Journey to Pentecost

May 17, 2010                 Mark 16.16

Someone once said that God made the water of salvation shallow enough for a baby to wade in and deep enough for an adult to swim in.  God the Father made salvation real easy.  Believe and receive forgiveness of sin and be saved.   Believe and receive.   God didn’t make salvation a difficult dynamic.  We’re the ones who make it difficult. 

I wonder if I were lost and didn’t know the Lord already…if I was interested in finding Christ and went to the phone book to find a church…what I would do.   All those churches.  All those different representations of faith.  Which one would be right?  Are all of them right to some degree?  Is there room for just “some degree” of being right in all of those churches?   My head would be spinning trying to figure out which church to go to find Jesus!   Mind you I could find Jesus in many of them but in some I would only find legalism and ritual.  I would have to search with a sincere heart to find Christ but find I probably could if I really wanted to.

That’s why the previous verse (15) is so important to this one.  You know, that “go ye into all the world” part.  If we go and tell others than they won’t have to rely on the old phone book to make faith choices.  We  would lead them to Christ by our testimony and therefore they could come with us to church.    Again, God made the issue of salvation so easy.  If we were witnessing as we should then those we win to Christ wouldn’t have such a difficult time finding Him.   So easy.  Wonderful plan…if we engaged it like Jesus intended.

God made the reception of his gift of the fulness of the Spirit just as easy.  Believe and receive.  Simple.  Again, we’re the ones who complicate it.  Receiving the gift of the Spirit is just as simple as receiving salvation.  Believe and receive.  We make it hard not God.  I want to challenge you to pray and seek your personal Pentecost experience.  Believe and receive. 

A special note on our community worship service tonight.  If you were there, let me say thanks for your attendance.  There was a young band there tonight that sang and lead us in worship.  We experienced diversity in the body tonight in an anointed and powerful fashion.  I met and worshipped with a band tonight that was introduced as, if I remember correctly, “242”.   The bands songs had some great lyrics.   But I was mostly touched not by their talent or vocal ability.  I was moved by their sheer sincerity.   This band worshipped without any reservation.  They didn’t care if you liked them or not.  They didn’t try to impress you with vocal perfection.  They sang, danced and worshipped out of the purity of their heart.   One guitar player was very demonstrative and even attempted to bounce off a speaker as he danced before the Lord.  Again, you may not have liked their style, liked their mannerism of worship…but they extremely sincere.  Deeply sincere.  In reckless abandon they worshipped.  I enjoyed their worship.

I was supposed to share a little tonight on Israel.  I didn’t do it.  I was drawn to go the platform and affirm this band.  Couldn’t figure it out at first.  I just had to affirm the purity of their worship.  They were different and they obviously knew it.  It was a huge step for them to be in our community worship service.  I felt led to pray for the bands leader whose name was Brooks.  I was so wrapped up in deciding to flow with the leading of the Holy Spirit that I didn’t quite obey the Lord’s leading.   I side stepped His instruction to me.   For that I have asked for forgiveness.  I missed it.

I found out after the service that Brookes has brain cancer.  He is going to the OSU James clinic this week for treatment.  He could be there quite awhile.  He is in serious shape and outside of a miracle he has a rough journey ahead of him.   The young lady who sang with him tonight is his fiance.  They announced to their pastor today that depending on what happens – they will get engaged after he gets out of the hospital.   I was moved by the love and commitment this yougn couple showed to each other and the Lord whom they worshipped tonight.  I digress to my point.  We did pray for Brooks after church.  Several pastors joined me and others and we layed hands on Brooks and asked God to heal him.  My heart was deeply touched.

I know now why I had to break protocol and affirm this group tonight.  Tonight may have well been the last opportunity this band had to minister until Brooks is out of the hospital.  Again, outside of a miracle -this could  be awhile.   I know this band wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea.   Their worship style wasn’t “normal” for some who were at church tonight.  But when the Holy Spirit led me to affirm this group – I had no idea why.  All I know is that I couldn’t minister on Israel.  I had to let this band lead us into further worship.   I had no clue that Brooks had brain cancer.   I was trying to be obedient knowing that some who were there tonight may have thought, “The pastor has lost his mind.”

This is just a minor point in allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us.  I am confident somewhere tonight that Brooks and his young fiance are gleaning off of the affirmation they received tonight.  I could have missed it completely.   I could have allowed a wonderfully prepared and thought out program to inhibit me from stopping the service and recognizing this band.  I could have blown it off.   But Father God knew that this young man needed to know his gift and who he was – was being accepted by the church.   I think the Holy Spirit accomplished that tonight.

How many times have we played David’s wife ( 2 Samuel 6) looking out the window and being critical of another’s worship and or their worship style?  How many times do we criticize the diversity of the body of Christ instead of affirm each others personality and form of worship?  Some weep before the Lord.  Some dance before the Lord.  Some dont’ show any emotion or demonstrate their praise in any way to the Lord.  Some are by nature stoic in their worship.  But why are we so critical of another’s posture before the Lord?   Brooks was being honest with his worship.   He laid down on the platform tonight.  He wept openly.  He was so focused he couldn’t hardly articulate his emotions.   He was giving God his all and he didn’t care who thought what about his worship.   He may as well have been David dancing before the Lord with some Michal’s in the audience. 

I want to express my sincere concern for Brooks and his fiance.  I want them to know that I and others will be praying for his healing.   If you were there tonight with us in church I think you would agree with me that months ago when the plans of man were laid out for this service and Paul Reif asked this band to sing at the service -God was in it.  Tonight, God allowed this band, He allowed Brooks to share with us his best in worshiping God.  I can only pray that you gave God your best as much as Brooks did.  He could have laid down and quit.  Instead he laid down in worship.  Seems to me the body of Christ and Brooks won tonight – not cancer.   What do you think?  What if that were your son on the platform tonight?  What if that was your son or daughter fighting brain cancer and wanting to be affirmed?  What if someone criticized your son or daughter for their demonstration of worship?   Now you know why God allowed us tonight to affirm this young man and his band.  God is awesome!  Be blessed Brooks…be blessed.