It would have been January of 1987.....almost thirty-one years ago. I was a relatively new Christian of about five years and on a short-term mission trip to Paraguay. It was hot......as every day was over 100 degrees. Our group had visited about a half a dozen churches while there.....all Pentecostal....of which was our group. The worship music in the services that we attended was very lively....hands were raised and shouts of 'hallelujah' rang out.....very typical of the American Pentecostal church. That's how I worshiped back home....with no inhibitions. These were wonderful people that I met and it was a blessed time.
Something happened on that trip that had a profound effect on me. Let me set the stage. The temperature was probably in the 90s on the evening in question. We had finished our work for the day which was continuing on the building of a brick Christian school that other groups had started. The work entailed painting......mixing mortar....laying brink.....and lifting beams. We had just eaten dinner at a local restaurant as we did every evening.....(they were all wonderful).....and three of us decided to just walk through a small local town. What I remember of that community was South American music playing.....a lot of colored lights....and general gaiety. (I just had to laugh to myself as I'm sitting here in my living room typing this post with SiriusXm on the Bose next to me tuned into channel 76.....Symphony Hall......and just as I typed these words about South American music a piece came on titled Scherzino Mexicano....classical guitar played by Manuel Ponce.....funny how things like that happen.)
OK....back to my story.....Picture a small South American town's main street with storefront next to storefront.....then picture a building offset somewhat.....I'm guessing twenty feet back from the road.....and then more storefronts next to each other. We passed that building....my two friends and I.....but only I had to stop. As I remember it it was a church that was offset from the street....a very humble structure. The front doors were open and a golden glow caught my eye. I saw people sitting on folding chairs set in a circle. They had their heads down and were obviously praying. I asked my friends to go on without me. Looking back on it.....which I have done many times over the years.... it was the gay music....contrasted by the stillness and intense soberness of the scene inside the church....that I could not get out of my mind.
I remember that evening even after three decades. Wherever I was in my Christian walk back in 1987.....I wanted what these people in this small church had....I needed what they had.....and I didn't even know what it was.....but I would find out maybe four or five years later. Meanwhile my wife was very good on this as she simply allowed me to work this out. We first wound up at a small Baptist church plant back home.....twelve members tops.....one child....ours....no piano player....one guitar player....me....the least capable fingers in the history of the world that ever touched six guitar strings....and I challenge anyone to prove that statement wrong. We called a pastor and he became a friend for life.
Why am I bringing all this up you might ask? I'm Presbyterian today....(that's a long story).....and we are often referred to as the 'frozen chosen'....and it's usually a pretty accurate description....but that's not the way that God designed it. I think that He would more likely call us the 'chosen frozen'....those once frozen in spiritual death....but chosen to come alive by grace alone....through faith alone.....in Christ alone!
My testimony here.....(we all have one)....having experienced both extraordinarily lively worship....and profound stillness at the preaching of the person and work and majesty of Christ....is that the difference is one of intensity....and that the greater of these two joys....the greater of these two celebrations.....comes from the words.....not the music.....not anything else.......just the words. The stronger that Christ is preached....the weaker our ability to stand.....or even raise our arms.
Musical scales and singing are wonderful and glorious in the worship of the Lord but only the words and not the notes have been passed down to us. Yes there will be a 'new song'.....and we yearn and pant for that day....but it is the Word of God that we are told that is life and truth and living and active and shall stand forever.
Something happened on that trip that had a profound effect on me. Let me set the stage. The temperature was probably in the 90s on the evening in question. We had finished our work for the day which was continuing on the building of a brick Christian school that other groups had started. The work entailed painting......mixing mortar....laying brink.....and lifting beams. We had just eaten dinner at a local restaurant as we did every evening.....(they were all wonderful).....and three of us decided to just walk through a small local town. What I remember of that community was South American music playing.....a lot of colored lights....and general gaiety. (I just had to laugh to myself as I'm sitting here in my living room typing this post with SiriusXm on the Bose next to me tuned into channel 76.....Symphony Hall......and just as I typed these words about South American music a piece came on titled Scherzino Mexicano....classical guitar played by Manuel Ponce.....funny how things like that happen.)
OK....back to my story.....Picture a small South American town's main street with storefront next to storefront.....then picture a building offset somewhat.....I'm guessing twenty feet back from the road.....and then more storefronts next to each other. We passed that building....my two friends and I.....but only I had to stop. As I remember it it was a church that was offset from the street....a very humble structure. The front doors were open and a golden glow caught my eye. I saw people sitting on folding chairs set in a circle. They had their heads down and were obviously praying. I asked my friends to go on without me. Looking back on it.....which I have done many times over the years.... it was the gay music....contrasted by the stillness and intense soberness of the scene inside the church....that I could not get out of my mind.
I remember that evening even after three decades. Wherever I was in my Christian walk back in 1987.....I wanted what these people in this small church had....I needed what they had.....and I didn't even know what it was.....but I would find out maybe four or five years later. Meanwhile my wife was very good on this as she simply allowed me to work this out. We first wound up at a small Baptist church plant back home.....twelve members tops.....one child....ours....no piano player....one guitar player....me....the least capable fingers in the history of the world that ever touched six guitar strings....and I challenge anyone to prove that statement wrong. We called a pastor and he became a friend for life.
Why am I bringing all this up you might ask? I'm Presbyterian today....(that's a long story).....and we are often referred to as the 'frozen chosen'....and it's usually a pretty accurate description....but that's not the way that God designed it. I think that He would more likely call us the 'chosen frozen'....those once frozen in spiritual death....but chosen to come alive by grace alone....through faith alone.....in Christ alone!
My testimony here.....(we all have one)....having experienced both extraordinarily lively worship....and profound stillness at the preaching of the person and work and majesty of Christ....is that the difference is one of intensity....and that the greater of these two joys....the greater of these two celebrations.....comes from the words.....not the music.....not anything else.......just the words. The stronger that Christ is preached....the weaker our ability to stand.....or even raise our arms.
Musical scales and singing are wonderful and glorious in the worship of the Lord but only the words and not the notes have been passed down to us. Yes there will be a 'new song'.....and we yearn and pant for that day....but it is the Word of God that we are told that is life and truth and living and active and shall stand forever.
