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The 7 question worship conversation with God...
The 7 question worship conversation with God...
Do you ever wonder what He would say?
(published at both churchcentral.com and creatormagazine.com)
1. Do You like how we ended up worshipping in the church you founded?
(I've always wondered if God sent His Son to visit one of our churches, would He have stayed until the end of the service. Have you ever thought that perhaps Jesus might say to one of the ushers as he left through the front door,)
Do you ever wonder what He would say?
(published at both churchcentral.com and creatormagazine.com)
1. Do You like how we ended up worshipping in the church you founded?(I've always wondered if God sent His Son to visit one of our churches, would He have stayed until the end of the service. Have you ever thought that perhaps Jesus might say to one of the ushers as he left through the front door,)
"Hey, great job this morning! I like the enthusiasm you all have for praise and the neat tricked out tech setup you have (it's the best I've every seen), but I have to be about my Father's business, so I'm going to leave before you get too far along in your agenda for the hour.""Are you sure?" says the usher with some surprise in her voice."Yes, while I appreciate the shout out I got at the very beginning, and while I like... what do you call it...praise music—part of what was going on seemed to be about the pastor and my child with the guitar, and I don't want to interrupt their train of thought."Hate to put words in Christ's mouth, but seriously, do you wonder what He would say?
2. Do you have any advice for worship leaders?
He might say,
"Don't talk so much. I love the sound of your voice, but I can't talk to you when you're talking about me."
3. Is worship about singing or preaching?
He might say,"I'm a little surprised you're asking. Worship is about ME and that was always my intent. I wanted to give my children an opportunity to realign our relationship on a regular basis and find a variety of ways to have dialogue with me. I'm not sure why you're confused about this. The simple truth about worship is that it doesn't require some fixed way of performing it. It just requires openness to the nature of of your dependence on me. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. I do want you to know me better, but what I love, is just being with all of you."4. What's the latest on "seekers" versus "believers?"
He might say,"I'm glad you asked me that question! I don't really see any difference between those two groups. Yesterday I asked you to 'feed my sheep,' and you decided to go to the Apple Store instead—remember? When you make choices like that after being told to do something, I sort of have to love you like a seeker, because you don't actually seem to be on board with the plan. Seekers...believers, there's always some reluctance to be a true follower. That's the reason I sent my Son."5. O.K., so there isn't a particular way you want us to "do" church?
He might say,"Don't 'do' church—BE the church!"6. Is there anything we should know about your nature, or how you would like us to be when we come into your presence?
He might say,"Everything you need to know about me is written with great clarity—you should study your notes. I would add, though, that there are many mysteries, the answers to which I'm saving for that day when we look each other in the face, I wipe away every tear, and you realize how perfect our relationship is and will always be."7. I've always wondered about the "fear" thing. When I was a kid, fear played a big part in our worship...you know, what if your car crashes on the way home stuff. Do you want us to fear you?
He might say,"You don't? Have you not been watching the way I work when I don't have your attention. Do I love you? Absolutely, but that's no reason not to take me seriously. I don't want you to think of me as being just an angry God, but I'm not giving you permission to just ignore the fulness of who I am, either. Enjoy me, but kneel before me—I am God, and you, contradictory to what your mother might have told you, are not."***
C.S. Lewis put words in God's mouth, and while I am no C.S. Lewis, I think it's probably a healthy exercise to speculate about what God might say, if we just asked Him some good questions.
Blessings,
Doug
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—Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches. You may reach him at dlawrenceconsult@mac.com. Or, if you wish, call 650.207.8240 for assessment information and scheduling. Doug now teams with the slingshotgroup.net to place extraordinary worship leaders in extraordinary churches.
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Latest posts by Doug LawrenceDoug LawrenceDoug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches.
