The Spirit of Fear

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”-NKJV

Is it me, or does the celebration of Halloween get bigger and bigger every year?  I can remember when you didn’t start to see Halloween items until October but now you’ve got Halloween Adventure stores popping up in August.   Everywhere you turn there’s masks, scarecrows, ghosts, ghouls, witches, haunted hay rides, haunted houses…even at a strip mall near me has had a good portion of their parking lot taken over by an elaborate “haunted” display. Why such a focus on this holiday?  The motive may be more ulterior than you think.

If you look on the internet there are many conflicting stories about the origin of the celebration.  Some sites link you to a celebration that takes place in Latin American called the Day of the Dead where by the “spirits” of people who have passed away are honored. On this day it is thought that the spirits return so people put out food for them to receive.  Another site notes the Festival of Samhain (Lord of the Dead).  The same custom is mirrored with the anticipation of consequences for lack of an “offering”.  Can you say “Trick or Treat?”  Still think this is an innocent children’s holiday?  For arguments sake, let’s say this was not the original intent of the holiday.  The parallels are purely…coincidental. (Yeah, right!)

If we hold the bible as the absolute authority on the truth of God regarding the issues of life, we can gain a different perspective. In the passage above we can see a few things just by observation.  The first thing to note is that fear is spiritual.  The word spirit is defined as, “the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one; the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.”  Fear, like joy and anger, is an emotion that registers in our spirit.  When you are happy or experiencing joy, the euphoric feeling registers on the inside and the outward projection is a smile.  In the same vein, when you are afraid it registers deep on the inside as well and it also has an outward manifestation.

The next thing to note is that God didn’t give us this spirit.  Looking at the root for the word, whenever you come across the instruction to “fear your God” in the Old Testament as in Leviticus 19:32, it is the Hebrew word “yare’” which translates to, “reverence; to stand in awe of, be awed; honor, respect.” However, in 2 Timothy, fear is the Greek word “deilia” which translates to, “dread; timidity, fearfulness, cowardice.”  If God wants us to come boldly to His throne, we can’t come boldly and cower at the same time.  If we dread God, we won’t have the faith to ask Him for anything.  We will live in a constant state of self-condemnation fearing the consequences of sin.  Hence, it should be clear that this use of fear is not God’s desire for mankind.  Let’s take a look at why.

First, fear opposes power.  Power can be broken down into authority and ability.  If you are anything like me, you have instances in everyday life where you find yourself rushing.  Because of this rush, you may find yourself traveling at a speed just above what the sign on the road directs.  However, when you see the trooper car on the side of the highway your foot finds the brake to ever so gently, decrease your speed.  (Confession; good for the soul, bad for the reputation) The officer doesn’t have to say anything or even get out of the car, his or her presence stops you because of the authority vested in them. Every once in a while you find folks who choose to ignore this authority and the officer has to back it up with another form of power which is the demonstration of ability…the usage of the gun, the handcuffs and the night stick. Cops don’t accessorize for fashion’s sake.  I thank God for the police because when someone really acts crazy they are empowered with authority and capable of taking action to change the situation.  However, it’s a sad day when the police show up on the scene and are intimidated by their surroundings.  This is why an officer, who has had a traumatic experience, is usually on desk duty until they regain confidence and then they are commissioned to re-engage.  An officer operating in fear will not exercise the power vested in them and therefore the whole police force is undermined.

Not only power but fear opposes love.  The kind of love God has for us is called agape; unconditional love.  You may think that His love is dependent on our acceptance of Christ but Romans 5:8 says, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  John 15:13 goes on to say, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  This is a love that is vulnerable and open to be hurt but according to 1 Corinthians 13, it never fails.  Fear affects love because we link trust and love together.  Since we usually keep a record of wrong doings, we are afraid to trust and our love has conditions. However, The Word tells us that perfect love casts out fear.  This suggests the two can not dwell in the same space like oil and water.  You either walk in fear of being hurt or you walk in love forgiving transgressions.

Not only love but fear opposes sound thinking.  The phrase “sound mind” comes from the Greek word “sōphronizō” which means, “sane, in one’s senses; curbing one’s desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate”.  Have you ever been scared because you thought someone, or something had gotten in your house?  Once motivated by fear, every sound you hear for the next few seconds will freak you out.  There once was a baby who found his way out of the crib to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  The father heard a sound but had no idea his son could get out of the crib.  So he jumps up, grabs a hammer and stands at the bathroom door awaiting the alleged, assailant’s emergence.  The boy flushes the toilet, comes out the bathroom, says, “hey dad” and gets back in the bed.  Realistically, would a criminal break into a house, use the bathroom and take the time to flush before doing their dirt? Before you laugh at my dad, you must take into consideration that he was awoken from sleep to hear noise and my mom was in bed next to him.  He’s a military man who didn’t have time to theorize…he was a man…prepared to defend his home from the intruder…who needed a potty break.

So what does all of this have to do with Halloween?  Well we can debate about the true origin but when you walk into any store that is selling Halloween items, you will find machinery rigged to scare you.  The manikins have sensors so when you get close they scream or move.  It is normative to see these things and it is normative be in a state of fear on this day.  In fact, horror move sales increase on this date.  Fear is definitely associated with the day.  If you practice living in a state of fear, ever so subtly your brain becomes accustomed to operating in fear because you are making “fear deposits” into your spirit.  (Remember fear is spiritual)  Just like an abused person can look forward to the next abusive situation, fear is accompanied by an adrenaline rush that one can get addicted to.  If this is not the focus of the day, how come that’s all you see?

Finally, don’t under estimate demonic forces.  If you are practicing a custom where by you are expecting ghoulish looking creatures to come to your home…think about it…how would you know if it’s a harmless kid in costume or someone under demonic influence?  Sure the mail carrier could be ”demonically” influenced as well but the persons coming to your door on the 31st don’t quite resemble the folks who come to your house or a regular basis now do they?

Flawed Leadership

2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” – KJV

A little while ago I posted a question on Facebook asking, “Can you follow flawed leadership? Why/Why Not?”  (The question was not particularly directed at church leadership, but leadership in general)  A few weeks later a gospel radio announcer posed a question with a similar concept about staying in a church after a pastor was caught in an offense.  What I found interesting is that in both cases, the majority of the responses were “yes”.  People said things like, “Everyone has flaws” or “Is there any other kind?”  In some instances people began to “take a text” attempting to preach a sermonette in the comment sections to support this positive point of view.  However, I had to agree with the announcer who redirected his question asking for people to call in/comment with the truth because too many people leave churches and jobs because of being “turned off” or offended by leadership.  After he made that statement, people began to call in and respond with the answer “no” and began to defend their position.

What prompted the question I posted was reading an article where a pastor crafted a two-page newsletter to call for the removal of a public official from office based upon a decision they made on one issue.  Yes, one wrong decision and you deserve to be removed!  Wow!  I couldn’t help but wonder if someone in the congregation ever had a problem with this pastor’s decisions.  What if they took out a two-page letter to ask for their removal?  Forget about people, is there a leader that breathes that can claim to have never made a bad decision in God’s eyes?  Is God’s response always the eject button?  (The fact that strength is still in my fingers to type this article is proof that it’s not.) 

Now don’t get me wrong, one sin does make you eligible for hell absent the blood of Christ.  We just need to recognize “The Blood” was shed so we have an opportunity for forgiveness and to repent.  If God did that for us, why do we find it difficult to allow others the same opportunity?  I believe it’s because we forgot what the make-up of humanity really is.  Let’s take a moment to explore what Paul uncovered while writing to the church of Corinth.

Chapter 4 begins with the concept that ministry came from God and through His mercy.  No one is really “good enough” but God had compassion on us and gave us a purpose.  Never forget that if you are involved in any form of ministry, the service you provide should coincide with your purpose for living.  It’s not necessarily about the paycheck.  The fulfillment you receive for doing what God designed you to do for the sake of helping others is priceless.  Don’t mistake your service for your title.  The title that precedes your name is for the recognition of authority because God’s House has order.  However, if you are really doing what God designed you to do it is difficult to label your service.  Even God scratched His head in conversation with Moses attempting to explain His Ministry to humanity and had to simply say, “I AM THAT I AM.” (Exodus 3:13-14)  We are required to serve God but don’t ever miss the fact that within the names of God we discover what His service is toward us. (I.e. Provider, Protector, Healer, Delivered, Shelter, Father, etc.)  Ephesians 3:11-12 reveals that God gets fulfillment out of serving us, “to the praise of His glory”.  Hence, our service to Him is actually representing His hands and feet in the earth and being the expression of His Ministry to others.  This is why we don’t faint!  So how does God “enlist” us into the ministry?

He takes “this treasure” and puts it in earthen vessels.  Let’s talk about “this treasure” for a moment.  Thayer’s Lexicon defines “treasure” as, “the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up; a casket, coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept; storehouse, repository, magazine; the things laid up in a treasury, collected treasures”.  It comes from a root word that means, “to set, put, place, make, fix establish”.  If you ever watched any pirate movies than you understand the lengths that one goes through to go after treasure.  You see the resources, the ships, the arsenal, the people, and the time invested to seek it out.  You also see the efforts of the owner to hide it and keep it from those they wish not to have it.  First they hide the map, and then they guard it.  If you make it through that stage, there are booby traps en route to the destination of the treasure.  It’s usually a very elaborate process to keep these precious items.  Well, what could be more precious than the Word of God?  Look at how Isaiah 61:1-3 describes The Gospel:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

This is the treasure that God sticks in an earthen vessel…wait a minute!  We understand that a “vessel” is something used to carry or transport items but the description “earthen” is what we need to hone in on.  “Earthen” is defined as “clay, with the added suggestion of frailty”.  It comes from the root “ostrakon” where we get the word “oyster”.

I discovered that there are 2 types of pearls oysters can produce; natural and cultured.  Natural pearls are produced by a parasite getting into the shell and the oyster secreting fluid to cover it.  Over a period of time it hardens and becomes a pearl.  Cultured pearls are produced the same way with one exception, the “irritant” is man-made or “man-orchestrated”.  Meaning man places something in the shell to start the process.  The result is usually a perfectly shaped pearl…but it has a much lesser value than a natural pearl.

So when you think of an earthen vessel, consider that there are irritants that one must endure to produce valuable pearls.  God’s sovereignty allows the natural process that ensues in verses 8-9 of being hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down to produce gems.  That’s the message to the leader.  You are going to have to endure some stuff.  The message to the follower is, as you watch the leader going through, you are going to see the flaws of your leader.  Consider what you see as the process of your leader secreting mucus to cover the “parasite” whose goal is to steal, kill and destroy.  Pray for you leader and believe that if God chose them, they will get through their season of testing.

The flip-side is the “man-made” frustration.  These are the ones where the devil sits on the side and shrugs his shoulders because he didn’t orchestrate it.  I guarantee he’ll utilize it; mostly to kill the leader’s witness.  Sometimes these will surface in the midst of a trial.  The message to the leader is to be careful not to fall subject to these trials because they can be avoided.  The message to the follower is to observe this closely and test the spirit. (1 John 4:1)  If your leader has truly made an error and focuses on blaming the devil for being exposed rather than confessing and repenting; that can be filed under the man-made irritant category.  The adversary will get a lot of mileage out of a person who refuses to recognize their error and ignores the fact the God is trying to get their attention.  When they emerge from this trial, they are bound to repeat it because they come out with a false or “cultured pearl” of victory.

I don’t think the leader gets to escape by singing, “I’m Only Human”.  However true that may be, they are still held to a higher standard because people make “life decisions” based upon what they see their leaders do.  Hence, there is a penalty for leading others astray. (Luke 17:2)  What we have to recognize is that the penalty is to be inflicted by God, not man.  We are still required to be obedient and to pray for them. (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 2:1-2)

This is not to say that I believe you should stay through everything and follow your leaders off cliffs.  Hebrews 13:7 encourages us to “consider the end of [their] conversation”.  This means we are to look at attentively, to consider well and to observe accurately their manner of life, conduct and behavior.  However, if your observations seem to merit your exit, just make sure that you see God opening the door before you go.  If God is not leading you out, than stay your course and know that God is in charge of the leader He set in place (Proverbs 8:15-16) and remember leaders do not have cart blanche.  Hebrews 13:17 doesn’t just tell us to obey, but it also reminds us that leaders must give an account for how they lead.  Likewise, what followers must remember is that we too must give an account for how we respond to leadership.

Never Forget Your First Love

Revelations 2:4-6, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” – NIV

Recently a friend asked if I had ever lost my zeal for ministry.  My first thought was, “Well yeah, doesn’t everybody have moments like this?”  However the Lord challenged me to go deeper beyond the “yes” and deal with the “why”.  As I thought about it I remembered two very specific times and realized there was a consistent theme.

A while back I endured a season where it seemed I had the reverse “Midas Touch” in that everything I did turned to rubbish instead of gold.  No matter what I did, the people who “I thought” should notice could’ve cared less.  Ever done something you thought was pretty spectacular and had folks look at you as if it’s not really that special?  Worse, ever see someone else do the same thing after you and the same folks do back flips?  Then you go to them to remind them that this is what you had brought to them at first and they remember but are still unimpressed with you?  If you’ve had this experience then you know what heartache feels like.  These are the kind of seasons that make you question your anointing and your call.

There was another season where the ministry I was responsible for just didn’t seem to fit into the plan of our church.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, we lost our rehearsal space and we were withheld from ministering in an already irregular rotation.  We were not the only ministry in this situation but that matters little when you already have your clothes on and table set for the pity party your hosting.

In both situations, God used folks from outside to affirm and confirm what He was doing.  In fact, in one instance God used a prophetic voice to utter these words to me, “You think no one sees what you are doing and your contributions have no value but everything you have done has been recorded in heaven.”  At that point, you could have brought stock in Kleenex because I was going through tissues!  After the “emotion” wore off, the enemy immediately tried to make me focus on who wasn’t there to hear this affirmation so I’d miss the point.

Anytime you are focusing more on your accomplishments, abilities and/or the notoriety of “ministering”, you are at risk for a “zeal-steal”.  Now before we get defensive, please consider the whole thought.  You really don’t have to be the “Hey look at me” Christian to have your priorities misaligned.

In Revelations 2, the Lord is speaking to churches and warning them of the judgement that was coming to their door.  Some churches were way out-of-order but the church of Ephesus was not quite in that category.  Verses 2-3 state:

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”

This seems like a very good report.  With an introduction like this it is hard to feel anything is left for the church to say except, “We fought the good fight, finished our course, kept the faith…”  Seriously, if we break it down we see: the church is not lazy but known for hard work and tenacity.  They have high spiritual standards with a zero tolerance for wickedness.  They’re saturated enough in the Word to identify false prophets.  They endure hardship like good soldiers and have not grown weary in well-doing!  I need to find this church!  This really sounds like a group of folks who read the letters to Timothy in the New Testament and took them to heart.  So how did this church chart a course for disqualification?  The chapter goes on to state:

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Think for a moment what it’s like to be “in love”.  I remember when I first discovered that I loved my girlfriend, who is now my wife.  Truth be told, it was all about her.  If we were going to a restaurant, I wanted to take her where she wanted to go.  If it was the movies, “What do you want to see?”  If I was going to buy cologne, it was important that she went to the mall with me to “sign-off” on the scent.  However after a few years if I’m honest, my theme song became Janet Jackson’s, “What have you done for me lately?”  If married couples are honest, the majority of the arguments take place because someone feels they are somehow being neglected, disrespected, or the “I do more for you than you do for me” complex.  As soon as the focus turns from the one you love to you, there’s bound to be trouble.

Now this is not a marriage ministry article but there is a reason God uses marriage as an example of His relationship to the church and why the concept of family is used to represent the functionality of God.  When Jesus walked the earth, He was concerned with the will of The Father (John 8:28).  When He returned to heaven, He sent The Holy Spirit (John 16:7).  Due to the sacrifice Jesus endured, God The Father raised the name of Jesus above “every name” (Philippians 2:9).  They were never concerned with their own affairs but always with each other.

The Bible doesn’t give us insight on specific examples that show Ephesus’ guilt and I believe that is intentional so we don’t comparison shop “deeds” and count ourselves out of the verse.  Love is a matter of the heart.  Jesus shares during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:28 regarding the subject of adultery, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  In our passage of focus, the church of Ephesus was not being judged so much on their deeds as they were being judged for the condition of their heart in the midst of “good deeds”. 

Every once in a while we should do a self-examination; particularly when we find ourselves feeling discouraged.  What are our motives?  Are we seeking approval from man or is God’s stamp good enough? (Galatians 1:10)  I’ll leave you with this thought, the prophet Jeremiah was called to preach to a people who would never hear him.  It got so bad that he wrote a “book of tears” called Lamentations.  However, he pleased God when he was obedient and there is no telling what kind of reward he received in heaven for being faithful to his call on earth.

If I’m honest, in my two personal scenarios I must admit that I had put too much weight on the acknowledgement of people and God wanted to get that out of me.  Now hear me clearly…God does use people in the lives of the believer and I am still supposed to respect and obey those God has allowed to be in authority.  However, I need to accept that God’s call is individual and specific and I need to acknowledge Him over flesh.  I need to be in tune enough with God to be able to discern that even though everyone around me is cheering and celebrating, God could have left the room hours ago!  I also need to understand that God could be cheering all by Himself while folks close to me are “booing”.   If we remember why we got into ministry in the first place, there is a better chance that we will find great fulfillment in pleasing The Creator; the One who loved us first.  Never forget your first love.

Don’t Fake the Faith

Romans 4:18-22, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’   Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead–since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’” – NIV

 JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise came up with a song last year that has been in my spirit ever since I first heard it, “Resting on His Promise”.  For me it’s a very powerful song considering the season I dealt with last year.  All of the nuggets of truth that one needs to hear when the situation looks grim are contained in the verses.  The vamp and the repetitive nature of the song force you to meditate on the principles of the promises of God.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many doctrinally sound songs on the radio.  However, a good percentage of the ones that were meant to encourage actually take you on a full journey through the bottom of the trial and then end on a high note.  This song approaches the topic of trials from a different vantage point and I believe there is a parallel in a New Testament description of what made Abraham’s faith noteworthy.  Let’s walk through Romans 4:18-22 and see if we can hone in on a few faith sustaining points.

 “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”

Paul begins by explaining that Abraham had a belief and awareness of God’s Promise. Abraham had a hope or an expectation based upon this belief.  Studying the Greek root for “believe” we find the meaning, “to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; in a moral or religious reference, to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.”  This is the kind of faith Abraham is said to have had in God. 

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead–since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.”

I think we need to deal with the phrase “faced the fact” or in the KJV, “contemplated” for a moment.  The Greek root for “contemplate” means, “to perceive, remark, observe, understand; to consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon; to know.”  Many times in Christendom I feel, through a misinterpretation of scripture, we are taught to avoid or ignore the fact.  We are taught to interpret Proverbs 18:21 to mean that if you speak about something bad it will come into existence because we have creative power.  Now I’m not challenging that principle, but I think it needs clarification.  For example; if the electric bill is due and you don’t pay it, saying you don’t have a bill doesn’t make it disappear.  If you have been notified by your doctor that you need to change your eating habits and drop a few pounds…I don’t care if you get the whole bottle of olive oil and slap it on your belly and say, “I command you to shrink in the name of Jesus”…if you are still stuffing a two-foot cheese steak in your mouth…your belly ain’t going nowhere!  

I realize these are extreme examples but the point is, recognizing a challenge is not speaking death to your situation.  Speaking death is professing or confessing the probability of a negative out come.  If we take one of the extreme examples above and flip it, this could be considered speaking death, “The electric bill is due and I have no money so tomorrow we are going to be in the dark!”  This would be considered speaking life, “The electric bill is due and I don’t have enough money to pay it.  However, God is aware and capable of provision.  He can also grant me favor when I make the call.  Therefore I will submit this to Him and do what He says!”

 When the Bible says that Abraham “faced the fact that his body was as good as dead”, it meant Abraham was conscious of his situation.  He was fully aware that it was not logical within human means for a child to be produced from his loins.  He was not confused about the facts and he wasn’t in denial.  He faced the fact.

“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Hey Paul, are we talking about the same Abraham?  Isn’t this the Abraham who no sooner than hearing God’s Promise, makes a detour due to the fear of famine and then lies about his wife being his sister for fear of death?  Abraham got nervous, scared and was even talked into taking matters into his own hands to produce a child but according to Romans it was not credited to him as wavering faith.  I must admit that this is a strange concept.  I mean, can’t we put the things Abraham did into the same category as the verses in James 1 regarding doubt?  So how does he still end up in the “Hall of Faith” (in Hebrews 11)?  I believe the answer can be found on the backend of our passage.

First we are told that his faith was strengthened.  My dad had weak wrists as a child and would always end up breaking or spraining them.  In order to fix the problem, the doctor told him to squeeze tennis balls and use hand grips.  The more he used them, the stronger his wrists became.  So it is with faith.  The challenges Abraham faced out of his fear were actually opportunities to strengthen his faith.  You don’t know God can bring you through, until you have been through.

Next the Bible says he was, “fully persuaded”.  If we examine the origin of the words that make up this phrase, we find, “to bear or bring full, to make full; filled up as opposed to empty and to bear and/or bring, carry”.  When Abraham first heard God’s Promise, he had an empty cup.  Each time he went through a test and God brought him out, he made a deposit in his cup.  By the time he got to the Isaac test, his cup was full and he could carry it with him.  How do we know this?  In Genesis 12:8 he built an altar after he received the promise of an heir.  After his first set of trials, he went right back to the same altar he had built and prayed to God. (Gen 13:4)  This was the “filling” that made him full.  It wasn’t just going through the trial but it was remembering the promise of God and referring to it at every step.

I once heard a preacher say that it’s not good enough to just have faith “in faith”.  It is good to know what faith is but in the midst of a trial it is better to have “active” faith.  To activate our faith, we can’t be in denial of our trial.  It does exist!  However, we need to be fully persuaded that God has power to do and is completely capable of keeping His Word.  The only way we can accomplish that feat is to continually rehearse His Word in our spirit.  Then we can rest on His Promise.

Don’t fake it but face it and believe He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us! (Eph 3:20)

Favored, Not Forsaken

Genesis 18:3, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” – NKJV 

In Genesis 18 we see one of the first physical manifestations of the triune God in the presence of man.  When Abraham makes the connection of “who” the three were that came to visit him, he makes a conditional request to serve them if he has found favor with them.  In verse five they comply thereby confirming his “favored” status.

Abraham had found favor with the Lord, yet his life was riddled with trials.  Not only was he dealing with trials, he was awaiting the fulfillment of a promise that was made 10 years ago for a child.  At this time the Lord visits, en route to destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and reaffirms the pledge with the phrase, “to the time of life” which basically translates to, “by this time next year”.  Finally there was some certainty to the promise!  God had marked it with a calendar date as proof positive that He would make good on what He said.  Two chapters later, Abraham finds himself in a situation with Abimelech claiming his wife.

I’m not sure what kind of 2010 you had but I must confess that it was a very rough year for my house.  Financial challenges, ministry challenges, schedules changing in the house and trying to make adjustments…it was a weighty year.  Every time I came up for air, it felt like something knocked me right back down.  If the enemy had his way, my attention would be drawn toward every trial and I would easily assume that the favor of God must have left me for some reason.  It would not be a far stretch for me to journey down a path of self persecution and condemnation desperately trying to find the “why” in my struggle.

However, I thank God for stories like Abraham’s.  It serves as documentation that in spite of the struggles, God is still with you.  No matter what obstacles you face, God will come through.  It’s one thing to read in Romans 8 that I am more than a conqueror but it’s another thing to read the life story of someone who conquered.

Abraham was not perfect, but he was being perfected.  In the midst of a promise, he responds to his fear and makes bad choices.  In Genesis chapter 12 he lies about Sarah being his sister and not his wife.  In chapter 16, he agrees to lay with Hagar to have a son instead of waiting on the Lord.  Yet we arrive at chapter 18 with him still having favor with the Lord and then in chapter 20, he lies about his wife being his sister again.

Can I be honest and share that some of my challenges in 2010 were my fault?  Yes there were some blind sides but I have to own that I made some bad decisions and in some cases I reaped the fruit of bad decisions from years ago.  Do you see how self-condemnation could creep in?  However the Word tells us in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”.  Please note that I do not believe this is a blank check or a get out of jail free card to do whatever you feel like doing and expect no consequences.  I do believe you will reap what you sow but you are not forever condemned.  That’s good news!  Remember, Christ died once for all so He is not holding it against us and cursing us for life.  I can have hope knowing that the stuff that hit me out of left field and the stuff I generated will both come to an end!  Hallelujah!

One of the definitions of favor is, “God’s face toward you”.  In other words, if you have the favor of God on your life, it means that He is literally looking toward you and is actively calculating everything you are going through.  He’s measuring what you can handle and what you can’t and believe it or not, no matter how intense you have gauged your storm to be…there are still some things He has held back from your account.  His face is toward you because He has purpose for your life and He is going to make sure that you have everything you need to fulfill it.

Please remember that the devil is not a cute cuddly creature with horns and a pitchfork that sits on your shoulder and suggests evil things for you to do.  He’s powerful, wise and backed by a host of demons.  He fully understands that when he got ejected from heaven, you took his place.  He’s fully aware that when all is said and done, he has an eternal flame waiting for him that will never be quenched.  Therefore he has an utter hatred for human kind.  So when the Word says that he came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10); take that literally.  The trials you face by his hand were meant to take you out and if you are still standing, you now have an application for the passage in Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

As we enter into 2011 let’s be mindful of the fact that just because we drank some sparkling beverages, blew a noisemaker or even made a declaration that this was going to be a new year…doesn’t mean that on January 1^st all of our challenges magically disappeared.  The monstrous bill that you owed in 2010 is probably still there waiting for you to work out a payment plan in 2011.  The health issue that existed was probably still there when you woke up on January 1.  The folks who were trying to get you last year are still plotting.  I’d like to suggest we redefine “new” as we move forward.

First thank God for keeping you through 2010 and understand that if you were allowed to wake up in 2011 than He still has use for you on this earth.  If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, there is still an opportunity for you to miss hell and meet Him.  Realize that you have new opportunities to forgive, new opportunities to be a blessing and new opportunities to achieve the purpose for which you were created.  Acknowledge your mistakes before God, forgive yourself and then commit to doing better going forward.  This will only be a new year if we do something new.  Let’s not anticipate all of our trials magically evaporating, but let’s acknowledge that God has given us enough grace to make it through anything that comes our way.  As old trials end, new ones will come but since we are blessed and favored, we will not be forsaken!

Artistic Swagger: A Heathy Sense of Self-Worth

Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD:”Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these I delight,” says the LORD.” – NKJV

Over the years I’ve had a chance to meet several artistically gifted individuals and have learned that most fit into two categories with regards to creative self-esteem.  There are those who are so impressed with themselves that they can smother a room when they enter and there are those who are scared of their own shadow.  The “room smotherers” are those who have been on the journey a while and possibly experienced some hard knocks but are over that hurdle now and feel they have arrived.  They could also be the product of newly recognized talent who because of the sudden and overwhelming attention have become overbearing in spirit.  The ones with “shadow phobia” are either young in their area and trying to grow or they have been on the journey a while and have been belittled and ridiculed so long that they have accepted the report of the enemy.  I’m sure you can predict that we are going to approach this topic from the perspective that one is worse than the other but it’s probably not the one most would think.  In this area it is more damaging to be “shadow phobic”, however I am not recommending we all become “room smotherers”.  We need a more balanced approach to becoming artists with a healthy sense of self-worth; swagger if you will.

Unless you have an extremely extensive vocabulary and read the dictionary every day, you probably assumed “swagger” was a slang term that the kids of today came up with but nothing could be further from the truth.  From a slang perspective according to the Urban Dictionary, “swagger” means: “How one presents him or herself to the world.  Swagger is shown from how the person handles a situation. It can also be shown in the person’s walk.  A person’s style-the way they walk, talk, dress, (their) attitude; to move with confidence, sophistication and to be cool; to conduct yourself in a way that would automatically earn respect; to dress in a very stylish and quirkily fashionable way.”  In a similar vein, according to Merriam-Webster the root for this word means, “chatter” and the noun form dates back to the year 1725 with the definition, “arrogant or conceitedly self-assured behavior; ostentatious display or bravado; a self-confident outlook: cockiness.”  This is sounding like one of those “room smotherers”.  What’s funny is that God intends for us to have a little swagger in our step as well but we must be very careful not to have a misappropriated “swag”.  If we look at Jeremiah 9:23-24 we can see that God has a counter for the areas that would cause us to be self-absorbed.

First the passage identifies, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom”.  Let’s deal with glory first.  Examining this passage in other translations, we find “glory” is akin to “boast” and therefore, there is a relation with the text-book definition of swagger.  In Hebrew to glory means to, “shine (figuratively God’s favor), to flash forth light; to praise, boast; to glory, to make a fool of; to act madly, act like a madman”  So there’s a reflection principle at work.  Have you ever driven anywhere and the sunlight hits your mirror?  When this happens, it appears as if the whole mirror is a light but it’s not.  It simply reflects what it “sees”.  Since we get our light from God, we shine forth that which was given to us.  We really can’t claim to be anything but what He made us to be.  After all it is in Him we live, and move, and have our being. (Acts 17:28)  Now let’s move to wisdom.

The Hebrew root reveals a one word definition as the first detail, “skill”.  WOW!  If there is one area we can get stuck on is glorying in what we know.  I’ve listened to fellow artists critique the mess out of someone who is less skilled than they are.  And don’t let the “less skilled” get access to places we can’t or get a bigger applause or invoke God’s presence…watch out for the knives and daggers!  However God grants a warning that can help us not smother the room with our great level of skill.  1Corinthians 8:1 shares that, “…Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”  The word “edify” means, “to build” and is most often used in reference to building up others.  Hence, to minimize arrogance in this area we should seek to help those who are less skilled to become more skilled.  Now many of us would declare, “Hold on, I try to help those inferior, substandard, low-grade, second-rate, mediocre (insert your brand of art here) but they won’t listen!”  A lot of time the problem is the spirit in which we come to help.  We can’t help from the stance of showing this “subpar” artist what I know, but from the posture of “loving-kindness”; goodness, kindness and faithfulness.  1Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the best parameters, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”  The attitude has to be more to see someone excel and possibly exceed us, than to just gaining the kudos for “showing them the way”.

Next we see, “let not the mighty man glory in his might”.  Wisdom knows what to do but might is the ability to do what you know.  The Hebrew root yields the definition, “Strength, valor and bravery”.  Unlike the Greek definition which speaks to expressed strength, this speaks to what happens before you move.  If we don’t think we can, we probably won’t.  Here “might” is a mindset that says “I can jump!”  What follows is bending your legs and starting the process.  We need to feel like we can do it but what keeps us from slipping to the overconfident side is “judgement”.  This word stems from a root that means, “to judge, govern, vindicate, punish”.  Before just doing what we know how to do, we need to take time to exercise judgment to see what the end result is going to be.  Judgement will cause us to not perform like a soloist when we are ministering in a group.  It doesn’t mean we perform at a sub par level but it means we are not happy being so far out in front of the team that everyone decides not to go forward because they can’t keep up with us.  In basketball the point guard is supposed to be able to shoot, but if they take all the shots they don’t help the team do well.  Judgement says, “I’m only here by God’s grace anyway so let me help someone else so we can all get the spoils”.

Finally the passage says, “nor let the rich man glory in his riches”.  The word “riches” stems from a root that means, “to be or become rich or wealthy, enrich, pretend to be rich”.  The idea of being rich usually has to do with abundance.  We can have a lot of money, knowledge or “friends in the industry”…I mean “ministry”.  The danger here is defining ourselves by what we have rather than who we are.  The definition of “riches” alludes to the fact that there can be a pretense to being rich.  We could “look” rich and not really “be” wealthy.  How often do artists name drop to appear “big time” but when the rubber meets the road, they really don’t have a relationship with who they “claim” to know?  Usually richness is associated with a kingdom but The Word tells us that to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be poor in spirit. (Matthew 5:3)  Further within The Beatitudes we find that those who are persecuted for righteousness will also inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:10)  So if we are poor in spirit, not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought, and persecuted for righteousness, meaning we will stand for what is right in the eyes of God no matter what everyone else is doing around us, ours is the Kingdom of Heaven.  When we glory in our riches, it is hard to take a stand that will cause us to potentially lose what we have.  However, whoever loves their life will lose it and whoever hates their life in this world will gain it for an eternity. (John 12:25)  When we are poor in spirit, we count our riches as worthless in comparison to Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8) 

Having a healthy sense of self-worth is extremely important in the field of the arts.  Contrary to popular belief, arrogance usually stems from insecurity.  When we find a fellow artist glorying in their wisdom, they are usually insecure about their ability to produce what they know.  An artist who glories in their might is usually insecure about the what they have been able to acquire for what they are able to do.  The one who glories in riches is usually insecure about their skill.  It’s like we have to magnify one area to compensate for the area that is lacking.  What’s worse is that many times we wind up attacking each other’s area of weakness (real or perceived) to feel better about ourselves so it’s a vicious cycle.  However, if we seek after loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness we will have the mind of Christ and be less concerned with what people think and more concerned with our impact for the Kingdom.  This is what propels us to build each other up on every weak and leaning side until we all become mature and complete in Christ.

If we have wisdom, the Holy Spirit gave it to us.  If we have power, it’s because God raised us up.  If we have money, it’s on the account of God’s provision.  If we glory in Him we’ll pursue showing love over gaining wisdom, our judgement will regulate our might and we’ll esteem being in right standing with God over our riches. Hence, let our swagger be to make our boast in the Lord! (Psalms 44:8)

Mercenary or Minister

2 Chronicles 25:9, “Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.” – NKJV

In the verses preceding our text, we see Amaziah making preparations to go into battle.  He got his troops together and then hired mercenaries to fight alongside his team.  However, the prophet arrives on the scene and declares that the army Amaziah hired was not in line with God and therefore God would not allow him to win with these men.  At our point of focus Amaziah is stressing the money he just spent to get them.  The man of God then replied that, “The Lord can give you much more than this.” 

I believe a normal way to approach this text would be to talk to the “Amaziahs” or the leaders of today and express the error in choosing people to go with you without consulting God first.  Maybe there are two issues because the other point is the lack of faith in what God has already provided.  Although this is an extremely valid approach, I sense the Lord prompting me to address the story from the perspective of the hired men as it relates those who serve in the area of worship.

There has always been a debate about whether or not to pay the folks who serve in the Worship Ministries.  If you ask those of us who serve in this area, we will immediately cite the passages that preachers cite regarding the laborer being worthy of their hire, or not muzzling the ox while he’s treading out the grain (1 Timothy 5:18).  If you ask some who are not gifted artistically you will find them citing passages regarding service and the fact that our reward is in heaven (Luke 6:26).  Hence the battle lines are drawn between the Worship Team and even the pastor at times concerning what is to be considered appropriate compensation for “services rendered”.  As the battle ensues, you find music ministers hopping from church to church pending the compensation package.  Instead of them being viewed as doing what is necessary to feed their families, often they are looked upon as opportunists chasing filthy lucre. 

If we take the battle outside of the Sunday Morning Worship setting, the area gets even grayer.  How many can testify to being called on to do ministry at an event where the speaker was given an honorarium and you were given a round of applause and a bottle of water?  Is the value of the artistic gift that much less than that of the speaker?  Truth be told, the artist who understands their call does as much labor in the Word of God to prepare their presentation as a preacher labors for their sermon.  We go through the same tests and the same trials.  The enemy tries to stop us from ministering just like he tries to stop the preacher from preaching.  That said, can you really put a “cost” on the oil in our alabaster box?  Maybe that is the point of the challenge.  Honestly what is the cost for what we do?

In the Old Testament everyone who served in the temple was compensated from the community they served.  The only ones allowed to serve in the temple were Levites.  The Levitical Order included the ushers, the janitors, construction workers, and musicians (just to name a few) along with the priests.  They didn’t have to earn a living outside because the law was set for them to be taken care of by the rest of the Israelites.  This way they could be focussed on the things of God.  In today’s world if churches paid everyone like in the Old Testament I think it would be hard to find a church that wasn’t bankrupt.  Let’s be honest, the average parishioner doesn’t tithe so where would the resources come from?  But don’t these servants have a right to eat in as much as anyone else? Are they only allowed to seek a career and garner wages outside of their gifting?

The story of Amazaiah brought me to the phrase, “Mercenary or Minister” and since is it said that we are in “The Army of the Lord” the analogy seemed to make sense.  According to the Geneva Convention of 1949 a mercenary is, “a professional soldier hired by a foreign army, as opposed to a soldier enlisted in the armed forces of the sovereign state of which he is a citizen. He takes part in armed conflict on many different scales, and is ‘motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party’”.  So the “hired gun” tends to get more than the one on staff.  That right there would make a person not want to commit to military enlistment.  You stand to make more for your skills outside than you do in the house (hmm…don’t get me started!)  What is funny is contrary to popular belief the word “mercenary” does not mean “merciless”.  It actually comes from a Latin root that simply means, “Irregular wages”.  Let’s look at the word servant for a moment and see if there is a comparison or a conflict.

Without being exceptionally deep, the word minister most directly translates to the word servant.  In the expanded form from Thayer’s Lexicon it’s, “‘a servant, attendant, minister, deacon; one who discharges a public office at his own expense,’ then, in general, ‘a public servant; properly ‘an under rower’, as distinguished from ‘a seaman’ (a meaning which lapsed from the word), hence came to denote ‘any subordinate acting under another’s direction’; to be a servant, attendant, to serve, wait upon, minister, of waiting at table, ‘ministering’ to the guests, of relieving one’s necessities, supplying the necessaries of life’”.  No matter how you slice it, a servant is a person who meets needs so this is essentially the call of the ministry.  It doesn’t really matter what your ministry is, you should be meeting a need and if you are not, then it’s not ministry.

Now back to the question our title proposes, are the terms “minister” and “mercenary” synonymous with one another or are they more oxymoronic when spoken of in the same breath?  If we heed the above definition of minister strictly, it declares that a minister (or servant) discharges their duties at their own expense.  Essentially, according to the explanation no one would be able to put a “fee” on ministry.  Now to the person who is being asked to compensate others, this is music to the ears.  However, to the person receiving this information, “ministry” all of a sudden becomes very unattractive.  You mean to tell me, I need to work another job to buy costumes, a truck to cart the equipment around in and brown bag my lunch to provide a service for folks who pull up to the event decked out and driving  Bentleys?  Even the most frugal member of the stewardship team or trustee board would have to find this a little inequitable.  So what is the solution?

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well”.  This passage comes out of a chapter that explains God’s sovereign provision.  If God clothes grass and feeds birds why would we assume He would not “minister” to our needs?  In fact, verse 8 of chapter 6 explains that He is fully aware of our needs before we even ask.  Does this mean we should never come with a fee for service?  Again if we are going to be hardcore with the definition, this would mean that no one (from the pulpit to the door) should have a “fee” (or salary) attached to their services.  However, my intention is not to be hardcore but more so to be thought-provoking and discussion spawning.  Could it be possible that God will utilize the concept of sowing and reaping to “meet needs”? 

Honestly I believe what separates the mercenary from the minister is not so much the “fee for service” as it is the “motive for service”.  In short if we do what we do solely for how it is going to benefit us then there is a red flag.  However as with anything we do, we must consider the cost.  If you have to put out finances to produce ministry, do you have a mechanism in place to receive so you can continue to pour out?  I don’t think it is crazy to seek God’s face on when to charge and what to charge.  If we are putting Him first, He will guide us…and He’s not going to lead us into poverty and begging to eat.  The challenge is trusting God above the need to defend ourselves against the tendencies of human tightfistedness.

I guess you can see this is not my normal style of blogging but this subject has been heavy on my heart as of late and I felt this was the best way to bring it to light.  I pray that this will offer healing to those who feel they have been “stuck up” by “the church” and encourage them not to be so cynical as to never be open to submit their ministry offering without a fee.  I do believe we have a right to earn a living through the gifts and talents God has given.  In fact, our purpose is connected to our gifts so it would be not be possible to commit ourselves fully to our purpose without engaging our gifts.  However, there is a time and a place for everything.

Now let’s deal with the other side of the coin.  NO the artist should not come for free…ALL THE TIME!  What is crazy to me is the discovery that some of the most heinous offenders of stinginess when it comes to compensating artists…are artists!  I will never forget being approached by a national recording artist, not a huge name but fairly well-known.  In one breath they encouraged me about my character, the anointing on my life and the effectiveness of the ministry God placed in me.  Then they proceeded to invite me to a ministry event and in a very sharp tone said, “You don’t charge do you?”  (Remember, this is a national recording artist with albums for sale and paid engagements)  We have to stop with the crabs in the barrel mentality.  Yes God is going to bless you but He blesses you to be a blessing.  He uses people to bless people! 

I’m sure that in this economy, many have had to restructure their budgets but this doesn’t mean you punk your fellow artists.  Be honest about your situation and you never know what God will do.  One day you hope to be the one God allows to be able to receive 10K honorariums and you are gonna have to decide if God is sending you to the 100 member church who can by no means afford that ticket.  Remember, God is the one who sets up divine connections.  He could send you to Cuba for a mission’s trip where you have to pay everything and leave an offering behind as a seed to help a ministry to grow.  He could send you to bless a very small church or ministry in your local area.  He could also send you to the palace in London or to the White House (which I hear carries a nice honorarium).

Whether you are the payor or the payee, don’t get caught up on the money.  At some point we have to place value on God being able to use us to minister to those who need to be saved, encouraged, healed and set-free…even though they can’t afford to give us a check.  At the same time, we should expect that God will use us to bless those who labor to bring forth their gift.  If you were blessed, you should desire to be a blessing.

No matter what you put out, remember, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

Purposed Creation

Jeremiah 1:4-8, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’  ‘Ah, Sovereign Lord,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.’  But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’   You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” – NIV

In the passage above, we see God explaining to the “creation” that there was an intention or purpose behind why they had been created.  It’s an awesome passage of encouragement when we lose our sense of direction or when the promises of God seem to be taking a long time to manifest in our lives.  In a nutshell this passage confirms that the purpose for which we have been created will come to pass…no matter what.  Well, we want to stay in line with the principle in this passage but shift the focus towards our artistry.

When someone has a mind to create anything, they usually have a goal or purpose for the creation.  I’m sure that Lonnie G Johnson had a vision of children having loads of fun in the summer shooting water at one another before he invented the Supersoaker. When Dr. Spencer invented the microwave, which started by accident, I’m sure he envisioned meals being cooked faster and more conveniently.  The question I hope this article provokes us to ask ourselves is what is the purpose or intention behind our artistry?  If we walk the passage we understand that there is an order to how God created and we can follow the same principles to create ministry that impacts the world for the cause of Christ.

The passage begins with, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”.  Our creative process begins with a root knowledge of what it is we want to create.  If you are musically inclined or if your creations are based upon music, such as a dancer, mimer or any form of art that choreographs to music, you have a general knowledge of musical pieces that you can use.  If you are a visual artist, than you have an idea of the materials needed to produce certain visual effects.  If you are an actor than you have some knowledge of the character you intend to portray.  You should have a general knowledge of what you want to do before you do it. 

While we are on the subject of knowledge may I share a sidebar?  We need to invest in the artists around us that do what we desire to do.  If you are a singer, musician or one who uses music to produce artistry and you don’t own CDs or buy MP3s…if you are a visual artist and the only thing hanging up in your home or gallery is the art you produced you are out-of-order.  World renowned producer and singer, J. Moss, shared in an interview that he doesn’t shop all the time but when he gets the opportunity it is very possible for him to go to a store and buy $400+ worth of CDs.  He said, “You need to study”.  This was in response to a question regarding what would he say to aspiring artists.  Take some time to know what you desire to produce.

The verse goes on to say, “before you were born I set you apart”.  Being set apart comes from the word “sanctify”.  Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains it this way, “By this act (the act of setting apart) the thing or person is to be withheld from workaday (or profane) use and is to be treated with special care as a possession of God.”  If you are producing art to be used with kingdom intentions, your work must be sanctified.  In Ephesians 5:26 Paul uses the analogy of husbands and wives to relate to Christ and the church.  With regards to the sanctification process he shares that Christ made a sacrifice of Himself, “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word”.  In order to set something apart for holy use, you must engage the Word of God.  After all what separates the secular from the spiritual?  Hebrews 4:12 says it best, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Once our work has been set apart, it now must be set in place.  Continuing along in verse five it says, “I appointed you”.  This comes from the word “ordain” which means, “to give, put or set”.  This is the heart of the matter.  Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  Why are we singing this piece?  Who are we ministering to today? How does God want to use this sculpture?  Who is going to be in attendance where we are heading?  Don’t believe the myth that you are putting God in a box by asking these questions.  Would it make sense to arrive at a Men’s Breakfast with a message ready for women?  Would you preach Greek and Hebrew to a room full of third graders on Youth Sunday?  In the same fashion, the art selection you chose should match the environment you are walking into.  There is only one way you can place something that belongs to God in the right setting to reach His people and that is by consulting Him.  You consult Him through prayer and through His Word.  James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” 

Finally God puts out a disclaimer on His creation ensuring that the purpose, for which it had been designed, would be achieved. Verse eight concludes, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.”  The best example I can use is a clip from my personal life.  Recently I was given an assignment to preach on first Sunday and due to the snow in our area, my assignment was postponed.  I had labored to prepare the message, fasted and prayed but was not able to deliver.  I was given a new date and my first thought was, “hey I’m already prepared, just bush up and go preach”.  That feeling didn’t last too long because I quickly began to think about the assignment.  My new date was Youth Sunday.  Could I have preached the same message the way I had prepared it and been effective for the young people in the room?  Maybe I could have done some verbal gymnastics but the Lord directed me elsewhere.  After the new message was delivered, I received feedback from parents about how their children responded.  Of course, the parents got something out of it as well because God’s Word is universal but my intended target was reached and the other message was rescued from being used at an inappropriate time.   Remember the words of Isaiah in 50:4, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary…”

This is why asking God for a point of focus is not necessarily putting Him in a box.  He’s sovereign and will do whatever He wants to do.  Just because a man sneaks in the back of the sanctuary during a women’s conference and gets a Word for his soul, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have focussed your message on the women in attendance.  He was able to get a Word because he was open to receive and the Holy Spirit met his need.  If the flow of the Spirit in the sanctuary changes, don’t assume you have to press and sing that song anyway.  If the purpose of the service changes you need to look at your artistry and see if it still fits.  If not, table it for the next door God opens.

Let’s close with Paul words in 1 Corinthians 9:26, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.”  There should always be a purpose and intention for the artistry we share before we “form” it.  We should know what we intend to create, set it apart from work a day use, set it in place for its purpose and protect it from not being used according to design.

Worship: Artistic Authenticity

John 4:19-24, “The woman saith unto him, ‘Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’  Jesus saith unto her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.   God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship [Him] in spirit and in truth.’”– KJV

Sometimes we get caught up with the concept of worshipping in church on Sunday Morning.  Now we acknowledge that the church was established by God so worship is truly in order within the church building.  It would be a sad day if the church decided that it was no longer important to worship the God of the Church during the primary day for meeting together.  However, for the artist charged by God to lead people in worship through their service, it would be a tragedy if the only place we worshipped Him was in church.  If no one else does, we must find significance in worshipping the God that called us, established us, and allows us to enjoy accolades as we minister being aided by His Spirit. 

Strong’s Concordance gives us a Hebrew definition for worship; “To kiss, as a dog licking his master’s hand.”  My sister-in-law has a Yorkie-Poo.  It’s a little black dog named Jersey but I affectionately refer to her as “Snoopy on Crack”.  My sister-in-law works a minimum of 12 hours a day for very long stints of time so for the most part the dog is at home alone for several hours on a regular basis.  When we come over to visit, it’s as if you can hear Jersey saying, “People…it’s people…I’ve never seen people before!”  No sooner than we cross the doorway, this ball of black fur comes hurling at you at what feels like 90 miles an hour, jumping on you, licking you and more jumping.  This dog is truly happy to see…anybody.  This is the response we need to have for God as we go into His Presence.  Psalms 42:1 shares, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”  The desperation comes from our reference point for being connected to Him.  So what’s the basis for this connection?

First there’s the spirit connection.  Spirit is defined as, “a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting; the vital principal by which the body is animated; the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides.”  I once heard a preacher say, “Don’t let your flesh send you to hell when it ain’t going!”  Remember, Genesis tells us that God made us in His image and His likeness so if He is a spirit, guess what we are?  This body is a temporary temple that our spirit dwells in and when it comes time for us to be with the Lord, our body will die but our spirit will live on.

Here’s where it gets special for those that have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:16 states, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  God gave us His Spirit.  How else can we test the spirit to see if it is from God? (1 John 4:1)  Romans 8:16 tells us that, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”.  There’s an expression that says, “Blood is thicker than water” but the spirit is thicker than blood!  It is not so much the scientific mass of the spirit that makes it thick…it’s the fact that it is indestructible. 

This is why you must be careful about what you allow into your spirit.  The principle of sowing and reaping is not just about money.  Paul shares in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”  The Lord has great concern regarding our connection with Him; so much so that He is willing to perform surgery.  Ezekiel 36: 27 confirms that God has put His Spirit in us.  Our power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting; what we  feel, think and are accustomed to deciding was all given an eviction notice when we decided to follow Christ.  It wasn’t our doing, God made the decision for His Name sake so that we have the ability to walk according to His law.  That’s the Spirit connect; but there is also a Word connection.

We simply can’t avoid the fact that it is going to be hard to testify by the spirit that we belong to God through how we walk according to His Law…if we don’t know what His Law is!  Truth is defined by Thayer Lexicon, “as the case is according to fact; as it accords with the divine nature”.  What do we know about the Word of God?

Psalms 119:60 states, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”  God’s Word is the same today, yesterday and forever.  As Paul is giving instructions to Timothy regarding the End Times and exhorting him to stay the course and preach the word in spite of the fact that many will not be a fan of it; he shares in 2Timothy 3:16 that, “All Scripture is God‑breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”.  Truth is not just meant to tickle the ears but there is a training process that goes in to receiving what “Thus saith the Lord”.  So how do we get to it?

One of the ways God reveals truth is through the preached word.  Romans 10:14 communicates, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”  It’s been shared before but it bears sharing again, we need to place a high value on Bible Study and Sunday Morning Service…not just the worship portion with singing and dancing but portion where we sit down with bibles open and pencil and paper in hand. (Oh I’m sorry iBooks and Mac Pros on…almost forgot that I’m writing to artists )

In a marriage or even a friendship it is important to know what our friend/spouse holds in high regard.  So it is with worshipping God.  We can’t just bring Him any old thing.  We need to be in tune with Him and value what He values and make our submission to Him based upon His value system.  If we go back to Ezekiel 36 and start at verse 22, we can get a clear picture of how God feels about His name and what lengths He is willing to go through to cleanse us for His name sake.  Nevertheless, look at what David discovered in Psalm 138:2 regarding what God holds higher than His Name, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name For Your loving kindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”  If we want to bless God or minister to Him we must know His Word.  Get this, He holds His Word above His name and He uses His Word to define Himself…so it’s His Word gives value to His Name. 

In short, worship is, “Expressing what you believe about God from the inside out…to God”.  So the rhetorical question begs that based upon your knowledge of the Word of God, what do you know about Him?  Let’s prayerfully consider this at the on-set of the year and see how God can use this as we endeavor to minister by leading His people in ascribing worth to our God!

Worship: Artistic Warfare

 2 Chronicles 20:15, “And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”  – NKJV

 

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.  Paul utilizes the metaphoric reference of fighting this way, “…I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (1 Corinthians 9:26)  We are told to “…endure hardship as a good soldier”. (2 Timothy 2:3)  And one of the favorite scriptures of the day is, “…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)  Whether we like it or not, when we were called to be Christians, we were drafted into a war.  As we advance spiritually and begin to have circles of influence and effective ministry, the enemy’s attack advances to match our growth.  As much as we hate trials…we simply can’t avoid them.  So what do we do?  Well 2 Corinthians 10:4 advises, “For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds”.   With this in mind we must grasp the fact that we can’t physically overpower Satan and his imps but the weapons we have been given are powerful enough to make them back up. Remember our weapons are not carnal or “fleshly” but they are spiritual. The very expression we use to point people to God is a weapon and we would be remiss if we only use our weapon to fight for others and not for ourselves.  We would be negligent if we only use our weapon on Sunday Morning or Wednesday night or where we have a platform for the expression of our gifts in the context of public ministry.  Let’s look at Jehoshaphat’s story so we are not hood-winked into thinking the weapon of praise and worship is not a big deal.

In 2 Chronicles 20 the nation of Judah finds themselves in the midst of being under siege by not one, but three powerful armies.  If you take a look at a map from the time period of Jehoshaphat’s reign you will discover that En Gedi, where the armies are when he is notified, is actually on the edge of the Dead Sea…in Judah’s territory!  Under these circumstances panic doesn’t seem like an unreasonable response.  However, Jehoshaphat chose a different set of options.

First he calls for a fast.  The very brief revelation for me was that he called for the fast before he prayed.  Our natural mind says pray and fast because some of us need the intervention of God to stay the course but Jehoshaphat chose to fast, then pray.  Fasting has to do with abstaining from something for a period of time in order to hear from the Lord more clearly.  The concept is about discipline and beating our bodies into subjection.  One of the mistakes we make when fasting is to simply utilize the fast as a diet.  The red flag is when you only hear people talking about how much they lost or the nutritional benefits of the fast but not the revelation they are getting from God on the account of fasting.  Fasting is no more about losing weight or clearing up pimples than not engaging in fornication or adultery is about not getting pregnant or not catching STDs.  Yes there are benefits but the purpose is to draw closer to Him; removing distractions so we can hear clearly.   Don’t be surprised if in the midst of a fast, God calls for us to give up more than just our cheeseburger.  Let’s be honest, when we become use to the ritual, we learn to put systems in place to make fasting easier.  Once the fast becomes too easy, we are less likely to seek God in the process and we just come out with a few less pimples and a few pounds lighter, but no more power.

After the fast, Jehoshaphat called on the Lord in the midst of the people.  This is prayer.  Notice the components of his prayer.  His prayer begins in verse six with, “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?”  I once heard a preacher state that God has an ego.  Upon hearing this statement my flesh felt uncomfortable because of what I understood about the word.  However, the message caused me to look up the definition for myself and I discovered that the word truly means, “the self especially as contrasted with another self or the world; self-esteem: somebody’s idea of his or her own importance or worth, usually of an appropriate level; your consciousness of your own identity.”  In fact, the Latin root for ego is, “I”.  Now yes the definition continues with the negative undertone of an “inflated view” of one’s self but this is not the primary definition.  A person with an ego is simply self-aware and who is more self aware than God?  If you are confused about God having an ego, check the last two chapters of Job. God is very self-aware and Jehoshaphat was not lackadaisical in revealing to God just how aware he was of who God is.  He needed God’s strength and he first appealed to God as El Shaddai – The Lord God Almighty.  Next he put God in remembrance of what He has done.  Verse nine states, “If disaster comes upon us–sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine–we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.”  Finally he got specific in verse twelve with his request, stating his lack of ability but affirming his hope, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”  Don’t miss that he did this in the midst of the people.  If you are leading anyone please know that your prayers are not just for your benefit; they have a huge exhortation component.  God is already self-aware but at times we and those going through with us, need to be reminded of “who” He is and what He has done so we can have hope that He will come through while we are on the verge of what appears to be doom!

After Jehoshaphat made his appeal, the Word of the Lord came through Jahaziel “the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph.” Hmm…why do we get Jahaziel’s lineage before we get the prophecy?  It is important for us to know that the Lord will speak through and to a worshipper.  Remember, in 1 Chronicles 16 we find that Asaph was installed by David to be responsible for the worship in the temple. God chose from the lineage of priests responsible for worship to share, “…the battle is not yours but God’s.”    Upon hearing this, Jehoshaphat goes straight from revelation to prostration.  He leads the people in worship based upon the expectation that God will do just what he said.  The verses that follow reveal that the next day they suited up for battle, started off worshipping and while they were worshipping the Lord set ambushes so the enemies help to destroy each other!  By the time Judah arrived all that was left for them to do was walk away with the spoils of a war they didn’t have to fight!  (2 Chronicles 20:22-25)

Notice the progression in the passage.  There was the presence of what appeared to be an insurmountable trial.  Even under distress, the response was very precise with a focus on God.  First a fast was called to shift thoughts from the situation to the God of the situation.  Next a prayer was raised reverencing His ego, reminding Him of His promise and petition His intervention.  This caused a Word to be revealed prophesying victory.  Then there was praise and worship with the expectation that God was going to do what He said. Finally, the nation was suited for battle and went into praise and worship again, while God did the fighting.  Without being extremely deep there is but one passage that comes to mind, “…whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. (Matthew 18:18)  Through the warfare of worship they fought by assuming victory and God connected with them in agreement and destroyed their enemy.  I have no idea what challenges you are facing but rest assured that if you follow this formula, you will find that God is a capable defender.  Your praise and worship based upon a clear revelation of who He is and what He has done will be all the weaponry you need for the battle!