A NOTCH HIGHER, A DIG DEEPER

On the way to the movies to watch Hancock tonight, I bumped into a lady. I've not seen her in church in a while. The last time she was absent from church for a season was when she went to the States to take care of some stuff. We smiled and shook hands. I asked why I have not seen her in church for some time now.

"Well, Pastor, I now go to another church- where the Spirit is present in worship!"

I said, "I'm glad you still worship eventhough it's in another church."

I continued, "What do you mean by the 'Spirit is present?'"

She answered, "A church where there's more life and freedom in worship, where people can shout, dance, run, lie on the floor and be more exhuberantly expressive to God!"

I told her, "I'm sorry, but I don't think you got the definition of the Spirit's presence right." But even before I finished my sentence, she remarked,

"I mean Spirit-filled. Pastor, you're our favorite worship leader...When my family noticed some months ago that you're not leading anymore and learned of the possibility of your leaving for the States, we decided to move to a more Spirit-filled church."

I seriously prayed in my mind and took every word from her last statement captive and placed it at the feet of Christ. I went on to explain what the term/phrase meant Biblically, theologically and practically as concise as I can.

1. Being Spirit-filled is not a subjective reality but an observable and measurable reality as it was in the life of Barnabas and the deacons named in Acts 6.

2. When the Spirit fills an individual or a community of believers, expect to find permeating qualities of joy, gratitude and humility.

3. When the Spirit fills an individual or community, do not expect to find a life or atmosphere permeated by complaining, discontent, lack of gratutude and arrogance.

4. When the Spirit fills an individual or a community, expect to find permeating qualities like love, joy, peace, kindness, goodnessm faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

After explaining, she said she's coming back to our church. I told her that whether she returns or not really depends on what she wants, and that she should be sensitive to the Lord's will. But I respectfully asked her to stay where she's currently attending and be a blessing to that community. She still said she might come on Sunday.

As we walked away from each other, I wondered about what she said, what I said, and what God might be saying by allowing me to encounter that lady in the mall on my day off!

Quickly, I remembered what WA Criswell once said, "God sends people into our lives just when we need them, to say the right word, His word, just when we need it."

You see, just this week I convened our church's new Worship Creative Planning Team composed of people who have been active in the Worship ministry with discernible hearts for worshipping and serving our first Love, Jesus Christ. The team agreed that we do need to ask the Spirit to take our worship life as a church and as individuals a notch higher! The Spirit has taken our 5000-member church into transitions and growing levels of worship expression. But we believe, with the rest of the Pastoral Leadership, that we must never be too comfortable in the notch the Lord has taken us to. We must ask Him to take us higher in our worship, we do that by knowing Him deeper!

Each August, the Worship Studies class of FEBIAS College of Bible, among other groups from as far as Korea that visit GCF throughout the year, attends our service to learn about the innovations GCF worship has become known for! But beyond innovations and excellence, I pray that we will be known for our heart for and expressiveness in Spirit-directed worship, and a genuine yearning to be led deeper in it.

Does our worshipping community possess a discernible permeating qualities of joy, gratitude and humility? Or is there an atmosphere permeated by complaining, discontent, lack of gratutude and arrogance. Can a visitor find permeating qualities like love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Can a visitor observe and conclude that "God is really among [us]!"?