GodBlog

Church Tomorrow

It's interesting, if only to me, to note the dynamics of whether I am playing or not playing at church.

I am not playing tomorrow, and whilst this is a pleasant change, it is also a source of slight disappointment for me. I simply love to play. To play in church when the worship is flowing is an immense privilege - and a great personal joy for me.

I play in a band. We actually played this evening, and I have just got in from the gig. It was fine, as gigs go - and I got to play nice and loud and share some good friendship with the other members of the band, all of whom I like tremendously. It was great - but there was an emptiness to it as well. We were paid well for what we did and we performed a function. It's very different for me when leading worship.

To play music in church adds a wonderful extra dimension for me. The absolute need for the presence of God to be felt makes it much more vital and important to start with. The audience in church is definitely not just an audience. They join in and take a very active part in everything that happens. Singing, praying and worshipping in many different ways. The sincere desire in each of us to get close to God raises the event up to a higher level.

It's fulfilling, satisfying, uplifting, nourishing and so much more. I never feel a sense of emptiness afterwards. I suspect that it is in this environment that I truly achieve my potential as a musician. Having played in church since I was 7, I suppose I must have 35 years experience of doing this sort of thing. Ultimately, though, it is not about experience. The real joy is to use music to invite people into the presence of God and to see them respond.

If you're not a Christian it going to be tough for you to understand - but there is something very special about worshipping God using music. Come along one Sunday and find out for yourself, if you like. I think you'll notice the special atmosphere, although it's not way-out or weird at all. There's just this wonderful sense that God is there. It feels fantastic.

So, I am not playing tomorrow. I shall try to enter into the worship as fully as I can from my seat in the congregation. I find this harder than when I am playing, but the practice will do me good.

John Preaching

Done well, it is the most sublime joy. Done badly, it is like a never-ending trial of the worst kind.

How fortunate I am to be part of a church where poor preaching is the exception, rather than the rule.

John Wilthew is speaking today. He preaches with eloquence fired up with the enthusiasm which comes from truly knowing God.

What I particularly like is his understanding of people's concerns and difficulties. He stops when he is speaking about the joy of being in a big group of christians and recognizes those who do not function well in such a group.

It's thoughtful. It's considered - and in so being it enables him to deliver a very powerful message in a very gentle manner.

I never feel pressurised or compelled to do things or be 'obedient' to God. Instead, I feel a love for the man speaking, a love for God, and a willingness to follow God in any way I can.

John helps me to overcome my difficulties with issues of authority and enables me to follow with joy - instead of being forced into grim compliance.

For that one thing alone I am so very grateful. It reinforces my view that different chruch settings are right for different people at different times of their lives.

Right now I am convinced I am in the right place. It's cool, because in general I am sure of so little.

New Church

I really should mention that I have deftly switched churches since I started writing this occasional blog.

The reason is simple, I needed to find a church at which I could worship with my wife (TL), and the one I was attending wasn't working out for us as a couple, although I liked a lot about it myself.

I am happy now, on both counts. The new church is a wonderful place for me and for us as a couple. It's called County Church, Wansbeck - and is, of course, in the delightful rurality of Northumberland. We were pointed there by my esteemed friend, Tim Sokell - and I am so glad he did.

I've left this post for long enough to be sure that the honeymoon effect is not too strong, and so when I say that I am bowled over by the strength and sincerity of the love shown in the church, I really mean it. Here, I feel, are people living the life and not just going through the motions of christianity. It's like a breath of fresh air.

The worship is relaxed and open. The teaching is great and I have a lot of respect for the leaders. I have never been in a church before that so closely matches my own vision of how church can and should be. It is profoundly humbling and at the same time massively challenging. I find myself wanting to take a full part in the church and I was delighted to be welcomed, along with TL, into membership this Sunday.

This is also the first time in a long time that I have been part of a local church. For one reason or another I have often driven 25 niles or more to church. It's rather nice to have a church that is just a short drive away, and this adds to our ability to be involved on all levels.

I am under no illusions, there will certainly be hard times, but I feel with so many hearts most definitely in the right place, the chance for success in adversity is so much greater.

I'd better stop now, before this looks too much like an "I'm alright, jack" sort of posting. I'll get back to soul-searching pretty soon. You'll see.

Gifts of the spirit

At our church, we have been considering the gifts of the spirit for the last few weeks. If you want to know what the gifts of the spirit are - try HERE.

In the Bible, noteably in 1 Corinthians 12, it states clearly that these gifts are there to build people up, and yet they so often end up dividing the church - particularly the gifts of prophesy, knowledge and discernment.

Why? I think it is because a certain type of person discovers that to express themselves in spiritual terms, as if inspired by God, lends a weight and validity to their feelings. So, if they are concerned about someone, they "receive a word of knowledge" about them. After all, it's pretty hard to ignore something direct from God.

Bolstered by this success, it's time for a bit of prophesy - often of the "doom and gloom" variety. The rhetoric tends to flow along the lines of God weeping at our lack of obedience and longing for us to turn once more to Him and follow more closely, lest we slip away etc. etc. It may even target, quite openly, certain people in the church or group.

Christians - the new unchurched?

So, why bother to go to church? It certainly is not the no-brainer that many christians consider it to be. I encounter more and more lovely sincere people who have a very real faith, yet who struggle to find a church that they feel they can commit to. For some, there very idea of church is now too difficult to even approach.

I suspect this, and related matters, will provide meat for many of the entries here. I don't want to attempt to be clever or go too deep with this right now, but I thought I would write down why it is that /I/ go to church.

I was in a conversation with TL, and I found myself describing the things that prompted me to go to church. It was fascinating, because I had never really put words to it in quite that way. For much of my early life, attendance at church was a forgone conclusion. Now, it is very much a personal choice. I have spent considerable periods of my life completely away from the church, more than twelve years at one point, so I reckon I have seen both sides of this equation.