Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Wild Churches
Each week hundreds of millions of Christians gather throughout the world for times of corporate worship. For some the experience is very quiet and formal. For others the atmosphere is one of activity and celebration. Which is more appropriate? Which way should it be? Shouldn’t church be quiet in order to be reverent and holy?
Ever since the first century, when Jesus Christ established His church, there has been much controversy and heated debate about which worship styles are proper and pleasing to God. This is understandable since one’s faith is so close to the heart. But, is it possible that some believers could actually be more committed to worship styles than to God?
Perhaps a good question to begin with would be: “What makes a church wild or out of order?” Often times those who have grown up knowing only the quiet or formal kind of church services assume that any kind of worship that includes spontaneity, clapping, or congregational response to the sermon should be categorized as “wild.” In fact, often times, anything unfamiliar is automatically rejected as out of order or wild. So, how can one tell if a church is wild?
Before the above question is addressed, maybe we could ask a similar question about a less controversial subject: “What constitutes a wild horse?” Would we consider a race horse wild because he is running at top speed around a track? No. Would we consider a circus horse wild because he walks on his hind feet? No. These animals are just doing what they have been trained to do. However, if a horse who has been trained to gently carry young children around a track suddenly takes off running he would be considered wild. Likewise, if a horse is being directed to carry his rider in the standard fashion and he continually rears up on his hind legs, he would be considered wild. The point being that wild is not about noise or activity; wild is about a lack of proper response and obedience. Bottom line: A horse that does not respond to his master is wild. This is true even if the horse is very quiet and subdued. If the master nudges his horse in the flanks as a signal to gallop and the horse does nothing, then the horse is wild – untamed.
So, what constitutes a wild church? A wild church is a group of people who are not responsive to their Master. If God is interested in one thing, but the worshippers are doing their own “religious thing,” then they are not being responsive to God. A true worshipper will not be interested in a place where religion rules. A true worshipper will be interested in a place where God rules; a place where his presence is entertained and His wishes are the driving force behind everything that takes place. Anything else is wild.
Christianity is a unique faith in that we believe our God is alive and interacts with His people. This characteristic makes it possible for church services to be dynamic; people can interact with God, not just with a ritual or a program. Whenever tradition or man-made rules trump true interaction with God, the worship service loses its power, because God, Himself, is the power behind Christian worship services.
I dare say that if modern-day Christians had an opportunity to sit in on some services that took place in the first century, some would consider their services to be wild. In Acts chapter 2 the Bible describes the first church service that ever took place. At that time a group of people interacted with the Holy Spirit in a dramatic way. This church group included, Peter, James, John and Mary, the mother of Jesus. They were noisy. They spoke in languages they had not learned. They were so lost in worship that some observers even thought the worshippers were drunk. But these first century Christians were not wild, they were the tamest people in town… they were responding to their Master.
Is your worship dictated by ritual and religion or does it center around a dynamic moving of God’s spirit upon your heart? When you worship God is it on His terms or on yours; Are you in control, or is He? If ritual and personal preference dominate your worship experience, you may be in a wild church. It might seem quiet and reverent, but if it leaves no place for the Spirit to move and interact with the worshippers, it is wild.
Psalms, the songbook of the Jews, describes some characteristics of true worship.
Psalm 47:1 commands: “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.”
Psalm 149:3 encourages us to “praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.”
In Psalms 150:3-5 worshippers are encouraged to “Praise him with a blast of the trumpet; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;praise him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals;praise him with loud clanging cymbals.”
Does your worship experience ever include any of the above? If not, you are missing a great, interactive celebration with God that will make church attendance a pleasure rather than an obligation. This kind of worship involves a great deal of noise and activity, but it is not wild.
Ever since the first century, when Jesus Christ established His church, there has been much controversy and heated debate about which worship styles are proper and pleasing to God. This is understandable since one’s faith is so close to the heart. But, is it possible that some believers could actually be more committed to worship styles than to God?
Perhaps a good question to begin with would be: “What makes a church wild or out of order?” Often times those who have grown up knowing only the quiet or formal kind of church services assume that any kind of worship that includes spontaneity, clapping, or congregational response to the sermon should be categorized as “wild.” In fact, often times, anything unfamiliar is automatically rejected as out of order or wild. So, how can one tell if a church is wild?
Before the above question is addressed, maybe we could ask a similar question about a less controversial subject: “What constitutes a wild horse?” Would we consider a race horse wild because he is running at top speed around a track? No. Would we consider a circus horse wild because he walks on his hind feet? No. These animals are just doing what they have been trained to do. However, if a horse who has been trained to gently carry young children around a track suddenly takes off running he would be considered wild. Likewise, if a horse is being directed to carry his rider in the standard fashion and he continually rears up on his hind legs, he would be considered wild. The point being that wild is not about noise or activity; wild is about a lack of proper response and obedience. Bottom line: A horse that does not respond to his master is wild. This is true even if the horse is very quiet and subdued. If the master nudges his horse in the flanks as a signal to gallop and the horse does nothing, then the horse is wild – untamed.
So, what constitutes a wild church? A wild church is a group of people who are not responsive to their Master. If God is interested in one thing, but the worshippers are doing their own “religious thing,” then they are not being responsive to God. A true worshipper will not be interested in a place where religion rules. A true worshipper will be interested in a place where God rules; a place where his presence is entertained and His wishes are the driving force behind everything that takes place. Anything else is wild.
Christianity is a unique faith in that we believe our God is alive and interacts with His people. This characteristic makes it possible for church services to be dynamic; people can interact with God, not just with a ritual or a program. Whenever tradition or man-made rules trump true interaction with God, the worship service loses its power, because God, Himself, is the power behind Christian worship services.
I dare say that if modern-day Christians had an opportunity to sit in on some services that took place in the first century, some would consider their services to be wild. In Acts chapter 2 the Bible describes the first church service that ever took place. At that time a group of people interacted with the Holy Spirit in a dramatic way. This church group included, Peter, James, John and Mary, the mother of Jesus. They were noisy. They spoke in languages they had not learned. They were so lost in worship that some observers even thought the worshippers were drunk. But these first century Christians were not wild, they were the tamest people in town… they were responding to their Master.
Is your worship dictated by ritual and religion or does it center around a dynamic moving of God’s spirit upon your heart? When you worship God is it on His terms or on yours; Are you in control, or is He? If ritual and personal preference dominate your worship experience, you may be in a wild church. It might seem quiet and reverent, but if it leaves no place for the Spirit to move and interact with the worshippers, it is wild.
Psalms, the songbook of the Jews, describes some characteristics of true worship.
Psalm 47:1 commands: “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.”
Psalm 149:3 encourages us to “praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.”
In Psalms 150:3-5 worshippers are encouraged to “Praise him with a blast of the trumpet; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;praise him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals;praise him with loud clanging cymbals.”
Does your worship experience ever include any of the above? If not, you are missing a great, interactive celebration with God that will make church attendance a pleasure rather than an obligation. This kind of worship involves a great deal of noise and activity, but it is not wild.
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