Worship in Complete Freedom

June 27, 2008

Category: Spirituality

“You sit here in comfortable chairs. You stand up and sing praises. You’re free to worship God whenever you want.”

This was the beginning of a noteworthy moment in the middle of an interview of a brave Iranian Christian evangelist. During this moment, the entire interview changed. You could sense it in the marked change in the interpreters voice to a quieter, more sensitive tone. He too could feel the change.

The speaker’s eyes began to well up with tears, and his voice narrowed. His humility was forefront. He spoke completely from the heart in a raw, passionate state. The entire crowd began to listen more intently as this moment’s energy lifted with every sentence.

“But we—my family—are scared for our lives every day—yet we can’t stop living in Him. We are protected by him. All we have is from Jesus. Our lives are completely in his hands. I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus!”

He was lifted out of his chair, pointing upwards as he exclaimed this.

The crowd—all of us—burst into clapping. I felt it too.

These things inspire me. They teach me. They haunt me. I think about how good we have it here. We do worship in complete freedom. We have nothing holding us back. This thought has come to me over the years, and I’ve always wondered if it will last.

I think we have no idea what Christianity is. We just pretend we do. We go through the motions of it, carrying on traditions of living that have been passed on for generations. We are way too comfortable with the things we have grown to want—worse, the things we can’t live without. Things like cars, candy, television, 3 meals a day, computers, furniture, keeping things for ourselves, having one of everything. We don’t help people… give to the poor or less fortunate. We don’t speak to others about the persecution of Christians throughout the world. We don’t read the Bible. We don’t pray. We don’t care for each other. We don’t live passionately.

We forget.

We forget what we’re supposed to do. Instead, we choose the complacent route.

Posted by pablohart on June 27, 2008 11:10 PM

Comments

Hola Pablo,
Something inside me just said take a look at Paul's blog again after all these months and I read your latest entry....your thoughts and observations resonant with me and I wanted to share my perspective from my heart.

Being completely honest with myself as an adopted beloved son under God's grace I think we actually do understand Christianity quite well as God's Word outlines it to us. It isn't so much that we forget as much as it is that we deny and resist (I agree it's a choice we make each day, each hour, each minute) a choice regarding the narrow and clear path that Christ has modeled for us through His life here on Earth as God incarnate.

No doubt that believers in this freedom haven called USA have become too comfortable and relative, I know that feeling myself. However, God has laid it on my heart to realize each day that what is often most important is not what others are doing seen through our eyes but instead what each Christ follower tries to do, in Christ, as seen by others. Not to imply that it's only about being noticed from the outside as much as it's also about being honest and as transparent as we can be about our ever present fallen nature during our days here. Evangelical christians are often perceived as being arrogant for their narrow beliefs, but I agree what is most important is that we don't simply worship at the foot of "traditions of living" just a good life.

A few years ago I read a T-shirt while working out at my local gym and it was a marked point in something God has continued to work into my understanding each day relaying His desire for me to love others as I love myself....the T-shirt said, "You must be the change you want to see in the World", by Mahatma Gandhi.

I hope and pray we can indeed live passionate lives with Christ at their constant center. Living "EPIC" (Eternity's Plan in Christ) ideally is not being discouraged by what others are doing or not doing, but living with the hope and faith that in the end JESUS WINS on our behalf and we don't want anyone we know and love to not have that eternal victory to share in as well.

Your brother in Christ,
Dan VS

Posted by Dan VS at July 10, 2008 12:25 AM

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