The Home of My One Pursuit
We took our EGS Service to our new building on Friday Night. Next week they demo the building and begin construction.
Great worship. Rapid-Fire thanksgiving and prophetic declarations spoken and written and amazing cHOP stories.
I love our multi-cultural community. I show a few of the declarations that were written in their own native language.
Declaring His worth in a “what’s in it for me?” culture is extremely counter-culture.
The “what’s in it for me?” mindset runs deep.
“We live in a culture that revolves around consuming. Every TV commercial, every store, every credit card company, every bank, every TV show or movie, every piece of clothing, car or product, every website, every restaurant…everything is tailored to fit our desires, needs or personal preference. We are easily infuriated when things don’t happen exactly as we want them to.” We exist in a place that implicitly says this: “We are here to serve you and meet your every whim and desire.”
Obituary for the American Church “How Consumerism Infects our Worship”
Our “what’s in it for me” consumer-driven culture is often brought right into our worship experience. A primary thought for many people as they come before the Lord in worship is, “how will this benefit me? Are my personal preferences satisfied? What am I getting out of it?”
A leper came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). This was a monumental event because the leper was asking the very question we all eventually ask. He did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal, but rather His desire to heal. He asked, “I know you can heal, but do you want to?”
Jesus resolved the issue once and for all when He touched this outcast, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Mark 1:41). This one phrase settled it. The heart wish of Christ was, is, and will always be to heal the hurt and destroy the pain of those He loves. This is why in many places all who were sick and demonized were set free.
I will never forget the miracle I witnessed while street witnessing one night near Haight and Ashbury Streets in San Francisco.
David built the tabernacle from a heart that cried out for the living God (Psalm 84:2) not from duty to the law. The tabernacle was built for love not law. Passion established and sustained a 24/7 reality. The Lord favored the Tabernacle of David because it came out of the heart of someone consumed with gazing on His beauty (Psalm 27:4).
The first priority of every revival in the Old Testament was to re-establish the 24/7 reality. Why? It declared Israels love and full committment to the Lord and not a prescription written from the law.
Radical lovers who will make it a priority to declare His worth is whom the Lord is seeking (John 4:23).
Today, we as believers are a House of Prayer if indeed communion with God is found as our top priority. Also, we are establishing a House of Prayer where a community can gather to seek the Lord, encounter Him, then turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
Your thoughts?
What is worship?
Is it a service we attend? Is it a song that we sing? Is it lifting our hands or closing our eyes? How do you define the act of worship?
The first time worship is used in scripture is when Abraham is going up to the mountain with his son to sacrifice. The Old Testament often equated worship with sacrifice. Obviously we don’t sacrifice animals in our modern worship expressions, but it does make you think, have we lost the true meaning of worship? Continue Reading…
Blue Bottle Coffee Fan. Husband and Father. Blogger and Writer, Senior Leader of Convergence House of Prayer. This is my Blog
