Ways to Grow in God

Growing in love through service: What will you do with your gift?

Posted on November 29, 2014 | 1 comment

Last time we opened our eyes in “doing something” for God. The easiest way to do this is to fill up on love from God and allow his compassion to work through us. God then brings us people that are prepared for our ministry, they are like divine appointments in what Heidi Baker calls “stopping for the one.” We can plan all we want, but it’s about God’s love and his timing. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Love looks like something. The help you give to one of these is usually practical, but also can be encouragement when they need it the most. I am always amazed how deep the love of God is and that he chooses to use us as his sons and daughters. If we are to grow in ministering his love, we must grow in receiving that love. How deep is God’s love? In our last article, I mentioned Ephesians 3: 17-20 as a pivotal passage. In short, God’s love runs deeper than you can imagine. And we must love. The greatest commandments tell us to do so. Jesus reminds us in Mark 12:30-31 of the first commandment. That is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second (greatest commandment) is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV). So the first commandment is stopping for the One (God) and the second is stopping for the one (our neighbour, or person God brings us). Yes, stopping for the one may involve some risk, but I believe that God has prepared that divine appointment for you and me. He also equips us and gives us what we need.

Now let’s get our eyes off our own insecurities and flip our understanding upside down. Remember the parable of the prodigal son? This story is made even more powerful when we look at the father’s perspective. The father risked to run after his wayward son and was filled with deep compassion. He didn’t care that his son was in a bad state, he went to him anyway. “While (the younger son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). He then gave his son a huge welcome and threw a lavish party. That shows mercy. That shows deep compassion. That shows deep generosity and even risk. So the story becomes the parable of the merciful Father.

So it is the same with the Father (God) who gives us our ministry gifts. Some of these are natural skills and gifts. Some of these are spiritual gifts, as shown in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 (and a few other places). We must use these gifts – we are accountable to God to use what he has given us. Remember the parable of the talents? Read Matthew 25 14-30 in the NASB version.

A talent during New Testament times could be 130 pounds worth of silver or gold. This could be worth up to nine or ten years of labour or more. This amount would be worth even more today. So when the master entrusts his servants with five, two and even one talent(s), that was a lot of resources! No wonder the servant entrusted with ‘one talent’ was frightened! Even that was a lot of money – it wasn’t just one coin! Yes, it is true that the master was upset with the third servant for not using what was put in his care. He is called a “lazy servant,” or in the NASB version, “a wicked slave.” The Message version calls the servant a ‘criminal.’ Oh, I can see that cringe on some of your faces as you read this. I’ve always felt bad about that passage too. However, I’ve discovered that this passage isn’t just about guilt in not using what we’re given. It’s so much more than that.

Matthew reminds us to be ready (as shown in the parables of the Virgins and the Sheep and the Goats), but underneath that it’s also about believing God and having faith in his promises. Faith involves risk. The Message version shows that the master makes the first and second servants partners because they stepped out in faith and used the ‘gift’ the master had given them to use. The master told both of them, “Good work! You did your job well. From now on, be my partner.” (Matt 25: 21/23 MSG) The third servant was told “Take the [talent] and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it safe’ who won’t go out on a limb” (Matt 25:28-30 MSG).

Eugene Peterson calls this parable the ‘Story about Investment,’ but it’s not just about money. It’s about God’s investment and risk in us. It’s about opportunity. We still have that opportunity before us as long as we are breathing! We are cautioned but not condemned! We still have a chance to obey and make it right. We can still make a difference. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You don’t have to be young to work for God. Remember Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 13? They were the Israeli spies who believed God when they went on a reconnaissance mission in Canaan. But the others did not believe and held the people back by their reports of giants in the land. People were too afraid to trust God. Caleb was 80 when Israel was finally ready to cross the Jordan into the promised land. Joshua was also a senior when he led the people against Jericho, under the instructions of the Captain of God’s army. These are only two of the stories.

Youth also is not a barrier, as the Apostle Paul encouraged his spiritual son Timothy. Paul advised, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Tim 4:12 NLT).

So we are without excuse. But instead of serving God as just an obligation, turn it around. It’s an opportunity, not a duty. This is your chance to contribute what God has uniquely given to you. You have a special piece of the puzzle! Paul reminds us that ^“Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community “(1 Cor 12:7 Voice). This means that you (yes, you) really do have a part to play.

It may take time to find the way you need to serve. But start with something small. Use the gifts that you know you have. I’ve been using my gifts and skills in volunteer service. These range from writing and administration, to audio production and other media, as well as hospitality and encouragement. Each of these skills are a part of me. Think of the gifts God has given you – anything at all. Have you offered them up to God? Will you let God transform them into a blessing? Then there are the spiritual gifts – he gives those to minister to people around us as well. The Holy Spirit gives these gifts as he decides is best (1Cor. 12:11).

As we begin to use our gifts in service to the Lord, something wonderful happens in our hearts. This isn’t just any service, but the right gifts needed at the right time. It could be as an engineer drilling wells for water in Africa. It could be an elementary school teacher who has become a home mother to African orphans. It could be as a pastor to go into the marketplace and start something new. It could be an out of work media person becoming the front line of a drop in ministry centre. All of these examples involve something cutting edge that keeps us leaning on God’s grace. It keeps us depending on him for the compassion, mercy and guidance that only God can give. It is when our difficulties become his opportunities, and we see amazing things that can happen when we allow God to work through us.

When we allow this holy dependence, the focus is off ourselves and on God. It’s about him and not us – and our attitude changes from “star” (where it is about you) and “servant” (where is is about Jesus). Author Philip Yancey says there are basically two types of people – stars and servants. Stars would be anyone who is famous in the areas of the arts, sports, TV personalities, movie stars and the like. Servants were the relief workers in troubled spots, counsellors, missionaries, and people who relieve others’ suffering. Yancey found that the stars were generally miserable and self-doubting, and the servants were generally happier. Despite the fact that they had low pay, long hours and less recognition, “somewhere in the process of losing their lives, they found them.” In other words, the servants were happier than the people who lived only for themselves. In the process of serving God, they found joy in depending on him. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul gets at in Philippians 2: 3-11. I’ll give you the version set to music by Holy Trinity Brompton in London (I am singing as I type):

May your attitude be as that of Christ – who being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!

Therefor God exalted him to the highest place. And gave him the name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. In heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord… to the glory of God the Father….

So as we allow ourselves to depend on God in our service, our attitude changes. When our attitude changes, we can grow deeper in joy while serving him. In some ways this is a cyclical process, but it is also a process that deepens us, because it strengthens our dependence on God’s promises and resources. And since God is always faithful in his promises and his love, we also step into gratitude and thankfulness. Gratitude and thankfulness that God gives us opportunities. He risks in giving us the grace for everything we need as we use our gifts. He risks everything for relationship with us. For this we can be thankful. So what will you do with your gift?

Next time we will explore growing through that gratitude and thankfulness!

In Christ,
Laurie-Ann Copple

Laurie-Ann is an Ottawa-based media person, and attends St Paul’s Anglican Church in Kanata and Kingdom Culture Ministries in Gloucester, Ontario. She could be available for to teach and encourage at your Christian event (click on the contact us/see L-A in person link at the top of the page).

1 Comment

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged Apostle Paul, compassion, greatest commandment, not to late to serve God, not too old to serve God, not too young to serve God, parable of the prodigal son, parable of the talents, Philip Yancey, philippians hymn, service, spiritual gifts, waystogrowinGod

Growing through Service and Compassion: Stop for the one

Posted on October 31, 2014 | Comments Off

Last time we opened our eyes to injustice around us. We learned that as Christians, we are called to “do” something. Some Christians have been social reformers in church history, like William Wilberforce (abolition of African slavery). Modern versions of Wilberforce include Danielle Strickland (Stop the Traffic/Salvation Army) and Cassandra of Justice Rising . Some Christians have a heart to free sex slaves in Cambodia/Thailand (Patricia King of Extreme Prophetic) and others minister to child soldiers. John Cassells of Arkenstone (SIM) ministers to Canadian street youth. Lyle Phillips of Mercy 29 (and Iris Nashville/Iris India) works to free child slaves in India. There is a very real call on the church to act as Matthew West sings in his song, “Do Something.” Some of the injustices of child poverty and slavery call to us like they have to Matthew. Matthew sings, “I shook my fist at heaven, and shouted, God, why don’t you do something? He (God) said, “I did, I created you.”

Have you ever thought you were put on this earth to do something specific? I’ve always wanted to do something ‘big’ for God. Some people look at my life and think, “wow, she’s gone on nine mission trips. She travels all over the world.” They think I’ve already achieved something big. Yet I feel I’ve only scratched the surface; and I sense God is still training me for what’s to come. I believe a time is coming soon that we will need all of us on board ministering to those inside and outside the church. Some of us are already doing this. There are so many needs, and so many people who don’t know the real Jesus Christ. They don’t know his love. They need to see Jesus’ love manifest in US. Do you want to be part of a global outreach? Ask God to help you get ready. Ask him to teach you how to love.

I believe many people are waking up to the truth. This truth is about relationship. This truth is that we are created to love, be loved and to pass that love on to others. One of the ways to show this practical love of God is through service. Missionary Heidi Baker often says “love looks like something.” The love you receive is meant to be shared. What does the person in front of you need? Is it food? Is it safe shelter? Is it warm clothes and encouragement? Is it to take them into your family and to be their big brother or sister? Sharing compassion is a deeply rooted action of our faith. In fact, faith is an action word; faith and love are entwined! James says that faith without deeds is dead (James 2:14-17) but the Apostle Paul reminds us that even well-meant deeds mean very little if they aren’t done in love (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

God works on filling us with his love and compassion. We need to be rooted and established in that love. Listen to what Paul shares: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-20). That love establishes and deepens the essential identity of who you are as a son or a daughter of God. When you are rooted in that identity and know who you are, then you can begin to reach out to others with the overflow of God’s love in you. Spend time in God’s presence, and fill up like a sponge before you serve (see my earlier teaching on soaking prayer). This is like stopping for the One (Jesus) before stopping for the one (the divine appointments and people God brings to you).

There are many different ways that you can choose to serve. Some of these may be direct outreach on the streets (such as Jericho Road’s Wednesday night coffee house in Ottawa, Ontario), others may reach out to the working poor who need help stretching the food on the table. A good example of this is the Loaves and Fishes ministry of Iris Virginia, as shown in The Dwelling Place in Williamsburg, Virginia. They aren’t inside a building like a food bank. They are right in the community in a restaurant parking lot! Their Richmond location also jumps into ministry with the homeless in the ‘river city.’

You may want to show love to the inmates in Prison Alpha. This course is run in prisons all over the world, including in Ottawa. You could involve yourself in reception ministry at a local church, where people can drop in for prayer, counseling and benevolence ministry. I help in this way, and people seem to need it. It may be in being a real and living presence in the community and getting to know your neighbours. One of my churches (St Paul’s Kanata) has been doing that through free community barbeques and loving presence. My other church (Kingdom Culture) does that through Back to School, Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches. They also held a community barbeque in a nearby park. Pastor Joe Mebrahtu says that “while the turkey dinner we give them doesn’t solve all their problems, it gives them hope.” And that seed of hope is planted through our love and compassion.

When you are given the heart to serve, you are ready for the divine opportunities that God will give you. Sometimes this may happen in the context of a planned ministry you are already doing. The difference is that you have allowed God to work within your ministry. Many opportunities have happened when my husband and I helped lead a community Alpha Course. I was the head cook yet I also insisted on showing practical love to course attenders and leaders who had food allergies and alternative dietary lifestyles. So I learned to cook for specific needs and considered it a joy, not a chore. I was rewarded for this when “Jim” told me that he felt honoured and special because I considered his low sodium diet worthwhile in my cooking ministry. Later, Jim asked to be led to faith in Jesus Christ. (He since has died, and I’m so pleased that I know where he is). There were many others who were grateful for my ministry and they felt that they mattered. They DO matter. They knew that they were loved.

Sometimes ‘outreach’ may be an everyday lifestyle. I know of a few ladies who actively go into malls and busy places intentionally looking for a divine appointment. So what is a divine appointment? Perhaps it could be understood as a date with Jesus. Remember the “least of these?” Jesus said in Matthew 25 that when we minister to those in need – we are ministering to him. This is exactly what Mother Theresa did with the dying in India. It’s what my husband and I do in the prison. It’s what the different outreaches do when they go out to the homeless, or take in the refugees.

So these “divine appointments” involve people that are usually seeking God in some way. They may been hurting and have asked God, “where are you?” And along comes someone who will encourage them in exactly the way they need it! I recently heard pastor/prophet Shawn Bolz share ministry that he’s done in coffee shops and on the street. He’s spoken to broken street kids and prostitutes on the streets, and shared how God has a special and specific purpose for them. He was used to prophesy encouragement and destiny into the lives of hurting people when he least expected it. He didn’t start out with that intention, but the opportunity just opened up. What mattered is that God brought him to that situation and he ‘stopped for the one.’ Heidi Baker also does this in her Iris ministry in Mozambique. She (and those with her) have rescued children off the streets, in garbage dumps, under trees and bridges. She finds them. Jackie Pullinger has done the same with addicts in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong. Our young friend Fred Omondi does it in a Nairobi slum, running a small orphanage. They stop for the one. They take them in and love them back to life.

Stopping for the one isn’t just a compassion phenomenon done by missionaries like the Bakers, Jackie Pullinger, or even Mother Theresa. It’s also biblical. Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? The man was walking down the dangerous road to Jericho. Luke tells us he was robbed, beaten and left for dead by bandits. Two commissioned ministers ignored him. (Luke 10: 25-37). In the New Living Translation, Jesus said the Samaritan had compassion on the man. Both the priest and Levite were too busy. They didn’t bother to respond to God’s call to help him. They didn’t even hear the call of the Holy Spirit – they were too busy being religious. Heidi Baker says “he was a blind priest. His eyes were open but he could not see the face of revival. He could not see what was before him, because he was too busy deciding how to ‘grow his church.’ Sometimes we cannot see and don’t want to see because we are blinded. We need eye salve to put on our eyes [Rev 3:18]. We cry out for revival, and yet God says, ‘I want to open your eyes so that you can see what is before you. Revival has a face and a name. It lies bleeding on the roadside.’ The next guy walks down the road and is … on his way to rehearse with his worship band. He is gifted to lead others in worship to God, but he is a blind Levite. Boy, he can sing, but he can’t see! He refuses to see the guy lying beaten and naked on the road because he does not want to deal with it. It’s too simple, too direct. Surely you don’t have to stop for everyone? Anyway, it was ‘not his calling.’ He was too busy doing other things.” [Heidi and Rolland Baker, The Hungry always get Fed. (New Wine Press, 2007 p 73)] Do we really do that? YES, sometimes we do! But the Samaritan heard God and recognized the need. He was the good neighbour. And we are to stop, especially when God’s compassion rises up in us. Remember, because we are the body of Christ, we are the hands and feet of Jesus. This means, that we must reflect the love of Christ like a mirror, and let the streams of living water (the love of Holy Spirit) flow through us.

When I worked with SOMA Canada (a charismatic Anglican mission agency called Sharing of Ministries Abroad), they often cautioned that we would meet people who had never encountered Jesus, let alone read a Bible. Sometimes we are “often the only Bible that people see.” What does SOMA mean by this? Well, the apostle Paul called us ‘living letters’ in 2 Corinthians 3:3. He said you must “show you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God; not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

This means that whatever we do, we must do it with a heart full of the love of God. That love has been written on our hearts, and has been infused with Jesus’ ‘DNA.’ His compassion flowing through our hearts is what touches others’ hearts. It is real. Love looks like something. It is real love that motivates acts of compassion. It is real love that lasts – both in bringing the practical things that are needed (food, shelter, social justice, mercy, freedom from slavery, freedom from addiction, encouragement, education etc) as well as the timeless message of the gospel. Each of us has a gift to contribute. Each of us can be given divine appointments to stop for the one. What matters is a soft heart towards God, and a ‘yes’ to the call before us. Do we want to do something big for God? I know I do. One person at a time.

Next time we will explore growing more through service – and letting it change our heart as we depend more on God.

Meanwhile, here is a special radio interview I did with an Iris missionary I know from Ottawa named Natasha Bourque Richmond. She and her husband Evan, are teachers, and work with children on the Zimpeto base near Maputo, Mozambique. Click here- Over My Head, July 13, 2014 CKCU 93.1 FM (Just skip ahead to 33:38 for the interview or you can hear the whole show).

Yours in Christ, Laurie-Ann

Laurie-Ann is based in Ottawa, Canada and is involved in St Paul’s Anglican Kanata, and Kingdom Culture Ministries in Gloucester.

Comments Off on Growing through Service and Compassion: Stop for the one

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged Alpha, Do Something, Fred Omondi, Iris, Iris Virginia, Jackie Pullinger, Justice Rising, Kingdom Culture, Mercy 29, Natasha Bourque, Natasha Richmond, Shawn Bolz, stopfortheone, The Dwelling Place, The Good Samaritan

Living Water to Thirsty People

Posted on August 2, 2014 | Comments Off

(image by Sheilasheart.com)

by Laurie-Ann Copple.
Given in Kissy (suburb of Freetown, Sierra Leone) April 2010

Talks in Africa series

(Props: Need glass of water, jug of water)
(Hold up a glass or a jug of water)

I prayed for what the Lord would say to you today through the Word of God and my teaching, and I kept getting pictures of the living water of God. Look at this glass of water, it is something that we as people cannot do without, we need to drink and we get thirsty.

(THIRST) My friends, I know that we are a thirsty people both physically and in our souls. We were made by the Lord to love him and be loved by him. Throughout the Bible, the Spirit of God is talked about as living water, a river, rain, a deep well and other pictures of water. This makes sense because as people, we are made up of 70 per cent water and I have been told that we need to drink lots of water to stay healthy. So while we are seeking the Lord for spiritual health, we are going to discover a few of those water images that are in the Bible.

We long to be loved, we long to be satisfied with what we do, and in our relationship with God. In Isaiah 55, we are given an invitation to come drink at the waters, and even the poor with no money are invited to come and buy wine and milk without cost. The Lord invites us in to listen to Him, to eat what is good for your soul and you will delight in the richest of fare (Isa 55:1-2). I am not talking about food for the stomach here, as much as I really like rice. I am talking about spiritual food for your souls and the living water that completely satisfies the thirst you have inside you. This thirst is our longing to sense that God is here with us and will give us a deep peace that we can find nowhere else. This gives us a feeling of being deeply loved so we know that even when we have troubles, God will care for us and give help in handling what we need to do.

(RIVER) In Ezekiel 47, the prophet is given a vision and sees a river of living water coming out from under the Temple in Jerusalem and flowing east. Imagine that the Sierra Leone river connects with this heavenly river. All you need to do is to walk into it.

You probably don’t swim in the Sierra Leone river right now, do you? But imagine that it’s God’s river, right here in Kissy, here in Freetown. This river is clean, and full of the life that God gives. It’s like God has breathed life into the river.

In Ezekiel 47, the prophet walks to the east, and an angel measures the depth of the river water. The depth of the river gets deeper from ankle-deep, to knee-deep, to waist-deep to a depth where he could only swim and no longer walk across the river.

Along the shores of the river there used to be a lifeless desert, but because the river was full of life, all the land along the shores were now as beautiful and full of life as a garden in spring. This river of God is full of life. There is a song that we sing in some Canadian churches called ‘The River of God.’ Some of its words go like this: “The River of God, is teeming (or really full) with life, and all who touch it can be revived, and those who linger on this river’s shore, will come back thirsting for more of the Lord.” This is a song full of laughter and joy, which is what the Holy Spirit of God fill us with as we delight in Him. Psalm 34:8 gives us the promise to “Taste and see that the Lord is good, happy are those who trust in Him.” This happiness is not something like laughing at a funny story or a joke, but a deep contentment that stays with you even on difficult days and reminds you that God never leaves you. When the song talks about the river giving life, being revived, and wanting more, what do you think of? It sounds like healing, it sounds like being full of God’s presence, and it sounds like fun!

It is this same river of life that is mentioned in the book of Revelation at the end of the Bible. This river is in Heaven, but also in a spiritual way, the Holy Spirit fills us with that river as we submit to Jesus. It is this river that Jesus talks about in John 7: 37-39. At one time Jesus came to the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. During this celebration, the priest would pour out water from a jug (like the one I now have) into a trough. He did this to act out what Ezekiel had written about in the Bible concerning the life-giving river coming from the Temple of God. While the priest was pouring out the water for that year’s Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus was there. He cried out to the crowd, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the [Holy] Spirit, whom all those who believed in him were later to receive.

Do you also remember the Samaritan Woman at the well in the Gospel of John? When Jesus asked for some water, she was shocked because she was not Jewish like he was, and she was like the lowest class of people and a woman as well! She was very surprised he had noticed her. It would have been like a rich person noticing someone who lives on the streets. In Canada we have some people who are poor and live on the streets – others in the same city may walk by them and not notice them. They may pretend the street people are not there, so these needy people become invisible. This lady likely felt invisible and we find out later that she was considered an outcast. But Jesus spoke to her.

He tells her about the living water and she responds with a thirst and curiosity that grows as she begins to find out who Jesus really is. Jesus says to her in John 4: 13 – “Everyone who drinks this [well] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is eternal life, with springs of water where you are satisfied. My friends, does that make you feel thirsty for more??

So my friends, I’m going to invite the Holy Spirit to come in a deeper way. And while I do this, I am going to pour out water from a jug, just like that priest did in the book of John. “Heavenly Father, I ask for you to become more real to us today, come and fill this place with your Holy Spirit as we lift up Jesus. When I begin to pour the water from the jug, we ask for your living water, your living river to flow to and through this place. And as part of your bride, we say along with the Holy Spirit, from Revelation 22:17, “Let whoever who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, come! And whoever wishes, let them take the free gift of the water of life.”

(Pour the water from the jug into a bowl and pray as the Holy Spirit leads…)

Blessings and happy swimming in the river!

Laurie-Ann Copple

(An earlier version of this talk was given in Lahore, Pakistan in December 2007)

Comments Off on Living Water to Thirsty People

Posted in Talks in Africa

Tagged Ezekiel 47, God's love, Holy Spirit, Isaiah 55, living water, river of life, Samaritan woman at well, thirsty people

A Look at Christ and Culture

Posted on August 1, 2014 | 1 comment

by Laurie-Ann Copple (July 2005 – Migori, Kenya, updated July 2014)

[Note: This is not part of the Ways to Grow in God series, but rather one of my talks from missions. It is a lot more wordy, but I hope it blesses you dear reader!]

Throughout church history, missionaries, pastors and evangelists have struggled how best to communicate the Gospel to their own people and to many other people groups – tribes, nations and language groups. Each group of people has a different way of living according to where they reside. These traditions, ways of life, types of food, music, and ways of speaking are all different in each culture.

In church history, some missionaries debated with each other on what is better – to completely wipe out the culture of the people they are winning to the Lord, or to use parts of that culture as a KEY to that culture being used for the Lord. The view of wiping out the culture (both good and bad aspects) involves starting on a ‘clean slate’; and to start over again with a new ‘godly’ slate. This view understands that cultures that do not love Jesus and follow his holy ways, as all ‘bad’, like tainted meat, or bad water that makes you sick. The people with this view believe that it is better to just start again. Some of the 14^th century missionaries in China tried this way of working with new Christians. They called it tabula rasa, or ‘clean slate.’

Other missionaries (including the Apostle Paul) chose to work within the culture. They would transform parts of it as a tool for the gospel. This was necessary to communicate the gospel in a way the surrounding culture would understand. It was also necessary to model a holy life to the new Christians where their outreach was based. These are bridges to the gospel.

The Apostle Paul was in Athens during one of his missionary journeys. While he was prayer-scouting, he found many idols and altars to false gods, and these upset him. But he turned this around by using something he found to help communicate the gospel. He found the altar to the “unknown God.” If the people were seeking who they didn’t yet know, this provided the bridge Paul needed. So Paul stood before the Athenian leaders, and told them that they were indeed seeking after the living God. He said, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an unknown God.’ Now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:23)

Paul (and many later evangelists) used philosophical viewpoints that were similar to the gospel as a bridge to Jesus. He brought these cultural perceptions to the Lord and then redeemed them in a way that brings God glory.

Another example of this is when Paul makes himself culturally sensitive to others, and becomes like them, “to become all things to all people, so that by all possible means (he) might save some” (1 Cor. 9:23). I often mention the importance of this cultural flexibility and presence when I am in teaching mode. I am convinced that the best way to work with Christ and our cultures (and even some of our traditions) is to use parts of them, and transform them for Jesus’ glory. Hudson Taylor did this in China, when he dressed, talked and ate like a Chinese man. He became as Chinese as he could, so he could reach the people he came to love in China.

I attended a worship and teaching conference in 1995 and met Northern Irish worship leader Robin Mark. While he was there, he taught us about redeeming musical instruments. Robin said that since the European Middle Ages, there has been worship styles have used aspects of the surrounding cultures and transformed them for Jesus. They took musical tunes that were popular and used them in worship songs, and added lyrics that taught many people about Jesus. These songs were full of good solid teaching.

Preachers began writing hymns in the time to Martin Luther (15^th century), but they encountered resistance when they did so! Yet through their persistence, the church grew and was strengthened by worship the people could culturally feel “at home in.” Since these people felt validated, they would sing to the Lord from all their hearts. John and Charles Wesley were excellent 18^th century circuit preachers. They rode horses many hours daily to preach throughout England. They were not just preachers, but also hymn-writers. Their hymns are so full of good teaching that they sustained the people who memorized and sang them. Wesley lyrics are literally a sermon in a song. They also used the popular music of the day as a soundtrack to growing in worship.

There have been many kinds of worship music since the time of the Wesleys! Each style has lifted up the Lord and given him glory. It is important to remember that each style can be anointed, even if the worship style is different than your own. God loves all tribes, nations, peoples, and culture is an expression from each of them. The important thing is that expressing heart-felt worship is very special to the Lord, and all kinds of instruments can be used to praise him.

When I was in Northern Ireland, I had a bodhran (Irish drum) made for me. Some Christians in my then-home church were upset that I brought this drum into the church for worship. They saw the drum as an instrument of war (or at least the traditional Irish pub bands). But once it was blessed and dedicated to the Lord, the sound it gave was a blessing, and it made the worship more beautiful. This drum was redeemed from a tradition of Irish war, or songs sung in bars, to instead be an instrument of praise. I have used it for years during worship in our weekly prison Alpha sessions.

Now, while I strongly believe in the redemption of culture, I am quite sad when some cultures are imposed upon others. I wish to apologize to Africans and Asians on behalf of many Westerners. Many North American or European missionaries thought their Western culture was more holy than African cultures and tradition. This is not true! Western cultures fight against our Lord Jesus almost as much as other cultures, just in different ways. The devil is as real in North America as he is in Africa, even if some Americans and Canadians don’t believe he exists. And so, I am sorry for the sins and mistakes of imposing much of Western culture on Africa. It is not better, it is just different. Many of the missionaries and colonial peoples imposed their own cultures on Africa, because they thought African culture was evil, and in some cases, this is true. However, these missionaries were blinded to the evils in their own cultures.

We are now living in an age where cultures are living side by side. People can move much more easily by air travel, and immigration has become a common thing in most areas of the world. Therefore, working within and across cultures is something we will all have to do. There are many people groups where I live in Canada. There is nearly every people group living in my home town of Toronto. That’s just the ethnic groups. Then there are the culture groups centred around style of music, demographics (age), faith group, lifestyle and hobbies. Africa also has the challenge of many cultures. African Christian pastors and evangelists minister to many people groups: some who aren’t Christians yet, new Christians, and those people in different tribes (who speak different tribal languages). Some people may have a traditional African background with different deep-set customs. They may have a Muslim background, or be Christian in name only. These people may be living a lifestyle that is not holy. They need to receive Jesus in their hearts and walk deeper in faith. They need to be discipled in holiness with lots of good teaching and much love. How do we work with the secular cultures around us in the business world and government? How do we work with the cultures of other faiths for the gospel? How do we work with those who are church-goers? They are part of the church culture, but they haven’t yet taken the step of really wanting to know Jesus. So many needs! But Jesus is still the answer, when you honour their culture! Listen, love and honour each person.

I will share five different ways of understanding Christ and culture from Richard Niebuhr. He wrote a book called Christ and Culture. [H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture. (Harper and Row, New York 1951, ISBN 0-06-130003-9)]. Each of these ways have useful points for living and ministering a Christian life in our cultures. But, I want you to think about what may suit you best in your own ministry. The challenge of Christ and culture affects both clergy AND lay people. We all are challenged as we seek to live for the glory of Jesus Christ – especially in a world that does not know him.

Christ against culture

The first view of wrestling with culture is to reject it or run from it. This view is called Christ against culture. The monks of the 4^th century AD rejected the state church when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. These men thought that the new church goers and the newly approved Christianized culture was not holy enough. So these people became the desert fathers. They lived in deserts, in mountains and other remote places so they could try to become closer to God. But even this posed a problem: what languages did they use? What traditions did they follow or did they start new traditions?

However, there is still something in us that fights God through our own self-centeredness. We cannot fight our own tendency to sin on our own, and certainly not by running away from culture. All that does is to remove distraction. The Bible does tell us to flee from promiscuity and evil, but what of man-made culture itself? Are we to ignore the rest of humanity? Surely not!

Some people believe that all man-made culture and tradition is evil, because it is tainted by sin; and in some cases it may be directly demonized. Yet there is some good news about this viewpoint. It shows our need for God and so it is a turning point as a call to holiness. Men and women who have followed calls to holiness have often led to renewals and revivals throughout church history. Many people have a longing for heaven to come on earth, and a call for the Lord to take us home to heaven. The writer of Ecclesiastes (likely King Solomon) notes that God “has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Eccl 3:11) This almost points to a sense of destiny. What can be a problem with this view is that it can forget our godly task of stewardship. This task is to take care of the land and ministries the Lord gives us, since we are working for him. However, God used the monks in early missions despite their desire to be left alone for God, although their time alone also recharged them and filled them up for ministry. We are not made to be on our completely own but to minister to each other. We are the Church.

Christ of Culture

This view is a form of accommodating culture so that the gospel is palatable rather than an offence. It is very common view in North America. Unfortunately this point of view hurts many of the churches. These people try to understand Jesus and his teaching through their own culture. They might select only the Christian doctrine that agrees with their own culture or theology. This is dangerous! Not only does it dilute the gospel in this generation, but it dissolves it further in later generations. Culture can easily change within one generation! This means that if you tie the gospel to culture in a way that this culture is viewed as part of the gospel, later generations will believe the gospel is “past it’s time.” In other words, the timeless gospel message is lost and you will need to re-evangelize the same places. Another hindrance is that people who took this version of the gospel to heart often get upset over minor changes in the cultural trappings. How many church splits happen over cultural differences? Far too many!

This viewpoint often diminishes Jesus’ divinity since he is viewed through the human cultural lens. Thus, Jesus is understood as a superhuman or only as a great moral teacher. The other extreme (Gnosticism) also simplifies Jesus as only divine. They see Jesus as a divine giver of wisdom that is not approachable by any of his lay followers but only by special clergy. The second view turns the gospel into a collection of stories and secrets to be interpreted only by specific people. That almost sounds like the era when laypeople could not read the Bible in their own language, doesn’t it?

In the humanized version of the Christ of Culture view, sin is not mentioned at all. Instead of the gospel of redemption, there is a ‘gospel’ of acceptance; even an acceptance of sin itself! The prophet Isaiah warned of a day when good is called evil, and evil is called good. Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) People of this view however, may be good in service ministry, and in mercy ministry – but the power of God (and in some ways the LOVE of God) is gone. This gospel isn’t just in the liberal churches. It’s also in some of the seeker friendly churches in North America. Take a look at David Wilkerson’s warning!
Beware!

Christ above culture

This viewpoint sees Christ and culture as two completely separate areas of life. These spheres of influence don’t conflict entirely, because all works of human cultures are deemed possible only by God’s grace. Government is meant to be honoured and prayed for, as Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:13 & 17. “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are set by him to punish those who do wrong, and to commend those who do right […] show proper respect to everyone. Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king.”

Jesus also acknowledged that culture and government were not to be rejected, when the Pharisees and Herodians asked him whether it was godly to pay taxes to the Roman government that had authority over Israel. Jesus asked for a coin, and asked whose face was on the coin. When he was told that it was the face of the emperor Caesar, Jesus said to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17).

This view advises us to give the best of our cultures and to be stewards of a new ‘Christian culture.’ This is not to mix Jesus with the present culture, but it is something entirely new.

Christ and culture in paradox

This view of Christ and culture is especially shown in the 16^th century reformer Martin Luther. He and others with this view believe that since we are Christians, we live our lives in conflict. We are part of the surrounding culture in some ways, but not in others. We are in the world but not of it. All cultures, traditions and ways of life are seen as tainted, but it is still necessary to work hard and do your best to the Lord. What matters in this view is to maintain a Christian heart of love, a holy lifestyle, and to focus on Jesus (while waiting for his return).

Jesus’ light shows the unrighteousness of every human work. We must be honest. We often want to be in control of our own work and ministry, instead of God. We want to feel right. We want to feel important. This self focus, or absorption, is in all of our cultures. So Luther believes that secular vocations could become as much a calling as being a pastor if it is done with Christian commitment and integrity. These included vocations like: Medicine, music, law, policing, government, business, teaching and many other careers. The Apostle Paul advised us that whatever we do, do it as unto the Lord. Otherwise, we are to do good in the tainted world until Jesus comes back for us.

Christ the transformer of culture

This is the most hopeful view of Christ and culture, and the one that I believe makes the most sense. It has a true understanding of the nature of sin. Yet, it sees history as a continuing story of God’s mighty deeds, as well as people’s response to the Holy Spirit calling them. It is a renewal-focused view, and it allows for God’s presence to show the church a taste of what heaven is like; even before Jesus returns!

This view seeks to redeem and transform much of cultures as tools for the Gospel. It is much more positive than the other views. People can be redeemed, so why not culture as well? The Apostle Paul used the altar of the unknown God as a bridge of understanding to reach the Greek seekers in Athens (Acts 17:23). Other missionaries use redeemed parts of national cultures as a bridge for the gospel. These bridges become keys to the hearts of those national peoples. In a sense, God has placed bridges in most philosophies and faiths. It is like a preparation for when people encounter the real living God.

The Apostle John explains the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ to the Greek thinkers in the Gospel of John. He had to use their concepts to help them understand who Jesus really was; fully human, but fully divine. Some philosophers in ancient Greek culture believed that there was a perfect original of everything beautiful on earth. This is especially shown in Plato’s concept of “forms.” Everything good on earth is just a copy of everything that is perfect in heaven. If there was a beautiful chair on earth, it is merely a copy of the original chair in heaven. The “heavenly chair” is more beautiful than the “earthly chair.” This would be like the concept that earthly chairs are copies of God’s actual throne chair. The chair is just the example. It could be anything good and beautiful, especially if it points to heaven.

John transformed the understanding of forms when he wrote the Gospel of John. He called Jesus the “Word,” or the Logos, in Greek. The Greek philosopher Plato had taught that the Logos was the ultimate being of life, knowledge, truth and wisdom, and the Logos ruled by his order of the universe. John used the Greek philosophic understanding of Logos to teach Greek believers about Jesus’ divinity and that He is not a created being. Jesus did not “begin” his existence when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus, like the Father and the Holy Spirit, was here before the beginning, and will be here after the end of time. He is eternal and lives forever! Yet, eternity means more than the concept of un-ending time, or living beyond time. Eternity also shows itself where God breaks through to us with his supernatural power in our own time.

God, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit, redeems the cultural institutions we bring him! He transforms them into something better – something he can work through to reach the people that he is calling to him.

So in conclusion, Niebuhr says in his book Christ and Culture, that this is no single Christian answer to live out the problem of Christ and culture. This is where YOU must seek God individually and as groups, to decide how culture can be redeemed and prayed for. The Holy Spirit can also guide you in discerning which evil parts of culture can be avoided, and what can be used to help preach the gospel.

Here is but one example for African pastors: how about the combining naming ceremonies with a service of dedicating children to the Lord? I know there are many more examples. Please, as you consider this teaching, keep asking the Holy Spirit how he would guide you. Jesus is the redeemer, and I believe that he would use you to reach the surrounding cultures where you live. It is only a matter of his timing, discernment and your willingness to be used for his glory.

Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord in kiSwahili)

Blessings, Laurie-Ann Copple (Sister Ann)

Laurie-Ann is an Ottawa based media person. She has been on missions in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland and Pakistan. She is hoping to work in long term missions and is in discernment mode for direction. Meanwhile, she attends St Paul’s Anglican Church in Kanata, and Kingdom Culture Ministries in Gloucester, Ontario (Canada).

(Here is a diagram of another way to view the Niebuhr book):

1 Comment

Posted in Talks in Africa

Tagged African cultures, christ and culture, Laurie-Ann's talks, Missions, Niebuhr, teaching

Growing in God through Social Conscience

Posted on July 28, 2014 | 1 comment

by Laurie-Ann Copple

Last time we discovered that our faith can grow very well in the desert, when we learn to let him refine us from the fear that holds us back (like Hannah Hurnard’s “Much Afraid” in Hinds Feet in High Places). The desert can transform the image we have of ourselves and of God. These false images are shattered in the desert, so then we can see and discover what is real. We become transformed as we journey on in four unique desert gifts: spiritual transformation, psychological change, a new role and a new future. Part of the new role and future is having our faith grow “wings of action.” As we grow in spiritual and emotional health, it is time to reach out to others. There are so many needs. Where do we start? Part of it is through prayerful awareness. Let God develop his social conscience in you for the community around us.

Scripture tells us that our salvation is given by grace “through faith – and this not by yourselves – it is a gift of God – not by works so that anyone can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Yet the Bible also tells us that works without faith is dead. The apostle James says, “what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:14-26). So we need to do these works as an expression of our faith, in thankfulness for what we’ve been already given.

What really matters when we reach out is our motivation. It must be out of true compassion rooted in God’s love (1 Cor 13:3). Psalm 89:14 reminds us that righteousness (holiness) and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. So what “kind of works” are on God’s heart these days? How can we be salt and light to the community around us? Nicky Gumbel has challenged watchers of the Alpha Course videos concerning confronting social evils. He asks, “Who will be the William Wilberforces of this present day?” I believe that Nicky’s right! William Wilberforce helped end the slave trade of many Africans, who were sold in England, the Caribbean and North America. Yet now there are many forms of slaves – economic slaves (sweat shops), sex slaves, child soldiers, and that’s probably the just the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ How can we stop slavery?

Who will help set these people free? Who is willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the broken people who are being used as commodities? I believe that’s a call to many of us! The same faith that gave us spiritual freedom, is also a call to action. The love you received is meant to be given away. Faith is an action word! One of my U of T Religious Studies professors taught me that the old English word for faith is a verb as in ‘Faithing.’ Faith is not a new concept. Neither is social justice and mercy.

My first taste of Christian social justice was at the Canada Awakening conference held in Toronto July 2010. One session included reports that Canadian laws are being improved. Some bills included the need to stop forced abortions for the girls who want to keep their babies. Other bills targeted mandatory minimum sentencing for sexual predators of children. Others dealt with stopping human trafficking. We also learned that the slave trade is alive here in Canada.

Danielle Strickland also shared of her work with the Australian Salvation Army as Director of Social Justice. She is part of a global movement called “Stop the Traffic” (STP). They help mobilize the Church against human trafficking. Australia legalized prostitution in 1993, under the justification that it would bring protection for their sex workers. However, it led to a huge increase in sex for sale. When brothels became legal in Australia, it provided a venue for human trafficking.

Danielle prayed for a strategy to stop this trend, and the prayer was answered when a 72-year-old lady called her. This lady (we’ll call her Joyce), received phone calls for a local Asian brothel because her number was only two digits off from her own number. She was disturbed about this and decided to change her number. She prayed before doing so, and instead, God impressed on her heart to call Danielle and go visit her ‘neighbours’ instead of changing her number. She called Danielle for advice and they prayed together. Danielle asked her what she would normally do for a new neighbour. Joyce replied, “Oh, I would bake them cupcakes!” Well, that was exactly what she was led to do! Sometimes a simple act that you would do for a neighbour is just what God provides to open a ministry opportunity.

Joyce asked Danielle to come with her to lend her support. Yet before Joyce reached the brothel, the Holy Spirit strengthened her resolve. She believed she was ready to stand at that door alone without Danielle. After all, she was the neighbor. So Danielle prayed from the street as Joyce rang the doorbell. The door was answered by an astonished brothel manager. Joyce was nervous. She shoved the cupcakes forward and said, “I brought cupcakes!” This action was welcomed, and she was invited in on a regular basis. Joyce came to know over one hundred girls on her weekly visits. All of the girls were from different Asian nations.

Joyce learned the girls’ names, their birthdays and she had a cupcake for each of them. Through Joyce’s compassion, the girls learned of God’s love for them. Danielle was led to do the same thing with ten Salvation Army teams and the combined cupcake ministry was a great success. Joyce, Danielle and others gathered the names of the girls and the list grew. These lists were growing proof of the connection between the brothels and human trafficking. In 2010, the Victoria State government called Danielle and asked if she was part of that “cupcake thing.” She replied that she was, and she was asked to testify as part of a state inquiry into the connection between the brothels and human trafficking!

Danielle also shared an amazing story of Fair Trade chocolate. This story coincided with an Ottawa Citizen ad of Cadbury’s Fair Trade Dairy Milk Chocolate only a month or two after this conference. This ad included the byline, “see the Big Fair Trade Picture.” A following article shared that schools were being built for the child slaves on cocoa plantations. The fundraising was gathered out of Fair Trade premiums for West African chocolate. In Africa, the major key for climbing out of poverty is education. Danielle and STP are part of the movement give these West African youth a chance. You are probably aware of fair trade coffee and how those premiums help poor farmers in South America and Africa. They help coffee growers to make a decent wage and provide for their families. Well, fair trade chocolate is a big issue too!

Danielle shared that STP discovered there are over 200,000 child slaves who pick cocoa in West Africa. Forty eight percent of all chocolate comes from West African cocoa beans. Many of these children are kidnapped from other poor countries like Mali and are forced to work in the cocoa fields. Even the farm owners where they work are paid very little for their cocoa. Danielle watched a BBC interview of a 15-year-old slave who was asked for his opinion on chocolate. The teen had no idea what the cocoa was used for (despite picking beans for six years). He was told that the world loves chocolate, and was asked “What would you say to the world about the chocolate they are eating?” He said, “Stop it! You’re eating my blood.”

Shortly after STP was aware of this video, they started the “Chocolate Campaign” to support fair trade chocolate. STP asked chocolate companies to think of selling Fair Trade chocolate since they were already making eleven billion dollars a year in profit on regular chocolate! They were ignored. So they prayed about it, and began to organize their efforts. They targeted Cadbury first since that company had a good Christian social-reforming foundation. Over a two year period, thousands of people called and wrote Cadbury that they could no longer eat the chocolate made by slaves. In 2010, Cadbury complied with these requests by producing their fair trade Dairy Milk bar. STP then began their “march” on Mars, and during their campaign, Mars announced that their whole chocolate line will go fair trade by 2020. Nestle was to be the next targeted company, who also complied with their 2014 Fair Trade cocoa plan!

When I heard this message, I shared it with family, close friends, and am now sharing it with you. I am inspired, since this is a simple way to be the hands and feet of God. Pray about what you might do. It may not be a brothel. It may not be about reforming the chocolate and coffee industries. Pray and listen to his voice. It may be something small, but together, we can stop more evil than you think. Yet some of us are called to more than kindness to those in need and consuming fair trade products. Are you ready for more?

Then in June 2014, I saw Pastor/prophet Shawn Bolz speak at the Daniel School in Ottawa. Shawn currently ministers in a church that is based in Glendale, California (near Los Angeles). The church is called Expression 58. His church is filled with many Christians from the entertainment industry, as well as Christians who have a strong heart for missions and social justice. Shawn has been given eyes to see the needs around him, and he prayer walks in nearby Hollywood and other communities within Los Angeles. There are many needs. He is not afraid to speak encouragement and life into youth on the streets, kids in gangs and the hidden people that may have been trafficked. Oh, the stories he shared! I wish I could remember the details of them all.

I do remember about a lady who leads missions from his church called Cassandra. Her heart was broken for how God wants to touch the needy around us. Cassandra wasn’t specifically called to help at a soup kitchen (although those are essential). She was called to difficult, dark places. I know of ministries that reach out to children and young adults who have been trafficked as sex slaves in Thailand and Cambodia. Thank God for them. And some ministries are called to minister to former child soldiers in Uganda. Yet have we considered the rebel ‘armies’ themselves as a ministry opportunity? Many of these Africans were forced into joining by killing their own relatives. Others were forced to become bush wives. All of them are heavily traumatized. Cassandra was called to minister to not only to the war zone victims, but also to the perpetrators! She has been called again and again to the DR Congo war zone, and hearts and lives have been changed. She also ministers to east Kenyans coming out of prostitution. You can learn more about Cassandra’s ministry at pursuingnormal.com.

Are you hungry for more? Next time we will explore about ‘stopping for the one’ and divine opportunities. Meanwhile, pray and see where God takes you, one step at a time.

Yours in Christ
Laurie-Ann Copple

1 Comment

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged fair trade chocolate, faith in action, human trafficking, social conscience, social justice

Growing in God through the Desert

Posted on June 22, 2014 | Comments Off

by Laurie-Ann Copple

Edit: The above photo was taken in Deadvlei, a section of the Sossusvlei area of the Namib desert in Namibia. We are actually going there in December 2019. I drew a drawing of a person coming alive under Jesus’ love within the background of Deadvlei. The desert was transformed into the spring flowers of Namaqualand, further south in South Africa. “Jesus Makes all Things New” is on one of my art pages on our missions website, and the original is on display (and for sale) at Le Roux and Fourie Vignerons, Route 60, west of Robertson, Western Cape, South Africa.

Here is the link to see the piece, just scroll to near the bottom: “Jesus Makes All Things New.”

Last time we discovered that our faith grows when we discover the special places where we can encounter God as easily as breathing. Many Anglicans love Canterbury, others go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and or places with a Christian history like Lindisfarne or Iona. We have our own experiences, yet they are rooted and shaped by the wider church. Now, oh weary pilgrim, our faith is given depth as we grow character through the desert.

Often when we first discover Jesus Christ and the love of God for ourselves, we have a ‘honeymoon period.’ We experience the intimacy and love of the Father, the fellowship of Jesus, and the sweet wooing of the Holy Spirit. It feels like you’re in love. You ARE in love! But then later on, you may enter a period of God’s silence that appears to go on forever. It seems like a wilderness that can stretch our trust.Is it this time a punishment or a test? Is it abandonment or a preparation for something wonderful in store for us? Is it God’s judgment or His infinite kindness that helps us grow spiritually mature? Is he in fact carrying us, like the example in the famous Footprints poem? We don’t sense him but we know he is there.

These times of difficulty have been compared to the ‘dark night of the soul.’ But since God has not left us, we also grow deeper in faith. During this process, we are refined of hindrances, and we gain the fragrance of Jesus by the fruit of the Spirit if we keep a good attitude and our trust in God.

One of the cries of my heart as a Christian has always been the desire for spiritual maturity. When I was a young Christian, newly baptized in the Holy Spirit and so enthusiastic that I embarrassed older believers, I begged the Lord for maturity. At the time, I had experienced healing, love and empowerment, and from there, I tried to break through an unapproachable “more.” Now I know that we should always be hungry for more of God. Yet at this time, I almost felt like there was a glass ceiling over my attempts to press in for more.

Eventually, my prayer was answered when I was in Northern Ireland doing prayer walks. A hostess in Belfast gave me an unexpected prophetic word. She asked me if I had been asking God to take me deeper into maturity. I answered, “yes.” She told me that it would not be easy and that it required something that I did not expect. This requirement was suffering, not as a punishment, but as the necessary instrument to bring me past the shallowness I’d been feeling even as a Christian. God’s relative silence intensified as I entered the desert of finding Him in a new way, and I began to learn identification with Christ (Phil. 3:10). I had to no longer live as if I was in control of my life, but to allow for a Christ-centred life. I was learning to know him in the fellowship of his sufferings, as well as the joy of salvation.

This desert has lasted over nine years. During that time, I audited a course called “Into the Wasteland” taught by Charles Nienkirchen at Tyndale Seminary. Not only did I learn that desert experiences are common, but they are also biblical! The desert is God’s gift that demands transformation. Isn’t that what being sanctified is about?

God has written two “books”: that of creation (Ps. 19:1) and that of His revelation in the Bible. Both of these show an abundance of desert imagery. The world has an abundance of deserts.¹The biblical lands are mostly desert²or semi-desert.³ Many biblical characters encountered difficult ‘desert’ times, such as the Israelites in the book of Numbers, Elijah’s sojourn in the wilderness while in danger (1 Kings 19), David’s refuge in the “wild places” while hiding from King Saul (2 Sam 1) and Jesus’ own temptations in the Judean wilderness (Matt. 4). There is also the ‘interior desert’ (solitude, withdrawal and seeming abandonment) such as the testing of Job and Jesus’ experience in Gethsemane and Calvary. Desert experiences have also empowered and left God’s servants changed from divine encounters, such as the experiences of many in the Old Testament.⁴

The Apostle Paul also experienced the beginning of his transformation while travelling the desert road to Damascus. His conversion was further strengthened during a three year duration in the Arabian desert (Gal. 1: 17-18). Antony of Egypt gave away all his possessions and depended on God in a fourth century desert. Many Christians desiring something more followed a similar call. Some lived in solitude or wandered the oceans as missionaries as did the Irish monks in the sixth to tenth centuries. Others were transformed during extended illnesses while waiting for a miracle. So why are we surprised when we enter our own wilderness?

Perhaps, part of the reason we are surprised is due to our North American materialistic culture which sees simplicity as a weakness. Even in many churches, mountain experiences can be glorified and the grief of varied suffering is minimized. We want comfort in the midst of suffering and our one-dimensional ideas of God and all-encompassing self-experience are challenged. The desert calls us to transformation, yet we have a choice to make. We can turn to self-pity and bitterness⁵ during these hard times. Or, we can call out to the Lord for purification. Which would you choose? I’d far prefer the purification, and become a better Laurie-Ann.

How does the desert make us more Christ-like? Charles Nienkirchen, says that the humbling effect of the desert “becomes a transforming event in one’s spiritual development only as one’s idea of God and self-image are changed. In the process, faith, hope and love are purified.” The desert can help to clear our senses of wrong illusions of who God is and who we are, although it is often a long process. Sometimes we struggle with faulty perceptions of God as a judge or angry parent. Other times we may struggle with self-condemnation and poor self-image (or vanity and pride). When these perceptions melt away, the truth can be more easily discerned. God is no longer what you thought He was, and He is now free to show you who He is! You are no longer what you thought you were, but are loved and accepted. God is allowed to be God, since you have realized that you are not God in your life.

The desert may give us four gifts if we co-operate with God’s purposes: spiritual transformation, psychological change, new roles, and new futures. The first gift can include salvation and the refining that comes after it. If you’ve ever read Hannah Hurnard’s book Hinds feet in High Places, you may have identified with the character ‘Much Afraid.’ We struggle through a lot of fears, but the process of perfect love, the fear is winnowed out of us.

Much Afraid was spiritually transformed by the love of the Shepherd. She turned her lessons and trials into glittering gems. This transformation is a difficult but very rewarding journey. The second gift can be the gain of a new confident humility in what Paul calls being content in all situations (Phil. 4: 11-12). This is a difficult gift to nurture, for it demands a trust in God that puts him at the centre of one’s environment. This is the desert gift that took me years to accept. He has taught me to trust Him in all circumstances, even when He seems silent and I begin to doubt my calling. It’s a lesson that I’ve learned deeper and deeper over the past fifteen years, through difficulties on mission trips, closed doors in careers, cross country moves, and living by faith.

A good analogy for this is illustrated in how a poinsettia grows. Apparently these beautiful flowers require a time of darkness so they can germinate. I believe we also need this barren time for essential spiritual growth in faith, hope and love. We still experience God’s care and provision in the desert, even when He is silent; although we may not yet perceive this with the eyes of our hearts. This time can be likened to being hidden in God, like Col 3:3, where you are hidden in Christ. Yet the Apostle Paul encourages us to “keep our minds set on things above” (Col 3:2) – that perspective gives us deeper grounding.

The third gift can include such identity change as experienced by Abram/Abraham and Jacob/Israel in the Old Testament, and Simon/Peter and Saul/Paul in the New Testament. To the ancients, a name change signified a complete metamorphosis in a person and their role. Abram changed from a childless man to the father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). Jacob changed from a deceiver to Israel, one who wrestles with God (Gen. 35:10). Sanguine Simon became Peter the “Rock,” one of the leaders of the early church. Law-loving Saul of Tarsus became apostle to the Gentiles and used his Roman name Paul (Acts 13:9). My own name Laurie-Ann means “Victory through Grace, Remember.” I was often bullied as a child and had to move neighbourhoods because of the harassment. When I moved, I changed my name by dropping the ‘Ann’ (which means grace). After I did this, I tried to change my identity and became a people-pleasing striver. At that time, my name became Laurie Zachar (victory, remember) Years later as a Christian, I was convicted that I never should have changed my name, and after I received some needed prayer ministry, I changed it back to Laurie-Ann. With the reminder of grace in my name, it shows me that it is His grace that is victorious, not anything that I can do on my own. After all, it is in the desert that I have learned that apart from Him, I can do nothing. (John 15:5) When I add my married name to the mix, it comes out as Victory through Grace. Remember to Persevere. Ah, the difference of perseverance in the identity change!

The fourth gift concerns our calling: whether great miracles or a quiet life of faith that draws others to Jesus. It is a gift that gives us hope; we can know where we are going. It may take time to determine what we are called to specifically – I am in the process of fine-tuning this journey myself. Yet, if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ, you ARE called. We are all part of the wonderful body of Christ, and each of us has a role to play. We are vitally important to each other. Don’t expect just those in leadership to do all the ministry. We all minister to each other.

Are we willing to be changed? Do we want to grow further in God? Then at some time in your journey, the desert is the place for you, as it has been for me. Don’t be afraid, it is a road that many have followed in Christ. Just remember that He will never leave you and does not forget his promises. It is in the desert that we discover just how faithful God really is!

We’ll next explore how we can translate some of God’s faithfulness in our world through Christian social conscience. Perhaps part of our callings are through social justice?

Footnotes
1. Some of these solitary places include: the varied desert of the Sahara, the emptiness of the Arabian “Empty Quarter”, the vast arctic wilderness and the wide oceans that span our planet.
2. Mesopotamia, Negev, Sinai, Egypt
3. The Judean wilderness
4. Elijah’s still small voice and Ezekiel’s visions filled them with the hope that God was in control.
5. Self pity is a downard spriral that Leanne Payne calls ‘descending into the hell of self.’ Another inner healing teacher of mine has called it PLOMS disease, or Poor Little Old Me Syndrome. This effectively stops all growth and is like quicksand that pulls us down.

Laurie-Ann Copple

Comments Off on Growing in God through the Desert

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged dark night of the soul, Desert spirituality, four gifts of the desert, identity change, trusting God

Growing through Pilgrimage and our roots: Ways to Grow in God

Posted on May 8, 2014 | 3 comments

By Laurie-Ann Copple

During our journey on worship, we discovered that our faith grows when we realize that worship is bigger than its cultural context. We also grow deeper in faith when we learn how to worship God in Spirit and in truth (John 4: 23 – 24). Yet we need not restrict worship to be within a ‘religious service.’ Our whole lifestyle can involve worship. If worship is at the very core of our lifestyle, our relationship with God can grow in any location. This includes the workplace. Worship, ministry, secular work can all become places of transformation. Work and ministry become deeper and this gives God an opportunity to make the work really matter.

You can also worship God inside you no matter what you are doing, and this is a real secret of contentment. Worshipping God in truth also means that you are are truthful about who you are. Once you realize, deep within you, who God is to you (as your Father), you can choose to worship Him without issues getting in the way. The ‘baggage’ needs to be left behind as we are called to go and examine our roots – as Christians; to the Holy Land, and as Anglicans; to Canterbury. Christians of other denominations could also visit the spots of where their denominational stream started; especially if their church began in renewal, revival or inspiration. Mission sites and revival spots from church history are special places to learn about the lives and stories of faithful Christians who have gone before us. However, the Holy Land often surpasses them all – the land where the Old Testament and much of the New is steeped.

While I have not yet been to Jerusalem, I have been to four special pilgrimage places in the UK. I would love to go to more places, but they may come later. Meanwhile, Lindisfarne remains the strongest of those places in my own life. Lindisfarne , also known as Holy Island, is on the north east coast of England.

There are many classic books on pilgrimage. Two of these are Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. Although we live in a western post-Christian society with shrinking church membership, the interest in pilgrimage has increased exponentially even among non-Christians, who are interested in the journey experience. Some of these journeys include Jerusalem, the Camino trail in northern Spain, as well as the Roman Catholic journeys to Lourdes, Fatima, and sites in Ireland. I’ve been drawn to Lindisfarne Holy Island since I was a teenager and I have found it my special ‘thin’ place. This means that the Holy Spirit is as close as a breath away, as are special saints Aidan and Cuthbert. Others with Celtic background may be drawn to Iona, in western Scotland, which was founded by St. Columba from Ireland.

Others have been drawn to see places where the Apostle Paul preached which include numerous sites in what is now Turkey and Greece. Others cannot afford to go to the Holy Land or even Europe. So, there is an option of a ‘virtual pilgrimage.’ Virtual pilgrimages may include the Virtual Holy Land walk at Bethesda Renewal Centre in Ashton, Ontario. This walk follows a similar shape of route (if viewed from above) to the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey. There is also a theme park in Orlando, Florida called the Holy Land Experience. Why do people feel drawn to these holy places? What do people hope to glean from them?

When I first visited western Ireland in 1990, I fell in love with the atmosphere of County Clare, and the little village of Kilfenora. I found a tiny Anglican Church that was in ruins, but they still held a service, which I attended. They had an ancient high cross nearby in the middle of a sheep field. I drew that lovely scene, and I showed the photos and my drawing to the pastor I had at the time. His name was Laurie. When he viewed my photos, he smiled and quoted Joshua 4:21, which was when the Israelite children asked what ‘those stones meant.’ (This was concerned the memorial crossing of the Jordan river into the Promised Land). Laurie referred to the ruined stones (of the old church and the high cross) as a monument. It became a place of learning about our deep historical faith. He was right; the place was of special significance for the area of County Clare. The biblical leader Joshua reminds his people about these Gilgal memorial stones when he said, “In the future, when your descendants ask their fathers ‘what do these stones mean,’ tell them Israel crossed the Jordan on dry land.” We, like those ancient Israelite children, are also drawn to our spiritual roots. This is a good thing, since God may draw us deeper to Himself, if we prepare our hearts for the journey.

I have always loved church history. So when I have journeyed on each of my pilgrimages, I have gained a deep appreciation for the work of God throughout history. God is always the same, yesterday, today and forever. He blesses his children throughout Biblical and church history. So when I go to these places, I keep my eyes and heart open for what God would have me sense. When my husband Tony and I were in Canterbury – the headquarters of the Anglican church, we received a deep sense of intercession for the Anglican Church. We prayed in Canterbury Cathedral Trinity Chapel, where St. Thomas à Becket’s relics are housed. Then, while we were barefoot pilgrims on the way to Lindisfarne Holy Island, I was given insight of how two historical Celtic Christians handled the difficult parts of the sea flat journey to that special island. These difficulties were taken in stride within the context of worship and rhythm of balance. I also learned that rest can be holy.

When we were in Durham Cathedral, I gave thanks for the lives of the Venerable Bede and St. Cuthbert. They were foundational for the Christian faith in northern England. Cuthbert’s tomb still is a place that inspires deep worship from the depth of your soul, since the Holy Spirit’s presence is so strong in that site. I visited what is believed to be St. Patrick’s resting place in Downpatrick Cathedral, County Down. While the local Catholics were actually praying to Patrick, I gave thanks to the Lord for a great missionary and I wanted to learn more about him. I wanted to learn not just the legend of Patrick, but who he really was, how he depended on the Lord, and how I could grow in my faith because of his example. I have always loved church history, and at one time wanted to take a doctorate in the discipline. I especially focused on the history of missions, renewals and movements for God. We can learn a lot from those who have gone before us, those Christians who are now part of the ‘great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 21:1).’ We are not alone in our faith!

The places that are left behind are testimony to their lives and how God used them to draw people closer to himself. I’m sure the Holy Land is like this, only more so, since almost every time I have asked someone who has been there, they have told me that this was a very deep experience for them. This experience of actually walking the same land where Jesus and his disciples walked is powerful. I pray that some day you too will have the experience of journeying to the deep roots of your faith. But don’t wait until you get there to prepare your hearts. Work on preparing them now, so that you receive what God has for you at that time. Our life and faith is a journey, and we are doing this together. Here is a prayer from Thomas Merton about the journey as a pilgrim:

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself, And the fact that I think I am following your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you,
and I strive never to do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me. And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

(Thomas Merton)

Next time we will explore how the desert places can also help us grow in God.

Yours in Christ, Laurie-Ann Copple

(First photo – Carrying the cross as pilgrims during low tide to Lindisfarne Holy Island. Second photo – Part of the journey in northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago de Compostelo)

3 Comments

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged Canterbury, Christian pilgrimage, Downpatrick, Lindisfarne, Lindisfarne Holy Island, relationship with God, Ways to grow in God

Ways to Grow in God: Worship is not just one part of life

Posted on April 30, 2014 | Comments Off

by Laurie-Ann Copple

Last time we discovered that our faith grows when we learn how to worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4: 23 – 24). This means you can worship him through your spirit no matter what you are doing (a real secret of contentment). You have turned your heart and spirit into a temple of worship. To worship God in truth means that we are truthful about whom we are. Once you realize in your heart who God is to you, (as your Father), you can choose to worship Him without unneeded issues getting in the way.

In the ancient biblical Hebrew world view, all of life is interconnected. Our modern western world view sorts everything into compartments. The Bible world-view is more organic and natural. Worship doesn’t have to be divided into religious services, although celebrations, solemn assemblies and times with other believers is a very good thing. Yet it should not be the only time we worship. We can worship God in the midst of beauty – and enjoy creation. After all it is in a sense, one of the ways that he is known (Romans 1:20). The Psalmist notes that the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-6), and songs such as Brian Doeksen’s “Creation Calls” remind us that creation reflects his glory. With this in mind, it can be easy to worship God outside of a service in what many people call ‘the green cathedral.’

However, you can also worship God in the midst of work. The worlds of work and worship don’t have to be separate. This work can be ordinary, everyday tasks like doing dishes. I spent at least one mission trip where I was called to wash dishes (as well as lead worship, prayer and work with teens on a British army base). I washed dishes in Northern Ireland for three weeks. Washing dishes isn’t my favourite task, but I had a dream that I was officially asked to wash dishes and lead worship in a ministry base. Word spread in this small community about my dream, and people realized that God had sent me and that he loved them! And so did I! I worshipped the Lord and sang my heart out in that kitchen – or at least hummed and worshipped in my heart. I was worshipping God in the midst of an ordinary task, like 17^th century Brother Lawrence teaches in Practising the Presence of God. I was physically in Northern Ireland, but my heart/spirit is in heaven with Jesus – in two places. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “we are ‘seated’ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6).”

Can worship be involved in other ministry? Yes! Worship of the Lord should be at the heart of ministry towards others. After all, we are the hands and feet of Jesus – we are the Body of Christ. He ministers through us. So we must be rooted and grounded in God, and filled with his love and compassion. We can’t minister in our own power – it must be his love, not just ours. We simply are too frail on our own. Recently, I was watching Heidi Baker minister in a church service online. It was the Sunday following the Women on the Frontlines conference in Phoenix, Arizona (March 2014). Heidi shared of the importance of spending time in worship with the Lord. That precious time is like the oil of the wise virgins (Matt 25: 1-11). Remember what the Lord tells the foolish virgins (who didn’t have their oil)? “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ This means they did not spend TIME with him.

When we spend that time with him, we are able to minister in the Holy Spirit’s power, but also with the love and compassion of Christ himself. This has happened with me on the mission field as well – I have spent time in soaking prayer before the Lord. He has been gracious to fill me each time with love and peace for myself and much more for others. But it was most important just to spend time with God for who he is. We need to be like Jesus with skin on for those who are needy. Sometimes we have seen Jesus in others, and sometimes he is evident in us.

When I attended another women’s conference in Phoenix (January 2010), that same Heidi Baker approached me in the midst of the worship time. She was filled with love, and it was like I was looking at Jesus through her beautiful, loving face. She hugged and kissed me, and handed me a beautiful bouquet of red roses. We didn’t speak, but I sensed that God was touching me very deeply through Heidi’s gesture. I was told by her helpers that those were her roses, but she was led right to me to give them to me. I’m still unpacking what that meant. But in a sense, it was like she was passing on a mantle to me – since I really felt akin to her in missionary ways. That call is becoming clearer with time. Fast forward four years to the Sunday service where Heidi shared about the oil being the time with God. This is a lady who spends four to six hours daily in deep worship. She said that she receives best when she worships lavishly with the Lord and feels badly when she needs more time with him. But the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart that when she is holding a dying child or ministering to a lonely widow, she is also worshipping him. This is another aspect of Matthew 25 (Unto the least of these!). So worship and ministry are definitely interconnected.

Could one worship and work in a secular workplace? You bet! The Apostle Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), and if we follow Brother Lawrence in practising the presence of God, we are doing this. We can hum worship songs while we work, and at times, we can even pray in tongues under our breath. But how about using our secular work as an opportunity for pastoral care and mercy? There are times when acts of kindness speak deeply of God’s compassion. Customer service as a retail worker can become pastoral care. Personal financial planning done by a compassionate, conscientious Christian can be an opportunity for pastoral care and evangelism. Reformer Martin Luther believed that secular work could be a lay person’s calling, as important as that of a member of the clergy.

A layperson’s job is not something separate from faith, any more than hands are separate from mind and heart. Devoted work is the very flesh and bone of living faith, without which worship cannot live and grow. Whateveryou do, wherever you minister, you are called to serve Christ where you are. The Apostle Paul reminds us that ‘Whatever you do, whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus’ (Col. 3:17). Quite often, these folk minister through divine opportunities, and of course can also be a good witness by their presence. Remember what Paul told the Christian slaves: ^“Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritancefrom the Lord as a reward. (Col 3:22-24) While we aren’t slaves, we are bound to our employers to give our very best. And when we go beyond that, it points to the Lord.

Some of you may be called to be a ‘tentmaker.’ A tentmaker is a layperson who works as a volunteer for the church – either in missions or work inside the church, but they are supported by a job outside the church.This is what Paul did when he travelled on his missionary trips. Though he was a trained leader, he made tents to pay his way wherever he went. This is a special calling. This work that is done for the Lord is a gift to Him, which he honours. Though God will work through all of us, these lay people are available to do ministry in ways that full-time professional people cannot. The professional people have to minister within their jobs. Clergy are in ministry too, but they are committed to a certain kind of ministry, which includes encouraging you in your own ministry. They can’t go out like you can… and we lay people have an advantage: since we are volunteer, the people receive our ministry as a gift. It is a beautiful, sweet smelling gift that Jesus accepts, and the people receive.

It is how we minister and how we choose to use our gifts that matters. We have the same Holy Spirit, but how we touch others is unique to you and the Lord. The Apostle “Paul chose how he ministered the gospel.” [R Paul Stevens Liberating the Laity: Equipping All the Saints for Ministry. Downer’s Grove, Il: IV Press, 1985. p 42] He sacrificed being paid for his ministry, he sacrificed his time to love people into the kingdom of God. He sacrificed some of his sleep and ministry time for his job so that he could give himself as a gift. “All genuine ministry comes out of sacrifice.” [Elton Trueblood. Your Other Vocation. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1952. p. 59]. So also true work and true ministry comes out of worship.

Next time I will share how we can grow in God through pilgrimage.

Yours in Christ,
Laurie-Ann Copple

work

Comments Off on Ways to Grow in God: Worship is not just one part of life

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged calling, work, worship

Growing through worship: in Spirit and in Truth

Posted on March 27, 2014 | 13 comments

by Laurie-Ann Copple

Last time we discovered that we can grow in God through worship. It doesn’t matter which cultural form or style you choose. Worship isn’t just singing hymns or praise songs. It’s an attitude of the heart. Worship includes the work that God is doing in you while you worship Him. It is there that we discover how to worship in spirit and in truth, as Jesus asks us to do in John 4: 23 – 24.

What does it mean to worship in spirit? I had wondered about what that really means until I attended a conference called the Glory School. We learned what heavenly worship is like. We also discovered what God’s heart was toward all humankind – even those who refuse to know and love him. I became fascinated with the truth that as Christians, our spirits are already worshipping in heaven while our bodies are here on earth. We are three-part beings that are made in the image of God. If your spirit is alive in him, you are in a sense, with him. This means we can worship God in the midst of doing ordinary things, like 17th century Brother Lawrence teaches in Practising the Presence of God. We are in two places. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “we are ‘seated’ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6).” In a sense we are already part of a heavenly choir, much bigger than any church choir or worship team.

What is this “three-part being?” We are! We have a physical body, a soul (mind, emotions and will), and we have a spirit: the part of us that is touched by God and filled with his Spirit. When we love Jesus, our spirits are connected to God and united with Him. Our soul has a choice to be involved, and we can decide not to worship God at that time, but this grieves Him. We’re not as close as we could be unless we choose to say yes to him. Worshipping in spirit involves the deepest part of you, your spirit. Yet it is very special when your body and soul are also involved in worship. When you worship in your spirit, you can do other things with your body; such as working, cooking, driving (with your eyes open) and spending time with your family. You could of course be doing ministry. If you worship inside while doing ministry, it makes your outreach very special, since God works through you more effectively when you are focused on Him. It can also make it much easier to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit inside your heart, since you’re already in communication with him. It becomes a natural relational flow from you to God and from God to you. This is also the key of ‘abiding’ that Jesus refers to in John 15: 1-8. He is the vine, and we are the branches. Branches grow effortlessly when they are attached to the vine. This abiding in God gives you deep contentment. Like the Apostle Paul, you can become content in all things (Phil 4: 11-13) because you are focused on Jesus and know that he will never leave you.

The concept of worshipping in truth can be hard to understand at first. However, I believe it simply means to worship in truth is to be honest with God about who you are. Don’t hide anything from Him. As you get closer to God, you may see yourself as more sinful, but that is the way it should be. You just begin to see yourself as you really are – a sinner saved by grace and adopted his love. This allows you to be thankful and hungry for more of his presence. So as you realize who you are, you also realize who God is to you.

Let me explain in another way. Some people have a problem with understanding God as Father. Due to this, they have trouble worshipping him because they think of mistakes their own earthly father made. But God is not that earthly father who made those mistakes. God is pure love and is perfect. If you open yourself up and allow God to reveal Himself (so you can see how He really is), he will be able to bless you with His presence in a deep way. When we begin to realize who God is to us (even in part), and we seek the face of God in worship, we change for the better (just by allowing him to soak us with His presence and fill us with love). It’s like a sponge left in a basin of water for a while. If God is love, he fills you with his presence of love (and that is just ONE aspect of God)!

You may be familiar with Matt Redman’s song “The Heart of Worship.” Look at the words with new eyes. As you meditate on these words, ask God to help you to worship Him in spirit and in truth. “When the music fades, all is stripped away; and I simply come. Longing just to bring – something that’s of worth that will bless your heart. I’ll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you required. You search much deeper within, through the way things appear; You’re looking into my heart. I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus. I’m sorry Lord, for the thing I made it; when it’s all about you – all about you, Jesus. King of endless worth, no one could express how much you deserve. Though I’m weak and poor, all I have is yours, every single breath.”

It’s about knowing who God is, and how you really are – a son or a daughter in Christ. And doesn’t he deserve everything we have?

Next time, we will explore further the notion that worship and ministry aren’t separated.

13 Comments

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged Christian faith, spirit, spiritual growth, truth, worship

Growing through worship, no matter the cultural form: Ways to Grow in God

Posted on March 1, 2014 | Comments Off

by Laurie-Ann Copple

Last time we discovered that we grow well when trust God in the midst of suffering or difficult times. He is WITH us when we suffer. When we continually acknowledge Him in all aspects of our lives, he will direct the way we should go (Prov. 3:6). We also grow in our faith through something far more comfortable than suffering – we can grow through worship. This growth is actually a by-product of our worship, since this adoration is directed to God. It’s not primarily for our benefit. However, we are created to be relational beings, so worshipping our creator impacts us greatly. What kind of worshipper are you? Are you able to worship Him in spirit and in truth? And what exactly is worship?

Worship is something that we do naturally as humans; when we look at something or someone in absolute awe. Worship itself should only go to God. Sometimes people or things draw our attention and are worthy of admiration, but never worship. Worship means to declare something/ someone worthy of worship. Worship should not be limited to only one cultural form of expressing your love for God. If it is, then you may miss other forms of worship that are just as pleasing to God. Worship isn’t just singing, but an attitude of the heart; and includes the work that God is doing in you while you worship Him. This can include daily tasks, the arts, and so much more.

Some of you may have heard of popular English worship leader Matt Redman. He wrote a song called “The Heart of Worship” that tells a story of an experience at his church. Their worship music was selling well, but somehow their focus changed and the music became commercial rather than true worship. Their church struggled for a while, and they sought the Lord on what could be wrong. They were led by the Holy Spirit to not only give up worship music, but also music of any kind, for one year. This must have been very difficult for a musician like Matt Redman! During this fast, Matt learned that music is not the only way to worship God, and that they could be still before Him in quietness (somewhat like soaking prayer without the music). When they were allowed to play music again, there was a completely different feel to it than there was before that year-long fast from music. It was no longer a performance for the people of God, but an offering of worship to the Lord – so the music was for an audience of ONE, not many. The lesson here is that it is easy to get caught up in what seemed to be worship of the worship music rather than the God we are worshipping. The same can be said of the style of worship music – be it hymns or praise songs. I believe that both of these are pleasing, so we don’t need to start worship wars over cultural differences. The different cultural forms of worship help US to be able to worship.

For some of us worship songs and rousing hymns are fun, but what’s going on in your heart? Are you thinking about what you’re singing? When I was in northern Kenya, the people appeared to worship with all their heart and were physically demonstrative. However, on our return mission two years later, the locals requested a talk on praise and worship. I was confused about this until after prayer I understood the cultural form of their worship fooled me. To me, they sounded like singing angels with their African harmonies and percussion. Worship is more than moving around and playing instruments, no matter how good it sounds. Worship is a heart attitude. You can worship with no music at all, although that can be difficult to do at first. Next time you listen or look at a worship song on the screen, think about the words. What does this mean? Do I mean this?

One worship scripture is very real to me: John 4:23-24. Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well and they discussed about the Messiah and worship. His words to her also speak to us as we seek to learn about what true worship is. He said, “That true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Next time I will share what it means to worship in spirit and in truth.

Yours in Christ, Laurie-Ann Copple

Comments Off on Growing through worship, no matter the cultural form: Ways to Grow in God

Posted in Ways to Grow articles

Tagged heart attitude, worship

	L-A Copple on Growing in God through Seasons…
	Lise Lourens on Growing in God through Seasons…
	Dr. Luis Camillo Alm… on Growing in and through God’s…
	Jennifer on Growing in God through (re)wri…
	C. S. Hammond on Growing in God through Si…

Ways to Grow in God

Growing in love through service: What will you do with your gift?

Growing through Service and Compassion: Stop for the one

Living Water to Thirsty People

A Look at Christ and Culture

Growing in God through the Desert

Growing through Pilgrimage and our roots: Ways to Grow in God

Ways to Grow in God: Worship is not just one part of life

Growing through worship: in Spirit and in Truth

Growing through worship, no matter the cultural form: Ways to Grow in God

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Tags

Blog Stats