LIVING ON THE EDGE

When it comes to church leadership too many pastors and church leaders seem to look for the right formula or the next big movement or the next cool buzz word to come around so they can jump on the band wagon to kick start their church and getting it growing again or use it as a launching pad for a new work. All sounds good but it always seems to lack the “IT” factor.

What is “IT”? Is “IT” real? Is “IT” attainable? Is “IT” what we desire for our ministries? Or for that matter our own life.

I pastor a church that is on the decline. Much of which is my fault and lack of understanding “IT”. So I decided to find out what that “IT” is.

Over the past year I have done a lot of soul searching and personal evaluation of my life, my ministry and my future in “IT”. I have asked other pastors and church leaders what they think the “IT” is and I got a lot of great ideas and even some deep theological answers. I even asked my wife what she thought “IT” is. (Her answer was the best)

During this journey I rediscovered a passage of scripture that God used on me many years ago to transform my personal worship and my corporate leading. Many of you reading this already know this passage but when God led me to it again it just jumped all over me and helped me understand what “IT” is.
Read it and let it penetrate your very core.

Exodus 33:12-17 (NIV) Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

The “IT” factor is simple and yet very profound. Not every church has it and not every church leader has it. The “IT” factor is given by God for God and He alone decides who, the what, the when and the where. This does not however eliminate our responsibility to do whatever it takes for us USHER in the presence of God in our life and in our churches. Are we pleasing to HIM? Are we humble? Are we obeying what HE says in HIS word? All these help usher in the “IT” factor but it does not guarantee “IT”. God is sovereign. GOD IS IN CONTROL. NOT ME. NOT YOU.

So after a long and sometimes tumultuous journey I have decided to take the advise of a very wise leader and say to God “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

That’s “IT”.

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.