Reflections

A year ago I posted on giving as an act of worship and I know this because I just happened to be reading the same passage this morning that caused me to think about this...

and now more than ever I find it most meaningful to be reading this. Deuteronomy 26 is the passage I am talking about.

They are about to enter the Promised Land, about ready to cross the Jordan. God is giving them their marching orders, how they are to conduct themselves as they cross, and as they live in the new land.

He gives a detailed instruction on what they should offer Him and how. It is the how that struck me a year ago. It strikes me again. Some lessons should never be forgotten.
As I bring my offerings, and in this passage it definitely involves money, well, produce then which translates into currency today unless a farmer is reading this. I have to be real here. This is not a chapter on singing songs, or donating our unwanted items, or anything like that. It comes down to money, our hard earned, never enough money.

As I bring my offerings, I am to recite, out loud, the history of God rescuing me from enemies, keeping me safe and sane, prospering me, saving me, and I should declare to Him what I am bringing to His table and that I have not used this offering, or any part of this offering for myself.

AND, I should be happy.

I can tell you, I rejoice over every offering...and have for the past 6 years. I rejoiced when I struggled to be faithful to this, and I rejoice that I can look back and say I have not lacked any good thing because of my giving.

BUT I mention all this to say that I have not been posting as much as I would like...

and I think I owe it all to my desire to live out my Jesus Life outside the walls of the church. Never did I realize it would consume me as it is.

There is much to do out there, people are wondering, longing, and starting to seek out what the Truth really is.

They are everywhere, these hungry ones, and hardly a day goes by that I do not have something to write about but fall asleep before it gets done.

I want to tell you all about it all...and I will. But not right now.

I am getting things ready for our outreach today at HV. About 30 kids will be there. And lately, some of the moms have been staying as well. We have been doing this for just past a year now. Once a month, on a Saturday, we set up in the apartment manager's reception area, make a mess with the kids, get in a quick object lesson, clean up and resume life. I love it.

We are gearing up for our big Spring Outreach the day before Resurrection Sunday. I will tell you all about it.

It is good to be outside the walls...and even greater to go back in every Sunday and celebrate with everyone what God is doing out there...

Worship so far...

I found Jesus in Las Vegas. I knew about Him, I had seen my friends change as they gave their lives to Him during the Jesus Movement in the late 60's and early 70's. I knew He was real, but I never imagined He would want anything to do with the likes of me. I didn't fit into the 'good girl' category.
I ended up in Vegas, that was in '73. After many more bad decisions and dangerous escapades I found Jesus. Funny, He was there, waiting for me. I had come to the end of myself. There were no more things to try, nothing more to do. Everything had failed. Praise God!
But I digress...Here I was, a Brooklyn girl out west, totally passionate about Jesus and a friend drove me out of town to a small church. When we walked through the doors I heard the singing, all these people with their hands raised, singing in the Spirit with the most melodious harmonies. Pastor and a few others were up on the platform with their acoustic guitars. You couldn't hear them. It wasn't about them. The whole church was the choir and the gentleness, the harmonies, the languages, filled my senses and I wept. I had never experienced anything like that ever. My friend led us to a seat. Everyone stood around me. I was overwhelmed with the Presence of God, the gentleness of His Spirit, I recognized it immediately and in my heart I knew I was home. I had never felt at home anywhere up until that point.
That was in June of 1978. I had given my life to the Lord that March, March 9th to be exact. I was baptized in the jacuzzi in the apartments where I lived.
Worship, what is it? It has something to do with music for sure. It was the musicians who went out first when Israel was sent by the Lord to go in and take the land the He had given them. It is service. It is the one ministry that ministers not to the body, though we are affected by it, but it is a ministry wholly unto the Lord. We minister to Him when we worship.
Scripture says that God inhabits the praises of His people. So it is during worship I find myself face to face with the living God. It is here that I hear Him talking to me, showing me what He needs me to see. It is here, in His Presence, that I am safe, and in great health, and right.
Worship is the outward expression of my love for God. My obedience to Him, my service to Him and to others at His Command. Worship is what pours out of me when I lift my voice to Him with the greatest joy, or the deepest sorrow. As I sing and play I know it is because He is Who He is. It has nothing to do with what I want Him to do for me. It has nothing to do with the way I may be feeling. He is God, He changes not and if He never did another thing, He has done more than we ever deserved anyway. He is magnificent, faithful, kind, generous, powerful, and He has decided to allow me to benefit from all this. Worship happens when I reach beyond what I know I am capable of because God is calling me to do it and find a way to trust Him when all of me wants to be scared, or unsure, or just not getting it at all.
It is all about Him, this worship thing. It is Ruth laying at the feet of Boaz, it is David pouring out the drink his men risked their lives to bring to him, it is Joseph silently being wrongfully accused, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears,etc. It is the Psalmists singing, clapping, playing instruments and telling of the great things of God. it is Moses holding his hands in the air so that the Israelites could win, his hands get weary and Israel begin to lose the battle. Aaron and Hur come alongside him and help him do what God commanded him to do by holding up his hands for him. Worship. it is my whole life laid bare before Him, with the understanding that
'I am not my own, I was bought with a price
I am purchased with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ
All my debt's been paid by His sacrifice
Hallelujah to the Lamb who redeems my life.'

And not being my own, I must, in every thing, look to Him for direction, guidance, consent, validation, worth, satisfaction, courage, strength, patience, endurance, everything.That I know to do this is worhip for it reveals what I think abbout Him. If I can't trust Him, if He is not my Lord, if I don't look to Him for my very life, I am not a worshiper.

As I go now to the Park and have church with the homeless ones, or to the projects to do a craft with the kids, or try to help a young mom get her baby's paperwork in order, I worship and it is worship because I would never have thought to do any of this without the leading of my God. It is not in me to venture in to dangerous places and build relationships. I am more comfortable alone. But that being the case, He is showing me that what good is a great worship song if it is being sung by me if I am in the same breath refusing to go where He wants me to go and do what He wants me to do. Listen,
The worshippers who lead the battles in Israel would have accomplished nothing if they had built a platform and performed greatly. As they sang and made their music they MARCHED IN FRONT of the ones who would do the battle. They were on the front lines of service.
I will sing always, it is what I do best when it comes to expressing myself. But I tell ya, it is not enough for me anymore. I must also march...

WWJDWTC

As far as what I think Jesus would do with the church today: I truly believe that He would fan the flame no matter how faint a flicker it seemed to be. He is in the Kingdom business and promised He would in no way cast us off. I do not know a church anywhere that meets all my needs. This is not a complaint. This is a blessing. My needs, my hunger will never be satisfied by the church I choose to go to...whether I choose to worship in a mega church or in a home church with close friends. That is not where my hunger will be satisfied. If I look at Jesus' life and listen to what it was that caused his appetite to be satisfied it was NOT being with the disciples in fellowship, (although that must have been a precious time for all involved). His hunger was satisfied when He talked to the woman at the well. Why? Because He was doing the will of His Father. It wasn't what the Father would do for Him but what He would do for the Father that satisfied Him.

This is crazy...we have it backwards, we still believe that 'the church' is an entity apart from us ...We, the church, the called out ones, are the ones who must live the way God directs us. yes, there are things wrong with the church today. When has there not been. God uses the willing, not the perfect.

So He will not cause the flicker of a flame to go out or the reed to break. He is here to save.
Out there somewhere is a woman or a man waiting by a well not even aware of his or her own need until a word is spoken into their heart. I want to be ready to be the one to speak the word. Don't you?

Remember, we are the church. The church is not them, it is us and if we think we know how a church should be then we should be it, don't you think?
I am responsible for doing the will of the Father. You are responsible for doing the will of the Father. We are the church. He will keep the flame burning with His breath. This church is a living breathing organism and He will keep us alive ... To God be the glory forever and ever, amen!