The Main Attraction At Church

The Main Attraction At Church

We need to allow God to become the main attraction at church once again. Let us as worshippers and leaders become tireless in our insistence that the church is for God, about God, through God, and for the glory of His Son - Jesus Christ!

Are there any other individuals that are as hungry for this type of verticality as I am? Every person longs for "transcendence." God placed that desire within every person. It is the "God-shaped" vacuum! This cavity of the soul requires attention and filling! Solomon was crushed by the realization that on his own he could not fashion a happiness or satisfaction that would endure beyond the momentary. Listen to his confession in Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also he has put eternity in man's heart…" If there was ever a man that attempted to find satisfaction down every road that life offered, it was Solomon. Ecclesiastes documents Solomon's quest for pleasure, constructing a palace that it took your breath away, collecting jewels, and other possessions. He enjoyed a lifestyle of the rich and famous.

If that kind of wealth and horizontal satisfaction was the ultimate fulfillment in life then why did he pen the following words; "So I hated life, because of what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and striving after the wind." Ecclesiastes 2:17. Solomon discovered what so many fail to see in history - there is a repetitive loop of personal futility  of believing that pursuing the horizontal will fill the empty cavity of our soul. Finally Solomon testifies that God had placed eternity into man. What is eternity? Eternity is a deep abiding sense of something outside the boundaries of our senses. Our consciousness of God is part of our nature, and the  suppression of it is part of our sin. Romans 1:18-21 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

We long for transcendence/eternity but we cannot find it! The implications of Solomon's statement in Ecclesiastes 3:11 are staggering; people are looking for the eternity that God created for them to long for, but they cannot find it on their own. C.S. Lewis stated it this way; "…the infinite relief of having once got rid of the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all your life." [C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity," (Simon & Schuster: Touchstone, 1996) p114]. Transcendence is a healthy dose of insignificance to humanity whose root sin is PRIDE! Transcendence cuts us down to our proper size before an awesome God The fact that you and I are are not significant is a wonderful freeing discovery and that is what the church is for (James McDonald - Vertical Church).

I experience "transcendence" when:

•   something infinite reminds me I am finite

•   all that is knowable reminds me how little I am

•   I accept One who exists outside the boundaries of human knowing, who calls me to bow down and serve Him as the true Center of the universe

A Real Encounter With God

A Real Encounter With God

A real encounter with God changes everything. First of all it magnifies the Lord! Secondly it puts me, my ego, my sin, and my burdens in their rightful place.

Isn't that what churches are supposed to offer? Are we attempting to offer an encounter with the glory of God in creation as opposed to a real encounter with God in a way that only the church can provide? Is it possible the "manifested presence" of God is our greatest loss in the church world? Did not Moses declare; "Is it not your going with us that we are distinct among all the peoples of the earth?" Could this be part of the reason that the lost are not being found? Where is God's presence, really? The lost are not being found because the GLORY of God is not revealed in the church! The church world has shamefully become predictable and entertaining. Church was never intended to be a place where we serve God to the exclusion of meeting with Him.

Because of our church culture, we have perfected the ability to crouch within that culture instead of penetrating the culture that God has called us to. Evangelism is not winning people to doctrinal options and denominational loyalties. Evangelism is placing us deliberately into circumstances that will allow opportunities to witness about Christ as Lord. WHY? Our job is to get people to Jesus Christ and to get them back to Him in profound life-altering ways every week of the year. Church should be about helping people to discover and experience that reality fifty-two weeks a year. No personal quiet time, Christian book of the month, no community or small group or service can substitute for the absence of God coming down to meet with His church corporately. Instead of seeing ourselves as people attempting to connect with people, let us see the church as people attempting to connect with God and helping others to do the same. Eventually people vacate churches where God is not obvious, present, and working. Getting people back to church is pointless unless God comes back first. Let's get vertical!

THe Dog Poo of Life!

The Dog Poo of Life by Bruce Goddard [View From A Hearse Blog] [Re-Post]

Bubbles Mountain, located in Acadia National Forest in Maine, is 872 feet tall and is for most folks an easy hike to get to the top. But for me at least - it did take some effort.

I was told it would take 20 minutes to get to the top. That was probably close to being accurate. The goal was to hike to the top and enjoy the spectacular view and to discover the mountain top experience.

There were six of us that climbed the mountain. The trail was rocky and a little treacherous and for much of the way we had to go in single file. Treacherous in that some of the path was straight up and a fellow my age could easily sprain an ankle or break a leg or even a neck. The people with me were in the same boat.

But we reached our goal, the top of the mountain. It was definitely a gorgeous sight and there was at bit of accomplishment that we all made it up in spite of the obstacles. The mountain top experience was real but it was temporary. We spent a few minutes looking around and taking pictures and then it was time to head back down the mountain which was someone easier than the trip up.

Just as the end was in sight and our little excursion was almost done and we were walking out of woods - a not so funny thing happened.

I stepped in a big pile of dog poo. That could only happen to me.

I made an attempt to scrape it off my shoes before I joined my five companions in our vehicle but the shoes were not dog poo friendly. The treads were new and deep and dog poo was in every tread. And the odor I brought with me was not appreciated by the other folks in the car.

I finally got back to the hotel and tried to clean the shoes. I got most of it out of the not so dog poo friendly shoes but not all of it. A little bit of dog poo goes a long way - so I put the shoes in a bag and sealed it up. A couple of nights later I got the equipment I needed to clean the shoes and I was back in service with my not so dog poo friendly Nike’s.

Now to the point.

Life is an incredible journey. The mountain top experiences are wonderful but the prize is always in the journey. Sometimes there is dog poo in our path. We surely want to avoid it if possible but sometimes we just step in it. We are negatively affected and the people around us are negatively affected. And it can take some time to get over it.

The choice we have is to not let the dog poo of life rob us from the beauty of the journey.

It is definitely a choice we make.

22 Ways To Stay Humble

22 Ways To Humble Ourselves
by MARK ALTROGGE on SEPTEMBER 2, 2012


Christians should be the most humble people on earth.

We should be so because we have come to know something of God’s infinite greatness and our own unworthiness before him. Here are some reasons why we should humble ourselves before God and some suggestions on how to do it.

Why we should humble ourselves

– Because Christ was humble and we should imitate him.
– So that God can exalt us as he sees fit. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10
– Because “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). We shouldn’t need any more reasons than this. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God resisting me and I need all the grace I can get.
– Because there is safety in humility. Pride comes before a fall – the humble are less likely to fall, and if they do they don’t have as far to fall.

How to humble ourselves

– Contemplate the infinite greatness of God
– Consider your innumerable sins against God and the unbelievable mercy he’s poured out on you
– Contemplate your human frailty. Your every breath and heartbeat, your eyes, ears, strength, and mental health are all from God. He could remove them at any time.
– Contemplate your complete inability to control a single thing in this life.
– Realize that every good thing, talent and gift you have is a gift from God which he could remove at any time.
– Contemplate that if God did not keep you from sin you’d plunge headlong into it
– Confess your sins and temptations to God and others
– Ask forgiveness of those you sin against, even if they sinned against you first. Even if they don’t ask your forgiveness in return.
– Be quick to listen and slow to share your own opinions
– Don’t be so sure you’re right all the time
– Consider that there are multitudes far more gifted and godly than you are
– Cultivate thankfulness
– Contemplate your many areas of weakness – share them with others
– Realize you’re dispensable. If you died today, things would go on just fine without you.
– Realize that the things that bother you about others may be things you do as well
– Invite constructive criticism.
– Serve others. Wash others’ feet. Take on lowly jobs in your church.
– Take an interest in others. Consider others more important than yourself.
– Pray.  Prayer is an act of dependence and humility.
– Ask for help, wisdom and prayer from others.
– When others compliment you, thank them, then give all the glory to God in silent prayer.
– Rejoice when others are promoted, praised or honored.

What would you add?

P.S. I’ve got to add one more.  Probably the most important one:

–Regularly contemplate the cross.  Nothing should humble us more than the perfect, sinless, Son of God willingly pouring out his life to rescue those who hated him and rebelled against him.

Reprint from Mark Altroggie