Acceptable Worship? What are your thoughts?

I am writing this devotional today to attack an issue arising in modern day churches: the use of secular music during corporate worship. For anyone who reads this, I would love to hear your honest opinions on this subject.

At the church my wife and I attend, the worship team suddenly begun playing secular music like Edwin McCain, Journey, etc. to go along with a sermon series on Love. But what I am confused about is how those secular songs have anything to do with God. And isn’t that the purpose of worship? If you take praise, glory and thanksgiving to God out of the songs you sing in church, then are we even worshipping at all? Or are we merely entertaining and putting on a show?

My opinion is that this is unacceptable music. Now, I’m no religious, traditional man, but I think there is such a thing as sound doctrine and that is something vital to the spiritual growth of a church. How can I properly fall on my knees or raise my hands in worship when the songs being sung have NOTHING to do with the One I desire to worship? These recent events have made me heartbroken for our church. I have even attempted to bring the issue up to the leaders, and have been turned away; their reasoning: I’m too immature to have a proper perspective on the issue. That sounds to me like someone who has a control problem and is too prideful to admit fault.

My purpose here isn’t to bash my church or the leaders of that church, but does anyone understand my point? My church wants to ‘engage the culture,’ but isn’t the culture living in darkness? ‘Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?’ (2 Corinthians 6:14). I think the devil has his hand in a great number of things in the church and this is one of the growing problems, a disease spreading amongst modern churches. I think as Christians, we need to pull this weed from the root and toss it into the fire. Secular music for the sake of reaching our culture is a lie of the devil, and it destroys the sanctity of God’s holy temple.

What are your thoughts?

Walk By The Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). When it says to “walk by the Spirit” we must understand that this implies action. We must actively pursue that which is the very nature of God. We can see in our walk with Jesus that our flesh is constantly at work against us and against the Spirit of God (See Galatians 5:17). Though we may read our Bibles and pray and attend church and try in many ways to stay pure, our flesh, which is our human nature, wages war against the Holy Spirit within us; and our struggle with sin continues against us.

It is when we try to live by our own idea of righteousness that we actually err and gratify the desires of the flesh. When this happens, we will experience shame, guilt and doubt, maybe even doubt in our salvation. The devil tries to trick us every time we fall short of the glory of God. But never try to determine what is righteous apart from the nature of God and never forget that the devil cannot take away your salvation, though we can certainly turn away from salvation. If we try to do things our own way, then it is inevitable that our fleshly desires will overcome us. Our self-righteousness will always fail for it is a false sense of righteousness, one that can never measure up to the standard of God. And there is no need to try to make up our own, for we have been made righteous through Jesus’ sacrifice. We have become Jesus, in essence, and Jesus has become us when he took our place on the cross.

It is only because of Jesus that we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light (See 1 Peter 2:9). Jesus took our sin to the grave when he was crucified and if you believe in him, it will stay there. But we must walk by the Spirit, by denying ourselves and submitting to God’s perfect way. Now we can live confidently in the hope–who is Jesus–that has been given to us, which is the grace of God!

Learning to Endure

“And after you have suffered a little while…” (1 Peter 5:10). We all experience moments of suffering during this life, some of us more than others. What are you currently suffering from? It could be the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, financial struggles, sin struggles, persecution, etc. There are numerous things in this life that will cause us pain and suffering. For the Christian, this is a life of grief, but it does not end here. “…the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ.” God has called everyone to Himself, and if we answer the call then we will take part in eternal glory in Christ. God is full of loving grace, choosing to send His Son into the world to save the world and give us the promise of eternal life in heaven with our Father, God Almighty.

The suffering in this life can indeed be brutal, often times even confusing, but we must endure every trial that comes our way (See James 1:2-5). It is the trials in life that will help to sanctify us, making us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Psalm 144:4 says, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” Our life here on earth is like a breath. This life is fleeting, like a flower that is here one day and gone the next; or just as the grass that withers in the scorching sun, so is our life. This is why we must endure, for it is only but a little while that we must endure suffering before God will restore us for all eternity. “…the God of all grace…will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” And when we have been established in the Kingdom of God, we will never perish or experience pain or sadness again! (See Revelation 21:4)

Endure whatever trials come your way and always give thanks to God the Father (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18). And whenever you have the chance, aid and encourage a brother or sister to endure whatever trials they must experience for a time. Remember, we suffer just as Jesus did. If there is no suffering in your life for your faith, then I question whether or not you’re living the life of a true disciple. True discipleship will be a life of trouble and grief, but Jesus says, “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (See John 16:33). No matter what trials come your way, always give thanks to God and worship Him through the difficult times. He will bring you to a place of endless peace, where no man or no thing can shake you. Then you will say with confidence, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)

Knowing The Call of God

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying…” (Isaiah 6:8). How do we distinguish the call of God, His voice, from the rest of the voices constantly calling out to us? The only way to truly know what is from God is to know the nature of Him who calls us. The only way to know the nature of Him who calls is to walk with Him by humbly submitting to His Word in faithful obedience. With each act of obedience, God will reveal something that we couldn’t see before. We must continuously pick up our Bibles and get our daily bread as we pray for strength and wisdom. Know that God’s nature has nothing to do with us and thus all are fit to answer His call. If we sit around contemplating what our skills may be, then we are demeaning the power of God who grants us all things; most importantly we demean the life of His Son in whom we have forgiveness of sin (See Romans 8:32).

We know that our calling is to spread the good news given to us, to impart to others what God graciously gave to us. Our Lord Jesus nevers asks us to learn certain trades before we go out into the world to tell about him. No, all that we need will be given to us when we simply go. We must “come and follow” Jesus. There is no special process that only a few “elite Christians” can partake in. We must take our testimony, the witnessing of our very lives given to us by God, and tell others how God has changed us.

If anything is calling us to place ourselves or anything before God, then we have listened to the wrong voice. The voice of the Lord is calling, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Our only calling in life, as Christians, is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). God’s nature is one of love and He desires to relent from punishing the sons of disobedience (See Ephesians 2:1-10; Ezekiel 18:23). We were once, by nature, children of wrath. Then some of the most powerful words in Scripture follow: “But God…” Praise God that He is “rich in mercy!”

Be obedient to God’s Word, so that you can be sensitive to His voice. And once you hear His voice, NEVER ignore it! Ignoring Him will make you deaf to Him, and He will have to use some form of discipline to bring you back to Him. Listen and respond when you know you have heard the voice of God calling.

The Ministry of Love

As children of God, we are to go out into the world and reach a lost and dying people by proclaiming “the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (See 1 Peter 2:9). God loved us enough to send His only Son to die for our sins, which was Jesus’ ministry of love for us. In order to continue His ministry of love, we must become fellow laborers in the mission of preaching the love of God and the salvation through Jesus to all the world. If we are honest with ourselves, it can be very frightening talking to people about Jesus. But God comforts us by saying, “…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). We are to acknowledge Christ before men and not fear what we should say, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:12).

You will often feel that you are rejected by men when you preach the gospel, but “the one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). It is not us, the saints of God, who are rejected. We must change our thinking when we do our Lord’s good work. We should not fear that men will reject us, for it is really Jesus and God being rejected. So do not be ashamed of Jesus and his words; do not be ashamed of the gospel! (See Romans 1:16-17; Luke 9:26).

Practice Jesus’ ministry of love by showing love to your neighbors. Be like the good Samaritan who purposely went out of his way, even to the point of spending his own money and time, to help someone in need, even when the religious leaders wouldn’t (See Luke 10:25-37). Do not be so focused on religion that you forget to show love, mercy, compassion and grace! Jesus asks, “which…was a neighbor to the man…?” (Luke 10:36). We know the answer to be “the one who had mercy on him,” in which Jesus replies, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Go and be like Jesus to the world. Jesus never condemned, so we should not either! We must bear in mind that “Love never ends” (See 1 Corinthians 13:8). But that means that God never fails. God’s love never ends. But we as humans can fail to show that love to others. So let us not grow weary of doing good (See Galatians 6:9). Let us be fellow laborers with Christ for the ministry he established while on this earth. “Go therefore…”

The Call to Be Holy

When we open ourselves through complete surrender to Jesus and partake in his ministry, then we must remember to keep ourselves holy. We must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God or quench the Spirit of God in any way. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Peter 1:14-16). Many believe this verse and many others in the Bible to mean that Christians are to be perfect. What a horrible, ungodly lie that is! We can never attain perfection on our own! The true meaning of holy, in the Biblical sense, is “to be set apart for a special purpose.” As Christians, we are set apart for a special purpose which is to preach Christ and Christ crucified. (See 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:2). Once we believe and identify with Jesus, then our purpose in life becomes a holy one.

How is God set apart from the rest of the world? He is without sin! He is perfect in every way! And He is the Creator of all things. The way we become holy before a Holy God is like this: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). And how can Christians be assumed by the world to be perfect when 1 John 1:8 declares, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us?”

But remember not to be lukewarm! “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). We must do away with our former selves, reaching toward perfection. True perfection only comes when we are resurrected in Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Hold true to what you have attained and keeping pressing on. The apostle Paul was a model Christian, yet even he says, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own…” (See Philippians 3:12-16). Forget what lies behind you and press forward today, living the life that has been set apart for you!

Not of This World

As Christians, we are to be a people who live in the world God created, but we must not be worldly. Yes, if you choose this life, you will be hated as Jesus was, being despised and rejected (See Isaiah 53:3). All the same, we must love the people of the world as God loves them, but we must not love the world itself and the sins and idols of the world (See John 15:18-20). In the Old Testament, Elijah spoke to the people of Israel saying, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). The people of Israel were caught between two different views; they were trying to serve two masters, which one cannot do (See Matthew 6:24). The Israelites were sitting on the fence, unable to fully commit to God or Baal, their idol.

By being “not of this world,” the only One we should worship is God Almighty. Do not be like the ones who love darkness more than the light! (See John 3:19). Jesus is the Light of the world, and he came to disperse the darkness through his sacrifice in order to bring many sons to glory (See Hebrews 2:10). So do not be brought low by the cares of this world and fall away like the seed that fell among the thorns (See Matthew 13:7;22).

God despises the ones who straddles the fence, that is those who are lukewarm. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). Choose this day whom you will serve, and I pray that it is God whom you will serve wholeheartedly (See Joshua 24:15). But do not try to serve two masters. This world can never satisfy us; only God can. To those God loves, He will rebuke and discipline, for He desires to have you all to Himself. God is a jealous God, so stay away from idols and other gods lest God’s anger be kindled against you (See Deuteronomy 6:14-15).