministry with you for the glory of Jesus Christ, and I pray that you will know the joy of living in His presence in ever-increasing measure in 2008. As John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” [John 3:30, ESV] May that be our corporate prayer today and every day.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

What Can I Give Him?

Dear Worshippers,

On my mind these last few weeks has been this opportunity to bring a gift to Jesus this Sunday night in the service. When Pastor David first shared this idea that Kyle Linscheid first mentioned, immediately the verses from I Corinthians 14:26-40 came to mind. Paul offers instruction there for the orderly exercising of gifts in public worship. He says, “When you meet. One will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord.” Our offering of gifts to Jesus Sunday night I am certain will have that desired effect. I hope you will consider coming and contributing, whether with a song or poem or otherwise.

As I have been reflecting on this theme a poem came to mind by Christina Rossetti, titled “In the Bleak Midwinter”. In my search for the text, I came across a post on YouTube featuring Sarah Brightman singing this text to the traditional Gustav Holst melody. Here is the link to that video to introduce it to some of you, and remind the rest: In the Bleak Midwinter.

We only have the last stanza in our hymnal [The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, Word © 1986] for some reason. While it is beautiful, it is best understood and appreciated with the entire context of the poem. This was very difficult to find, but I believe is the complete original text. What a gift? Our hearts. I leave you with your Spirit-led reflections.

1.      In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan, 

        earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; 

        snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 

        in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2.      Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; 

        heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign. 

        In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed 

        the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. 

3.      Enough for Him whom cherubim worship night and day,

A breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him whom angels fall down before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

3.      Angels and archangels may have gathered there, 

        cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; 

        but his mother only, in her maiden bliss, 

        worshiped the beloved with a kiss. 

4.      What can I give him, poor as I am? 

        If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; 

        if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; 

        yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Let us be mindful as well of those who are aware how bleak midwinter is. There are many in our lives, even in our church, yes even on our shared area of ministry that look at the season we now enjoy with mixed emotions at best. Whether there is family disharmony or outright conflict, a fractured relationship, or simply reminders of the same, many are dealing with powerful and difficult emotions. Let us incarnate Christ to them and so share the peace that the He alone offers. Give Him your heart, and let Him use to in the life of another.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Thank You, Jesus

Dear Worshippers,

If you participated in the musical this past weekend, please know that I am truly grateful to you. As I said in our prayer time just before we started Sunday night, each of us had a role to play in communicating the message of peace available in Jesus. I thank my God as I remember your part, whatever it was.

I will take some time this week to write thank you notes to at least a few people who contributed to the success of the musical. I will not be able to tell everyone just how appreciative I am of their sacrifices, let alone the sacrifices of family and friends in the midst of this season. It takes a lot of people and a lot of time to do what the Lord did through us Sunday night. Again, I thank our God for the use of each of us.

I am also finding myself thanking Jesus for what He did Sunday night, the days leading up to it, and since. As I think about different things that happened, I am amazed at the goodness of our Lord to me and us. I don't really take the time to convey the many things that I see the Lord doing as we prepare a major work like the musical. Here is a short list:

♪ Excellent stage management assistance in Lisa Giessler, who truly feels as though her job is done best when no one notices, well done
♪ A wonderful combination of folks for the cast, their relationships as seen on stage proved to be a powerful venue for the Lord to communicate to us
♪ The furniture. This may seem like a little thing, but trust me it is not
♪ Caring for details like cookies, we never have too few
♪ The venue at the mall, the TV, and favor with the management. The latter especially was an unexpected blessing.
♪ Our audio/visual crew, including the high-flying Pastor Tony Etris who I learned is afraid of heights, and faithful Fred, and marvelous Meria
♪ Bringing people that we have invited. Only He can do that. Some of them were real surprises, to us at least.
♪ The orchestra players, who came a variety of times from a variety of places through a variety of contacts that only the Lord could make.
♪ The largest choir we have had in that loft since at least Easter. Great job! You are the foundation of this entire endeavor.
♪ And the list goes on.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you for these and any other blessings along the way that came by Your gracious hand. We revel in all that You are, in these days, this season, and forever.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Dear Worshippers,

With the snow falling these last couple of days, I have found myself humming this tune. I even caught Samuel singing it on the way to school this morning as we traveled white-covered roads. The lights are going up all over town, Christmas plans are in full swing, and you can feel it in the air. Christmas is coming. You can see.

As parents of small children, Sarah and I have really wrestled with what Christmas should look like. Presents under the tree can quickly become the focal point of this season that is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of our Savior. How many times are children asked that question during the lead-up to Christmas, “What do you want for Christmas?”

No before you think I am an old Scrooge, you must know that we delight in giving good gifts to our children. What we struggle with is doing so while trying even harder to keep Christ in Christmas. I know this is a universal struggle for every household, so I wanted to write today and encourage you along these lines…

What makes it look like Christmas in your home? For us, it is the nativity at the bottom of a tree decorated with angels. It is the Advent wreath where we try to gather every evening to light the candles and think about Jesus’ coming. It is decorating and going to see Christmas lights which penetrate the darkness and remind us that Jesus did and continues to do just that.

I am certain you have some traditions of your own that make Christmas special. I want to encourage you to enjoy them and the way they point you to the Savior. Maybe there is something new you have wanted to add for sometime and just haven’t. Maybe there is some obligatory thing that you have wanted to stop doing and just haven’t. Purpose to allow your spare moments in this busy holiday season to be filled with Christ. Know that I will be doing the same.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott