You Bunch of Theys
The Well made me think. Tonight at The Well there where 59 people at our little worship get together. I felt sore forlorn at the number. I thought there should be more. I remember back in the beginning of January telling some folks that I would love to see 50 passionate college type folks getting down with God, if I may, at The Well. I also pondered this in light of what we have discussed in the past few weeks at our WNTTDNHAN(Y). The love mandate gives the numbers at The Well a different perspective. The numbers are not huge. We don't have people driving from other states to see what happens at The Well. But, what do we have? Is it a great get together? Is it a good show? Does it have the best looking and most desirable soundman in the state? I do ask, what do we have?
The good get together is good, it is even Biblical. The good show is ok. Of course, the show is really us worshiping with song. Using or God given abilities to praise and celebrate our Father. We give our best to celebrate a Lord who is worth of our best efforts. What can I say; the soundman is the soundman in all his glory and whatnot (for those of you that don't know, the sound man is me and I am joking around).
What I am trying to say is that the most important thing that will ever happen for or to The Well will probably not happen at The Well. Consider this passage:
The good get together is good, it is even Biblical. The good show is ok. Of course, the show is really us worshiping with song. Using or God given abilities to praise and celebrate our Father. We give our best to celebrate a Lord who is worth of our best efforts. What can I say; the soundman is the soundman in all his glory and whatnot (for those of you that don't know, the sound man is me and I am joking around).
What I am trying to say is that the most important thing that will ever happen for or to The Well will probably not happen at The Well. Consider this passage:
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed
by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant
and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked
what they saw. Every day their
number grew as God added those who were saved.
Acts 2:46-47
It is not The Well. It is the exuberant celebration of joyful worshipping theys. We, if you did not figure it out, are the theys. A daily discipline of worship, love the Lord your God with all your X, Y, Z (everything= X,Y,Z = heart, soul, mind, strength{Mark 12:30}). Worship daily=Love the Lord your God....
Love the Lord, worship, celebrate, and yes even eat meals. People seem to like what they see. This whole package gets attention. Joyful, exuberant celebration with food, who could go wrong?
Here is the challenge for the church boy living in me. It is easy to read that passage and conger the mental images that I have from growing up in the church. If you don't relate, it looks kind of like this: saying praise the Lord after every other sentence, the hallelujah tick, the strange way a voice and language will change during a prayer, saying Lord after every third word in a prayer (seems Lord takes the place of um during prayer for some reason), the UWP (universal worship position, arms straight up, eyes closed with intensity). Now, having said all that let me explain. I got some people's attention; some of those folks are mad, others are delighted. These things I just mentioned are not necessarily bad. They are merely behaviors. Many times these behaviors get attached to very real and sometimes profound spirituality. Other times they are just what we do because we never thought about what we are doing. The church boy in me must make sure I do not substitute my real intimate relationship with Christ for a set of behaviors I picked up at church. It seems that behaviors are easy to maintain, especially when they seem have a spiritual pick me up attached. Love the Lord your God with all you X, Y, Z. Don't just do things that seem to look like love. Love cannot be reduced to a set of behaviors. Love with all the everything you could ever find in all that you have ever known to know.
Love the Lord, worship, celebrate, and yes even eat meals. People seem to like what they see. This whole package gets attention. Joyful, exuberant celebration with food, who could go wrong?
Here is the challenge for the church boy living in me. It is easy to read that passage and conger the mental images that I have from growing up in the church. If you don't relate, it looks kind of like this: saying praise the Lord after every other sentence, the hallelujah tick, the strange way a voice and language will change during a prayer, saying Lord after every third word in a prayer (seems Lord takes the place of um during prayer for some reason), the UWP (universal worship position, arms straight up, eyes closed with intensity). Now, having said all that let me explain. I got some people's attention; some of those folks are mad, others are delighted. These things I just mentioned are not necessarily bad. They are merely behaviors. Many times these behaviors get attached to very real and sometimes profound spirituality. Other times they are just what we do because we never thought about what we are doing. The church boy in me must make sure I do not substitute my real intimate relationship with Christ for a set of behaviors I picked up at church. It seems that behaviors are easy to maintain, especially when they seem have a spiritual pick me up attached. Love the Lord your God with all you X, Y, Z. Don't just do things that seem to look like love. Love cannot be reduced to a set of behaviors. Love with all the everything you could ever find in all that you have ever known to know.
posted by Kevin at
6:50 PM
8 Comments:
"the most important thing that will ever happen for or to The Well will probably not happen at The Well."
I listened to a sermon today given by an American Methodist-Epsicopal bishop named Vashti McKenzie. She had this analogy of the church as both a river and a reservoir. A reservoir holds water, is stationary, and sustains those in its immediate area. However, if there is no river flowing from the reservoir, then the areas not immediately surrounding the reservoir dry up and die. The Egyptians in biblical times (and maybe even still now, I'm not sure) situated their entire empire around the Nile, because it was the only fertile area. The birthplace of civilization, "The Fertile Crescent," is situated around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Prior to railroads, the Mississippi was the lifeline of the south. Rivers are vital to the survivability of a region. Parkway is our reservoir, and we are to ride the river that is Christ's guiding hand to deliver His message of living water to those around us. Certainly, the most important thing that will ever happen for or to The Well will not happen at the Well.
Personally, I don't think that many people at the Well think that something extraordinary will happen at the Well. I think as a whole we're very smart. I think we know that it's not even about the Well, and that the real reason we're doing the Well is to glorify Jesus. Maybe I'm misunderstanding everyone, but I feel like you're trashing on the Well. The Well is a very good thing. Our worship band and speaker and I can honestly say every leader at the Well knows that it's not about the Well, but about Jesus. I think we may be worrying about something we don't need to worry about. Like I said I could be misunderstanding what the point is, but I feel like we're saying that as a whole, we have the wrong attitude about the Well. I think that is wrong. I think we know what we're doing and our heart is in the right place. I think Jesus is glorified at every Well service we've held and ATV Music festival we've ever played at. I know the Well is not the answer, but I think it could, and will, change Tallahassee. Now of course it won't be the Well at all, but God using the Well. Something important may never ever happen at the Well, but I do feel that the Well is an important step in God's plan to glorify himself. Like I said let me know if I'm way off base.
-nic.
That certainly puts a new spin on the "numbers" at The Well or at church any time. It is not how many are here, but it's how many we show love to outside of here. We've all had to confess our preoccupation with "numbers" in recent days. I know I find myself looking around and trying to get a ball-park figure in my head. It is not nearly as tempting now that I'm not up on stage, but it is nonetheless, still a distraction for me sometimes.
I don't think it's entirely bad to worry about numbers. I mean, every number represents one person, right? And if we really are doing our job outside of church, shouldn't the numbers in the church reflect that? But when counting during the sermon or singing becomes a habit, there is no doubt, you are (I am) distracted from the one Person that I should be paying all my attention to. That, of course, being God.
There has to be some middle-ground here, right? When does our preoccupation with numbers turn from good, healthy Christ-like concern for the souls of others into bad habits that distract us from worshipping and loving God as we should - with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength?
It's kinda like this: Sometimes I worry about how I will pay my bills. A little bit of worry is good, because it motivates me to work and to look for opportunities to save where I can. But too much worry means that I am not trusting God to provide for me the way that He has proven He can over and over and over again. If I lean too far either way - worrying too much or not enough - I am either not trusting God or I'm probably being lazy and irresponsible. So where's the middle ground? It's a thin line, I think. In the same way, being concerned about numbers at church is also a thin line. Like I said, if we do our job outside of here, then I think it should be reflected here. BUT it's not going to happen all at once. Just because you showed love to that one guy that one time doesn't mean he's going to come running to your Sunday night church thing that he knows nothing about.
I'm rambling a bit, but I guess my point, if I haven't made it yet... is that we need to love others outside of the church. And like Kevin alluded to - what happens here is a set-aside time to worship God, which is great and awesome, but when we start worshipping God everywhere by loving others... that is when GREAT things will start happening, and The Well (numbers and all) will reflect that.
The tricky part is finding that magical thin line between soul-consciousness and distraction from God. If anyone thinks they know the answer, I'm open to suggestions!! :)
I don't think anyone's trashing on the Well. By saying the most important thing that could happen for the Well will not happen at the Well, we're saying that it's when our worship that happens inside the Well moves outside that we will truly be glorifying God in everything. I agree with Nic that we don't have the wrong attitude about the Well. On the contrary, I think these posts are a confirmation that our minds and hearts are where they need to be. We're not trying to change any minds, simply stating what is on our minds. We understand that it's not about numbers, not even about The Well itself reaching Tallahassee. Like Nic said, I believe that every leader at The Well understands that we are there to glorify Jesus. If a person comes to the Well, encounters Christ, and joins First Baptist or a Methodist or Presbyterian church, then praise God! If they join Parkway, then praise God! If they don't necessarily encounter Christ but witness us truly worshiping in a way that is an outpouring of our worshiping lives, then praise God! All I can control on Sunday night is that I am personally there for Jesus and noone else, and I believe that I speak for every Well leader when I say that.
The Well is a very good thing, quite possibly the best church-related thing I've ever been a part of. However, the real work happens not at the Well but throughout the week. I think that's what we mean when we say that "the most important thing that will ever happen for or to The Well will probably not happen at The Well." Certainly, glorifying Christ is the most important thing that could ever happen for or to the Well, but if that only happens at the Well and nowhere else, then is Christ really glorified? Are our hearts really in it? Or are we just practicing a more contemporary version of "Churchianity?" It's sorta like faith and works. We're saved by faith, not works. However, without works our faith is unproven and unreal. Without worship in our lives outside the Well, what happens in the Well is farcical and a show. I don't believe this is the case right now, but I've seen it happen before at my home church and at the BCM, and we must be always aware of the danger.
Anyway, hope this clears things up a bit... sorry it was so long.
I think the point that Kevin was trying to make was not to say that The Well is bad, or that the people at The Well have the wrong attitude about The Well. On the contrary, I think the point was that the PEOPLE are what it's all about - the programs (like The Well) are good if we use them the right way. We know at The Well, we do have good speaking, we have good music, and we have good food. But if that's as deep as it gets, then there's not much point to continuing with it! We are wasting our time.
Kyle went one step further to say that Parkway (and The Well) is where we, as believers, come to get nurtured spiritually as a group. That refreshment allows us to go week-to-week, day-to-day being Christ to all of those around us. I think he and Kevin are both saying that The Well and our church are very good things for believers to be participants in... but most importantly, that we should use them as opportunities to worship God in our singing and in our fellowship, and carry that worship over into the rest of our lives... and not that we should just come and sing and lift our hands, because it's what we've always done, or because it makes us "look" like Christians.
I see where Nicholas is coming from, though. I normally have to read over these things a few times before I can get a grasp on the real point. I, too, at first thought that negatively about this blog, but I read it a couple more times, and I saw it a different way. I could be way off too, and I'm sure Kyle and/or Kevin will re-post in response. But anyway, that's the feel I'm getting from them.
Taking The Well itself out of the equation, I think the point being made is that if the weekly gathering of believers is the only time we worship, the only place we pray, the only thing that makes us think of loving others and being Christ, then what's the point? We're just faking it on Sunday if we don't pray on Monday, help our neighbor on Tuesday, sing a worship song on Wednesday, open our Bible on Thursday, say "Amen" on Friday, and love a lost person Saturday (or whatever you do during the week that flows from Christ within you.) No matter what our group discusses or prays about when we get together, if it doesn't affect the way we deal with our co-workers, classmates, friends, family, strangers, etc. then what good has talking about it really done? Church is fantastic. It's one of the best times in my week. But if I'm not Evie-at-The-Well, praising, worshiping, loving, giving, praying all week long then I'm not doing the WORLD any good...and really, isn't our great commission all about doing the WORLD some good by telling them in every way about the good news, and being Christ to people who have no hope? "Love God with all your x,y,z and love your neighbors as yourself" wasn't just a suggestion for something to do if we get bored...it's our JOB.
Read Misty and Evie's posts. They made my point alot more clearly and eloquently than me. Thanks you lovely ladies you! :)
For my long book of thoughts:
I love the fact that everyone has different perspectives/convictions on were things are going. I agree with everyone and love this. Kevin said Wed. night that if you spent 15 minutes reading the blog you would understand where everyone is coming from. Well a hour and a half later i am still reading. Now back to reading... Wow, a lot of thoughts. However, as Kevin identified tonight that I am not a writer, I am a golf player, you will have to call me or ask me later what my thoughts are because I am a golfer.
I am sorry to be misleading or seem to be not serious but it is almost one am and i am tired. I hope i was not distracting in anyway and i love everyone of you and what God is doing in each life as He is creating new perspectives and new ideas. My prayer is that we Glorify Christ in ALL that we do.
Ryan
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