God's Gifting and Call

"For the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power."

1 Corinthians 4:20

Why doesn't God allow all of us to have the same gifts and abilities?  It is not fair that some folks have such greater gifts than I do.

Even as I write these two sentences, I must confess I find them ludicrous.  Why does God gift each of us in different ways?   I have no idea.  I do know that He calls us all to be the body of Christ.  A body without different parts will not work right.  Instead, health means that all the parts of the body are present and working to help the rest of the body.

What does this mean for the ministry?

Having walked with believers and ministry workers for many years, I believe that most of us secretly wish we had different gifts.  We wish we could be like someone we look up to in ministry.  We are painfully aware of our shortcomings.

Deep within we believe that life and ministry would be different if we were just different.

In answer to this natural, fallen human tendency, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 that we should not wish we had other gifts than the ones we do (gift envy), and he instructs us not to look down on those with different gifts (gift projection).

As I grow older, I am more and more convinced that there is a place for every type of person in the Kingdom of God.

In fact, I believe there is a place and ministry for every type of person.  

The key to success is matching our gifts, calling, experience, and talents with the ministry to which we are called.  To put this positively, when God gives the call to a specific ministry, He also gifts us for the task.

What does this mean for us?

When we are looking at a ministry opportunity, we must know who we are in Christ, and we need to understand what the ministry needs to succeed.  This requires wisdom and a bit of knowledge.  Today I want to offer some of Paul's wisdom regarding how God gives to His church spiritually gifted people just like you.

How do we know which God-given ministry we are called to?  

I sure wish the process was easy and quick.  Instead, I find that answering this question requires wisdom and grace.  It helps to have some guides along the way so we don't get discouraged.  Let me share a brief story to illustrate.  

I had a good friend in seminary who came to school from North Carolina with his wife who was studying to be a psychologist.  He had loved his pastor in college and he wanted to be like him.  He wanted so much to be a pastor who could impact people's lives like he had witnessed.

He began in the M.Div. program, which is a degree to train for ordained ministry.  After a year, he was miserable.  His grades were very good, because he was bright.  Yet, he had no peace and joy in the work.  Before coming to seminary, he was an accountant.  After months of forcing himself to study theology, Greek, and such, he found himself nightly in the library studying tax law.  He found it fascinating (I cannot even imagine).  Finally, he called his old firm and asked if they had a position in Boston.  He shared that he needed to get back to work in something he loved.  That was a Thursday afternoon.  On Friday he had an interview.  On Monday, he began to work at the Boston office of his accounting firm for $80,000 a year (remember this was the mid 1990s).

What can we learn from this?  

First, it pays to be an accountant.  Second, he was trying to force his way into a life and ministry to which he was not called and gifted.  The result was misery and a lack of success.  When he finally came to his senses, the Lord opened other doors and blessed his work.  In fact, he later applied for law school, did extremely well, passed the bar, and became a tax lawyer.  Last I heard, he was also working toward a political career.

If you are not good at understanding yourself (and most of us aren't good at such self-knowledge), I encourage you to find a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor to help you gain some self-understanding.  I also recommend that you take some personality tests and that you take some tests to help you discover your spiritual gifts.  While these tools are not fool-proof, they can be helpful tools in the hands of a wise counselor to help us gain self-knowledge.

Most importantly, get out in a variety of ministries and environments to see what brings you life, joy, and success.  Try everything.  If you fail at something, do not get down, but learn from it.  Ask some questions and ask a friend or counselor to help you answer these questions.

Why did you fail?  What happened?  If you find that you are good at something, but still not empowered and full of joy while doing it, ask why?  Perhaps the gifting is present, but the direction of this ministry was not quite correct.

Most importantly, try a variety of ministries and areas of labor.

At all times remember that God is one who has given you a desire to serve Him.  He will never forsake you and He loves you dearly.  If you are in a tough spot now, this does not change God's love for you.  If you have failed miserably in a certain ministry, this does not change God's love for you.  He even uses our failure.  In fact, He seems particularly good at using our failures to give us wisdom and direction if we have the heart and faith to ask for wisdom with what happened.

Rest in the reality that God is the one who prepares us for life and ministry.  His Spirit leads us to fruitful fields of labor.  We should strive to discover where and how God is leading us while at the same time be encouraging and acknowledging that others are called to different tasks.  

May the Lord lead us and guide us to use our gifts and personality to pursue His calling for us.

Healthy Churches and Groups

Last week I shared the marks of a toxic church or group.  Today, I wish to share the opposite.  What are the marks of a healthy church?  Gordon MacDonald calls them generative groups.

"The first mark of a generative group is so obvious that some of you will want to stop writing.  It's a strong sense of mutual purpose.  Rich Warren wrote about this in his famous book, The Purpose Driven Life.  Purpose is where it all begins.

Now getting a bunch of people to agree on a compelling purpose is no small matter.  Think back to the first night we got together and how many different ideas we all had about why we were meeting or why we would keep on meeting.  But little by little we have been building a group with a purpose that keeps us showing up each week. ....

A generative group is synergistic.  The word means that everyone's effort counts, and this combined effort accomplishes things bigger than any individual could have.

There are no benchwarmers in a generative group.  

Everyone has a piece of the action.  ...

A third mark.  In a generative group, each person grows in one way or another.  Some like the word mature better.  Whatever word you like- mature, grow, develop- it's usually happening to members of a generative group.  People grow spiritually stronger rather than becoming depleted.  They grow in their love for God.  They grow in their understanding of God's purposes.  And they often grow in awareness of giftedness. ...

A generative group is never afraid of conflict.  That doesn't mean they love it, but they know that conflict is a part of real life.  In a generative group there is a caution sign out whenever there's a conflict, but people go out of their way to make it a positive, creative situation.  We all become better and closer through our conflicts if we're a generative group. ...

The last characteristic is simply that a generative group inspires other people who are looking on.  Folks see a generative group in motion and they would like to become part of it or figure out how to make one of their own."  Gordon MacDonald, Who Stole my Church, 198-199.

Do you know of any churches or groups marked by these traits?  

Toxic Churches

Our discipleship group at Christ Community just finished working through the book, Who Stole My Church, by Gordon MacDonald.  It is a great discussion book because it deals with many of the issues in church planting and revitalization in a novel format.  That makes it much easier to read.  I know we enjoyed the discussion this book promoted.

Today I share one long quote from MacDonald.  He is describing a "generative" group and its opposite, a toxic group.  I am sharing his observation on a toxic group.  Unfortunately, too many of these toxic groups are found within churches.  In fact, an entire church can become toxic if it does not deal well with those toxic elements when they first appear.  Without further explanation I ask you to consider, 

do you know any churches or 

groups within churches 

that are marked by these toxic tendencies?

"A toxic group is filled with people who don't know how to bend in the process of conflict and usually operate from a me-first spirit.  They measure every initiative on the basis of 'What's in it for me?'

Second their group is marked by low morale.  There is almost no sense of a bright future or vision.  And they are territorial- they hold on to things from the past.

Third, their general method of problem solving is to blame others.  Blame other group members; blame the larger organization; blame something going on in the world.  Almost all the energy goes into conversations about who's at fault.  For some that's easier than going to work to resolve the issue.

Toxic groups, fourthly, tend to drag down the larger organization around them.  Lots of energy is spent trying to resolve their problems and do damage control.  For that reason, toxic groups are a danger to younger people and to new Christians.  They send the wrong message about Christ and the gospel.

And there's one more mark you need to write down.  Toxic groups destroy people, one after the other.  People get cynical, burned out, slanderous, bitter ... and finally they determine that they'll never again be part of something like this.  More than a few of them simply drop out of their church or go somewhere else."

God's Training for Life

"Blessed by the Lord, my rock, 

who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;

he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues people under me."

Ps 144: 1-2

In many places in the world today, many Christians have been sold a worthless bill of goods when it comes to understanding life.  We are often told that Jesus will make it all better.  We are taught that the gospel is merely our second chance to get things right.  We are encouraged that the entire Christian life comes down to doing our best and then Jesus will take care of the rest.

What if the Christian life was more about struggle than victory?  What if our experience was meant to be marked more by warfare than by peace and security?

Why do we struggle so much?

We live a life a struggle because our world system is turned against God.  The world system's goal is to make the things of God look foolish and to make that which is foolish look normal and great.  The more complete the world's system is against God, the more difficult it is to identify the worldly pull away from truth and righteousness.  We must fight against the world.

We live a life of struggle because of our fallen nature and because of the fallen nature of others.  Our flesh or sinful nature never leaves us.  Even in the most godly person alive there is a constant struggle against our inward pull away from God.  When the world also matches perfectly with our flesh, as it does in the affluent parts of the world today, the pull of the flesh looks and feels so natural and good.  We must fight against the flesh.

We live a life of struggle because there really is a devil and there really are demonic spirits that seek to harm us and to attack the advancing Kingdom of God. In other words, there is personal evil in this world that seeks to destroy the work of God.  It is personified in the fallen angel named Satan, but he also has a host of demonic associates who work behind the scenes.  These forces empower the world system.  They tempt the flesh.  Then the accuse the believer for being such a hypocrite.  We must fight against the devil and his schemes.  

How do we fight?

First we must realize we are in a struggle.  We have enemies who are shooting at us and the Church (sometimes even from the church!).  They are seeking to eliminate truth and righteousness from every area of life.  If we do not "seek His Kingdom and His righteousness" we will be made ineffective in our struggle.  

This means that we should not be surprised at the trials and difficulties we face.  It is part of life.  In our fallen world, we live in a state of constant struggle.  Relationships are so easily broken.  Security is shaky at best.  Trouble is a constantly unwelcome companion.  Somehow, if we walk in faith, God uses them to "train our hands for war, and our fingers for battle."

We must realize that the troubles in life are part of God's training program.

All of our trials, all of our struggles, all of our conflicts should point us to the only true "fortress, stronghold, and shield in which we find steadfast love, a deliverer, and a refuge."  Even the process of aging and approaching death can be used to prepare us for everlasting life with our creator.  Thankfully, there is more to life than just this life and our experience of our life.

We are created to know and experience God's love and mercy.  It is found in the gospel.  It is lived by repenting of our sin and self-sufficiency while we look to Christ and His righteousness as our bread of life.  Remember, "Lord have mercy upon me" is a prayer God never despises.  He will send His mercy and grace to us, even in the midst of trials, when we ask Him for help.

Today, we will enter the battle.  May we witness, affirm, and engage in God's training program.  He is the Lord and He loves us.  There is no other god.  Come to Jesus and ask for His grace to believe in His love and watch care as enough.

"Life is an unsafe, bumpy logging road and I am riding it all night long."

My family loves the movie Cars.  It is good wholesome family fun when we watch Lightning McQueen, Mater, and all our favorite characters learn about friendship, the importance of slowing down to enjoy life, and all the fun that can happen in a small town.  Each of these points are important, and I am glad the movie reminds us of them.

The title song of this movie was written and performed by Rascal Flatts.  It proclaims, "Life is a highway.  I wanna ride it all night long."  This is a fun "summer-driving" song.  It is one of those songs to crank up on the stereo while driving along a peaceful country road with the windows down.  I sure wish my life always matched this feeling.

Instead of a drive down a peaceful country road, 

I find that my life is more of an off-road driving experience.

I often feel like my path resembles a drive down a seldom used logging trail.  One of those with huge washouts, washboard bumps, and strangely placed obstacles like large rocks and fallen trees.  My going is painfully slow.  I guess I am envious of those folks whose life is always a smooth highway.  (As if they really exist)

It seems to me that the only time my ride is really smooth is when I am sitting still.  I love these times of refreshment and relaxing.  Yet, they are often brief because the Spirit speaks in the midst of them to provoke me onward.  Generally, I then start to move forward on a clearly marked section of the logging road.  Soon there is a bend in the road. As I take the corner, I see that the road immediately ahead angles into a swamp, is rock strewn, and looks to be blocked by recently fallen trees.

How do we not only survive but also thrive on this often bumpy road of life?

This is the million dollar question.  Unfortunately, it is also a question that many well-meaning folks don't answer well.  We try one thing then another.  It looks like none of them work too well.  Finally, we give up trying to answer.  We just hold on or we stop moving forward.

Thankfully, I think there is an answer to this question beyond our cultural attempts to answer.  It is an old wisdom that our culture firmly rejects.  I suggest we do so as a culture and as individuals to our own peril.  I offer several tips to aid in a successful navigation through the logging roads of life.

We must move forward with reference to a solid starting point.

None of our paths are through uncharted territory.  The road of life, the pilgrimage each of us travels, the path we each must choose is charted, marked, and navigated.

By whom?

Our North Star is the One True and Living God who calls us to true life.  Doesn't that sound good?  True life.  True life begins with a trust relationship with the One True and Living God.  This True God is calling to each us.  He beckons us to move forward.  He calls us to something better and more full.  He calls us to learn to walk with Him by faith.  Part of that trust is knowing that He knows the way, and He promises to go with us through even the most difficult places on the trail.

We need wisdom, encouragement, and advice as we travel.

We live in a culture that doesn't value history.  We truly believe it it is old, it is not as good as what we have today.  So, we look to others stuck in the same swamp for wisdom, encouragement, and advice.  We get advice to move right or left, but so often these folks have not traveled through the swamp.  They might be well-meaning, but they lack proper perspective to know how to make it through.

I want to encourage you that there are many people throughout history who can help navigate the difficult sections of our road.  These folks are excellent map-makers.  They may not have had iPhones and the internet, but they had all the temptations and difficulties known to us all.  They have experienced broken relationships.  They have lived through tragedy.  They have been stung by sin's bite.  They have lived through and escaped the swamps and pitfalls along the road.

They can also tell you about the coming smooth road.  These map-makers have experienced the joys of life that each of us long for.  They have fallen in love, had children, enjoyed their friend's company, thought through questions and issues, and enjoyed the small moments in life.  They have experienced great success.  They can show you the way.

Most importantly, these map-makers 

can and will point you to the One who knows your path.  

They will encourage you in the difficult times and the great times.  Why would we want to walk through life as if we are alone?  Why trust in the advice of those stuck in the same place you find yourself?

I strongly encourage you to join with the community of faith throughout all time.  Look, with the community of fellow pilgrims, toward that One True Guide who calls you to something better.  You really aren't alone.  There really are answers and pathways through the difficult times.

Asking the Right Questions

I often think that we ask the wrong questions about 95% of the time.  We look at a problem, we see our life, we draw our conclusions, but we never ask "Am I asking the right questions?"  At least I know all to well that I often ask the wrong questions!

"There is a way that seems right to a person,
but in the end it leads to death"

Proverbs 14:12 

This morning I was thinking about the process of church renewal.  

Virtually all churches, in all places, think that the next leader will be able to "make a difference" and bring back the "glory days."  Unfortunately, the definition of making a difference and glory days is not concrete or settled for anyone.  This leads to conflict, struggle, and ultimately a lack of fruitfulness.

The above paragraph is easy to understand and affirm.  A lack of clarity in vision causes conflict.  O.K.  But I am thinking today about why we have a lack of clarity in vision.  We know we need to grow and experience renewal, so why do we struggle so much to pull it off?  Why does the process of renewal often cause conflict and pain?

We ask the wrong question or questions.

So often and so easily, we blame the previous pastor or the leadership team.  We blame the people who left.  We blame the conflict and personalities that led to the conflict.  We blame our culture and how it no longer values the gospel and Church.  We blame ... (you fill in the blank).

Rarely do individuals and almost never do churches confess,

"We must be doing something wrong."  

I guess it is human nature and the nature of organizations composed of fallen humans.  We want someone to fix it, but we don't think we broke it.  We blame someone else.

The real problem with most churches is that they are doing something or most often many things wrong. We like the way things are and we want our new pastor, our new members, and our changing culture which we are trying to reach to see how right we are and join us.  Then we are surprised when it does not happen.

As churches (and individuals) we should ask often "What are we doing wrong that turns off new people to the gospel before they even hear it?"  "Why are we in conflict over the same issues time and time again?"  "What are we doing wrong?"

While it goes totally against our nature, 

we need to stop the blame game toward others 

and start with the blame game toward ourselves.  

As Jesus put it, 

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  ... You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." 

Matt. 7: 3, 5

When God's Word Comes Alive

Why is it so hard to convince folks to read the bible so they can get to know God?  I am aware that changing habits is difficult, but I am constantly surprised when I talk with "mature" believers who do not read the word of God and pray daily.  If that is you, don't despair but let's make a plan to get you growing into the Word of God.

First let me offer some words of confession.  

I know that the bible can be a confusing and huge book for those not familiar with its contents.  When people talk of reading the bible, they often approach it like a novel.  They pick up the book and they start reading in Genesis.  Yet, the bible does not read like a novel.  It is only natural to ask, who are these people?  It is natural to observe that their traditions are strange.  In fact, it is logical to ask what does this mean?

Here is what I have seen often.  By the time many observant folks get to the middle of Exodus (if they make it that far), they are bored, confused, and ready to give up the whole book.  They might not tell others their difficulty, but they do have their minds made up.  In many ways, I do not blame them.  While I love Genesis, these OT stories without their redemptive content make little sense.

What can be done?

I suggest that a new believer, a not quite-yet-believer, or a believer who struggles to get into the bible should start somewhere other than Genesis when they begin to learn about the bible.  All of the scriptures are useful, but some of them require some background knowledge before their true message can be understood.  Do not let this discourage you.  Start by getting some of that background knowledge

First and foremost, start reading in the gospels- 

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John at the beginning of the NT.  

In these books, an honest reader will encounter the person of Jesus.  Read a chapter.  Take your time and ask the Lord to give you wisdom as to what the message means.  The bible is not a novel to be finished, but a message from God to be listen to and transformed by.  Read and think of your life. Ask God for wisdom.

After reading in the gospels, I encourage folks to take some time to pray.  

I remember the first time I engaged in this pattern.  I closed by eyes and began to tell God all about my concerns.  I prayed for everyone and everything I could think of.  When I finished, I had prayed for only 5 minutes!  I have heard stories of folks praying for hours.  How is this possible?

I have since learned that prayer is not just me telling God about my concerns, but also learning how to listen.

This is the point where the scriptures come alive.

As I read the gospels, I ask God for wisdom.  When thoughts come to mind, I pray about them.  I ask for wisdom with people and situations.  I also find that ideas and thoughts come to mind from the scripture that help me get perspective.  Often this perspective concerns my heart and attitude.  I find the bible to be a great mirror.  As I encounter Jesus, He often uses the Word of God to drive me to repentance.  I see my failings.  I repent of these failings, and I look to Him for mercy.  Praise be to God, He gives it!  This love poured out to me, which is the gospel promise, then allows me to see others differently.  It gives me new perspective.  It gives me love to give to others.

I also find that God will use the scriptures to encourage me as I have made good choices.  He uses His word to give me an insight before I encounter something unexpected in a day.  In other words, God's word is active in the life of those who seek Him and His wisdom.  Please seek Him and His wisdom.

I will conclude by stating that God's word is life-changing.   Please don't neglect it. 

I implore you to pick it up and read it reflectively.  It will change your life as you read it asking the Lord for wisdom.  As the writer of Hebrews states, 

"For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
(Heb 4:12)

Leaders and Followers

It is often said that better leaders are needed in our churches, non-profits, and other ministries.

I get this complaint.  We offer education, discipleship, and a whole bevy of options for leadership training.  We try to address this lack.

I offer an observation.  

What happened to teaching people how to be good followers?  

I think this is a great need in our churches and ministries.

What is needed?

Followers who will let the leaders lead.  

Followers who offer perspective, but support the leader's decisions.

Followers who pray for God to lead the leaders and for grace to support the leaders.

Followers who pray and ask for God's favor for others, period.

Followers who reject gossip and talking behind the leaders back without question.

Followers who dig in and do without complaint.

Followers who encourage.

Followers who know the hardship and responsibility of leadership.

Followers who teach others to be good followers.

I believe most churches would do well if somehow we could teach people how to be good followers.  Western individualism and human pride have made it difficult to be a good follower.

I have rarely seen a church split where there were no leaders.  

I have seen many where there were too many leaders, leading different groups and refusing to follow anyone but themselves.  These folks always blame "the leader" but they should look in the mirror and ask themselves if they have done everything they can to be a good follower.

Created good but fallen...

One of the marks of authentic spirituality is a quest for truth and its application in every area of life.  Notice I said quest.  It is a life-long pursuit and a trajectory of constant searching and hopefully Spirit-lead growth.  None of us have perfectly apprehended the truth about the world.  

Why does it seem like so many who profess Jesus 

are not questing to know and apply God's truth

to every area of life?

I think it is primarily because we have not learned how to develop an authentic Christian mind.  We have not been taught even the basics of how to understand and live in this world.  As a result, we continue to think and to live like everyone else in the world.

What do we need to know?

The first basic truth we should know is that all things were created good.  The ringing cry of Genesis 1 is God's declaration that what He made is good.  Over and over again, God creates and declares it good.  The final summation of the chapter concludes, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (vs. 31)  

What does this mean?  Simply it means that all things were created with an inherent goodness.  This includes humanity that is created in the image of God (vs. 26).  Not just individually but also corporately since male and female together reflect the full image of God.  This means that human interaction and culture was created to be good and to reflect the character of the God who created it.

Friends, this is great news!  This explains the joys we experience in relationship, the awe of being alone in nature, and the amazing wonder of seeing a newborn child.

I wish this truth was the entire story; but unfortunately, the goodness of creation must be balanced with another truth.

The second basic truth we should know is that all things were infected and effected by the fall.  Genesis 3 details how Adam and Eve turned away from listening to God to listen to their own desires.  When they were tempted by the Evil One, they chose to follow their fleshly desires to eat the fruit of the so-called knowledge of the good and evil.  The result was alienation from God (3:10), alienation from others (3:12), alienation from self (3:13), and alienation from all creation (3:16-19).  The consequence is

Each human and the entire universe suffers from this alienation from its created good.

We don't all suffer in the same way, but we all struggle against this alienation.  In other words, we all share a common problem.  We all know the tension of longing for the created good, but experiencing the disappointment of selfishness, sin, pollution, and evil.

Thankfully, these two truths are not all of the story.  At this point, so many of our modern fairy tales and morality plays end.  They tell you to get on the side of good and work to make the planet a better place.

One question.  How exactly do we do this?

You see, all of us have twin natures.  We were created to be great, free, beautiful, and good.  Yet, we are folks that are more often marked by selfishness, apathy, self-protection, and fear.  We are all fallen beings struggling to put off the gravitational pull of our sin tendencies. This pull drives us away from trusting in God and instead moves us toward trusting in self: our strength, our judgment, our resources.  The problem is that we forget that our strength, our judgment, and our resources are all infected with the consequences of the fall.

This is why our "solutions" to cultural and even individual problems often cause more issues than they solve.

What can be done?

Here is where Christianity offers a different answer than our cultural morality plays.  This post is getting long, so I will leave it here and pick up on Christ's answer next time.

Worship Renewal

What is worship all about?  

I have found that in America there are two different schools of thought concerning how to answer this question.

The first group answers that worship is a "service unto God."  The object and goal of worship is to honor and glorify God.  As a result, worship is God-focused.  It is not about the worshipper, but the God who is worshipped.

The second group answers that worship is a "time to lay your burdens down and be encouraged."  The object and goal of worship for these folks is to provide excitement, emotional release, and a feeling of God's presence.  Here worship is about the worshipper having their needs met.

Anyone who has eyes to see can and should understand that I just set up a straw man argument.  I presented two views of worship that are easily torn down because both are not complete.  Who actually holds these views and articulates them this way?  The answer is virtually no one.  Yet, ... the proof of what we believe is not merely what we say, but also what we do.  While virtually no one would articulate either of these two extremes about worship, many churches and individuals act like they believe it.

How about a new definition?  One that provides a balance?

Worship is a time for individuals and the community of faith to meet with God.

Worship must be God-focused.  It also must be done in such a way to encourage and promote active engagement with God's presence.

Is such worship possible?  Of course it is.  It is also necessary for revival and renewal both individually and corporately.  Notice the following quote from a contemporary writer.

"This extra "glimpse of God" is what most of us crave.
With any experience of God's nearness
comes all the blessings of God's divine nature:
renewal, power to change, deliverance, comfort, joy, and peace.
It is no coincidence that these are the very things
for which the world is longing and searching."

Sally Morgenthaler's Worship Evangelism: 

Inviting Unbelievers into the presence of God, 97-98

Are you in a worshipping community where you enter into the presence of God each week?  I find it interesting that many of us are not worshipping in such a place.  Instead, we rationalize that we are "not one of those worship junkies" who insist on feeling God's presence.  We are more mature.

I would challenge that if we do not find God's presence in worship and we are content with it, then we might not be as mature as we think. 

Why would I say such a thing?  Notice how scripture affirms a biblical desire for God.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

Ps. 42:1-2

In other words, as people we were made to enjoy the presence of God.  When you get a taste of God's presence in Christ, it is addicting.  It is satisfying.  It is life.  Who does not want more life, peace, joy and love deep within their soul?

One of the greatest attractions of worship is when a community 

creates a place where individuals can meet with God.  

I know we can meet with God anywhere, but the time and space of worship together in community is often where we experience God's presence in a deep and real sense.  I believe such an experience can be felt and experienced even by non-believers.

My actual experience verifies this claim.  At my former church, Grace Bible Church in Maine, I often heard from visitors that they "felt" the presence of God while with us in worship.  This observation was made from believers and unbelievers,  first-time visitors and long-time attenders, and everything in between.  We were not a "large church" by the standards of worldly judgment, but God did work through and in our worship.

I also have experienced this phenomena in many other growing churches.  In fact, I could argue that such an experience of God's presence in worship is a mark of a growing and thriving church.

So, how do we move/grow a church so this experience 

of God's presence is felt even by unbelievers?

This is a tricky question.  God cannot be manipulated to "show up" like magic.  Yet, I think and I have experienced several traits of churches that have worship renewal.

First, these churches pray for this experience and presence.  They also come anticipating meeting with God.  These churches are filled with people who ask that the Lord's presence be known, and they are marked by a directed prayer ministry that asks the Lord to work through and in worship.  There is also an expectation that God will move and speak.

Second, these church have people who are called and gifted to lead worship.  These folks may not be the best musicians in the church, but they love to worship.  They have all the traits above, and they ask the Lord to work through them to touch hearts.

Please notice, I said gifted and called.  How do we tell this?  These folks have an inner call to lead worship, they have external call from a group to help them lead worship, and the Lord blesses their work by showing up!

The last mark of calling is the trickiest.  Who determines this?  Does someone's best friend get to say, "The Lord blessed your leading/playing today"?  Is it only the Elder's job to determine this?  Unfortunately/fortunately churches are often full of encouraging folks.  They encourage effort as much or more than results.  Could this skew the data in determining God's blessings on their work?

Of course it can.  The real and ultimate proof is God's presence being known to believers and un-believers, long-time members and first-time visitors.  Such proof cannot be ascertained in any given Sunday, but should be measured over the course of time.

What does this mean?

Finding, developing, and encouraging worship renewal is essential for a growing church.  

As individuals we can pray.  As churches we can lovingly search for and encourage those who are blessed to help lead such renewal.  Is this easy?  No.  Is it fool-proof?  No.  Yet it is essential for worship evangelism and worship renewal to take place.