“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 HCSB
In the Lord’s Prayer we ask that the Kingdom of God come to earth as in heaven. Both John the Baptist and Jesus called for repentance since the Kingdom of God was here. Jesus also said that one could not see the Kingdom of God unless they were born again (John 3:3). So how do we advance the Kingdom of God on the earth?
We cannot do anything apart from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here on earth with us. We know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. So to see the Kingdom of God advance the Holy Spirit must be at work in us. When we pray that God’s Kingdom be established here on the earth we should keep in mind the Apostle Paul’s words – The Kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For people to experience the Kingdom of God we must walk in Righteousness and walk by the Spirit so we can display the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is not about the flesh. Paul told us the Kingdom of God cannot be inherited by flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 15:50). It is only through the Holy Spirit the Kingdom is revealed here on earth. Only those born of the Spirit can see and inherit the Kingdom of God.
So when we pray that the Kingdom of God come then we must abide in Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit. This way people can experience the Kingdom of God by the fruits of the Spirit.
“Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23 NASB2020
There has been a lot of debate about popular worship groups in the news. There are some Christians who have criticized groups like Hillsong, Bethel Music, Elevation Worship and recently Maverick City Music. Some of the criticisms stems from the failings of leadership in those houses of worship, other criticism is the embrace of secular artists and their music being popular in the public. It can be a very tense debate and is not always easy to understand all that is happening.
When a song is written specifically for worshipping God, then we should agree that song is Holy and set apart for God. Many of these worship groups and Christian musicians have provided wonderful songs for the Body of Christ to sing. The groups mentioned above were made popular by the church before going mainstream. How does one handle the fame of a new song that captivates millions? That is the tension in the Worship Music Industry.
We should use scriptures as our guide. In Leviticus and again in Ezekiel God instructs the priests to teach the people the difference between what is Holy and what is common, what is clean and what is unclean. Worship songs created for worship are to be Holy. They are set apart for God. These are songs that should not be played for the common use of people in dance clubs and parties. As we have seen throughout history these worship songs have supplied the church as a whole with new sounds to worship God. There are various genres but most of the time these worship songs transcend culture, language, and generations. Think about the old hymns that we still sing today like “Amazing Grace.”
However, we must also recognize that there are Christian artists that have decided to go into the mainstream music industry and make songs for the consumption of the public. The idea is to offer songs that are uplifting and free of many of the things we hear in music today (violence, sex, foul language, etc.). There is a fine line and always a danger in going into the music industry because it is an industry that is full of demonic strongholds. What other industry can you think of that has so many premature deaths due to addiction, mental illness, tormenting spirits and violence?
First we must recognize that we cannot bring things to the altar that are common and present them to God. We cannot take music that was made for the world and come and bring that into the sanctuary and try to cover it with Jesus’ name. This happens when we try to take popular songs and Christianity them to attract people to the church. Our worship belongs to God, not to man, not to the world. We should be signing songs that glorify God. Also we should not be bringing people to worship God because they play well in the club. We see this in the church when secular musicians are “hired” to play for churches. Again what we bring to God is to be Holy and Clean.
Once these worship songs are popular we should not take them and rewrite them for fleshly desires for the sake of hearing a good sound or making them popular to play in clubs. Those songs have been set apart for God, not for the world. We must distinguish between the Holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. That why it is a good thing to see many churches around the world playing songs that were intended for the glory of God.
Of course not every song created by a Christian artist is created only to be played in the church. It really does depend on the intent of the artist. We do have Christian artists that want to sing for the world and speak about their faith. Instead of condemning them, let us pray for them because the industry is full of demonic strongholds and various spiritual hosts of wickedness. They need prayer in how to navigate the industry and to be salt and light. However, there are times that it will be necessary for them to set themselves apart from others in the music industry and stand for what is right. They cannot be afraid of being canceled by the public because of their faith and stance with God’s word. They must be Holy as God is Holy. That can cause tension for Christian artists in dealing with secular artists and producers in the music industry.
That is why it is important that we teach what the difference is between what is common and Holy, what is clean and unclean. To provide support for our fellow brethren in the face of darkness in the music industry.
Finally, for the songs that are created for the sole expression of worshipping God, we should not cancel out those songs because of the moral failings of leaders or members of the worship band. God provided a way for the priests to atone for the sins of the people through sacrifice and mandates to be made clean. Now we have a High Priest in Jesus that makes us Holy and Clean before the Father. We should remember that those that have fallen can and should get back up. Remember Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We should pray for their repentance and restoration. Remember those songs are offered to God and not to man. We sing worship songs that glorify God and make His name known. The status of our sin condition does not change the value of those worship songs we offer up to God. For He alone is worthy of our praise.
Let us continue to war in the spirit, especially for our fellow Christians in the music industry. They need our prayers and our battle is not with them but the principalities at work in that industry. Let us bring down these strongholds in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let the church create a sound that not only heaven hears but the world hears as well – that our God is great, that Jesus is King.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
Romans 1:16 NKJV
I have noticed several ads by churches to appeal to the unbeliever. I have seen churches host yoga events, offer Christian Zen, coffee hours, comedy clubs, even wine tasting events, and serving beer during service. These ideas are to get more people to come to church by appealing to the things their flesh likes to do. Why? Because who wants to sit through a boring church service.
These ideas may get people into the door but they will not usher them into the Kingdom. Personally, I believe we are better to leave from inside our churches and meet people where they are located. However, this is not the point of my message. What really attracts people to church?
Many people who go to church go for one reason – they believe in God. Most people who do not attend church do not believe in God. There are those in between the two groups that may go to church for some reason and not believe in God; or they may believe in God but have stopped attending church. So the key to getting people to come to church is the gospel. You don’t need a gimmick or some worldly plan to draw people to church. They just need to hear the gospel.
Jesus commissioned us to go into the nations and make disciples. He did not tell us to fill our churches with people but to make disciples. Disciples of Christ are far more effective in advancing the gospel and the kingdom than church attendees. We cannot measure the success of our church by the size of our members. Take a look at Jesus’ own ministry. Jesus invested in 12 men. He disciples them but there were thousands of others that followed Him. However, when His teachings were hard and when he was arrested those followers were no where to be found. Even Jesus lost His church. It was the 12 that remained. Then one betrayed him and handed him over to the Jews as it was prophesied.
It is estimated that about 500 people witnessed Jesus’ ascension. However, only about 120 were found in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. However, on that day Peter preached and 3000 were saved. How was this possible? The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is the Gospel that has the power to save men. The truth of the gospel is what sets people free from their sin, and born again as a new creation in Christ. Your church events will not keep people in church. They may come to see what is happening but your event is not a reason enough to stay. We need to get back to the basics of training up disciples and sending them out into the world. It is what the early church did.
If we make the gospel the central tool of evangelism we will attract people to Jesus. That is just how powerful the gospel is, even today. We do not need to be ashamed to preach the gospel to those who do not know Jesus. It isn’t enough to get them to believe but we have to make disciples so the gospel will advance. Imagine the church full of disciples of Jesus? Think about the impact we could make on the World. Look at the disciples of Jesus and the Apostle Paul and how they transformed the world and still their acts are impacting the world today and drawing people to Christ.
The gospel is all we need. We do not need to sell t-shirts or come up with other gimmicks to get people to come to church. We just need to disciple them and help cultivate a culture where we are intimate with Christ. That way no matter what happens in a person’s life they will always turn to their rock of salvation – Jesus Christ.
22 For the sakeof his great nametheLordwill not rejecthis people, because theLordwas pleased to makeyou his own.23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against theLordby failing to prayfor you. And I will teachyou the way that is good and right.24 But be sure to feartheLordand serve him faithfully with all your heart;considerwhat greatthings he has done for you.25 Yet if you persistin doing evil, both you and your kingwill perish.” 1 Samuel 12: 22-25
Samuel was called and appointed by God to be the prophet over Israel. At the time Israel had no king because God acted as Israel’s king. However, Israel told Samuel that his sons were not like him and they wanted a king. God granted them their wish and gave them a king but told Samuel that Israel had did an evil thing and rejected God as their king. Samuel appoints Saul as the king over Israel and reminds Israel that what they have done was evil in God’s eyes but that God would not reject them since Israel was His own. As Samuel addressed Israel he noted that he did not want to sin against the Lord and said that he would fulfill his role as prophet and pray for Israel and continue to teach them the way of what was good and right.
In the Old Testament we see how the prophet and the king operated over Israel. The kings of the OT ruled over Israel but it was the prophet of God that would tell the kings and the people what God was saying. Often times the kings would call the prophet when they did not know what to do in a situation like war or when they had a problem they couldn’t solve. So the prophet would be the one to come to the king with solutions from God and let them know what God was saying. The prophet also spoke to the people to remind them of God and to follow after His ways. The prophet of God was pure before the Lord because it was often times the prophet that would act as the high priest for Israel before the Lord.
Today we do not have a king but we do have a President and many others who govern us. Often we look to our leaders to be the one that lead the nations in regards to upholding the law and morality. However, the church is supposed to play the role of the prophet. We are to be the one that has our ear to God and tell the people what God is saying. Like Samuel our responsibility is to pray and teach the people what is good and right. We can’t rely on the government to do that nor does God expect the government to do so.
In the bible it was the prophets that God relied on to return the people back to God. Also, the kings relied on these prophets for wisdom and direction when trouble came their way. It is the same today we should be in a position that our government leaders come to the church for wisdom and guidance. No matter who the king was God always had a role and positioned His prophets to speak to the king and to pray and go before God to learn the will and purpose of God.
The church more than ever needs to understand her role as the prophet in regards to our nations’ governments. We are the ones that pray for the leaders and the people. We are to be the examples the people follow. When the nation is facing problems we are to go before God and get answers and solutions. We do not need to be in the king’s position to have influence and power. We have that through Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings but we must steward well the job given to us. We must fulfill our role like Samuel because we must give an account to God on what He has entrusted us with. A nation is a reflection of the righteousness or wickedness of God’s people.
Reflections 