God gives us "tools" that we can
either pick up and use or choose not to use (to our own
detriment)--tools by which we can draw as close to Him
as is humanly possible, rise into the fullness of all
our lives can be, live in the realities of His kingdom
promise and power, rest with our eyes firmly on Him and
His faithfulness and the eternity that lies before
us... He gives us His Word, He gives us His Spirit, He
gives us His fellowship in prayer, He gives us the
privilege of intercession... and He gives us "the
assembly of the saints." Don't "forsake it"
whatever you do. Find a life-breathing assembly and
dive on in! Glory to His Name!
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QUESTION: Hey Bruce, I
have been hearing a lot of controversy about all the prophecy now days
and was wondering where you stand on this. One friend of mine is telling
me it's all evil and I just can't buy that. GOD has blessed me much with
prophecy. I don't know how much you know about the Toronto Airport
Vineyard Church and what has been going on there for the past ten years
but if you are familiar with it please tell me your take on it. Is this
for real? People keep telling me the evils of this revival and how I am
just being deceived like they are. Is it possible to have such a passion
for JESUS like these people do and not be "of" HIM? Just how do we know
when revival and prophecy is the real thing or some counterfeit?
ANSWER:
Man, I am really "stepping into it" with this latest batch of questions.
But really, I am touched that so many folks think I actually have
something to say on these kinds of subjects. I tell you, all I ever did
was play Jesus in a movie and look where it's brought me. Glory to His
Name!
Well, I'm typically going to answer you "from left field," Here comes
nothing...
First, I have been in so many varied circles in the body of Christ over
the past 10 years of ministry and so "seen it all" that if there's one
thing I've learned it's that there are no "hard and fast rules" in these
kinds of areas where folks try to draw them. I mean, there are clear
lines drawn in God's Word--that goes without saying and is always the
yardstick by which we measure everything. But in terms of sitting
outside something and trying judge what's going on in someone's heart...
Forgive me, but that's for God and God alone.
As
for specifics, all I can tell you is that
1) I've met folks who "feast" on
charismatic life like that you're asking me about and they just love
Jesus--AND I've met just as many folks who feast on it that are just
paying games with Him.
2) BY THE SAME TOKEN, I've met
folks who have lived their entire lives in very "sheltered"
non-charismatic teaching who love Jesus just as much if not more,
and yes, I've met folks in that same arena who are also playing
games with Him.
In
other words, no matter what "arena" of the body you walk in you'll find
real passionate seekers of God and you'll find what you call
"counterfeit." There's just as many counterfeit (I'm going to pull a
denomination out of the air just for the sake of making the point, so
I'm not saying anything specific about them), say, Presbyterians (just
pulling a name out of the hat) as there are counterfeit "Holy Spirit
laughter" folks. No matter where you go you'll find folks on both sides
of the fence, so... there's that part of my answer. I just have learned
to take people where they're at, follow my own discernment built on
God's Word (hopefully), and leave individuals to Him to judge and decide
on. Amen and amen...
Ok, now to prophesy. The bottom line is 1 John 4:1 which says, "test the
spirits to see if they are from God." It really is that simple. And
here's how you test the spirits: The Word of God. God will never
contradict Himself--period, end of story. I'm not going to go too deeply
into this because I know that I really explored it well with another
similar question a while ago (don't remember what number
question--sorry). But here's the thing about prophecy...
1) people are forever coming up
and saying, "God told me to tell you... and I say, "thanks but no
thanks." I mean, I don't know this guy from anyone so I have no
basis to trust what he is telling me. There are people who really
know me and I have a relationship of trust with that have the
"right" to speak into my life. And I can trust that it's not from
their own imaginations. I mean, look all through the Scriptures and
see the warnings upon warnings about "false prophets." I'm telling
you, playing with fire.
So I'd be very wary of people
just coming up to you with their "parking lot prophesies," if you
know what I mean, or even the self-proclaimed prophets that shout
"Thus saith the Lord" from so many microphones. I saw one guy on TV
once and man, he was just sweating and screaming and grabbing people
out of the audience and boasting about His predictions that had come
true and name-dropping about who he'd "prophesied" over... Forgive
me but his behavior was so far from "Jesus-like" it wasn't funny,
and my spirit just said, "Not a chance, buddy. You're just going off
in what the Bible calls "your own imagination." And again forgive
me, but I've learned to trust the "renewing of my mind." In other
words, I'm trusting that God has built in me a good level of
discernment and I can rely on that to keep me from trouble. And
again, the bottom line is the call of God's Word to test the
spirits. Amen!
2) Prophecy is not fortune
telling! My goodness, this is huge that I am saying. I cannot tell
you how many people I know who have made major life changes because
"a prophet told me this" or that. I know a woman who was told, "You
will marry a foreigner and the two of you will do ministry." So here
she is today in her 50's and she's walked by dozens of great guys
who never understood why she wouldn't go out with them and all the
time she's waiting for some missionary with a funny accent. I tell
you, what a crying shame a thing like that is. I know a guy who left
his wife because a "prophet" told him God had a ministry for him and
his wife was holding him back. Really--can you believe that? So true
prophecy never is stuff like that. True prophecy is one thing and
one thing only: encouragement and edification and it is always the
straight from the Word of God. If you can't find it in the Word,
trash it--period! Stay within those lines and stay far from the
fortune tellers and you'll do ok. Amen!
On
a final note, I will never forget this guy sitting on TV many years ago
(why are they always on TV?) and prophesying that God was going to do
something catastrophic on a certain date. I tell you, this guy was one
of these well known guys and so a huge part of the body of Christ went
scrambling--this was way back years ago and no, it wasn't 9/11. Well
there were people selling their homes and moving out of the cities and
all sorts of stuff. I remember seeing the guy once and he was going on
and on like he knew beyond knowing.
Well, you can guess the story--the date came and went and nothing
happened. It was a day like any other day--entirely uneventful. So you'd
think the guy would get back on TV and apologize for all the havoc he'd
caused but no. He got on TV and proclaimed that it did indeed happen,
but that it happened "in the spirit realm." I tell you... And the people
just scramble. Dear God, have mercy...
So
in your own life, don't go jumping off bridges because someone says God
told them to tell you. If God truly told them, then He can easily tell
you, too. "Test the spirits"--God will not let you down and where you
heart is truly tuned to His voice you can't miss His true leadership or
anything He has for you through it. Glory to the Name of Jesus!
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QUESTION:
My teenage daughter and I left a church because of a lot of judgmental
things that have been said to us. For example, someone came to me and
said that her clothing was not what a "young woman of God" should be
wearing. Her clothes were clean and all of her body parts were covered,
so what's the problem? Now because of these things my daughter has
turned her back on the church. She says that it is all hypocrites. How
can I get her interested in God again?
ANSWER:
Yeah, self-righteousness... It's the disease of the Pharisees 2000 years
ago and it is surely alive and well these 2000 years later. Now first
off, I can't truly throw that stone at the church folks for two
reasons--I don't know all the specifics or the whole story and second,
I'm just a crummy sinner, too, outside of Jesus. I have to guess that
I've had my share of self-righteous attitudes, too, though in different
ways. I mean, haven't we all? In fact, just the fact that your
daughter--as justified as it may be--is herself judging those people and
turning her back on church is its own brand of that same
self-righteousness! I mean, really, throwing out the whole church for
the actions of a few--a little over the top, though again, perfectly
understandable.
And that is the whole thing, really. Self-righteousness is so rampant
and so damaging--the simple attitude of "I'm right and they're wrong."
It's in the church, out of the church, in and out of the church... And
as I'm sitting here thinking about it, isn't it self-righteousness that
is really the bottom line of pretty much all of our troubles? "I'm right
and you are wrong." Isn't that what wars are predicated on, and broken
families, and 9/11 disasters, and, and, and...? No wonder it is the one
thing that really got under Jesus' skin, if I can put it that way. It's
the one thing that got Him going with, "Woe to you!" Amen and amen!
Ok, so what do you do now as the damage is done. There's a whole lot you
can do. The first thing is the point out to your daughter how that kind
of hypocrisy isn't just in the church--but everywhere. Ask her about her
own friends--don't they judge and poke fun? Don't they criticize the way
other kids dress, exhibiting the same judgmental sense? Of course they
do--they're not only human, but kids also! Does she then abandon her
friends? No. Does she say, "All friends are hypocrites so I just won't
ever have any." Of course not. So just talk her through this and she'll
see how she's "picking and choosing" her hypocrisies.
I
can remember having a similar discussion with a guy once who said to me,
"Christians are hypocrites--I'll never become one." So I asked him what
political party he was in and asked him if there were any hypocrites in
the party. "Of course!" "Well, why are you still in it? Why do you go to
work--surely there are hypocrites where you work. Why do you---?"
Needless to say he was a little cornered. I mean, if a guy is going to
live free of all hypocrites he's going to live in a closet--but then he
would be in that closet, so....
So
you can sit her down and talk her through such a thing. But what you can
do that's far more "piercing" is talk her through Jesus. Talk with her
about how he ran into the exact same things--unto the cross. Show her
the passage when Jesus was hanging on that cross--crucified by
hypocrites--and His response was, "Father, forgive them." His response
was to love them and give His life for them. Point out to her the ways
she has judged and done the same kinds of things. Show her in Romans
where it says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"--in
other words, we're all guilty. Assure her that it's her relationship
with Jesus that is her Christianity, not the silly behavior of His
imperfect children--of which she is also one. And more than anything
else--pray. Pray for your daughter and pray for your daughter. Pray,
pray, pray. Glory to Jesus!
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QUESTION: Hi Bruce. I
have a question for you, but maybe it wouldn't be appropriate to post.
How should I feel about working at a church that waters down the truth
and doesn't regard holiness as a thing of importance?
ANSWER: Well, I don't know the
specifics of what would be troubling you, but in a nutshell, if you're
anywhere near a church that isn't concerned about holiness, run for the
hills, for crying out loud! I mean, holiness is key--central--the bottom
line of it all. And I'm not talking about a legalistic kind of "do this,
don't do that..." That's not holiness at all, and the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is simply grace, grace, grace--forgiveness in spite of unholiness.
But Paul writes that God's grace is
not a license to kill, if you know what I mean. It doesn't mean you just
run around burning it up because, "Hey, I'm going to Glory no matter
what!" In fact, it's the pursuit of holiness that is the manifestation
of God's grace in a person's life. If Jesus truly dwells in a person's
heart--or in a church leader's heart--holiness, righteousness,
Christ-likeness... will be at the top of his agenda.
The Word says, "Love what is good and
hate what is evil." That "hatred" of things evil is something that grows
and grows as a person grows in the fruit of salvation and the Spirit of
God fills and fills more and more his or her heart.
No one is perfect to be sure, and
we're all on that journey of growing in Jesus, but where there is
flat-out no pursuit of goodness or holiness, or a complete slacker
attitude toward it, or an actual fascination/pursuit of things that are
"worldly," especially in church leadership, something tells me there's
trouble.
I've ministered in churches that were
"going through the motions"--just doing their tradition thing, dressing
up and meeting once a week, doing what they wanted on Friday night and
it was all ok because they were in church that week. it's crazy that
educated adults can actually think that little of God--to think He's
satisfied with that. I mean, what a comedy.
But unfortunately, that kind of
comedy is rampant, and the amazing thing is that God's grace is bigger
than that, too. But please, if you're working in a church or sitting in
your church pew squirming because of things you see that you know are
just not godly, run for the hills, for crying out loud. No church is
perfect, but in terms of a church leader/body that isn't pursuing
holiness--one more time--run for the hills! Glory to Jesus!
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QUESTION: I'm a new Christian and
have a lot of questions. I've been exposed to many Christians who
believe that anyone who has a different viewpoint is anything from wrong
to evil. I've heard people condemn Jews, Hindus, Moslems, Jehovah's
witnesses even as evil. Didn't Jesus love people of all faiths? And then
there are Christians who decide that any Christian who doesn't think
like they think or go to the same kind of church, then they are also
wrong. Man, I love Jesus, it's just Christians that make me think about
going back to my life before I was saved. I'd love to hear your
thoughts.
ANSWER: Wow, I don't
know who you're hanging out with, but I'd run for the hills if I was
you! (That's supposed to be a joke).
But seriously, something
tells me they're not quite as ugly or condemning as it may seem to you.
At the same time, your words are something we who call ourselves
Christians need to strongly consider and take a long look at in the
mirror. What's that saying, "We have met the enemy and they are us!"
Ugh!
But it's true, and I
certainly have run into a whole lot of what you're talking about out
there, and I agree, it isn't pretty when it happens, and it just makes
me cringe.
The answer to your question
is obvious--of course Jesus loved people of all faiths. He loved (loves)
people of all everything, if you know what I mean.
There are people who hate
Him--and He loves them. There are people who think He never existed--and
He loves them. There are people who think He existed, but He was just a
good and wise man--and He loves them. There are people who worship the
devil and chant against Him--and yes, He loves them, too.
Jew, Hindu, Christian,
Moslem, atheist, animist, new age-er... It doesn't matter what--He loves
them. And that's not a matter of interpretation--it is the cornerstone
of the Gospel itself. Look at the last page of the Bible and you'll see
the words, "Come all you who are thirsty, and drink of the free gift of
eternal life."
And therein is the key--He
loves them so much He just wants to give them all eternal life no matter
what background or culture or whatever. He even wants to save
"Christians," if you know what I mean. Hey, it's no mystery that there's
lots of folks who sit in Christian churches every Sunday but have yet to
receive Jesus as their Savior. Amen, brother!
So no, those people aren't
evil--they're sinners just as you and I are outside of the grace of God
and the blood of Jesus, but not "evil." The evil is in the person of the
enemy--the devil. I can't remember the Scripture reference, but it goes
like this--"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powers
and principalities." And it's true--true-er than we know. That filthy
crumb does everything he can to blind people from the truth of Jesus
Christ. His entire goal is to rob people of the fullness of life and the
fullness of eternal life that Jesus offers, and he'll do it any way he
can. Therein is the evil.
So sometimes,
yes--Christians make the terrible mistake of coming across
self-righteous toward other people. Hey, none of us is prefect and I'm
sure I've done my share of blowing it, too. And of course the real irony
is that none of us has any righteousness at all outside of Jesus--that's
why we need Him. Amen!
But again, something tells
me you're being a little hard on folks, because by and large I've had
the opposite experience--Christians who just love people and do
everything they can to invite them into the goodness of truth and grace
that they themselves are experiencing in Jesus.
Self-righteousness is what
killed Jesus--it's an attitude that totally opposes Him. Arrogance is
the opposite of His character and only turns people away from Him. And
then of course--and it's so tragic I don’t even want to go there--when
it causes division within the church, man, I can't tell you how that
breaks the Lord's heart.
What the world "out there"
needs is one thing and one thing only--people who love them and reach
out to them with truth, compassion, humility, goodness, and again,
truth--just like Jesus did 2000 years ago. The world needs people who
are truly "the body of Christ."
So give your fellow
Christians a break--Lord knows, both you and I have a lo-o-o-ng way to
go, too. If every one of my mistakes was held up to my face, man, I
wouldn't stand a chance. What's that old bumper sticker? "We're not
perfect, just forgiven." And all I can say to that is, "Thank You,
Jesus! Glory to Your precious Name!
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QUESTION: Hello
Bruce. How do you know if the church you are in is the right one for
you? Kind regards & Many Blessings!
ANSWER: Good
question. The funny thing is, I was just thinking about this yesterday -
how we so often choose our church for the wrong reasons. So often we
choose our church because we like the music style, or the other people
are nice, or "I like small churches because it's easier to make
friends," or "I like big churches because it's easier to get lost," or
"I like the preacher," or "This is the church denomination I grew up
in," or, or, or...
Now don't get me wrong - all
those things have a certain validity in criteria. Your church needs to
be a place that you feel comfortable in. But all those reasons have
nothing to do with God or what He wants to do in your life. More than
anything your church needs to be a place you are challenged in -
challenged to draw closer to Jesus, challenged to dive into the fullness
of who He is and the fullness of everything He has for you to be and
everything he has for your life.
I can promise you, God is
huge and His hopes for your life are huge, and you don't want to miss
even a millimeter of it by 'riding the pine' in a church environment
that is just entertaining you, or placating you, or more interested in
the church than in God, more focused on growing the church than getting
people saved and grown-up in Jesus...
There are SO many
heartbreaking agendas and scenarios out there, and you just don't want
to get stuck in the middle of one. If you value yourself and the God who
created you, get brave enough to stand up and make a change if you have
to - glory to Jesus!
At my church, for example, I
can promise you that there isn't one time I walk out of there where I
don't feel 'pushed' (and I mean that in the nicest of ways) to take a
step closer to Jesus, and at the same time equipped with 'tools' to make
that happen. The focus is clearly on God and the leadership is always on
that edge of taking church risks to bring more of Jesus to us and to
draw us deeper into the fullness of what a relationship with Him is
supposed to be.
One example is our 'prayer
circles.' In every service we are told to turn to each other, make
circles of 3/4, share needs, and pray for each other. Now I tell you,
this is the kind of thing that makes a lot of people uncomfortable, so
the church is taking a risk there. But to get people to step out and
realize they are a living ministry - to get people accustomed to the
power of God working through them personally, to get people to be
vulnerable before each other... I tell you, this is a huge thing, and
the release of the goodness of God through it is amazing.
We are also challenged in
worshipping God more and more, deeper and deeper. For example, we are
humbly and graciously called to lift our hands and get on our knees, and
really give it up for God - really set ourselves aside and be vulnerable
before Him. And it is all encouragement from the Word - not just some
pastor trying to work up emotion - it has nothing to do with emotion,
but everything to do with honoring God in the fullness of how He
deserves to be honored. I mean, lifting hands in praise is an actual
scriptural mandate. We are called to 'lift up holy hands' in worship all
through the Word. And on the side, that right there is something I never
knew - but it was taught to me in my church.
And that leads me to another
obviously important thing - the fullness of God's Word. Are you getting
more than surface teaching? Are you walking away thinking, "Man, I've
read that Scripture 1000 times but never understood it until now - never
saw the revelation or practical application behind it."
One time I was speaking in a
church and I mentioned something in the book of Revelation. I could see
on the faces of the people that they didn't know what I was talking
about. To me it was second nature, but to them it was Bible school - and
that is completely due to the depth and commitment to the Word that I
get from my church platform.
And then there's the bottom
line - God has called me to be in the church I'm in. About a year ago I
was thinking about moving out of the L.A. area - I get tired of paying
10x as much for one tenth the living standard, and with my focus on
ministry as opposed to secular acting, I don't know that I need to be
here anymore. But I was seeking God one day, and He clearly showed me
that He wants me in this church - and so I stay in L.A. So there's also
a matter of just being where God wants you - seek Him with all your
heart and He will be faithful to lead you. Praise His holy Name!
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QUESTION: You mentioned somewhere that you had some different ideas
for worship. I was curious what they are.
ANSWER: Wow, now
that's a question that will get some eyes wide - "What is Bruce talking
about?"
Simply put, worship is a
lifestyle, an attitude, an everyday consciousness of God's goodness and
awesomeness, and behavior that follows suit in honoring Him and blessing
Him. In worship I seek to glorify Him, and when we gather to sing
praises to Him it is just that - His bride gathering to glorify Him. And
I tell you, I just love it!
But you know, what glory is
given Him if 10 minutes after I have my hands raised in church, I scowl,
let's say, at my spouse? Or start talking gossipy trash with my friends?
Or any number of coarse things that make a mockery of God in our lives.
Am I foolish enough to think God is more interested in my singing than
He is in my honoring Him with my life and how I conduct it? I tell you,
worship goes far beyond the latest 'Wow' CD.
I think of Isaiah 58 - go
and read it - it will blow your eyes open. Here the Israelites were
doing all the right 'religious' things, but missing it completely. God
asks them, "Is this the fast I have called you to? Only a day to humble
yourselves? On the day of your fasting you do as you please!" It goes on
to describe - here they were acting in all the correct religious ways,
but treating people like dirt, and God says that just won't fly.
Well, the same could be said
of our worship today. It has nothing to do with a church sing-along,
although the obvious value in singing praises to God cannot be
understated. But then that method of honoring God MUST mesh with what we
do and how we do it in our day-to-day lives.
By way of example, I'll tell
you a funny thing. I was involved in a big worship event once, and I
tell you, it was glorious - there were thousands of brothers and sisters
just singing gloriously to their heavenly Father - and I tell you, He
loves it!
But then the event was over,
and I was walking through the auditorium to the parking lot, and I
couldn't believe my eyes. There was mountains and mountains of trash and
litter everywhere, as far as the eye could see. There were water bottles
and Starbucks cups, programs and whatever, all just thrown on the ground
and stuffed under the seats. And I tell you, it was massive.
I couldn't believe my eyes -
here are the children of God who have just finished worshipping God, and
then they trash the auditorium He's given them to worship in. And I
could only think of the guys who clean that place up - guys who need
Jesus desperately and only need a strong witness to His presence in
people's lives to take them over the edge. Here they are looking around
and realizing they're going to be there all night with this mess,
thinking to themselves, "This is no different than when there's a rock
concert here."
I tell you, that breaks my
heart in ways you can't imagine. So the bottom line is, worship is
something we live, and not just plugging in our CD to melt away the
stress of a long, hard day. Glory to Jesus.
Then there's the sacrifice
aspect. I tell you, we have NO idea! You know what hit me recently while
I was reading the Old Testament? All this sacrificing of bulls and sheep
and all. There are passages where thousands of these animals are
sacrificed. I was just in 2 Chronicles 7 where the Temple is completed
and the people came to worship, bringing bulls and sheep upon bulls and
sheep...
Now we look at that and I
don't know about you, but I tend to just thank God we don't have to do
stuff like that anymore. But it hit me - and it's so obvious a thing,
it's a wonder I never really saw it before - those bulls cost money -
BIG money. This was an agricultural society - those bulls were their
source of income as were the sheep, and I don't know about you, but go
and ask a farmer what a good bull costs and you'll be blown away. I'm
talking about thousands. So for them to do what they did was no small
thing. It was a HUGE sacrifice, and this was central to their worship.
Well, I'm not so sure
anything has changed, except for the practicalities. We are not called
to sacrifice bulls and goats, but we are called to sacrifice what may be
even harder to sacrifice - ourselves. Our agendas, our flesh, our
priorities and conveniences - to honor God by setting ourselves aside.
Think about it - I want to
say a,b,c, but it is conversation that doesn't honor God, so I make the
sacrifice of biting my tongue. My heart and flesh want to pursue x,y,z
relationship, but I clearly know this is not what God wants, so I
swallow hard and walk away - a sacrifice. I'm offered a nice position
with my company but I have to do things that are ungodly to get it, so I
walk away - a sacrifice that honors (worships) God. I'm so tired I'd
rather just throw my rubbish beneath the seat like everyone else is
doing, but God is trying to get that janitor saved and trash on the
ground represents God poorly, so I carry my trash to the trash bin - a
sacrifice.
And I tell you, God smiles.
Oh my, how big He smiles. Whenever His babies set themselves aside to
bless - to worship - Him, to be a blessing to Him, to honor and glorify
Him... I tell you, Oh how He smiles! Glory to his blessed Name!
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QUESTION: Bruce, I'm interested in
what church you are affiliated with. Is it the Church on the Way that
you mentioned in your story? If not what, but more importantly, why did
you choose the church you chose? What attracted you to it?
ANSWER: Yes, I still
attend Church On The Way here in the Los Angeles area. I've been there
since day one and the Lord has shown me very clearly to stay planted
there and commit myself there.
Why did I choose Church On
The Way? Well, it kind of chose me, to be honest with you. It was the
Sunday after I was saved that I was in the shower and listening to
Christian radio, and it was a live service from Church On The Way. Well,
Pastor Jack Hayford started talking and it was downright scary - it was
like God was standing in that shower talking eye-to-eye with me. I
remember just shaking half scared and half excited.
Well, they had a later
service, so I just got dressed and ran down there. The worship was very
demonstrative and that was very uncomfortable. I thought, "These people
are nuts." But then the message started and again, it was like God
Himself was talking straight to me.
That experience happened
again and again, and seemed to happen every time I went. And it wasn't
like some kind of mystical thing. It was just that my heart was a blank
canvas and I'd been living outside of God's kingdom so long, and
everything that was spoken was brand new and exactly where I was at in
my life - needing hope and freedom in Jesus Christ. It was glorious!
And as for the worship, I
will never forget the time the Lord challenged me. I was standing there
with my hands in my pockets, thinking, "I don't have to lift my hands. I
can worship my own way." Well, just as surely as I had that thought, I
felt the Lord's gentle response - "No, Bruce. You're just self-conscious
is all. You're afraid someone will think you're silly." Funny thing is,
I was the only one in a room of 3000 people who didn't have his hands
lifted, and here I was thinking I would look silly if I joined them. How
hilarious.
Anyway, one hand first kind
of went up around waist level, then the other one, and inch by inch over
time they both got higher and higher, and now here I am today almost
jumping on the chair (not really, just joking). But may I step aside and
say, this thing of lifting hands to the Lord, not only is it a
Scriptural mandate (there are countless passages that say things like,
'lift up holy hands to the Lord'), but I tell you, there is a spiritual
dynamic - a thing that happens in a man's heart - and it is wonderful. I
mean, there's a 'release' that happens within a guy when he sidelines
his ego, composure, or sense of poise to just honor God. I tell you, the
Lord just floods into that guy's heart - it's absolutely wonderful.
God's promises are absolutely true. Glory to His Name!
So if anyone is struggling
with that, be liberated. Go for it! Just close your eyes and trust God
and watch the release of worship explode from within you and all around
you. Watch your spiritual life take a quantum leap. I can promise you,
it will be wonderful for you, and the Lord will be so delighted. Praise
the Name of Jesus!
But anyway, the reason I am
still at Church On The Way, other than the Lord showing me to stay
there, is simply because I am consistently challenged there, I
consistently learn there, I never walk away without a million things to
think and pray about.
I tell you, it kills me to
go to so many churches and see so much 'social club,' keep the people
happy, keep the membership up, keep the coffee and smiles coming. I will
never forget a pastor actually saying to me once, "Here we preach the
people happy." In other words, "Don't dare challenge my congregation -
just send them home smiling so they'll come back next Sunday." I tell
you, it just breaks my heart.
But my church leadership
just doesn't play around. 100% of the time they constantly draw us into
being and partaking of everything the Lord has for us to be and live in.
There is no resting on your laurels, no kicking back and just doing
church. In teaching, they squeeze every precious gem from every letter
of The Word, pressing in and pressing in.
Yes, that's it - there is
just pressing in to get all of God that a guy can, and be all of the guy
that God wants a guy to be. It is the full pursuit of the fullness of
His Word and the fullness of His Spirit, which are always totally in
agreement, one in the same. I tell you, it's exciting, and so often I
thank God for where he's planted me.
But let me just say, please,
please, please - don't just sit in church somewhere. If you're not
learning, not being challenged, not being drawn deeper and deeper into
all God is and all He has for you and all He wants you to be, you're
just cheating yourself so tragically.
Don't go to a church
because, say, there's lots of single people there, or they sing nice
music, or the preacher is an excellent speaker, or, or. Go to a specific
church - I don't care how big or small it may be - because there's
passion for God there, and that's where you in your particular make-up
are able to find the most God that you can. Glory to His Name!
Go after the Lord with
everything you've got. Let nothing get in your way. He has huge plans,
and it is up to you and I to do everything we can to make sure we don't
miss them, and that includes finding the most vital and challenging
church family you can climb into. It may be uncomfortable sometimes and
may involve a hard decision here or there, but press in! Go for it!
Glory to Jesus!
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