Supernaturally Natural: Rethink The Way We, The Church, Worships Corporately – Part III
From Supernaturally Natural: Chapter 15 manuscript by Anthony Bachman
Those early believers had witness the most supernatural series of events in history, Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection, yet they were to wait for the Holy Spirit to come as promised. I am sure there was excited anticipation for that event even though they did not know in what shape the Holy Spirit would present himself. The same can be true for our churches today!
Can we dare to have a different mind set about the way the Church does corporate worship? Dare we allow the Holy Spirit, the “creative” spirit of the Creator, Jesus Christ, to be free to activate life, expectancy, and anticipation in our gatherings? Dare we “let go”, lose control, of the order of the gatherings to allow the Holy Spirit to be the “conductor” to lead one of the greatest “worship symphonies” we have ever witnessed? Is there really safety in trusting the Holy Spirit, or will letting go produce chaos, shaking, falling down, barking, swinging from chandeliers, just down right embarrassing weirdness? Haven’t we yet learned:
“There is safety in trusting the Holy Spirit!”
Let’s think outside the box, for the box should not exist since the ultimate box, the Holy of Holies, the Presence of God, has been released with the torn veil to his New Testament Priesthood no matter where they congregate. Let’s just have two simple guidelines for worship: 1) Worship is coming into God’s/Jesus’ very Presence which can happen ANYWHERE since His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is free to flow and operate ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. 2) Whatever the Lord gives you, give it back and/or give away.
First, whose responsibility is it to “prepare” for Sunday’s worship experience? Is it the Pastor’s who spends hours “preparing” his sermon as the “feature” and “ultimate” teaching/preaching experience of the service? Is it the Choir Director’s or Worship Leader’s who spend hours preparing his choir, worship team, and musicians for the musical experience of the service?
I propose that we as priests under the order of Melchizedek, New Testament priests, believers in Jesus Christ, should be responsible for the “whole” service. What is required of us, as churchgoers, in preparation for the Sunday morning service? Usually the only preparation required is writing a tithe check. Other than that we often expect the clergy or his professional staff to orchestrate and “lead” worship. All I need to do is be a “dumb sheep” and follow their lead! Nothing more is expected; nothing more is required; everything will be done naturally and in order; nothing more is given. Everyone knows their positions, their requirements, and their responsibilities so that there will be no surprises and the service will go “without a hitch”. Soon the service week after week becomes routine, becomes comfortable, and it becomes the natural way we do things. How safe; how boring! We wonder why soon the youth are asking, “Where is the life?” “Why is church so boring?”
When this occurs, it is time for a supernatural invasion when the church has to face the cross, the vertical supernatural dissecting of the horizontal natural. Will your church ALLOW IT? We become the very barriers that we have tried to tear down throughout this book! Don’t you see it? We keep ourselves and everyone else in our congregation, in our church, from entering the Holy of Holies, his very Presence when we don’t require nor allow the priesthood to worship. It is hard to admit when we have become Pharisees! OUCH! Not me!