Crisis Mode - A Communal Conundrum

 

Crisis Mode - A Communal Conundrum 

Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”

 “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. (Acts 9:10-19 NLT)

Being back in Texas to spend some time with Mom for a few days has reminded me of three things:

1. I loathe big cities…

2. I loathe traffic…

3. I loathe the “Mix Master.” 

Now, if you’ve never seen or driven through the mix master in DFW (and the spider web of cloverleaf exchanges the different roads offer) well, let me tell you - when you first experience it you will say within your heart - “There is no way out of this!”

It is much the same with us during our everyday lives. We encounter moments in our lives - sometimes daily - when we don’t see a way out.

“How am I going to pay this bill?”

“I wonder what news the doctor will give me?”

“They are probably going to fire me for that…”

“Why does God not answer my prayers?”

“Will people ever love me for me?”

We are human. Our thoughts are human. Our feelings are human. Our perspectives are human. 

We can only react as we have been created to react.

 And often, we react as if we are stuck on the mix master and don’t know how in the world we are going to get off or make it out. 

This had to be similar to the feelings that both Saul and Ananias had some 2000 years ago.

Saul, who was on his way to continue to disrupt and destroy the “Way” is struck blind and has to be led to the home of a stranger. Ananias is hiding to keep from being arrested and imprisoned by Saul…and yet, God commands him through a vision to go to the home where Saul is staying and pray for him so he will be able to see again.

Wow.

So, let’s break this conundrum down.

First, there is a crisis. 

Everyone of us encounters crisis moments. Sometimes, multiple crises at once. Some minor, some major. Some easy to handle - others life altering. Often, we find ourselves in full blown crisis mode.

Second, there is confusion.

We don’t know which way to go. We can’t figure out what is the first step. No one seems to understand. We are stuck - because our crisis has caused confusion.

Third, there is commitment. 

We make a decision. We become resolute in what we are going to do. We’ve determined to do what needs to be done.

Fourth, there is a conclusion. 

The crisis has come. Even in the midst of confusion, of what to do, you become committed to a way of dealing with it. Thus, the matter is concluded…

The only thing left? 

Living with the consequences.

In our story from the Acts of the Apostles we have Saul and Ananias. Both are experiencing a crisis. Both are confused as to what to do within their respective crises. Both make a commitment to do the next thing. This brings about the conclusion of the matter: God sends Ananias to bring Saul’s sight back; then God sends Saul to open the eyes of the world to the good news of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Speaking of consequences - both of these seemingly random crises, consequently lead to the gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed and shared throughout every part of the world.

If you are reading this - these two crises and their resolutions are the reason that you are even remotely interested in what we have to write. They are the reason you have purpose today. They are the reason your past does not dictate your future.

What about you? What crisis are you in right now? Know this - you are not alone. And, your crisis and its resolution may be what somebody else needs to hear about in order for them to make it through their crisis. 

After all, that’s why they call it “testimony.” 

The question? Will you stand up and testify?

The Wonder of Worship

Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)

We have a confession to make. It’s one you may or may not have heard from a pastoral couple. You know, the ones who are supposed to be “in charge” - the ones who get paid.

We loved “being” in worship during last week’s General Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church. We were not in charge. We did not have to come up with an order of service. We simply got to lift our hands, raise our voices, join in corporate prayer, listen to the Word, and take notes from the messages. What a delight!

That said, there has been a disconnect in worship for far too long between “leaders” and those “attending.” As a matter of fact, the biggest congregations in North America almost always have a great divide between the worship “team” and those in the “crowd.” It’s divine entertainment - and that should not be.

Psalm 95 is a great moment in scripture. It is a call for all to join in worship. Worship can be private - and it should be on a daily basis: devotions, prayer, reading of the Word, singing, doing acts of kindness…all of these are what we should be doing when we are apart from one another.

But, when we are together (and we should get together by the way)...

What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up - I Corinthians 14:26

Did you notice? Not just the “paid” staff. Not just the worship “team.” Each of you. Everyone.

Dan Gildner, a writer for spiritandtruth.life considered this quandary in a recent article. He established a baseline, if you will, for both leaders of worship and attendees:

1. Confession - It is good practice to confess known sin to God and one another prior to inviting the congregation to worship or gathering in worship. Acts 3:19-20 promises that confession gives birth to times of refreshing from God’s presence.

Invitation to Practice: Start your morning in worship with a personal time of confession with Jesus and/or with your trusted small group. Be honest. Receive God’s refreshing grace.

2. Anticipation - When we come into worship we believe that his Presence is with us - in Spirit. The difference between those places and the U.S. is expectation. People come to worship expecting God to be present. What we anticipate, we pursue!

Invitation to Practice: Write out a one sentence prayer of faith before you gather/lead. Where do you expect God to show up in your life through this time of worship.

3. Preparation & Faithfulness

PREPARATION: God chooses to work with humankind in the renewal of all things. So we humbly work diligently at the various crafts (music, liturgy, sermon-writing, etc.) because we are graciously invited to participate with God. It demands that we give all that we can.

FAITHFULNESS: At the end of the day, we are human, and more than performance or perfection, God invites us to be faithful. We acknowledge that we could never practice enough to deserve God’s love. We could never pray enough to be fully prepared. But we show up and in each worship service we offer to God our faithful, limited selves.

Invitation to Practice: Before gathering for worship, prepare your heart through prayer, singing or silence…such that corporately you can offer the Lord all that you can.

4. Invitational - It is the job of those leading to invite those gathered to receive from, respond to and participate in the worship of the Almighty. Those gathered should desire to join in singing, sharing testimony, giving generously, and responding enthusiastically with raised hands and shouts of “Hallelujah!” because God “inhabits the praise of his people.”

Invitation to Practice: If leading, review your language, ensuring an invitational tone. If joining in worship, take advantage of every opportunity to respond to God.

5. Prayerful - Part of our preparation is to pray individually and collectively. Call upon God to release water onto the dry land. Declare God’s Truth over God’s people. Invite God to search your hearts as you lead others. Pray for divine manifestations to be known before, during and after the gathering.

Invitation to Practice: For those leading - It is best to know the Father’s throne room before inviting others into it. For those gathering - pray for God’s presence for all; pray for the preachers; pray for worship to happen when everyone goes to work the next day.

6. Surrendering Results - If we lift up the Name of God, if we praise his Name, if we humble ourselves in his Presence, he will draw us to himself. After all - it has nothing to do with us but everything to do with him. Not just worship - but the results of worship as well. We should not focus on “how worship went” but simply on worship. It’s about time that we all joined together for God’s purposes, glory, and honor.

Oh, the wonder of worship…

One Thing I Know...

 “So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!” “What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?” He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.” “That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will. Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”

They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.

John 9:24-34 (Berean Study Bible)

“One thing I do know: I was blind but now I see.”  Of all the ways in which this man, who was blind from birth, could have testified to the power of Jesus, none could have had more clarity and impact than this word of personal testimony. People can argue and debate the existence of the Divine, the inerrancy of the Scriptures, the legitimacy of the resurrection, the validity of prophecy...but people CANNOT argue with your experience.

Think about it. What have you experienced in your life that goes against what most people think or believe? Perhaps it was a physical miracle that occurred in your body. Maybe you were in a stressful way and there was a moment of peace that simply overwhelmed you. Or, could it have been a near death experience that defied all odds? We’ve all experienced something at least once in our lives that defies reason and explanation. Or, at the very least, left a profound influence upon us and perhaps even those we know.

I (Steve) remember an incident that occurred while at TCU. A few religious studies students - myself included - had been taking a class which placed us in a local church leading various ministries to gain much needed practical ministry experience. One night, after a small group Bible study, a man approached me as we (the students) were supposed to be meeting in another room to talk about what we had just done, how it went, how we were feeling, what could have been better...you get the idea. For the next half hour the man held me spellbound as he spoke about God supernaturally healing his wife while she lay dying in the cold hospital bed and the angel he saw beside her bed that told him she would live. My professor was unhappy with me missing the discussion but when I related to him what I had just experienced he smiled and said, “Well, I can’t argue with that can I?”

I didn’t question the man over what he saw, what he heard or what he felt. How could I? It was what he experienced AND it was in line with the Holy Scriptures of our faith.  I might have not been there, I certainly could not vouch for the validity of his story/experience, but who am I to judge? I can imagine him saying, “One thing I know, my wife was dying but now she is alive.”

When is the last time you heard some story that defied reality or your set of beliefs? When was the last time you shared a story with someone that resonated with them?  For that matter, when was the last time you read the Bible and pondered the great stories of our faith - the experiences that define who we are and what we believe? Events and experiences such as:

• The creation

• The Flood

• The Israelites escape from Egypt with all of the plagues of God upon the Egyptians

• Joshua marching around Jericho

• Daniel in the lion’s den

• The birth of Jesus

• The miracles of Jesus

• People touching Peter’s cloak and being healed

Christianity has spread primarily because of two reasons: first and foremost, the testimonies, stories and experiences found in the New Testament of the Bible; secondly, the personal testimonies and experiences of those who follow Jesus. People just like you. Society and culture  today only “see” and “hear” Jesus when they see and hear you. What is the story you need to share? What experience have you had in Christ that you need to tell someone about this week? 

Take the opportunity soon to share what Jesus has done for you. If someone questions you can always say, “Well, all I know is this…” 

Steve and Missy