HeartQuest 101

Virginia Tech is having freshman orientation this week and I have a friend’s son headed off to Tech this fall. It got me thinking about my own college days and the things that became important. While social networking is much different today, students will still seek out various organizations like fraternities or clubs on campus.

As a Christian student I became involved in Baptist Student Union, an organization that meets many needs of students away at college (fellowship, belonging, spiritual growth, community service, missionary efforts). A lot of students chose to make the BSU their church, choosing instead to sleep in on Sundays, but they missed out on many of the blessings they could have received by participating in a local church.

Besides the church being the only institution on earth that Jesus promised to build and to bless, here are a few great benefits of students getting out of the college bubble and participating in a local church:

1. Steady spiritual growth
2. Hear messages from God’s Word
3. Exposure to older, wiser believers
4. Exposure to career role models
5. Exposure to marriage role models
6. Exposure to parenting role models
7. Opportunities for service using your spiritual gifts
8. A chance to impact younger kids
9. Participation in church ordinances
10. Intergenerational worship and fellowship
11. Doctrinal and moral accountability
12. A safety net when times get tough
13. A home/family away from your home/family
14. Possible free meals from people who recognize you as a member of the family!

“The age-old question about joining a local church always comes up, “Why join the church if I know I’ll be gone during the summer and graduating in four years?” Membership has its privileges! When you are a part of the body of believers, it shows your commitment to the local church, and it allows the local church to be committed to you. If not membership, consider what is called “Watch Care.” It usually has all the benefits of membership without being allowed to vote in meetings! It still says that you are committing yourself, your gifts and your abilities into this particular congregation.

“The church is not a department store where you come and get the spiritual commodity you want, then go your way. To speak of loving Christ, while neglecting his body, the church, is hypocritical” – Donald Whitney

Remember that in your new freedom from your parents’ control, do the right thing and CHOOSE CHURCH!

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Today is Earth Day, a commemoration of our global home. Without getting political, there seems to be a disconnection between conservation activism and climate alarmism. I’ve read that many Christians don’t like Earth Day because people around this globe are worshipping “mother earth” or because going green is an Al Gore thing (thinking, I didn’t support him in the election so I’m sure not going to do it now. Lest I digress, I’ve noticed activists have softened the language from Global Warming to Global Climate Change, but the alarmism issue is still here. I like what ABC investigative reporter John Stossel had to say in his book, Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity, pp. 201-205).

The doom mongers also ignore scientists who say the effects of global warming may be benign. Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas says that added CO2 in the atmosphere might actually benefit the world because more CO2 helps plants grow. Warmers winters would give farmers a longer harvest season, and we might end the droughts in the Sahara Desert. Why don’t we hear about this part of the global warming argument? Becuase of Money. Twenty-five billion dollars of government funding since 1990 has been spent on researching global warming. If reports came out that state global warming has little to do with man and more on how the planet works, there wouldn’t be as much money to study it. 

Oops, I’m back now… Years ago I was a Boy Scout and we participated in a conservation program called, SOAR (Save Our American Resources). It was a great awareness idea to get people thinking about how to reduce, reuse and recycle; something we all need to do. After all, the planet’s resources are not unlimited! That is what Christian stewardship is all about; a steward takes care of something while the real owner is away.

Christians need to get away from the idea that Earth Day is about worshipping the earth, and realize that we are all called to be good stewards of the planet that we share. Just because the Bible says that man has dominion over the earth, does not mean we get to waste it or abuse it! Celebrating the greatness of our unique home among the planets should prompt us to celebrate God and His creation! Contemplating the wonder of creation should remind us that we are merely “the people of His pasture” (Ps. 95:7), and we must worship “our Maker” (v.6). The creation was flung into space to point to God and His greatness, power, and majesty. He alone deserves our praise and worship (Ps. 148:5).

I like the FOX network’s emphasis for the week, “Green It, Mean It.” Let’s conserve our resources, but let’s not forget to celebrate our Creator.

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I’m fascinated by a book by Gary L. McIntosh called, One Church Four Generations. I am a part of a congregation full of Builders, often called The Greatest Generation that built this country into what it is today. But as I think about the future of the church, how will we reach the younger generation of Boomers, Busters and Bridgers? 

McIntosh writes about the conflict over worship styles: 

While not every member of each generation sees things the same way, essentially the areas of difficulty are as follows: 

o    Pace of the service. Builders like worship services to move along slowly and predictably. Boomers like worship to move at a fast clip, while Busters and Bridgers want it to move even quicker. Both Busters and Bridgers look for variety and spontaneity.

o    Brightness of the lighting. Builders prefer softer lighting as it gives more of a worshipful feeling. Boomers look for a brighter lighting so they can see people well. Most Busters and Bridgers also like brighter lighting, but some prefer a darker setting, perhaps with candles or other subdued lighting.

o    Loudness of sound. Builders appreciate being able to hear well but dislike sound that blasts. Boomers and Busters want the music loud enough that they can feel it. Some Bridgers also appreciate louder sound and in some situations are comfortable with lots of interactive noise from videos, music, and talking.

o    Length of service. Builders have a longer attention span and thus are willing to sit through longer services. The attention span of Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers has been increasingly shorter.

o    Formality of service. Builders expect a certain level of formality and decorum, whereas Boomers prefer somewhat of a dressy casual. Busters and Bridgers like things to be flexible and casual. Builders equate reverence with formality of dress. They experience great frustration with Bridgers who may wear baseball caps in the church, perhaps even while in the worship service.

o    Feel of the service. Builders look for a worship service that is quiet and reverent. Boomers and Busters desire an upbeat celebration time. Bridgers, however, appear to appreciate worship that is real and honest regardless of the style.

o    Participation in the service. Builders tend to watch and enjoy while Boomers and older Busters who grew up in church like to participate with clapping and similar forms of involvement. Bridgers like a highly interactive worship service that allows for multiple forms of involvement. Unchurched Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers want to be entertained to some extent.

o    Type of music. Builders love the hymnal and the familiar songs of the faith. They like their music to be slowly paced and reverent. Boomers appreciate the praise music of the ’70s and ’80s, while Busters and Bridgers like to “sing a new song” to the Lord using a variety of music styles.

o    Quality. Builders associate quality with the effort that is extended. Thus a person may sing off-key, but Builders appreciate the quality of his or her effort. Boomers see quality as being mistake free. They expect the music, sound, announcements, and message to be well done. Busters and Bridgers tend to view quality as equal to authenticity. To them a Boomer worship service comes across as too slick and contrived. A few mistakes in the worship service are fine with them, as it is more authentic and real.

So how do you work through these issues? What about a blended service trying to be all things to all men? What about starting a contemporary service to reach the younger generation? Would it meet on Sunday morning or maybe Saturday evening? What about meeting in a different venue than the church property? Is it OK to have two separate congregations in one church, each service meeting the needs of their “target” audience?

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I was reminded of a fascinating book by John Piper called, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. He begins this intriguing book discussing the relationship between missions and worship, two topics very dear to my heart.  

Piper says, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions.” 

He goes on to say that it’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. (Psalm 67:3-4). 

“But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”  

Piper concludes his chapter one introduction with, “Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to ‘declare his glory among the nations’ (Psalm 96:3). Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the blandness of our engagement with God.”  

I understand his point, but I suppose it is also possible to have little zeal for God in worship and still be a congregation focused on missions, perhaps as a substitute for a dynamic relationship with Jesus. This type of missions may be more helping the less-fortunate than it is bringing the nations and our neighbors to Christ. 

In corporate worship, how do we encounter God (how do we even encounter God on a personal level)? Can it be that the modern church in America has settled for a worship service over an authentic worship experience, whereby the congregation is connected with God at the deepest level? When was the last time that you saw God’s people gathered for worship where they were passionate about experiencing God (as opposed to being excited about fellowship with others, love for the music, praise for the preacher, etc.)? If God is truly the audience of our worship, what sort of performance did we put on last Sunday? Was He pleased?

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