What's The Purpose?

(Author unknown)

An Old Farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home, and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses?” Said his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this. If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha, Martha, Martha, oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows,

the white cows, the black and white cows,

the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn,

are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,

the CORN, CORN, CORN.

“If I did that; then repeated the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus.”

(And now for the other side of the story)

A young, new Christian visited relatives one weekend and attended their small-town church. He came home, and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “it was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns?” said his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” Asked his wife.

The young man said, “Well, it’s like this. If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well, that would be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

O Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry;

Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth;

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by

To the righteous, inimitable, glorious, truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain;

There in their heads is no shadow of sense.

Hearkenest they in God’s sun or His rain,

Unless from mild, tempting corn they are

Fenced.

Yea, those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,

Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens

Eschewed.

Then goaded by minions of darkness and night,

They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,

Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn,

Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry

And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

“Then, if I were to do only verses one, three, and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

We laugh at this great analogy of how hymns or contemporary songs can be viewed based on cultural influences. But instead of giving a lesson on how culture changes our perception, I would like to talk about how particulars can distract us from our main purpose. I used the illustration from worship music, and for the sake of argument I will continue with the worship trend but like any proverb its moral is universally applied.

The styles of worship music have been widely debated but the problem is not with the style, archaism, or repetition of music. Those are specifics. The problem is defining what the purpose of worship is. When we reflect on the purpose it will reveal more truth. But sadly we many times just assume the purpose without carefully analyzing it.

For example, here are two false purposes attributed to worship music: One, music has been viewed as mostly secular and two, worship has been viewed as mostly religious. Both are common misconceptions that are not true but because no one addresses the purpose they become commonly accepted.

Music is not mostly secular. In actuality, there is no sacred secular divide with music. By this I mean music is neither sinful nor holy. Truth, it is what you make it. Music can be used as one of many tools to amplify the worshipful experience or it can be used to prolong an emotional fantasy. The music will reflect what you want to make it and amplify that desire. This is why it is more important to understand what worship is because music will only embellish your preconceived idea.

Worship is not just for the religious but worship is a predetermined fate. Everyone worships because everyone chooses. The lifestyle you choose determines what you worship. Everything that chooses immediately has the obligation to worship something. Even in the crazy form of deciding not to worship, you still choose, therefore you worship still. Your form of worship is simply pleasing yourself because you see your decision as the highest form of choice and therefore you obey your impulses. This is an abstract concept that many don't understand. But until we understand our purpose as worshipers, we will always debate about the particulars of worship songs.

Your purpose for worship is simple. It is experiencing God or the work of his hands and responding.

If you aren't experiencing God or you don't have an idea of what to worship God for, then how can you worship someone you don't know, experience, or even enjoy? Many people don't enjoy God. I love John Crowder's quote from his book, The Esctasy of Loving God. He says, "The thing from which you derive the most pleasure is the very thing you worship." I know many Christians who don't find pleasure in God. This makes me wonder if they are experiencing the same God I am because my God gives me enjoyment and fulfillment. I can worship Jesus and I can do it for hours, days on end. It's my life. My God gives me purpose.

In conclusion, I challenge you to let go of the nitpicking and go to the root or purpose of your given situation. Hopefully you will find the Creator and the work of His hands and worship Him.

Short story from:

Kraeuter, Tom. Guiding Your Church Through a Worship Transition: A Practical Handbook for Worship Renewal. Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books, 2003. (pages 163-165 Guiding your church through a worship transition by Tom Kraeuter)

STEP OUTSIDE

Ancient pagan societies worshiped the sun because they realized the sun’s importance to their survival. In fact, because many early civilizations were agricultural they depended on the sunny whether as their primary food source. Through natural human logic they reasoned they had to worship something that was more powerful than them. In other words, they realized they could not survive without the sun therefore it served as a higher entity that deserved higher recognition.

Even as time passed and cultures evolved there was still this same concept that the ancient pagans had but it manifested differently: ancient mythology, the feudal system, the great chain of being, kings, and popes, etcetera. The overarching theme is, because you are bigger and more powerful, I depend on you and I will worship you.

Our 21st century way of living has become so self-centric and self-dependent that we have rebelled against the recognition of any power bigger or greater than our self. Though, we still use the same sun, as the ancient pagans, we now think that it is all about us and therefore we have no obligation to give merit or appreciation to it for our survival. Our position of dependency hasn’t changed but our reaction to this reality has. Modern day citizens worship an even smaller god now than the sun, they worship themselves. We have relied on our knowledge and enlightened minds to carry us to the place of deity. Instead of critically identifying our dependency upon these greater powers, we’ve rationalize them away and reasoned that they are in place only for our own satisfaction.

It amazes me how humans can be surrounded by a complex and powerful creation whether huge brawny trees, ferocious waves, shooting stars, or category 5 hurricanes and yet still dedicate most of our time to worrying about minute things that get us nowhere in life. Instead, I think, we should be completely amazed at creation, its immensity and our dependency to it. Moreover, today, we have reduced the grandeur of life into a small self-absorbed reality that pertains to nothing outside of our work schedule, family, or church.

How foolish!

The sun keeps everyone warm and gives every living thing energy or life as we know it. It displays a picturesque array of colors in the sky when combined with our atmosphere. Approximately one million earths can fit inside of the sun. According to Mike Rushford, “4.5 pounds of sunlight hits the earth each second.” Our sun is only a medium size star, yet it is about 109 times wider than the earth!

Many people go about the course of the evening with only a small recognition of the sun’s importance to their survival and its vast actuality. We’d much rather meditate on things in our sphere of control like: chores, hunger, relational acceptance, entertainment, and overall pleasure, then be grateful in the trust and grace of something much bigger than us.

Imagine fighting a star. You would disintegrate within 180 million Km, let alone up close and personal. Our selfish mindset provides a perfect façade for fear and worry to entrap us. We live in a selfish reality that doesn’t line up with what is really happening around us. Yes, we might be able to out think a sun but believe me a sun is more powerful than what I will ever be. When we serve our self and don’t give appreciation to the greater things that give us survival, we are endowed to live in fear, constant worry, and denial.

I don’t encourage anyone to worship creation, like James Cameron's award winning movie Avatar insinuates, because we know that a star, a tree, and creation in general can be beautiful and powerful but in reality, it can’t hear or appreciate our praise, even if we gave it. Creation, at times, might have more power but it’s not like it chooses to prolong our life! No, there is one greater who controls and who created these gigantic entities. He wants our worship. He wants us to live in peace and trust in Him. His name is Jesus Christ, and he came to restore us to our right mind.

Back up, get out of this weird mentality that life is all about you and embrace the high probability that there is a God that loves you and has created these huge powerful and beautiful things to save you from living a purposeless life of living only for yourself. Those of you who know YHWH yet still live in this false reality of self-idolatry; wake up, because even pagans worship an unknown sun-god. Why do you still not entrust your life to the LORD of Life? Who are you in comparison to the Son?

The Passive Critic

There is a passive critic movement! This sounds like an oxymoron but through the resources of technology and specifically the internet, it has become possible to sit on your duff and still let your voice be heard to the entire world. This movement has been fueled by the internet and as a result it has created a bunch of passive mud-slinging cowards. I first have to explain to you what a passive critic is:


The passive critic always points out the problems but never comes up with solutions to fix them. In fact, he never intends to fix the problem; instead because he is displeased with himself, he uses destructive words to pull others into the same hole he currently wallows in. Many of our present day internet writers have become just that, destructive with their words and unproductive in their actions. We have 15 year olds telling Dr’s how to do the operation and we have agnostic bozos trying to give lectures on spiritual truths. They have no real answers, only complaints, and their own insecurity leaks into the fine print of every blog, email, chat-room, and excerpt they share to the world.


Every tool should be used to perform a task but since when did writing become the task of destruction? Even the dialectics pushed on towards a greater synthesis! But ever increasingly the negative critic of today uses destructive tactics to “out-scream”, “out-charm”, and “out-humor” the voice of anyone who has a solution to the world’s problems. “I want an answer!” He taunts about the church, “But not yours!” The passive critic is happy with his false-knowing that everyone is wrong but himself.


Since when has writing a solution become offensive? In today’s generation we cheer for the man who admits he knows nothing and we condone the man who speaks of absolute truth. The passive critic rejoices when others fail to be right because according to him, no one is right and the “no one is right” group is always right! Therefore, the main job for him is to ridicule, criticize, and destroy everyone who claims to know “the solution.” The power of life and death is in the tongue, yet we congratulate those that speak death by nominating them “most honest writer of the year”. Why illuminate the problems when you could be thinking about the solution? And yes, I know the solution. And yes, you should know the solution too but I will get into that later.


It has gotten so bad that today if you don’t speak about how the earth is going to hell in a hand basket you aren’t considered credible to some degree. We laugh at this with the extreme examples such as, global warming or the nihilistic movement but even through humor we have embraced this behavior. Negative humor has become so destructive that it quenches the true creativity that only comes through encouragement and absolute truth.


Who is brave enough anymore to claim a thesis of absolutes? The destructive movement is invading our culture but most importantly it has invaded our college campuses and is attempting to keep God’s truth out of education. In the education realm we’ve categorize people who believe in absolutes as narrow-minded and immature. Yet the entire purpose of education is to understand and you cannot have understanding without absolute truth.


It is about time that the unashamed, unafraid, “fools”, according to the world, step up and claim CHRIST as the solution. We have been taught it at church but it is now that the WORD becomes Flesh in our lives. Let us no longer talk about the problems or talk about the solution but let us LIVE the LIFE that Christ has called us to live. Be transformed by Christ; by the renewing of your mind and you will see heaven come to earth because the kingdom of God is inside all those who are born again. The world longs for a solution and CHRIST is that solution. Christ dwells in us, so we now must be the light of men. (John 1:3) Invite the power of God to cultivate your life for the sake of others. Stop discouraging and stop ridiculing, if you don’t have a solution, shut up... You are no help to the human race or the kingdom of God. You are selfish and you are being used by Satan to destroy the work of God.This is the time the Bride of Christ will rise and be glorified by GOD.


I write this to you with my deepest convictions as the Lord has revealed it to his servant.

The Power of Perversion- the Archenemy of Purity

The subtleties behind the perversion invasion on the church resembles lymphatic cancer, it starts with only one small choice or cell but it soon spreads through the entire body and is highly incurable. The sad news is the church has been hiding this disease under its pews for decades and it is now habilitating destruction. “We don’t like to talk about such things or bring it out in the open”, I have been told by some church going leaders. I’m afraid ignoring cancer just doesn’t make it disappear. The growing nihilistic movement within the church also suggests that we live with it because, aren’t we just human? The Church is under an onslaught from the enemy, yet we have befriended the notorious foe and now the church’s very existence has become threatened.

Can you imagine the Apostle Paul hearing these arguments from today’s church? He would be outraged! I imagine hearing his heart break as he would preach, “Everything Christ died and lived for, which was to restore us in Him, is being marred by perversion. You choose in flesh and therefore live according to the destructive powers of this world, which is in direct opposition to Christ!”

Perverted jokes are no big deal, right? No, perversion destroys all “romantic” bonds we have with the Lord. We categorize perversion as a small problem but perversion breaks true love and settles for the lusts of the flesh. When we decide to crack a funny perverted joke we decide to step out of union with God in Spirit and align ourselves with the forces of darkness. Sadly, I have aided in the disfiguration of what purity seeks to restore, which is relationship and intimacy with God. Every time we do this though, especially as leaders within the church, we lose the presence of God.

Eph 5:3-5:
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (NIV)

Jesus reveals where perversion takes place in Matt 5:27-28:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (NIV)

The battle for purity takes place in the mind because it’s all about what you are looking for. Jesus condemns the man who LOOKS lustfully at a woman. What are you looking for? Matt. 5:8 promises us that, “The pure in heart will see God.” I believe the pure in heart see the Lord because purity is directly proportional to what you are looking for. What I mean by this is that which is pure will only seek for what is pure and God is the highest form of purity. God lives and breathes purity. When our heart desires God it ultimately desires purity and vice-versa. Therefore, the flipside means that if your heart desires perversion, you don’t desire God.

We know also that where your treasure is there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:21) We have many men and women in our society committing adultery in their heart because their treasure is wrapped up in idolized romance and sex worship.Twilight asks: when you live for forever, what do you live for? The entire series is about hooking up with a vampire.

If I were the enemy I would use perversion to attack the church as well, I mean think about it: One, perversion replaces identity. They would no longer see human beings made in the image of God but rather objects of pleasure to use for their own good, both emotional and physical. Two, perversion separates their walk in love. They would no longer walk in love, which is what life is all about. They would constantly be looking for self-fulfillment instead of self-service. Three, perversion blinds and distracts. There is nothing more powerful to shut down dreams, visions, and prophecy then the perverted spirit. If you are addicted to pornography, your prophetic gift is impaired. If you have a visionary gift, your visions will be stripped from you because light and darkness cannot stay in the same mind. This is why we are commanded to take captive every thought (2 Cor 10:5) and to think on things above.
(Col 3:1-4):
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (NIV)

Phil 4:8
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things

Humans were created to be worshipers and whatever we think on or praise it then becomes exalted in our mist. The reason perversion is such an epidemic is because it operates by a spirit and stronghold of the enemy. Every time we think or worship with perversion in our hearts we create an atmosphere in our life that quenches the Spirit of God. An illustration of this is when we worship God because there are times when you can actually feel the manifested presence of God, this is a very normal experience but likewise, as we are getting closer to the day of the Lord; you will be able to feel darkness the same way. The lesson behind it is: the space you create will be occupied. If you create space for perversion, it will take over, and influence every aspect of your life. You will feel the dark presence from the kingdom of the air (Eph. 2:2). If you create space for the presence of God to dwell in your life, you will walk in Him.

I think we all have operated one time or another, in the spirit of perversion but the Lord wants to set us free now. Every day we should decide to start anew in Christ. He wants to restore your dreams and visions. He wants to give you his love in exchange for the counterfeit lusts of this world. I pray that you see the importance of this message and begin to walk with a purpose to destroy the works of the enemy within your own heart. It’s not easy but that’s because there is a price to be paid for purity because good things are never cheap.
Matt 7:7-8:
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)

God's Emotions

I’m caught off guard almost every time I hear a person say that they don’t feel God. What exactly is feeling God? Some extremists say that it is impossible to feel God. This conclusion is enticing but if it were so, almost the entire bible would not be applicable. I often wonder if these folks are experiencing the same God I am because Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” The previous verse talks about the Spirit being alive because of righteousness. With the Lord living in us how can you NOT feel Him? Right… well maybe… Sadly I have come to the realization that only dead things can’t feel and I’m afraid many people are dead in themselves and serving a dead God. On the flipside we have those emotionalists who attribute everything they feel to God! One day they joyously walk into the work place singing how they feel God, and the next day they are completely distraught and depressed. I indirectly ask to myself if they are still feeling God. Instead of blaming our feelings on the absence of God or attributing them to God, I would like to stand on the fact that we are in God and apart of being in God means that we should experience God at every level, including the complete emotional realm. God is not a feeling but he is a Being with the entire spectrum of emotions available for us to experience in Him. The fruits of the spirit for example, are traits involving deep emotions that are interwoven within the personality of our LORD. The problems arise when we aren’t in Him. You hear the urgency in Jesus’ voice as he explains it to his disciples in John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (NIV)

One problem Christians have is when we are in Christ but then the life we feel isn’t always what we want, so we disassociate this experience from God. Our arrived assumption is that we do not feel God. Sadly, this claim reminds me of the time in scripture when God cut Jesus off from Him. Jesus cried out, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, also known as “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46 NIV) Many Christians complain, in a sluggish way, that they don’t feel God and it crawls under my skin because the only time Jesus claims not to feel God is when he carried the weight of our sins, so that we can feel and experience life with Him. Our problem is not that we don’t feel God or are incapable of feeling him but that we still want control of our emotions and are not completely grafted into the vine, which is life. We don’t want to admit that experiences shape our emotions as opposed to God’s truth so we claim we don’t feel him. We think that feeling God needs to be a pleasant experience, when truly it’s not the emotion that gives contentment but the action of remaining in him. Paul’s contentment in prison is a great example. I believe what Paul wrote in Philippians was inspired by the fact he stayed in the vine. Our emotions should be so caught up in the Lord that we never fail to produce a harvest, despite what season or drought we are in because the harvest is not from our source but God’s.

Another problem Christians have is that we claim to be in Christ but our fruit isn’t alive. We get so caught up in the emotion that our obedience and behavior turns outside of God’s will. One of the saddest things I see in the church today is when mighty men and women of God, who are gifted, try to recreate what was done before by the spirit, in the flesh. It takes the life and joy out, and substitutes it for a mediocre replacement. We have many Christians today who are up one day and down the next because they put their value and emphasis on the emotion instead of the alignment to God’s emotion. God has an array of emotions but they are in sync with his pleasing and perfect will, not yours.


If our purpose for being in God is to feel good then it is impossible to be in God. Just as Christ died, so must every one die to their sinful nature. If you attribute, “feeling God” only to the times you, “feel good” then you are robbing yourself of the joy you can receive through suffering. Being in God is a choice we make every morning. We decide who is in control, and we can only serve one master. Have you surrendered to God and will you let him dictate how you feel?


(2 Cor 4:10-11) “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” (NIV)

Hair Cut

This past Friday I decided to get a much needed hair cut. Unfortunately the coupon I had that would have knocked three dollars off my bill was to a hair cut place that I couldn’t find. It’s not like hair cutting places all have the same name but they do all smell the same and sell the same products. It’s very easy to get confused. I think I past three hair cutting places all located within a mile before I reasoned to forget about my coupon. I was about to walk into one store, when I saw that the line was very long. This is why they have multiple hair cutting shops located so close to each other I thought to myself. I got back in my car and went to the next shop. I walked in and there wasn’t a line, so I put my name on the sign in sheet.

The girl who sat me down to cut my hair was a young, nose pierced, southern girl. She asked what she could do for my hair and I told her. The nice thing about getting your hair done is it opens up opportunity for conversation and that is exactly what we did for the next thirty minutes. We didn’t talk about normal social events or anything typical but instead the topic revolved around church. I told her I went to Emmanuel College and she inquired if that was a private school. This started the very meaningful conversation.

The hair dresser, Jenifer, explained to me how she used to go to church but doesn’t anymore. The hypocrisy is just too much she huffed. What the Lord challenged me to do was to listen without pushing anything on her. I did. She admitted to me that she needed to be back in church and I asked her why? She said that she was raised that way and that she wasn’t living right without being in the church. I asked her what she meant by that and she defended her case and said that she wasn’t living that bad but she didn’t feel it was right. My heart broke. The Lord reminded me that worldly people don’t need to know when they are wrong nor do they need correction because it is a natural understanding. What they need are real people who are willing to love them and bring them to the Lord who lives in us.

I only had ten more minutes with Jenifer but I made the most I could to show my love. It reminded me of the quote from Hammarskjold, “It is more noble to give yourself completely to one individual than to labor diligently for the salvation of the masses.” I did give all I could with the time I had but unfortunately I wasn’t at a place relationally to show her my Lord with words but only with my actions. She has been so hurt by other church people that she said she didn’t like those who imposed their views on her and she was thankful that I was not like that. Yet, I knew I had done that before, so what made me different now? The Lord whispered in my ear, love.

For the sake of her soul maybe silence was the required seed to plant and God will use one day to bring her to Him? Are we willing to pay whatever the cost for one soul? Whether it be silence or death or punishment are we willing to do it in Love? The reality that she might eternally die gripped my heart as I gave her the tip and I smiled, almost with tears, as I said my last goodbye. God didn’t want me to speak yet I felt very obligated. What type of people stand by and watch others die? We should say something LORD!? Silence ensued as she took the tip and I walked away. One seed fell and hit the cold ground.

Dear God, help us be obedient to you. Forgive us for not making the most of every opportunity and forgive us for doing things our way instead of walking in your perfect love.

Doors of denial or trust?

We try so hard to make it happen, whatever “it” may be. The “it” can be doors of destruction or even doors of blessing. Have you ever considered that the door won’t open because it was never intended to be pursued? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result but expecting something different. So many times I feel like we do this. We just know what is best for us, so we pursue it over and over again. We weren’t intended to live a life of denial, yet we constantly revert back to this behavior of insanity. What is wrong with us? Maybe it’s because God is far from us? A life lived independent of God is a life lived in perpetual denial. There are Christians who love God but try to put Him in places he isn’t. Many Christians ramble on, “Oh God did this and God did that” when in reality they are trying to cover their decisions with lies of denial. We’ve gotten good at spiritualizing our sin and lack of trust in God! To put it plan and simple: Christians are pro discount shoppers. They find out what they want and put a God discount tag on it. Stop seeking for opportunity in dead ends and dangerous street alleys, when the Lord is saying loud and clear, “I’m not there!”
Are we willing to be thankful with where we are in God, with others, and with our self? The fastest way to blessing is thankfulness. God will entrust more to those who are thankful and responsible with what God has given them. In fact, God gives the desires of their heart, to those he loves. Can God trust you with his desires; can he trust you with yours? Are we going to label what is done by man as God’s way or will we trust in Him? As we begin to trust in God with the small things and only open the doors he has for us now, the doors that we worry about and try to control will be opened.