My "Mission Statement"

Recently, scanning my Facebook wall, I noticed a few friends had posted “mission statements”.  At first when I read them, I experienced some nasty flashbacks from corporate meetings of my pre-stay-at-home-mom days.  I’ve participated in think tanks tasked with creating corporate mission statements.  I think the idea was that we had to come upon some agreement as to where our focus should be.  And for a business, this is very important.  If a business lacks focus, it may bunny trail itself into bankruptcy.  I heavily doubted, though, that I could contribute to a mission statement destined to be instrumental to a company’s corporate success.  I majored in linguistics in college, not business. 

The term “mission statement” doesn’t appear in the bible by the way.  The word “mission” itself, though, does occur, but only four times in the ESV translation.  The first is in a conversation between Samson’s father and an angel.  The angel was announcing to Samson’s father that his wife would have a baby and that he would be under a Nazirite vow.  Samson’s father questioned the angel as to why this would be true and asked “what will be his mission?” (Judges 13)

The next two are within the same story in 1 Samuel 15, when Samuel and Saul have a discussion about the fact that Saul had been sent on a mission to destroy the Amalekites.  (And those who know the story know that Saul lost focus in his mission)

The fourth, in 2 Corinthians 11:12, is used in phrase “boasted mission” in referring to false teachers, which I suppose contributes little to this discussion.  But the other instances do seem to imply that having a mission is not un-biblical, but notice the missions were received from God.

When I look up mission, the definitions that seem to apply to this discussion are as follows

a. A special assignment given to a person or group: an agent on a secret mission.

b. A combat operation assigned to a person or military unit.

The second definition may seem at first not to apply to this discussion, but consider this, that we are soldiers of the Cross as believers. “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  (Ephesians 6:12)  

Either way, a mission, biblically speaking, and even by its own definition, is an assignment.  Certainly as believers, we are not allowed to make up our own mission.

If you are looking to find a mission statement by which to live your life to achieve some earthly goal, even if it’s feeding the poor or healing the sick, then you might as well just come up with your own or maybe go check out something from the self-help section.  Search your heart, your desires, your willingness, but don’t search the Bible.  The Bible urges over and again for our focus to be on heavenly things.

Consider Jesus.  Jesus healed the sick.  Jesus fed multitudes.  But Jesus passed up many sick and there are many he didn’t feed.  Just look at what he said to Judas when he complained that the nard which Mary poured on Jesus was not sold to feed the poor.  Jesus said to him, “The poor you will always have with you.  You will not always have me.”  (Matthew 26:11)

Jesus rejected attempts of others to make him king.  He had no interest in delivering Israel from the Romans.  He wanted to deliver them from their sins, and he kept his eyes fixed ahead to the cross and the Church that would be birthed through his death, the kingdom that would be won that was a heavenly one. (Hebrews 12:1-3, Matthew 4:1-11)

Now the apostles were also on mission from God.  “Apostles” means sent ones.  Now we have to be careful, because not all are apostles.  In fact, apostles were personally sent by Jesus and also had to be witnesses to the resurrection (this excludes everyone living).  Be careful not to think too highly of yourself and receive as your own every mission given to the apostles.  Jesus told the apostles to go into all of the world. (Matthew 28)  And indeed the church is still tasked with sending his gospel into all the world, to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins, and to make sure this message reaches as many as possible. 

But is it really true, what Keith Green sang in his song, “Jesus commands us to go.  It’s the exception if we stay”?  Is everyone to go into all the world?  What then do we make of his commands to slaves to obey their earthly masters, for people to stay at home and not be busy bodies and work quietly with their hands and wives to love and serve their husbands and parents bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord and to manage their households?  What are we to do with Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 for believers “remain with God” “in whatever condition he was called”?  This should be considered carefully by every Christian.

So what do I know about God’s indisputable instructions to me from his word?  My focus, first of all, is to be on the things above and not earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-3, 1 John 2:15-17)  I am also warned that a woman who is “self-indulgent are dead even while she lives.” (1 Timothy 5:6)   I am to love and raise my children in the training and admonition of the Lord.  I am to obey my husband with reverence and respect (Ephesians 5:33).  I am to work with my hands. (Thessalonians)  I am to keep myself unstained from the world, for according to James, this is part of pure and faultless religion.  (So is feeding the poor, by the way, so I suppose I should also not resent cooking dinner for at least my family).  I am to practice hospitality (Romans 12).  I suppose I should at least practice this on my family until guests come along.  For if I treat my family worse than outsiders then God will not be pleased.

This list is getting awfully long.  I finally gave up giving specific scripture references for all these things, partly because they are repeated so many times in the New Testament it’s hard to miss them.  Go to the epistles and you will find all these things, or something similar, in almost every letter.  When I look at this list, a list that’s actually only partial, the more I see that I am neither focused on it nor achieving it.  In fact, I fail daily.  In the light of the Sermon on the Mount, I break the commandments daily.  So my mission is to repent daily (to beg for grace, in fact, to even want to repent.)  I will daily seek forgiveness for my sins and maintain a proper view of myself in the sight of God.  I will constantly bring myself to the mirror of God’s word to keep me focused.  I am lost without his light.  Without his Spirit and his word, I am aimless and wander in darkness.  Thanks be to God for not leaving us in darkness but blessing us with his precious Word and the gift of his Spirit.

I just want to give a word of encouragement to those who may seem overwhelmed at the idea of having a mission statement or that they are failing somehow not to have a “five-year plan” or something of the sort.  This is very popular to “preach” in business training seminars and such and I am sure it’s of value to entrepreneurs and those on in rigorous training for the Olympics.  But are we in “sin” if we don’t have such a plan or mission statement?  I’ve actually heard preachers teach as if it were sin of which we need to repent.

I would like wind up this post by quoting the Apology to the Augsburg Confession by Phillip Melanchthon as a defense of the refutation by the Catholic Church of the Augsburg Confession.  A short and perhaps inadequate definition for those unfamiliar with the history of the reformation, but you can go here to find a lengthier description.

“[There are] traditions [which have] obscured the commandments of God, because traditions were placed far above the commandments of God.  Christianity was thought to consist wholly in the observance of certain holy-days, rites, fasts, and vestures.  These observances had won for themselves the exalted title of being the spiritual life and the perfect life.  Meanwhile the commandments of God, according to each one’s calling, were without honor namely, that the father brought up his offspring, that the mother bore children, that the prince governed the commonwealth,--these were accounted works that were worldly and imperfect, and far below those glittering observances.  And this error greatly tormented devout consciences, which grieved that they were held in an imperfect state of life, as in marriage, in the office of magistrate; or in other civil ministrations; on the other hand, they admired the monks and such like, and falsely imagined that the observances of such men were more acceptable to God.

[These] traditions [also] brought great danger to consciences; for it was impossible to keep all traditions, and yet men judged these observances to be necessary acts of worship.  Gerson writes that many fell into despair and that some even took their own lives, because they felt that they were not able to satisfy the traditions, and they had all the while not heard any consolation of the righteousness of faith and grace.  We see that the summists and theologians gather the traditions, and seek mitigations whereby to ease consciences, and yet they do not sufficiently unfetter, but sometimes entangle, consciences even more.

Just because the traditions that we have collected may not match specifically with the traditions of monks, our consciences can be wearied by each new book we read with each new leadership or growth technique, just as much as quickly as the traditions insisted upon by Catholic monks of the middle ages or the Judaizers with which the Galatians dealt.  It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.  Stand firm then, and do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5)

AlbertMohler.com – Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel — And Why So Many Christians Think It Is

AlbertMohler.com – Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel — And Why So Many Christians Think It Is

I wanted to share this. It's an old article, but a message that's still needed. Enjoy!

Proverbs... Good advice? Or Good News?

When I used to read the book of Proverbs, I would hear the voice or perhaps a oriental sage like Mr. Miyagi’s voice (Karate Kid), or perhaps Yoda’s.  It seemed to be full of pithy sayings, short, sweet and full of good advice.  There is much good advice in the book of Proverbs.  But honestly, I’ve learned over the past few years, that there is so much more.  If this book in the Bible is reduced to good advice, then it is little more value than watching Dr. Phil or perhaps reading the works of Confucius.

 

Something Wicked this Way… Reflects in the Mirror

I think Proverbs might officially be the book I know best in the entire Bible, because I spent years in the habit of reading one chapter per day, covering most of the book every month.  (I often thanked God that not every month had 31 days, because Proverbs 31 always made me feel like a slacker!)  As I read these chapters daily, the Holy Spirit brought light to things that should have been clear from the nouns and verbs and adjectives used.  The straightforward language of Proverbs was originally geared towards children, so God kept it simple.  How could I have missed the obvious message to me in this clear language. 

One reason I failed to see clearly is that it was hard to see in black in white when my culture has trained me to see gray.  These days, we only see the middle ground.  Proverbs contrasts the wicked with the righteous, the foolish with the wise.  I used to think of the wicked as mass murderers and the foolish as those who spend half of every paycheck on the lottery.  Most consider themselves neither wicked nor righteous but something in between.  “Maybe I’m not wise, but I’m no idiot!”   “I’m no saint, but I try my best and I think I do pretty well.”  This language—“wicked” and “righteous”, “foolish” and “wise”—is so… so judgmental!

Then it started sinking in.  As I saw the picture of the wicked and the foolish drawn by Solomon and others in God’s Word, the picture was starting to look an awful lot like a self-portrait!  Let me give a few examples:

“The wicked flees when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” (Pr 28:1)

Hmm, let me think.  I can be brazen.  I can be impertinent.  But the boldness that comes from a clean conscious?  To be honest, I’m as guilty as anyone of having neuroses, irrational fear and a defensive nature when anything can even be perceived as criticism, much less attack or pursuit.  But Jesus?  Now he’s bold.  He’s the lion of Judah, the righteous Son of God who did not even fear death, not even death on a cross. 

“The wise in heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.”  (Pr 10:88)

“Receive” is a word you use for someone graciously receiving a gift.  I may grudgingly accept advice and do what I wanted to do in the first place (and then learn “wisdom” the hard way).  I hate getting advice.  I love giving advice.  (And like the “fool” described elsewhere in proverbs, have delighted in airing my own opinions (Pr. 18:2), though I’m more careful now when I put them in writing than I used to be.)  And yes, I have been known to babble on like a brook.  I really love talking, and elsewhere in Proverbs, there is the statement “Where words are many, sin is not absent” (10:19).  So I guess this would make me not only a fool, but a sinful fool, right? 

But Jesus—he is God!  And he submitted to the authority of an earthly sinful father and probably received instructions under rabbis as well.  He received his Father’s will in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but your will be done.” (Luke 22:42)  He made no answer when falsely accused in order to be obedient to death, even death on a cross.   Let’s look at another one:

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked concedes violence.”  (Pr. 10:11)

Wow.  This one screams Jesus, doesn’t it?  Well maybe it doesn’t for you.  It didn’t always for me.  But consider this:  Jesus said he is the Living Water (John 7:37-39).  Whoever drinks of him will never thirst.  He is also the Word of God (John 1, 1 John 1).  So that makes him Word and Water.  And Jesus, this fountain of words of life, said that if we even think “You fool”, we have committed murder (Matthew 5:22, 23).  I have to admit.  I wouldn’t dare say to someone all I think.

Yes, I enjoy judging others more than I’d care to admit.  And when something bad happens to someone who hasn’t been the nicest to me, I’m embarrassed by the first feelings that crop up in my heart.  Rejoicing at my enemy’s downfall, yes this is wicked.  And knowing this is wicked, we know then that Jesus, who scripture says is sinless, did not entertain one murderous or even uncharitable thought towards Judas or the Pharisees, or the men driving nails in his hands and feet.

Some may not think it’s fair that there is God doesn’t grade on a curve.  Why is there no middle ground?

The problem is, Jesus broke the curve.  If you grade on a curve, we still end up at one end and Jesus on the other.  Though people do tend to think in terms of being graded, God has been clear from the start that he thinks in terms of a penal code, guilty or innocent.  And we all are so far from righteous, every one of us, that the little gradations of difference between different unrighteous people, these differences are microscopic compared to our galactic distance from the righteousness of Jesus.  Because if we kept on going through all the Proverbs (including all the ones that could have been written), the score would be about a billion to zero, with Jesus at one end of the universe and us on the other.

How I Now Use Proverbs

Now, I use Proverbs during my prayer time, especially when confessing sins.  I no longer get through a chapter per day.  A few proverbs open up an ocean of possibility for confession.  And in my latest forays into Proverbs, I also have discovered something I never expected to find… Jesus!

The Gospel according to Proverbs

Jesus said that the scripture is all about him.  Proverbs too?   Really?  Yes!  Consider these:

“Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.” (Pr. 11:21)

Yes, it is clear, from those other verses, that I am wicked.  And I know God cannot leave me unpunished, so he took my punishment upon himself!  So justice prevails and I am delivered.  Notice also that this proverb refers to the offspring of the righteous.  That would be me!  I am hidden in Jesus, brought into the family of God through my trust in him, adopted by God.  I may not be righteous, but I am the offspring of the righteous. This is great news!

Apocalyptic Proverbs?

I can’t help but see in this proverb the contrast drawn, at the return of Jesus, between the reaction of those who are righteous through faith in Him and those who have trusted in their own works:

“What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.  When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous established forever.” (Pr. 10:24)

And here is a supreme gospel passage close to the center of the book:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;’

The righteous man runs into it and is safe.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And like a high wall in his imagination

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,

But humility comes before honor.” (Pr. 18:10-12)

The name of the Lord is like the ark of Noah.  Run into it.  Hide inside his promise and you will be safe from the flood of judgment to come.  If someone asks me, “Are you saved”, I might answer “Yes and no.”  I am saved in the sense that I am no longer dead in my sins and alive to God, buried and raised with Christ.  But there is a judgment to come, and I have yet to be saved from that, but trust in Jesus to be my redeemer.  I have kissed the son so that I may be safe when his wrath rises (Psalm 2).  A man’s wealth may be a strong city to protect from many of the world’s ills, but is useless in the judgment day.  I must humble myself now so I’m not crawling under rocks later to hide from his righteous wrath. 

The Uniqueness of God’s Wisdom

I’ve been taught in the past that Proverbs is all about how the world works and all about godly principles to follow in order to receive God’s blessing.  This kind of pragmatic view of wisdom is the world’s wisdom.  But God’s wisdom is different from the world’s wisdom.  And though there were many “wisdom” writings of ancient days, Proverbs is different from the non-biblical wisdom writings in these ways:

Biblical wisdom writings focus on right and wrong.  Wisdom and righteousness are one, which is found unified in Christ, the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1) and the righteousness of God (Romans 3:21).  The “wisdom” that is valued in other cultures is about cunning, craftiness and finding what works, what gets results.  But, contrary to what I’ve been taught, we are not encouraged by God to act in ways that necessarily bring earthly blessing.  Solomon wrote that the “race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise” (Eccl 9:11).  We are promised if we try to lead a godly life, we will be persecuted.(2 Timothy 3:12)  To save up earthly treasure may bring earthly blessing, but puts our soul at risk if we store up these treasures instead of heavenly ones.

God’s wisdom is not determined by man’s reason.  That is the wisdom of philosophers.  But God’s wisdom is foolishness to man.  We cannot conceive of what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).  He must reveal it.  God’s wisdom is revealed, not reasoned.  It is not the voice of experience, of the worldly wise, but the voice of holiness from before eternity. Thus the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10 is one place you find this but it repeated often in the book of Proverbs).  We are urged to “trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding.”  (Pr. 3:5)

When I read Proverbs and hide them in my heart, I don’t really feel smarter.  I don’t feel wise. I am laid low and I can see that only God is good (Mark 10:18).  I see a portrait of Christ in almost every one.  God’s wisdom is fulfilled in Christ. 

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (Pr. 12:19)

Lord Jesus, you are truth.  My only hope is to keep your words on my lips for otherwise they are covered with the venom of asps (Romans 3:13) and my tongue sets the course of my life on fire (James 3:6).  .  Cleanse my evil selfish thoughts and replace my desires with yours, Holy Spirit.  Wash me with your Word.

“No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.”         (Pr. 12:3)

Lord, you are the vine, the one who took root to become to tree of life.  We are only branches (John 15:1).  (And I am an engrafted branch, a gentile.)  My righteousness, my life, comes from you.

“An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escape from trouble.” (Pr. 12:13)

Praise be to God that you release my feet from the snare.  How many of my careless words throughout my life would certainly be flung in my face by the accuser.  But you have saved me.  You have hidden me in your Son.  You are righteous, Lord Jesus, so the cords of death could not hold you.  Hidden in you I have also escaped those cords when I was raised with you from the dead.  You are my eternal life.  I am established in your righteousness.

Is "Big Church" as dangerous as "Big Government"?

It happens more at Easter; but it happens the rest of the year as well.  The Church in America performs various gymnastics to lure people through the doors of the church building.  Often, these efforts appeal to appetites of the flesh: dropping candy from helicopters, providing professional entertainment, giving away expensive gifts.  Pastors and preachers choose topical sermons according to what they imagine will be of interest to the carnal heart: sex, money, weight loss, popular movies. 


The Church that "Has it All"

And then churches offer incentive to stay, providing ministries and services to meet “needs”: parenting seminars, weight loss support groups, addiction recovery groups, psychotherapy, childcare, life coaching.  These are all good things I suppose—maybe even helpful—but as far as I know, they are not biblically mandated things.  And these are all things you could go outside the church to get.  Shouldn’t they be coming to church to get what the World cannot give them? Jesus says “I do not give as the World gives.” (John 14:27)

Should we Be Any More Attractive to the World Than Our Savior?

In John 15, Jesus goes on to describe how the world will hate us because it hated him, and only those who are chosen out of the world will accept His teaching entrusted to us.  So the “strategy” is to proclaim the message that offends many but will be accepted by those who are appointed to eternal life.  But if we are going out of our way to attract those who we suspect will reject the message otherwise, is this following the Lord’s instructions or his example?

Do Ends Justify the Means?

And how do we suppose we attract the world?  As John says in his first epistle, the things of the world have to do with the desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes and pride in possessions. (1 John 2:15-17)  If we use things to speak to the flesh to draw in a crowd, won’t this work against the love of God that we would want to promote as Christians?  We are taught by Jesus and Paul that worldly desires cannot dwell with spiritual ones.  There is no fellowship to be found between God’s agenda and the world’s.  (Galatians 5:17, Matthew 6:24)

What is the Church's Job Anyway?

The Church is commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel, make disciples, baptize, remember Jesus through the administration of the Lord’s Supper and to generally to love one another.  In many places, Jesus and the Apostles were clear that the commandment to love one another seemed to especially apply to be directed towards the body of believers. (Galatians 6:10, John 13:35, Acts 2:44,45)

Perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to try to draw some line as to how far outside the Body of Christ our charity ought to extend. The parable of the Good Samaritan certainly shows we should be no respecter of persons when it comes to mercy.  But there does seem to be an order of priority given in other passages, and that we should especially attend to the needs of our immediate family and to the needs of the family of believers.  And acts of loving your neighbor out to be a natural outflow, a fruit, of the Gospel, not the means through which the Gospel is preached.  (Remember the Apostles, as they were sent out by Jesus, they were expected to receive hospitality from houses as they went out.  They had no money to offer, but depended on the hospitality of those to whom they preached.)

Although Jesus had compassion on those with earthly needs as He walked in this world, he constantly pointed people towards the world to come, towards a focus on God’s kingdom, not earthly ambitions. (Matthew 6:25)  Jesus wants our focus to be on caring for souls more than the body.  Our bodies, along with all that is in this world, are passing away.  Jesus always emphasized the imperishable over the perishable, as did the Apostles.  He proclaimed heavenly food to be a better food (John 4:34, John 6:58) and heavenly drink to be a superior drink. (John 4:13-14) Indeed a focus on what fills the stomach is a dangerous, dangerous pastime and not what Christians are called to. (Philippians 3:17-19, Colossians 3:1-4)

Is the Cart Before the Horse?


So many churches extend beyond caring for actual needs (food and shelter), but have set out to meet the perceived needs of anyone in the general vicinity of the Church.  Churches reason what they are doing will help draw in members, thereby advancing God’s kingdom.  (This reasoning will cause charitable resources, of course, to be focused towards unbelievers not believers, the opposite priority commanded by Paul.)  Some church leadership may have selfish interest in such outreach, selling books and media and collecting more tithes. 


Is There Really Room to Add to Our Job Description?

Some may instead have the interest of the Gospel in mind, but is the interest of the Gospel served by adding to biblically mandated means of Grace?  Has what God has commanded gotten lost in the traditions of men, gotten lost in the pragmatic American mentality that the ends justify any means?  All these extras take away time, energy and focus from the simple backbone of biblical mandate of preaching the word, studying the word, baptizing, gathering in fellowship at the Lord’s table and in prayer.  This is where God promises his grace will rest.  This is what he has promised to bless.  (Matthew 28:18-20,  Matthew 18:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:24-26)  He has not commanded more than this.  And the Apostles never seemed to feel the need to go beyond these things in the book of Acts.  But Americans always feel the need to add, to expand, to try something new.  We are absolutely addicted to novelty, but we are supposed to be passing on something old, the faith once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3)

Wiping Off Dust or Pulling up Bootstraps?

Jesus said to wipe the dust from our feet if someone did not listen to our message.  (Matthew 10:14)  But if he had said that to a modern American, I would imagine we might be tempted to beg for an attempt at a new approach, to find some way to win them over.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!  I know I can!  I know I can!  Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and where there’s a will there’s a way!  These are some of our favorite sayings and Jesus just seems defeatist, doesn’t he?

I heard Dr. Michael Horton sum up this pragmatic attitude as “Our strategies vs. God’s means”.  And when we get caught up in our strategies, God’s means are often left collecting dust in the basement.  What are God’s means?  What has God mandated as an acceptable means of church growth?  Does God even command us to “grow” churches, or does he command us to preach, teach, baptize, pray and leave the results to him?

Is Bigger Blessed?

We may plant, we may water, but God brings the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).  But is the reverse true?  Does growth always come from God?  Is there any biblical basis for this assumption?  Sometimes Jesus seemed to go out of his way to make sure to cut down the numbers of his followers, like Gideon, making sure he was left only with those who could accept all his teachings, such as forgive your brother 70 times 7 and you must eat my body and my blood to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Many left him after he proclaimed these things.  But then there will be those who are left, like Peter, who say “Lord, to whom shall we go.  You have the Words of Eternal life.” (John 6:57-68)

Why Add Spitballs When You Already Have a Sword?

But where are the Words of eternal life now?  They are written in God’s word, the sword of the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:17).  The sword is the only offensive piece of equipment listed in this passage.  If we understood the power of the Gospel the power he granted to the testimony of his Apostles and Prophets, would we devote ourselves to proclaiming anything else?  But God’s word is losing its place at center stage in the modern sermon, replaced by life stories, testimonies, movie clips, skits and whatever else we think we need to do to keep the crowd entertained.  I belonged to a church, growing up, that read, verbatim, and entire passage from the Old Testament, an entire passage from the Epistles and an entire passage from one of the Gospels every single Sunday.  Nothing was added; just pure scripture.  There was a sermon too.  But I came to saving faith early in life without a singly altar call, without an official “sinner’s prayer”.  I believed His Word and was saved.

When the apostles preached, they filled their speech with God’s Word and their testimony about what Jesus had done.  And then the Spirit moved, with the proclamation of the Word.  Read through the book of Acts and notice how similar every sermon was, and how filled with scripture, and how devoid of novelty.  And the believers, after baptism, devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, to the breaking of Bread (Lord’s Supper) and to Prayer and the Lord added to their number daily.  (Acts 2:42-47)  And they did love one another greatly and gave to the needs of other believers.  But nothing implies that they obsessed with meeting every need everywhere.  The only thing they focused outwardly, the only “outreach”, was the proclamation of the gospel message.

Big Church is like Big Government

Since that time, we have spread ourselves very thin, I think.  I can’t help but compare the American Church with the government in our country.  The American government started with a clear job description, the Constitution.  But since then, the constitution has been left in the dust, by the tyranny of the perceived needs of the public.  And since it is part of the sinful nature to never be satisfied, we never stop coming with our list of needs and the government, like Pilate, fears the people more than God and bows to every public wind. 

Has the church become much different?  Structures of authority and accountability are seen as oppressive.  Pastors preach what they want, what they feel led to preach and there’s no one to call them to account if they go outside the word of God.  So instead of accountability from above: God, his Word and Pastors older than you in the faith, instead we have churches run by what an individual pastor feels “led” to do.  And should it surprise anyone, since a pastor’s paycheck comes from the tithes of church members that the members will hold considerable sway over his opinion?

Settling on a Standard

All that to say, what a congregation does, how it worships, how it serves, should be patterned after the Word of God.  The church does not need to be relevant, entertaining, or seeking to meet perceived needs.  The church serves to proclaim and different kingdom, to meet eternal needs, to be light in darkness.  I close with these words of Paul’s, which are often used to preach against marriage with unbelievers, but that is not the context of these verses.  Paul implies throughout 2 Corinthians that there are false teachers drawing the believers in Corinth away from Paul, teachers who “peddle the Word of God for a profit” and go beyond the simple message of the Gospel.  Paul urged them to maintain a pure faith, untainted by the world:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial?  Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?  What agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Therefore go out form their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

In Defense of a Boring Christian Life

I search Christianbook.com using the words “destiny” and “dream”.  105 hits.  And “destiny” by itself?  The titles that appeared left me speechless.  I did a search out of curiosity because I’d heard these words so often recently in “Christian” settings, but couldn’t recall a passage of the bible addressing these sort of topics.  Let me name a few of the titles at the top of the list when I searched: Dream to Destiny: The Ten Tests You Must Go Through to Fulfill God’s Purpose for Your Life; The Dream-Giver: Following Your God-Given Destiny; Supernatural Skyline: Where Heaven Touches Earth, Soul-Print: Discovering Your Divine Destiny; Free to Soar: How You Can Love the Church, Serve with Your Husband, and Fulfill Your Destiny as a Woman in Ministry.

This last title leaves me with a song in my head, a song made popular in the 70’s to be the war-cry of the “liberated” woman:  “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never, ever let your forget you’re a man, ‘cause I’m a woman, W-O-M-A-N.”  Sounds like an exhausted woman to me.  Shouldn’t the church be different from the world?  I thought that Christians, at least, would recognize the more-than-full-time job of being a “wife and mother”.  It is not only enough to fill a day, it is enough to fulfill my obligation as a Christian to never tire of good works, to fulfill my office as given by God and to allow me not to be ashamed of my vocation.  But so many around me, both friends and the authors and teachers to whom they listened, seemed to think I was thinking big enough for myself.  Everywhere I turned (outside of God’s Word) so much more was asked of me than what I had ever imagined, or even wanted, for mylife.

So is every Christian automatically destined for greatness?  Does God have a special plan for every person, whether Christian or not?  Many preachers seem to imply that God loves and has plans for every person out there and we must be taught how to get in sync with God.  If God has a plan, can I really stop him?  And if God has a plan for a particular person, is it necessarily to his or her benefit?  His plan for Pharaoh was for him to end up at the bottom of the Red Sea!  As Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, God hardens and softens whom he wills, for the ultimate end of His own glory.

 If I work as a janitor or a cook or in a cubicle for a tech company, should I assume there is something further God wants from me, vocationally speaking? Am I less of a Christian if I don’t want more from life?  Whatever happened to “godliness with contentment is great gain”?  Is the Christian life supposed to be an adventure?  If my life is tedious, does that mean I need to get on the ball, and figure out what my great adventure ought to be and get out there and get started?  (I’ve honestly got all my 42-year-old self can handle with four kids and a husband.  I’m quite sure adventure might just do me in…or leave my family in the lurch.)  And is a life of risk equivalent to “walking by faith?” 

There was a time when I would have said “yes” in answer to all these questions.  But I finally started questioning all these ideas that were being driven into my head from every side.

For one thing, people with adventurous, risk-taking, finding-your-dream kind of lives are not necessarily even Christian.  And even if they are, does their adventurous lifestyle make them more holy than me?  More pleasing to God?  “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”  But is faith equivalent to being willing to jump off cliffs?  Is that biblical faith?  And is God less pleased with the one whose life is boring and tedious?  Hebrews 11 says that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  “Assurance” and “conviction” sound so solid and dignified and not risky at all actually.

Isn’t it Okay if the Christian Life is Boring?

Boring has become a thing I long for.  I honestly love ruts, though I call it routine, and so do my children.  I love a peaceful, slow-paced life.  I don’t long for a more exciting life or adventure.  I would think that the church would be a safe place for a woman without great ambition.  But even there, I get the message that I’m being satisfied with too little.  People tell me I should write bible studies, get published.  I suppose they’re trying to be encouraging, but it fosters discontent.  I was told by one woman that she had a vision from God that I would sing in other nations, that God has some great destiny for my singing. She said that right now I was like a little “bird on a fence” singing simply because that’s who I am.  I actually liked the sound of that.  But her vision went on to describe “greater things.”  I wished it hadn’t.  I know she thought she was encouraging me, but I preferred to remain the “bird on a fence”.  Every time I start believing I ought to have greater things, I get frustrated when it doesn’t seem to be happening and get jealous of those who get more time on stage.

Talents and Seeds

Some might say that I am like the servant who buried his “talent”.  But did Jesus intend the parable to teach what we should be doing with our abilities, our strengths?  The Greek language in which this parable was recorded had only one meaning for the word translated “talent”, one regarding monetary value.  If it were about natural strengths and what we call “giftings”, why then would Paul boast in his weaknesses?  Why would he cast aside all that he used to count as gain and regard it as loss for the sake of Christ?  If Paul were put in the average American church, talk such as his would have provoked rebuke by church members who would argue that he could have used all that education and status “for the Lord”.  But for the Lord, for the sake of the gospel, he set aside his advanced education and impeccable resume and worked as a tentmaker to support himself in a way that would leave him more time for preaching and teaching free of charge.  But the gospel was the talent entrusted to Paul, not his natural abilities. 

Note all these passages that instruct us as to what God has entrusted to us, about what he gives us to plant, to invest, to cause to grow:

• Jesus himself said he entrusted to his Apostles was his Word (“I have given them your word” John 17:14) We in turn would be entrusted with the Apostles’ words. (Also John 17)
• In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus says the seed is the Word of God, and then Paul, according to 1 Corinthians 3:6, is also doing the work of the sower “I planted, Apollos watered…”
• We are entrusted, more specifically, with the Gospel, the good news of salvation from God through Jesus from our sins by his death and resurrection.  The Gospel is what Paul said he received from Christ. (Gal 1:12)
• The Word of God, according to the Parable of the Sower, the seed that is spread by the Son of Man.  Seeds and money are often parallel symbols because they grow and multiply, along with yeast, though yeast usually has a more negative connotation. 
• The “testimony about our Lord” is the “good deposit” entrusted to Paul 1 Timothywho entrusted it to Timothy.  2 Timothy 1:10-14, 2 Timothy 2:2

What is God’s Great Plan for my Life?

Usually, those that discuss “dreams, destiny and passions” usually speak in terms of this life, what we will make of ourselves, the impact we make, the mark we leave behind.  Jesus made a point to contrast our life on earth with life in heaven:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-22

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”  Matthew 16:25, 26

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will keep it.”  Luke 17:33

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18,19

“In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The Apostle John wrote:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2 15-17

And Paul wrote:

“Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  Colossians 3:2-4

“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:18-21

So what is our earthly life supposed to look like?  Are the adventures of Joseph or David or Paul or Peter supposed to be normative?  Would we want them to be?  I will look in God’s Word and see what Jesus and Apostles said our life ought to look like:

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8

“Let [widows] first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”

“[Pray] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may live a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

“But we urge you brothers…to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”  1 Thessalonians 4:11

“[T]here is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10

This is really the tip of the iceberg.  The New Testament text is chock full of exhortations to live quiet, dignified lives and that our first and foremost area of responsibility is our family.  Take it from a home schooling mother of four.  This leaves little room for “adventure”. 

I want to put out a challenge:  Next time you feel the urge to defend the Christian life against the accusation of being “boring” … just let it lie.  The word “boring” implies, first of all, an expectation to be entertained, to be stimulated.  I can guarantee that there is not one biblical promise of “entertainment” for the believer.  Rather we are promised tribulation and persecution in this world.  We are promised that the world will hate us.  We are to be living sacrifices, to be like Paul, a drink offering, poured out on the sacrifice and service of others.  We are to be expended, spent, to count it all loss for the sake of Christ.  The cry of the “heart”  that says “I’m bored!” is really the voice of the flesh, and we are to make no provision for the flesh, because the desires of the flesh are at war with the desires of the Spirit.

A  Biblical Look at the Word “Passion”

Several years ago, I took “spiritual gifts testing” to inventory my “gifts and passions” so I could know where I will best be “plugged in” into my congregation.  Just last month, I overheard a conversation between two women discussing the same thing being done at her church right now.  To ignore a passion or dream you have for your life is spoken of as a sin to be avoided, that God put your desires there for a reason.  Can anyone give a biblical passage supporting this idea?  Authors and screenwriters weave this myth which details the danger of ignoring your “heart’s desire” and those things about which you are “passionate” as a frequent thread of modern story-telling.  This myth is filtering into sermons and “inspirational” books and taught as biblical truth.

So is this really a danger?  What does the bible actually say about my “passions”?  Most references to “passion” or “desire” seems to be in a negative context.

“Put to death…passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”  Colossians 3:5

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness…”  2 Timothy 2:20

“Among them are those…led astray by various passions…” 2 Timothy 3:6

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  James 1:14,15

“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” Romans 6:12

“Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Ephesians 2:3

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”  Colossians 3:5

To glorify our inner desires, our natural urges, our instincts—this is not found in the Bible but is found in the philosophy of Nietzsche.  Nietzsche was inspired by evolutionary teachings and helped found the “human potential” movement, which is still going strong today in every form of self-help.  Nietzsche taught that people should let instinct and what comes naturally rule.  But has anyone noticed that biblical virtue never comes naturally?  The virtues of forgiveness, mercy, hospitality, putting the needs of others above my own, refusing to advance my own agenda—these require me to deny my instincts and urges in order to put them into practice.  I obey in faith, trusting my Lord, for whom they did come naturally.  Obeying Nietzsche’s philosophy will lead me down Hitler’s path.  Can we all agree that would be a bad thing?

A Biblical look at Plans and Dreams

Does the Bible lay out for Christians a live of “great adventure”?  Does God really have “big plans” for each of us that we somehow need to discover and reach for or receive)?

Paul said, 1 Corinthians 7, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him...Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.  Were you a slave when called?  Do not be concerned about it.” You can almost hear him say, “Were you chained to a cubicle when you were called?”

The story of Joseph has a habit of popping up in sermons about “pursuing your dreams”.  I guess this is because these pastors were at a loss for a passage to go to for “finding your dream” and thought they could somehow make Joseph’s story fit, since the word “dream” comes up so much in his story.  Of course they don’t let a little thing such as the contextual meaning of the word “dream” being completely different than what they need for the purpose of their sermon get in the way.  They kind of hope their listeners will overlook that point.

But I’m not sold on the idea that god is interested in my “dreams”.  And the supernatural visions God gave to Joseph to help preserve the family of Abraham, the line of the Messiah, to perceive these events as something that ought to be normative is simply misguided.  I’m pretty sure God is not interested in my agenda for my life.  My agenda, more likely than not, is corrupted by my sinful nature and my lack of heavenly perspective. 

And many of these same teachers will tell their hearers that those who speak negatively in any way regarding your “dream” are “dream-killers” and somehow an agent of Satan.  This serves, of course, to inoculate their listeners against anyone who may want to talk to them in a sensible manner.  I know a woman who was convinced that her desire for a child was so strong (obsessive, as it can sometimes be.  It’s natural to want to have children, but it can become an idol.) that she convinced herself that God had made her with this strong desire and it couldn’t be God’s will for her to be married to the man she was married to because he appeared to be sterile.  She left him. 

When you have a desire that is so strong that it doesn’t go away and seems to block out all other thought, that used to be called idolatry, and now so-called Christian teachers are calling them God’s “dream for your life”, or “your destiny” or your “God-given passion”.  The word “destiny” does not appear in the Bible that I am aware.   However, the word “predestined” does appear and this is in reference to God’s sovereign will and his work as the author and the finisher of our faith.  Knowing we are predestined does not require action on our part except for the praise and gratitude we extend to God for opening our ears to the Truth and drawing us unto him.  If God truly has a plan for us, a purpose, a destiny, do we need to discover it?  Will he not reveal it?  Who is to stop him from accomplishing it?  We certainly are not in danger of getting in God’s way.  Mountains melt like wax before the Lord and I am but dust.

So I am now wary of any teaching filled with terminology not found in God’s word.  There is enough in the Bible to fill about a million or more sermons to edify my soul.  I pray that all who listen to things being said in the name of God would compare them to the word of God and make sure they agree.

Are We Trying To Conjure God?

Many contemporary praise choruses seem to focus on calling down God’s Spirit. “Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Me”, “Send it on Down”, “Send Your Rain”, asking God to come down, for the Spirit to be Sent down, etc. Recently, I have come to question whether these are precisely the prayers that we should be praying or singing. Has not God already sent down his Son? Hasn’t the Spirit already been given when we first believe, just as it was for Jews and Gentiles in the Book of Acts? Do we need a “fresh outpouring”? Do we need a “fresh anointing”? Is it possible to have more of the Holy Spirit than was already given when we first believed?

“For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is to bring Christ down) or “’Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:5-8)

And here is the ESV cross-reference for this passage:

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can do it.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

What does the Lord mean by saying “is not too hard for you”? The study notes in my Bible say the meaning of "hard" here is "difficult to understand", rather than "difficult to perform". God has made himself clear. The Bible is not confusing in and of itself. Confusion arrives alongside our preconceptions of what we imagine it ought to be saying. Anyone who is a parent has experienced the peculiar way that children “misunderstand”. They think they already know what you are going to say, so they don’t listen.  Or they let what they wish you were saying get in the way of understanding. The ways children “misinterpret” our words is quite similar to how people misinterpret God’s Word.

Most interpretation problems can be cleared up with these three rules: context, context, and context. Reading the surrounding passage usually clears up mishandling of individual verses. But both the first passage from Romans and the second passage from Deuteronomy can be understood better when considering the cultural context of each one.

This passage from Deuteronomy speaks to the Israelites who were surrounded pagan cultures and tempted towards their ways. God is saying to the Israelites here, “Do not seek spiritual specialists to call up the divine. Do not make a pilgrimage to a more spiritual place. Seek no special knowledge. I have revealed all necessary revelation. Don’t reach up to heaven like those of Babel. You can’t do it! I have come down to the mountain to you.”

Romans was written to believers in a pagan city. To Romans, gods lived on mountaintops and gave tasks to humans for humans to prove themselves worthy. Roman religions also practiced summoning spirits from the underworld. They would think it quite natural that you must go through special rituals to conjure the divine.

In contrast to pagan ways, Paul, by chapter 10 of Romans, has finished describing how God came down to us. We were helpless, dead in our trespasses and sins, and God bridged the gap between the height of his holiness and the despairing depths of our sinfulness, and gave us his own righteousness—gave it to those who believed in his Son, through whom it was given.

Paul explains that many of his fellow Jews, to whom God originally had revealed himself, were zealous for God, but had zeal without knowledge. They were getting it wrong, still trying to be righteous through the law, but the law was never meant to achieve righteousness. The gift of God’s righteousness is freely given, through Jesus. What could we ever do to earn it?

But our flesh, our ego, wants to deserve something, to receive from God because we are “getting it right”.

Perhaps I've never heard this verse of Romans because it clearly forbids what has become so popular. I’m afraid I’ve seen that it’s become popular to seek ways to “conjure God”. We ask Jesus to descend to us, as if he already didn’t do that on the cross. We ask for the Holy Spirit to come down, but he did already on the day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection. Is it biblical to call down God, to ask for his outpouring, especially if those doing the asking have already received it?

Some point to great revivals of the past where people responded to the sermon, falling to the ground, despairing of their sin and their hearts miraculously turn towards God and away from their sin. But first of all, these were the lost that were falling before God over their sin, not Christians who felt they needed a “fresh anointing.” And can anyone name a honest-to-goodness occasion such as these “revivals” where the Law is not preached in all its rigor, and then followed by the sweetness of the Gospel? The Word of God must be preached! That is what creates faith, in conjunction with the work of the Holy Spirit, and according to Jesus, the Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

Now the Spirit’s help is needed, clearly, for conviction, conversion and transformation, but can we control how or when such help comes? God’s Spirit moves where he pleases:

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We clearly can control neither the wind nor the Spirit of God. And was it ever meant to be poured out in a "supplemental way" for the sake of bored Christians who feel like their “walk with God” is just getting flat and stale?

Surely our energy should be expended, not in seeking the Spirit, but learning to wield the Sword of the Spirit, his Word. In Romans 10, Paul says that “faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ”. Hasn’t the word of God become sparse in sermons thick with stories, illustrations and even movie clips? What if we cut the length of sermons in half and filled them to the brim with God’s word? I’m pretty sure if I preached the longest of sermons in the book of Acts (notwithstanding Paul’s sermon that went so long someone fell asleep and fell out the window!) it would probably not last even five minutes when read through in its entirety.

Paul writes:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16,17

So maybe we should leave behind our obsession with “revival”. I don’t know if anyone has the temerity any more to schedule so-called “revivals”, but we do schedule VBS, Youth Camps, etc., creating emotional pressure cookers that leave you exhausted and susceptible to symptoms of pseudo-revival.

Many are satisfied with conjuring feelings of affection towards God through music and emotional appeals. And we’ve moved away from hymns chock full of good doctrine and instead have songs that are filled with melodic and lyrical repetition that I know now can induce a state of euphoria due to lack of oxygen. I thought it was something more spiritual happening, but I know now that I was experiencing what any lost person would experience in the same circumstances.

If you examine biblical examples of “revival”, such as the thousands added to the church all at once in Acts 2, it does not occur because people were carried along on some wave of ecstasy.  Rather God added those souls, by his will, through his Sprit, and by the Apostles clearly proclaimed the Gospel in faithful obedience to His command. Often, the Apostles' sermons would summarize the entire Old Testament before they uttered a word regarding redemption through Christ Jesus.

Let me finish by comparing new song about the Spirit, and an old one. Look at these lyrics from a popular song from Christian Radio of the 1980’s sung by the group, First Call. It seems to summarize the thinking that has become prevalent regarding God’s Spirit. Do these lyrics reflect the Spirit he has granted that, according to Paul’s first letter to Timothy, gives us “power, love and self-control”? (“Self-control, alternately translated as sobriety, sound mind and wise discretion.)

Somethin' takes over
Somethin' takes over my soul
And soon you get to reelin'
'Cause of all the joy your feelin'
Till you're very nearly out of control
Just like the rollin'
Of the waters of the mighty sea
When you're connected to the spirit

Heavenly father's sure to hear it
'Cause somethin' takes over me.

Now in contrast, here is Martin Luther’s hymn, Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord. For those not familiar with Reformation history, this hymn is about 500 years old.

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,

With all your graces now outpoured

On each believer’s mind and heart;

Your fervent love to them impart.

Lord, by the brightness of your light

In holy faith your Church unite;

From every land and every tongue,

This to your Praise, O Lord, our God, be sung.

Come, holy Light, guide divine,

Now cause the Word of life to shine.

Teach us to know our God aright

And call him Father with delight.

From every error keep us free;

Let none but Christ our master be,

That we in living faith abide,

In him, our Lord, with all our might confide.

Come, holy Fire, comfort true,

Grant us the will your work to do

And in your service to abide;

Let trials turn us not aside.

Lord, by your power prepare each heart

And to our weakness strength impart,

That bravely here we may contend,

Through life and death to you, our Lord, ascend.