A People After God's Heart

'But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who had called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.' 1 Peter 2:9 

What a strange way to describe Christians? A peculiar people. Perhaps this peculiarity describes a special relationship of Christians as a people belonging to God. Why? There is a covenant made between God and us as there is a covenant made between God and Israel in the desert of Sinai.

A covenant is a formal agreement between two or more persons or groups of people. This covenant was first described in Exodus Chapter 19. Here God tells the Israelites that they will be His chosen people, ”out of all the nations you will be my treasured possessions.” 

These people will enjoy special privileges. Their part of the bargain was to obey God fully. After hearing from Moses the covenant God had to offer, the people responded together 

'We will do everything that the Lord has said.' Exodus 19:18

God promised 

'I will look on you with favour and increase your numbers and I will keep my covenant with you. I will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people.' Leviticus 26:9 and 12.

But the Israelites failed miserably to keep to their side of the agreement. Even in the Sinai Desert, through the times of the Kings and Prophets we read of numerous occasions when the Israelites deliberately disobeyed God. 

By the time of the Gospels, this blatant disobedience had turned the people towards a self-centredness, that brought forth the legalism of the Pharisees; a religion built on man’s ability to meet the demands of religious laws.

Then Jesus Christ came and the covenantal relationship was renewed. In the Last Supper, Christ’s mentioned this new covenant which He said was sealed in His blood. He was referring to the imminent sacrifice for us on the Cross by which we are set free from sin. By Christ's sacrifice we receive freedom from sin and enter into this special relationship between God and us. 

'This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you' Luke 22:20b 

How do we now translate our part of the covenant? There is a question in the Scottish catechism which asks, “What is the Chief aim of man?” To which, the answer is “the chief aim of man is glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

The apostle Paul wrote 

“whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

In the simplest of terms this is the answer to why we exist, to our purpose in life and to the mission of our churches.

How to make this practical? Charles Swindoll wrote 3 suggestions which are worth repeating.

(1) Cultivate a habit of including God in every segment of our lives. Everything we do, every plan we make; Is God in it? Is God getting the glory?

(2) Refuse to accept any of the glory that should belong only to God. Our selfish nature are huge sponges always ready and willing to soak up all praises. We should constantly remember to claim nothing for ourselves and give all the glory to God.

(3) Maintain a priority relationship with God that is more important than any other on earth. There are many challenges to this priority e.g our children, our spouses, our families. Nothing wrong with loving our families or planning for the future but keep our total commitment to God.

This special relationship is not to be expressed only in personal terms but collectively as well. A church share values together in a collective desire to be God's Chosen People. When Charis Methodist Church became independent, we chose a motto that is also an aspiration; to be “A people after God’s heart.”

With that the aspiration Charis Methodist Church emphatically looked to God to 'Build His church.'  

For I’m Building A People Of Power

And I’m Making A People Of Praise

That Will Move Through This Land By My Spirit

And Will Glorify My Precious Name

Build Your Church, Lord

Make Us Strong, Lord

Join Our Hearts, Lord, Through Your Son

Make Us One, Lord

In Your Body

In The Kingdom Of Your Son

Lionel

Updated 1st Published on 1 Dec 2007

“Hear Only the Good Stuff” – the dangers of Glitz and Gizmo Christianity

'Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalms 46:10

Some years back, a Singapore radio station Gold90.5FM, ran a series of clever ads on TV with the tagline 'Hear only the Good Stuff.' It depicted a tennis coach commenting to a father how talented his son was at tennis, when the boy was missing every single ball. Better put, the father only wanted to hear the good stuff about his son. It was a clever ruse for persuading listeners to switch to the radio station - Gold90.5FM only give its listeners what they want to hear.

Until the Covid Pandemic hit our shores, the mega-churches were very successful in attracting huge crowds each Sunday. Some would say that they used the latest entertainment and media techniques to communicate their message. Each worship service was chock a block full, with worshippers enjoying making music with songs of praises. They often reached ecstatic emotional levels during the service. The sermons were delivered by skilled and polished motivational speakers, moving about on stage not unlike entertainers on TV.

There is a very good reason for turning to glitz and gizmos during worship services. We live in the era of one minute commercials and 30-second sound bytes. Children grow up surrounded by every communication device delivering connections at breakneck speeds. The conventional wisdom seems to be that if one wants to get a message across, it had better be entertaining enough to attract attention and capture imagination. It is not surprising that churches have turned to these techniques. But aren't we, like the advertisement, guilty of pandering to the audience when our duty should be to worship and focus on the Triune God?

Some years back, Rev Andy Goh then a young pastor of Charis Methodist Church bravely spoke from Micah Chapter 3, telling the Charis congregation that the temptation to pander to the wants instead of the needs of society is not new. In Micah’s days, the Lord condemned the spiritual leaders and prophets for hypocritically feeding the people a diet of distorted messages to please the congregation and for their own profit.

'As for the prophets who lead my people astray,

if one feeds them, they proclaim 'peace';

if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him.

Therefore night will come over you, without visions,

and darkness, without divination.

The sun will set for the prophets, 

and the day will go dark for them.

The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced.

They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God." Micah 3:5-7

Preachers and spiritual leaders should take heed because:

• the medium of communication these days may distract and detract from true worship.
• the Church's agenda may not necessarily be God's agenda. 
• what the congregation wants to hear is not necessarily God's message for us.

'Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price,

and her prophets tell fortunes for money.

Yet they lean upon the LORD and say,

"Is not the LORD among us?

No disaster will come upon us.' Micah 3:12

Any church or church leader can fall into this trap sometimes. Hence the average church goer, like myself, should learn not go to the worship service just for the singing, nor the preaching or even the fellowship. Instead we go to worship and all these other activities in the service and programme should point and help us in that direction.

After a hiatus of more than two years, with the Covid restrictions lifted, our churches will no doubt be filled once more. Did we learn anything, any lessons during the silent years? Will our churches be houses of worship or halls of performances? 

During the enforced isolation of Covid, I learnt to meditate and I realised that silence speaks louder than sound; that in the solitude, God speaks. Hence, I will value the quieter atmosphere of a worship service at which there can be joyful singing intermixed with quiet prayers and God's Word read and preached. That is just a preference, others may think differently

Then there are times when we enter a sanctuary not just during the worship service but to sit quietly and gaze at the crucifix (for Catholic churches) or the plain cross (for Protestant churches). At Charis Methodist Church we will have the chance to look at the depiction of the Triune God through the stain glass that will dominate the chancel. We may contemplate the passion, crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are people who come early to church services to be in God's presence and pray.

"Go out and stand before on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord is not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 11-13

David Haas wrote the song You are Mine beginning with the phrase, 'I will come to you in the silence.' In the silence of the Covid years, this song helped me to know that God is present even when we could not go to church and worship Him.

I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me

Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run free
And all will know My name

I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name, embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live

Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Lionel

Updated, 1st published 31 Oct 2010