Don’t be put off by the silly way this video approaches a serious question. Whether its just trying to be cute, or to reach a certain demographic that likes this kind of thing, look beyond the form and consider the content.

What do you think?

Someone recommended this song to me as we consider the call we have received.
A good reminder that this specific vocational call is part of a bigger calling.
I am called to grow deeper and stronger and fuller in my life in Christ!
Sitting around and waiting, playing it safe, avoiding difficulties is not our calling.
God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden; they could just stay put… but…
They would have missed out on what God wanted to do in and through them.
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)
This involves moving out, not staying put; embracing change and not safety.
As a Jesus follower, what are you aiming for – or settling for?
We are called to go, not to retreat.
We were made to live for, not to hide from.
‘A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.’ (William G.T. Shedd)
Jesus is asking YOU to answer His call, to follow Him with Your life.
Who is He asking you to be for Him?
What is He asking you to do for Him?
Where is He calling you to serve for Him?

I grew up in a traditional church where the worship was ‘reverent’. By reverent I mean formal, serious, orderly, with everyone quiet and appropriately dressed. There would be major concern if someone would have spoken out of turn… If someone expressed their worship too loudly or visibly… If someone clapped during the service or raised their hands… If someone did not dress up appropriately worthy of the King… (I can still hear someone saying, ‘you wouldn’t wear THAT before the Queen, would you?).

Eerdbiedig… a Dutch word that means reverent, a reverence worthy of God’s holiness. I would often hear the criticism about something, that it was not eerbiedig. I’m thinking about this because today I read about David dancing before the Ark. The same holy Ark of God’s Name that Uzzah died for touching (2 Samuel 6:6-7). David becomes undignified before the Lord because of his love for God’s grace and glory. “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:22) I see him dancing in his linen ephod, and I wonder what my church would have said. Actually, I know what they would have said… ‘that’s not eerdbiedig!’ They would have agreed with Michal… which is a scary thing to say.

I can only judge by what I see, I do not know the heart. “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). How do I know if someone else’s worship is reverent or irreverent? Not everyone who dances is being irreverent, not everyone who sits quietly is being reverent. Not everyone who dresses down is being disrespectful, not everyone who dresses up is being respectful. Only God knows the heart, only He can see whether our worship is “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). People express their love and worship for God differently. The only requirement before God is that it be from the heart (in spirit) and sincere (in truth).

Be very careful not to judge someone else’s worship, whether it seems too little or too much. Just because they’re not as expressive as me, doesn’t mean its not from the heart. Just because they’re more expressive than me, doesn’t mean its not from the heart. Let your quietness be sincere, let your exuberance be sincere, let it be for God and God alone. And let someone else worship God as they are led – God will determine whether it is real.

Be very careful not to judge someone else’s worship. Michal may have thought that she was honouring God, but actually she was dishonouring God. Her judgmental spirit, critical of David’s worship, only revealed her own barrenness. Her barrenness of body (2 Samuel 6:23) points to her barrenness of spirit. God sees beyond her supposed ‘eerdbiedig’ to the hollowness that was within her.

As a follower of Jesus, I am responsible for my own heart response before God. Am I actually joyful? Do I actually love God because of all that He has done for me? Am I more worried about what people think about me, than I am about what God sees in me? May the Spirit of Jesus — Who set me free from my guilt and shame and bondage and restored me as His precious child — make God’s grace and glory so real for me that I can say what David said! “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

What do you think?

What do you think?

Fill in the blank, what would you say?
Following Jesus is ____________________

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS
This week someone asked me ‘where I see the Christian Reformed Church in ten years’ Honestly, what came to mind were these words, ‘FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS!’ I believe we are in for some turbulent times in the next ten years. We should not be surprised. Our Captain warned us: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

TURBULENCE
Consider the challenges we are facing as a denomination. Attendance and giving, commitment and loyalty seem to be declining. Our membership is aging, and many young adults are choosing to leave the church. Members look to their leaders to lead, yet fewer members are willing to serve as leaders. Churches are struggling to navigate the 21st century; some are splitting or closing. Continue reading ‘Fasten your seat belts!’ »

So what do you think of what this video has to say?
Personally I do not get worked up about ‘keeping Christ in Christmas’.
Why should we be surprised if non-Christians don’t want to focus on Jesus?
But we should be surprised, and concerned, when Christians don’t.
The issue for me is not putting Christ back into Christmas.
The issue is putting Christ back into Christians!!!
Not just in December, but through the year.
If Christians actually acted more like Jesus, we might attract others to focus on Him too.

Found this quote online. Changed one word, substituted ‘disciple’ for ‘pastor’.

“To pursue ministry but not having a passion for the gospel and fulfilling the Great Commission is like pursuing medicine, but not liking patients. I suppose you can manage along, but you will lack fruitfulness and joy. Most troubling of all, you will hinder God’s divine plan for reaching the world for Christ.

Ministry work is gospel work. A love for the lost, and a desire to see them come to know Christ, will be forward propulsion for your ministry. Don’t embark on ministry without a love for the gospel and the Great Commission. It’s the one passion every disciple must have.”