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At a movie theater which arm rest is yours?
My teenage daughter is pregnant, what do I do?
My wife is cheating on me, what do I do?
How far east can you go before you’re heading west?
What does it mean when the bible says as far as the east is from the west?
Why does bad thing happen to good people?
If a baby’s leg pops out at 11:59PM but his head doesn’t come out until 12:01, which day was he born on?
Why is it that on a phone or calculator the number five has a little dot on it?
If a bald person works as a chef at a restaurant, do they have to wear a hairnet?
Is it okay for someone to get breast implants or cosmetic surgery?
How come you never see a billboard being put up by the highway?
What is the meaning of life?
What is the world’s greatest problem? How can we solve that problem?
How do you forgive someone that really hurt you?
Is manmade global warming real or a lie?
Mac or PC?
Favorite book?
Favorite movie?
Do you know what your God-given dream is? How can I know mine?
Who has had the greatest impact in your life?

Christian worship by way of music can be a powerful experience. The music plays and the congregation sings praises in a beautiful harmony. Some cry out to the Lord, some bow their heads in reverent silence, while still others lift their hands joyously and shout. But what is the reasoning behind these varied actions? A challenge that many worship leaders encounter is having to shift the congregation from worshipping the experience of worship, to worshipping God. With the use of modern technology, full worship bands, modern music genres, and an unintentional emphasis of style over substance, comes the dangerous line every worship pastor must walk. This line is defined not by how Christians worship, but who Christians worship. The other side of that coin is a lack of enthusiasm some congregations may encounter while worshiping God. Poorly led services and an apathetic attitude can plague church services that do not celebrate or emphasize this important aspect of what a time of worship should be. The attitude of bigger is better, and what we have is good enough, need to meet in the middle of giving all that we have for the sole purpose behind corporately worshiping the Lord.

Having grown up in church life, I have experienced some of the best, and worst, that music worship services have to offer. In this lifetime I have been moved to tears by a simple acoustic rendering, praising God for sending His son to die, so that we can be forgiven. I have also endured self-serving worship, for the sake of being hip and modern, forsaking the purpose of worship and bleeding a pretentious spirit into what should be a beautiful moment of praise and appreciation of God. With worship being a large determining factor for those looking for a church home, it is easy to fall into the thought process of judging a service by its entertainment value. So many churches fall into the category of the mega church that has dazzling lights and sound, rather than the mega church that serves its community and preaches the truth of Jesus Christ, sharing in His love. While Christ is the comforter, and wants to hold us and make us feel better in times of despair, He is not here for our entertainment. Pastor B.J. Maxwell (2010) emphasizes that when Christians begin to worship the experience, they unknowingly create a longing for the feelings generated by hearing about Christ, and not for Christ Himself. By removing the expectancy of an emotionally reciprocal worship service, and falling back into the heart of worship, one can become better centered on Christ and His glory.

For every worship leader that strives to go bigger while dazzling the senses, and in so doing loses their focus of why they worship, there is a church that settles for mediocrity. The organ is played in one key, while the guitar is in another, the drummer has no sense of timing or tempo, and the vocalist is in their own world of harmony, with eyes closed facing the heavens, they are in a place of tranquility. Unfortunately that vocalist has left the congregation behind. This disaster of a service could have been avoided if a sincere sacrifice of time were made in the pursuit of giving their all to the creator; in giving only the absolute best they have to offer. Some could argue that they are only doing the best that the church budget will allow. This is a sad and sore excuse; time is a gift from God, and by spending it wisely in pursuit of what God has called them to do, they can become the best at what they do, and offer only the best of what they have as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Technology, or a lack thereof, should never hinder anyone from using the gifts or talents they have, to their full potential.

Worship of God is not only about singing praises, or music. Worshiping God is about loving Him with all that you are. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37 to “[…] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (NIV).  This command challenges believers to remember Christ in all that they do, and to abide in Him. Schwartz (1993) explains that “Christian worship, regardless of form or tradition, must embody the essence and spirit of the [Apostle Paul’s letters] in living and meaningful ways” (pg 22). In the second chapter of the book of Acts we see people worshiping God together, sharing in everything and living the life that was being proclaimed in their worship. Remembering the commands of God, and praising Him through meaningful worship together as a unified body, is the heart of worship. This center of worship is basic; it is what Christians should be living in their daily walk with the Lord. In my experience, both as a ministry leader and church attendee, I have heard the blame of poor music in worship being placed on poor budgets, or a lack of equipment that would hinder the production of worship music. So many of these excuses do not justify the seemingly surrender to mediocrity that so many are ready to do, rather than bear down, reaching  into one’s soul and giving God everything they have; everything He has created them to do; all for the glory of the Father.

While we can worship God in many different ways, and the individual is ultimately responsible for the condition of their own heart, the worship leader is responsible for the direction and focus of that time of praise. Furthermore, that time of praise and worship should not be taken lightly. We are encouraged in Colossians 3:23 that “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (NIV). Should this not be the attitude Christians expect from their worship leaders? A worship service should not hold back from giving glory to God. Instead, one should offer all that they are, and the very best of what they do, in leading worship. God would not call an individual to lead worship if that individual was not the perfect choice to carry out God’s will. The one chosen to lead may not know that they are equipped to handle such a task, but God is good, and His will is perfect. Sooner or later, if one is called to lead worship, they will realize that it is not by their own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, that they are equipped to lead others in giving praise to God. This ordination should be respected and executed with an excellence that would rival the greatest musicians in history.

In conclusion, the average church attendee, if confronted on this issue, would not disagree that the focus of worship should be on the Lord. Similarly, there is not much of an argument from worship leaders that worship should involve praising the Lord and should not be focused on making the individual feel good. However, time and time again Christians will fall into the place of worshipping worship. To solve this issue, worship leaders, and the congregation that follow their spiritual cues, should come back to the heart of worship; never letting go of its purpose: to give praise to Him who blesses us, drawing us closer to the Creator who loves us. Similarly, worship music services should keep God at the forefront of inspiration and creative drive, while leading others with the gifts God has blessed them with. Those leading worship should not settle for mediocre, our God is great, and wonderful, and mysterious; our praise and worship of Him should reflect His majesty.

References

Life Application Bible: New International Version (1997). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

Maxwell, B.J. (2010). Do We Worship God Or Worship Worship?. Retrieved November 19, 2010. From: http://bjmaxwell.com/2010/07/14/do-we-worship-god-or-worship-worship/

Schwartz, L. (1993). Conformation or Transformation : Toward Reclaiming Meaningful Distinctives in Evangelical Worship Practice. Direction, 22(2), 13-24. Retrieved from ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials database.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 23:31-46

The team talks through our should be response in loving those we come in contact with. Be intentional about how you respond to those asking for money.

You see, giving is a heart issue. Money has a special draw for people and people never have enough of it. The bible actually speaks to this, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10. Money has the ability to take control. Control of your actions, your thoughts and ultimately your heart. We have all heard the stories of people losing everything in their pursuit of riches. Stories of marriages and families dividing. Stories of deception and murder. The love of money leads to nowhere good. Whether you believe the truth from the Bible or not; you understand the power that money contains.

Jesus doesn’t command us to give for the sake of His churches needing money. He commands us to give for the sake of our hearts. At Ridgepoint Church we have a core value: money is never our focus, but giving gauges the heart. As I stated before, giving is a heart issue. Churches don’t need your money. God will provide for His Church. He doesn’t need you to do it. But He does want you giving. When you give your money away; you are giving away control. Control of your finances and in a lot of ways control of your future.

But you become dependent on God to provided. Strengthening your faith so you can do great things for His Kingdom. When you give, you are saying that God’s plan is better than your own. You are putting your priorities in the correct order. As you give you gain an understanding that God will always provide, your faith grows and you start to believe in the impossible.

Then when God lays His plan out for your life. The plan the is greater than you are. The plan that you can’t accomplish without God acting on your behalf. You have the faith in your Creator to run into the unknown to complete His plan.

Here is a short video from the great people over at Elevation Church on the simplicity of giving.

Remember, don’t give for the sake of giving. Or for the sake of your local church. Give for the sake of your heart. Because giving is a heart issue. Don’t have a church to give to? Check out Ridgepoint Church’s values and mission. Give here.

Suicides going straight to hell is, unfortunately, not only a popular notion but a not-uncommon teaching in some churches. However, you won’t find much scriptural basis for it. Here are a couple of things to consider.

1. If your good deeds won’t get you to heaven, neither will bad deeds get you to hell.
The notion that suicides go to hell is, I think, an example of worldly thinking sneaking into Christian thought. That anything else bad you do can be forgiven, but suicide is just over the line. In fairness, one assertion is that suicide does not give one opportunity to ask forgiveness for the sin just committed; but does one lose one’s salvation after the commission of every sin until it’s confessed? That would be exhausting! In reality, everyone starts out condemned (Romans 3:23)… we are saved by grace through faith. Period. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

2. There aren’t degrees of sin, only severity of natural consequences.
Suicide is definitely a bad deed. It is drastic, and ultimately, selfish. And a horrible witness for a Christian. But it is still a deed–a work, if you will–and is neither more nor less capable of condemning a soul than stealing a candy bar. Are the natural consequences worse? Yes. A LOT worse. Families of candy bar-stealers aren’t generally devastated by the theft. But both are sins that are themselves just evidence of the Sin–capital S–of fallen human nature that rebels against God. And unfortunately, Christians battle with their sin nature until the day they die. Paul complained loudly about that in Romans 7:18-25.

I see nothing in Scripture to suggest that God slams the doors of heaven on a Christian who gives up on life; but I would definitely suggest that how you start your Christian life is not nearly as important as how you finish. Paul and Jesus both speak at length of holding on… running the race… not getting weary… making it to the finish line with your eyes fixed on Jesus. And suicide is decidedly NOT a good, God-honoring finish.

Just something to think about.

And don’t forget to submit your questions to the team. Click here to submit question. We love hear from our viewers and their point of view. Ask your questions, post your comments and let us hear your thoughts. Thanks for watching!

Want more Three Guys Podcast? Of course you do. Subscribe to us in iTunes. Friend us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. And get your questions answered here.

“I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel… Malachi 2:16. It starts there. No matter what the situations, God hates divorce. He does allow it in certain situations, but even in those situations He desires couples to make it work.

Watch the show for the rest!

Want more Three Guys Podcast? Of course you do. Subscribe to us in iTunes. Friend us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. And get your questions answered here.