Themes: The Gospel in Colossians

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

In this day and age the Bible isn’t held to the same “truth standard” that it was in generations and days past. Bizarre interpretations are accepted because people believe they have the right to decide for themselves what a passage means, or blatantly remove text from its intended context and twist it against itself or twist it to mean what they want for it to mean at that particular time or for that certain circumstance. In other words, many today approach Scripture with the idea that the meaning is in the eye of the beholder.

This ideology flies in the face of Christ’s example. In fact, Jesus routinely rebuked those who twisted the words of Scripture or misapplied them. The Bible is God’s message to man, and because of that we can have perfect confidence that God is capable of accurately relaying His Word to us, His creation, in a way that we can understand.

But… it is crucial that we do our part and we learn how to interpret Scripture properly so that we can determine the original author’s intended meaning rather than forcing our own ideas into the text.

Hermeneutics, which comes from the Greek word hermeneuo, means to explain or interpret. Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that focuses on identifying and applying sound principles of Biblical interpretation. While the Bible is generally plain in its meaning, proper interpretation requires careful study and is not always an easy task.

Did you know that the Bible was written over a period of roughly 2,000 years by 40 or more authors using three languages?

The Holy Spirit moved each of these writers to produce His inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word!

2 Timothy 3:16 says,

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:19–21 says,

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

So… how do we as “modern day Believers” properly interpret Scripture? Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to start into a new method of reading the Word of God and interpreting such powerful words and meanings. Below I will demonstrate how I go about interpreting Scripture in my daily reading by identifying themes and how they build off each other to display the Gospel.

Let’s begin with the book of Colossians. This book is a mini-ethics course, addressing every area of Christian life, and perhaps one of the most Christ centered books in the Bible. Although Paul addresses many areas, the basic application for us today is the total and complete sufficiency of Christ in our lives, both for our salvation and our sanctification. Paul progresses from the individual life to the home and family, from work to the way we should treat others. This book centers on the Head of the Church, which is Jesus Christ. The two major themes in this book are “the supremacy of Christ” in Chapters one and two and “the submission to Christ” in Chapters three and four. There is an overarching Gospel theme in this book that runs throughout as well, it is the sufficiency of our Lord, Jesus Christ in meeting our needs in every area.

The Gospel in Colossians is broken down and explained in several themes throughout this book which all expand upon each other. I will break down the Gospel themes, explain, and provide backing verses below. Let’s think together.

  • The Supremacy of Christ (Chapters 1-2)

supremacy

: the quality or state of having more power, authority, or status than anyone else : the state of being supreme

The first theme or display of the Gospel that Paul demonstrates or provides in Colossians is the supremacy of Christ over all. The reason this is of importance to the Gospel is that recognizing this is recognizing who holds the authority over all, and who we must serve. There is no way to Heaven except through Christ and the work of Christ, and as much as the world would like to tell us otherwise we cannot do it without His work.

Colossians 1:15-16 says,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Colossians 2:8-15 says,

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

  • The Submission to Christ (Chapters 3-4)

submission

: the state of being obedient : the act of accepting the authority or control of someone else

The second theme found in Colossians after the recognition of the supremacy of Christ is what our response should be… a response of submissiveness. Paul offers up many examples of what it is to live as Christ, and all of these examples are completely unnatural for a human to do apart from Christ. All that we are called to do is to die to our old worldly selves, be raised with Christ, and submit to what He has called us to do. Full submission is necessary if we are pursuing holiness.

Colossians 3:1-3 says,

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:5-10 says,

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Colossians 3:12-15 says,

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Colossians 4:1-2 says,

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:5-6 says,

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

  • The Sufficiency of Christ (1-4)

sufficiency

:  meaning to meet one’s needs

Paul also laces a single theme throughout the entire book of Colossians. That theme is: the sufficiency of Christ. As believers we can have hope in the fact that Christ is more than sufficient to meet all of our needs according to His will. His will may not always be ours, but it is always for His glory and in that we can take part and have hope.

Colossians 1:21-22 says,

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

 Colossians 3:23-25 says,

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Overwhelmed? It isn’t as hard as we make it out to be… we just have to be willing to devote ourselves and our time to proper interpretation of God’s Word.

Tim Chaffey once said,

God is capable of accurately relaying His Word to us in a way that we can understand. It is crucial that we interpret properly to determine the intended meaning rather than forcing ideas into the text.

A person can spend his or her entire life and still never come close to mining the depths of Scripture. The Bible is written in such a marvelous way that a child can understand the basic message, and yet the most educated theologians continue to learn new things from the Bible as they study it. There is always so much more to learn, so we must humbly approach the Word of God.

 

Why Study the Old Testament?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Have you ever been watching a movie and felt completely lost?

I have.

I once made the mistake of allowing a friend of mine convince me to watch the second “Matrix” movie with him without having seen the first. He responded to my countless questions graciously… but in the end, I was completely lost with no hope of ever fully grasping what was going on due to missing context and foreknowledge of the plot. I would never understand until seeing the first movie in the series.

Don’t get me wrong… I did enjoy the movie and had basic knowledge of what I had seen in the context that I had seen it. But, I had no idea as to how what I ad observed and understood fit into the larger puzzle that was the “Matrix” series.

It seems as if one of the recent trends within the church is creating this exact issue for us as Believers. Many churches, denominations, congregations, pastors, and theologians have placed an emphasis on the New Testament alone.

Why is that?

I have heard things ranging from, “We are under the New Testament after the death of Christ” to, “the Old Testament is just too boring to read.” Both of these statements actually catch me off guard when thinking about them, but I have to admit that I am probably guilty of placing the New Testament in front of the Old Testament in importance as well. So why should we study the Old Testament as modern believers?

While it is Biblically accurate to distinguish between the testaments and between salvation by law (OT) and salvation by grace (NT), it does not in our wildest dreams mean that the first three-fourths of the Bible should be dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant for the “modern” Christian. In fact, if we read the New Testament fully and carefully we will see how closely tied it is to the Old Testament and how important the Old Testament was and is to the New Testament church. So… why should “New Testament Christians” read the Old Testament? Let’s think together.

  • It is God’s Word.

The first answer to our question is that the Old Testament is important simply because it’s God’s Word.

End of story. Isn’t that enough?

God’s word is eternal. God is a never changing God and in order to understand love and mercy we have to see both testaments for what they are. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In the times of Christ the Old Testament was all they had and that seemed to be enough for them and they deemed it worthy to read and dedicate to heart and mind. In fact, the Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus. He read from it, quoted it, interpreted it, and declared Himself to be the fulfillment of many of its promises. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says,

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The fact that the Old Testament is God’s Word, the same as the New Testament, should be enough to cause us to want to read it and hold it as important! If not, then surely the fact that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ deemed it as important should cause us to view it in a refreshed light. If we truly desire to be like Christ then we better get familiar with the Old Testament.

  • It helps us learn the character of God.

The Old Testament also helps us to learn the character of God. Scriptures found within the Old Testament do well to point us to Christ. I have found that the Old Testament reveals to us the nature of our hearts in comparison to what they should be, and tells us what our BIG problem is.

In a counseling session I was involved in recently the individual I was ministering to just kept repeating that he didn’t know how he had gotten the way that he is, and that he couldn’t understand what his problem was. He had no comprehension of the Old Testament or the curse of Adam that fell upon all mankind in Genesis. Ultimately, he had no context for individual sin and it caused him to repeatedly become frustrated.

The good thing about the Bible is that not only does it tell us our problem, but it also explains to us how we got this way. After giving us a pretense and context the Old Testament also helps to explain to us why God had to do what He did to redeem us! The Old Testament provides us context and allows us to know what God did and accomplished throughout all of Scripture including both the Old and New Testaments.

The story of redemptive history that culminates in Jesus Christ has its origins in the Old Testament. The Bible may have two individual testaments, but it tells one essential comprehensive story!

  • It is the first half.

Just like I struggled to understand the sequel to the first Matrix movie without context of the plot and characters we might find ourselves enlightened more if we read the Old Testament just like I was when I finally watched that first movie.

Did you know that there are more than 300 direct quotations of the Old Testament to be found throughout the New Testament? I actually read that if one counts partial quotations or allusions, the number jumps to more than 2,000, and that material accounts for about 10 percent of the New Testament, or about the same amount devoted to the recorded words of Jesus! Incredible.

The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament. The Bible is a progressive revelation even if we don’t always view it in that way. If you skip the first half of any good book or movie and try to finish it, you will have a hard time understanding the characters, the plot, and the ending. In the same way, the New Testament is only completely understood when we see its foundation of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament.

It is clear that the authors of the New Testament believed the Old Testament to be the word of God. Acts 1:15-20 says,

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’

The writers of the New Testament used the Old Testament in their histories, sermons, letters, and even their prayers. They used it to prove that Jesus was the Messiah, to offer instruction, and to argue or defend theological points. In that time the Old Testament was the primary authority they cited in their declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the end, the New Testament is prefaced upon the Old Testament and without an understanding or grasping of the ideals and content of the Old Testament then the New Testament can’t be grasped or understood fully for what it is and means. The Old Testament is informative and is used to inform us on the ways and things of God, lots of passages in Old Testament speak to things that haven’t occurred yet and can be seen as prophetic and can even provide hope and reinforcement for believers in the context of the New Testament.

  • It deepens understanding.

Lastly, my favorite point is the fact that an understanding of the Old Testament helps us to ward off heresies. Many heresies begin like this, “Did God really say…(fill in the blank)?” We would be quicker to spot false teachings and prophecies with an understanding of both Testaments rather than only understanding one or the other.

Any informed follower or student would work to know all of the teachings and all of the material. When preparing for a comprehensive exam one doesn’t only study the latest material… you would fail. When preparing a legal defense a lawyer doesn’t just view the latest evidence… a full understanding of the case is necessary for receiving the desired results. When in boot camp one doesn’t just learn how to bandage and treat wounds… One learns how to fight and prevent them too. If we want to be prepared and fully equipped Christians then we should have a desire to know ALL of God’s Word. We are called to be faithful, and insight into the Old Testament helps in that endeavor.

We should have a longing to hear from Him and understand all of His Words. That longing will cause us to read all of what He has given us.

In summary, the Old Testament allows us to learn how to love and serve God, and it reveals more about God’s character. It shows through repeatedly fulfilled prophecy why the Bible is unique among holy books, and it alone is able to demonstrate that it is what it claims to be: the inspired Word of God.

Rejection: It hurts!

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

On February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, a young man named Michael was born. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was very young and he was one of 5 siblings. His father worked as a General Electric plant supervisor, and his mother worked at a bank. Young Michael, like many young men, loved sports but despite his attempts he failed to make his high school basketball team as a sophomore because of a “lack of skill.” Not swayed long by the rejection he continued to practice as if his very life depended on it and he made the team the next year.

His determination and resilience paid off. The same young man who “lacked the skill” to play 10th grade basketball not only finished out an impressive high school basketball career, but he also accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where he played under head coach Dean Smith and became the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1982.

Obviously the Michael we are referring to is now acclaimed as the “best basketball player to have ever played.” He is Michael Jordan. He left North Carolina after his junior year and was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the third pick of the 1984 NBA draft. Before joining the Bulls, Jordan was a member of the Summer 1984 United States Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in Los Angeles, California. Michael Jordan would play 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association and win various titles and awards.

A man that could have let his rejection define him is now known as one of the most clutch and iconic basketball players ever. He turned his rejection and disappointment into determination and later success.

There are numerous stories that unravel just like this!

  • TV personality Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a reporter because she was “unfit for TV.” She later became the host of her own program “The Oprah Winfrey show” which aired 25 sessions before launching her own TV Network. Oprah Winfrey Network.
  • Author JK Rowling was sacked as a secretary because she was a “day dreamer.” 12 publishers then rejected her after writing her first “Harry Potter” novel. That very novel would later make her a billionaire.
  • Director Steven Spielberg was turned down 3 times by the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television. Undeterred he carried on and earned his BA and became one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema with Academy Awards for Best Director for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” He also achieved Box Office records for “Jaws, E.T, and Jurassic Park.”
  • Musical icon Elvis Presley was told by the Grand Ole Opry manager, Jimmy Denny, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” Yet Elvis became an American singer and is now referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll.”
  • Lastly, composer Ludwig van Beethoven was referred to as “hopeless” in his early life by his music teacher. Beethoven would later become one of the most famous and influential of all composers whose best-known compositions included 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets.

The point of all of those stories is to point out that we all experience rejection, and nobody is exempt or immune to it’s countless forms. I personally believe at the core of all rejection is a desire to feel valued. We can’t feel rejection unless we first want something that we feel like we don’t already have whether it is attention, success, achievement, praise, perceived worth, confidence, to feel connected, etc… At the core of our desires is a longing for a sense of stability or feeling of importance. Rejection keeps us from what we want. We can turn rejection is the enemy, or that obstacle we can’t move past. We can allow rejection to define us.

Rejection wants us to give up… and if we do then rejection has won. It has defined us.

I found it interesting that in a recent University of Michigan study they found that physical pain and intense feelings of rejection “hurt” in the same way. The study demonstrates that the same regions of the brain that become active in response to painful sensory experiences are activated during intense experiences of social rejection. This study went on to show that higher levels of rejection in a person’s life result in “more negative self-feelings and reductions of self-esteem.” Repeated rejection can literally change our brains. When we face rejection one too many times, our brain learns to protect us. How many of us have experienced this? We’re rejected and suddenly we’re afraid of trying again.

Everyone encounters rejection in this fallen world, and as painful as rejection can be, it doesn’t have to work against us. Rejection can actually work for us if we use the experience as a positive opportunity to create a new season of success in your life or allow God to speak to us through it. Our rejection, like our pain, is not meaningless. (You can find a previous blog on this topic here: https://tannerroyalty.com/2015/12/02/damascus/)

John Piper said this in a message on pain, but I believe it can be said about rejection as well. He said,

Not only is all your affliction momentary, not only is all your affliction light in comparison to eternity and the glory there. But all of it is totally meaningful. Every millisecond of your pain, from the fallen nature or fallen man, every millisecond of your misery in the path of obedience is producing a peculiar glory you will get because of that. I don’t care if it was cancer or criticism. I don’t care if it was slander or sickness. It wasn’t meaningless. It’s doing something! It’s not meaningless. Of course you can’t see what it’s doing. Don’t look to what is seen. When your mom dies, when your kid dies, when you’ve got cancer at forty, when a car careens into the sidewalk and takes her out, don’t say, “That’s meaningless!” It’s not. It’s working for you an eternal weight of glory. Therefore, therefore, do not lose heart. But take these truths and day by day focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get alone with God and preach his word into your mind until your heart sings with confidence that you are new and cared for.

So… as leaders, church members, and believers in general we are guaranteed to experience rejection in one form or another. Rejection isn’t always easy to deal with, here’s a few quick ways we can respond when we experience rejection. Let’s think together.

  • Ask the right questions.

Most of us are well-acquainted with disappointment. All of us, at some point, will battle feelings of disappointment when life goes wrong. I think it is almost natural for us to believe deep down that because of our faith and salvation we should have a special immunity against trouble.

We see an example of a version of this thinking in Mark 10:23-31 where it says says,

And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Peter tried to remind Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you.” Peter was asking the wrong question.

After all, it’s hard to ask the right question when you’re feeling disappointed! It’s hard to ask “what now?” or “what else?” when your dreams have been shattered or your heart hurts from pain, disappointment, or rejection. But I believe that our lives will begin to change when we start asking God, “What would you have me do now?” when we come up short or something doesn’t come through like we feel it was supposed to. Now obviously the correct question or response doesn’t and won’t take the pain away, but typically we will find that God is eager to show is what He wants us to do next.

Sometimes we need to stop talking and just listen and obey.

If you are like me, my natural tendency is to complain when I feel disappointed or rejected. But unfortunately for me, complaining to other people never helps solve the issue… typically it just makes it worse and intensifies the pain. But, in His grace, God asks us to take our heartaches to him.

Matthew 11:28-29 says,

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalm 55:22 says,

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Philippians 4:6 says,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Casting our burdens on God is wise because He’s capable of doing something about it, while we are not. God has the power to change us, our situation, or both. He knows all the facts, He knows the future, and He has the perspective that we lack. When we learn to respond correctly and ask the right questions when rejected or disappointed we will begin to have answers revealed to us.

  • Don’t allow rejection and discouragement to define you.

Life is a journey. In the same way many of our ideas, goals, and relationships are journeys as well. Rarely do we end up where we saw ourselves being twenty years ago. The problem with long-term goals is that they can change.

Many things take a process to get it to where they need to be… us included! If you had asked me 10 years ago if I ever envisioned myself working for a church I would’ve answered with a bold “no!” Having an idea turned down, a vision rejected, or a goal changed doesn’t mean we have failed. Ultimately it means that we have received feedback, guidance, or correction and we now can adapt and overcome by approaching in a different way.

We mustn’t allow ourselves to be sensitive when we get rejected. We must learn to not place your identity in what you create, or goals, dreams, or visions and whether or not they turn out or happen according to plan. Here is an exerpt from a previous blog of mine (you can find it here: https://tannerroyalty.com/2015/05/13/who-are-you/),

Too often, people base their identities on what they do or in the acceptance of others, and the perceived expectations that come along with that acceptance… whether it is a job, hobby, relationship, or even positive or negative remarks from peers.

Traditionally, we’ve been taught to find the answer in one place…we are what we do. If I write, then I’m a writer. If I play music, then I am a musician. If I play a sport, then I’m an athlete. The world creates easy definitions of people and we look to those definitions far too often. We like to define ourselves based upon what we do. Somehow we have been deceived and allowed the things that, for the most part, we have dominion and control over to define us as people. We are allowing our identity and self worth to be found amongst the things of the world.

Are you being controlled or limited by the things that you allow to define you?

The truth is that God intends for all people to find their identity in Him alone. Our effectiveness as pastors and worship pastors is hinged upon us becoming comfortable with the people God has created us to be. Our identity is found and secured in Christ alone when we begin to follow him… we must simply accept that identity and pursue it wholeheartedly.

Ultimately, rejection is part of the process that we all go through in this thing called life. Don’t be discouraged when it happens. Understand that it’s not an attack on you personally, but use it as an opportunity to grow and develop. Allow God to guide and shape you. Don’t allow the things you control to define you. Take time to stop talking and listen to what He has to say.

How to Fight Spectator Worship

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Lights. Camera. Action.

We have all experienced the hair on the backs of our necks stand up from a good show or experience. Maybe the atmosphere was just right or the speaker or musicians were well rehearsed and the performance nearly moved us to tears. We have all also probably been in a scenario where all we could do was grimace and mumble (in our best southern voice) “bless his/her heart.”

When thinking back to either of these experiences did either take place at church?

As ministers we must think about what types of experiences, memories, moments, and performances we putting on each and every week within our houses of worship? Let me ask you: What is memorable? The atmosphere? The quality of performance? That soloist who had the voice of an angel? Or the congregational worship in response to the Spirit of God?

I hope it is the latter. If it’s called a worship service, should there not be more worship going on? This week we are going to discuss maintaining well-balanced worship, and fighting the talent show spectator sport mentality that we often unintentionally instill within or people. Sure, the spectator mentality may not be created intentionally, but it is happening, nonetheless.

Let’s start at the beginning… the diagnosis of the problem.

In “worship,” are we supposed to be participants or spectators?

We all know the answer… participants.

So if we all know the correct answer how does spectator worship still happen? We all can be guilty at times. No style of music or church setting is exempt. Often, contemporary churches create a concert atmosphere. From the style of the music and the way it is presented, to the layout of the “worship center,” there is a feel that is remarkably similar to a concert or a theater experience. For obvious reasons that can get confusing for our congregations, because in theaters and concerts, the audience is not required to participate in way, form, or fashion. Their sole responsibility is to set back, stay awake, and enjoy the show in a consumer-like fashion. But… the “trendy” contemporary churches aren’t the only ones to blame! In fact, many traditional services have beloved hymns that have been sung in the same way for years that take absolutely no thought or “worship engagement” to get through. We have created zombies that can sing melodies! Many traditional services also incorporate choirs that sing songs while the attendees listen or put on special shows that are “concert-like.” Other times, there is “special music” by a soloist or ensemble. The best part, of course, is the “offertory” where a talented musician plays his or her instrument during the passing of the plate and everyone listens to the performance.

So, what’s the problem with “spectator” worship?

Worship is not the same thing as entertainment. Groundbreaking thought I know… unfortunately, the whole approach of much of our “worship services” is nothing more than entertainment with a Christian title. Does a “better” atmosphere mean “better” worship? Does the skill of the soloist, or the intonation of a choir really constitute a better worship experience? Does it truly bring more honor and glory to God if you “jaw-drop” the audience with your guitar solo or piano finesse? But… by breeding a spectator mentality we tend to also breed an entertainment mentality.

Spectators also tend to be prone to the consumer mentality that plagues our American culture. In an age of American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and America’s Next Top Model our culture is filled with “expert” judges and consumers with little knowledge or experience in whatever area they are judging. How many times have we attended a movie or show and immediately walked out giving our thoughts on what was well done and what wasn’t. I have… but the fact is I know absolutely nothing about making a movie. I can give my opinion… but that is all it really is: an opinion. Sometimes we unintentionally drag this consumer or critiquing mindset into church. We leave right after a service and judge the worship based off the quality of the music or even better… the musical selection, and the preaching based off of whether or not we liked the message or the Pastor kept us engaged enough.

These problems undermine true worship, and what we have done by breeding these issues (spectator worship) and not teaching against them has now come to bite us in the rear! You know, recently I was shown an interesting statistic. It is well believed that the average goldfish has a 9 second attention span, and we often joke around with people and say, “You have the attention span of a goldfish.” But… actually a recent study says that an average human attention span is now 8 seconds! You heard me right… 1 second less than that of a goldfish. So the question is… if we allow spectator worship to shape and form our church’s worship can we entertain the people enough? Absolutely not.

So… how do we engage people in authentic God-honoring worship? Let’s think together.

  • Sing songs that people can sing.

It may seem obvious… but we have to start by singing songs that people are capable of singing. As a member of the congregation if I have to watch the “show” more than half the time then we as leaders have missed the point!

The fact of the matter is that too often we are singing songs not suitable for congregational singing. There are lots of great, new worship songs today, but in the vast pool of new songs, many are not suitable for congregational singing because of a multitude of reasons like key, rhythm, melody, etc. But, the truth is though, there are many hymns that aren’t great for our current singing as well because of rhythm, melody, and a language barrier between “old-time” speech and how we talk today.

What I try to keep in mind when selecting songs is that in order for people to sing the songs in any given worship service, the songs have to have a sing-able melody (that doesn’t take a master’s degree in music or 8 hours of practice) and be placed in keys that the common person can sing. You see, we as leaders might think a song is easy, but the reality is that we have been listening and practicing it all week and our congregations only have once on Sunday to sing along. Also, if songs are placed in keys that are too high, many people just stop singing because it hurts to sing high, or they are embarrassed to hear their voice at a raised level when they are trying to reach out and strain to get that note you have asked them to sing.

What we seem to have forgotten is that the average singer has a medium range, and many worship leaders, myself included, have high voices and want to pitch the songs in keys in which they sound the best for us to lead them in. But, we must remember that worship is not about impressing the congregation with our awesome vocal skills. Instead it is about enabling the people to worship, and facilitating that response through our direction (guided by the Spirit of course).

  • Sing songs that people can follow.

Nobody likes going to a concert where you don’t know a single song and have no clue what is going on. Have you ever been to a church service like that? I have… and to be honest my worship through song really suffered.

Many of us Worship Leaders and Pastors love singing new music and are completely wrapped up in that world all week. But to be honest most of our congregation isn’t. They might not be in tune with the newest song or the latest and greatest group. Often the only Christian music they hear is at church! So… sometimes when we don’t balance out our set lists that allow for easy following a congregation ceases its participatory worship in order to learn the new songs or turn totally to spectator mode and treat the song as a “special music” portion of the service.

So… first of all, should we sing new songs in worship? I believe the Bible is clear in that regard. Psalm 33:3 says,

Sing unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.

Psalm 40:3 says,

He put a new song in my mouth.

Psalm 96:1 says,

Sing to the LORD a new song.

Psalm 144:9 says,

I will sing a new song to you, O God.

Psalm 149: 1 says,

Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song.

I could go on and on. Singing new songs is beneficial because they keep us out of a rut, bring us a new sense of freshness and enthusiasm, force us to think about what we are singing, expand our worship vocabulary, and help us capture what God is saying to the body at the time. Newer, contemporary songs generally will connect to today’s culture in a language they understand better than songs several decades or centuries old. Our songs are a vital part of our worship vocabulary. As long as we are singing songs we know, we are able to worship without the hindrance of learning new melodies and rhythms. But, when we place a new song in our times of corporate worship, we can interrupt the flow of worship. When new songs are first introduced, the people have to take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate on the task of learning the new tune. With this in mind, I believe new songs can kill our worship or they can greatly enhance our worship depending on how we balance them and utilize them in our services.

So how do we balance the problem of creating spectators with all the great reasons to include new songs in our worship? The key is how we introduce the songs and the frequency of new song introduction. We must make sure the songs are first sing-able and then gauge our church based off of their ability to pick up on newer songs. The results will vary depending on the average age of your congregation, what types of songs you are playing, and the context you are in.

One thing I would like to clarify is that we don’t need to mistake “unwilling” to learn new songs for “unable.” Sometimes we have a tendency as humans to like things they way they are, and always have been, and we are content in our comfort. We must fulfill the Biblical mandate to sing new songs… so we have to do our job to facilitate that as painlessly as possible.

  • Be ready to teach.

As worship leaders, we often get so involved in our professional production and understanding of worship that we fail to be authentic, invite the congregation into the experience and act of worship, and then do all we can to facilitate that response. Sometimes it is far too easy to lose sight of our purpose of helping the congregation to voice their worship, and letting them know that they have a reason to sing.

Sometimes the “spectator worshipper” mentality just comes from a lack of understanding or education on the subject. We need to take a step back a realize that not everyone is as deeply immersed in worship as we are (I mean it is our job). We must be willing and ready to teach words, teach songs, and most importantly teach each methods, reasons, and purposes of worship.

A functioning understanding often goes a long way.

So how are you fighting the fight against “spectator worship?”

An Invitation

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

We have all received an invitation to something in our lifetimes. Sometimes we are delighted to receive them in the mail… and other times a sense of dread or obligation comes along with an invitation.

One time interestingly enough I received an invitation for a black tie event for business professionals in the nearest major city to me. Needless to say I was confused and felt very unqualified. I made every excuse to not attend… and I didn’t. Today I wonder what the mix up was, but also what opportunities or connections would have come from that banquet.

John 3:16-17 says,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

We see in the above passages out of John an invitation to believe and be saved offered by Jesus and the sacrifice He paid. How many of us treat the invitation offered by Jesus in the same way that I treated the black tie event? Maybe we feel unqualified, inadequate, or we are just full of excuses?

Maybe the expectations have been placed too high? Or we’ve been hurt or let down before and we are timid to put ourselves in that position again? Maybe we feel like we aren’t there yet… like we are too much of a project? Maybe you are like me and you feel inadequate or not qualified enough to “mix it up” with the “professionals?”

One of my favorite writers, C.S. Lewis, said,

God doesn’t want something from us, He simply wants us.

There is no mistake. The invitation is yours.

That invitation may be to approach Jesus for the first time… or maybe you are already a Believer and the invitation for you is to take the “next step” and allow Jesus to not only be your savior, but also to be the Lord of your life.

Let’s think together.

Come as you Are

Revelation 22:17 says,

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

We have an open invitation: “Come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” In these and other verses in Scripture, the clear implication is that, even though we are sinners, God desires us to come to Him as we are, so that He can cleanse us.

In one of my Matt Maher songs he says this,

For all the thirsty in need of the river

For all the sleeping hearts waking from their slumber

For everyone still standing at the shoreline, come

 

For all the hurting souls running from their healer

For all the skeptics running from an answer

Let everyone who hears these words say come

 

For the Spirit and the Bride say come

 

For all the Pharisees, empty on the inside

For all the lovers who spent their love on a lie

For the forgotten, the Father’s heart says come

 

For all the fatherless looking for approval

For all the daughters who’ve never heard they’re beautiful

Let everyone who hears these words say come

 

For the Spirit and the Bride say come

In Joel 2:32a says

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.

God’s offer of deliverance is open to “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.” If we go to the examples of how Jesus dealt with the sinners He encountered we realize that there is no mistake… the invitation is ours and it is genuine!

You know, sometimes we receive those invitations with “fine print.” Maybe we are expected to bring something… a gift, food, etc. Those invitations come with requirements or obligations.

Sometimes us “well-meaning Christians” do that exact same thing. We tell people that they have to “clean up their lives” before God will accept them, but that is not what we see in Scripture. We can come as we are! The invitation has no fine print!

John 8:1-11 says,

They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, He told her, “Go, and sin no more.” The sin was never excused or ignored, but forgiveness was offered to anyone who recognized his sin and was willing to confess and forsake it. God certainly expects us to leave our sin, but that comes as a part of our salvation, not as a prerequisite. We are not able to clean ourselves up without God’s help.

John 6:37 says,

Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.

You’ve met the Prerequisites

The worst part about college was figuring out what order I had to take all of the classes in order to fit them into a four-year schedule and complete my degree(s) on time. It seems simple… but in reality some classes are only offered at certain times and rotate yearly, other classes have requirements that have to be completed before you are allowed to enroll in them, they are called prerequisites.

Above we discussed the open call or invitation that is offered to us through Christ, and how we didn’t have to “meet” any sort of requirement in order to respond accordingly. In fact, through Jesus we have already met the “prerequisites.” We are all sinners in need of grace. Grace that only faith in Jesus can offer.

In Isaiah 1:18 it says,

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

God offers the invitation to come, bring your sins and burdens and lay them at the foot of the cross. No matter how far you gone or how broken you are.

There is a story in John 4 that goes like this,

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria.  So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”  Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Jesus didn’t and still doesn’t flee from the imperfect… instead He sits beside them and offers “living water” out of love. You know… I often wonder how Jesus loved some of the most unlovable characters. John 3:16 makes it sound easy, when in fact, loving the world wasn’t easy at all! Another story in John 4:46-53 goes like this,

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.  As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.

In this passage we find Jesus interacting with a father who longs for his son to be healed. The only problem is that this father is also an official in Herod’s court. The same Herod who kills John the Baptist, and who is a direct threat to Jesus! But again, Jesus loves the unlovable. He truly “loves His enemies as Himself.”

What do we have to lose? Maybe some pain and guilt?

If you are already a believer what are you withholding from the Lord. Let Him take it.

Leave Something and Take Something

As a kid the best part about attending a birthday party was the “goodie bags” typically offered at the end. The best part about an invitation from Jesus is that we don’t leave the party “empty-handed.”

Matthew 11:28 says,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

We all bring our own baggage to the party, but the “take home bag” is the same. We can come and bring our junk, lay it down, and take up an inheritance.

Come as you are and allow God to change who you are.

In all of this I am not saying that it is okay to remain in rebellion, but I am saying that true faith in Christ alone will change your life. Come as you are, but you won’t stay as you are because God is working in true believers.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 2:20 says,

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I will close with these often sung words from David Crowder,

Come out of sadness from wherever you’ve been

Come broken hearted let rescue begin

Come find your mercy oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal

 

So lay down your burdens, lay down your shame

All who are broken lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home, you’re not too far

So lay down your hurt, lay down your heart

Come as you are

 

There’s hope for the hopeless and all those who’ve strayed

Come sit at the table, come taste the grace

There’s rest for the weary, rest that endures

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t cure

Leading with Presence… with or without Position

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Are you a leader?

How and when do you lead? Let me rephrase that question… do you only lead when you have the position or are the focus of others?

Is your leadership dependent on position or place or are you a leader “on” and “off” the field?

Dave Jorn, Arkansas pitching coach, says,

A lot of your success and failure is going on in the locker room. Your leaders are key to managing the locker room.

“Locker Room Leaders” serve as the developers, models, and defendants of your “teams” culture. Through their words and deeds, on a daily basis, this type of leader can make or break a program. They can inspire others to achieve more or can deteriorate and undermine the team atmosphere. Effective “Locker Room Leaders” take pride in your program’s culture and do everything they can to enhance, protect, and preserve it. If someone acts in a way that is outside of what is considered appropriate, they will step in and set the person straight. They willingly and quickly confront those who do not act in a way that is aligned with your program’s vision, values, and standards. Often, effective “Locker Room Leaders” contribute more to your program’s success with their leadership than they do with their individual physical talent.

For example, just recently I was reading an article about the Philadelphia Eagles and their leaders. The coaches and players were polled about who they view as their leaders. Surprisingly enough, Carson Wentz their Quarterback and leader on the field was not who everyone viewed as their team leader. Instead, the safety Malcolm Jenkins was viewed as the most influential leader within the Eagles organization.

So let me ask you a previous question again in a different way… is your Christian leadership dependent on position, place, or ministry title or are you a leader at all times through word and deed?

In my particular area of ministry we can too easily have a mindset that if we are not the rostered “worship leader,” we can rest a bit and just quietly do our thing, and leave the “leadership” and “leading” to the worship leader position only. But… I think that problem exists across the board in churches. Think about it! How many times do we shrug off an opportunity to serve or to lead with the excuse that someone else will do it, or that it is the Pastor’s job?

What I typically tell my teams is that “everyone is a worship leader” and we lead from our presence instead of from our position.

I encourage my whole team, no matter what position they are serving from, to consider themselves as helping to lead the church in worship. The responsibility of leading worship isn’t limited to a rostered position; the responsibility is actually carried by the entire team. The same can be said about whatever area you serve in! The same can also be said about all of us and the way we live for Christ daily. We can lead others to Him and point to His goodness by leading “on” and “off” the field, “in” and “out” of the spotlight.

Every time you step into the world you have the privilege and opportunity to encourage and lead others to worship God, so use everything you have to point people to Jesus… whether that is a “high” exalted position or the lowest of the low. The Senior Pastor I serve under, Herb Williams, has always told me that if revival breaks out he wants to be a part of it… not necessarily serving in leadership, but he is okay with cleaning the toilets if that is what it takes to point people to Jesus. That should be our mindset.

Romans 12:1 says,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.

You may not have a microphone to sing, but you have a voice. You might not have the position, but you have your presence.

In light of this, there are some things to keep in mind. Let’s think together!

  • Lead from wherever you are.

It is not solely up to the worship leader to lead the congregation, and it’s not just up to a Pastor to live like Jesus in the community! Each of us as believers have a responsibility to be leaders wherever we are, and from whatever position or ministry that we find ourselves serving from.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says,

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Maybe your gifting is musical and you find yourself on stage leading others, maybe you are serving behind the scenes with media or sound, maybe you are teaching a class or just helping someone supervise and chaperone children. In all things our first and foremost goal should be to bring God the glory and to serve excellently.

Just a side note for all my musical folks: We are all leaders. If we craft and perfect beautiful songs and compelling setlists, but fail to help carry and engage the church alongside the worship leader, we have missed the mark. You aren’t on stage because of your excellence… you are on stage to lead people into the presence of God.

  • Set the standard.

Being a leader is not limited to a schedule or place. True leaders step into that role and maintain it until they die. A good leader knows when to lead and when to follow, when to speak and when to listen. We set the standard for those around us. For me, that might mean leading passionately and genuinely from stage. For others, that might mean leading the congregation in response to my leading from stage.

As a leader you set the standard. We should have the same level of passion “on” and “off” the field! If we are only able to demonstrate leadership when we are in the front then we have missed the point. The leadership demonstrated in the spotlight should be a mere overflow of the leadership and passion for Christ that we demonstrate everyday. The standard should always remain the same.

  • Make the most of every opportunity.

Our posture is either inviting or distancing people. Whether we like to admit it or not, when we are labeled as “leaders” or as “Christians” people begin to watch us and take notice of even the things we may not be aware of.

In a blog by Autumn Hardman from Hillsong church she says this,

Our body language says more than we think it does. If we have our heads down, solemn faces, rigid bodies, while the worship leader is doing their best to engage and lift the congregation — there is disparity in our message. It’s all of our responsibility to be in unity in leading and encouraging the congregation through whatever position we are serving in.

There is no job too big or too small and we need to make the most of every opportunity placed before us.

Philippians 2:4 says,

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

All of us are actually leaders both “on” and “off” platform and “in” and “out” of the spotlight, and it’s our job to collectively be leading people into the presence of Jesus. All of us have something to bring to the table. Everyone matters. Everyone leads from wherever they are.

Proverbs 11:14 says,

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

How are you leading?

With Arms High and Hearts Abandoned

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

As a worship pastor I see many expressions of worship each and every week. I actually find it quite interesting to lead a congregation in worship and watch the way different people respond to the leading and glory of Christ throughout the movement of the service. I have repeatedly said that I have the best seat in the house to watch the individuals in the congregation interact with the presence and glory of God in their own personal way.

That is what we are doing right? Responding to the revelation and glory of God in an individual way?

One topic that has been heatedly debated for some time now is the posture in which we take while we worship. What we do and how we act.

I’ve heard the concern voiced many times: “I don’t want to raise my hands in worship because I don’t want to draw attention to myself” or, “I don’t want to (fill in the blank) because it will distract others.”

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There are various reasons why people raise their hands or take on several other postures during praise/worship songs in church or at Christian concerts/ events. Among the reasons are: to show surrender, submission, humility, or dependence to God, to give God reverence or adoration, to give their all to God, to be filled by God, to raise their hands to Heaven, or simply because they feel led to do so. There are even some churches and Christians who teach that raising hands in different ways means different things.

Raising hands is actually a controversial topic amongst different churches and denominations. Some churches hold that raising one’s hands in worship is distracting or irreverent. But… what does the Word say?

How should we act/ respond during worship? Let’s think together.

  • We should focus on God.

Psalm 115:1 sets the scene for our worship. It says,

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Our worship is to bring Him glory. True worshipers want to make much of Christ through everything they do, and to not distract from Christ’s glory through our own human responses our actions. Our desire as worshippers should be that others’ attention be fixed on God and that anything we do point others to Him and His glory. This does not mean that we are meant to be statues in our worship in order to protect others eyes… but it does mean adopting the attitude of, “If my physical expressions of worship draw the eyes of people standing behind me, I will modify or check my response in order that others can focus on Christ.”

We must check our focus.

1 Samuel 16:7 says,

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Chronicles 28:9

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

The Bible says that God looks at the heart of each person and that a false outward appearance doesn’t fool or gain us “brownie points” with the Lord. I honestly don’t think God cares one bit if a person is standing in place, arms at side, or raising hands and moving around. He doesn’t care what style of music we are worshipping with, or what the environment is like. However, God does care if we are truly worshipping Him or not… and we aren’t fooling Him with our outward actions.

  • We should be faithful to the Word.

Opinions and preferences get tossed around a lot in conversations like the one we are having. When it comes to what is acceptable in church people go nuts! But… how much does tradition, comfort, and preference play into what we hold to be true?

What examples do we see in the Word of people responding to the revelation and glory of Christ in worship?

In Nehemiah 8:6 we see people lift their hands, bow their heads, and fall on their faces in worship when encountered by the presence of God. It says,

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Ezekiel 1:28 echoes this response,

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

But what about the New Testament? Revelation 4:9-10 brings us to the throne room of God where the presence of the Lord is thick like a cloud. Read that encounter,

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne…

Ultimately in the presence of God people respond. Although the individual responses may be different and diverse the One we are responding to stays the same.

1 Kings 8:22 says,

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

Ezra 9:5 says,

And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.

Psalm 63:4 says,

So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

In the presence of God people bow down in worship, raise their hands in worship, and even my favorite… dance in worship!

2 Samuel 6:14 depicts this when it says,

And David danced before the Lord with all his might.

Psalm 149:3 says,

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

How uncomfortable would dancing in worship make some of us? But apparently God delights in it when it is done for His glory in response to all He is and has done.

Christopher Asmus says,

The crucial point is that throughout the Bible, the posture and physical expressions of true worship do not distract from God’s glory, they display it.

So… when we see people in the presence of God bowing down or raising hands in authentic spiritual worship, we are not to look to them, but through them, and see Christ and His glory.

  • We should flee the Spotlight.

John Calvin once called the human heart “a factory of idolatry,” meaning that faithful authentic God- centered worship does not come naturally to fallen human beings. Sinners become idolaters because God has so deeply planted the need for himself in human beings that when we do not know the true God, we invent false gods, false religion, and false worship.

Yes… you heard me right. We can idolize worship.

God gives us a warning against idolatrous worship in the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” The idolatrous worship of false gods is condemned throughout the Bible, and we see it displayed trough several stories… the Israelites and the Golden Calf is the first one that comes to many of our heads. But, how often do we create our own Golden Calves? When we place our preferences, our needs, our wants in the spotlight then we have created an idol for ourselves… even when talking about worship.

That being said, if our worship is drawing attention to us individually then we are wrong in the way in which we are expressing our worship. You know exactly what I am talking about; there are those who go so far overboard that it causes others to be unable to worship because of the distraction or commotion. I’m sure most of us have had that awkward or frustrating experience at a concert where someone nearby to us attempts to steal the spotlight by over-singing or performing those who we actually paid to go see! How often are we like that person in worship and we steal the spotlight from the one whom it needs to be directed towards?

The question I always end up asking myself is, “to whom is this expression pointing?” If we honestly answer that question then we can determine whether or not what we are doing is appropriate. The point is that the Bible says that God wants things done in an orderly and proper way.

1 Corinthians 14:40 says,

But all things should be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians 14:33 says,

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

If our worship is so far out that it is causing distractions, then we are wrong. If we are worshipping in and exaggerated way to make ourselves look more “spiritual” then we are wrong. In fact, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for this very thing, doing “religious acts” so that they would receive the praise of men.

Matthew 6:2 says,

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

Let’s work diligently to leave the spotlight where it belongs… on the glory and majesty of our Lord.

 

 

Recovering Eyes (PT. 1)

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Last week we discussed the need for the Lord to change our sight and heal our spiritual vision. In this first installment of the “Recovering Eyes” series we will begin with ourselves. After all, the process of “recovering eyes” begins with us, and how we view ourselves.

A healthy view of ourselves can transform the way we look at other things in life. To have the eyes of Jesus means that our view of the world will be transformed and not just certain parts of our life that we are comfortable with having changed.

There are really 3 different camps of distorted vision that we as Believers can fall into. We can view ourselves as worthless, as someone who has too much of a past, or as someone who has a lot to offer. Let’s start with the first of the three.

“I am Worthless.”

How many of us have thought that? Sometimes the thought doesn’t even cross our mind, but the idea itself rules our life and determines our actions and decisions without us even knowing it. The idea that we are worthless is a dangerous one because it forces many of us to search for worth in unhealthy places… the opposite sex, our hobbies, our job, our appearance, how we dress, accolades from others, etc.

We have all seen it, the mindset of “worthlessness” can cripple some of us and cause us to not do anything and not take any chances or pursue anything in life, or it can do the opposite and force some of us into dark places that we aren’t prepared to be thrust into or were never supposed to venture in the first place.

So many of us find ourselves basing our self-worth on how others see us and on our accomplishments, feeling shame from our past, defining our value based on our looks, or setting unrealistic standards for ourselves.

But, take heart! It doesn’t have to be this way. If only we could see ourselves as God sees us!

The truth is, if we are living to make sure that the world loves us, we give the world permission to evaluate us based what we do and their expectations of us (which don’t line up with Scripture). When we look to the world for our worth we essentially give people the power to determine our self-worth and set the expectations for our life.

Many of us are so concerned with being loved that we might sacrifice our own identity to get attention and acceptance. Go to any Middle School in the country and you will immediately see this in a magnified way, but I say that this problem is just as prevalent in our culture and our church… we might just be too involved in it to see it clearly.

If you think about it you might be able to place your finger on a time when you felt pressure from your church community to live up to a certain image. Now obviously we are talking about expectations that aren’t defined in Scripture, because we are to strive to meet those outlined for us in the Word… but what about the other ideas that the church sometimes unknowingly expresses? For example, how about the idea that women are supposed to be nurturing, quiet and gentle, and raise well-behaved children? Or on the other hand, that men should be a “manly man” who are void of any and all emotional expressions.

If we live to please our church community, we may find ourselves ignoring who God made us to be. Each of us is unique with our own personalities and abilities and sometimes those might not line up perfectly with the mold the world and the church has created.

Our identity is found in Jesus Christ. It is rooted in His freedom-giving mercy. Our identity is that of a Child of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. We get to experience an intimate relationship with Jesus! Our spiritual inheritance is not based on our identity, but on what God has already accomplished at the cross!

1 Peter 1:3-4 says,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you.

“My Past is Too Bad”

What does your past look like? How has it shaped you into who you are now? How is it still impacting you? Is it causing you to limit your future or question the forgiving power of Jesus?

The mistakes of our past have a way of becoming like ghosts that roam graveyards in scary movies… we may escape for a period of time but they always return to haunt us.

The past is like our shadow… no matter how hard we try, our past will always be nearby. Certain experiences will trigger emotional responses that will bring us back to our past and we have no choice but to relive those memories. The things in our past while remembered do not have to determine our vision for the present and future.

Often times, people tend to linger in the past in order to make sense of it, and while it does serve as a learning experience we cannot let it hinder us. If we are only focusing on our past, then we are most certainly limiting our future… and that is distorted vision.

Author and Pastor Rick Warren wrote in his book “The Purpose Driven Life that,

We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.

If we don’t deal with issues in our past, they will continue to control us in some way in our present. But they don’t have to! We can deal with past sin, rash decisions, broken relationships, etc… by releasing our past to Jesus and entrusting Him alone with our future. Our struggles can bring us closer to God and heighten our faith as we experience His faithfulness in forgiving us and drawing us closer to Himself.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says,

In this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Ultimately the past pales in comparison to the importance of the moment God has you in right now. Pursue the present and allow God to deal with the past.

Bil Keane once said,

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.

“I have a lot to Offer.”

The last dangerous distortion of our vision is one of ascribing ourselves too much worth. This is a tricky topic because we are worth enough to God for Him to send His Son to die on our behalf… but the distinction here is that God didn’t save us based off of what we have to offer Him. Instead He provided a way of salvation because of His fearless love for us.

If you are like me then you will second my idea that Walmart is a dangerous place. It seems as if you can never go in and exit with just the item you went in for in the first place! I am the worse at this… I go in needing toothpaste and leave with a cart full of outdoor gear and electronics (and usually have forgotten the toothpaste). We all have had these moments where we are strolling down an aisle and something catches our eye… something we have to have… a deal that is just too good to pass up.

Sometimes I feel as if we approach God in that manner. We see ourselves sitting on that shelf in Walmart knowing that we are a deal that is just too good to pass up. Maybe we feel like our “features” can’t be lived without, or we are “new and improved” compared to the older model or the other “brands” around us. Do you see where I am going with this?

Many of us feel like we have a lot to offer God, and in actuality we all do bring something to the table… but guess what?

God didn’t save you or I based off of what we had to offer Him. We weren’t a deal that was just too good to pass up!

A Biblical vision of ourselves is to see ourselves as God sees us. As Children of the one true King… the best Father. A father doesn’t provide for his children out of obligation or because he expects something in return… instead he does so out of love. He doesn’t hold their past over their heads, or his provisions as something they have to earn or make up for. How much more does our Father in Heaven do for us and care for us?

We must adjust our vision and see ourselves as heirs to the Kingdom and as beloved children plucked out of despair for a future, which God has ordained for us.

Next week we will discuss another area where we need vision realignment! Again, I will leave you with the famous words of John Newton,

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

Heal our Eyes

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

On July 3, 1863 General Robert E. Lee leading the Confederate army stands alone observing the battlefield that lies before him in the midst of a war, which had already claimed over 600,000 American lives. Lee observes Major General George G. Meade’s Union positions on Cemetery Ridge. The Union troops have the high ground and are well dug in. To Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet it seems like a mistake to advance, but when that opinion is voiced Lee angrily responds,

If the enemy is there, we must attack him.

Approximately 12,500 Confederate soldiers in nine infantry brigades advanced over open fields for three-quarters of a mile under heavy Union artillery and rifle fire. Although some Confederates were able to breach the low stone wall that shielded many of the Union defenders, they could not maintain their hold and were repulsed with over 50% casualties, a decisive defeat and an avoidable mistake from which the Southern war effort never fully recovered militarily or psychologically. We now know this battle as “Pickett’s Charge” on day 3 of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Robert E. Lee had a goal, and was so overwhelmed with his vision of how to accomplish that goal that he fell victim to tunnel vision.

Merriam- Webster defines tunnel vision as:

: A condition in which you can see things that are straight ahead of you but not to the side

: A tendency to think only about one thing and to ignore everything else

: Constriction of the visual field resulting in loss of peripheral vision

: Extreme narrowness of viewpoint

: Single-minded concentration on one objective

Tunnel vision often occurs in shooting situations. You cannot hear or see anything other than the threat before you. In fact, many firearms instructors train officers to deal with involuntary tunnel vision by breaking contact with a target after eliminating the threat and scanning their surroundings to reengage their senses for other threats.

In what ways is our perspective of our circumstances in this life skewed by tunnel vision or lack of clear vision?

How often in life do we look back on a situation and have one of those moments where everything becomes clearer? The “battle fog” of the moment has lifted and for the first time we can see all the different angles and perspectives of whatever it was we were facing at the time? What things would we do differently? What things would we say differently or communicate more effectively? How would things be different if our perspective of this life, our reality, wasn’t so narrow?

If only we had the eyes of God… the perspective of the Almighty.

In scripture we find a story about a man who needed sight. John 9:1-11 tells us that story. It says,

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”

So… what is this story about? Obviously, it is about a blind man being healed and given sight. But what if I told you that the story about the blind man is the story of our own spiritual growth? What if we are really the blind man and it is just our spiritual eyes that need to be opened and healed? In fact, we are blind and we desperately need God’s guidance. We need God to lead us.

In the story when asked how his eyes had been opened the blind man referred to Jesus simply as “a man.”

So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “Themancalled Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”

At first I missed that! We know that Jesus never changes in the story, but the man’s perspective of him does. We see that as the story continues in John 9:35-41,

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

At first Jesus was just a man to the blind individual, then when his spiritual eyes were opened up he began to see Jesus as a prophet who had given him a life-changing experience. Through this journey Jesus became his Lord… the Messiah.

But… we shouldn’t be quick to ignore the other “party” in this story. We can also be the Pharisees in this story. As the blind man gains physical sight, the Pharisees, or “religious”, lose spiritual sight. The Pharisees can represent the part of us that doesn’t accept or trust the perspective of Jesus. It is our seemingly wiser, arrogant, intellectual, indoctrinated with tradition, religious side that insists that our spiritual development must fit into our rules and our timetable.

Let’s determine now that we won’t dismiss what we don’t control or try to rationalize away God’s will. Let’s allow Jesus to change our perspective and heal our sight.

Matthew 6:22 says,

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

Next week we will discuss some areas in which Jesus can change our sight and heal our spiritual vision. I will leave you with the famous words of John Newton.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

Do NOT Compromise on the Truth

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

We live in an age of compromise.

The world has somehow slipped in and changed our definition of truth and our distinction between wrong and right. Suddenly wrong is now right and right is now wrong and wildly unaccepted and politically charged/ incorrect.

Think about it… politicians will do or say anything to secure votes and rise to power.

I’ll say it again. We live in an age of compromise.

The distinction between the sexes is broken down. The importance of authority at all levels is broken down. The sanctity of marriage is broken down. I could keep on going but I will digress.

In this day and age and mangled culture one question has become harder and harder to answer: What is Truth?

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines truth as:

  1. the quality or state of being true
  2. a true or accepted statement
  3. the body of real events or facts
  4. agreement with fact or reality

What is true to us as Christians and what does that truth mean to us?

For us as Christians it is of absolute importance, especially in our current cultured state, that we know the truth of what we believe. The truth provides for us answers and insight as to how we can better live for and serve Christ daily. So… where do we learn about this truth?

  1. The first and most important is the Bible. In order to learn the truth behind what you believe you have to read the only perfect and truthful book. The Word of God.
  2. From prayer and the seeking of God.
  3. From Christian leaders and mentors who believe in the errorless Word of God and who love it with all of their hearts.

After we have begun learning and memorizing this truth what can it do for us? Let’s think together below.

  • The Truth can set us Free.

In John 8 Jesus is teaching and preaching on the Mount of Olives and in the temple for the people as well as the Scribes and Pharisees.

John 8:31-36 says,

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus thought that truth was very important. He said we must know the truth, because it can make us free.

Free from what?

These verses show us that He was talking about freedom from sin. Being a slave to sin is the ultimate bondage, and the freedom that Jesus offers is a spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin.

Verse 35 is interesting where Jesus continues with an analogy,

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

The people Jesus was addressing would have understood Jesus to mean that they were not members of God’s family as long as they were slaves to sin. Only Believers would be freed from their bondage and brought into the family of God.

In fact, Jesus establishes this in John 14:6 where He says,

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So knowing Jesus is knowing the truth… and we know that knowing the truth will set one free from sin, free from condemnation, and free from death. Romans 6:22 says,

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

But if truth is necessary to free us from sin, then how can we please and serve God if we believe error instead of truth?

  • The Truth is what we build upon.

Where else in the Bible do we see “truth” spoken of and applied to us as believers?

Ephesians 6:10-18 says,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put          on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

The KJV puts Ephesians 6:14 this way,

Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the                      breastplate of righteousness.

It says to have “your loins girded about with truth.” We see a word there that we may not hear everyday. Girded.

Merriam- Webster defines the word gird or girded in this way:

  1. to encircle or bind with a flexible band (as a belt)
  2. to make fast (as a sword by a belt or clothing with a cord)
  3. to surround
  4.  to provide, equip
  5. to prepare (oneself) for action

Back in the times of Jesus, Roman soldiers would “gird” their waists with a belt. This belt served many purposes. Their uniforms would include a helmet, shield, sword, short sword/ dagger, a breastplate, what we would consider a dress or skirt in today’s times, and a pair of boots. A soldier going into battle/ long march, or at alert position would take the bottom of their skirt and tuck it into their waistline and belt. If their waist was not girded with a belt a soldier was vulnerable because they couldn’t move as fast and their feet would become entangled in the bottom of their skirt.

The belt that “girded” the soldiers waist was what held the rest of the system together. Without it the soldier would be lucky to move and fight efficiently. This idea is similar to a police officer or soldier on today’s times. They have tons of gear and quite a bit of weight to pack around. If anybody reading this has ever carried just a holster and a gun before they will understand the importance of a good rigid belt to support the system.

The belt is their foundation. The truth is our belt. The truth is our foundation.

  • The Truth can help us to Fight.

Ephesians 6:10-17 says,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The belt we use to “gird ourselves” that we spoke of above was not only was used to tuck in the lower portion of a soldiers uniform, but it was also used to hold the sword at a ready draw position and to hold the shield during times when it wasn’t needed. So if a soldier was to lose their belt it would make the use of the sword (of the spirit) and shield (of faith) harder as well. So if we lose truth other parts of our walk with Christ become harder, and we become more and more vulnerable to the ways of the world and to the attacks of the devil.

In Matthew 7:15 Jesus warns against these attacks and the perversion of truth by saying,

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Colossians 2:8 says,

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

No one wants to learn that they have been misled by a false teacher, but Jesus warned us to be weary of this very thing. Why would He warn us if there were no danger? 1 John 4:1 says we should examine religious teachings closely because “many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

1 John 4:1 says,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This basically telling us as Christians to not be quick to accept everything we hear without looking into the subject ourselves. This is why knowledge and memorization of the Word is key. We MUST know the TRUTH.

If you don’t know the Word how are you supposed to know if someone is being truthful or simply misleading you?

Often today one teacher will teach one thing and then another will teach just the opposite. How can both be right? How can we know which is telling the truth and which is speaking error? God gave us the Bible exactly for this reason. Like the people of Berea being taught by Paul we should follow teaching with examination of the scripture to see if the things you are being taught are true. Acts 17:11 says that the people of Berea being taught by the apostle Paul and Silas searched the scriptures daily to learn if we are being taught the truth.

Acts 17:11 says,

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Remain alert and hold onto the truth of God. Keep your waist “girded” with truth in order to remove your vulnerabilities from the devil, and be bold in sharing the truth with others so that they may not be vulnerable to the ways of the devil.

To please God, we must know and hold onto the truth, and that truth is found in God’s word.

2 Timothy 3:16 says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.