LIVING ON THE EDGE

How do we know if we have encountered God in worship? Do you feel good? Do you get a buzz? Do you have goose bumps? What? Can we even know that we have encountered God?

After years of studying the issue and leading “worship services” I have found that there are 6 consistent elements that confirm our encounter with God. These elements have been evident in my life and in those I have had spoken with concerning this thing called WORSHIP. This is not an exhaustive list but they are consistent.

Look at the list and see if you have encountered God lately.
• GRATITUDE-when we encounter God in worship our hearts will be full of thanksgiving for what He has done for us in the past and what he is doing for us NOW. Worship can cure a critical spirit. Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
• PRAISE-we will have an over whelming desire to brag on God and will praise Him by telling others what He has done in our life. Ps.134:1-2 Ps. 66:16 Matt. 15:8 1 Cor. 14:40
• GIVING – This becomes a natural expression of what God has done for us. We become generous with our time, talents and resources. An encounter with God is a great antidote for selfishness. 2 Cor.9:6-8
• PRAYER is a vital part of worship. Prayer is a conversation with God. If we have not talked with Him or listened to Him in worship then our worship is incomplete. Luke 11:9-10 Ja. 5:16
• THE WORD- When we listen to His WORD, the bible, we receive personal instruction, inspiration and in some cases a rebuke. THE WORD is central in worship and it calls us to action. Worship is always active not passive. Ps.119:89 Jer.15:16 2 Tim.3:16 Ps. 119:105 2 Peter 1:19 Ro. 15:4
• OBEDIENCE-without this key element, all the others elements would be just a great bible study topic. Obedience is key to having a life-changing encounter with God. It will not matter what we do in our “worship service” if we do not obey once we leave. Isaiah 1:11-19 Rom.12:1

On my way to a wedding the other day, my wife and me were passing through a rural area outside of Dallas and we came across some sheep, cows and some really nice horses. Animals are always fascinating to me. God created some awesome and at times frustrating creatures.

While stopped and taking some pictures I noticed a large herd of cows get up from their afternoon nap in the shade and fall in line headed towards the guy with the food. The rancher had a huge truck full of hay and grain and had begun unloading the whole load when to my surprise something happened I have never seen before in all the animal kingdom. THE COWS REBELLED.

They stopped and began to surround the rancher. One cow that was older and had been in the herd awhile began complaining to the rancher. So, I got a little closer so I could hear what was being said.

The older wiser cow stepped up and said, “Hey bro, we’re tired of the same ol’ food you keep throwin’ down everyday. We want something else. We need some “greener grass”. We’re tired of the same ol’ grain and hay. We’ve been watching those deer in that other pasture and they get eat some beautiful green grass whenever they want. So we want “greener grass.”

That blew me away. The rancher was giving them what they needed to be strong healthy cows but they wanted something else. The rancher had been trained in animal husbandry and knew exactly what the herd needed to be healthy but that wasn’t good enough. Some cows just wanted more. (Some cows didn’t even move to go get the food. They were satisfied to lie under the tree and do nothing-sad)

When he told the cows that he was going to continue the diet because that was best, a strange thing happened. Some of those cows turned and jumped the fence and went to another pasture. The rancher was devastated and hurt but he had to continue to focus on the remaining herd so they would remain in tact and healthy.

I did a little follow up the other day on this herd and found that the few cows that had left the herd were still wandering around looking for that pasture with “greener grass”. Go figure.

Wedding ceremonies always amaze me. I love observing the dynamics that occurs with each ceremony. I must have done a thousand plus during my ministry and during every ceremony the dynamics are the same. TENSION. Weddings are the most stressful event on the planet with the exception maybe of a funeral service.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of stress one places on oneself just to have a huge beautiful wedding ceremony. Everything has to be just right. The flowers, the food, the ring bearer, the dresses, the tuxes (not so much. They never fit). But everything else has to be just right. The stress is HUGE.

The couples and the families will spend upwards to a year preparing for and spend thousands of dollars for an event that will last about 30 minutes and then have a reception that will last an hour or so. A movie comes to mind here; FATHER OF THE BRIDE. If you haven’t seen it you need to if you are planning a wedding. It’s a great counseling tool for every couple.

My point of this diatribe on wedding ceremonies is I wonder if the divorce rate in America would be lower if the couples and families took as much time preparing for and stressing about THE MARRIAGE as they do about the ceremony.

I wonder if they took a year to attend classes on marriage or counseling sessions and had an older mentoring couple to hang out with for a year that have been through the fire in marriage and made it, would this help in bringing down the divorce rate in our country.

Being a part of so many weddings and officiating my fare share I have come to the conclusion we have it backwards. Couples need to spend more time preparing for THE MARRIAGE and less time preparing for THE CEREMONY.