MEN, WORSHIP & WAR (PT. 1)
THE ENEMIES WE FACE IN WORSHIP
A few years ago I was with my team backstage praying before we went out to lead worship for our Church family and a brother in Christ named Mike Wallace said something very powerful to us. He said that we were about to engage in an act of worship warfare. I'll admit, I grew up in a Church environment where raising your hands was suspect and it's taken me a while to grow past that unbiblical attitude. So when someone talks about spiritual warfare, lookout, there's some serious crazy bout to go down! I love my brother though and respect him a ton so I heard him out. What was a quick statement and some real scriptural knowledge has lead to a couple of years really digging in and appreciating that truth.
In addition, It's been my privilege and honor to lead worship for a national men's conference called Iron Sharpens Iron the last 3 years. In that time I have noticed what I believe are great ways to help men engage more powerfully and wholeheartedly in worship in general as well as musical worship in particular. I am going to get an opportunity to share these insights this year at ISI with other men in hopes that they will carry this back to their families and congregations and be the spark that helps men retake a stronger role as worship leaders in their families and world. (This is not to disparage women in ministry. That is a separate conversation which I can say that am thankful for women and their abilities to lead in worship as well)
THE WAR
There is a very real war that is going on at all times. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not there are lives being lost and people being wounded all around us. I'm not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan. If you look at our world today people are in crisis. Some of you are feeling the effects of this war right now. Husbands and wives fighting and separated. Families disintegrating. Addictions. Nations crumbling under debt and corruption. You may not realize this right now but these are all symptoms that there is something wrong with our worship. If we want to win this war and see healing, restoration and recovery we need to know who and what we're fighting against.
THE ENEMIES
The first is Satan and his demons. He is very real and C.S. Lewis says there are two dangerous ways most people approach him. One is to assume he doesn't exist and the other is to be unhealthily obsessed with him. I want to avoid both. Let's not be stupid and pretend like he doesn't exist. The bible says in 1 Peter 5 to "be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." There is a video I saw once where a hunter barely avoids a lions charge. Here's the link. If you haven't seen it you need to because this is the best possible example that I can think of that shows how deadly our adversary is an how close we can be to losing it all. Jesus tells Peter that Satan had asked to sift him. In fact Jesus himself was tempted. These aren't kids stories. Satan is looking to destroy you and everyone around you and he's good at it. On the other hand, he's not the main character in the story. Don't fixate on him. Learn how he works and avoid him.
In addition to Satan we have an enemy hiding within. Ever since Adam took Satan's bait and pledged allegiance to himself, we have followed in his footsteps. Galatians 5:17 says "for the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. It is easy to want to right off evil and say that Satan and His demons are to blame but the truth is we cannot shirk our responsibility. Most of the evil today probably has little to do with Satan and primarily because of our own sinful selfish desires.
In Romans 7:18-25 the Apostle Paul says "I know that my selfish desires won’t let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20 And so, if I don’t do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21 The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22 With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die?"
It reminds me of Gollum in Lord of the rings. His original image was distorted by his obsession with the dark power of the ring. There's even a part in the twin towers movie where he's literally fighting himself about making the right or wrong decision. Paul also lists in Galatians 5 lists the ways the darkness within us manifests itself as "sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." If Satan and his demons do play a part, most of the time it's simply providing an opportunity to do something we want to do anyway.
Think of it this way. Our flesh is the fish hungry and looking. Sin is the hook that brings death. Satan just baits it with whatever our flesh happens to be hungry for at the time.
THE TRUE WORSHIP WAR
While some have labeled the infighting of the last 30 years over musical style and instrumentation "Worship Wars" they've missed the real war (although it is a side effect of the real war). The real worship war is had been going on since the fall. Satan and our flesh have joined forces in the rebellion and are continually seeking to dethrone the one True King. We are locked in to a hopelessly lost battle and only by defecting and switching sides can there be hope. We must decide to fight for the King and His Kingdom.
CHANGING SIDES
In warfare, switching sides is treason and is an act punishable by death. We don't suffer traitors lightly and we demand justice for evils committed against us. This is true for God as well. Baptism is where we draw the line and commit our first act of warfare in pledging our lives to the True King. In fact the early Church understood this to be a public declaration of the spiritual reality and integrated a renunciation of past treason into their confession before baptism.
As part of a baptism ceremony they would ask, "Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of evil that rebel against God?" and the person being baptized would respond "I renounce them!". Again they would ask, " Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?" and again the person would respond "I renounce them!"
They would go on the ask: do you trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, do you intend to be his disciple, trust His promises, obey His word, honor His church and show his love as long as you live?
Baptism is incredibly powerful. We don't understand exactly what happens during that time but we do know that there is a change in spiritual reality as we experience it physically. Christ paid the price of our treason, died on the cross and rose from the grave 3 days later and returned to heaven. By doing so He broke the power of sin, Satan and death and has promised real and eternal life for those who follow his example.
Romans 6:1-11 says "What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God’s wonderful kindness will show up even better? 2 No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? 3 Don’t you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? 4 When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.
5 If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. 6 We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. 7 We know that sin doesn’t have power over dead people.
8 As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. 9 We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. 10 When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. 11 In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God."
With this act of baptism God no longer treats us as enemies but transforms us into Sons. In fact, baptism is a horrific reminder to Satan and his demons that he can never win this war. I think that is one of the reasons God gave us this gift of baptism and why Satan has tried for so long to keep people from being obedient to teaching on it. He would love for nothing better than us to argue about it than actually do something to become part of the winning army.
NOW THE FIGHT REALLY BEGINS
Once you've declared Jesus as your King many Christians think life should be easy going. Quite the opposite is true. You have now painted a bulls-eye on your back and have been marked as an enemy of Satan instead of a slave. We've identified him clearly, understand his ways, God has put our sinful body to death in baptism and we have given our oath to a different King. It's time to fight the good fight as Paul tells Timothy. God has given us the weapons and his power to fight the worship war.