Can’t find God?

We can’t find God in our own little world.
But God comes looking for us,
While we’re hiding under the leaves.
“Where are you, sons of Adam?
Where are you, daughters of Eve?”
He calls us to leave our own little world
And seek to come to His eternal one.

We hid among the noise, the busy life style,
consumed with the visible.
He is in a secret place and wants us to dwell there too.
Prayer can be reduced to ask God to bless or fix
Our own little world without ever seeking Him or finding Him.
We pray to the god of our own little world,
without truly communing with
Our Father who is in heaven.

Not just on a personal level, but a Church can dwell in an own little world of the religion of songs, hype, and sermons without an ear tuned to what the Spirit is saying to us.

How do we get out of our own little world?
We must get back to square one.
Start over and begin again
A journey away from noise to silence.
Away from constantly hearing too many voices
to diligently listening for the One.

Jesus did nothing except what he heard or saw the Father doing.
Jesus never dwelt in his own little world, but he died to save us from ours.

For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait
for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body
that it may be conformed
to His glorious body,
according to the working by which He is able
even to subdue all things to Himself.
Philippians 3:20-21

Subdue us, conform us, transform us, from our little world of wood, hay, and stubble.  That we might look for a glorious one of gold, silver and precious stones once again.

Guidelines for Ekklesia Gatherings

Last week we began to focus on the verses that make up the discussion of gifting in the New Testament.  The passages involved are as at as follows:  Romans 12:3-16, 1 Corinthians 12:4-31, 1 Corinthians 14:24-33, and Ephesians 4:1-16. I wrote down several points in each section and then worked on consolidating them into main points without just quoting verses.

• We have been graciously given diversity by one Spirit.  Unity is expressed by diverse people, with diverse gifts, and diverse manifestations. A good recipe has many ingredients for a deep, rich, balanced, and complex flavor and texture.
• Warning it’s a common issue to think too highly of your own gifting and become competitive, dominate, and controlling.  Make a conscious effort to be humble, lowly, gentle, and long suffering.
• Love trumps gifting.  Give honor and preference to one another especially the weaker ones.  If your gift cannot be expressed in love then don’t express your gift.  Refuse to get offended.
• Everybody gets to play.  Let each and everyone use their gifts, make room, take turns.  All do, all learn, and all are encouraged. It is also common to think too highly of someone else’s gifting and become complacent, passive, and audience.
• The unity of the Spirit is the overriding concern.  There should be a flow of the Holy Spirit that is followed.  Listen, and fit into the flow.  Don’t try to steer the meeting, nor bring confusion, or division.  Find the theme and add to it.  Take it deeper, apply it wider, add color, or harmony.  Be a part of the symphony and keep a close eye on the Conductor.
• When the church functions properly then it will be known that God is truly among us.
• We all become better equipped for the ministry not only as we use our gifts, but as the fruit of the Spirit matures because of the interaction.

Did I miss any main points?  What do you think?

The Purpose and Progression of a Worship Service

How is it then, brethren?  Whenever you come together each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue has a revelation has an interpretation.  Let all things be done for edification.  1 Corinthians 14:26

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22

What should be the purpose of gathering together as the Church?  A good typical answer is usually something like “Church is the gathering of the saints for the purpose of fellowship, worshiping the Lord, prayer, partaking in the Lord Supper, and for the edification of the saints.”