Beyond The Basics

I’ve been having a hard time listening to worship music lately.

Ever since the news about the International House of Prayer came out last year, I’ve been evaluating the theology of many of the songs and I’m just not sure how they fit within a biblical framework right now. Not that the worship songs I used to love are unbiblical; I’m just not sure right now.

Not to mention the potential emotional hype and manipulation found in much of the music. It’s got me questioning if many of the times I thought I was encountering God were actually just moments during which my emotions were unknowingly being manipulated into “feeling” spiritual. Come to think of it, so much of the exhortations and worship centered around “feeling” God’s presence and love.

Pretty tough spot for a worship leader to be.

Side note: I’m incredibly thankful that the Lord has guided me and my family to a church that sings theologically rich songs. I’ve been brought to tears during worship several times since we found our current church because of the depth of the words that we were singing, not because of some sort of emotional swell in the music.

But I tried listening to some worship music the other day. I miss it. So I started listening to Shane and Shane, because they are pretty solid, right?

Side note: Yes, they are.

Anyway, their cover of dc Talk’s “In The Light” came on.

As I listened, I kept getting the feeling like something was in my eye, like dust or something.

Why did this song affect me in such an emotionally significant way?

I mean, when I was a young teen this song was an incredibly popular and powerful prayer regarding the struggle every day to stay faithful in the face of temptation and human nature. The worship songs we sang in church never quite captured the human struggle of life and the emotional highs and lows of growing up like this song did. The song is all about how easy it is too do the things we hate, and not do the things we know we should do, and how desperately we need Jesus to deliver us from our sinful desires.

Fast forward twenty five years.

One of the members of that incredibly popular trio now has a very questionable walk with the Lord (though he would deny that). We’ve seen nearly every single significant spiritual leader of the last 25 years either fall into serious sin or have their serious sinful lifestyle exposed. Those shepherds who were supposed to protect the flock turned out to be the ones who devoured the flock.

I even walked away from the Lord for a time, and even when I came back to the Lord I became obsessed with a cult leader and his elite group of “end time messengers,” envisioning myself as one of them.

It all felt like such a betrayal.

It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. When I was a kid, seeing all these super-righteous leaders that could do no wrong, I had no idea how hard it would be to faithfully follow the Lord. Of course, now I know.

Now, when I read the bible, I see all the kings of Judah who started out well but fell into disobedience in their later years:

Solomon.

Rehoboam.

Asa.

Jehoshaphat.

Joash.

Amaziah.

Uzziah.

Hezekiah.

It’s not easy to stay faithful for an entire lifetime. It’s considerably easier to give in to our wicked desires, especially as we become older and more cynical. And when you add money and power to that equation, well, it’s no wonder we see so many leaders of large Christian ministries fall into deep sin.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Can you imagine saying this on your deathbed? Can you imagine being as confident as Paul that you had run a good race and stayed faithful your whole life, knowing you will receive a reward in the next age?

It’s clear to me, based on the overall storyline of Scripture, that the most important part of life, and the most difficult, is the end. It doesn’t matter how we start. It doesn’t matter how fervent we are in our faith or how passionate we feel about the Lord in our teens and twenties if we don’t continue to walk faithfully with the Lord in our sixties, seventies, or eighties.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Do justice.

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Remember the oppressed. Feed the poor. Have integrity in your business dealings. Cheat no one. Live generously.

Love kindness.

Have compassion on those who do not deserve compassion. Forgive those who refuse to forgive you. Care for those who have less than you. Remember that everyone has their own story and their own struggle.

Walk humbly.

Don’t think too highly of yourself. Prioritize the needs of others. Ask others about their wants, needs, and desires, and then help them achieve those things. Be hospitable with your time and your home. Submit yourself to God and to others.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

Confession of sin to each other is one of the most important aspects I’ve found to staying faithful. Those big time celebrity Christian types that have seen their darkest sin come to light are often the same ones who preach that we only need to confess sin to God. Having others in our lives that will hear our confession is absolutely essential to a Christian walk. I’m convinced we cannot successfully run our race without this as part of our lives.

Lastly, pray.

This is, admittedly, the hardest part for me right now. Being involved in houses of prayer over the years, and all stemming from IHOPKC, has created a paradigm of striving in prayer that I’ve come to recognize as highly unhealthy. And since prayer has been such hard work over the years, it’s very difficult for me to shift my mindset into one of rest while I pray. Sometimes all I can do is pray the Lord’s Prayer.

But still, I pray. And so should you. Because I want to stay faithful and finish the race. Because not many people do. Because the only way to stay faithful is to stay in the light, as He is in the light. Because I’m still a man in need of a savior.