Religious or Spiritual?

One of the trustees of our church told me once that I shouldn’t plan on being chosen for pastor because I wasn’t what she (they) was (were) looking for in a pastor. She said in her opinion, that I was very spiritual but again, not what they were looking for. Has anyone ever intended to insult you but it turned out to be a compliment? She and a group of like minded people formed a “search” committee to review my qualifications. Nineteen candidates for the same position had come through the pulpit as I watched and served as liturgist. It is funny how things turn out. That was two years ago. I just “celebrated” my first anniversary as pastor of that church.

I am no where close to perfection. My God is though, and he loves me just fine. The question of are you religious or spiritual is common. People that have been insulted by Christians, hurt by churches, or frustrated by the hypocrisy of it all shy away from “religious” orders. We can mess up a good thing. Church is supposed to be where we worship God and fellowship with one another. It is supposed to be a place for healing and edification but instead its often stealing and pontification. People seek to steal the glory of God, lifting up themselves instead of Christ and promoting everything under the sun but the Son.

The dictionary doesn’t help distinguish between the two words. We define them ourselves. Religious to some means devout, and many progressive thinking people assume it means unintelligent blind fellowship of an antiquated system. Who would want that? Spiritual sounds better, more trendy, free, incorporeal.

Sex can be spiritual. Usually the brothers and sisters that tell me “they” are spiritual are pretty liberal sexually. They are into a lot of stuff that would make their grandmothers pass out. Well, maybe not these days, but “back in the day…”. Sex is one of the few things that hits on all cylinders. It’s no wonder pagans, pantheist and even Satanist use sex in their practices. Jezebel of the Old Testament was both religious and spiritual. Paul preached against the allure of the temple prostitutes of the idols worshipped in his time. It’s no wonder that some call out “Oh God” during an orgasm. Sex can be used to pervert and destroy people as well. It is a physical act that can spiritually destroy a person. I could expound on that but that is another subject. Whether it makes you numb to the truth or feeds some other need its part of the chaos we don’t manage well.

I think the real reason my friends have problems with “organized religion” is they don’t want to give up what gives us pleasure. They hope that all those uptight hardnosed Christians are wrong. Or at least let them be wrong till I get old and can’t have fun. Then I’ll change. (That is if I live that long). Religion is usually how we perceive or are comfortable worshipping God. Some day we will get that right. From what I have learned, it starts with humility and a contrite heart. I’m satisfied to find good people still seeking the truth. They help me do my job and remind me that by the grace and mercy of God I am still here.

You don’t have to stop living to become a good Christian. You just have to change your receptors. Everything you can legally do isn’t good for you. Everyone wants to receive God’s blessings but few want to give God what He doesn’t already have…your praise, worship and attention. Does that make you religious or spiritual?

Take the survey and help me plan the next podcast.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ijiAwYGoKhW9QaGsMBCcUw_3d_3d

In The Wilderness Ministries to return...

After being licensed to preach at my church in DC, I started a ministry online. As a new minister, I wasn’t going to preach anytime soon in the church where I worshipped. Why not? I was ill equipped to lead a flock and the pastor that allows a young minister to preach in the church he or she has been given to shepherd is entrusting the young person with a big responsibility. It could be like giving a new driver the steering wheel of a eighteen wheeler the day after they got their drivers license for a car. Knowing this I sought to help where I could and that took me onto the internet where I answered questions, prayed for friends and learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am not the Bible answer guy. I am not a theological scholar. I have learned that having a heart for God is more important than having knowledge of Him.

“…the devils also believe, and tremble.”-James 2:19

To me, the internet is wild and wooly. And I like it like that. It had good and bad people in it and the internet allows anonymity. Since I didn’t want to do anything but help my fellow human, it works for me. There are people looking to connect honestly with God and that is my job. Help.

The “In The Wilderness” ministry was created after I realized that God was close to people in the wilderness of their lives. What we take as being alone was really closer to God. Moses, the children of Israel, many prophets, and Jesus went to the wilderness. Sometimes this was by choice and sometimes because of disobedience.

I’m going to bring back this ministry to scratch a spiritual itch to do more for the people of God that I have met and could meet online through Facebook, Twitter and email, without reliance on boards, and votes of consensus. A few years back at the height of ITWM, I had a text message service and we even had a fundraiser trip to the western Caribbean on Carnival Cruise lines that was excellent. I got the opportunity to officiate a wedding onboard.

If you want me to pray with you or for you, I will be creating a members only board on this new site eventually. It will start off public but after I get 100 people, it will become private and may cost a few dollars to increase bandwidth and stuff. This will be a nondenominational virtual “church” where I plan to podcast daily with prayer, Scripture to meditate on, and somehow add Biblical study on a weekly basis.

And now even though I pastor a church, there is a burden on my heart for the one that would come if they could make it to northeast DC on a Sunday to be a part of my congregation. This will fix that. And if you don’t belong to a church for some reason or another, you can join this one. You will no longer be alone or outside of the ark of safety. If I have to go to the gates of Hell to get you, I will. Pray for me and for the success of this ministry.

Say So- Psalm 107*2*

In a week I celebrate my first year as pastor of Historic Berean Baptist Church. I've learned a lot of about people. I've learned a lot about myself. A church is a bouquet of personalities, different flowers, weeds, both exotic and weeds. There are thorns and annoyances; there are blossoms and young shoots still pressing their way through tough times and grounds. You have to press your way through tough situations, seasons and times and when you do; when you can celebration don't be afraid to…Say So.

Right now, our country is going through a tough time, right now, our state and city are going through challenges. Right now you may be going through a season of struggle and testing. There may be times when everything you do seems to turn out wrong. Regardless of our prayers and consecration, adversity will come. You can't pray away God's seasons. The Lord has a purpose in not allowing us to be fruitful all the time. We need seasons of struggle. These times break us down, put our pride in check and make us lean not to our own limited understanding and wait on God.

When the winter winds blow, when it's cold, when it's dark, when you are all alone in your mess, trust God. We don't like the cold, the wind or the dark, and no body likes to be alone all the time but even this is for an appointed time. David wrote my times are in thy hand. (Psalm 31:15)

Every stage has its purpose. Even when you can't see it. What do you know anyway? Think about it, all that you know you learned second hand or are still learning it. Who created knowledge? Who created everything?

I had a challenging time this past couple of weeks. My patience ran low. I almost said something to a couple of people that always speak out of turn, out of order, and I still might but it wasn't time. You know how you expect more from someone and when you don't get it, you feel like what is the use? Why do I even bother? Frustration. Once frustration touches you, you want to quit, throw up your hands. But if we are not careful, we will do that with God. First it's our parents. Then people we should respect. They let us down. Then its friends, and eventually its church people. People who are gracious, but fake, artificial, facsimiles of what Christianity represents. And you get frustrated. You want to quit.

You ever been there? But guess what? It's just a test. We need to hear a big recording like we do for the Emergency Broadcast System that says "Please stand by this is only a test."

The real test of faith is facing the silence of being on hold. When we call a business, we get a voice mail, or sometimes a prompt. If you want to reach billing, press one. If you want to reach customer service representative press zero, if you want service upgrades press three, if you want to exit press star. You don't hear that when you pray to God. Sometimes you don't hear anything. But don't quit. Just wait. He heard you.

But when you faith is being tested, it's not that easy. Stuff just happens to you. And depending on what is going on in your life, in your mind, you respond.

David wrote in verse 7 "…he delivered them out of there distress".

That is where praise and worship come in. Worship can be a bone of contention, a deal breaker for someone seeking relief from the world. Worship touches on tradition, culture and classism. I am going to raise some points here and then tell you my viewpoint at the end. Amen? OK,

Listen to this:

We have names for worship like it belongs to us. How many in our churches think that worship is for them?

Over the years we have become critics, judgmental and connoisseurs of worship. We even have categories for it. Well, this message is for someone in here right now that is wondering about their place.

Some call their worship Contemporary because it relates the younger crowd...

The may call worship blended if it relates to a mixed crowd...

They may call it traditional if it is to the older crowd...

How can WE call it anything? We do this as if worship is a radio station to be tuned into OUR OWN preferences. Worship is about and for the creator. It belongs to him and is done by the heart when it's poured out beyond our comforts, likes, and desires. I am amazed at the selfishness of the church when it comes to God's possession and one of our only gifts to him... worship. That is right. WORSHIP is the only you can give God that HE doesn't already OWN. He doesn't need your tithes. He doesn't need for me to be dressed any better than anyone else or ride in a better car. I have heard it said that worship is: "making God big and me small" I don't believe that happens when OUR hearts and focus is on our worship and is about the crowd liking it...

"God inhabits the praise of his people"

Spiritually, praise and worship is the devils bone of contention. He used to lead praise and worship in heaven and then thought he wanted some of that adoration. He wanted to stand up in the crowd and folks look at him. THAT IS WHY THERE IS SO MUCH ATTACK AND DIVISION ABOUT IT.

Is worship about singing out loudly and raising hands? Is that truly worship? Isn't true worship a matter of the heart that is focused on God?

How about the show boaters? You know the ones that like the attention. They kick a shout like worshipping God is a joke. The ones that is going to shout every week. Doesn't that make us judge everyone? Or how about the guy that is one way on Sunday and different WAY every other day of the week.

How about the people that don't think you have to do all of that. They might believe that there needs to be a sense of awe when we enter God's presence. I agree with some of that. But yet, that same person will make a bigger deal over a politician, or someone in authority than they do to GOD. They will do the wave at a football game, scream at the TV for the Redskins, or make sure they get recognized at some event.

Well, what does pastor think? Pastor thinks it should be truth. Pastor thinks it should be your real heart. Pastor thinks it should be whatever and however you want to express your thanksgiving to God.

Just don't play with God. God is not mocked.

I'm learning that I have my own preferences. And I am going to try not to judge the way you honor God. And that even goes for those that don't say amen, halleluiah, or praise God. I am going to leave those people alone. You know when you have a party, a celebration; you want the fun people, the live people, and the people that get it? Same with me. I am no longer going to get upset, if I preach a good Word and no body says anything. I am no longer going to feel defeated if folks turn their backs on me or hide their faces in the Bible while I am speaking. I am going to try to keep my joy after Sunday when the flow of worship is dampened by a crazy announcement or unnecessary speech done just because they can. Psalm 31 verse 17-18 says

"let the wicked be ashamed. Let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence. Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuous against the righteous."

Why? Because if you haven't been saved from something then maybe you can't praise God like I can. Maybe you have nothing to give God glory about. If you have had a pretty calm life, if you haven't wanted for much, if you haven't been where I've been blessed,

If you haven't struggled

If you haven't gone through,

If you haven't been bought with a price

If you haven't been snatched out of the hands of death

If you haven't almost lost your mind, from all the worry, sickness, death and destruction that happens out here,

You probably can't praise God any better than you do. And I am not going to be mad with you.

But let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy-