In Spirit and Truth

I’ve attended many Christian conferences and conventions where I experienced dynamic, Spirit-filled worship services. Recently during a local church service, the worship leader said, “Worship like you’ve never worshipped before!” His words were an attempt to solicitant an emotional response, but I really didn’t know what to do with them. By charismatic standards, the approximately 50 worshippers seemed subdued and the praise song selections just didn’t match the motivational words of the leader. Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24 NIV).

Arbitrator

When there is a conflict with another person many of us petition the Lord to settle the grievance. Naturally, we want Him to look favorably on us and get the other person in line with our point of view. In the Parable of the Rich Fool a man wanted Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:13-15 NIV). I suspect that in our personal prayers many of us fall into the habit of asking the Lord to be an arbitrator. However, it now occurs to me that rather than simply solving an issue there is a form of greed behind those requests.

Taking a Knee

In an act of defiance NFL football players decided to take a knee rather than pledge allegiance to the American flag and honor the National Anthem. I am offended, but rather than have my angst spew all over the blog I looked for a spiritual application. Eureka…Maybe the Lord is putting these guys on the field to practice taking a knee. “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Ro 14:11-12 NIV).

Simply Stated

As a pastor prepared for communion he tried to put the Lord’s Table in historical context. I knew he wanted to wind up with Jesus at the Last Supper; however, he was all over the map with Moses, Passover, killing the lamb, the blood on the door jambs and the Lamb of God. Certainly the pastor knew his material, but he failed to present it in a succinct manner and the importance of communion was lost in the Old Testament desert. Paul said, “…The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Cor 11:23b-25 NIV).

The Journey

During a church visit my pew-partner explained that she too was a first-time visitor. She shared with me that years ago she had joined her husband’s church out of obligation; however, he was no longer living and she knew she needed a connection to God. “I’ve gained a lot of weight and I worried that I might not be dressed right, but the woman who invited me to this church said my clothes wouldn’t matter.” The pastor’s welcome from the pulpit could not have been more profound and appropriate as he noted that we are all on the same journey, “We’re just going at a different pace.” Paul reminds us, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters” (Ro 14:1 NIV).

Give Thanks

A pastor explained that as time went on in his marriage he got used to his wife doing things and began to expect it. “When I opened my dresser drawer to get out clean clothes I never thought about how they got there. I took it for granted.” Making a spiritual application he continued, “Even in our church walk we begin to take God for granted. We stop saying thank you to the Lord!” Paul reminds us, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col 2:6-7 NIV).

Sowing

With fall around the corner one pastor reflected on farmers and their harvest. “Farmers reap a harvest in the fall because they planted in the spring.” Making a spiritual application with a profound twist he said, “You cannot sow un-forgiveness and expect to reap forgiveness.” In my mind failing to forgive is a personal, internal issue between believers and the Holy Spirit...and I place sowing a category of being a deliberate act. I’ve not considered, although I should have, that we can unconsciously sow un-forgiveness, as well as other sinful attitudes. Paul said, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7 NIV).

Taking a Knee

In an act of defiance NFL football players decided to take a knee rather than pledge allegiance to the American flag and honor the National Anthem. I am offended, but rather than have my angst spew all over the blog I looked for a spiritual application. Eureka…Maybe the Lord is putting these guys on the field to practice taking a knee. “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Ro 14:11-12 NIV).

Walk Down Memory Lane

I visited a Pentecostal church and as I settled into the pew I had an immediate feeling of homecoming. While I have no connection to the denomination, I do have a relationship with the pews themselves. For over 30 years I sat in these same pews at my previous church. Apparently when my old church was remodeled they passed the pews on to the Pentecostal church. The Lord blessed me with wonderful unexpected memories. “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3 NIV).

Voice of Thunders

Late Sunday evening our community experienced an extended period of lightning and window rattling thunder-bumpers. As I watched and listened I wondered what these particular thunders were saying. John reported, “And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” (Rev 10:4 NIV.) 

Cleaning the Inside

My mother-in-law’s upright freezer resided in her garage and was layered with dust. As I prepared to move the freezer to my house I removed the contents and started to wash down the outside, but after one swipe it was obvious the water would be filthy in no time. Remembering how I was taught as a child to wash dishes I switched course and started on the inside first. For all practical purposes once the inside was clean, the freezer was clean…especially considering that it was going back into a garage setting. Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matt 23:25-26 NIV).

Bigger Barns

As elderly folks relocate to assisted living or nursing homes it is often up to the children and grandchildren to dispose of their lifetime collections. My 94-year-old mother-in-law, who just moved in with us, is in remarkably good shape for her age. While we physically moved her possessions, we are leaving it up to her to sort, discard, save, or give away her treasures. She continues to say, “Why do we save stuff? Why did I keep all these things?” I’m reminded of the parable about the rich fool. The man produced a good crop, but lacked storage space, “He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods” (Luke 12:17-18 NIV). The fool’s life was demanded of him that night, so not only was all his planning for naught, others were left to either benefit from, or dispose of, what he had prepared for himself.

Perspective

Friday my mother-in-law moved in with us and that night our water heater died. Of course it was weekend and we needed a specific type of water heater. On Monday the plumbers located the right unit in a town 200 miles away, but it was inadvertently shipped to Denver rather than Montrose. Laundry piled up, we heated water on the stove to do dishes and took showers at the homes of family members. Last night we rejoiced when we had hot water for the first time in five days. However, God has a way of putting our trials in perspective and I need look no further that Texas or Florida to realize that five days without hot water is really not that big of a deal. 

Know That I Am God

I visited the Quaker Silent Worship Group who have no introductions, announcements, hymns, prayers, or preaching. For an hour we sat in meditation with only a cough, a sneeze and stomach growls breaking the silence. The lack of a preacher might be explained by a poster on the wall which read, “Be patterns, be examples in countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone (italics included).” George Fox, Quaker 1624-1691. There was no mention of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or any higher power. However, the Spirit within me spoke loud and clear, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalms 46:10 NIV). 

When She is Old

There have been a few times in my 47-year marriage when I’ve threatened to send my husband back to his mother, but she has always turned me down. Recently we made the family decision that Ruth, 94-years young, should give up living alone and driving her 1986 Lincoln and come to live with us. I may not be able to send Bill back to his mother…but I can bring his mother to him! Proverbs speaks today, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22 NIV).

Food at the Proper Time

Last week nine ducks visited my back yard and I made the mistake of feeding them. After only two days of giving them a hand-out the flock gathered in the breezeway and quacked until I came out. The situation felt remarkably similar to the boy who drove up in front of his girlfriend's house for a date and rather than walking to the door and ringing the doorbell, he honked the horn and she came running. Good grief…now I have duck poo to wash off the sidewalk. The psalmist wrote, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16 NIV).

Opening the Eyes of the Blind

Being a person of faith is no guarantee that we understand what we need. As Jesus left Jericho there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. “Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matt 20:32-34 NIV). Even in the lives of mature believers there are still spiritual areas where we are blind and we too should be telling the Lord, “…we want to receive our sight.” 

Which Ones?

The rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to get eternal life and Jesus told him to obey the commandments. In typical young adult fashion, the man inquired, “Which ones?” (Matt 19:18a NIV). His question makes me laugh…heaven forbid that he should try to follow all the commandments. Today’s believers do something similar as we parse out Scripture looking for the minimal requirements needed to be called a Christian.

Altar Call

I recently visited a church that was more of the faith-healing and talking-in-tongues variety. Clapping, swaying, dancing to a tambourine and waving flags apparently loses something in small groups and we numbered only 10. There was an altar call following communion and an older couple went forward where there was laying on of hands and anointing with oil. It seemed to take considerable time before the Spirit moved visibly in these folks and they returned to their seats. When no one else went to the altar, the leadership then went into the audience and approached people in their seats. It became uncomfortable and awkward as I began to realize that if you don’t go to the altar, the altar comes to you!

Some Churches

I attended a church who described themselves as a full-gospel church. “Some churches just want to use the New Testament, but we use the whole Bible. They say we don’t need that stuff back there [Old Testament].” Holding up her Bible she said, “This is the Word of God…the whole thing. Jesus is in the Old Testament as much as he is in the New Testament.” Her comments were intended to elevate her own church and/or cast a shadow of discrepancy on other churches; however, I must take exception to the statement. In two years of visiting over 120 churches I have yet to find any church that teaches only from the New Testament. The body of believers understand that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16 NIV).

Prophecies Will Cease

I was unfamiliar with a body of believers who identified themselves as a Five-Fold Church, but have since learned they take their charge from Ephesians 4:11. Paul said, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...” Prospective members are asked to fill out a 100-question survey that helps identify one of the five categories in which they are best suited, or qualified. I wonder how this body of believers reconcile Paul’s thoughts, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears” (1 Cor 13:8-10 NIV).

Producing Fruit

As we reflect on our Christian walk we can sometimes identify the fruit we’ve produced in the kingdom and many of us measure ourselves by the Fruit of the Spirit — love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22). It gave me pause when I came across the fruit of lips, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb 13:15 NIV).