Church Worship – The Climb?
Well, when I think that I’ve heard everything… Saddlebacksore Church makes me sit back and shake my head. Especially after the Jonas brothers singing odes of their lust for girls at the church’s Easter service.
In this video is a song popularized by the spiritledspirited artist, Miley Cyrus, who has traded the realm of the ‘tween for sleaze. Sadly, the song was sung in “church” for worship.
Rick Warren, affectionately termed America’s Pastor, is the pastor of Saddlebacksore Church. His teachings are widely available and infused with an undertone of Pelagianism. Pelagianism teaches that man has the ability in and of himself to obey God and earn eternal salvation.
As worship at this church, the song is fitting. The worship is to the one doing the work of salvation… oneself. It is the message of the work one must do, do, do to obtain salvation.
Christian, apostasy is not overt, it is subtle. Over time, tiny, small changes add up to compromise! There is an old saw about swallowing an elephant. It is not accomplished all at once, but one bite at a time. This is the same trick the enemy loves to use!
Jesus cried “Tetelesti!” In other words… “It is finished,” or “paid in full!” This is recorded for us in John 19:30. We know that there is no more work required by anyone for salvation, it has been accomplished!
Paul exhorts us in Philippians 2:12 to “work out” our own salvation with fear and trembling. This is not working at, or working up our own salvation, but humbly submitting our selfish will to a holy, sinless God, Who Himself has given us justification freely!
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Check out Romans 5:1-2.
Print This Post
Filed under CULTure, Humor, news, views
| Tags: apostasy, salvation, the lie, worship |
Comments Off
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church – We Are One
Being an outsider who does not attend Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, I have watched with some interest the “new” Coral Ridge.
After the merger of New City Presbyterian and Coral Ridge Presbyterian, Tullian Tchividjian took the helm of the mighty church founded by D. James Kennedy. Last year, there was a small dust-up in the church over Pastor Tullian’s convictions on how to do “church.” I remember, during the conflict, one quote that stuck in my head and really bugged me! It went something like Tullian was trying to do away with the “dignity” of “high church worship.”
I had to ask what that was, and since I know the church I attend has a contemporary worship service that is quite unique. I wondered, since my “warehouse church” doesn’t have a pipe organ, and my pastor does not wear a robe. We do not use hymnals, either. Is our worship experience then “undignified” and not quite “high church?”
Having a Baptist background, I struggle with my preference of the deep, profound lyrics of hymns and the seeming shallow egocentric modern worship. It was further exacerbated by my dislike of the music pastor and his chosen style of worship at my church. This conflict led me to some profound truths that were fefreshed and reinforced by the events at Coral Ridge.
Rock music, in a Baptist world, was always called “sensual,” mostly because of the “hip grinding” and dancing that it causes. I know, it sounds funny. But it is not. This was also coupled loosely to modern worship music. Years of teaching are hard to overcome… but there is hope, by the grace of God.
You see, my old pastor, Richard Schermerhorn, taught an incredible lesson one morning in Sunday School some 20 years ago. It was on biblical authority. God caused me to remember that lesson, complete with the increasingly larger covering from the umbrella illustrations he used. He showed me the fact that my worship leader is considered an authority figure over me, serving at God’s will. He leads, I submit, as if it were to God Himself, as long as he does not cause me to sin. The authority serves me by willfully taking responsibility from me. I get freedom from that responsibility!
So, I submitted it to God, and my music pastor. About a year later, God, as He is prone to do, refreshed my memory. Our music pastor was out-of-town on an extended absence. God actually impressed upon my heart how much I missed Pastor Clay! And then the lesson was written upon my heart! God had changed my perspective, and in my submission, I was given freedom. In addition, my submission became a blessing to me!
I was able to watch the things happen at Coral Ridge from a distance. I also know New City’s music director personally, and have had some discussions with him on this issue. It intrigued me, and I did continue to pay attention, at a distance. Surprisingly, this week it may have ended!
After seeing this blog post by Pastor Tullian, and his convictions on unity, I can only think I wholeheartedly agree! This is Divine wisdom, and brings together two separate cultures inside one! It is a perfect lesson on submission, temperance and forbearance!
It leads me to ask how can two walk together, except they agree? I know at our church, we have several campuses, the styles of worship are different at each campus. But through the marvels of technology, the message is the same! However, we are not segregated by worship under the same roof, we are one!
I know that this is placing some difficulty on those who have attended Coral Ridge for a long time. But I challenge you to submit to those whom God has placed in authority!
There is freedom AND BLESSING in that! But above all, God gets the glory!
Check out the post from Tullian Tchividjian here: We Are One
Print This Post
Filed under CULTure, news, views
| Tags: Christianity, CULTure, God, submission, worship |
Comments Off
