Monthly Archive for July, 2008

On worship music

Published
by
Graeme
on July 29, 2008
in Ramblings
. 1 Comment

From what I can tell there is still lots of discussion about the place of contemporary music within the church. I know this because of a conversation I overheard a relatively short while ago. So here’s something I read yesterday on the subject of modern worship!

There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasent as the more established style. There are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scam and some of these new upstarts are lewd and loose.

Who were these words written about? Well it appears that they were actually written about Isaac Watts, the 18th Century writer of classic hymns such as “When I survey the wondrous cross” and “Joy to the world”. Strange how things seem not to have changed much for well over 250 years!

the uprising II

Published
by
Graeme
on July 25, 2008
in Holiness and Reading
. 0 Comments

Well, I finished ‘the uprising’ last night and would again say that it’s the best book I’ve read on the subject, possibly because it is written in a fresh, up-to-date style. It make not be a Brengle or Coutts type tome but it is full of no-nonsense, in your face, holiness teaching. It’s aimed at young people, but this 39 year old felt challenged by its call to holiness. I just wish I’d read something as accessible as it 20 years ago!

Thanks Stephen and Olivia for a great book!

Being holy for the Church

Published
by
Graeme
on July 24, 2008
in Community, Holiness and Mission
. 0 Comments

In my post about ‘the uprising’ I included the quote:

“unless the Bride of Christ is holy, no one else in the world will meet the Lord. Without our holiness, they won’t see the Lord.”

I’ve found myself coming back to that quote a few times because I found I needed to give the thought more consideration.

The first thought I found myself having was about the make-up of the Bride of Christ. My understanding is that it is actually the Church universal, rather than the individuals that make up the Church.

However, this was followed quickly by the reality that unless the individuals are holy, then surely the Church universal can’t be! At the very least there would be implications for the local expression of the Church should the members of the congregation not be pursuing holiness. This for me is where the crunch comes!

I believe passionately that the only way to reach the lost and to fulfil the Church’s mission in the world is at the local level. And by local I don’t mean at the level of the town, but at the level of the street!

In a paper to the Incarnate conference earlier this year Geoff Ryan said that he believes:

that God cannot – or will not – present himself in a neighbourhood or a community or amongst a people, unless his people, The Church, are themselves physically present and sharing life with the community.”

This is a difficult statement and whilst on one level I agree, I disagree on another level. However, if we accept that at some level this is correct it makes sense of Olivia Munn’s quote from the book. If the Church is not fulfilling its divine appointment and mission within a particular location then how will God be seen in that place? The only way for the Church to fulfil its mission is through the actions of its individual members working both individually and co-operatively. Therefore if the people of God, both as individuals and as a community of believers are not holy then how can the light of God reach the communities they live and serve in?

When thought of like this it makes absolute sense that our individual and corporate holiness is the key to fulfilling the mission!

Blogging from an ipod

Published
by
Graeme
on July 23, 2008
in Blog stuff
. 0 Comments

Well this is a total geek thing to admit but I am writing this post from a dedicated programme on my iPod touch! Only someone who loves technical things would understand why this is so cool, but it is!

It means that I can now post from anywhere that I can connect to a wireless network without having to have my notebook with me. Just have to cope with the ridiculously small keyboard!

Sorry that’s the geek alert over and done with now!

the uprising

Published
by
Graeme
on July 21, 2008
in Holiness
. 0 Comments

If you want to read one book on Holiness but can’t face the thought of reading Brengle or Coutts or even Wesley, then my suggestion would be ‘the uprising’ by Olivia Munn and Captain Stephen Court.

It is, quite simply, the best book on the subject that I’ve ever read, and I’ve not even finished it yet! The chapters are short and snappy and at the end of each are some quesitons you can work through to ask yourself or in a cell-group!

Some of my favourite bits so far are:

“…what needs to change is our view of normality. Normal humanity is looking out for yourself. Normal Christianity is living for the good of others, and doing anything for Jesus.”

“The holiness to which God calls us and for which he empowers us includes a perfection of intention and motivation that makes us blameless.”

“unless the Bride of Christ is holy, no one else in the world will meet the Lord. Without our holiness, they won’t see the Lord.”

The above are just a taster, to read more you’ll have to get the book yourself!

By the way, Stephen, if you don’t already know, blogs over at the armybarmy blog and Olivia does the same on her own blog.

The book is published by Australia Southern territory of The Salvation Army and should be available from wherever you buy your TSA stuff.

Statements of intent

Published
by
Graeme
on July 20, 2008
in Mission
. 0 Comments

Here is the start of a Mission Statement that I saw recently in a church:

As a Christian Church and an integral part of the [denominational name] we offer…

I won’t go on to say the 3 things they offered because these in themselves are of significant difficulty to me. The real reason I raise the statement is to explore our attitudes towards mission.

Personally, I’m not sure whether I am comfortable with the word ‘offer’ being included in a mission statement for a church. It suggests a passive attitude in terms of the gospel. It suggests a come and see attitude towards church, rather than a get out into the world and live the life type attitude.

Seeing bigger II

Published
by
Graeme
on July 16, 2008
in My Pilgrimage
. 0 Comments

Following on from the last post, in Donald Miller’s ‘Searching for God knows what’ there is a section where Miller talks about how big we see God. Basically, he takes us to the burning bush encounter where Moses asks God who he should say sent him to release the enslaved Israelites. Of course God responds simply, “I AM who I AM”

Here’s what Miller says:

God did not answer, “I EXIST,” of offer one of His names, all of which are metaphors invented for humans, but rather, “I AM.” Climbing inside letters, God explains, I encompass, I am beyond existence, I am nothing you will understand, I have no beginning and no end, I am not like you, and yet I AM.
pg 147 - Miller, D., (2004) Searching for God knows what, Nelson Books

We try so hard to define God by adding to His name. Of course we have to try to make sense of Him as we learn about Him, but we should not limit Him to our own understanding or thoughts.

I suppose it comes down to what sort of God we want to have a faith in. Do we want to have a faith in a God that we can understand and doesn’t make a mess of our lives? Or do we want to have a faith that constantly challenges the boundaries of our perceptions; that is constantly stretched so that we grow deeper in our faith because the God we worship is always surprising us by revealing something new about Himself?